The Bermuda Triangle

Looking for a tropical getaway this summer to end your quarantine blues? If so, a cruise to the Bermuda Triangle is topping the list for this summer vacation. Featuring the deep blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean, lots of sea life and the possibility to adventure into the unknown, this cruise is the opportunity of a lifetime. Wanting to disappear from your responsibilities for a little while, or even for life? Then a cruise to the Bermuda Triangle is just the trip for you! Tickets are selling fast, as everyone tries to escape the hardships of life during a pandemic, so don’t wait too long!

Cawker City, KS

Looking to experience the wonders of the world and see fantastical displays of world-record-breaking attractions? If so, Cawker City in the lovely state of Kansas is the place for you to visit this summer. The World’s Largest Ball of Twine is housed in Cawker City and draws thousands of tourists each summer to witness this amazing feat. This is a great weekend road trip for this summer if you live in the Midwest and want to experience one of the wonders of the World located in your own backyard. If you go in August, you may even get to experience the annual twine-a-thon and have the chance to help maintain the world record by adding more twine to the ball!

Snake Island

Looking to have an exciting wildlife experience? Forget the African Sahara expeditions, travel to Snake Island off the coast of Brazil to have the experience of a lifetime! Snake Island is aptly named for its dense population of golden lancehead snakes, having around one to five snakes per square meter! With those numbers, you are sure to have up-close wildlife sightings! To make it even more interesting and add an element of excitement, the golden lancehead snake is also extremely venomous! The Brazilian Navy has forbidden anyone from landing on the island, but I think that visiting this island would be a thrilling and learning experience for the nature lovers out there! If not so interested in the close-up and technically illegal experience, golden lanceheads, along with other snakes, can legally and safely be viewed at the São Paulo zoo in Brazil.

“It’s a bird! It’s a plane!” It is a plane. Traveling by plane is a great way to get far away from your hometown and explore places you would never be able to if you were driving. The most stressful thing about flying, however, is the before and after situation. Maneuvering packing your suitcases and traveling to each terminal can make you want to rip your hair out. To avoid this, I am here to offer you some ways to keep the stress out of your much-needed, stress free vacation.

First consider how you pack. If you are flying, packing has to be done in a smart and organized manner. Some main airlines, such as Southwest, allow two free checked bags. Others, including American, United and Delta charge for every checked bag. Be aware of the restrictions that the airline has on bags, and try to compress things into a carry-on if you can. Most airlines let you bring one carry-on – which can be up to the size of a small duffle bag – and a personal item. So usually when I fly, I’ll bring my small duffle bag and my backpack, both stuffed full. If you do just bring a carry-on, make sure to keep in mind the liquid restriction. Anything over three fluid ounces will be tossed out at security. Luckily, most face, makeup and skin care products are under that, and you can always head to Target and buy travel packs of products.

There are also a lot of great Youtube videos on compressing your packing. I try to think of essentials – since I usually only really wear like 12 things on a normal basis in my wardrobe. Pack a couple of staple pieces and mix them with statement items to make it seem like you are wearing something new everyday. Make sure to also check out the weather ahead of time so you know what to plan for.

After packing, take a look at your flight. Its best to book a flight on a Tuesday or Wednesday because that is when they are the cheapest. Websites like Expedia and CheapOair are great for seeing all the options for flying out on a certain date. But also go checkout the actual websites for each airline because they might offer deals that the bargain websites don’t pick up on.

Once you book your flight, try and outline your flight schedule. Arrive about an hour to two before take-off to get past security and check your bags. Wear slip-on shoes and comfy clothes for flying so you can move quickly through security. The biggest pet peeve of any normal flier is the people who don’t know how to move through a security line. Make sure to have your laptop at arm’s reach and read the signs so people don’t give you death glares. I always keep my headphones, an extra portable charger and an empty water bottle in the front pocket so I can easily grab them after I get through security.

If you have a layover, make sure to check the airport layout. Fortunately, the internet has maps of each airport, so you can track where you have to walk to for your next gate. You can also see the food places around your gate and plan ahead, because flying is about planning. Also, anyone with your flight number can google it and track the plane. This sounds a bit creepy but can be super helpful if someone is picking you up and your flight is delayed.

These tips will help you keep your cool before, during and after your flight so you can take full advantage of your vacation.

Traveling, if done right can give you new experiences, viewpoints and perspectives of every aspect of life. With so much to gain, how do travelers and jet setters squeeze all the joy, wonder and knowledge out of each of their trips? Well, I have an answer that may sound boring, but everyone needs to do some work before they have some fun.

Planning and researching where you’re traveling will help you get the most out of your travel experiences. I have some great tips and tricks that will really help you and your travel buddies have the best experiences anywhere you go.

The first step to a flawless and enjoyable trip is deciding where you want to go. It’s good to target what you want to do and then find a location with all those experiences. So if you want to go to the beach, eat seafood and maybe have a lot of fun day excursions, you can search for a beach place near a city. Last summer a couple of my friends and I stayed in Mississippi right by the beach and only an hour drive away from New Orleans, so we got to have the ocean and the culture and fun experiences that NOLA has to offer.

After you select your location, hop on AirBnb or Vrbo. These websites are a great way to travel cheap and with a lot of people. They offer millions of different places you and your friends can rent out for a range of prices. When I stayed in Mississippi we ended up only paying $80 each between the four of us for a private house down the street from a beach for 5 days. In comparison, a beach-side hotel room costs around $100 a night, doesn’t have a full kitchen and doesn’t have the local feel to it.

Some things to keep an eye out for, however, is the location of the house and the house features. There will be a way to check both and make sure the house fits all of your wants and needs. There’s also a feature that lets you chat with the house owner – most of whom are super responsive and sweet. Not only does renting out a house for your trip save you money in general, but it also saves you money when it comes to food. Food is a huge expense when traveling, but with a house you and your friends can choose to stay in certain nights and cook for yourself, knocking around $20 a night off of your trip budget.

Now that your location is pinpointed and booked, take a look at the area you’re staying in. I love to stay in local small towns and allow myself a day to try local food places and shop around the town square. This is also a great time to get your friends and family back home some souvenirs. I like to buy a bunch of postcards of the scenery around me and give those to my family. Postcards are usually an easy find and also super easy to make personal and cute for anyone’s house. For local food you can look in local newspapers and find featured restaurants, or you can also talk to the house owners from Airbnb, they always have great suggestions.

After you have your itinerary and logistics planned out, you have to figure out how you’re getting there. Being from the  Midwest, I am always up for a road trip, even if it is a two-day drive. If you do choose to drive, go on to Google Maps and trace out your route beforehand. Then you can look at gas stops and fun things to do on the way. A great website to use when driving is called GasBuddy. This website will calculate your gas cost round trip based on the make and model of the car you’re taking. That way you can all budget gas payments into the cost of your trip.

If you chose to fly, the cheapest days to fly are Tuesdays and Wednesdays – aim for booking the flight as early in advance as possible. The closer the date gets for your flight, the more expensive a ticket will be. If you have a layover, you should look up a map of the airport and track where your gate will be, that way when you land you will know where you’re going and what is around you if you wanted to grab a quick snack.

Also, you can google your flight number and pull up your landing and departure time as well as the gate numbers, this is a super great feature if you are meeting someone at the airport. You can just text them your flight number and not have to worry about keeping them updated on delays. There’s are millions of other tips I could offer when it comes to flying that will make your trip so much smoother, but that’s a whole other article.

The biggest thing to remember when travelling is to have fun and relax. Travelling is the most fun when you do things you want to do, so if you want to lay on the beach for 10 hours straight, do it, and don’t feel pressured to do everything all at once on your schedule.

Remember to make it an adventure and take in the area along with the people you are with. Don’t forget to live in the moment – and pack for every moment.