M: Miami, FL

Wynwood Walls: Miami, FL (July 2017)

Focusing has been difficult the past few months, so I'm taking an alternative approach to A-Z this year: looking back at past travel, editing or re-editing images from travels before, and responding to travel-related questions. Hope you are able to join me on this journey to my past!

 For Day M, I went with this fun shot of 3 women standing in front of a mural of 3 women at Wynwood Walls in Miami, Florida. If you've never been there, it's a fun place to see and take pictures. Who knows? You might get lucky like I did!

 Other places I considered for this post: Myrtle Beach (SC), Montréal (Canada), Mau'i (HI), Monterey (CA), Moloka'i (HI), Marseilles (France)

 On to the questions –

 37. What was your most embarrassing travel moment?

 Going to the bathroom at the same time as a guy in Europe. Specifically, got water in my jacket sleeve and made a shocked noise thinking no one else was in the bathroom with me. 😂

 Oops.

 Guy friend says "what's wrong?" peeking out at me over the stall.

 *palm face*

Embarrassing moments are a way of life ESPECIALLY when you are traveling and unfamiliar with the customs of a country. Try not to take yourself too seriously. We are all learning. ❤️

 38. What was the most challenging thing you've done with regards to travel?

 Probably just my first trip abroad and all that went into it. I booked the flight wrong because I had never booked a flight before! We were going to a wedding, so I practiced my language skills daily. But there was so much else going on at home: our landlord sold our property and we needed to buy a new vehicle too. We needed to get passports and do interviews for the GOES trusted traveler program. Then there was the actual planning that needed to happen. It was overwhelming and stressful.

 Booking a flight from Cairo to Sharm-El-Sheikh and back was also really difficult. It felt like I needed insider knowledge. But I didn't cry over that… Throw my computer, maybe. 😉

 Learning a new language when you are shy is incredibly frustrating and tear-inducing. I have to push myself to just keep trying. Giving up is not an option. 🙂

 Every trip is different. Sometimes everything will go perfectly, and sometimes nothing will. You just have to be willing to go along for the ride.

 39. Which place that you've traveled to has had the best weather?

 I'm a little partial to any weather that stays between 60º and 80ºF. Hawai'i was pretty great in that regard. An open-air airport all year 'round? WIN! Sharm-El-Sheikh was on the verge of being hot but also pretty comfortable considering. France in the summer is warm but not terrible.

 Rather than continuing on about the good weather, here are a few places with miserable weather:

 • Orlando, all year. The humidity is miserable.
• Miami, FL can also be pretty bad (though April has some pretty temperate weather between 70º and 80º.)
• NYC in the winter is COLD … unless it's not. (I've experienced both.)
• Blizzards in Québec Canada are miserable. You can barely walk. But they are beautiful to look at when inside with a warm drink. 🙂

 What are your thoughts with regards to weather? Would you ever travel somewhere knowing it could potentially be unbearably hot or cold? 

 What is the biggest challenge you've faced when dealing with other cultures?


See other posts in this year's A-Z.

A • B • C • D • E • F • G • H • I • J • K • L

K: Key West, FL

sunset on Key West, Florida from Mallory Square
Mallory Square: Key West, FL (July 2017)

Focusing has been difficult the past few months, so I'm taking an alternative approach to A-Z this year: looking back at past travel, editing or re-editing images from travels before, and responding to travel-related questions. Hope you are able to join me on this journey to my past!

For Day K, I have a photograph of the sunset from Mallory Square in Key West, Florida. Key West is one of the prettiest places in Florida to capture sunset, because there is very little to no land in the west, and the sky always seems to be colorful. Right as the sun set, a crowd will form at Mallory Square and then clap as the sun disappears from the horizon as if watching a show. Then, behind you, the real show will begin with food carts and entertainers trying to make a buck or two. Be sure to drink something out of a coconut!

Other places I considered for this post: ??? I couldn't come up with many places that started with the letter 'K'!

 Here are today's questions –

 31. Would you rather see a lot of places or get to know one really well?

 Por qué no los dos? (Why not both?)

I'm always a fan of seeing new places. You never know what you will discover if you keep your mind and heart open.

… But I also love going to places I've seen and been to many times. With the same attitude, you can look at a place with fresh eyes and find the truly hidden gems you may have missed on your first trip there.

 32. What's the most entertaining story you have about getting lost?

 Can you ever really be lost when traveling?

 I think one of my favorite things to do while traveling is getting lost!

 Ok, so not really.

 One of my favorite trips to NYC included the app Pretty Streets (no longer available). I knew where we were going to get lunch upon arrival to NYC, but I didn't have any plans scheduled between arrival to our hotel and lunch time. With an hour walk to the restaurant and an hour until the restaurant opened, Justin and I decided to use the app and walk to the restaurant instead of using public transportation. It was a gorgeous 80º day. Along the way, we walked past parks (people playing basketball, playing mahjong, dancing, playing instruments), Chinatown, artwork (including fairy doors, mosaic tiles on buildings, and graffiti), interesting coffee shops and stores, and pop up exhibits along the way. The end result was that I began to appreciate NYC for all of the culture that can be found there. And yes, maybe I got to know the city a little better by doing this.

 Alternatively, without the Pretty Streets app, I went walking through San Francisco and discovered I hated it. All of the hills were just too much for me. I couldn't stop and appreciate the "flowers" quite as much as I could in NYC.

With GPS now, it's not as easy to get lost when going somewhere by car. If you do happen to get lost though, sometimes it's nice to just admire the places you end up discovering along the way. Ideally, if you are lost while traveling, you have the time to spare.

 33. Are you usually early, late, or on time?

 LATE. I don't like being early and thus can't be on time, so late it is. Except for work… Luckily, my work schedule 90% of the time is flexible, so that's cool.

 As you can imagine, this presents a few problems for me when traveling. Mainly, I have to plan. I add extra time to my schedule knowing I will run behind. So I need to be at the airport at 3pm? It's better for me to aim for 2:30pm instead. That leaves me 30 extra minutes for getting lost, talking to hotel staff, remembering that last minute item I forgot, taking pictures, etc, etc…

 It's still pretty much guaranteed that I will be late or almost late to something I have planned during a trip. I'm just not a timely person.

 What about you? Are you good at sticking to a schedule and arriving in a timely fashion? Do you have an interesting story about getting lost?

See other posts in this year's A-Z.

A • B • C • D • E • F • G • H • I • J

J: Jacksonville Beach, FL

Jacksonville Beach (May 2015)

Focusing has been difficult the past few months, so I'm taking an alternative approach to A-Z this year: looking back at past travel, editing or re-editing images from travels before, and responding to travel-related questions. Hope you are able to join me on this journey to my past!

 For Day J, I went with Jacksonville Beach; it was one of the few places I knew I had pictures for! While Jacksonville, Florida is a pretty fun city to explore, the last time my husband and I went down to this part of Florida, we were there for a graduation at the University of Florida. Rather than head back right away, we decided to explore the beach instead of the city. It was a really complicated weekend since my car broke down while we were there! Luckily, we were within walking distance (a mile) of the hotel we were staying at. Unluckily, we forgot to put on sunscreen and came back home after our long weekend looking like lobsters. It was truly an unforgettable weekend. 😳🙂

 Other places I considered for this post: ??? Can you think of any places that start with a J?

 To the questions –

 28. The most important of all travel questions: Window or Aisle?

 Window, of course! I want to be able to look out and photograph the landscape below! Plus, I'm one of those annoying passengers that lifts the blinds up every so often during a long overnight flight so that I can see the sunrise over the clouds! (Or the sunset!) Of course, I'm also the ideal window seat passenger because I can go long periods without needing a restroom break. I've definitely done the whole transatlantic flight without getting up which I absolutely DO NOT recommend doing. When you take long flights, get up and stretch your legs even if you don't need to use the restroom! Blood clots are not worth it.

 29. How do you choose the places you visit?

 Luck?

 It's easy when there is an event going on. Wedding, graduations, visiting friends … All of that makes the decision easy.

Prices can also influence the decision. If you see flights for $11 plus 25,000 Delta points to Hawai'i and you have that many points, then why not go for it? I'm not incredibly familiar with Delta point valuation, but, overall, the price is still less than paying straight cash to go somewhere else. Or maybe it's cheaper to fly into Newark rather than JFK when you are going to NYC? Or maybe you need to skip the flight altogether and just go for a cheap road trip?

This brings me to my next point: time. If you only have a weekend, you don't want to spend all of your time on a flight. Nor do you want to spend all of your time driving. Maybe you pick a smaller city and save the larger city when you can get more vacation time?

 And sometimes you go to a place because it is an experience you want to have. Maybe you really want the food there. Or maybe there is an art exhibit that you'd love to see? Maybe there is a special event, like Mardi Gras for example, that you've always wanted to take part in. Last year Justin and I explored PCH in April because I had heard that was when flowers were in bloom there.

 Decisions can be hard. They can be complicated. In the end, you just have to go to the place that suits you best.

 30. Who is your dream travel companion?

 I live life simply. I couldn’t go anywhere without my husband. We always have the best adventures together. ❤️

 Traveling with others is hard. Managing expectations is hard.

 The late Anthony Bourdain would have been interesting to travel with. I loved his perspective on travel – how the middle and lower class are the key to any location. He did an awesome documentary I watched on my way to Paris this past December entitled Wasted. It was all about food waste; I learned so much from it and highly recommend it!

Even if it isn't travel related, if you could have dinner with anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be? Are you a window or aisle person?


See other posts in this year's A-Z.

A • B • C • D • E • F • G • H • I

August Break – I Believe (You Have to Be Really Drunk For This)

Turtle Racing in Key West, Florida

Turtle racing seems like both the most ridiculous thing you could do and the most hilarious. I'm honestly not sure what to think of the fact that there is a bar in Key West where this is a thing.

Would you go and watch if you had the opportunity? Would you bet? Or maybe this sign is an indication that Key West is not the place for you… What do you think?

 * I'm participating in Susannah Conway's August Break. Only one more day left to join in the fun!

August Break – Yes! (I will ride in your yacht!)


Another shot of the rich and the famous. What kind of places do you think they go to in their magnificent yacht(s)? (And how much do you think it costs for upkeep of said yacht? 😬)

P.S. If you are reading this post and own a yacht, feel free to invite me on vacation. I won't bite. Or steal your yacht. 😉

* I'm participating in August Break. Join in?

August Break – Adventure

fog in Miami

I always love fog. To me it seems so symbolic of adventure.

Like … when Frodo begins his journey in The Lord of the Rings… Or the way the garden is foggy in The Secret Garden… It's the implication that something, though we don't know what, is around the corner and just waiting to happen.

With September only days away, are you ready? Do you know what to expect in the next month? Or are you clinging to August with every fiber of your being?

 * I'm participating in The August Break. 

August Break – Window

view from the Intercontinental Miami

The view from our hotel room at the Intercontinental Miami was an absolute stunner. Remember the sunrise from earlier this month? I seriously did not want to look away or leave the room to do anything else. Just swoon. (You can ask my husband.)

* I'm a participant in Susannah Conway's August Break and one of the many reasons you should be one too. ;)


August Break – Pretty (Awesome) Weeds


In Florida, they have these trees that grow out rather than up. The roots dangle into the water, and as the tree continues to grow, it develops more and more roots, continuing to grow outward. This tree is called a Mangrove. If you get a bunch of these growing together, they can create an island. Mangroves are particularly important to our environment, because, as you can imagine, the roots are home to a variety of above water and underwater creatures and coral. Mangroves can even help lessen the impact of hurricanes and tsunamis on larger landmasses.

While I have to admit that I thought the Mangrove was a "pretty ugly weed" when I first saw it in Florida, I think it does a lot of awesome things for the environment and I'm willing to give it a pass.

 Had you heard of the Mangrove tree (shrub?) before today's mini-lesson?

* I'm participating in #AugustBreak2017.