Visiting the World's Oldest Bookstore

As a book lover, I'm constantly on the hunt for beautiful bookstores wherever I go. While researching our trip to Lisbon, I stumbled across the ultimate bookstore! The Chiado Livraria Bertrand is the oldest bookstore in the world! It even holds a Guinness World Record! This location opened in 1732 and has since become the largest bookstore chain in Portugal. I must say it was magical.

Here I am with the sign out front!

Tired, sweaty but excited! I had the time of my life wandering through the stacks of books and of course, came away with a few to add to my collection. The set up of the store was really neat! It had multiple rooms that stretched back kind of like a tunnel. It ended with a pretty gorgeous little cafe. As a book enthusiast, it was a pretty awesome experience. I highly recommend stopping by if you get the chance!

Best Trip Planning Tools

Big trips are incredibly exciting and rewarding, but they require a lot of work. Once you've selected your dream destination, organizing an itinerary can be daunting. There is so much information out there, and it can be hard to figure out where to start. As someone who has planned trips professionally, here are my best tips!

Don't Be Afraid to Use Guide Books
I know it can seem a bit archaic, but guide books can be a wonderful tool! While there are often new editions out each year, you can probably get away with using last year's edition to save some money - things don't change that much in just one year. However, I would maybe stay away from those guidebooks from the 1970's that always seem to be laying around.

Guide books are a reliable starting place and can have great insider tips. I personally love the Lonely Planet books - it's what I've been using to plan my upcoming trip to Portugal.  You can even check some out from the library as a starting place!

Trip Advisor
Next take advantage of some reputable online resources - I enjoy trip advisor! They rank the attractions (by category) and it's easy to get a feel of the city. There are even first hand reviews available that I've always found tremendously helpful.

Blogs
It's also a great idea to poke around  the internet for well-written travel blogs that discuss your destination. I love reading first-hand accounts of other people's adventures! It gives me an idea of what I  may want to sere and do while abroad AND tips me off to attractions that I may want to skip.

Social Media
Finally, I recommend posting on your social media account and asking for recommendations! You never know who will pop up with a great suggestion. These recommendations can be tremendously valuable because they come from people who know you and have no reason to lead you astray. It's also a great way to reconnect with friends from your past - bonus!

If you need help planning your itinerary, I'd be happy to help! MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com.

City Highlights - Barcelona

I'm starting a series where I'll be covering the highlights of some of my favorite cities. To kick things off, I thought I'd dive into one of my absolute favorite cities: Barcelona. There are so many places in Barca that are worth checking out, but here are a few of my favorites!

#1 - The beaches! Even in the wintertime (which is predominantly when I've spent time in Barca) the beaches are absolutely gorgeous. You can relax and soak up the sun in the summer, or in the cooler months just take a stroll and enjoy the view. There are even spots along the beach with make shift soccer goals set up and workout equipment.

 

 A shot of some beautiful beaches during sunset - taken from a train

#2 Ice Barcelona - If you are into the night life, Barca has several unique clubs and bars, but my favorite is the Ice Bar, aptly called Ice Barcelona! It's a lot of fun! The walls, chair, bar and even the glasses are made of ice. They give you fun, puffy silver jackets to wear along with some gloves. It was a ton of fun!

Hanging in Ice Barcelona around Christmas time

#3 La Sagrada Familia - The legendary Barcelona Artist, Antoni Gaudi designed several structures throughout the city, and arguably his most famous work is La Sagrada Familia. This breathtaking (and enormous) church is an absolute must-see; just be prepared to see some construction since it will be another 10 years or so before the church is completed.

The beautiful (and hard to photograph) La Sagrada Familia

#4 Park Guell - If you want an idyllic view of the city, Park Guell is the place to visit! Like the Sagrada Familia, it was designed by the magnificent Gaudi. The tiling is beautiful and there are some beautiful hikes as well. The outer area is free, but if you want to get the best views you'll have to pay just a few euros to enter the center area.

Park Guell at sunset is my favorite

 #5 - Camp Nou!!! - FC Barcelona, the professional soccer team of Barcelona, is the heartbeat of the city. If you don't have a chance to go see a game in person, at the very least it's worth touring the museum and stadium. Soccer is a huge part of the culture in Barca, so even if soccer isn't your cup of tea, I still recommend checking it out!

Down on the field during the tour

I had the time of my life at El Clasico! If you're not familiar, it's a legendary game between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. The atmosphere was unlike anything I've ever experienced.

I'd love to help you plan a trip of a lifetime to see the sights of Barcelona. Give me a shout at MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com.

Beautiful Ireland

As I sit thinking about where to honeymoon, I was reminiscing on my time spent in Ireland. It really was magical. We spent time in the Dublin city center, but also went for a lovely hike near Dun Laoghaire. I will say, Ireland is every bit as green as you'd think. We managed to squeeze our hike in between spurts of rain - though we carried ponchos just in case. It seemed to always be raining!

We even got to see some goats along the trail! The trail itself was marked moderate, but let me tell you - it was way more intense than that! I wonder what Americans would have labeled it? It was basically straight up for a good long portion and my bum knee sure was feeling it by the end. Regardless, it was totally worth it. 

Just a friendly tip, if you're planning on traveling to Ireland any time before mid summer, BRING LAYERS. I am not sure I've ever been so cold in my life and I had on tights, corduroys, thick socks, boots and something like 4 jackets. It was like the rain was blowing sideways! 

Anyway, if you're interested in taking a trip to see the land of the Irish, I'd be happy to help you! MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com.

Thailand Adventures (Swimming with Elephants!)

Hello!

I'm sorry for the delay in this post - it's long overdue, I know.

So as I'm gearing up for my next adventure (more on that later) I was looking back at my Thailand pictures and realized I never made a post about it!

Our trip to Thailand was probably one of my all time favorite travel experiences. We only had a few days in Bangkok, so Sky and I made the most of it. We hired a tour company, as coordinating a car and organizing certain activities would have been nearly impossible on our own.

We flew in Friday night and made it to a rather ritzy hotel - the toilet had like 20 buttons! It was incredibly cheap for the quality, but welcome to Thailand.

The next morning, after a fun asian breakfast, we were off for a day packed with adventure! Our first stop was the River Kwai.

The bridge actually has a really cool history and we enjoyed learning about it from our guide!

Next up was the floating market which was actually incredibly cool. We literally rented a boat and floated up and down buying snacks and cool knick knacks. And it was SO beautiful to boot!

The food was delicious and we both had a blast!

Then we made our way to what was surely the highlight of the trip - swimming with elephants! Now I do want to specify here, we went to an elephant sanctuary in the middle of the jungle. These elephants are well taken care of by their trainers, called mahouts. It was beautiful and we were so lucky to have been able to visit with these beautiful animals.

Schuyler, King of the Jungle (one of the Mahouts made him a crown!)

Posing for the tasty orange!

Me and my elephant!

The best water fight in the world!

Look at that jungle!

Oh and I got to backflip off an elephant... so that was amazing beyond all belief

Swimming with elephants was SO FUN but also quite the work out! We headed back to the hotel absolutely exhausted

The next day we took some time to explore some temples. These were beautiful and so fun to explore. My only negative experience was with the rather shifty street vendors (telling you certain attractions were closed so they could give you a tour instead etc.). We had a blast and even got to ride in a tuk tuk!

Overall, Thailand was phenomenal and I 1000% would love to go back!

Lots of love,

Lena

Check List for Traveling Abroad

Deciding to take an international trip can be very overwhelming! I decided to put together a little checklist of sorts to possibly help some of you begin to plan your very own adventure.

1) Pick a Destination
In my case I actually have a bucket list of places I want to go. For no I am working on whittling that list down, though it seems to get longer after every trip. Keep in mind that the farther away the destination, typically the more expensive the trip will end up being - airfare is a killer. If you are having trouble picking a specific city or series of cities start by picking a category - European, Asian, Hot, Cold, Tropical, Snow-Covered etc. then narrow it down from there! Don't forget to do research regarding the destination - make sure its safe! For example, Egypt and the Middle East may not be ideal vacation spots right this moment. A good website to check out before you go is this one.

2) Start Saving Up
This is the necessary evil of traveling - it costs money. Usually it costs quite a bit of money. Start saving as soon as you get the thought in your mind that you might want to travel!

3) Plan Your Lodging
Decide what kind of trip you want to go on - is this a backpacking adventure? a mountain cabin getaway? A spa/resort type trip? That will determine your lodging. Personally, I opt for hostels whenever possible (when I travel for fun). I cannot explain how much I love hostels. You get to meet people from all over the world, get inside tips from locals, get cheap food, and most importantly get cheap lodging! You can pay anywhere from $15 - $50/night!! Even in major cities! Now you will have communal showers and communal rooms, but they give you a locker (bring your own padlock or you will have to buy one from the front desk - same goes for towels and sometimes sheets)

4) Plan Your Transportation
This is an important step. Don't just expect a bus to be waiting for you at the airport - if there are buses expect there to be multiple. A lot of hostels and hotels will provide information on the easiest way to get from the local airport to their location. The best mode of transportation can vary from city to city. For instance, in Paris I used the subway to get absolutely everywhere but in Amsterdam I simply walked. In NYC there are cabs available, but talk about expensive! Often times it is worth looking into buying a public transportation card for several days- you'll be amazed how often you use it! In some cities, such as Nashville, public transportation is not readily available and you may want to look into renting a car. Don't forget to review the road rules of the country you are in because they may be different than what you are used to.

5) Plan Your Activities
I know a lot of people want to just go with the flow and I do too, but only to an extent. When I travel I make a list of key places that I will be sad if I don't see. I make sure to plan certain activities for certain days, but I leave flexibility. For instance, in Paris we decided to leave the Louvre for a rainy day and explore the city while the sun was shining! I also think it is important to leave time for spontaneity. That way I know I will get to see absolutely everything I wanted to see, but there is room to explore!

6) Plan a Budget
The best advice I can give here is to be generous with your budget. You main expenses are going to be airfare, lodging, ground transportation, and food. Don't forget food. I recommend eating locally. Instead of constantly hitting up the restaurants nearby, check out the local grocery stores. While it is no where near as glamorous, eating pb&j sandwiches will sure save you money! You can also make it fun - in Paris we bought cheese, sausage and bread from street vendors and had ourselves a feast! Yum!
I also highly recommend "You Need A Budget" (YNAB). It is a little pricey but I got it on sale for $15. It is seriously amazing. It lets you set aside money for certain things (bills, travel, food etc.) Set a savings goal and when you reach that goal you don't have to feel any guilt at all spending it on the trip of a lifetime!

7) Get your Travel Documents in Order
Make sure you have ALL the travel documents you may need. Some countries require visas. These will also vary depending on how long you will be traveling. Do your research! The last thing you want to happen is to have your trip stopped before it even began because you didn't realize your passport was expired. Check that expiration date! Even if it is current, some countries require your visa be valid for 3 months AFTER your trip.

8) Plan Out Your Packing List
This sounds a bit like over-organzing but it is a lifesaver. Look around online for example packing lists. You'll be glad you did. This way you don't forget vital things like power adaptors and converters (those are two different things!) You also won't make it all the way to Europe and realize you have no underwear. Now keep in mind it is not the end of the world if you forget an essential, at least in most places. Europe has stores just like here in the US. You can typically find somewhere to buy some toothpaste etc.

9) Buy Your Tickets
I don't mean just your plane ticket, either! You should buy your tickets ahead of time for as much as you can, in my opinion. Having our Paris Rail Card sent to us ahead of time was so convenient. It can also save you time and money. We got to skip the MONSTROUS line for the eiffel tower and show up at our scheduled time. Anything that might have a long line I recommend buying the tickets for it ahead of time if at all possible.

10) Go Shopping
This is the time to pick up travel-sized everything! Remember that liquids are not your friend as far as the airlines are concerned.

11) Pack
I recommend packing conservatively. I have another post here with some packing tips!

12) Head Off on an Adventure!
Remember to have the time of your life, but respect the culture you are in. Just because the locals do something differently from you, doesn't mean they're wrong. Keep an open mind. In general people are good. With that said, I do recommend that you be aware while abroad (and in general). Keep your money zipped in an inside pocket and try not to stick out as a tourist. Use apps instead of paper maps and try to learn at least a basic greeting in the native language of that country.

I hope this helps!
Malena