So, the only thing I’m sure of so far is that I won’t be arriving with an itinerary planned out to the minute. I’m abandoning my usual vacation schedule, a carefully researched perfect balance of informational/historic sightseeing and scheduled fun. That’s right, I’m going to see what happens. And it’s kind of killing me. But I’m taking deep breaths and trying to focus on being spontaneous (instead of imagining all the things that could go wrong because I didn’t plan ahead). That’s where you guys come in.

I’ve been to Vegas before, about a million years ago as a just-graduated-from-college-with-no-money adult, but my traveling companion is a Vegas virgin. So, I thought I’d outsource my planning to all you Vegas experts out there. Here are the details: we’re not huge foodies, so I don’t think we’ll investigate anyone’s recommendation to eat something weird like octopus or scorpions-on-a-stick (I don’t even know if they have that kind of stuff out there; I just tried to think of the weirdest food I’ve heard of people actually consuming).

We’re also not huge gamblers (you might be asking yourself, so why are you going to Las Vegas?! And I’d say to you, cheap flights and unrivaled people-watching). Don’t get me wrong, I plan on making my grandma proud and playing some slots, but we won’t be spending all our time trying our luck at the tables. I picture a lot of laying-by-the-pool action happening. Most of the reason I’m not planning anything is because this is supposed to be a relax-cation (I totally just coined that term. I think). The main focus is supposed to be on fun-having, not sightseeing.

My last few trips have been get-up-at-8-am-and-get-going, full-on-scheduled sightseeing extravaganzas. And you know what, guys? While I love those kinds of adventures, I’m tired. Nothing sounds better to me right now than staying out late, sleeping in and relaxing all day. Whether “relaxing” means laying by the pool one day, and hiking up and down the Strip the next, I’m open to that. It’s time to mix things up a bit and try a new approach to how I travel.

I’d love any tips you have, from where to eat to the best shows to see. Can you still find cool free stuff to do, or does it cost you just to stand on the sidewalk? What are some insider tips and off-the-beaten-path advice you can offer me? Best buffet? Most overrated restaurant? And is there anything in the vast desert beyond the Strip?

Any and all advice, tips and tricks are welcome and appreciated. Let’s share in the comments!

Also, feel free to tweet your tips to me @StephSpitler

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But there’s a sad lull once the tickets have been booked and the hotel reservations have been made. When I’ve planned out my days and activities and the sights I’ll see, an uneasy calm descends over me. After I’ve made a packing list and highlighted my guidebook and downloaded some apps, I feel a bit lost and adrift. In that quiet time when everything that can be done ahead of time HAS been done, I get antsy. I’ve prepped and washed and packed and planned, and now all that’s left to do is sit and wait.

Sure, I could continue with my research, but I’ve found that that just adds confusion. Not long after confusion, doubt comes creeping in, and I start worrying. Am I really maximizing my time? Have I over-scheduled? Have I found the best things to see/do/eat?

I know from experience that once I start second-guessing, it can all go downhill quickly. I need to research, make my choices, and then step away from the information. I need to close the browser window, log out, and have faith that I’ve done my best. The only problem with that? I’m left with nothing to do but wait. And waiting is THE WORST.

I hate surprises (This only applies to surprises that I know are coming. I would LOVE a surprise party, because I’d have no idea about it. Christmas morning, however, is a different story. Waiting is torture, because I know I have something to look forward to.). I have a love/hate relationship with anticipation. I get so singularly focused on something that it feels like I have to wait years for it to finally get here. Try as hard as I can, I cannot “take my mind off it” or “just think about something else.” Those always struck me as ridiculous pieces of advice. I was never the kid that forgot about an assignment, or forgot a pencil, or forgot if you said you’d lend me that pink nail polish but then you never brought it in. Forgetting is for things you don’t care enough about to remember. And travel is pretty much the thing I care about most, so no; I can’t just “put it out of my head.”

I have, however, found some ways to cope with the excruciating torment of waiting. I continually check my packing list to make sure I have everything. I run through my to-do list in my head. I do things that I know I won’t want to do right after I get back, things like stocking up on non-perishable groceries so I don’t come home to only water and one lonely can of soup. I get my laundry under control so I don’t come home to crazy piles of dirty clothes and nothing clean to wear. I clean my place, because I seriously won’t want to do THAT anytime soon after I get home. Once I’ve prepared for my departure, the only thing left to do is prepare for my return, so it’s as easy as possible. And if all else fails, I start planning all the trips I’ll want to take as soon as I get back.

How do you pass the time before a vacation?

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That’s not to say that I don’t still like to blow off steam sometimes. Vacations, getaways, trips… they are the perfect opportunity to let loose. It’s your one get-out-of-jail-free, forget-about-your-responsibilities, let-it-all-hang-out time of the year. Even celebrities aren’t immune to that viewpoint (Hello, Reese W. (I know she was filming and not exactly “on vacation,” but the vacation mindset can strike when you least expect it.)). The trick is having fun while staying responsible and safe, and not doing something stupid with potentially irreversible consequences.

Vacation time can mean lots of different things to different people: it can mean relaxing on a beach with a good book, scaling a mountain, hiking into the backcountry and fishing for your dinner, setting up camp and eating by moonlight, exploring a new city (concrete jungle safari!), or embarking on an epic shopping spree complete with 5-star dinner. “Vacation” can mean luxury hotels or tents or hostels. There as many different ways to define a vacation as there are people who take them.

So, what kind of vacationer are you? Do you take the opportunity to do something you’d never do in your regular life? Does “letting loose” mean collecting as many beads as you can on Bourbon Street, or would you rather get your kicks from trying something that scares you? (Sure, I’ll try climbing up the side of that mountain! Why yes, I’d love to try whatever that food is!)

I think I fall somewhere in the middle. Depending on the trip, I’m just as likely to be found on a pub crawl as I am in a museum gift shop. And that’s good. I haven’t entirely left behind my crazy club days, but I also don’t feel the need to stay out dancing ‘til dawn if I’d rather be relaxing at a cozy restaurant. It’s funny, the things that sound fun to you at 21 can easily become the last things you want to do when you’re 30. So, on your next adventure, I’d suggest embracing your impulses, whatever they may be. If you want to try windsurfing one day and then spend the next day with your nose in your Kindle, do it. Exploring doesn’t just mean the landscape around you; it also means exploring the different sides of yourself.

How do you let loose on your vacations? Have you ever done something totally out of character?

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The post How Do You Let Loose On Vacation? appeared first on HelloGiggles.

Why (and when) did you start your blog?

I started Young Adventuress back in 2010 on a spring break trip to Peru. Between trekking in the Andes and sandboarding in the desert, I figured it was high time to jump on the blog bandwagon. I mean, who doesn’t like to talk about themselves? I also might have been procrastinating on college finals.

Blogging here and there, a year later I finally got really into writing articles and sharing my travel stories while I was attempting to teach English in southern Spain. During a long distance relationship and unfortunate breakup, my blog became my solace, something I had worked so hard on and could be proud of; I threw all my energy into writing, tweeting, and traveling. Two years later, and I haven’t looked back.

Where have you traveled? And what country is at the top of your must-see-next list?

Since I’ve called Spain home for three years, I have traveled around most of Europe – it’s so easy and affordable to hop from country to country over there, not to mention Spain has an absurd amount of public holidays leaving me plenty of time to travel.

The one country that has been calling to me for years is New Zealand. Europe is so much closer and cheaper to get to which means I have put off making the journey down under. But since Spain (pretty much) deported me, I think it’s about time to see what these far-flung islands are all about. Over the years, I’ve built up such high expectations for New Zealand in my head, that I’ve convinced myself I need months and months to be able to see everything I want to and to do it justice. Without giving too much away, let’s just say this dream is looking more and more like reality with each passing day.

What is your favorite post you’ve written?

That’s a tough question! Can a mother choose her favorite child? In all seriousness, two posts spring to mind. A while back I opened up and shared a very personal story about how blogging saved me and why I chose to travel (and put myself first) over a relationship – one of the hardest choices I’ve ever had to make. The second one I published just last week about finally quitting my full time job to travel the world. These posts are very personal, where I shared my fears, regrets, and hopes. Hopefully, blogging is about community, and I did it in the hopes that maybe someone can relate to how I was feeling and maybe I could inspire others to follow their dreams. I’m all about inspiration on my blog.

What has been your biggest surprise while traveling?

I think every place I’ve been to has surprised me and shattered pretty much whatever image I had in my head beforehand. The Middle East has definitely surprised me a lot. Recently I’ve spent some time in Egypt and Turkey, and I’m heading to Jordan as we speak. I was surprised how these countries were nothing like what we are brought up to believe in the US. The friendliness of strangers in foreign countries continues to amaze me – I think it’s something we can all learn a lesson from.

What has been your favorite experience? And what would you never do again?

From fighting in a wine battle in Spain to riding in a hot air balloon at dawn over the Valley of the Kings in Egypt to sailing around Croatia, it’s really hard to pick a favorite. Teaching English in Spain for two years has to be the best if I had to chose because it opened so many doors for me, plus it taught me patience and confidence.

You couldn’t pay me to go back to Cairo.

I loved your Sunset photo project. Sometimes it’s difficult to appreciate where you are, when you wish you were somewhere else. How have you dealt with being back in the States and taking a break from travel?

While moving home hasn’t been my ideal choice right now, I’ve dealt with it as best I could and am trying to focus on the positive, like being able to drive places and having a dryer for my clothes. It had been well over a year the last time I saw my family, so it has been great getting to spend time with them, and focus on saving money instead of throwing it out the window. Bonus.

Coming home also has been positive in the fact that it has firmly reminded me that I want a life of travel and pretty much the last place I want to be is Washington D.C. I’ve used the past months to build up my travel site, work on improving my writing, and drinking as many chai lattes at Starbucks as humanly possible.

Even though I get insanely jealous seeing fellow travelers’ Instagrams of cool places around the world and delicious looking foreign food, I’ve learned to accept that this is my situation and know that I am working towards my goal of traveling long-term. And when I get super homesick for the rest of the world, I pop in Under the Tuscan Sun and open a bottle of Spanish red.

The post Travel Blogger Spotlight: Meet Young Adventuress Liz appeared first on HelloGiggles.

So, because I hate having to do things I don’t want to do (insert image here of me stomping my foot and crossing my arms in front of my chest), I find that I’ve gotten even less tolerant of doing things that I don’t want to do when I’m on vacation. It’s not even that I don’t want to do them, it’s more that I’m not interested in wasting precious travel time doing things that I’m not 100% excited about. Someone else may want to plan their trip around “touring homes of obscure 16^th century poets,” and I would tell them to have a great time. But for me, that particular theme would not be high on my must-see list.

Among my friends, I’ve gotten a bit of a reputation as being someone who, most likely, has skipped at least one major tourist site everywhere I’ve been. The Atomium in Brussels? Nope, didn’t see it. The Rembrandt House Museum in Amsterdam? Skipped that one, too (but I did see the Van Gogh Museum, so I get points for that, right?). The palace at Versailles in, well, Versailles? Missed that, too, but that was due to lack of funds rather than lack of interest.

Heck, I LIVED in London and only managed to accidentally walk past Buckingham Palace once. Never saw the Changing of the Guard…or did the tour. It just wasn’t something that interested me enough to make time for it. However, if you want to have an in-depth discussion on the best dance clubs or the lack of Mexican restaurants in London circa the year 2000, then I’m your girl.

There are a million more examples, and I honestly don’t regret any of them. First of all, unless you have an open-ended vacation, there’s just never enough time to see everything, anyway. You have to prioritize. Second, a vacation should be about doing (and seeing) exactly what you want. It’s your time away, your chance to unwind and relax and do something different from what you do the other 360-some days of the year. So decide what you want to see and see it. Skip the Louvre, or spend every single day of your vacation there; just make the decision for yourself. If I had spent the day in the Rembrandt House Museum, for example, I wouldn’t have had time to explore the charming town of Alkmaar, and visit the Dutch Cheese Museum (mmmm, cheese). So, maybe next time, Rembrandt.

Remember, (in travel, as in life) be true to yourself. Spend your travel time exactly how you want to, with no apologies, no excuses and no regrets.

What’s a major tourist attraction you skipped?

Let’s tweet! Follow me @StephSpitler

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The post Why You Should Practice Regret-Free Travel appeared first on HelloGiggles.

Never fear; with some planning and a positive attitude, you’ll be able to take a little nasty weather in stride.

Raincoats, umbrellas and rain ponchos, oh my!

There’s a saying that often comes to mind when I’m packing for my travels: “There’s no bad weather, just wrong clothing.” When we’re at home and the weather’s bad, we don’t barricade ourselves inside. There’s still work and school to get to, grocery shopping to do, friends to meet up with. So we grab an umbrella and go on our way. While rain can be annoying for sightseeing and picture taking, it’s a fact of life. Look on the bright side, those tourist attractions will probably be less crowded because people not as prepared (or as adaptable) as you, will stay inside. With the proper clothing, a little rain or cold or snow shouldn’t stop you from doing anything. So invest in a good rain jacket and a waterproof bag, and head out anywhere.

Take cover

If the weather is more “torrential downpour” than “light showers,” even a great raincoat/umbrella option may not save you. In those cases, it helps to be flexible with your itinerary. Maybe you switch up your plans and make it a museum day, or explore a local indoor shopping mall or market. You could even café hop, and make your own tour (best coffee in the city, for example) or give yourself permission to take a spa day. You could even use the day to stay in bed and rest your feet. Sometimes it can be fun to watch some local news programs or, if you’re abroad, to watch shows in the native language. Traveling is all about soaking up the culture, and TV is a part of that.

Consider a bus tour

They might not be for everyone, but bus tours (whether the hop on/hop off kind or the day-trip variety) can be a good way to see some sights when the weather isn’t cooperating. It’s sightseeing from the safety (and relative dryness) of a covered vehicle.

My best advice is to be prepared and be flexible. I’m a big believer in making the best of a situation. On my last trip to New York City, it rained almost every day. We’re talking monsoon-level weather. But I bought an umbrella and went on my way, secure in the knowledge that there were a bunch of clean towels in my hotel room (for the inevitable drying-off when I returned). I had to forgo walking through the city as much as I would’ve liked, but I still went where I wanted, and saw what I wanted. I had a great time, and came back with some great (weather-related) stories. So learn to love your raincoat. Because what’s the alternative, staying inside and missing everything? No thanks.

How do you cope with bad weather when you’re traveling?

Let’s keep the conversation going. Follow me @StephSpitler

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Maybe it’s all the bright colors popping up in stores and catalogs, or the pastel promise of Easter eggs and baskets, but I’m ready to put away the scarves and boots for good and bring out the shorts and sandals. Heck, I’d settle for bringing out a spring jacket to replace the down comforter I call a winter coat.

So, as I wait patiently for springtime weather to catch up with the calendar, here’s what I’ve been dreaming about through this long, gray season:

Bike riding: We’ve had a few sunny days, but the extreme cold means that most bike paths are still frozen (or muddy) messes. But I can’t wait to hop on and pedal away into the (summer) sunset.

Picnics: It doesn’t have to be summer to enjoy an outside dining experience. Warm, or even slightly cool, weather is fine (and sometimes better; there are fewer bugs and fewer crowds). I love grabbing a couple of sandwiches (and something sweet for dessert) and eating al fresco. Even if it’s just in your backyard, it can feel like a getaway.

The beach: I actually prefer the beach in the shoulder seasons (spring and fall). Just like in the picnicking paragraph above, the beach can be less crowded at these non-peak times. But it’s just as beautiful, and I don’t have to wear a bathing suit. So I can’t wait until I can hit the sand (even if it’s just strolling along the shore in jeans and bare feet).

Eating ice cream outside: Now, don’t get me wrong. There is no bad time (or place) to eat ice cream. It’s pretty much a guaranteed mood-lifter. But enjoying the cold treat outside, in the warmth of the sun, is perfection.

Lighter clothes: Spring is the perfect weather season (with fall a close second). Winter is over, and it’s time to shed those sweaters and put on lighter layers. I can wear my ballet flats, instead of lugging them to work in a bag while I commute in clunky boots. And I can slip into short sleeves, or a swingy skirt. It’s all about feeling lighter.

Sandals: Airy, light, in millions of colors and styles, from formal to casual. Is there a more perfect summer shoe than sandals? I am eyeing moccasins this year, but the jury is still out on them. What isn’t up for debate is the fact that my sandal collection will grow as I look for new ways to showcase my newest pink pedi. Bring it, spring!

Travel: Of course, the thing I’m most excited about is better travel weather. While wintertime can offer great deals, the weather is always a concern. Personally, I find it hard to enjoy being outside for long in sub-zero temperatures. So I’m super-psyched that more travel-friendly weather is on the horizon.

What are you most excited for this spring?

Let’s talk about spring, travel, and everything in between; follow me @StephSpitler

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