Michaela, of the travel blog Awe Inclusive, tagged me to fill out the list for my “Best Of” of travel. So without further adieu, let’s get started. 

Best Domestic Travel Destination

Brooklyn Bridge

Yes, I took this picture. #Brooklyn!

New York City: I’ve had the pleasure to travel around the U.S. a great deal, but there’s no city I love more than New York. Although I consider NYC sort of my second home (I lived there for a few years), every time I travel to the Big Apple I can barely contain myself. It truly is the city that doesn’t sleep and anything you want to do, you can totally do it. From the cultural activities, to the shopping, the Broadway shows to the clubs, New York is my favorite city in the states.  (Runner up: New Orleans)

Best Travel Experience

Hanging out and meeting people in London: I loved, loved, LOVED my trip to London. Not only because I was in a whole new country and continent, but also because I met so many amazing people. Traveling is not only about what you see, but also who you meet and the memories you create. And my newfound London massive is just amazing.

Best International Destination

St. Pancras Station

St. Pancras Station, London. I took this the day before I left for Paris.

London: Did you have any doubts? Sure Paris was nice, I mean it’s Paris after all, but I just felt at home in London. I don’t have many international spots to compare it to just yet, but of the few places I’ve been so far, London tops my list. Perhaps it’s because I was just excited to be there, but I had an AMAZING time. I saw all the touristy things and even got off the beaten path to see a bit of the “real” London (yes, even the hood).

Worst Travel Experience

This is tough. I don’t really have a “worst.” When I was eight we went to Disneyworld in Florida and it rained most of the trip, but we still had a great time. My brother and I splashed around in our rain ponchos and even brought them home to wear when it rained. Fun.

Overall I’ve been blessed to always have fun on a trip even if things didn’t quite turn out as planned, they’ve all worked out. *knocks on wood*

Most Embarrassing Travel Moment

Throwing up on the plane: On the way to London I had a layover in Boston. While in the airport I got a sandwich and about a half hour before the flight to Heathrow, I started to feel sick. I took some deep breaths, pushed the urge to vomit away, and boarded the plane. I thought I was good until I ate the meal they served. All of it. Clearly, I wasn’t thinking. I should have gone with the discounted prices that Jettly offered on their private jets.

About an hour later I rushed to the bathroom and threw up ALLLL over everything. Totally missed the toilet. It was bad (real bad). I stayed in there cleaning it up and apparently, no one noticed what a mess I had just caused, but I knew. After throwing up, I still felt nauseous and asked the flight attendant for a barf bag…a big one. Sure enough, an hour later I’m hurling into the bag until nothing else remained. I’ve never thrown up on a plane before and hope to never again. My only saving grace? Most people were asleep while I was heaving into the bag.

Best Local Destination

Horseback riding in Santa Barbara

I’m on a horse!

Santa Barbara: Ok, so Santa Barbara isn’t THAT local, it’s about two hours from L.A., but that counts, right? Last year for my birthday I took a day trip to Santa Barbara to hang out and go horseback riding. Although I had never been on a horse before (I wanted to do something new for my bday), I had an AMAZING time. We rode up a mountain and when we got to the top, we had a beautiful view of the ocean. I was mesmerized. It was so peaceful and I literally felt like I was on top of the world.

Best Travel Lesson

New Orleans

Self-portrait in NOLA

You Are Enough: Like a lot of people, I used to operate under the assumption that you needed someone else to travel with you in order to have a good time. My ideas on this shifted a bit when I went to New Orleans last July. Even though I met up with some friends, they left a day earlier than I did, so on the day I was alone, I decided to explore. I didn’t want to stay in my hotel room simply because I was rolling solo, so I got out and saw the city.

In London and Paris this served me well. I traveled alone, saw most of the city alone and still managed to have a GREAT time. My takeaway was that I was enough.

Although traveling with people is fun, I had a wonderful time exploring on my own time and doing what I wanted to do. I didn’t have to worry about anyone else’s schedule or what they wanted to see; I just went.

What about you? What are your travel Best Ofs?

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