Travel Tips & Advice

When it comes to traveling, I am no expert, but I feel I have traveled enough to give some tips & advice when traveling the world. From the Caribbean to Europe, here are some tips to make your traveling & trip more enjoyable. Please feel free to share yours too!

1. Patience truly is a virtue. Planes get delayed or canceled, there will always be a solution. We had our first canceled flight to Ireland & I thought it was the end of the world, but it all worked out. Sure it sucks, but it's out of your control. Did you miss the bus or train, there will be another. Just remember there will always be some type of solution, unfortunately it's not always going to be flawless.

2. Meet the locals! I can't tell you how much this is helpful. We usually take a cab to our hotel once we arrive and always chat with the cab driver. They know the best restaurants and the best places to see. On our honeymoon, we got so close with the bellman at the hotel, he even invited us out to the bar after he was done work.

3. Get out of that bed! Wake up early, you can nap on the beach later. The sunrises are one of my favorite things to see, if you can catch at least one during your vacation, then do it. Not only get up to see a sunrise, but just get your day moving before 8am. Get lost on purpose & your day doesn't always have to have a schedule. Get out & explore, this also the best time to get some great photos!

4. Speaking of photos, TAKE A LOT. Make sure to bring an extra memory card or even an extra camera. Who cares if you look like a "tourist," you'll have these memories to look back on. Remember photos are the free souvenirs.

5. Splurge a little. You're on vacation, if you have the extra cash then use it. Even if you book a fancy hotel for a couple nights or go to that 5 star restaurant, you have to remember, you're on vacation.

6. Eat local. This is key to enjoying the culture and people that create the beautiful country you're in. The food is made with love & so fresh, especially in the Caribbean. Some of my favorite food has always been local.

7. The most important, travel more. I notice myself planning my next vacation when I am on my plane ride home from one. I long for the next one always. It keeps me motivated & excited on where I will be next. I think a lot of people want to travel, but find excuses not to, & unfortunately they are the ones that never go. So the next time, you say, "I have to work" or "I just don't have the money," make time & save for your next trip. "We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us."

Turks and Caicos

Turks & Caicos is definitely my favorite Caribbean island. We stayed in Provo, which doesn't get the cruise ships so it is less crowded than Grand Turk. We went at the end of May, during an off time, as per the locals, but the weather could not have been better. We stayed at the Alexandra Resort, which is on Grace Bay. Grace Bay is now rated #2 on Trip Advisor's Best Beaches in the World and it definitely lives up to that.

Our hotel was in a great location. When we did leave the resort, we used the bikes on site or a taxi. The hotel is right next to Beaches, which is an all inclusive so if you're looking for an all inclusive in Turks, this is where you would have to go. Only guests staying at the Alexandra were on the beach and of course, in the resort.

The restaurant at the hotel is Mango Reef. They had a great breakfast and dinner. Some of our favorite restaurants, which were walking distance on the beach were: Hemingway's, Bay Bistro & Somewhere Cafe. Go to Hemingway's for MOJITO'S, best I have ever had. Bay Bistro is a great lunch and dinner spot (conch wontons) and Somewhere Cafe (lunch) is a far walk, but you can walk the beach the whole way.

We took bikes to the Saltmills Plaza for shopping and food. We went to The Vix Restaurant for coffee & breakfast. Their coffee is amazing, which you don't find a lot of on the island, so if you enjoy a good cup of joe, check this place out. The Plaza itself has a good variety of clothing, souvenir and sport shops. My favorite shop, Potcake Place is a dog rescue charity that is non-profit. They take in the homeless "potcake" puppies around the island. You can volunteer there or take a dog out for the day. We took out this sweet girl, Gizmo:

Needless to say, we almost came home with her, but we had to come to a reality that we weren't ready for a pup just yet. We took her on the beach with her leash, water bowl & toys in hand. This is a wonderful organization and should definitely be on your place to go if you're an animal lover.

We're heading back to Turks this New Year's Eve and spending 4 days. We are going to check out a different island, Middle Caicos, and I cannot wait!

Thank you so much for reading!

Ireland With a Long Layover

Skirt: ASOS (similar) | Sweater: J. Crew Factory | Sandals: Target (similar)

We had the most beautiful weather in Ireland, I expected it to rain and have some cooler temps, but it was the complete opposite! We went during what the residents there called a, "heat wave." This "heat wave" was 80-something degrees, blue skies and no rain. We couldn't have asked for better weather.

Before we got to Ireland, we encountered our first layover and unfortunately a canceled flight. We flew out of PHL into Boston and had a 2 hour layover, which turned into an overnight stay. Our plane that was coming from Dublin had to turn around mid flight because the flight attendants were sick. I was so bummed and regretted not taking a direct flight. One tip I would always recommend is if you can take a direct flight, do it! If the price is right, it's definitely worth it. Some may think it's only a hour layover, but if the airline you're taking has a down plane and doesn't have another to replace, you could be stuck in that city for the night. The airline did cover our hotel room, but it still was a huge inconvenience. We missed a day in Ireland, rent a car fee & a hotel night loss, that we couldn't get back. On the bright side, we did enjoy a beautiful day in Boston at their harbor.

When we arrived in Dublin, we took our car to Adare. We stayed at the beautiful Adare Manor Castle. The castle & grounds were beautiful. If you enjoy golfing, you'll want to try out the course on site. Adare Village is right outside of Adare Manor. We decided to walk instead of trying to find parking. There are so many restaurants, bars and shops to visit. You can view them all here. The people are all so friendly and mostly all of the restaurants and shops are family owned. Some favorites: The Good Room Cafe Adare (breakfast), The Blue Door Adare (dinner), Pat Collins Bar (live music & a Guinness).

Thank you so much for reading, please come back for my next stop in Ireland!

St. Maarten or St. Martin

After spending some days in Anguilla, we headed over to St. Maarten. You can get to St. Maarten from Anguilla by either ferry or plane. We chose the 8 minute plane ride. It was fast & easy. It was an experience in itself to fly & still able to see the ground and waters that surround the islands.

If you can't decide between St. Maarten or St. Martin, try to do both! St. Maarten (Dutch) is very busy & the complete opposite of Anguilla. There are a lot of people, cars and tourists. Aside from that, St. Maarten is where you would go for night-life. There are a lot of bars, restaurants and casinos.

The Boardwalk is a great place to shop, eat & drink. There is an abundance of jewelry stores, boutiques and souvenir shops. This is a day trip or you can just spend a couple hours there. This is also where the cruise ships dock. Personally, I am happy we were there on a day a cruise ship wasn't there because we enjoyed it without being overcrowded. We chatted with a bartender, Natasha at Lazy Lizard Beach Bar, who said the cruise ships are good for the restaurants, but if you can go on an off day, it's better.

Maho Beach or Airport Beach has always been on my bucket list. The pictures just don't do it justice! The beach was extremely crowded that day because a cruise ship was in, but we sat at the bar on the beach (Sunset Bar & Grill). We had a great seat on the outside deck with a drink in hand. If you travel to St. Maarten, definitely head to Maho Beach.

We only went to St. Martin (French) one night for dinner at Le Pavillon by the Sea. The food was excellent and a nice change of pace from St. Maarten. We were lucky enough that our hotel, Westin Dawn Beach was only a 10 minute car ride. And definitely rent a car on your stay! You'll want to explore the island and usually places aren't in walking distance. Unless, you're one to sit on the beach for some R&R.

Thanks for reading!

Honeymoon in Anguilla

Swimsuit: Topshop | Hat: Target (Similar) | Lace Kimono: Express | Sunglasses: Ray-Ban | Swimsuit: ASOS | Swimsuit: La Blanca 

We went to Anguilla for our honeymoon. We spent 5 days at Cap Juluca and then spent the remaining days in St. Maarten. Anguilla was absolutely breathtaking. The waters were different shades of blue, nothing like I had ever seen. The people were my favorite part. Everyone was so friendly and treated you like a family member. Our resort reminded me of Greece with the white buildings. We had a ground level room that had a pathway right out to the beach, it was perfect because we didn't have to walk down steps, we had our own private access. The resort offered a complimentary breakfast buffet every morning, which offered fresh omelets, fruit & a lot more. I would recommend to do this to save some money. The resort offered snorkel gear, kayaks and catamarans. Many couples were staying at Cap Juluca, I would not say it is a family friendly resort.

We only ate on the resort for one night and the other nights we ate at local restaurants. When I am on vacation, I try to eat local and support the residents of the country. The local restaurants all had the freshest food, whether it was caught on a boat that day or picked from a garden. Some favorite restaurants that I would highly recommend to check out are: Smokey's (amazing BBQ & margaritas), Blanchard's Beach Shack (perfect lunch spot on the beach), Da'Vida (lunch spot on the beach) & Tasty's (great local fish, fresh ingredients).

We can't wait to go back to Anguilla! From the east coast, it's about a 4 hour plane ride. If you want an island that is low key, friendly & beautiful, then this is where you need to be.

Thanks for reading!