How to Become a More Confident Traveler

Traveling, particularly when traveling abroad, can be stressful for anyone. When you have anxiety the experience can be particularly stressful. I've got a few tips and tricks that can help calm your nerves and make traveling just a little bit easier.

Tip 1 Plan Ahead

If there are clear stressors for you, like flying, plan for them! If you are a nervous flyer, it may be a good idea to practice a few calming techniques before boarding. Do a face mask, meditate, listen to soothing music, maybe even have a glass on wine. It may not take the stress away completely, but it will help. 

Tip 2 Schedule Down Time

I personally like to schedule down time when I travel. A free afternoon to nap or shop or hang in a cafe, anything! Having a time when you don't feel like you HAVE to be somewhere is a truly wonderful thing! It leaves room spontaneity and can really help you recharge. This is especially important for people who are introverted. Quiet time can help you recharge and be ready for the next adventure.

Tip 3 Take Breaks As You Need Them

During your vacation, remember it's supposed to be fun! If you start to feel overwhelmed, take a break! It's allowed! Don't work yourself up trying to make it through the day - you'll enjoy the experience much more if you take a few minutes to relax and gather yourself before finishing out the day.

Tip 4 Communicate with your Travel Buddies

COMMUNICATE! If you're traveling with someone, chances are good they are your friends. Friends are there to support you, so let them know about your anxiety and stress. Talk with them before the trip so they aren't blindsided, and keep talking with them throughout the trip. Don't be afraid to speak up and let your friends know when you need a break. With everyone on the same page, the trip will go much smoother and more fun will be had by all.

Anxiety, stress and worry are definitely real factors for many people when they travel, but they are nothing to be ashamed of. Open communication and plenty of planning can really make a difference for your trip! If you want some help with planning your next adventure, check out my company at MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com.

Santa Fe Round Up

Santa Fe was nothing short of amazing. We were a little scared it was going to rain so we squeezed both hiking destinations into one day. It turned out to be a lot more than we bargained for, but we definitely had fun and aren't even too horrendously sore.

Stop one was Bandelier National Park! It was truly beautiful and we had an absolute blast. Though the signage was horrendous (we wound up trying to figure out where to park and where to pay for parking for something like 20 minutes, but we got there eventually!) Once we got started we got to witness some pretty beautiful views. We got to climb straight up the side of a canyon using these crazy ladders and super narrow trails. It was a little scary, but really, really cool. We got to see how people lived hundreds of years ago.

Then we even decided to tackle the water fall trail. Due to construction (which we had no idea was gonig to be in our way) it took us an extra mile to even reach the trail head turning a 3 mile hike into a 5 mile hike. Yeesh! It was totally worth it though. The trail was very different than the others, it felt less traveled and more like you were actually in the wild.

We were meant to grab lunch in between hiking destinations, but Arby's betrayed us! Again, terrible signage got the better of us. We failed to locate said Arby's and mistakenly assumed another fast food establishment would pop up along the freeway before we reached the Tent Rocks. WRONG. We wound up eating trail mix for lunch (not ideal) and arrived a little tired, but excited. Tent rocks are these interesting  rock formations where a harder rock is sitting on top of softer rocks that have worn away so it looks like a boulder sitting on top of a small pillar. That hike was intense! It started off not too bad, the whole thing was only 3.2 miles, but man! A chunk of it was straight up. We had to climb over boulders and make our way through narrow passages, but the view from the top was spectacular. You could see for miles and miles. It was exhilarating! The drop off was literally right next to the trail. Talk about a rush! No worries, we made it back down safely.

We finished out the trail with only the occasional snake sighting (NO THANK YOU) and made our way back to town. We definitely stopped and ate a HUGE meaal at... Arby's. No shame. We had earned it!


The next day was our museum day! We essentially spent the day looking at Folk Art, History and an old beautiful church called San Miguel. The museums were very interesting and we had a great time! It was nice to sit down and admire the galleries (we were definitely tired from yesterday's hike!). I even bought a beautiful turquoise ring made by a Native American. I actually got to meet the artist and it was just a great experience. We finished out the day at a restaurant recommended to us by Schuyler's sister. It was called Santa Fe Bite and the burgers were delicious! We called it a night and were asleep by 9pm. Bliss.

Today we departed Santa Fe and took the quick route back to Albuquerque. We bopped around Old Town, had lunch at a local favorite (and had us a lunch time adult beverage because vacation), and did a little bit of light shopping. I found a New Mexican book store and bought a little souveneir. Surprise, surprise I bought a book.

We then headed over to the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History and took a look around. It was intense, sad, scary and fascinating all at the same time. It was pretty incredible to get a look at what we, as a race, are capable of.

Then we headed to meet up with Schuyler's family and get the guys fitted for their tuxes so we are all ready for the wedding! We went out to a Thai restaurant and are now relaxing at the house we are staying at.

Tomorrow we are taking on our big hike! La Luz Trail is around 8 miles, uphill. Let's do this!!

Malena

A Unique Christmas 12/25/2014

First let me start by saying that I am very very blessed to have such wonderful people in my life and such wonderful friends that even on a Holiday when I have to be away from my family, I still found some amazing people to share it with.

I woke up in Rotterdam nice and late, just as a relaxing day should start. We threw in some laundry (OK Coletta did it... did I mention she's great?) and then went on a nice long stroll around the city. I had so much fun taking pictures at all the iconic places in Rotterdam! I even wore my shirt from the radio station I work for so they can get an international shoutout (pictures to come once I have a spare second, ha!)

Coletta's son came over and we had a declicious meal! It was a bunch of small dishes but they were so. good. It was a really fun time - we even played some Mario Kart!

Eventually I had to leave for Spain so Coletta and Erwin (And Pepper too!) drove me to Amsterdam Schippol and off I went. I had to get searched (both me and my bag, ha) but I had no real trouble catching my flight. I bought some impusle stroopwaffels because why not, man? The plane was for sure a budget flight...  no TP. NOT COOL. Luckily they had some paper towels, but ya know. I also sort of enjoyed the kareoke bar singer-song writer music they played for like 40 minutes (20 minutes each on take off and landing). I actually started laughing it was so bad. I tried to tune it out and read my book so the flight wasn't too bad.

When I landed I had to wait a bit for the shuttle, but it wasn't too long and I wasn't worried. There are always cabs! I got to the hotel no problems and met with my boss for quite a while. We finalized things and I headed up to bed!

The hotel is pretty nice. Very typically Spanish... except the shower is what I imagine standing in a hurricane would be like. Very chaotic with water seeming to come from everywhere...

Anyway, I'll update more tomorrow!

Malena