Tag: travel blog

TRAVEL BLOG: Cape Cod, MA

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Happy Monday!

I am SO excited for this week’s post – I am finally back to travel content! As much as I’ve loved being creative in other areas over the past few months, I’m glad to be able to write about traveling once again for a change. I will still be exploring different health and fitness related posts in the future, but it’s nice to switch back and forth at the moment.

This past weekend, I was able to spend a few days in Wellfleet on Cape Cod. Friday was my birthday, so a few of my friends and I rented a house by Lecount Hollow Beach from Thursday to Sunday. I’ve grown up visiting Wellfleet each summer since I was born, so I knew I wanted to spend my birthday weekend there once again. This was especially exciting because of the circumstances over the last few months. I haven’t been able to see lots of these friends because of social distancing, so now that things are finally starting to open up and we’ve all be quarantining in our respective towns, we were able to get together once again.

On Thursday we drove down later in the afternoon, so while we didn’t get a full vacation day in, it was nice to relax and enjoy a sunset dinner on the beach once we arrived. It was also nice to start off the weekend on a quieter note, before the big birthday celebrations began.

On Friday, my actual birthday, I was able to get a full beach day in at Lecount Hollow, and my mom stopped by for a bit as well. My favorite thing about Wellfleet, and the main reason I wanted to spend my birthday here, is the Beachcomber restaurant – and lucky for me, the first day they opened their outdoor seating was Friday. I had such a great lunch here with my mom and a few friends before heading back to the beach, and getting ready for the rest of my friends to arrive that night.

Later in the afternoon, my dad and my brother joined us as well, and shortly after the rest of my friends. We had such a great time hanging out and eating back at the house and on our deck, and then had our big celebration into the night!

Saturday was our last full day of vacation, and more visitors were able to join us! We spent this day at Cahoon Hollow Beach instead, where the Beachcomber is located, and met up with my aunt and uncle as well. Of course I had to have a second lunch at the Beachcomber on Saturday too, and this was nice to be able to bring all of my friends there who couldn’t join the first time. Once again, after our beach day was over we headed back to the house, enjoyed a cook out dinner outside, and enjoyed the beach for the rest of the night.

Sunday morning was checkout, and since it was also Father’s Day, most of us had to head out pretty early to get home. That being said, it was the perfect number of days for us to get away for a weekend, get beautiful beach weather, and see friends and family who I haven’t been able to recently. I wish we had more time, it always seems to go by so fast, but I know we’ll have lots more beach days and weekends in the near future 🙂

Of course we all were careful before and while traveling and took the necessary and responsible precautions when going into public places! Being able to eat out at a restaurant was such an exciting concept, though, and I simply could not wait any longer. As repetitive as the days seem, there really is not much to talk about a beach vacation – we spent every day eating, relaxing, and eating some more! I did want to include this weekend in today’s post, though, because this did start as a travel blog, and this was the first trip I’ve been able to take since my trip to Florida in March!

Now that I’m home and catching up on this productive Monday, I’m thinking about how lucky I am to have had this past weekend with friends and family, and I’m realizing that what is truly important in life is quality time with those people around you – not any material good or experience. Especially during quarantine, I’ve learned to value these memories so much more, and I’m excited for what’s to come as we bounce back from this unfortunate time and begin enjoying moments together again. I’m very much looking forward to the next few months of summer ahead, and I’m feeling optimistic about the future situation in Massachusetts. I will likely be returning to some health and fitness posts in the coming weeks, but stay tuned for more adventures to come (likely back to the beach)!

Thank you all for sticking with me through the non-travel times, and I will see you all next week!

xx,

Megan

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“Travel” Blog: Beach Day in MA

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Good morning and happy Monday!

I’m excited for this week’s post, as I’ve actually been able to travel a bit in the past week! While still social distancing in Massachusetts, I finally took advantage of the hot weather and spent last Wednesday at the beach. My friend and I drove down to Marshfield for the day, and I’m definitely going to start making this a weekly thing throughout the summer.

In past summers, I’ve regularly taken day trips to the beach, but it’s always been more difficult since I also would have been working regularly, and friends work regularly, so keeping that and the weather in mind, it wasn’t too often we could just pick up and head to the beach when it was warm out. Now that most of us have fairly open schedules, it’s much easier, and also much more enjoyable since we’ve been spending so much time at home.

The day that we went was almost 90ºF, so the ocean was much needed to cool down. While the beach was more crowded than usual, I do have to say people were doing a good job of social distancing and keeping within their respective groups, away from others. We were on a more private part of Rexhame Beach, so I’m sure the public areas were more crowded, but I was expecting the conditions to be much worse, so I was pleasantly surprised to see people being so careful. This makes me more comfortable going back in upcoming weeks!

I also realized how calming and good for the mind it can be to just step outside your usual environment, since that’s so rare nowadays. I’ve always loved the beach, but this trip was definitely special since I can now appreciate the notion of going to the beach so much more. Not only does it separate me from the place I’ve been spending the entire past three months, but it makes me realize how lucky I am to live so close to so much nature, and I’m aware of how much happier I am by getting out there and just enjoying time in a different place.

Of course not everyone is a beach person, but wherever you are and whatever interests you in nature, I strongly encourage you to start taking advantage of that (while staying safe!). If you’ve already been active and out in nature, try something new. Changing up our routines is incredible for our mental health and mood, and we often don’t realize that until we actually make those changes. I’ve been walking a lot while at home, and while this has become one of my new favorite exercises and ways to get outside, I didn’t realize how used to it I’d become until I actually got out of my home town and relaxed in a new place.

This beach day was the furthest I’ve traveled in the last three months, and while I would normally consider this a routine drive, this time really felt like a travel experience. Although it will probably be a while before I can post true travel content again, this is the closest I could get for now, and I’m okay with that. I’m hopeful that I can continue taking small trips here and there around New England in the coming months, and I think this will be good for me to realize that traveling doesn’t have to mean getting on a plane and leaving the country.

I know this week’s post was shorter, but I just wanted to share the highlight of my last week, which also happened to be a makeshift travel day. I hope this inspires you all to get out someday in the next week and find somewhere new to explore, or even somewhere you used to go all the time and haven’t been able to recently. I still encourage everyone to be safe and take the necessary health precautions, but I think fresh air and a change of scenery is also important for our health.

I hope to see you all next week, enjoy the nicer weather, and stay safe!

xx,

Megan

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Making the Most of “Travel” During Quarantine

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Good morning friends!

I was stuck with finding a topic to write about this week that seemed somewhat relevant at the time, so I went back to the start to what made me start this blog in the first place: travel. Obviously we are unable to travel in the ways most of us would like right now, but this doesn’t mean we can’t still take advantage of our own neighborhoods and our own backyards. Especially during these past few months, I’ve learned there is a lot more around me than I previously thought, and as long as we’re still keeping social distancing practices, I highly recommend you explore somewhere new by you as the days get sunnier.

Last weekend we finally had a break from the rain in Massachusetts, so a friend of mine and I drove down to Marshfield, got some donuts and coffee, and just parked on the side of the road along the water and sat up on the sidewalk of the beach. Of course public beaches and parking lots are closed, but just being able to park next to the ocean and enjoy our breakfast with some fresh air on the water was a major turning point for my mood throughout this whole situation.

[I want to reiterate that in doing all of this it is still important to maintain social distancing – we did not go near any other family on the beach (a decent amount of people were parked/walking along this road), we stayed safe while going in to buy our breakfast, and we made sure to stay by my car so we weren’t traveling too far toward where others had been walking or sitting.]

Even though there’s not much actual activity one can do right now, just getting out of my own town and being by the ocean made such a difference, and I was able to appreciate a beach I’ve been to countless times so much more. I realized how peaceful it can be to just sit in the sun, with the sound of the waves, and not feel like the entire day has to be planned with activities. As the weather continues to warm up – and I’m finally done with school next week – I definitely want to start taking more drives down to the water, and to other areas of nature I’ve been missing.

I’m telling this whole story to emphasize that traveling (especially now!) does not have to mean getting on a plane and flying to some nice hotel in another part of the world. Now more than ever, traveling should simply mean getting out of the house and exploring somewhere new – this can be just as good for the mind. As I said in a previous blog post, nature is the only part of our earth right now that is consistent, that does not know we’re undergoing a pandemic. This will not change, so we should really appreciate and take care of it more.

I’ve found that just being outside for even a few minutes every day improves my mood, makes me feel more active, and gives me a new burst of motivation for the day. So, since that’s really the only thing we can do right now while in quarantine, I’m trying to spend as much time as I possibly can exploring the nature around me, and “traveling” to some new, and some favorite, places. I recommend you all do the same, even just for an hour or two each week.

I know this week’s post was a bit shorter, but I think this is an important message to keep in mind. We are not stuck at home, we are safe at home, so as long as we continue to do our part to keep ourselves and others healthy, I see nothing wrong with finding a new path in the woods to walk along, or driving a few towns over to find some water (even to just sit and look at!). There are so many ways to get creative right now, we just have to work around some safety logistics. Mental health is something we should all be thinking about right now, even if you’ve never had any concerns in the past, and this is a simple and enjoyable way to strengthen that each day 🙂

With all of that being said, I want everyone to set a travel goal for the next week – no matter how small – to get some fresh air, a new perspective, and maybe even discover a new favorite spot. I hope you’re all continuing to stay safe, and hopefully the worst of it will shortly be coming to an end. I have some exciting plans for future content in the next few weeks to mix things up a bit, so definitely stay posted and subscribe below to get updates directly from me! Best wishes, and I’ll see you all next week.

xx,

Megan

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My Travel Bucket List

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Good afternoon! Once again, I’m getting a late start today as I’ve been catching up on lots of homework for the week 🙂

This week I wanted to take a more positive, forward-looking shift and start thinking about some goals for the future. Over the past couple of years, I’ve been building up a list of places I want to travel someday in a Note on my phone. In the last week I finally transferred that to paper, and hopefully I can start exploring some of these places soon once traveling is okay again.

I wanted to share my bucket list with you all (in no particular order), first to give you some ideas of new potential destinations, but also to hold myself accountable, and start manifesting the journeys I hope to explore. I hope you enjoy this list, and PLEASE let me know if you have any suggestions I should add!

1. Bruges & Brussels, Belgium

Although I drove through Belgium on my way from Paris to Amsterdam, I was never able to stop and spend time there, so definitely somewhere I want to return to!

2. Sintra, Portugal

I was able to visit Porto in October, but I’ve heard amazing things about Sintra as well. I know I will return to both Spain and Portugal at some point, so this is a city I will definitely make sure to hit.

3. Zurich & Interlaken, Switzerland

I never got to visit Switzerland while I was abroad, but if I had more time this would’ve been next on my list. I would love to go back and spend some time here in the spring or fall!

4. Dubrovnik, Croatia

Another city I never got to visit while studying abroad, but would’ve loved to had I had more time to travel!

5. Ireland

This has been on my bucket list for years, and I can’t pick just one part of Ireland – I would love to spend a few weeks (or even a few months) exploring all over the country, and hopefully even connecting with some family over there as well.

6. Greece

Again, I can’t pick just one city, but Greece is another place I know I’ll be spending LOTS of time. I want to see Athens, since I spent so much of high school learning about Ancient Greece, and I also want to explore Santorini and the Greek islands.

7. Berlin, Germany

I was able to visit Munich for a couple of days in September, and it was very cool and very different from other European cities I’d visited. I’ve heard lots about Berlin and would love to return someday.

8. Utrecht, Netherlands

This was a recommendation I received while studying abroad, so of course I added it to the list! Amsterdam was my favorite city that I visited outside of Madrid, so I have a good feeling I would enjoy Utrecht as well.

9. Salzburg, Austria

During my solo backpacking trip across Eastern Europe in October I stopped by Vienna for about a day and a half, but I’m very interested to return and see more of the country.

10. Uzupis, Lithuania

This is the city that made me start a travel list in the first place – years ago I read that Uzupis is one of the most underrated places to travel, so since then I’ve been so intrigued and will be sure to plan a trip there some day.

11. Granada, Alicante, Cáceres, Trujillo, Plasencia, Cuenca, Valencia, & Bilbao, Spain

Of course my list of Spanish cities to visit is very long! There were so many places I wasn’t able to find the time to see, but I know I will be back one day so I’m not worried about missing these 🙂

12. Alaska, US

If I had to pick anywhere in the United States to visit next, it would definitely be Alaska. I have been dying to visit one summer.

13. Tenerife, Spain (Canary Islands)

Another Spanish destination, but off the mainland!

14. New Zealand & Australia

There are far two many cities here to list them all, but I know once I take this trip it’s going to have to be months long for me to explore everything I want to see.

15. Southeast Asia

Once again, there are way too many countries and cities here that I want to visit, but it’s an area of the world I’ve never explored before so I’m excited to see a completely new region. I know I want to spend some time in India, Thailand, and Vietnam – and once I’m there, I know I’ll want to travel all over!

Like I said, this list in in no particular order, and by no means a complete list of everywhere I’d like to visit. This is just a compilation (so far) of the cities and countries I’d heard in passing that were worth me noting on my phone. There are so many more places I plan to visit, and I didn’t want to make this list too long for you all, so for now these are my goals (but I will DEFINITELY be adding more soon) 🙂

Once again, please let me know if you have any suggestions, or even if you’ve been to one of these places and have tips or stories to share! I hope everyone is staying safe at home, and I’ll see you all nest week.

xx,

Megan

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Currently NOT Traveling (And Being Okay With It!)

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Welcome back everyone! I’m definitely getting off to a late start this morning, after a nice holiday weekend I’m now catching up on lots of school work for the week – but it’s crazy to think the semester is over in just a few weeks. Switching to online classes halfway through has definitely shortened the semester a bit!

Speaking of online classes, I wanted to take this week’s post to just share my thoughts on everything going on right now, as I haven’t completely touched on it yet. It’s definitely been a roller coaster of emotions, but I now feel that I’m at a point where I’m settled enough – both physically and mentally – to talk openly about the situation, and hopefully bring some positivity to whatever the future holds.

I understand that all people are talking about nowadays is what’s happening next with the coronavirus, and when will the quarantine end, and how many positive test results have come back each day, and how little protective equipment there is available – and these are all very valid concerns. However, I’ve come to the conclusion that stressing about the logistics which we cannot control is not going to help me in any way, and reading the news (that’s usually the same every day now) is only going to bring me more fear and anxiety. Of course, some people do need to pay attention to the news, especially those who still need to go into work every day; however, for the most part, I urge you all to take a step back and focus on some more positive content while we have the time. So, I’m here this week to help promote that positivity.

Obviously this did not all start on a positive note, though. Looking back to about a month ago, I received an email explaining that my courses would be online for the remainder of the semester, and I was expected to move out of my apartment within the next four days. To say I was confused, sad, angry, or frustrated does not even begin to explain what was going through my mind. After my fall semester abroad, I had just returned to the home I know and love, and was expected to leave after just a month and a half? My junior year at Boston College was way too short.

The next couple of weeks were filled with chaos, stress, and feeling way too frustrated about what the rest of the semester was looking like. I’m sure everyone remembers their own experiences as life began to change drastically throughout the last month. However, like I said, I want to focus on the future. After spending the last month moving and settling in my home, and now the last couple of weeks getting into a somewhat regular schedule, I’ve grown more comfortable with the current situation, and I’m gaining a more optimistic outlook on what’s to come.

Of course this is not ideal for anyone, and we will be in recovery for months and months to come, but that doesn’t mean this is going to last forever. I think the only way to get through this right now, at least for me, is to look at the bright side of what’s going to come in the aftermath. I don’t mean to diminish the horrendous level of deaths and illnesses occurring – this is not a good thing. But we can find some good in it, at least enough to get through it.

I think everyone has realized how much they took for granted, whether that be nature, seeing family and friends, going to school, going out to eat, and simply being able to give someone a high-five. I’m optimistic that, at least for a little while, people will embrace one another and take advantage of everything this world has to offer, once we’re able to get back to a “normal” lifestyle. Especially being in college right now, I can pretty much guarantee that my final year of school will be unlike any other – not only being able to live with roommates again and eat meals with friends, but actually being able to walk into a classroom and discuss material in person – something so many of us complain about on a daily basis! The next few years are going to be some of the most wholesome, uplifting times of our lives.

Looking more closely into the future, this has given us all the time we’ve been asking for for so long. Every one of us has at least one goal we’ve been meaning to accomplish, but can never find the time to do so. Well, here it is! Even if you don’t have the motivation to get anything done and this has been too overwhelming, you also have the time to accept that and just relax – you are not missing out on anything. I think the world was at a point where we all needed to just slow down and take a breath, and of course a pandemic wasn’t the only way to go about that, but it sure has showed us what life is like when we do slow down!

This lifestyle definitely took some adjusting, but I’m now becoming more and more at peace with how simple everything can be right now. I have more than enough time to take care of myself – physically and mentally. I’m about to graduate next year and move on with my life, and now I’ve been given an extra few months to spend at home with my family before taking that step. I’ve been able to devote more time to both schoolwork and personal projects, so by the time this is all over, I’ll be in a strong position to move forward with my goals. And I’ve learned who is really there for me, and which relationships in my life I value – I’m starting to talk to my friends even more now that we can’t actually see each other, and this is a lesson I want to carry with me once we are able to rejoin.

Beyond just myself, I’ve noticed a major shift in the health of the environment with the massive reduction in air pollution, which gives me hope that society will start to protect this earth a little better, since right now it’s really all we have. I’ve also seen a huge boost in humanity, with people coming together (from the safety of their own homes) to help those either sick themselves, or those helping the sick. People are outside every day, enjoying the nature we do still have, the one constant factor in our lives right now, waving to each other from across the street and making the most of any small interactions we can get throughout the day.

So, although I’ve been rambling and touched on both the hard parts and the good parts of this situation, I hope you can all agree with me that there is some good that will come out of this, whether that’s right now or a year in the future. I can’t reasonably make it through the next few days, weeks, or months, if all I do is think about how hard this is and how much I’m missing. Because in reality, I’m not missing out on anything – everyone is on hold right now. And all we can do is obey that.

In the past, I’ve always grown anxious without having an upcoming trip planned, or a flight booked for the future. Staying in one place was my worst nightmare. I’ve taken this whole situation to be a lesson for myself that staying put sometimes is okay – and I need to learn to enjoy it. I’m now coming to a place where I’m truly comfortable being at home, and I’m even looking forward to this extra time and space I have to work on myself.

I hope you can all do the same, and once again, I hope you are all staying safe at home 🙂

xx,

Megan

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My Top 50 Photos of 2019

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Welcome back!

This past week has definitely been crazy, as I’m sure it has been for all of you as well, so I’m doing my best to adjust and move forward in whatever ways I can. That being said, lots of things have changed, including future travel plans being cancelled and having to move out of my apartment at college, so my blog updates will definitely be a bit out of order in the coming months.

While I try get things back into order, I thought I would finally go back and look through everything I did (and photographed!) in 2019. As the year was ending and 2020 was coming to a start, I had a feeling that 2019 was too good for 2020 to be the same (or better). So far, I think most of us can agree that 2020 has been testing us. So, to lighten the mood a bit and reflect on some things to be happy about, I’ve compiled what I find to be my best and favorite photos of 2019. I’ve chosen some for the actual quality and beauty of the photo, and others for the memories and feelings attached with the moment. Please enjoy reflecting on these with me, and hopefully I’ll be able to look back just as fondly in the next year 🙂

boston, ma – summer 2019
quiché, guatemala – july 2019
  • retiro park
  • plaza de cibeles
  • el escorial (monastery)
madrid, spain – fall 2019
toledo & salamanca, spain – september 2019
  • amazing view from our airbnb in mallorca – our first trip while abroad!
palma de mallorca, spain – september 2019
  • casino monte carlo
nice, france & monte carlo, monaco – september 2019
  • sunset in morocco’s mountain villages, which reminded me so much of guatemala 🙂
  • me on a camel because I still think this was so cool
amizmiz, morocco – october 2019
  • letensky sady, prague
  • old town, prague
  • charles bridge, prague
  • prague sunrise
  • vienna
  • vienna
  • budapest
  • buda castle, budapest
  • hungarian parliament, budapest
prague, czechia; vienna, austria; & budapest, hungary – october 2019
porto, portugal – october 2019
  • sagrada familia
  • el carmel bunkers,
  • el carmel bunkers
  • one of my absolute favorite pictures from this past year ❤
barcelona, spain – october 2019
  • all of the people who made this experience what it was 🙂
  • sunset in malaga
  • plaza de españa, sevilla
malaga & sevilla, spain – november 2019
  • sainte chapelle, paris
paris, france & amsterdam, netherlands – november 2019
  • vatican city
  • colosseum
  • trevi fountain
rome, italy – november 2019
copenhagen, denmark – december, 2019

If you made it this far, I hope you enjoyed looking back at this past year with me and my favorite moments! A lot of these photos I’ve already posted in different travel blogs from while I was studying abroad, but this was such a huge part of my 2019, so I had to include them again here.

I hope everyone is doing well and holding out through this difficult time, and I’m looking forward to a brighter road ahead once we get past this stressful situation. I will continue to post content, I’m just not sure exactly what that schedule will look like now that everything has been thrown off. Thank you for being patient, and I will see you all at some point next week!

xx,

Megan

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Spring Break in Florida!

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Good afternoon and happy Monday 🙂

I’m finally home and back in the swing of things after my very long and much needed spring break! I flew in from West Palm last night, and I’m back at work bright and early this Morning getting things going. I had an amazing couple of trips over my break, between visiting family in Maine and spending lots of time in the Florida sun, so it’s only fair I get into all the good stuff with a new travel blog.

I’ve definitely missed writing about new travels since I returned from studying abroad, so I’m super excited to finally have some new content. In my post last Monday, I mentioned that I’d been spending some time somewhere warm. I flew into Florida on Monday and spent the week through Friday in Deerfield Beach. First of all, the weather throughout the week was beautiful, so it was the perfect week to just lie on the beach, read, and relax. While in Deerfield Beach I was alone, which I was a bit nervous about at first because while I loved my solo trip to Eastern Europe, by the end of it I was going crazy – but this week ended up to be the perfect amount of alone time! After the first day or two I got used to the fact that I was alone and actually really started to enjoy the quiet relaxation. I was able to cook for myself throughout the week which was great, and I caught up on so much work, rest, and TV shows!

I was about a mile and a half from the beach, which was perfect for my morning runs. I pretty much followed the same schedule every day, running to and from the beach before it got too hot, making myself breakfast and getting ready for the day, then heading back to the beach until late afternoon, when I’d head back and make a late lunch/early dinner and just hang out for the night. I definitely needed a low-key week to recharge after my busy week of exams before break, and I’m actually really glad I had this time to myself to do so.

Deerfield Beach, FL

By Friday, though, I was ready for some human interaction and a change of scenery, so this was the perfect time for my brother to join me. I headed back up to West Palm for the rest of the weekend where I ended up having to book an Airbnb last minute after I found out our hotel had a 21+ check in policy, but this actually turned out to be really nice. We had a great bedroom/bathroom set up with access to the backyard pool, grill, and fireplace, so I’m glad we ended up getting the privacy and comfort of a home rather than a hotel. 

While I waited for my brother’s flight to get in I hung out by the pool, caught up on some homework, and took in the last of the sun I’d see for the week. He eventually got in around dinner time, so we quickly got ready and headed to dinner at ER Bradley’s Saloon, right by the harbor side of the water. After making myself vegetables for almost every dinner so far that week, it was amazing to have someone cook for me, and I finally got to have my fish tacos that I’d been waiting for. The food here was SO delicious, especially the bourbon-soaked banana bread I had for dessert.

Friday in West Palm Beach, FL

Saturday was Kyle’s only full day in Palm Beach with me, and my last day overall, so we got an early start and hit the beach before it was even 9AM. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t so great (much cloudier and windier, and therefore colder :(), so we didn’t last very long, but we’re definitely beach people so we had to at least spend some time there. By 11 we’d had enough of the sand blowing everywhere, so we walked back over the bridge to the mainland and got brunch at a restaurant right next to where we ate dinner the night before – Avocado Grill. Once again, I got fish tacos – a vacation must! Afterwards we found a huge farmers’ market just a block over, so we walked around here a bit before finally heading back to the beach one more time. We spent some of the afternoon here, and then eventually had to accept that the weather wasn’t great and head back to our Airbnb.

Saturday in West Palm Beach, FL

Kyle spent the afternoon in the pool while I (again) got some more work done, then we ended off our vacation with one of the best meals I’ve had to date. We decided to splurge for our last dinner, so we made a reservation at the Breakers Palm Beach Resort’s Italian Restaurant. We got to the resort early enough so we had some time to walk around and take pictures, and the whole environment was so amazing, I’d definitely love to go back. This whole area was right on the ocean side, so despite the wind and clouds, the views were amazing. Once we actually sat down to eat, the food was amazing as well. Everything from the complementary rolls to our bruschetta appetizer, to my shaved cauliflower salad and Kyle’s meat lasagna, all the way to his cheesecake and my s’mores pie dessert, was beyond delicious. This was the perfect way to end off our vacation!

The Breakers Palm Beach

Kyle had a very early flight home Sunday morning, and I left later in the afternoon, but now we’re both back in Boston and I’m very glad to be settled and back into my routine. This past week was so amazing and I loved every minute of my trip, but as much as I love traveling, I love coming home and getting my life back together just as much.

I’m so excited for the rest of the spring and summer, as I do have a few more trips in the works, as well as the new direction in which I’m hoping to expand my blog. Thank you all for following along, and please subscribe below to continue receiving content! Any feedback is greatly appreciated, and I’ll see you all next week 🙂

xx,

Megan

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Current Favorites & Travel Essentials

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As promised, I’m back now with LOTS of new content now that I finally have some time to focus on my blog! As I transition into more lifestyle-centered posts in addition to my travel theme, I’m going to start off with a little bit of both in this post. I’ll be getting into my current favorites – everything I’m loving right now, from health products to books to social media – while also including some of my travel essentials – things I couldn’t live without on my trip this week!

First, I want to talk about what I’m reading right now. This is both a favorite and a travel essential – this is The Girls book series by Rachel Hollis. There are 3 books in this collection: Party Girl, Sweet Girl, and Smart Girl. I just finished Party Girl and am now starting Sweet Girl. I’m hoping to finish all three while on vacation this week, as they really are the perfect vacation books. I’ve already read Hollis’ other books, Girl, Stop Apologizing and Girl, Wash Your Face, which I highly recommend as well. These are all the kinds of books you can mindlessly read while relaxing (in my case on the beach!) and still get a lighthearted, feel good story.

Moving on from reading, I’ve also been catching up on my TV shows this week, and aside from my regulars like Grey’s Anatomy, This Is Us, and The Bachelor, I’ve started a couple of other new series as well. On my flight here, I started getting into Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez, a three-part Netflix documentary series. I’d always been interested in this case and finally had the time to get into the documentary, and there is so much more going on than I thought – definitely a good series to get into, but one that you need to pay attention to while watching. Another show I picked up this week that I can’t stop watching is Netflix’s original reality show, The Circle. This is another one I’ve been wanting to watch for a while and I’ve heard so many good things about it, and I’m so glad I finally started watching! This one is definitely more laid back and I don’t have to pay too close attention, but it’s still such an interesting concept for a show and I’m getting more and more into it each episode.

One more TV favorite is another Netflix documentary – Miss Americana. This is Taylor Swift’s documentary which I just recently watched, and I would hands down recommend this to anyone, even if you aren’t a fan. I’ve always been a pretty big Taylor Swift fan, but even watching this documentary completely changed my perspective on her success and the changes she’s made throughout her career. Once again, there’s so much more to her story than we see on the outside, so I definitely think documentary is worth a watch.

Moving on, a few things I couldn’t travel without (besides these books and shows) include:

  • My 40 oz. (extra large!) HydroFlask – I drink SO much water, so having this on a long flight was necessary. It’s also been great to have with me throughout the week so I don’t have to use plastic, and have enough water to get me through a long beach day.
  • I’ve never been one to care too much about germs (except for your normal hand washing/sanitary norms), but this week I am not taking ANY chances in an airport, so I stocked up on Clorox wipes and Purell, which definitely made me feel better on my flight down.
  • In general, I always end up feeling kind of gross after flying, so keeping a pack of facial wipes with me (any simple cleansing wipes – I like micellar water wipes!) helps A LOT after landing!
  • Having enough good content downloaded for any flight is a necessity. I know I mentioned all of these new shows and movies I’ve been watching, but I also love listening to Podcasts when I get sick of music. For this flight I downloaded an episode of Gals on the Go Podcast and The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Podcast – my two favorites!
  • Gum and snacks are always a must for me on planes, no matter how short the flight. On this trip, I brought a banana from home since it was early in the morning and I wasn’t too hungry yet, but usually I’ll buy a sandwich or some trail mix, and an iced coffee on shorter flights.

For now, that’s all I’m going to get into, but I’ll definitely be back soon with an update on my spring break trip (so far, doing great)! I’m very excited to expand more on my writing and get into more things I’m passionate about, so I hope you’re all on board 🙂 

Let me know if there’s anything specific you want to hear from me, and subscribe below to stay updated when I post new content! Have a great rest of your week, and I’ll see you soon.

xx,

Megan

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Spring Break Travel Update

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Hi everyone!

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve posted – this past week has been crazy with exams and assignments, but I’m finally on spring break and have some time to catch up! I’m writing this from the airport right now before I head off for a week at the beach, so I just wanted to check in about where I’ve been and some upcoming things.

This past weekend I spent lots of time with family up by Old Orchard Beach in Maine, so I definitely got my cold fix in for the week. The rest of this week I’ll be spending somewhere warm, so look out for a post on that part of my trip sometime next week!

Obviously I am not traveling as much anymore as I was while I was studying abroad, so this blog has taken a turn to more advice and guide related posts. I would like to continue the “travel” theme of my website, but I also want to start writing more lifestyle content, as I have lots more to talk about! While I have some time off this week I’m going to start planning some new things for the future, so hopefully this blog can expand into something bigger than it is at the moment.

I am very passionate about travel, but there are other things I’ve become knowledgable about as well, so I want to start incorporating more aspects of my life into this page. I hope you’re all on board!

For now I must start boarding my flight, but I will definitely be back later this week and next with lots of content and exciting new stuff – see you later, and happy Monday!

xx,

Megan

10 Tips for Traveling Alone

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Happy Monday!

I’m back this week with a very important (and very relevant) topic: solo travel. While studying abroad last semester, I knew I wanted to take at least one trip alone for a few reasons. First, I wanted to have a very productive and busy weekend, which was definitely easier to plan without having to coordinate a schedule with others. Also, there was a part of me that just wanted to prove to myself that I could plan and go on a trip entirely by myself. You might remember that this first solo trip was a long weekend of “backpacking” (it was only four days) through Prague, Vienna, and Budapest. I have another semi-solo trip coming up soon, so I thought I would share some of my tips with you all for solo travel, since it’s definitely something most people avoid!

  1. Do your research! Your trip will be a lot more comfortable and less stressful if you plan where you’re staying, your transportation, activities, etc., in advance, so that you know you’ll have things to do and you’ll be safe while traveling. Look into the hotel, airbnb, etc., that you’re staying at to make sure it has good reviews, and try to get local recommendations from friends/family of things you can do/places you can visit.
  2. Plan to be busy. Especially since you’ll be by yourself, it can get boring if you don’t have much to do. It might be an exhausting trip, but you’ll be much happier staying occupied than sitting around relaxing (for the most part!)
  3. Pack a lock for your things – especially if you’re staying in a hostel or a more public residence. This will keep your things safe overnight, and will also be useful if you’re doing activities throughout the day and don’t want to carry everything around the whole time.
  4. Plan your meals ahead of time! From my experience, breakfast and lunch are pretty easy to figure out, but it can definitely be weird eating dinner alone, so making sure you have somewhere to go will be helpful.
  5. Plan dinner dates – going along with my previous point about eating meals alone, it can be nice to have a phone call or facetime date planned so you’re not really eating alone.
  6. Figure out transportation ahead of time. You don’t want to get stuck without a ride home or to the airport, so research transportation options in the area you’re traveling ahead of time and see what’s available near you. Whether you need to book a taxi in advance, or confirm that Uber operates in your city, this will relieve lots of stress while traveling!
  7. Be careful at night! Especially if you are a girl (unfortunately), be aware of your surroundings, and try to stay in groups/in public places if possible. Be responsible and try to avoid any potentially dangerous situation. While I was in Eastern Europe alone, I completely avoided any danger and simply stayed in after dinner (which helped me start my days earlier anyways!)
  8. Keep track of important belongings, especially when you’re alone.
    In general, you should keep tabs on your phone, wallet, and passport, but when you’re by yourself, you don’t have a friend to fall back on if something happens to these. Keep them in a safe place and be careful of pickpockets!
  9. Know where you’re going. Of course you won’t know exactly how to get everywhere you’re going, but having a general idea of landmarks and names of sights or restaurants can help in the case that your phone dies or you need to ask for directions. Quickly mapping out your day before you head out can help a lot.
  10. Meet new (or old) friends! Lots of people are trying solo travel nowadays, so it’s likely you’re not the only one where you’re going who is alone. Especially if you’re staying in a hostel or similar residence, there are always lots of young people who you can hang out with. Similarly, if you know someone who lives in the area you’re visiting, plan to catch up!

Personally, I think everyone should try solo travel at least once while they’re young, because even though it can be scary/uncomfortable, it’s definitely a great learning experience and truly shows you how independent you can be. Not only that, but if there’s somewhere you really want to explore and can’t seem to get a group to go, this is a great way to completely design your own schedule and your own trip so that you can accomplish everything you’ve been wanting to.

During my first trip alone, I learned the hard way that I really don’t like being alone. That being said, I wouldn’t change anything about the experience, because in the end I had a great weekend and it made me more comfortable doing things on my own. I packed so much into those four days which I don’t think I would’ve been able to do otherwise, and I’m now looking forward to planning more solo trips so that I can enjoy traveling alone.

I hope these tips are helpful and that this encourages you to step outside of your comfort zone when it comes to traveling. I’m excited to finally be taking a couple more trips soon, so I’ll have some new content for you in the future. Subscribe below to come along with me, and I’ll see you all next week!

xx,

Megan

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