My Favorite Places in the World...so far

        The summer going into my senior year of high school my mom surprised my sister and I with a trip to Europe. Although I had always wanted to go to Europe, I was very skeptical about going because I didn't want to miss out on summer fun at home for two weeks. Looking back I realize how dumb I was for even questioning going. There are so many amazing places in Europe and I went to six countries over our two week trip, but for this post I am going to focus on the place I literally fell in LOVE with.

Climbing the Eiffel Tower in the Rain

      Three days into our trip we found ourselves in Paris. I had always heard amazing this about Paris so I assumed I would love it...wrong. Between the rain, gloomy weather, and language barrier I was miserable. After visiting the Eiffel Tower the next day I had had enough. I was miserable and wanted to end my trip then and there. I called my dad and begged him to book me a flight home. The next country we planned on going to was Spain and I had no desire to make it there. Who knew that my dad's refusal to buy me an impromptu plane ticket would be the best thing that ever happened.
       The next day we took the train to Madrid and arrived in a beautiful, bustling city. It was when we arrived at our hotel that I realized I was going to love it. The rain from Paris was replaced with beautiful blue skies and sunshine. Our hotel was in a perfect location, walking distance from restaurants, shopping, and other tourist attractions. If you have ever seen The Bourne Ultimatum, the scenes filmed in Spain pretty much depict exactly where we stayed. I loved everything about Madrid, even the museums my mom forced us to go to. There was a great nightlife and I got my first taste of the "electronic club scene." Two nights later we decided to move onto our next destination, Barcelona.

View of Las Ramblas from our hotel

    I didn't think it would be possible to love a city more than Madrid, Barcelona proved me wrong. Not only did it have the city feel that Madrid had to offer, it also had the beach! Our hotel was located on Las Ramblas, probably the most recognizable landmark in Barcelona. From the window of our hotel we could see, not to mention hear everything going on in the streets below us. Barcelona had a much more relaxed feel than the busy city of Madrid. It was in Barcelona that I experienced my first nude beach, not exactly my favorite memory of the trip. Barcelona had the most beautiful and unique architecture and is well known for the work of Antoni Gaudi.
    As you can tell by everything I have said so far, I LOVE SPAIN. I cannot wait to travel there again and advantage of everything else the country has to offer, five days was nowhere near long enough of a time to experience everything in these two amazing cities.

 NEXT WEEK I WILL GO INTO DETAIL ABOUT WHERE TO STAY, EAT, AND VISIT!

If You Do One Thing in LIfe...TRAVEL!

Traveling is something I have always enjoyed. There is nothing like experiencing new places and meeting new people. No matter how much you plan, there is always an unknown when you travel to a new place. In this blog, I will talk about my personal traveling experiences, the good and the bad, give tips and suggestions regarding traveling, and also explore new destinations that I dream of traveling to. Some of the best places I have eaten and stayed at on my trips were thanks to suggestions from others.  Hopefully my insight will inspire people to travel to new destinations and help inexperienced travelers. When it comes to traveling it is very important to be flexible and open to new experiences, this is something I learned the hard way. You cannot always count on things going according to plan so if you are a meticulous planner, it is important to remember that one thing going wrong will not ruin your entire trip. The most important thing to remember when it comes to traveling is, ENJOY YOURSELF!

VIVA LAS VEGAS

WET REPUBLIC @ MGM

I know they say what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, but for the sake of this blog I'll give you a little taste of my experience traveling to Vegas this past summer. From partying with B-List celebrities to getting money thrown at you, Vegas is literally like no where else. To begin, it all starts with who you go with. In my case, I went with 5 of the craziest girls I know. I can't speak for guys, but as a girl I can say there is nothing better than being a girl in Vegas. 
                                                             After doing both, flying and driving, I would definitely recommend flying. Who wants to drive home from Vegas after a weekend of constant drinking, it is literally miserable. If you book a flight far enough in advance they tend to be purchased for under $200. With gas prices these days, and depending where you are traveling from, driving is almost, if not more expensive. 
   When it comes to booking a hotel, DO YOUR RESEARCH! My roommates and I scoured the Internet for months before deciding which hotel had the best deal to offer for what we were looking for. Weekdays are obviously less expensive than weekends. After deciding exactly what we wanted out of a hotel, we decided on a two-bedroom suite at the Planet Hollywood Towers. Complete with a full kitchen and living room, it was everything we were looking for. In total the room was around $1300 for 3 nights and divided by 6 girls it was definitely worth it. No one had to worry about sleeping on the couch or not having enough room to get ready.  
    Vegas in the summer is better than anything you could imagine. Pool parties all day, then rallying and drinking all night. I never thought I would see the sun come up 3 straight days in a row. Sleep is the LAST thing on anyone's mind. Each night we went to a different night club, some nights more than one.         


Tips: 

• Bring CASH- it is necessary for cabs and gambling of course
• PLAN AHEAD- don't just think you can go to dinner at some celebrity chef's restaurant without a reservation
• CABS/LIMOS- traveling with a group of 6, we found out that we do not fit in cabs, even the vans. Limos offer flat rates which divided by a large number of people isn't very expensive. However in my case, it would have been cheaper to take 2 cabs because everywhere we traveled were such short distances. 
• EMBRACE IT- not everything will go according to plan, you may not get into the hottest new clubs or get bottle service where every you go, but if you keep a positive attitude and open mind there is NO WAY you won't have the time of your life.
   
• BE CAREFUL and WATCH YOUR DRINKS (especially you ladies)
  
  
• PLACES TO STAY:
  The Cosmopolitan (beautiful)
  MGM Grand(everything under one roof)
  Planet Hollywood Towers West Gate (great atmosphere and price)