2017 Travel Recap

2017 was quite the year for me! While not a record-setting travel year, I still made it to 5 countries (4 if you don't include the U.S., where I live.) 2017 was a crazy year for me - I got married, moved across the country and had a blast exploring the world with friends and family!

First up was our girls' trip to the Bahamas for my bachelorette party! It was my first time on a cruise and it was a blast! It was much more structured than I'm used to, but overall it was still an awesome experience. I hung out with my sisters and my best friend in the sun, enjoying fruity drinks and light-hearted books. 

Next is the reason I included the U.S. in my travel list - we moved! We packed up our belongings and within a week of being married, my husband and I were settling in our new town. We are relaxing in a small town in Ohio right near the river and are loving life.

Next up was our honeymoon! What was supposed to be a quick layover in Madrid turned into a one-day adventure! We missed our connecting flight and were put up in a hotel. We decided to make the best of it and set out to explore some of madrid! We were exhausted, but we still managed to have a blast exploring Puerto del sol and the city center.

We did eventually make it over to Portugal for our actual honeymoon. Portugal is absolutely beautiful! We traveled from Porto to Lisbon to Luso to Lagos then back up to Porto. Portugal is absolutely amazing, and I can't recommend it enough!

Finally, we got to spend some time in Canada! We made a few pit stops in Toronto and Niagra Falls before visiting with family near Muskoka. The weather was lovely and the lake was just gorgeous. We had so much fun and will absolutely be going back soon!

I hope your year was filled with beautiful adventures. If you'd like help planning your next excursion (domestic or international), visit my website at MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com. 

My First Cruise - Nassau, Bahamas

I am back from my first cruise, and I had a blast! For my bachelorette party, we decided to take a Carnival cruise from Florida to Nassau in the Bahamas! We had an amazing time relaxing by the pool while our boat was in port in Miami. We spent our days laying out on the beach and drinking plenty of delicious, fruity drinks. But let's start from the beginning.

Miami skyline! What a view!

We were all up at the crack of dawn to meet and drive to the airport for a 6am flight. My sisters, my best friend and I were ready to party! We started with a customary Chic-fil-a breakfast in the airport and boarded the plane for Florida. We got there with plenty of time to spare, and caught the shuttle over to our boat. From there there was some more waiting around, but we were allowed to board early, which was nice.

They took our bags and we made our way on the ship and settled down on the deck with a drink in our hand - just as it should be. We had purchased the unlimited drinks package, which by the way, is actually a limit of 15 alcoholic drinks per day with unlimited sodas and water. Just a note, if you are interested in that package it is required to buy it for the entire cruise for your entire cabin, so be ready for that!

Matching Bachelorette scarves!

Not gunna lie, Friday night we had relaxed, had dinner and went to bed. We were so tired from our travels, we decided to hit the hay early and get up ready for fun in the morning.

Saturday, we took it easy in the morning and got ready for the day! My biggest tip is skip the buffet! It was really rough standing in that dumb line. Instead, hit up the seated dining area. It'll probably take the same amount of time, but it's so much more relaxed and you can sit and enjoy the view.

In the afternoon, we ventured out in Nassau and shopped at a local market and saw some of the area which was fun and I picked up a beach bag. Next up was a ferry ride to a lovely island. It took longer than anticipated, but we were able to stay longer than expected too so it worked out ok.

We opted for the private beach day - TOTALLY WORTH IT! It came with lunch, a nice cocktail and a guaranteed beach chair in a private alcove. It was gorgeous and SO relaxing! After we had our fill of the Bahamian sun, it was back to the ship we went!

On the beach in the Bahamas

We spent the night checking out the shows, enjoying more drinks and even heading out to the club. The show turned out to be a little more Vegas-style than anticipated, but was overall amazing! The club was not quite my thing, but my sisters sure had a blast, ha!

My amazing breakfast of Froot Loop encrusted french toast

Sunday, we literally just laid there and it was glorious. We tried out the water slide and enjoyed the pizza bar, but really we enjoyed the sun and I managed to read 3 books in 3 days. Not bad. Sunday night, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner and another show. This one had some rather risque moves as well, but was still really awesome.

Monday, was a lot of waitting. Waiting to get off the ship, waiting for our flight and waiting to make it home. It was a long, long day, but overall the trip was so worth it! My one regret is I came away with quite the cold. It took almost a week to get over!

All in all, it was a ton of fun! I'm not sure how many cruises I'll be doing in the future as I think I still prefer to pave my own way, but it was perfect for relaxing with my bridesmaids!

Prepping and Packing For My First Cruise

I have been lucky enough to travel the world and see some pretty amazing sites, but never form the deck of a cruise ship! This weekend I am so excited to be headed to the Bahamas with my sisters and best friend! All that's left to do is pack!

I may or may not be stalling just a little by writing this blog post, but I'm mostly packed anyway - here's what I'm bringing!

Clothing - I'm bringing a combination of sun dresses, bikinis and comfy clothes! I'll be sporting my usual airport attire - yoga pants and a hoodie (which can double as workout clothes). Then the rest of the time I plan to be in a bikini or a fun, bright and colorful dress. I'll probably also throw in one or two nicer dress to wear if we decide to go to a fancy dinner or clubbing while on board. That's the fun part about cruises! You get to spend your time being super comfortable and relaxing by the pool. My kind of attire.

Shoes - I'm only bringing 3 pairs of shoes - sandals, flip flops and running shoes. Keeping it simple so I can fit everything in a carry-on.

Toiletries - I'll be bringing the my usual line-up. Plenty of mini products and of course, my trusty shampoo bar. I absolutely love my lush shampoo bar for travel because a) they work great b) it's one less liquid I have to bring!

Accessories - I'll be rocking some top-notch Target sunglasses and floppy hat. Total I think I spent like $15 on the pair so if I lose one or both, no big deal! Other than that, I'll be keeping things pretty simple - my usual stud earrings, my class ring and of course, my engagement ring!  I might throw in a baseball hat in case it gets windy and my sunhat isn't cutting it.

Extras - I'm bringing ALL the sunscreen! AKA my giant bottle of SPF 70. My entire goal is to just not come home burnt to a crisp. Other than that, I've made sure to bring all of my chargers, my kindle, plenty of books, my camera, my GoPro, my boarding documents and most importantly my passport!! 

I'm so excited for this trip! It's a new experience for me - I'm letting someone else plan for once! Ordinarily, I'm the one who coordinates everything, and I'd love to help you out on your next trip. Check out my travel company at MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com.

My First Cruise?! - A Bahamian Bachelorette Party

I have a confession... I have never been on a cruise. I know, right!? I've been to over 20 countries and absolutely love traveling, but I have never once been on a cruise. That's about to change (and I'm excited!)

I love to travel, so naturally we thought about traveling somewhere for my bachelorette party. We were STRONGLY considering Iceland, but ended up opting not to go for a variety of reasons. It was getting a little pricey for a bachelorette party, our husbands all wanted to go too and it was just complicated. We still really liked the idea of going somewhere, but wanted to keep the price down. We toyed with New Orleans or Charleston, but then my sister had the idea of a cruise!

My sister found an amazing deal on a flight to Florida AND an awesome four day cruise to the Bahamas! I've actually never been to the Bahamas either, so I'm sure that is going to be a blast. It'll be nice to get away somewhere warm with some of my favorite people. Now we just need to decide on what excursions we want! Luckily, one of my bridesmaids is a "cruiser" so I think I'll let her take the lead on this one.

Now, to be clear, I have nothing against cruises! I've just always loved to plan my own adventures and create my own specific itinerary. Now, I get to do it professionally :) (MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com).

If you have any tips or tricks for "Cruising" let me know in a comment or message!