Was the 17-Hour Flight to Australia Worth It?

Traveling from the U.S. to Australia is no easy feat. In fact if you add in all of our collective travel time it's close to 30 hours straight of traveling. The bulk of that is a grueling 17 1/2 hour flight. I'm not going to lie to you, it's not easy!  But in my opinion, it was definitely worth it.

One of the most important things for me when deciding if I wanted to make the longest trip everrrr was making sure I spent enough time in Australia to justify the flight. We decided to take a little over 2 weeks. Personally, if we went for just a week, I don't think it would have been worth it. You would spend more than 2 full days traveling! And that's just to get to the country! Australia is a big place (and we covered New Zealand, too!) so you have to take into account that you will likely spend even more time traveling between cities if you choose to move around.

I will probably do another post summing up my best airplane hacks, but for now let's say this: invest in a good pillow, move around and check the back of the plane for free snacks! Just like most things in life, great adventure takes hard work. That starts with planning the trip, financing the adventure and then finally traveling to your destination.

If you're nervous about jumping head first into a crazy-long plane trip, maybe build up to it. If you've never traveled internationally before, I recommend starting with a six-hour flight or so. After that, you'll have a good idea if you could handle the insane across-the-world trip to Australia. Even if you are a great flyer, just try to prepare as much as possible. It's going to be awful. But totally worth it.

If you'd like some custom tips and help planning your next crazy adventure,visit MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com.

How to Actually Get Some Sleep On a Plane

If you're anything like me, overnight flights are your worst nightmare. Luckily, I've had my share of overnight trips and have become a bit of an expert on sleeping in awkward positions - I was even quoted in Readers Digest! How cool is that?


Tip 1: Win the airplane lottery. 
By this I mean getting 2 or more seats in a row all to yourself! I myself have won the airplane lottery exactly twice - that should be a decent indicator of how rare this actually happens. I must say though, when I had those seats....It. Was. Amazing. I am a fairly small person and am able to curl up in a ball easily so I just stretched across those seats and made it work. 2 seats can be a little tight, but if you somehow manage to get 3 seats to yourself, you are golden! Just be respectful and keep your feet and head out of the aisle and other people's space! Also, don't be afraid to take advantage of a half-full plane. You can politely ask your flight crew if it's alright to move and odds are they will not have a problem with it. Use that space!

Side note: I once saw someone who had an entire MIDDLE ROW to themselves. They slept sitting upright. They even sat in a middle seat so I couldn't even use the outside few seats to lay down. It was torture. THEY WON THE LOTTERY AND COULD NOT CARE LESS. Anyway.

Tip 2: Use a quality eye mask and/or ear plugs
As I talked about in Reader's Digest (did I mention how cool that is?), I'm a firm believer in an eye mask that soft, comfy and fits snuggly around your nose. Other eye masks can let in light through that little gap and make it much harder to sleep. Also, if you need complete silence, don't be afraid to spring for some quality earplugs or even noise-canceling headphones.

Tip 3: Experiment with sleeping positions (respectfully)
Always, always, always be respectful of other passengers, but don't be afraid to get creative when it comes to sleeping positions! Two of my favorite are: Knees up with blanket over head and facedown on tray table. A few things to keep in mind - It's definitely possible the passenger in front of you can feel your knees so be aware of that. If you feel the seat is thick enough they won't notice, be gentle and don't fidget. It doesn't hurt to just ask them if they can feel it. As for the head-down-on-tray position, WIPE THAT THING DOWN FIRST. Seriously. People change their baby's diapers on it so there can literally be fecal matter on that tray that you are shoving your face on. Don't be afraid to be that person wiping down their seat area. That's what I do!

Tip 4: Plan your pillow
Sleeping on overnight planes can be really difficult, and a lot of people like to use travel neck pillows; however, I've found that unless my head it lower than my body, I really can't sleep. Thus I tend not to use those. I have, however, used my sweatshirt or a spare blanket as a pillow, because let's be real - those tiny pillows they give you are kind of questionable. Just know your sleeping style and  have a game plan going in.

Almost no one emerges from an overnight flight well-rested, but whatever you do, try to avoid weird naps! I'm talking a nap at 8am or a 6-hour long nap. Try your best to adjust to the new time zone and enjoy your trip!

Check out my company at MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com. I'd love to help you plan your next adventure!

Malena

Table Mountain - Cape Town, South Africa

Our trip to South Africa was pretty jam packed, so we wound up only having a few hours of free time in Cape Town. We put that free time to good use by visiting Table Mountain! It was absolutely beautiful and the views were amazing.

Essentially, you can either hike or take a cable car up to the top. Then, up at the top there are some beautiful trails for you to hike!

On one side of the mountain is the ocean and on the other are some pretty spectacular views!

The Ocean Side of the mountain

My sister and I on the city side of the mountain

You can even see the world cup stadium! So cool!

Cape Town has a bit of a reputation for being dangerous, but we kept our wits about us and didn't go out after dark. We, thankfully, never felt unsafe and had no problems when traveling through this beautiful country.

Our trip was a blast! And don't forget, if you're loving these travel posts to check out my travel company at MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com.

A Wonderful Life - How to Not Feel Homesick on Prolonged Travel

I love to travel, but even so I still appreciate home. I was feeling just a little homesick tonight (Skyping with your puppy will do that to you) but here are a few tips for prolonged travelers missing home, but loving life:

1) Skype home. Skype is a beautiful thing. You can have real conversations with the ones that mean the most. I try to make a point to talk with people back home as often as I can. The App WhatsApp is a great way for quick messages to keep in touch too!

2) Do something you would do at home. Something bordering mundane. For me I took a walk to the mall next door and ate some pizza and gelato (okay gelato is still quite travel-y but I mean... gelato. I have a strict "Eat Gelato At Every Opportunity" policy, so let's move along) and just walked around the mall. Sure the language will be different, but the people are the same. Teenagers trying to fit in and twenty somethings desperate for the next Lush product. Although please note trying to read Lush labels in another language is quite challenging... especially when you aren't sure if its in Spanish or Catalan haha!

3) Make the hotel like home. For me that means sweats, country music and a bubble bath! Traveling and exploring go hand in hand but every now and then you need to take a day or an evening off and just be a human. Put your feet up and read a book, ya dig?

4) Watch your favorite TV shows that you've missed while traveling - there are tons of apps that help with this! As for me, I use Xfinity. It gives you a sense of normalcy.

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't change a thing about what I've been doing and where I've been going. I'm just lucky enough to have a wonderful home to miss.

Here's to a quiet evening and much more adventure to come! I'm off to Madrid in the morning.

Malena

Travel Day - Holland Bound!

Dec 22/23

Travel day = done! Hooray! It wasn't too too bad as far as travel days go but it was still a super long day/ 2 days. I got to the airport with plenty of time and I'm glad I thought ahead and bought water and food for dinner while I had time because in Philly I had to SPRINT to get to my flight. I was sure my bag wouldn't make it, but it did! It got sent to a weird part of the Amsterdam airport because its a box not a bag, but still!!

Anyhoo, on the flight to Amsterdam I was in a middle seat...no bueno. However, it was between two twenty-something girls traveling alone. What are the odds? We had a nice time chatting and generally got along. Not a bad flight situation. 

After the debacle trying to find the box of Christmas presents I checked, I found Coletta! we had a quick bite to eat and then we drove to Rotterdam. She was nice and had a pillow and blanket waiting for me in the car :) I did probably nap at least a little... ha.

Then I got a tour of Erwin's (Coletta's husband) job! He works for a very old brewery company. I guess its still called a brewery if they make liquor. At any rate it was really awesome to see all the cool machines, I even got to taste some yummy white chocolate vodka.

When we got home I had a TON of work to do, so I spent a few hours doing that. Then I showered and had a quick nap then rallied for dinner and some Mario Kart. I made it all the way to 9:30! Now I am so ready for bed.

In the morning I am going to have some yummy dutch breakfast foods and then I think Coletta and I are going to go shopping :) I still have some work to do, but Merry Christmas Eve Eve!

Lots of Love,

Malena