10 Ways to Explore in your Everyday Life

I love travel!! That is no secret, however, I also have a full time job and an apartment I have to pay for. Exploring and adventuring in my everyday life has become more important to me over the past few months because it's the first time that I've moved to an entirely new place on my own. When you're new and don't know many people, it's important to get out of your home and see what your location has to offer. Here are a few of my tips about how you can explore in your local area.

1. See what the locals are doing. Explore downtown in the morning and see where people are getting their coffee from. 
2. Pinterest your city. It's amazing how many pins are out there about even the smallest of towns. If your city has any sort of tourism industry, you can find some sort of article that has been written about the gems in your area.
3. Ask. This is one of the easiest ways to find out what are the most beloved attractions locally. I've created almost a string effect of going to the local museum and asking where else they would suggest I explore.
4. Wake up early. I am in no way a morning person, but I found two local farmers markets just by getting up a few hours earlier than I'm use to and going where the locals go. Because after all, you are a local too now, might as well find out what are the morning favorites. 
5. Stay up late. There are places that are only open for dinner, if you only go out in the morning you would never find them. 
6. Try it! I will google coffee shop and try a different coffee shop every day until I find one that I click with. My goal for a coffee shop is always a local feel and wifi!
7. Take one of your days off and drive for 30 minutes. This will get you far enough out to find new places you may not have seen before.
8. Watch the sunset from somewhere. If you're in a large city, you can go on top of a parking garage, or as high up in a building as you can get. If you're by the ocean, go there. If you're in the Mountains, go there. It's so relaxing to watch the sunset, try out a few places and see which is your favorite.
9. Find the "Historic District." This is more USA based, but most cities have an area where they still have the historic charm of the city. If  you're in another part of the word, the entire city may have brick streets, but in many American towns that part has been condensed into one section. All of the ones I've found have been wonderful places to walk around in and spend an afternoon window shopping. 
10. Smile! How is this a way to explore? If you go into each day realizing the possibilities it's amazing what can happen. Go, Explore!

What's your favorite place to go in your city? And what city is that?

Naples Botanical Garden Lego Exhibit

This year The Naples Botanical Garden in Naples Florida is having a Lego Exhibit. The Botanical Gardens themselves were so beautiful, and much larger than I expected, from the outside looking in. When you were going from one area to another you would either walk through the "grass sea" or beautiful hanging greenery. There is a hidden hammock that I relaxed in for a while, and a maze labyrinth you can try to find your way out of! My favorite area was Asia! A small island in the middle was surrounded with beautiful pink and yellow flowers and a lake. The legos themselves are spread throughout the botanical gardens which, for me, made it even more fun to find. Every once in a while you would go from area to area and stumble upon more sculptures. The gardener below is larger than I am! There are more lego sculptures in the gardens than I have pictured here, but these are some of my favorites. My favorite lego scultpure of all was the praying mantis! He was at least three feet tall, which took thousands of legos. They are all truly amazing! 

Why I Would Rather Spend $1,000 Than $20

I would rather spend $1,000 on a plane ticket than spend $20 on a shirt. For me, travel is a passion. It's something that I think about every day and plan on doing for the rest of my life. While yes, $20 is a lot more feasible in the short term, in the long run, I would rather save up for months and spend a week in another country. That week will be filled with more pictures and, yes, souvenirs than that shirt that I probably will have hanging in my closet sitting and waiting for the perfect time to wear it.  Here's what I'm not saying, "Never buy small items." "You shouldn't buy that candle that smells so good." "Who really wants pizza anyhow?" Because we all know how much I love me a good smelling candle and a delicious pizza and movie night. Here's what I am saying. When you look back later in life, experiences are worth more. If this week you can maybe watch a movie and make a pizza at home, you can set aside that extra $30 towards going to Berlin next year. 

At first when I started taking my travels plans seriously it seemed ridiculous to think that, where I am in life, I could save enough money to travel overseas or travel across the country. But I'm telling you, it's totally possible!! I plan early and keep what I want in mind. I love checking what I could see when I'm in a country. Seeing what festivals will be there when I will be. Seeing the castles I could walk through. Seeing those possibilities helps me save by allowing me to realize what I could be giving up if I don't save my money. Never be afraid of your money, it's a tool, and it's your tool to use as you see fit.  For me it's the moments, and stories that matter the most. 

Balloon Fiesta - Albuquerque

Every time I fly to the west part of the United Stated I forget how far you can see, not only from the plane but even when you're standing on the ground. Compared to living in Florida, the distance you can see is phenomenal. Every morning during Balloon Fiesta there is a mass ascension when all the balloons go into the air at almost the same time. Seeing over 500 balloons float up in the air is an amazing sight. I had never been that close to any hot air balloon before! Don't tell on me, but I may have ran up and touched a few while they were blowing up. A cold morning + hot air balloons + green chili breakfast burritos + hot chocolate = happy Joy. My sweater collection makes more sense when I have the opportunity to wear them, and they don't have to all sit together in my closet. At night the balloons do what is called "Balloon Glow" where they stand up but do not take off. At once they all light up and start glowing on the field. 

New Mexico had so many dishes filled with green or red chili, even their pizza was adorned with it, which was a new experience. In the hiking area we went to, Albuquerque was about a mile, or about 1.6 kilometers, above sea level. I have never hiked with my elevation that high, I know sad right. I noticed that even when I wasn't tired my breath was still harder to catch than normal. I definitely noticed that the weather kept me from sweating though, bonus for cool weather. The view was amazing! My favorite part of any trip is the hidden gems of places you find while walking around; or, in this case, just sitting on a rock and taking in the view. Albuquerque, I'll be back for more of your green chili goodness!

Eating my way through London

Eating is something we have to do to survive, but how many times do you really sit down and enjoy your food? How many times do you pick out the different flavors or compare what different breads taste like? I've been watching a documentary and in it one chef said that we need to start thinking about not only what we eat but what we eat eats. We are not only what we eat but we are what we eat eats. It was mind blowing to me. Here's a little bit about what I ate in London. What's your favorite place to eat where you live?

My first meal was a burger and a red stripe beer. I was starving and hadn't eaten since 12 the previous day. Needless to say, it was delicious.

We decided to walk home and got lost. Walking all over Shoreditch and being Jet Lagged equals a very passionate Italian, and hot chocolate.

The next day we had tea! It was delightful and a wonderful opportunity to people watch. 

That evening we decided to venture into The Ritz for drinks and were delighted with some desserts. The colors of the drinks were so beautiful, and the garnish of small flowers was the perfect pop of color. 

This tiny cup of coffee is the best I've ever had. When I ordered at Borough Market I was expecting a normal sized coffee and was saddened when I received the smaller younger brother of coffee. When it tried it all my sadness left and was replaced by delicious true to the bean coffee flavor. I would order that again any day.

Some fish and chips were had, with breakfast tea, on a rooftop terrace.

 

I drank many cups of coffee this trip.

I also had a delicious piece of cake and a white chocolate to die for at Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium. Look at that cute cat paw! 

Finished my last day with some tacos....

and one more cup of coffee before returning to Florida. 

There were many beers had and fun times. Next post will be about the places in London, but the food has been on my mind a lot today! Wishing for my next cup of coffee!

April 10 in 30 Finale

I loved April!!! So many good memories and stories were had this past month. Let's see how I did as far as my month goals...also, how perfect was the Rifel Paper Co. calendar for April! 

1. Finalize all my plans for ENGLAND!! ✔️ I loved London!! I'll explain more in my next post. 2. Find a way to pack all of my things in one carry on and still have room to purchase items. ✔️ I did it. I wore my heaviest jacket and my boots through the Orlando airport like a crazy person, but it worked! 3. Buy new tires for my car. I bought a "new to me" car and it needs new tires. The car in general is good, but it needs some mechanical type updates. ✔️ I technically bought tires in May, but I still bought them so I'm calling this a win. 4. Make sure all of my work items are preped for when I leave. I have a few projects I'm working on and they all need to be done by the time I leave. ✔️ I am very impressed with myself so far. All of my projects were finished and all bills paid before I left.

From my instagram

5. Maybe get my hair cut in ENGLAND! I got my hair cut, but not in England. Looking back, although the price would have been high I wish I had gotten it cut over there. Next time I'll just jump in and cut it. 6. Call all the necessary places and let them know I will be out of the country and to not stop me from buying shoes, or calling people. ✔️ Yes! I waited on everything until the last minute but I did call my bank, my phone, and registered my passport in time. 7. Journal more in my Bible. I was doing so well there for a little bit and then stress got in the way *shakes fist* #epicfail

8. Buy flowers at a outdoor market in England or Paris!! I never actually bought a bouquet of flowers, but I did get to see the blossoms in Paris and England. So pretty! 9. Buy rain boots, I wan just a normal pair of rain boots that can go with everything! I didn't buy any, and it didn't rain a single day! WIN! 10. Have an amazing month! ✔️✔️✔️ All the check marks!  How was your April? If you do a 10 in 30 link me and I'll follow along :) 

Fernweh and Wanderlust

I just got back from this amazing trip in England and I want to talk all about it but something in me keeps stopping me. I had no idea what this thing was until today. Today I looked up the difference between wanderlust and fernweh. Wanderlust is more of a longing to travel. Fernweh is more of a homesickness that happens when you don't travel or a homesickness for places that you have been to. It's a little more nomadic than wanderlust, and it feels more real to me. Longing and missing a place that you've never been to is very real to me.

There are just some words that we don't have in English to describe feelings that I really wish we had and fernweh is one of those. To the best of my knowledge, it has a German origin. As soon as I got back I just felt so down. Coming from such a high back to reality was more brutal of a hit than I was expecting. I absolutely love travel, and it's something that a cherish so deeply that when it's over I start to feel homesick for the places I have been to.

I will absolutely share my time and tips but I think it's important to realize that if this is something that happens to you as well, I got your back and know what you're feeling. There's just so much of the world to see! And I really want to explore it! Here's to many more adventures and places!

Walking Around New York City

I try to edit my picture numbers down a lot when I post but there's really no way to do that with beautiful cities. New York has so many beautiful sites and places and food, coming later, there's no way to not take a bunch of pictures every time I visit. Oh NYC I miss you already. 

I took the long walk over the Brooklyn Bridge. It was so beautiful. I almost had one incident with a biker who was going way to fast + I wanted to take a picture so neither of us were paying attention, thankfully the people I was with were and they saved both of us. Also the picture above is blurry because after walking all that way I didn't want to stop to take a pretty picture of my last steps across I just wanted to make it to the bench I saw.

I ate at the prettiest rooftop for brunch, it feels so old to say but it was delicious and I had my first mimosa and brunch and now it makes sense why people love that combination. Also there's a sneaky beautiful building in the background, can you guess what it is? 

I also went to my first Broadway play and I'll be talking about that tomorrow because it deserves its own post! What are your favorite NY places in the city or not that I can add to my list the next time :)

Driving to New York

I feel like I have basically taken every form of travel in the last few weeks, all I need is a horse and I'm getting close. Driving from Florida to Philly then to NYC takes a loooong time. It took us about 20hrs going there and 24hrs coming back because we stopped and looked around in a few states. Then as soon as I came back, I moved apartments so the last few days have been a blur! There's definitely more to come about New York though because it's so beautiful it deserves pictures, but here's a one photo preview of my favorite part of my trip, you should look it up! (and it has my favorite actor in it, you should also look him up! Then come back and tell me what you think)

Road trippin' music

Sitting in a car for hours on end without music makes any trip that much longer. Thank God for the internet; I love me some vinyls but my the magic of my phone the radio makes me so happy. We all know the feeling of a great song putting you immediately in your own movie/music video, at least I hope I'm not alone, and these songs put me in a road trip mood.

Radioactive via Lindsey Stirling and Pentatonix

Don't you (forget about me) via Simple Minds

I believe (when I fall in love it will be forever) via Josh Groban
It's time- Imagine Dragons- via Peter Hollens and Tyler Ward
I'll make a man out of you via Mulan (who doesn't like belting out this song at the top of your lungs)
Old time rock and roll via Bob Seger
Little bit of everything via Keith Urban

What are your must have road trip songs? Seriously, I'll be driving to NYC in two days and I'm on the hunt for good songs!

Eating my way through Vancouver (and Victoria)

Boy did I eat in Canada; there were just so many delicious food options and I walked a lot so it's got to even out right? I finally got my burger I was wanting but didn't get the opportunity to eat in Seattle. I also found the pineapple. It's from Psych, a great show on tv right now, if you haven't watched it you should! So good. I ate delicious gelato while sitting in real grass and saw so many troubadour types I loved it. There were so many times while standing in line I wanted to jump in and start singing but figured some crazy girl jumping in while you were in your own zone singing and playing probably wasn't a good idea. 

I also accidentally made a pizza and bagel face with my food, that's true talent right there.