Journal

How to use Google Maps to better plan your trips.

-.Travel Tips.- Those who know me well will tell you that there is nothing I enjoy more than planning a trip. I take my time… I read the Lonely Planet’s guides (yes, I am a fan of them) and surf around blogs and information until that moment when, with a list of all the places I want to see on one hand, I set the map on the table and start highlighting all those locations I don’t want to miss. After a while, you learn that a previous planning helps a lot when it comes to using your time wisely. And hey! I am a true believer of letting go, relax and let the city I’m visiting show me the way. Because, lets face it, by getting lost you may find amazing hidden places, non tourist gems and the city’s true essence. But at the same time, I must admit I don’t like to miss anything, so having the map and keeping it nearby, gives my soul a perfect balance. I am not going to deny that, even though I love technology, when it comes to travel planning I am a bit of an old fashioned. And I’m a paper Read More…

Orlando: Walt Disney World + Universal Studios

Florida, United States.- “All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust.” – JM Barrie. While Mr. Barrie could sound a little naive for today’s world, let me assure you that there is certainly one world that would truly meet his standards… and that is the World of Disney. And please, let’s all be clear at something first. If you are an adult, and you are reading this, and you think Disney World is just a place for kids… You are right! It is a place for kids. But as Walt would say; “adults are only kids grown up, anyways”. And the magic of Disney Parks relies on the ability to take you to a world of fantasy, fairy tales and dreams that do come true, that even the most reluctant adult is able to reject. From the moment you arrive to the parks, there is this atmosphere of excitement that will take over you. And the famous ¨Have a magical day!” greeting, that characterizes the Disney’s franchise, couldn’t be more accurate. Planning a visit to Walt Disney World in Orlando is not as easy as it may look like. Of course, there is one approach where Read More…

Turks and Caicos

Caribbean.- If you are looking for paradise, the kind of paradise with turquoise waters, white sand and peaceful beaches, then Turks and Caicos is your place to go. Perfect for a couple’s getaway or for a family trip, Turks and Caicos is a great option to relax and enjoy some well-deserved rest. I am not going to lie; this destination is not a budget one. The paradise has its price, but trust me when I say it’s soooo worthy! For the ones that may not know, or have never heard of, Turks and Caicos is an archipelago located southeast of the Bahamas, on the Atlantic Ocean, that actually belongs to the British Commonwealth. The largest, most populated island, and therefore the most touristic one is Providenciales. Certainly is the best option to travel to and stay in when planning a trip to Turks and Caicos. How to get to Turks and Caicos. To travel to Provo, as the locals call this beauty, you can fly out of Miami International Airport with American Airlines, as we did. The local airport carries the same name as the island, Providenciales. Once you arrive there, you can either rent a car or take the Read More…

Colonia del Sacramento

Uruguay.- If you have the travel bug within you, just like me, you will probably agree with this: the urge to see the world, often make us forget the amazing places we have in our backyard. By backyard, actually meaning close to home. And we may even have those places in our mental bucket list of places to go, but still we keep postponing them with no apparent excuse. Colonia del Sacramento was one of those backyard places to me. I had heard countless times how beautiful it was. And living in Buenos Aires, to escape from the city and cross the river to enjoy Colonia is so easy, I don’t understand why I didn’t do it before. Colonia, as we simply call her around here, is located in Uruguay, on the southwest coasts of this country and next to the Rio de la Plata. Situated just in front of Buenos Aires, both cities are only separated by 50 kms of river. Visiting Colonia del Sacramento is like traveling back in time. Is to go back to the 19th century, and to feel and remember every history class seen at school. The old town is full of memories. But lets Read More…

Seville

Spain.- Seville is one of those cities where you should put your map down and instead of following a specific path, you just have to walk it and enjoy it. Picturesque, romantic, with its mix of styles, this city from Andalusia will leave you breathless in more than one corner. To move around Seville is easy, everything is at walking distance and the city is super friendly. And I know I just said to not follow any guide or map, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t check in which direction to head out so you don’t miss any of the must see places of Seville, right? That’s why you will find here a guide, based on my 2 days in this beautiful city, to help you out… How to get there: Like I told you on my last post about Valencia, you can travel to Seville by plane, car or train. In our case, we decided to use the Renfe trains that go all over Spain and head to San Bernardo Station. A tip here: The Renfe trains in Seville have 2 different stations. There aren’t (or at least I did not find) any differences among them when purchasing your Read More…

Valencia

Spain.- Almost a year ago, one of my sisters and I were heading to Spain to travel across the south of the country. We only had 15 days off and way too many cities to visit, so we needed to make them count! The best tip I can give you for situations like this: make a list, and classify based on priorities. And yes, we left some options for a future trip. But when listing all the destinations we wanted to go to, I knew that Valencia was mandatory for me. Do not ask me why, because honestly I didn’t know much about Valencia at that time, but I was so looking forward to meeting her. And I fell in love… Madly. Those cute little streets, the beautiful parks and the old buildings. Also of the city’s most modern and state of the art side. But let’s go step by step here… How to get there: You can travel to Valencia either by plane, car or train. We decided to go by train, taking the AVE trains from Barcelona. The ride will take you a couple of hours, but the advantage is that the train will leave you at the Read More…

Cappadocia

Turkey.- What’s on your bucket list? A balloon ride was certainly on mine. But not any balloon ride… I wanted to fly over Cappadocia! After seeing so many photos and videos, how could I help it? It was a dream, eager to come true. Two years ago I was planning my 30’s birthday. The idea was to celebrate with a trip, so I asked my closest friends and travel partners for their thoughts. It was easy, one of them said Greece, and automatically everyone agreed. Truth to be told, since we know each other, we have been talking about going to Greece one summer and never really planning it. So, it was set. Decided. Agreed. We would go to Greece! But, wait… just Greece? Don’t get me wrong, Greece is so worthy, but I wanted to take as much days off as possible and travel as many places I could! As I usually do when planning my trips… we went to Google Maps. We opened it on Greece and then started going further and seeing which places we had around. I normally do this so I don’t miss any options out there. And there it was… Turkey. And Turkey meant Read More…

Istanbul

Turkey.- Obviously, you can’t plan a trip to Istanbul if you are looking for a typical European city. Istanbul is different, with its own magic that took me off guard and surprised me greatly. I have to admit, I was a little unsure when planning this trip. It was my first time going to Middle East, to a place which culture and traditions are so different to mine, that I was a little scared. But truth to be told, we should all visit Istanbul at least once in our lives and let us fall in love with her and her people. The city has plenty of things to do. Unfortunately, we only had 2 days for touring so we decided to go for the famous spots. If you allow me an advice, do not go to Istanbul on a short trip! Two days is way too short. I think 4 would be ideal, maybe even 5, but just so you can walk the city with no hurry and enjoying every detail of it. How to get there: To get to Istanbul, we flew from London with British Airways (I keep saying we, as I went there with a friend). From Read More…

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