Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico was hands down one of the most incredible vacations I’ve been on. Lush with the El Yunque rainforest and the beautiful beaches of San Juan, along with the rich history of Old San Juan, the island is something I would recommend to anyone.

So it started off on a rainy Valentine’s Day when I was fourteen and my parents were shipping out to Puerto Rico that weekend for a week and a half long vacation. They had told my brother and I that we weren’t allowed to come because my dad would be working half of the time and they didn’t want to buy two extra flights. But on that day I opened my card and there sat a plane ticket to Puerto Rico for the same dates as my parents. I was going!

We stayed at the La Concha Renaissance Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was located on its own guest-access only strip of the white sandy beach and crystal blue waters. I had never seen something so beautiful and elaborate in my life. There was a floating restaurant in the water, and also a rock wall jutting into the ocean that you could climb and walk out on. I must have taken a million pictures on those rocks that week.

The El Yunque rainforest had this beautiful, big waterfall that you could swim under and around and it was so much fun. There were rocks that my mom was able to sit on and watch as we all swam under the waterfall. It was a once in a lifetime experience.

You could snorkel in the water because it is so clear. They had different tours going on for that but I didn’t participate.

Old San Juan is the oldest city and historic landmarks in Puerto Rico. Different military forts are available to walk around in and the view of the ocean is spectacular.

There were souvenir shops, restaurants, and boutiques littering downtown San Juan by the hotels. Some shops sold hand woven and handmade items that were really neat to see. Everything was so bright and colorful and the people there were to.

The only negative part of the trip was the fact that there were so many homeless people around. It was a very stark contrast to the hotel district and the riches seen there while there were people suffering on the streets. It made me sad as a kid and it still makes me sad to this day, but I was able to help one homeless man and create a week long friendship. We saw him digging through he trash at a burger king so my mom bought him a whole meal and I’ve never seen a more grateful or happy person. The whole rest of the week he spoke to us whenever we were walking down the street and introduced us to his peers and friends if they were around. It made the week extra memorable. I hope he still thinks of us as we think of him.

All in all Puerto Rico was an amazing trip and one you should think about taking if you like tropical destinations and warm weather. I hope I am able to make it back to that beautiful place again. Another great perk, if you don’t have a passport you don’t need to get one because it’s a US territory! Happy Traveling!

 

 

How To Find The Best Flight Deals

Do you ever feel like you should just start working at Jet blue or Southwest to get a discount on flights because you fly so frequently and the rewards don’t add up as quickly? I feel you. I have a sever case of wanderlust and a much smaller budget to work with, so I’ve learned how to save a few bucks along the way. Here are a few of my best tips for saving on flights

1. Groupon. The getaways listed on this site often are flight inclusive and cut the cost by about 30%. You can get a full vacation to Jamaica or Europe from anywhere between $500 and $1500. The flight is most often the most expensive portion of a trip so to have it all wrapped into one cost and discounted a bit is something to take advantage of.
2. Comparison websites. Websites like justly.com and cheapflights.com offer comparison tools to pick your dates and compare fares across the map and different airlines. You are able to physically watch the fares go down and I often don’t spend more than $300 for roundtrip to Florida or $700 to Europe.
3. Rewards programs. Southwest and many other airlines offer rewards programs where you can accrue points for each flight you book with them. Then, when you earn a certain number of points you can redeem a free flight with the company and jet off to somewhere nice.
4. Flexible dates. Southwest has a feature where you can specifically pick “flexible dates” and they list a calendar view of all of the days ahead and the flight prices on each day. Then you can pick and choose how much money you want to spend and what days work best for you with the given prices. Wednesday to Wednesday is typically cheapest.

Happy Traveling!

Miami Night Life

Miami, FL is one of the most high trafficked cities in the US and is one of my personal favorites to visit. They have incredible beaches spanning for miles (I recommend north, mid, or south beach) and some of the craziest night life venues you can find. Here are just a few of my favorites and why:

LIV Miami at Fountainebleau Hotel: LIV is a huge nightclub located in a premier hotel on South Beach, Miami and is the hot spot for college students and party-goers. They often have live entertainment like Rae Sremmurd or B.O.B. and Travis Scott- big name people and artists you’ll recognize. Rob Gronkowski frequents this venue a lot and other celebrities are notorious for being spotted here as well making it an even more fun time. However, cover can get expensive and can range anywhere from $40 to $150 a night. Be prepared to splurge a little if you want this club experience (I think it’s well worth it). Just a note though: the bouncers are very strict so don’t even bother trying to get in if you’re using a fake ID or are underage.

E11EVEN Miami: E11EVEN is another premier club that you can find celebrities like Kylie Jenner and Tyga frequenting while they vacation in the area. Known for its risqué shows and strip club vibe the club is always packed and the line can be seen stretching around the building on busy nights and weekends. Again, cover can go from $20-$100 a night depending on what artist is performing or how heavily trafficked it is. Stay away again if you are underage or using a fake ID as these bouncers have no remorse.

Story: Story is my final recommendation for when you are in Miami. It is a sister club of LIV and not as big or popular, but still a good time. You can often hook up with promoters outside of the club and they will offer you VIP tables and treatment for the night which is very fun. This club is usually between $20-$60 a night and also more lenient towards fake IDs, but no promises.

These are just a few of my favorite venues. Miami is a huge city and these are all in the Miami Beach strip, so I’m sure you can find more that you like and are less expensive. These are very popular and you can party until 4/5 in the morning if you wish. Happy Clubbing!

 

Amish Country, Pennsylvania

Amish Country is one of the most historic and beautiful places in the United States and one of my favorite towns to visit is Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Rich in culture and beautiful rolling hills and corn fields, the sunsets are one of my guilty pleasures while visiting.

One of the most defining features of Amish Country and a cool experience that I would recommend is to take a horse and buggy ride. You can cruise through the town in a horse drawn carriage just like the Amish still do today. It’s a great time in the summer when the sun is shining on your face and you can feel the wind through your hair.

I think the best part about Amish Country is the homemade products you can buy at the Amish farms in the area. They make the BEST homemade root beer and orange soda and even sell the syrups and ingredients so you can make it at home too! They also sell various jams and butters and you can even purchase Amish dresses and bonnets if you’d like. All of the products are handmade and are natural, with no harsh chemicals or GMOs like we see in what we buy at the grocery store. Buying their products also helps to keep them thriving and in business even though grocery stores and Walmart exist.

Just remember to be respectful of their culture and history, but always ask questions. Remember that they do not use power or electricity (including phones, cars, lights, etc) and it is very different from what I/we are probably used to. It’s a really neat experience and I’ve gone multiple times. 10/10 would recommend (and there’s community pools and hotels in Lancaster as well as shopping districts and farmers markets so you won’t be bored!)

 

Future Travel Plans

Hello Readers! I have officially booked my newest adventure!

I will be heading abroad for two weeks in mid August and can’t wait to share my experiences with all of you.

The newest trip begins with my flight out of Boston airport and into London. I am staying in this iconic city for a week before departing.

The next week of the trip includes two days in Paris, France (hopefully stuffing my face with authentic macaroons), two days in Milan, Italy and Cinque Terre, and two days in Madrid, Spain. I then head back to London for one more night and fly back to Boston afterwards.

Backpacking through Europe has always been a dream of mine so I’m so excited to finally be getting over there to do it! Hopefully the weather is nice and the people are even nicer.

Figured I’d share this with you, and I’ll keep you updated!

Ciao!