Ditch That Itinerary

For years I have traveled with an itinerary for each place I go, not by choice though, usually something planned by family or another reason.  After my 6 month hiatus, I've decided to re-enter the blog world which I have missed so dearly now that summer is here and I have time to travel.  I am very thankful that my site has still been getting so many views, even over the past few days.  You all rock!  Anyways...

If I only one piece of advice to give you right now, I would tell you to leave that itinerary of yours at home, or better yet--never create one!  Well, unless this is a business trip or something of the sort.  Using an itinerary is only going to create stress will you are trying to enjoy time away from your hectic life.  Isn't the point of a vacation to enjoy those around you as well as your destination with not a care in the world?  That is always my plan!

This past week, my old college roommate and I packed up and headed south.  While she resides on the west coast and I live close to the east coast, we both have this crazy desire to travel whenever possible.  Our trip consisted of three days in the Big Easy, while ending our trip in Death Valley.  I have been to both these exciting hot spots before, but with family so my experience was limited.  This time, we hit the streets of the French Quarters with no plan in site and made some great memories I'm sure we don't exactly remember.  Our time up in Baton Rouge was a little more planned, since we were attending the Bayou Country Superfest, but still had an excellent experience and even had a home style craw fish boil!

Exploring without a plan gives you the chance to experience the touristy and non-touristy things to do.  Granted I do not love the tourism attractions, but they're also great to experience because that is what they are there for.  I believe finding the hidden gems within the area are even more exciting, they're not commercialized and you get the true experience of a place.  Now do not go on a trip completely blind!  I prepared for this trip by looking up maps of the local area and also looking up some of the tourist attractions.  By doing this simple and quick research, you will be able to find the items you really want to explore, and also discover where the safe and not so safe areas of town are.  Also be open minded and make some new friends.  Let the locals tell you some of the best places to check out, while also being cautious.  We talked to some bartenders, servers, and other travelers we met and got some excellent trips.  I am fortunate to have had such a great Louisiana experience!

Where will you "Stay"?

Wouldn't it be nice to log onto some travel website, look up a city and all their attractions, and magically create your very own itinerary?

Well, look no further!  Stay.com is a website designed just for that, not magic necessary.  Once you have navigated your way to this website, create your personal account in just seconds and begin planning your "fit-for-you" vacation.  Create a romantic escape for you and your other half, or create a family friendly experience of a life time.  Whether you're looking for all the tourist spots, or a way to live it up, Stay.com will help you create your trip just for you.

If you need help creating an itinerary, there are already many out there created by other users.  Once your itinerary is complete to your perfection, print it off and on your way!  Or, for the smart phone lovers, download the new app to always have this helpful site at the touch of your fingers.

With all the good, there may be things you don't enjoy.  It has been about 8 months since I've last taken a good look at this website, and since then the site has expanded more than before!  Some destinations may not be found, especially if they are not an extremely popular location.  This is why Stay.com offers you to give feed back on their forum and blog!

Overall, take some time to check this website out for your travel planning worries.  Having your plans organized on one site will ease your stress of  creating the perfect trip.  A great site for all types of travel!  Thumbs up to Stay.com!

Website:  http://www.stay.com/
Twitter:  @staydotcom
Facebook:  Stay.com

Lost & Found

After a good four months of abuse to my blog, it's time to make a reappearance, and revamp now that winter break is in full swing.  Travel has been on my mind a lot (as always), day dreaming of moving next summer and the desire to do something crazy and maybe just go to another country.  With this being said, I still have my wild desire to some how claim my way to fame and host my own Travel Channel show.

As far as the "revamp" to the blog, my daily topics are going to slightly change:
Service Sunday, Marvels Monday, Travel Tip Tuesday, Website Wednesday, Trivia Thursday, Favorites Friday, and Savory Saturday.
I'm not going to explain what the all mean, you should be able to get the hint, if you don't then stay tuned to my blog.

In honor of Marvels Monday, I want to "marvel" in some natural beauty which I will always find quite astounding.  And no, it's not from Australia, for once!

Far, in the northwest corner of the United States, we find a state snug between Canada and Oregon, looking out onto the great Pacific.  The great, green state of Washington!  Seattle has become a new place close to my heart, since my old college roommate is from the gorgeous city and has since moved back.  I've only traveled their twice, but from all that I've seen I love it so far.

The lively, little city and breath taking mountains makes Seattle a place inviting to all.  Each time I have flown home, I have been lucky to be stuck in the window seat looking out at Mt. Rainier.  This folks is my marvel for this Monday.  Beautiful and breath taking.  Enjoy the photos!
 

Mt. Rainier --January 2011

 

Mt. Rainier --August 2011



Love/Hate Tug-of-War with Flying

My little trip this past weekend reminded me and enhanced my love of traveling and the adrenaline rush I get when I'm at the airport and on the plane.  I usually have very smooth flights no matter where I go, which I'm lucky that I've never really had problems.  This was one of my first times I had some issues with my flights going smoothly and trigger the thought of, "Love/Hate" with flying.

The things I hate:
-Delays & disorganization
-Not having window seats
-Rude passengers you are stuck by
-Turbulence
-Prices in the airport & on the plane
-Impatient passengers trying to be the first one of the plane

The things I love:
-The excitement and adrenaline rush
-All the emotions I feel as well as the ones I see from people around me
-Meeting people
-Window seats
-Watching thunderstorms from above the clouds
-Taking off and landing
-Arriving at my destination

Out of everything, I must say that the things I love out weight the things I hate.  You always have to take some bad to appreciate the good.  Every time I return from a trip, I look forward immensely to the next trip I will be taking. 

Scares & Scars of Shark Week

While many of us are enjoying the exhilarating shows of Discovery Channel's 'Shark Week' --there are many things to be learned.  As for my working brain I always go beyond what the actual show is talking about.  One thing that keeps popping into my mind is how to stay safe on your vacation if you encounter a shark infested area.  This is a simple tip, and taking the extra time to follow through could really make a difference.  Check out the latest episode of "Caitlin Takes on the World"!

Caitlin Takes on the World -Episode 1: "Avoid 'Shark Week' Nightmares"