A Fall Trip to New England

I absolutely love Autumn. The fashion, the crisp air and of course, the colors! The leaves change and turn red, orange and yellow. It's absolutely stunning. This year, my husband and I decided to dive in to Fall and road trip to White Mountain National Park to camp and hike and enjoy the season!

Now, unfortunately our trip did not quite go as planned - I'll go into that in my next post. But long story short, we left a day early and only got in one mini hike. Fortunately, it was gorgeous! The leaves were so bright and lovely.

It looked like something out of a postcard.

If you ever have a chance to go on a road trip through Vermont and New Hampshire, you absolutely should. It looked like something out of a Hallmark movie! 

If you'd like help planning your own little getaway, visit MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com! 

Carpe Diem - Don't Wait to Take That Trip

While I am a HUGE planner, sometimes you just need to take a leap and DO IT. Obviously it's unrealistic to just seize the day and travel everyday (Gotta pay those bills somehow!). However, I think it's really important to still keep that sense of adventure and excitement in your life. That's why when my husband brought up his desire to explore New Hampshire, specifically he white mountain region, in the fall. He was initially thinking of planning a trip for next year, but I suggested we head out in a few short weeks! We had the vacation days, we will be road tripping and camping so the cost is low, so why not?

The long and the short of it is you aren't guaranteed a tomorrow. While I think it's unrealistic to expect every day of your life to be a grand adventure, I DO think it's incredibly important to put your plans into action. We ordered a guidebook and next weekend we are off on an adventure to see the leaves change color. Oh and did I mention we bought our plane tickets to Australia yesterday? Heck yes!

Seize the day doesn't always mean traveling on a dime, but it does mean you need to take action. Whether that action is hopping on a plane or just buying the ticket, go do it!

If you need help getting started, I'm happy to help! Check out my website at MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com.

My Favorite Travel Shoes

If you're anything like me, finding cute, travel-worthy shoes is nothing short of an overwhelming challenge. I constantly struggle to balance cute outfits with functionality. I've worn everything from heavy-duty boots to running shoes to sandals, and I have some recommendations.

First up! My Plaka Sandals in Sunset Sangria. I found mine on Amazon for approximately $30. These sandals had great reviews and were designed for walking. They are cute, functional and look great with skirts and dresses! I bought them for my honeymoon and trekked all over Portugal in these bad boys. I only had a little bit of trouble once I hit about 16k steps. Not too shabby! 

If you're going traveling in the winter, I recommend a good ole winter "combat style" boot. I don't have a specific brand to recommend as I tend to buy whatever is convenient IN STORE. That's my tip. Don't buy online! It's incredibly important to try these shoes on. Boots are tricky! They rub the ankles, pinch the toes or just cause blisters. (If you are OK with returning shipments, I suppose you could do online, but my experience is it's much better to buy in store.) My other tip is WATERPROOF. They sell spray that will waterproof most materials, and it's amazing. I can't tell you how thankful I was for my warm, hardy, waterproof boots when standing out in the freezing cold rain in Ireland. 

For more tips on everything from packing lists to travel destinations, shoot me an email at Malena@MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com or visit my website at MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com. 

My Top Packing Tips

Packing is always my least favorite part of any trip. Unfortunately, it's absolutely necessary! I've been on my fair share of trips, and these are my best packing tips:

Pack Staples
I personally am a big fan of relying on basics. That means instead of bringing 6 pairs of shoes, bring just a few pairs that will work with multiple outfits. The same goes with accessories! Bring neutral shoes and accessories and keep the color focused on shirts or dresses. I personally like to bring a good old pair of jeans that I can wear multiple times with different tops. You'll get a lot diverse looks with minimal items! This will help keep your bags light and manageable, while keeping your instagram photos fresh and fun!


Don't Overpack
You may think you are doing yourself a favor by packing extra t-shirts and extra outfits, but generally I find too many choices lead to feeling overwhelmed. You will wind up with a bag that is insanely heavy and your bag will quickly descend into chaos as you rifle through trying to find the perfect top. If you pack specific outfits, you'll save time getting ready for the day and leave more space for souvenirs. Try writing out a packing list and checking each item off as it packs. You'll feel confident knowing you have amazing outfits and everything you'll need!


Don't Panic
Finally, don't worry if you forget something! Honestly, if you have your medications, passport, ID and some money, everything else can be bought once you arrive - unless your destination is somewhere remote. I once lost my entire toiletry kit in Italy and had to replace EVERYTHING. It was actually a bit fun wandering through the store and picking out new shampoo, conditioner, toothbrush and more. You just have to make the best of your situation and remember that you can always buy what you need when you get there!

Different techniques work for different people, and I personally find that having each outfit laid out and packed together makes for an easy, efficient trip! If you'd like help planning for your trip (and even a comprehensive packing list!), I'd love to help. Visit my website at MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com.

Why I Chose NOT to Do a Destination Wedding

 First off, I have absolutely nothing against destination weddings! I think they can be beautiful and magical and definitely work for some people. That said, here are the reasons we opted to not pursue a destination wedding, despite our love of travel.

Take Guests Into Account

When planning a destination wedding, you should consider your friends and family. Some family members are elderly and not inclined to travel, others may not have the finances to make the trip. If you want your wedding to just be a few very close family members, I would talk the idea over before finalizing any plans. Who knows! Some people may be dying for a pre-organized vacation and it could be a hit.

 Convenience

 Planning a wedding is a HUGE undertaking. Trying to coordinate florists, ministers, reception halls, DJ's, caterers and more. It is a LOT of work. Having your venue be within driving distance is much easier than trying to juggle time zones and international call rates. Unless you can find a reliable on-site coordinator to help you out, it may be prove to be almost impossible! And on top of arranging the usual wedding vendors, you'll also likely be asked to make international travel arrangements for loved ones.

Less Expensive

Finally, consider the costs. On top of all the usual wedding costs, you have to include international airfare which can easily climb above $1000. It all depends on how big your ceremony and reception are, but typically, weddings are expensive even when they are local. And don't forget about currency conversion! Of course, you can also off set the costs of travel by ultimately hosting a very small, intimate ceremony and reception abroad. Smaller = usually less expensive.

Ultimately, my husband and I were really happy with our choice to stay local. We found an absolutely gorgeous venue that was like an actual castle! We decided to do the event without an organizer - or should I say paid organizer. My husband and I spent hours and hours coordinating everything ourselves, and it ultimately went really well! We had an amazing time!

If you and your fiance are considering an international wedding, I would be happy to help coordinate the travel. Check out my website at MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com.

Airport Tips and Tricks

Airports are inevitable if you're an adventure seeker like myself. Airports are synonymous with lines and long waits, but I've found what works for me, and I thought I'd share my tips.


Step One: Leave Yourself Time!
This is honestly the biggest tip I can offer. If you leave yourself just twenty minutes to check your bag, go through security and catch your flight, you are going to be so stressed and have an unpleasant experience. I always find that the more time I leave, the easier the check in process is. Inevitably, when you are running late, the baggage check and security lines are insane.


Step Two: Bring Entertainment
I am a huge fan of stocking up on activities! I like things that fit easily in my backpack that don't require power. Some examples include: an adult coloring book, paperback books, notebook, sketchbook, knitting (with airport-friendly needles). Bring a variety of activities!


Step Three: Roll With It
Finally, just be ready for delays, cancellation and a little bit of chaos. Anyone who has travelled a great deal has had a terrible airport day. You just need to accept that as part of traveling. For example, on our honeymoon, we missed our connecting flight to Portugal and wound up stranded in Madrid for 12 hours. We made the most of it and explored Spain! Just because we could! No matter where you get stuck, try to make the most of it. If you're stuck in airport, take a nap, Skype a friend, make up a silly game. You will eventually get to where you need to be, and a bad attitude never helped anyone!

Exploring Tent Rocks in New Mexico

As an avid lover of the outdoors, when I learned we were going to New Mexico, I naturally started researching beautiful hikes. One of the first places I came across was the Tent Rocks! They are one of the most beautiful natural geologic formations in the world! Just look how pretty and unique!

Those "balls" on top of the pillars are actually rock! They formed naturally! How cool!

The hike consisted of narrow pathways between GORGEOUS rock walls. It was a curvy, winding path with plenty of big step-ups. We even saw a few snakes which I wasn't overly thrilled about. 

This was my favorite part. In order to get up to the top and check out the spectacular views, we had to do some serious scrambling. The path is generally pretty tame, but man oh man was the last part steep. It was pretty much straight up, and even had handholds you needed to use to get up. The end result was very few other tourists up top. Challenging, but so worth it!

How beautiful!

If you are ever considering adventuring around New Mexico, I highly recommend checking out Tent Rocks! I would love to help you coordinate your trip! Check out my website at MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com.