Bahamas, cruise, Florida, Hawaiian Shirts, tour guides

The Grand Celebration Cruise Line

Everyone likes to win prizes.  The best thing I have ever won was a pots and pans set from a tiny diner in North Dakota called Mr. and Mrs. J’s.  The only problem was that I was 14 so I didn’t really realize the value of a good pots and pans set. It was a wasted win.

My boyfriend on the other hand got that phone call we all wait for…HE WON A FREE CRUISE TO THE BAHAMAS! After the initial excitement, he waited for all the fees and fine print.  It turned out to be a timeshare.   Luckily, we live in the sunny state of California where we are exempt from doing timeshares and could still take the vacation! (What…who knew that was a thing?) We decided to take the offer though we were obviously worried it was too good to be true. Luckily, that wasn’t the case and we were about embark on the Grand Celebration Cruise Line. 

The cruise, as offered, would set sail from the Port of Palm Beach in Florida.  We would get a two-night stay at the “luxurious” Radisson Inn, a rental car, the cruise and then a one night stay in the Bahamas. We were responsible for the flight and all taxes and fees.

Here is the breakdown of the fees: 

  • 2 nights in Florida at the Radisson Inn taxes and fees-$40 ($15 per day resort fee + taxes)
  • Car rental taxes and fees-$75
  • Pier parking-$17 per day
  • Service charge on boat-$12 per day per person
  • Fuel Charge on boat-$9 per day per person
  • Bus transportation on the island-$18 per person round trip
  • Grand Lucayan resort fee-9$ per person per night
  • Grand Lucayan energy surcharge-$10 per day per room

We decided to take the offer, stay in the Bahamas for 4 nights, and brought my sister and her boyfriend along for the adventure!

 

cruise, ship, Bahamas, Florida, Grand Celebration Cruise Line

Once you arrive at the Radisson, you must pick up your vouchers. MAKE SURE each person’s name is on the vouchers.  This could be a huge problem when you get to the Bahamas.  You will have to spend the whole morning of your first day in a long line where numerous people try and figure out what went wrong while you stare at the tropical beach through a window with utter despair.  The Radisson also offers a free buffet.  It just happens to be the worst buffet I have ever had.  Everything had been sitting out for hours.  You can’t trust a place that has bad macaroni and cheese…so maybe skip that.

The ship boards at the Port of Palm Beach and a passport is required for all guests who are staying on the island. If you do not get off the ship you can use a birth certificate rather than a passport.  Don’t fall for the “room with a view” upgrade.  It’s the same exact room as those without a view, except for a teeny tiny circular window that has such thick, foggy glass you can’t see out of it anyway.  You CANNOT bring alcohol on the ship so be prepared to spend some money on board if you are a drinker.  I would also like to note that the legal drinking age on international waters is 18.

 

Grand Celebration Cruise Line, Florida, Bahamas, vacation, rooms
Grand Celebration Cruise Line, rooms, vacation, cruise, Bahamas, Florida

Once we were all settled in on the Grand Bahama Celebration, we realized we were on the Holiday Inn of ships.  It used to be a Carnival ship, 15 years retired.  Everyone shuffles into an auditorium for a safety meeting where you find out that there are enough boats if there is an emergency and there won’t be a repeat of the Titanic. There is an MC at the safety meeting who just happens to be the MC all over the boat.  Somehow, he appears everywhere consistently trying to sell you watches or jewelry that you can get for a “real special price” once you get to the island.  It seems the Bahamas have a lot of rare gems that no one has ever laid eyes on.

The moment we stepped on the ship there was food.  There is a breakfast buffet, after breakfast buffet, lunch buffet, mid-day BBQ, snacks, dinner buffet, after dinner buffet, late night snacks…you get the picture.  Luckily the food was much better than the Radisson buffet, so we were mildly uncomfortable from overeating the entire trip. If you pay twenty-five extra dollars per person you can eat in the fancy sit down restaurant.  It was worth it not because of the food, but because you get to share your table with strangers  which always makes for an interesting conversation.  We just so happened to be seated next to an ex-FBI Republican from Texas and his lovely trophy wife who hadn't left the house in over a year.  I couldn’t have written these two characters better myself!

The nights on the boat were full of activities ranging from corn hole to Karaoke.  My sister got second place in the competitive corn hole competition, proudly walking away with two drink vouchers.  We played ping pong for hours listening to Karaoke that pierced through most of the ship.  The boat was relatively empty.  Some people were gambling, a few were dancing at the club, but most were at the Legends show where there was a Dean Martin impersonator that stared at himself in the mirror while he sang…the entire time! It seemed many of the passengers were middle-aged Midwesterners who had sat through the time share and were ready to let loose.   It was prime people watching material.

Overall I would recommend this cruise if you don’t have huge expectations.  The Grand Celebration sails every other day of the week which allows for a 1 night, 4 night, or 6 night stay in the Bahamas. All things considered, it’s relatively cheap and a great way to visit the Bahamas.  I even noticed on their website Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line you can enter to win a free cruise right at the top!  

Like any vacation, it’s all about who you go with.

 

 

packing, world domination

Packing For World Domination

I feel like I work best under pressure.  I left for my two-month trip on October 29th 2015, so obviously I started packing the night of October 28th, 2015! To circumvent any major freak outs and panic attacks I would avoid waiting until the night before to pack for a two-month trip in four countries and extreme weather climates at any cost.   The combination of nerves and the fact that I could fit literally one-fourth of everything I planned to bring with me caused a few CAN’T SEE THROUGH THE TEARS-SNOT RUNNING INTO MY MOUTH minor breakdowns.  Thank god for my little sister who helped me with the daunting task of narrowing down 4 tank-tops to 3.  I am not kidding when I say that every little bit of weight and space matters. DO NOT BRING ANYTHING YOU WILL NOT USE.

Every person’s packing list is going to be a bit different.  A lot of it will depend on what time of year you are going and what types of terrain you will be traversing.  My boyfriend and I planned a trip that started in the Bahamas and then skyrocketed over 15,000 ft into the Peruvian Andes.  That was followed by 10 days in the mosquito ridden rain forest only to be followed by more beach time.  We then sprinkled in some city life and topped the whole trip off with a 5-day trek at the bottom of the world in Patagonia.  Needless to say we had to plan for every type of weather.  We planned for heat, snow, rain, wind, mosquitoes and every single thing I was bringing had to fit in my “perfect” itty-bitty little 45L Redwing bag.

When choosing what clothes to pack, I want to make you aware that wear and tear is a great factor.  You will literally be wearing the same 5 shirts over the course of your journey and they will constantly need to be washed…how much depends on how comfortable you are with being the stinky kid.   You want to make sure the items you are bringing are of good quality and will dry quickly.  Jeans, for example, take a very long time to dry.  Layering is also very important.  The weather can change very rapidly and you want to make sure you are prepared for everything.   Another thing to be cognizant about is choosing clothing that can be used for a dual purpose.  For example, I bought a lot of clothing that not only I could hike in and get dirty but would also look cute if I threw on my flats and added some cheap jewelry.  A website that I loved was Kate Hudson’s FABLETICS.  She offers a ton of cute workout clothes at a relatively low cost that doubled well as “going out” clothing when we got to the bigger cities.

I am going to be completely honest, I wanted to be practical but I also wanted to look fucking amazing in my photographs!

I would dare to say that the most important item that I brought with me was my hiking shoes.  If you like to explore and walk, you will be spending A LOT of time in these shoes. Make sure they fit and make sure they are extremely comfortable.  In case you didn’t know, your hiking shoes should be about a half size to a size too big so that your toes don’t get smashed.  Make sure you break them in before you go and also make sure they are waterproof.  Goretex is the way to go!  Inevitably you will probably lose a toe-nail or get some blisters at some point, so make sure you pack a little emergency kit.

Since my hiking shoes took up half the space in my bag, I didn’t have much room for anything else. That being said, here is a tentative packing list.  Obviously traveling is very personal so use this as a guide to maybe get a few ideas of things you should bring or leave behind.  I also want to remind you that I am packing for all types of terrain and weather.  I was very pleased in that everything I brought, I used regularly.

What you will learn after traveling around the world only living off the items that you can carry on your back, is that material things don’t define you... your experiences define you.

Clothing:

1 fleece sweater                                                                            1 T-shirt

1 quick dry long sleeve zip up                                                   1 white thin cotton long-sleeved

3 quick dry racer back tank tops                                              1 denim long-sleeved button up

2 pairs of black leggings                                                             1 pair of black quick-dry work out pants

1 pair of jeans                                                                               1 quick-dry jumper

1 pair of jean shorts                                                                     5 pairs of regular socks

2 sports bras

2 pairs of hiking pants (that were cute enough to dress up)

10 pairs of quick-dry underwear (don’t skimp on these!)

Beach Wear:

1 sun dress                                                                                      2 swimsuits

2 swimsuit cover-ups

Cold Weather:

1 pair of thermal socks                                                                1 beanie

1 pair of mittens                                                                           1 Rain/Wind proof jacket

Shoes (I wore them all!):

Hiking Shoes (remember to get something at least water resistant)

Small black flats (comfortable and perfect for any occasion)

Sandals (make sure they are easily slipped on and off)

Water Shoes (these were perfect for the rainforest and for swimming in rivers and lakes)

Toiletries:

Glasses                                                                                                Contacts

Contact Solution                                                                               Mascara

Blush                                                                                                   Lip Gloss

Moisturizer                                                                                        Face Wash

Sunscreen (bring lots of this-so expensive in other countries!)

Sea to Summit Trek and Travel Shampoo Biodegradable Shampoo and Conditioner (think about minimizing your carbon footprint)

Sea to Summit body wash                                                              Chap stick

Toothbrush                                                                                        Toothpaste

Wilderness Wipes                                                                             Make-up Removers

Deodorant                                                                                          Razors

Hair Ties                                                                                             Ear Plugs

Floss

Electronics:

Tablet                                                                                                   Head phones

Phone Charger                                                                                   Power Outlet Adapters

Flash Light                                                                                          Head lamp

Extra batteries                                                                                    Kindle

Medicines:

Tylenol                                                                                                 Stool softener

Pepto bismol                                                                                      First Aid Kit

More-skin for blisters                                                                       Tums

Aloe Vera                                                                                             Tampons

Mosquito spray and creams!! (Permethrin for pretreating clothing, 75% deet spray, Ultrathon Insect Repellents which was a cream that we LOVED)

Dramamine (sea-sickness)

Anti-Diarrhea                                                                                    Antihistamine

Acetazolamide (Altitude Sickness)                                               Ciprofloxacin (Diarrhea)

Atovoquone-Proguanil (Malaria)

Other Stuff:

Sleeping bag liner                                                                              Quick dry towel

Deck of playing cards                                                                        Small sewing kit

Duct Tape                                                                                            Binoculars

Journal with Pens                                                                              Crazy Glue

An Itinerary folder that also contained extra copies of my passport and travel insurance.

Bonus Tip:  I packed using travel cubes.  This was a great way for me to keep things separate and pack up very quickly!

 

“To Move, To Breathe, To Fly, To Float,

To Gain All While You Give,

To Roam the Roads of Lands Remote,

To Travel is to Live”

Hans Christian Anderson

packing, world domination, Redwing Bag

Bag, Travel Bag, Travel Packs, Bags

I like BIG BAGS and I cannot lie…

BUT…they are not practical for traveling around the world.  The more you travel, the smaller and smaller your bag will become.  You too will turn into that savvy backpacker who travels the world with ease while other travelers look on with small bag envy.

The first piece to making my traveling dreams a reality was hunting for the perfect backpack! I began my hunt like most modern-day travelers…on the internet.  I read review after review on websites like:

http://thesavvybackpacker.com/travel-backpack/

http://snarkynomad.com/5-of-the-best-travel-backpacks-for-global-adventures/

I also went to many stores such as Sports Authority and REI to actually try on bags and walk around a bit.    Ultimately I decided to go with the 45L Redwing.  One of the main reasons that I picked this bag was because it is made for short women.  I am a whopping 5'3" and wanted a bag that would fit comfortably so as to eliminate as many aches and pains as possible while traveling.

Once your search for your perfect bag commences, you will discover that there are big differences between travel backpacks and hiking backpacks.  In my case, I needed a bag that would serve dual purposes because I was traveling with lots of 5-6 day hikes thrown in.  I needed a bag that made my items easily accessible, but was also narrow enough to make sure the weight of the bag remained centered on my back.  Also, many travel bags skimp on hip straps or a good suspension system.  If you're planning on doing a lot of hiking, make sure you get a bag that still has some of these features.

Here are a few things you may want to consider when choosing that perfect bag:

  • Size:  SIZE DOES MATTER!   You will be taking planes, trains, and automobiles and will thank yourself when your bag is small enough to always fit in the travel compartments.  I particularly loved that I could always carry my bag on the plane as a carry-on and believe me, people were envious.  Be aware that Peruvian Airlines only allowed for an 8 kilo carry-on and my bag weighed about 10 kilos (around 22 lbs).  I was able to check it for free but it's just always easier to be able to have your bag with you at all times.   Weight requirements for carry-ons varies on each airline, so keep that in mind when choosing your flights.
  • Panel-Loading:  The last thing you want to do while you're in a bind is have to literally dig through all your belongings to get to that one very important item at the bottom of your bag.  I feel like it's best to avoid those top-loading cavernous bags at all cost.  You will be very thankful everything is just one zipper away. Just know top-loading bags work when you're hiking because you unload everything from the top down when you get to camp.  When you’re traveling and need to unpack certain things at different times, all your belongings need to be easily accessible.
  • Zippers:  You want heavy-duty zippers that can lock. Avoid excess drawstrings and straps at all cost.  Any extra straps can and will get caught especially during transit at the airport and could possibly get ripped off.  I understand that zippers can sometimes break, but most of the newer bags out there are made with very heavy-duty zippers.
  • Weight: You are going to be carrying this thing with you everywhere! Up mountains, down mountains, in the jungle, in the rain, in the scorching heat.  You need to be able to carry it at all times. We will go over a packing list later but LESS IS MORE!!!!!!!!!!! I picked the smaller bag to force myself to only pack what I needed.
  • Ventilation:  Your back is going to get sweaty! Look for bags that have a mesh back so you can get some air flow between your back and the bag.
  • Compartments:  If you plan on bringing lots of electronics, you will want to have a bag that has some different compartments.  It's also nice to be able to put things you want to have easy access to in little front or side pockets.
  • Detachable day bag:  My Redwing bag didn't have this feature but my boyfriend's Osprey did and it was very useful.  We loved being able to lock our bags at the hostel and then have his little day bag to take our essentials with us while we were exploring.  It was definitely a useful feature.

 

The moral of the story is the size and fit of your bag can really make your trip more enjoyable.  The right bag for you may not be the right bag for your friend.  I haven't found that there is one universal, amaze-balls, top of the line, one-size-fits-all bag that beats all the others.   Take the time to try on different bags and read lots of reviews.  At the end of a long day, you want an ice cold cerveza, not an aching back.

“Travel light, live light, spread the light, be the light” Yogi Bhajan

La Caminito Buenos Aires

Honor Your Inner Travel Bug

I am a travel bug.  My creativity feeds off of meeting new people and traveling around the world.  I never know where I am going to land, but I decided to start sharing some travel tips because I find it's really difficult to find good, current information out there.

Being a travel bug isn't easy.  For this particular journey of my life, I worked my ass off for an entire year to save up financially.  Now it's completely up to you how you decide to buzz around the world.  Some people sell everything and are free to do as they wish.  I, on the other hand, am very fortunate to have created a beautiful home base here in Los Angeles.  Because I didn’t want to be living on the streets when I returned, I had to work double to not only save for my trip but also to pay rent.  I was able to do it and you will be able to as well.

Please don’t let the fear of rent or paying bills scare you from taking that leap to see the world. UGH…FEAR!!! (INSERT DOOMSDAY MUSIC).  There are so many things we don’t do because we are scared. We are scared of failing, scared of the unknown, hell we are even scared of succeeding! If your dream is to travel, it is always possible and there are resources out there to help you supplement your income while you are gone and help relieve some of that fear.  You may consider renting your room or house short term to either friends or family.  You can also use rental websites such as craigslist, Airbnb, or Flipkey.  Another option is finding work while you’re traveling.  Many travelers I have spoken to procure work at hostels, wineries, or organic farms to make enough cash to keep traveling.   These are all things that are easily found with this amazing thing called the internet and I will go into them in more detail later on.

THIS IS THE POINT WHERE I GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO TELL THAT LITTLE FEAR VOICE TO “SHUT THE F&@& UP!!!”

After much deliberation and the slow suffocation of my own inner fear, my boyfriend and I decided that at the end of 2015 we would take two months off to travel to Disney World, take a cruise to the Bahamas, and then we would jet off to South America for no rhyme or reason other than we wanted to travel. Too good to be true right!? Taking a trip like this does require one to make some huge decisions in his or her life.  My decision, in order to allot the time that I thought was necessary to see everything I have wanted to see, was to quit my job.  It was actually an excuse to quit my job.

I was stuck in a rut.  I had just turned thirty and had been working the same job as a waitress for the last seven years.  This particular job slinging tacos was supposed to only be a part time thing as I was pursuing my dream of becoming an actress.  Seven years later I found myself unhappy and stuck.  I was fighting with two dreams...to see the world and to become a working actress.  Both take time and money and for some reason, I had this idea in my head that I had to choose between the two.  I thought that if I traveled the world, I would be missing out on opportunities in LA.  The moment I turned thirty, I realized that my thinking was all backward.  I realized that in order to be the best actress I could be, I needed to feel fulfilled.  In order to be fulfilled, I needed to continue to travel the world.

I personally feel all too often we get stuck in this cycle of working, responsibilities, and making money.  We all have dreams and desires that get put on the back-burner.  We consistently tell ourselves "I will do that later" or " I don't have enough money for that right now."  When we don't pursue our dreams or the fear of failure becomes too great, we lose tiny pieces of ourselves.  Every time we don't listen to our hearts, we become more and more unattached from our spirit.  When I turned thirty I finally told fear to “SHUT THE F#@& UP” because I realized it was time to honor myself.  It was time to honor my inner travel bug.