Confessions from a Savvy Traveler

Where has your favorite savvy traveler been?

I know I've been missing in action and haven’t posted anything in awhile. It’s been almost two months since I felt ready to blog again. I even went to Grand Turk and had an amazing trip in this house right there on that beautiful beach with gorgeous views of the ocean with shades of teal, blue and green like I can’t even describe. Just imagine waking up to the sound of the ocean waves with that view and hanging out on the hammock having your morning coffee (or in my case morning mimosa)!

I was talking to a friend about this recently and trying to figure out why I haven’t been blogging. I want to and it’s been on my to do list for months but just haven’t had the energy. I guess it’s because I have been busy planning additional trips. For the first time in my life, I have 5 trips lined up. I usually have one lined up when I come home so this is a little unusual to be booked out for the next 9 months. And one thing you might already know about me, or are quickly learning about me, is I go all in when I plan a trip. I’m spending so much time researching everything from the flights (figuring out when to pull the trigger on the “best” price is always a fun game (NOT!), to the lodging, to transportation, to excursions and day trips, to restaurants and things to do.

It's a lot and although I LOVE it! I really.. really do! It can be a little time consuming (scratch that- a LOT time consuming) and draining. This is not helped by the fact that I am a chronic over thinker. But don’t worry, I overthink so you can under-stress because I’m that friend who researches everything so you don’t have to.

Ever wonder what goes into planning my trips?

People always ask me about planning, so before wrapping up, I’ll share a few things that I do. I usually start with the flight, and I use google flights and select multiple airports and select various dates to see what the best price is. Check it often ( aka stalk daily) (aka several times a day) so you know what you should be paying and are ready to pounce on it when it goes down. Once your dates are confirmed I start reading blogs and looking at reels to get a sense of what area I want to stay in. I also start making notes about recommended restaurants and things to do. Trust me and link them from the start so you can reference them later. I use the notes app on my iPhone becuase they are easy to share. Then I book lodging. I’m a fan of air bnb because their search engine is the most user friendly and I have lucked out with some amazing properties, but you could also book hotels. If booking hotels I usually start on Tripadvisor or Expedia to read reviews or Booking.com for international travel. If you are using booking you can use my link: https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=6776&awinaffid=1869594

This advice is helpful if you have somewhere in mind that you want to go, but if not you can always use the google flights trick https://youtu.be/Crm827krnOo?si=jlksdfcZN1Y4APlG

What if I'm not a planner?

If you aren’t a planner like me, then no worries. Contact your local travel agent and they can plan it all for you.

I love getting lost in all the details and reading blogs to experience what it’s like to travel somewhere from their point of view. I love culture and learning about new places and imagining myself already being there. I think it's similar to when avid readers describe reading books as being able to get lost in another world- this is what it’s like for me.

So excuse me a bit longer as I continue to get lost in my upcoming worlds of Guatemala, Alaska, Andalusia Spain, and Dubai but you will hear all about them soon enough and get to experience them through my eyes! :)