Travel

Traveling can be expensive and a headache when you are trying to plan something. I am going to share some of my tips and trips with you. This may help give you ideas on what and how to plan for your trip.

Disney World

Lets talk about my Disney trip!! We spent 2.5 days at Disney, which is really not long enough you should aim to do 5 or 6 days. I say that because you will need a rest day, especially if you have kids. Now lucky for us we do not have any. It was my husband, parents, and I on the trip. We arrived Wednesday afternoon, flying with Jetblue. The airline was amazing, affordable price with Delta standards. They had live TV on the flight, free wifi, they give you the full can of soda, they let you pick from multiple snacks options, and the best part ample leg room. I will definitely fly with them again. Ok back to Disney now. Once we arrived, we headed toward the magical express, it is the free shuttle service that Disney offers to take you from the airport and their resorts. Now people also talk about how magical Disney is how they will sprinkle Pixie Dust on you, well we got to experience it. Because I had on some pretty Minnie Mouse ears, they offered us their Minnie Van service for free. This is not an actual mini van, but a supped up Tahoe with snacks, and plays Disney movies. This offer usually cost about $150, but we got it for FREE!!!!! Thanks to my Minnie ears :-) . We arrived at our resorts, Coronado Springs and I have stayed there before. I love the resort plus they just added a new tower, which was nice, that included rooftop restaurant and bar.  Our room was renovated and huge. Tip: Must moderate resorts rooms are bigger, offer more activities, and have better transportation options. We did not stay in the rooms long as we headed to the parks.

We went to Hollywood Studios, because I wanted to go to that park since they were going to be crowded the next day for the new Star Wars ride. Now I should mention, my husband was in a boot so we rented a scooter from scooterbug. They delivered the scooter right to the resort at bell service and I just picked it up from there. I thought him having a boot was going to slow us down, but actually it helped. Due to his condition he qualified for Disability Access Service Card, or DAS for short. You just go to any guest services at any of the parks, tell them about your loved one condition, they will take a picture of everyone in the party, and put the information on the magic bands. Once you do that, you are all set and it is good for 60 days. All you have to do is go to the fast pass line and tell the cast member you need a return time, they will scan the DAS person’s band for the whole party and give you a time to come back. The time could be 20 minutes or an hour. While you are waiting you can go do other activities. To me this was the ultimate fastpass and really worked for our group. We used it on the Tower of Terror and they just let us on the ride right there. We did not wait at all!! We did not have much time to explore the whole park, because we had dinner reservation at Kona Café. We took the new Skyliner to the Polynesian resort where Kona Café is located. The Skyliner took us from Hollywood Studios to Epcot. There we did a quick ride of Soarin. This ride was awesome and I recommend you sitting in the front row. You get to fly and explore the whole world within 5 minutes. Once we finished the ride we headed for the tram to the Magic Kingdom Resorts. The Polynesian Resort was the first stop. We head to Kona Café and the food was amazing. We all the duck fried rice which was really good. The main reason I wanted to go to the Polynesian was because of the famous bread pudding that is served at the ‘Ohana restaurant. That is a hard reservation to get, it is family style restaurant where they bring all the food to the table and you all share. I heard breakfast was better than dinner. Back to the bread pudding, if you cannot get reservations at ‘Ohana you can get the bread pudding at Kona Café and the Tambu Lounge as well. It is a smaller portion, but to me it was the right size. It was so delicious, probably one of the best breading pudding I have ever had. Once we were done, we got a lyft back to our resort. TIP: Lyft is the best option to take if going from resort to resort, because the busses are slow and most busses are not a nonstop trip. For example since we staying at Coronado Springs, we would have to catch the tram back to the Magic Kingdom and then wait on the bus to take us back to the resort. That could take 30 mins to an hour. I suggest only taking the busses from park to park.

Day 2 was action packed for us and it started early. We headed over to Animal Kingdom, they had extra magic hour which started at 7am. We headed right over to Pandora to get on the Flight of Passage, which is one of THE rides at Disney. Waits for this ride have reached 4 hours and it opened up a few years ago. Luckily for us we had my husband DAS and we did not have to wait in line. I was unable to get a fast pass for this ride so it worked out. They put a lot of effort and time into bringing the world of Pandora to life and it shows. The Flight of Passage was an amazing ride, essentially they put you on bike simulators with 3D glasses. This is to help imitate like you are riding on a Banshee. The scenes a breath taking and they really make it feel like you are there. Once we finished the ride we did headed to the Navi River and that was a relaxing boat ride inside of a cavern in Pandora again all the detail that went into this ride was amazing. You can typically get a fastpass for this ride. We finished up there and headed to Africa we did a African Safari and a live 30 minutes Lion King show. I recommend both of those as they are hot attractions in the Animal Kingdom. One of the last rides we did in the park was Dinosaur. This is a classic ride you can tell, by it not being so smooth. Its an oldie, but goodie ride. We had lunch in Asia at the quick service restaurant Yak & Yeti. The food was good and I recommend it for as a quick service restaurant there are a variety of options. Another choice for a quick service meal would be the Flame Tree BBQ, this is located in Africa and is amazing. So we started out at the park at 7am and were done by 1230pm. Once we finished there we took the bus to Hollywood Studios and went to Galaxy’s Edge. Now they open one of the most anticipated rides that Rise of the Resistance. We did not ride it, but we did ride the Millilumen Falcon. That ride was amazing and so interactive. Again we had the DAS pass and were able to roam and do other things while we waited for our turn to get on the ride. While waiting I tried the green milk with tequila( its not actual milk). The storm troopers were interacting with people and we even saw Chewbacca. Once we got on the ride we did not know what to expect. Me and Ken were pilots and did a horrible job while my parents were the shooters. Once we finished the ride, we headed out and talked to a cast member and we mentioned how we could do better the second time around. She was like ok bet, and walked us back to the front of the line and we did much better the second time around. We had better pilots while me and Ken were the shooters.  We then headed back to the room to relax before dinner. We had reservation at La Hacienda in the Mexico Pavilion at Epcot. This is one of the restaurants that give you an amazing view of the fireworks show without having to fight the crowds. While they were getting our table together we headed to La Cava del Tequila located inside Sans Angel. If you love tequila this is your spot. They offer a grand selection and you can even do a flight of tequila. Once we finish drinking we headed back to enjoy our meal. The food was good, I had the shrimp tacos and Ken had the Pollo al Pastor. My mom tried the famous avocado margarita, to me it tasted like a salad and a hint of lime. As we were finishing up our meal the fireworks show started. They dim the lights down in the restaurant and pipe the music in so you can enjoy it. We had amazing seats and we were comfortable inside enjoying a drink.

Day 3 was our Magic Kingdom and Epcot day. We started off with breakfast at Be Our Guest. Now getting a reservation at this restaurant is hard. You have to stay on the Disney app to get a reservation. Now this is a Beauty and the Beast theme restaurant, you are eating in the Beast castle. You can even go into the West Wing where the rose is held and eat in there. Breakfast was good, they give you pastries, and they even offer the grey stuff. Definitely get it, its delicious. Once breakfast was over we did all the typical Magic Kingdom rides: It’s a Small World, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Now if you have back or neck issues avoid Space Mountain, but if not do it, it’s a classic. Also if you are into Christmas there is a Christmas shop on main street that is open year around. It is called Ye Ole Christmas this is your one stop shop for Disney Christmas. Once we finished up there we headed to Epcot where we had lunch, did Mission to Mars, and Test Track. We ate lunch at Sunshine Season in the Land pavilion, this a food court style restaurant where you have a variety of options to choose from. Caution if you are prone to motion sickness or claustrophobic do not get one Mission to Mars. This ride will not be your friend, this was a one and done ride for me. After all the fun it was time for dinner, we headed to Morocco and dinner at Restaurant Marrakesh. The drinks were ok, but the food beat my expectations. I had a grouper dish and for dessert cinnamon beignets. While we were eating we had show, they had an amazing belly dancer and she even got the kids involved. Once we rapped up dinner, Ken and I headed back Hollywood studios were we headed to late reservation to Oga’s Cantina at Galaxy’s Edge. If you are a Star Wars fan then you know this is the place you need to be. The cast members are in character and stay in character. They really make it feel like you are in Batuu. Tip: If you make a late reservation at Oga’s Cantina then you get the park to yourself. Our reservations were at 9:15 and the park closes at 9:00. You get all the pictures you want in Galaxy’s Edge and its much prettier at night.

That is my trip review as you see we did a lot in two and a half days. You can not beat the customer service that Disney offers they are amazing, the Pixie Dust is definitely flowing. A great example I lost my sunglasses on the Navi River ride, I filed a claim online and the next day I got an email saying they found them. I could either pick them up or they could mail them to me. Within 3 days of being back my sunglasses were at my house. Disney is magical and we are planning our 2021 trip as we speak.

Chattanooga

CHUGA-CHUGA-CHOO-CHOO-CHATTANOOGA. This city, has to be one of the most underrated places to visit in Tennessee. Me and my husband recently spent our one year anniversary there and had a wonderful time. We did a lot the 3 days we were there. When you think of Chattanooga, you think of the aquarium, ruby falls, and rock city. All those places were great, but what really surprised me was the food. We did not have one bad meal while we were there. I even ate pimento cheese and liked it!! One of the first places we dined in was 1885 grill. This is where we had fried green tomatoes with white cheddar pimento cheese. This appetizer was amazing and made me rethink pimento cheese. The tomatoes were not greasy and they had a nice crunch to them. I also had the most wonderful crab cake sandwich, there was more crab meat in the sandwich than filling. The crab cake was huge and juicy, I enjoyed every bite. Since we told them we were celebrating our anniversary we got a free dessert. Now I am not a fan of cheesecake, but we got key lime cheesecake and it was so good. The flavors were just bursting out with every bite. I would definitely come back and eat another meal there. One Saturday morning before heading to Ruby falls/Rock City we had brunch at Tupelo Honey and again an exceptional meal. I opted to go for a light meal, since I knew we had an active day. I had the Avocado Toast & Egg with a mimosa. The meal was really good and the service was exceptional. They give you biscuits with your meal and they have their own in house honey for you to spread and it was sensational. We did not really do lunch while we were out, but instead had a light snack on top of Rock City. The restaurant was called Rock City Cafe 7, there we had water and fried green tomatoes. This was a nice break with a wonderful view. That night we had dinner at the Boathouse which overlooked the Tennessee River. It was a nice a view, instead of doing out typical fried green tomatoes we had char-grilled oysters, they were really good. The appetizers were juicy and favorable. I also had an amazing shrimp po-boy, the shrimp was just falling out of the sandwich. Once we left there, we headed to the Flying Squirrel for drinks, they were strong, but satisfying. If you know me, you know love bourbon so I was in the right city for that. The bartenders were friendly and were willing to create whatever I desire. On Sunday we went and had breakfast at Food Works the food was good, but the highlight was the $1 mimosas. They did not skimp on the champagne at all!!! Dinner that night State of Confusion was excellent. I had a scallop dish that was satisfying and filled every taste bud. Now that we got the food out of the way, let me tell you about the activities.

Chattanooga has a lot of fun activities that anybody would love to enjoy. On our first full day there we did Ruby Falls/Rock City/Incline train combo package. Ruby Falls was amazing and quite nostalgic. While in the falls it is about a good 2 mile hike there and back inside the cave. The structures were amazing and the actual fall itself was beautiful and spectacular. Once we finish there we drove up to Rock City. Now walking Rock City was a whole another beast. We walked for about 2.5 hours total. Rock City was quite interesting. A lot of picture opportunities and a few surprises. One of those being the restaurant on top of the mountain. They close early so if you want to enjoy Rock City’s Café 7 make sure you get to the park early. They also have a full service bar and you can drink as you walk down the mountain. The other surprise was the FREE wine tasting we encountered ¾ the way down. We tasted some amazing wines from the Georgia Winery. Oh cool fact Rock City which is part of Lookout Mountain is actually in Georgia and not Tennessee.

We even bought wine from the tasting to bring back with us. Once we finished the walk at Rock City, we headed to the Incline Train. That was fun, it was basically a train that went straight up the mountain and to this beautiful national park. At the base of the train station was a good tasting ice cream shop called Clumpies. Definitely check it out next time you go. Now do not throw away your ticket once you ride up the mountain you will need it to go back down the mountain.

On Sunday we hit up the famous Tennessee Aquarium. They have recently gave it a complete remodel since I was kid. The aquarium is broken up into two parts, the River side which gives you the information on the local animal life in the south. The second part was the ocean side, which you can guess it talks about the ocean, and its creatures. I have always preferred this aquarium over the one in Atlanta. Once we finished there we went for a whiskey tasting at the Chattanooga Whiskey company. There we tried about 6 different whiskies and a moonshine. The information was great and whiskey was even better. I recommend everyone try the whiskey tasting.

We rented an amazing Airbnb at lookout mountain called the Blue Ivy, it was an amazing one bedroom cabin. It was tucked away in at Lookout Mountain, but still close to everything. They had a wonderful fire pit and a s’more basket for you to create over the pit. I would definitely stay here again.

If you need a great, inexpensive, weekend getaway I recommend Chattanooga. Oh the best part we never ran into traffic!!!!

Costa Rica

Let me tell you about Costa Rica. I am so happy I did a lot of planning because it paid off. As soon as we arrived, the transfer I ordered from Esteban Great Adventures was waiting on us. This was a great service to use, because they also coordinated our excursions as well. Our resort was only 30 minutes away from the airport, it gave us a great opportunity to see some of the local and people. Once we arrived at the Riu Palace Resort our check in was easy and they greeted us with natural tropical fruit punch. Once we got into our room they had it decorated with balloons for my husband’s birthday. The cool part about staying in all-inclusive resort everything is included. They had a bar waiting on us in the room with its own dispense system. They had rum, gin, whiskey, and vodka in there. They would refill them every time they cleaned the room. They also left cute animal towels on the bed and they tried to set the mood. The food was great and they had 5 different restaurants to choose from. We tried them all while we were there. We had the choice of Italian, Japanese, American, Steakhouse, and buffet style. The first night we went to the steakhouse where I indulged in a nice lobster tail.

Saturday was our excursion day at the Buena Vista Del Rincon Adventure Park and it was a full day of fun and excitement. First, when we got there we did the zip line course. It was 6 courses we had to go through. It was my first time ever doing this and it was scary. Once you get through the first two courses, it gets easier. The views you cannot beat they are amazing if you can open your eyes after the initial shock.

 Once we finished the zip lining, we had taste of sugar cane moonshine and learned how it was process. We also had sugar cane candy and tasted natural fruit juice. Once we were done with the tasting, we headed to a natural water slide. Now the water slide was nothing like the ones you have experienced in water parks. The water slide required a helmet and chaps for the women.  They give you a tube and tell you to keep your arms in, which is good advice because they open a shoot that forces water and pushes you down the slide. You are thrust down the slide on a twisting jeering ride. At one point, I was on my side and had to force myself up right. Other than the almost death experience it was fun. Oh and the chaps we had to wear, were for protection, when the water shoots out the chaps protect your woman parts from damage. Once we were done with the water slide we then had a wonder lunch, it was a buffet spread of organic meats, vegetables, and fruits. They served us fresh watermelon juice and we had some delicious rice pudding. Once we finished Lunch we went horseback riding and headed to a beautiful waterfall. The waterfall was beautiful, we had to walk the rest of the way, but it was worth it.

Once we finished there, we hiked to a natural volcanic hot springs and indulge in volcanic mud. Before you can even put volcanic mud all over you have to sit in a sauna that is super hot. They do this so your pores can naturally open up to soak up all the mud and clean your skin. Once the mud harden, we washed it off and headed for the hot springs. There were many different ones to choose from, because they were based on temperature. My favorite was the hottest one it was so relaxing and peaceful. We had the option of doing a coffee tasting afterwards, but we were tired. We had an hour and half drive back to the resort.

The rest of our stay in the resort was relaxing, we just laid out by the pool, ate, drank, and had an awesome time. We spent most of our time at the bar talking and with the bartender and engaging with the guest. I highly recommend the Riu Palace, because you have access to the other resort the, Riu Guanacaste and all their amenities as well. The staff was amazing and every time they cleaned our room they left us a surprise. They even left a birthday cake for my husband in our room. While there we did an a little photo shoot to provided by the resort. I was told all the Riu Palace resorts are the best and we hope, to explore many others. 

How To Plan For A Trip

I am getting ready for a trip to Costa Rica this month, and I have never been there. Usually, when I go to a country, I have never visited I go through a travel service that plans everything out. This time I just had my travel agent set up the flight and hotel. I wanted to do my research and see what the country had to offer. Here are some of the tips I have to offer while planning this trip.

Timing

When planning a vacation, I always book it at least three months in advance. It gives me time to make payments and plan the itinerary. If you must plan a trip last minute make sure to look at deals. You can try booking.com or bookit.com.

Research

When looking for things to do in Costa Rica I Googled so much. I had to narrow it down to what I wanted to do and compare prices. The last thing I wanted to do was book excursions through the resort, they are usually higher in price. I wanted to go through a local company for the real experience. Once I found a few companies I went straight to Tripadvisor for reviews. I use them often because people love to review things. Once I narrowed it down to a few places I emailed the companies told them what I am looking for and the cost. I would compare and see who had the best options. Thankfully I was able to find a great company that gave you everything we needed.

Weather

When looking into Costa Rica, I had to look and see when their dry season is. Would hate to go to a beautiful island and be stuck all day indoors due to the rain. Knowing the best season to go anywhere will make the planning easier. It will help with the cost as well. I try to places during the low tourist season.

Packing

Since I have never been to Costa Rica, I had to do some research on what to bring. I was thinking of cute sundresses and swimsuit. I need a lot more than that. Due to the humidity on the island and the bugs I had to pack accordingly. I bought hiking sandals because they can be worn in the water and dry land. We will be doing hiking, horseback riding, and seeing a waterfall. I needed a shoe that can handle all that in one day. I also needed to pack bug spray. We are in the jungle, where there are a lot of mosquitoes, so I have to make sure we are protected. Again I did not know any of this until I looked it up.

Food

When traveling I like to look up local cuisine, and I do not want to eat at the resort the whole time. I look to see what restaurants are within walking distance and their reviews. You also have to remember when dining at any local establishment especially in the Central America you need to drink bottled water. Their local drinking water may not be safe for us.

Where to Stay

Even though I had my travel agent make all the bookings, I still had to research where I wanted to stay. Since we decided on a resort vs. an AIRBNB, I had to look at what they offered. I was looking at prices, reviews, specials, and location. I know I did not want to be in the city because the nearest beach is an hour out. We did not want to rent a car, so that was out of the question. So we chose a beach resort. While looking at beach resorts, I wanted something all-inclusive. With the beach resorts, you are going to be far from most restaurants so having different items to choose from is nice right at your fingertips. Once I narrowed down the location, then the type of place it was time for pricing. I did not want to spend over $1000 per person for the whole four-day trip. I set a personal budget and from there went straight to the reviews. Between Tripadvisor and Google reviews I narrowed it down the Rui Palace Resort. It was within budget and next to a lot of local stuff while being right on the beach.

Washington D.C.

Washington D.C. our nation’s capital, this city is booming with history and nightlife. If museums are your thing then you are in luck there are 17 different ones to choose. I had the pleasure to visit one of them while in town for my Bachelorette weekend. We went to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. These are hot tickets; luckily we knew someone who could get us in without them. Now a little tip, you want to get tickets for the earliest time. I say that because you are going to want to spend the whole day in there like us. Tickets go on sale the first Wednesday of every month at 9am. We did not leave until it was time for it to close. Now once you get there you start from the basement of the building, it is very dark down there, and as you continue to go up in the building, it becomes lighter. Now you start at the beginning of slavery and ends with the civil war it goes from 1400-1877. You reach this level by getting on a huge freight elevator that takes you down into the dark basement. This level shows you how we got to America and the harsh conditions our people faced getting here.

Once you finish on this level, you go up to the DEFENDING FREEDOM, DEFINING FREEDOM: THE ERA OF SEGREGATION 1876 – 1968 level. Here we learn about what happened at the end of the Civil War and the many different ways we were kept in bondage. We learn about Segregation and the Civil Rights movement on this level. They talk about Martin Luther King Jr. the bus boycott and the Civil Rights Act of 1965. They even have an Emmett Till exhibit where the family donated the actual casket and the glass box where body use to lay. As you go in to see it, they play interviews from the family, and you see all the details of his death. Also on this level, they have different sections for cities which had an impact on the movement. Selma has an excellent section in the museum.

Remember the higher you go up, the lighter the exhibits become. Well, the final level is called, A CHANGING AMERICA: 1968 AND BEYOND. This level talks about all of the achievements and strides we have made. This floor then is broken down into decades of the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s, and the 2000s. We got the Black Panthers, Angela Davis, Shirley Chisholm, the AIDS epidemic, Oprah, and the Obamas. I only touch on a little of what this museum has to offer. Now in between each level, they have a sit-down area where you can watch highlights from that area.

There are more exhibits to explore in the museum, Oprah has her wing. This section shows you the beginning of Oprah, where she came from, to now. They have clips of her from her first-morning talk show and her famous clips from the Oprah Show. She even donated some of her fashions to the exhibit and seats from the Oprah Winfrey Show.

The other exhibit that I loved it at the very top of the museum and it talks about the entertainment we have created and contribute too. They have wardrobes donated by the celebrities for displays. They have Michael Jackson, Prince, Whitney, Mariah, Beyonce, and Janet items to name a few. They even have an interactive beat making a machine to use and a cool jukebox to pick music.

So you are going to be hungry while looking at the exhibits, it’s a good thing they have a nice cafeteria inside the building. It’s called the Sweet Home Café, and they feature food from different regions. Here is a sample menu with the different regions they have to offer.

The Agricultural South
Buttermilk Fried Chicken, served with 2 sides
Lexington Style BBQ Pork Sandwich, Slaw, Pickled Watermelon Rind, Potato Salad
Slow Cooked Collards, Cornbread Sticks & Potlikker
Sweet Corn Pudding

The Creole Coast
Duck, Andouille & Crawfish Gumbo, Carolina Rice, Green Onions
Gulf Shrimp & Stone Ground Grits, Smoked Tomato Butter, Caramelized Leeks, Crispy Tasso
BBQ All Natural Chicken, Alabama White Sauce
Pan-fried Louisiana Catfish Po’boy, Smoked Red Pepper Rémoulade, Green Bean Pickles
Red Beans & Rice

The North States
“Smoking Hot” Pepper Pot
Smoked Haddock & Corn Croquettes, Gribiche Sauce, House Made Brown Bread
Smothered Turkey Grillades, Fried Apple, Sage Gravy, Johnny Cakes

The Western Range
BBQ Beef Brisket Sandwich, Sweet Potato Bun, Charred Peach & Jalapeno Chutney
Pan Roast Rainbow Trout, Cornbread & Mustard Green Stuffing, Hazelnut Brown Butter
Black Eye Pea, Golden Corn & Chanterelle Empanada
Sweet Tendril Salad, Shaved Radish & Crisp Carrot
Skillet Cornbread
High Mesa Peach & Blackberry Cobbler

They have the regular stuff as well, hamburgers, hotdogs, and fries. They also have a dessert table full of all kinds of cakes, pies, and other delicious treats.

The only thing I did not get to visit was the gift shop.

The museum is part of The National Mall. Before we went in, we got to see some of the famous monuments. One of my favorites was the National World War II Memorial. It Symbols of America’s triumph in the Second World War are artfully displayed all over the World War II Memorial, which has a grand fountain at its center. 56 granite columns symbolize unity among the 48 states, seven federal territories and the District of Columbia. The columns form a semi-circle around the memorial’s plaza, with two 43-foot tall arches on opposite sides. The northern arch represents victory in the Atlantic, while the southern arch symbolizes victory in the Pacific. We also saw the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. There are many more things to see, so if I were you, I would put aside a day to explore the National Mall with some good walking shoes.

DC has a lot of culture, but they also have an exciting nightlife. We went to Lost Society and had a great time. Because we went during my bachelorette weekend, everyone there was great. Even the owner gave us free drinks. The food was, and the atmosphere was spectacular. One of the final stops of my DC tour was the strip club. Being from Atlanta, I know about strip clubs. We went to Stadiums, the girls were friendly, they did not do many stunts, but they were ok. They were nothing like the girls in ATL, but I still had a good time.

Right before we left and got on our flights, we headed to the historic Howard University. Where the first and finest sorority was established, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated. They have a tree and a few memorials dedicated to us.

D.C. is a fantastic place to visit, and I feel you will need more than a weekend to explore the city and all that offers. There is something there for everyone from your most cultured friend to the ratchet one. Everyone will have a good time.

The plane, The plane!

During our honeymoon trip we were able to try many different airlines. 2 were Delta based and the others were European airlines. Our first flight was with KLM, they are the Dutch airline under Delta. The flight was nice and the food was good. My only gripe with these new planes are the seats. The seats are comfortable, but they are arranged 3-4-3. I understand you want to fit as many people as possible on a flight, but I did not want to sit in the middle and next to a stranger. The flight was full so we could not find any empty seats. The good part about flying internationally is you get free drinks and a lot of food. The dinner on the flight was good, I went with the vegan option, of pasta. Now the funny thing about flying a Dutch airline is they serve beans with your meal. Yes beans on a plane, I did not touch those. The highlight of the food was the nice warm bread they serve with it. The entertainment on the flight was good and even though I was in the middle I did get some good sleep. The stewardess were nice and attentive. The breakfast box they gave us included yogurt, a piece cheese, another warm roll, and orange juice.

The second airline was Transavia Airline. They are another Dutch airline under KLM. We took this airline from Amsterdam to Santorini. They are like the Spirit airline of Europe. So they charge for everything,v luckily the flight was only 3 hours, so we weren’t that hungry and we ate at the airport. Now before I booked it I read a lot of reviews some bad, but mostly good. I read stories about them being late, losing luggage, and other negative things. I still booked them. Every airline as issues. Everything about this flight was almost perfect. The flight took off on time and we got our luggage. The only problem were the seats, they had them at 3-3. Luckily I had the exit row so extra legroom. There was green everywhere and I mean everywhere. The flight was lovely, it was a 5:45am flight so they kept the shades shut 😊. We arrived on time and if you look at my Santorini post you will read that the airport is a small military base.

To leave Santorini we took a local Greek airline, Aegean Air. So happy we did this, because they had grounded the boats to leave the island due to a hurricane. We were suppose to be a small plane, with propellers. Instead we got upgraded to an Airbus. The stewardess were nice and they passed out mints. This was a 45 mins flight, so that is all they could pass out. I would travel with them again if I am ever in Greece.

The last flight we took was with my favorite airline, Delta. This time the seats were 2-3-2. I was so happy it was just me and ken. The food on the flight was amazing they served us lunch, which was a chicken Marsala dish. They served us hot warm chocolate chips cookies, and of course free alcohol. Right before we landed they severed us hot warm wraps. We had the chicken tikka wrap. It really was good, especially since it was a frozen previously. Once the flight was an hour out, they served us Magnum ice cream sandwich bars (My husband gave it back, I am lactose intolerant).

After all those planes, I was over an airport. Delta is still my favorite airline, I liked KLM too. I just hated the 3-4-3 seating and the beans they served with the meal. Delta is also starting to serve hot chocolate chip cookies toward the end of their flights as well. If I can help it, I will always fly Delta, especially if you have a peanut allergy like my husband. They will make sure not to pass out any peanuts during the flight and you get priority boarding. They were the only airline to consider people with a peanut allergy.

Athens

OK so now I can tell you about our last stop on our honeymoon. We headed to Athens for 24 hours of rest and getting ready for a 14+hour flight back to the states. We were excited, especially since Athens has so much history behind it. Once we got there, a transfer from the hotel picked us up and we got to see the city. The airport was about 30 minutes from downtown. As we were driving toward the hotel we noticed that the city is not what we expected. There was graffiti everywhere on all the buildings and it seemed like everyone in the city were crunched together. Our hotel The Herodion was next to everything. We did not a guided tour because we could walk everywhere from the hotel. Our room was really nice, with hard wood floors throughout and the nice plush robes. The view was not the best though. I could definitely see right into the neighboring apartments. The plus side was,the room was actually large for a European hotel. The staff were very accommodating, providing a transfer for the airport the next morning at 3 am. They also have an amazing roof top terrace restaurant where you get a nice view of the Parthenon.

Once we unpacked we headed out and walked across the street to the Acropolis Museum. The tickets were only 5 euros a piece. The museum was huge, and nice. Before you enter in, there are glass floors were you can see restorations happening.

You can take pictures everywhere except the first floor exhibits. It was cool seeing some of the artifacts and statues from the BC era. They have an amazing terrace with a view of the Parthenon.

Once we left there we headed to the Parthenon. It was a nice hike with amazing views. We walked down to the Herodes Atticus Roman Amphitheater, which is at the base of the Acropolis. Once we finished our little tour we headed back to the hotel for dinner.

I had originally chose this hotel for their restaurant over looking the Parthenon. Due to the weather we had to settle with the restaurant inside. It was still gorgeous, it was like being inside of a rain forest. The restaurant on the inside was called The Atrium and the roof top was called the A Point.

They knew we were celebrating our honeymoon and gave complimentary wine. The food was good and the service exceptional. The dessert we had was something I have never seen in the states. They were donuts filled with a cheese mixture and drizzled in honey. After our day of travel we were happy to sleep in their nice comfortable bed. We had gotten up around 2 am to head out. Before we headed left the hotel gave us breakfast boxes to take to the hotel. It had turkey/cheese sandwich, fruit, a protein bar, boiled egg, and some delicious juice. We have been trying to find that juice since the trip. Honestly Athens was a nice day trip. There really is not much to do outside of the museums and historical sites. This was a nice layover before heading back to the states.

One more thing, to help cut down cost with our travel agent, I used my credit card points, since we were only staying one night.

Santorini

Amsterdam was fun, but that was only the beginning of our honeymoon. Santorini, Greece was our main destination. The island is beautiful, the views are breathtaking. The only thing not beautiful was the airport. It sits on a military base and probably has about 6 gates total. If you are an animal lover there are stray cats just roaming around. Our Airbnb host picked us up from the airport and took us to our apartment. I let my husband pick the Airbnb and lets just say I would have done better. Now the view from this place was amazing, especially since we staying on Perissa Beach. The apartment was also located next to a lot of restaurants and right next to the bus stop. So the view and location were the only two things I loved about this place.

Once we arrived and unpacked we went exploring. The first thing we did was hop on the bus to Fira, the capital and busy part of the island. This is where most of the shopping and adventure is. Fira was not quite like Perissa Beach, there was tourist everywhere. We took my dad’s advise and went off the beaten path. We turned and walked into an alleyway and found a lovely not crowded restaurant. I had a really good pizza and they do not skimp on the portions. We also had an amazing glass of wine as well. Our view was nice, and the breeze was wonderful. Once we finished we headed back and rested. The next day we spent the whole day in Fira. The bus ride there and back was only 2.50 euros. This time we climbed up the many stairs and got a nice feel of the island. The views looked so beautiful, they looked like something out of a movie.

We did some shopping in the tourist area and they have a lot of knock off brands. I saw Ray-Bans, Dolce, and Gucci sunglasses for about 20 euros. We headed back to Perrisa Beach for dinner. We thought we were eating at a Mexican restaurant, based on the name Tranquila. The only thing we recognized on the menu was guacamole and drinks. But we had this amazing salad with chicken, mangos, and other ingredients. The salad was huge, we didn’t finish it. On our last day there we decided to do a full day tour. We visited the Akrotiri Museum, Perivolos Beach, The Monastery of Profitis Ilias, Santo Winery, and Oia. The tour was good and worth the 86 euros for two people. Our host booked the tour for through Notos Travel It was us and 12 other couples. The tour started with us going to the highest peak on the island, The Monastery of Profitis Ilias.

The Akrotiri Museum preserves the prehistoric city of Akrotiri, It was hit by one of the most powerful eruptions worldwide, which was the aftereffect of a major earthquake, buried the entire island in volcanic ash and pumice and sunk a big part of it. Basalt boulders hit the buildings of Akrotiri and the remains of the settlement have been preserved thanks to the volcanic ash.

Once we finished there, the bus took us to Perivolos Beach. There we ate grilled octopus at Aqua Restaurant and it was not bad, just chewy. Once we were done with lunch we headed to the winery. The wine was wonderful, we had 2 reds and 2 whites. I am more of a red kind of person, but their white wine was really good. Once the winery tour was done we headed for Oia to get that famous sunset shot. Now with our luck, it was cloudy that day. Actually, a Medicane was headed for the island (Mediterranean +hurricane). We made the most of it and found a lovely café where we had dessert and coffee.

It was a nice ending to a wonderful 3 days in Santorini. I know next time to book the lodgings and try to island hop next time. Another thing I like to mention you still have to use pay to use the restroom on the island, there are no free bathrooms.

Picking a place to stay in Santorini really depends on what you are in the mood for. If you want to party and be around a lot of people Fira and Oia are the places. Fira has shops, night life, and a lot of tourist. Oia has a lot of people, but they have the famous sunset views. Now if you want some quite relaxing time I would suggest staying on one of the beaches. I like Perissa Beach, because it was not too crowed. It still had a lot of resturants and some bars to choose from. The best part everything closed at midnight so I still got my rest. Also the bus is the best way to get around, they are cheap and are actual charter buses not the typical public bus here in the states.   

AMSTERDAM

        Honeymooning in Europe! If you need a place outside of the norm to honeymoon too, Europe is the place. There are tons of islands to go visit, especially if your wedding is during hurricane season. We did Amsterdam, Santorini, and Athens. I know Amsterdam is not an island, but flying straight to Santorini is a long flight.

        We spent the night in Amsterdam and had a wonderful experience there. Our hotel, the NH Collection Amsterdam Doelen, it was right in the middle of the city. With the hotel being so close to everything we just walked. Now while you are walking you do not have to worry about the cars, it is the bikes. Bicycles are very popular in Amsterdam, so much that they have a bike parking lot that holds thousands of bikes.

      Amsterdam is not known for their food, but for their extracurricular activities. We ventured into one of their famous coffee shops, The Green House Centrum. They have a variety of strains to choose from, but be careful. Most of their pre-rolled joints have tobacco in them. So if you do not smoke cigarettes, than go for the tobacco free ones. Now you are really are not supposed to walk around smoking with it, but everyone does it.  There are tons of coffee shops so you will have a variety of strains to try. We did not try any Dutch cuisine, but we did try some Indian food and it was divine. Now one of the best thing we ate while visiting, were these dessert waffles. Now the Dutch know how to turn a breakfast item into a dessert. This was best thing I have ever had. Words cannot do it justice, so here is a picture:

Once we finished up with the dessert, we headed to the Redlight district. According to the front desk worker it is safe to go at night now. The district is split into four different areas: Black, Asian, Hispanics, and Whites. If there is a blue light in the window, that means they are transgender. If the curtain is closed, they are working. You are not allowed to take photos in the Redlight district. The city is safe to travel at night. We did not have any problems, except for the bikes.

We were only able to spend one day in Amsterdam, but we will be back. I still want to do a boat ride on the canal, visit the Anne Frank Museum, and so much more.  

PARIS

          Paris, the city of love was beautiful, but I think my expectation were a little high. When we left London I was excited about taking the Eurostar train to Paris. The train experience was different, as this was my first time traveling by train. The train station in London was grand and open. The process of getting on the train is just as bad as going through security for an airline. The lines are long and not only do they check your ticket they are also check your passport. Just for the future have everything out and ready so you do not hold the line up. Once you make it through the security area, the gate area is ok, not the best. Luckily, the train was spacious and the seats were comfortable. They even offered free wifi on the train, which was a plus. The train ride from London to Paris was about 3 hours and it was nice to see the countryside. We did get hungry and headed to the food cart. The food on the train was ok they are all prepackaged wraps/ sandwiches. The server was somewhat rude, but many people did not know what they wanted. I settled for a chicken caesar wrap and chips. Again very simple, and it tasted good. Once we arrived in Paris, we had to get our own luggage from the train. Your luggage is held in a space near your seating area, so you can watch your luggage while on the train. Do not worry if you are unable to get your luggage there is someone there to help you. Once we got off the train, Paris was cold, cloudy, and depressing. Once we got on our tour bus, we explored Paris. The first stop was the Eiffel Tower. It was huge, but looked so different in person.

           Once you walk around Paris, you see  the Eiffel Tower really does not fit the Parisian Architecture. We passed the famous  Arc de Triomphe which contains the Eternal Flame and the tomb of the unknown soldier. We even drove down the Champs Elysees; this street make Rodeo Drive look like a Target. It houses some of the most expensive shops in the world. We arrived at our hotel, the Marriott. Our room was much smaller than our hotel room in London. They even had twin beds versus the full size beds we had in London. Our main event for our first night there was going to a Cabaret show. We arrived at the Paradis Latin and we had no idea what to expect. Before the show begins, they serve you food. Our food was amazing, we started with a salad that had trim cuts of duck, best salad I have ever had. For the main course you got to choose from Salmon or Steak. The salmon was good it came with rice and veggies. The dessert was a trio of sorbet (Raspberry, Mango, and Lemon) way better than the stuff you get in the USA.

          Oh almost forgot to mention the wine and champagne was flowing. On the table there was white and red wine. During dessert they bring out bottles of champagne on ice. Do not worry about running out they put enough on the table for everyone. Before any of that begins they serve a drink called Kir Royal, that is champagne with a blackberry liquor, it was amazing. This is what they call a before dinner drink. Once we were done eating it was time for the show to start. The show it self was actually pretty cool, even though it was weird seeing half naked women and men with my mom and priest(remember this was a church trip ) The show was about two and half hours long and they spoke both French and English. When the show ended we still had wine left over on our table, we were also feeling great.

              The next morning we woke up and explored Paris. We went to Notre Dame and unlike the churches in London we were able to take picture inside. When I think of Paris this is what I think of, beautiful romantic architecture.

            Once we left there we headed to The Louvre. Now The Louvre is not what I expected of a museum. There is a mall inside the Louvre including the Apple Store and a food court. Now this food court is over the top with some of the best food I have ever seen, smelled, and tasted. Once we got into the Louvre our guide started our tour, and showed us the Venus De Milo to start out. We then traveled though the museum and we came across one of the biggest diamonds called the Regent. This was worn by King Louis XVI at the center of his crown, it was also stolen along with many of the crown jewels. Once we left that gorgeous room with gold everywhere, we headed to the Mona Lisa. Now I will say the Mona Lisa is lot smaller in person, it also more protected than any world leader. The Mona Lisa is behind a shatter, bullet, fire, flood, bomb, proof glass. Apparently it has been stolen a few times so they are not taking any precautions. Once we moved from the Mona Lisa we saw the biggest painting in the museum called the Wedding at Cana. The painting is 22.75 ft x 35.58ft it is bigger than some studio apartments. Once we finished we headed outside to take photos by the famous Pyramids at the Louvre. Once we were done with our day we headed back to rest and get some authentic Paris food. We went to Villa Saint- Jacques where I had some amazing pizza and Escargot. The Escargot tasted like chicken pesto and this was my second time having it.

              On our last full day in Paris we did the Black Paris Tour. We chose to do the half day, because we were having dinner in the Eiffel Tower later that night. Now we had to take the metro in order to get the café where we were meeting the tour group. Paris, like other cities in Europe are known for pick-pocketing, it is an art form in that city. I say that because the Metro is old and will have you packed in there like sardines. Personal space does not exist on the metro, I kept my hands in my pockets and bag on my chest in front of me. The Metro just like the Lube was easy to navigate, just not as clean or spacious. Once we arrived at the café we met other women who were joining the tour. Once we got there, a drink and croissant included with our tour. I had hot chocolate, made with Nutella and also a croissant covered in it. Once we met our tour guide, she went over history with us which took 2 hours (to me that was time wasted). Once we were done with that we then started our tour. We went to  the Arc de Triomphe, which can be access by walking into an underground tunnel. The Arc is in the middle of the Place Charles de Gaulle. The triumphal arch is in honor of those who fought for France, in particular, those who fought during the Napoleonic Wars. Engraved on the inside and at the top of the arch are all of the names of the generals and wars fought. There are inscriptions in the ground underneath the vault of the arch which include the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I where the Memorial Flame burns. We also learned on this tour the Arc which was commissioned by Napoleon was suppose to be an elephant, but due the government did not want that. It took 30 years for them to finish it and Napoleon never got to see the final product.

            Once we finished there, we got on the city bus and headed to our next stop. We went and saw Language Hugh apartment in Paris, then we saw statues of the Three Musketeers and its author Alexandre Dumas who also wrote Man in the Iron Mask. We learned that Alexandre Dumas was a black man and there are actually four Musketeers. Once we finished the tour we had to take the metro to get back to our hotel to get ready for dinner. Now the half day tour was not worth the money, yes I learned some interesting facts about the city, but the time could have been spent exploring more of the city. We only went to 3 different places and paid $100 plus we had to buy a metro card to get on the bus. That should be included in the price. Now one of the ladies did the full day tour and went to Little Africa where she had some amazing food and went to a black film festival. I would do some research, join a regular tour and ask questions about the black culture in Paris.

           Dinner at the Eiffel Tower was amazing. The tower was lit up and twinkled so brightly. You do have to go through serious security to go inside the tower, it was just tighter than some airports I have been too. Do not be alarm when you see security carrying AK-47s, you are at the Eiffel Tower they are there to prevent attacks. They also have barricades around the tower, to prevent vans or cars from driving to the area. Once within the area we were standing underneath the tower and once you  get up close you realize it not that beautiful. In order to get the restaurant we had to go on this huge elevator. We were able to fit about 35 people including two people in wheelchairs. Once we reached the 2nd floor we headed inside the Le Jules Vernes we were greeted with my favorite drink The Kir Royal. We also had wine and some amazing food. I had Duck Pate and this amazing chocolate cake. This was my first time eating Pate and it was different, but it was good. You do get small portions, but the food and view were amazing. After dinner we were able to take photos outside on top of the Eiffel Tower. We then worked the meal off by taking the stairs down, which was a workout

LONDON

Let us talk about all there is to do in London! When I first got to London, I did not think I would like it at all. It was cold and rainy typical London weather, and I was already over it. Our flight left Atlanta around 6pm and we got to London around 7am that morning. I was not tired, but I did want to take a nap.

A little advice do not take a nap if you are flying internationally when you land. The jet lag will make the first day horrible. Once we got to the hotel we checked in and left our bags with them, since our rooms were not going to be ready until the afternoon. We ventured out on our own. Luckily, our hotel the Grange City Hotel was in the middle of everything. We were staying near the infamous Tower of London where Queen Anne Boleyn herself was a prisoner. We even walked a crossed the London Bridge. We then headed to the Tate Museum of Modern Art. It was fun quirky art museum; they even had a huge giant swing at the bottom for anybody to have fun on. We headed at the top to the observation deck where you can see the whole city. In addition, the museum has free entry. Once we were done, we headed to the London Eye.

The London Eye is a huge Ferris Wheel that allows you to get a good view of the city. We bought our tickets online which was a little bit cheaper, than buying them onsite. Once you get there, they put you in this giant pod with about 9 other people. It is big enough for you and other people to stand round and still have room. The pod is 360 degrees of glass so you get a wonderful view. Once we were done, it was time to head back to hotel to rest for a few minutes and get ready for dinner.

Our dinner the first night with our tour group was at a place called Fuller’s. We were all skeptical about the food, because we had an assortment of meat pies, with a choice of beer or wine. The meat pies were actually good. We had 3 meat pies that match 3 different ales. The different stuffed pies were vegetable, duck, and beef (I traded my beef for another duck one). They were light, fluffy and had a lot of flavor. Once dinner was over, we headed back to the room to FINALLY SLEEP.

The next morning we had a full schedule of activities with our guided tours. We were able to go to St. Paul Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, and Westminster Abby. Now you are not allowed to take photos inside any these places, which is kind of a bummer. The architecture was so beautiful and the history behind everything was amazing. I have read about some of these things in history class, but to actually be there was amazing.

One of the cool parts about the tour was Buckingham Palace and seeing the changing of the guard. While were in London they were in the mist of celebrating Remembrance Day their version of Veteran’s Day.  We got a special treat after the changing of the guard. We got to see the presentations from the different departments in their armed services. Our tour guide said this was the first time she ever saw this. Once we left Buckingham Palace, we headed to Westminster Abby.

It was exciting to stand in the same building as Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Diana. Great big doors only open during the big events like a wedding or a coronation. The church also features statues of Martyrs, one including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. After a full morning of touring, it was shopping time. We were able to have lunch in Harrods. It is like Macy’s in New York, but better. If you have serious cash, you can find every designer there. I even show shoes and outfits worn, by some of the top celebrities. I saw the price tag before I even bothered to touch the merchandise. They have a beautiful food court and tons of little restaurants. Not many people can say they got a lobster roll and a chocolate éclair from a clothing store.  

We were about to find a Kansas City BBQ place near our hotel for dinner. Shockingly it was good. Bodean’s was actually better than some of the BBQ in the states. They had some amazing chicken, grilled corn, and coleslaw. The food was so good I forgot to get a picture of it. Once we left Bodean’s we then headed to a nice lounge for some wine, called All Bar One. The wine was great and they had some good nachos, they make their chips in house.

On our Last day in England, we visited the town of Windsor, where the Queen lives in Windsor Castle. She was actually home while we were there, so I was breathing the same air as the queen. The castle was breathing taking, again we could not take pictures inside, but the history was amazing. We saw were literally walking around in the queen’s home. We were showed where she hosted her honored guest, like the Obamas. The castle itself on the inside looked like an antique shop. Everything was very original and old. While at Windsor castle, we got to go inside of St. George’s Chapel. This place was special to me, because he was the tomb that housed King Henry VIII. His scandalous history is why he is one of my favorite rulers. The town of Windsor was nice and small. The town has amazing shops and they even have a TJ MAXX, but it is called TK MAXX.

  Once we left Windsor we headed back to hotel to get ready for our last night at dinner in London. We chose to not eat with our tour group, but instead do something touristy. We went the famous ICE BAR in London. Before going to the ICE BAR, you must first make reservations and pay a deposit for you and your guests. We made reservations for dinner and for the bar. The food was so good!! We all had the duck with sweet potato puree and broccoli (our second time seeing something green).  We then ordered two different kinds of dessert, a triple chocolate brownie, and a tiramisu ice cream sandwich. The brownie was ok, but the tiramisu was amazing. Once dinner was done, we were escorted to the ICE BAR. We were surrounded by ice, the bar is kept at -5 degrees Celsius. You get 40 mins in the bar, trust me that too long to be in that bar. Before heading in they provide you with a thermal cape and mittens. The drinks are served in ice glasses and were delicious. We probably made it about 20 mins in there and we were done. It was just too cold for us southern girls.

One more thing about London the traffic is horrible, I will never complain about Atlanta traffic after experiencing London. Also I think driving on the other side of the street might have something to do it. Next time I will tell you all about our train ride to Paris and my experience in the city of love.    

International Travel

I told you all about the many different programs you can sign up for to help make getting on the plane faster and easier. Now let me tell you how it is to fly for 8+ hours.

              In my last post, I talked about the steps it takes to get to your plane easier; well this week I will tell you how to survive an 8+ hour flight. The flight from Atlanta to London was 8.5 hours long with Delta. Luckily our flight was not full, this gave everyone in our travel group room to spread out. I was in the middle row and had the aisle seat. My friend was able to get the other aisle seat, which meant the middle seat held all of our stuff and made a nice place for a pillow. The legroom was actually good, I was able to stretch out. I was not bored at all on this flight and I never went hungry. I had downloaded movies on my tablet, but I did not need it. They had all the latest movies and TV shows. Alcohol is free on the international flights. The drinks kept coming on this flight; I opted for red wine and water. The food was good too, shockingly. They gave us snack first, which were almonds and pretzels.  I chose the basil spinach ravioli; it came with salad, bread, hummus, and a good brownie. After dinner, they had another drink service and right before the turned the plan dark they passed out bottle watered. I slept maybe 2 hours total on this flight. When it was time for breakfast, they woke us up. They fed us yogurt, cheese, a cheese biscuit, and orange juice.

                The flight back to Atlanta was an hour longer, as we were flying out of Paris. Again the drinks, snacks, and meals were flowing. They fed us lunch as our flight was at 3:00pm. I had a chicken basil with spinach and more red wine for lunch. Again, the entertainment was great, the food, and the drinks continued to flow. Now the dinner/snack they gave us before we landed, was not the best. It was either chicken or vegetable potpie. I chose the vegetable potpie and it was salty and gross. That was the only negative experience I had on the plane.

                In general, you do not need to load up on materials on your tablet or phone. They have games, tv shows, and movies on board. They will feed you well and if you are nervous then just get some drinks.  

I just recently went to London and Paris and had the time of my life. I had months to prep for this trip and over several blog post I will tell you about how I prepared to make the experience a lot easier.

Lets talk about Global Entry and how it is a time a saver if you travel internationally a lot.  Global Entry made my first trip across the pond a breeze. Here are a few facts about Global Entry:

1. Before landing, you do NOT need to complete any paperwork! That’s right, the blue Customs Declaration form is NOT required, as you answer the questions on the kiosk.

2. Skipping the processing lines, you proceed directly to the Global Entry kiosks, present your machine-readable passport or U.S. permanent resident card, place their fingertips on the scanner for fingerprint verification, get your photo snapped by the kiosk and answer the on-screen questions.

3. Take the kiosk issued transaction, obtain your baggage, and hand your receipt to the CBP officer as you exit, they will likely want to see your passport to confirm they match.

4. You get TSA Pre-Check which means you get to keep your shoes and belt on.

5. It cost $100 and last 5 years.

6. The application process is long, it took me about an hour to do. They are very thorough so please take your time. It will take about two weeks for them to approve you. You will have to check the site regularly to see if you are confirmed. They will not send you a confirmation email.

7. Once you are approved you will need to sign up for an interview. The interview needs to be scheduled out 3 months in advanced. If you must get Global Entry before 3 months keep checking the site, people always cancel. Sometimes you can just be a walk in if you are already scheduled your appointment.

8. You will need to bring with you to your interview:

·      A print-out of your letter of conditional approval.
·      Valid passport(s) or a permanent resident card.
·      Evidence of residency (e.g., a driver’s license with your current address, a mortgage statement, utility bill, etc.).

      9.     Once there they will ask you basic questions, take your picture, and scan your finger prints.

    10.  Once you are approved they will give you a trusted travelers ID number which you can use instantly. This is the number you will give the airline to get your status.

Alternatives

TSA PRECHECK

If you do not travel internationally a lot and want to save $15 then I would just apply for TSA PRECHECK. This is good for 5 years and help you breeze through the security line. The application process is not as detailed as Global Entry. The time it takes to schedule an interview is not as long either. 

CLEAR

Now if you really want to skip the line their is Clear. The procedure for CLEAR members is very straightforward. After checking in at the airport, you can proceed to the security checkpoint for the terminal that you are flying out of. Rather than wait in line, you can simply come to the CLEARlane, where you are greeted by a attendant who will help you through the process, if necessary. Once at the kiosk, you can scan your boarding pass, validate your identification with a tap of your finger or a quick picture of your iris, and move on to the physical screening.

Enrolling is a simple process that can be broken down into 3 easy steps:

• Register online at Clearme.com or in person at a CLEAR enrollment center.

• If you register online, you must come to the airport enrollment center with required ID in order to submit your biometrics. No appointment is necessary.

• You are officially enrolled, and can start using the CLEARlanes that very same day.

• An annual membership costs $179, and one family member can be added as a member for $50. Children under 18 can use CLEAR's services for free as long as they are accompanied by a member.

The problem with Clear is its new and not offered at a lot of airports. Only 20 different airports have it.

MOBILE PASSPORT APP

Now if you like to travel, but do not feel like spending a lot of money there is the Mobile Passport App. The Mobile Passport app speeds you through U.S. Customs and Border Protection at 1 cruise port and 24 airports. This FREE app is available on both Apple and Android. It is also the first app authorized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection for eligible travelers with a smartphone or tablet to submit their passport information and answer CBP inspection-related questions prior to CBP inspection.  
Step 1:
Set up your Profile
Enter your profile information as it appears on your valid, official passport. You can set up profiles for your entire family. Your information will be encrypted and shared only with CBP.
Step 2:
Answer a few questions
Answer CBP’s five brief questions about your trip. Then carefully review ALL of your information for the trip.
Step 3:
Submit To CBP
Once you are at your port of entry (airport or sea port), connect to wireless or wi-fi and submit your data to CBP. Remember: when you submit, you are confirming under penalty of law that your information is correct. Within a few seconds, you will receive a CBP receipt with an encrypted barcode. Your receipt will be valid for 4 hours.
Step 4:
Breeze through customs & save time!
Follow the Mobile Passport Control signs to the designated Mobile Passport Control line. Show your passport to the CBP officer and scan the barcode on the CBP receipt. And that’s it!

New Orleans

New Orleans is known as the "Big Easy," for its drinks and food. There is always something going on in this city so it is constantly rolling. I just so happen to go during the NBA All-Star game and the first part of the Mardi Gras celebration. The city was booming  but not too crowded. I started planning this trip back in August once I found out the game was within driving distance of me, I had to go. The hotel prices were ridiculous and I went to plan B, Airbnb. They have had issues in the past when it comes to racial issues and booking. They have fixed these problems by having a lot of Instant Booking listings. These instant bookings do not require you to have pre-approval from the host, you can click book and now you have a place. Where we stayed was great, its called Jessica's Place and its a nice row house. You may think it is small looking from the outside but once you are inside it is massive. Jessica's place is in the middle of the Garden District so you are close to everything. The price was also right for that weekend and I only paid a little over $300 for the whole weekend. That is a pretty good price for All-Star/ Mardi Gras weekend. The host is lovely and one of my favorite since I have been using Airbnb.

The food is amazing in the city and everyone knows it. Its best to make reservations when you are going during big events. I used Open Table  with this site and was able to see a wide variety of restaurants within my price range. We went to a place called Tujague for brunch. OMG!! This place is so good and a hidden gem in the French Quarter. It is an Italian restaurant with a Creole twist. I had this amazing Crawfish Hash dish and every bite had crawfish. During their brunch they have $4 mimosas and a just a pinch of OJ in it. If you are looking for something sweet and Cafe Du Monde is packed I have an alternative for you, Winks.  They are famous for their buttermilk drops. These things are like heaven in your mouth. You better get there quickly because they are constantly selling out. They also offer other delicious treats, like donuts, fritters, and turnovers. If you want something hot they also offer a nice breakfast as well. Dinner time in New Orleans was great. On our first night there we did not make reservations and stumbled upon DRAGO'S after the Celebrity Basketball game. We were in luck it was after 9pm so it was not too crowded. This place is attached to the Hilton do not let that scare you. The prices were great and I had a whole stuffed lobster for under $30. The chargrilled oysters were amazing I loved them. The best places for chargrilled oysters and drinks are the Creole Cookery and Superior Seafood. A few trips back we stumbled upon the Creole Cookery and its one of my favorites. They are not too crowded and are the off in an alley way in the French Quarter. We have never made a reservation or had to wait for a table. The food is great but the oysters steal the show. They are chargrilled with parmesan cheese, garlic, herbs and were amazing. They also make a great Mint Julep. If you get tired of the French Quarter, let me tell you what the Garden District has to offer.  Superior Seafood is the spot. Their oysters are grilled with gooey parmesan cheese, garlic, herbs, and butter.If you do not like oysters their mac and cheese is to die for. It is has the right amount of cheese and crawfish in it. YES CRAWFISH!!!! They also have a wonderful drink selection. They were located on a parade route so we were eating good, while trying to catch some beads.

Cruising!!!!

One of my favorite ways to travel is by cruise ship. I have been on 6 cruises and I have never had a bad time. I have been to the Bahamas, Mexico,  Western Caribbean, Hawaii, and Alaska. I traveled with Disney, Carnival, and Norwegian Cruise line.

I traveled with the Disney Cruise to the Bahamas when I was a child. I highly recommend if you have kids this is the cruise for you. They have something for all ages, I still remember partying with Goofy, Micky, and the crew at age 4. When the boat would be at sea, my parents would leave me in the kids club while they did their own thing. We both enjoyed the time apart. You will also never go hungry there is food everywhere. Depending your destination and length of the cruise determines the price. It can range from $1300-$8000+, don't worry they have payment plans and you can book your cruise a year in advanced. 

If you are a first time cruiser and in your early 20's Carnival is for you. I traveled with them when I was 7 to Key West and Cancun. The cruise was fun but I think my folks had my more fun than I did. They enjoyed the casino, the drinks ,and the food. Being that age all I cared about was the beach and having fun. They have affordable pricing and offer a variety of destinations. They are one of the first cruise ships to travel to Cuba in 2017. Their ships have water slides, great fun and amazing drinks. Prices can range from $200-1300+ they also do payment plans.

My favorite cruise line is Norwegian, 1) I traveled with them 4 times and I loved it. 2) Their staff goes above and beyond for you. 3) I am also a silver member so I have some perks. I have been to the Western Caribbean( Cozumel, Cancun, Honduras, and Belize), Alaska, Hawaii, and most recently the Bahamas. I took my boyfriend on his first cruise to the Bahamas with this cruise line it was a 3 day cruise and he loved it. The best part about this cruise was the open bar policy that was included in the price. We could go into any bar and get just about anything we wanted, the downside was we had to look for bottled water. We chilled at the beach and explored Nassau.We Ate Lunch at a local restaurant and tried Conch (local delicacy). There was even a sports bar on the ship and he was able to catch the NFL games. We ate so much food and never went hungry. Prices can range $500-$4000 they also offer payment plans.

I tell people to do their research when it comes to cruises because each cruise line offers different perks and packages. If you are a first time cruiser I recommend a 3 day cruise and you can see if you like being at sea. Also if you think you will get sea sick bring ginger gum, nausea bracelets, or oils to help make the experience better. Carnival is the one if you are looking for a budget friendly cruise. Disney is the one for you If you are looking for a family cruise and not afraid to increase your budget. Price wise my personal favorite is Norwegian because of the price and exceptional service. Their staff goes above and beyond for you. Most cruise have casinos and really cool shore excursions.

The only major cruise line I have not tried is Royal Caribbean. I hope in the near future I will be able to try them out and tell you all about it.

Trip Advice

When planning a trip I think of a few things. 1) Seasons 2) Budget 3) Where you want to go

1. Season- When I travel I like to travel off season. I try to avoid travel during the holidays and during the popular summer months. You tend to see prices drop in the middle of August to mid-November and again after New Years till the end of February. These are times people are not traveling as much so the prices come down. The week after Thanksgiving is a great example. We went to Universal Studios and stayed on their property. We saved 30% by booking that week and it was not super crowded. It is advisable to take cruises at the end of hurricane season, but they are cheaper during hurricane season. However, I do advise you get travel insurance.

2. Budget- Book a trip that will not break your bank. It is best to save for a trip in advanced which give you the options to set up a payment plan. Also if you belong to AAA or a hotel group take advantage of it being a member you will get discounts. AAA planned our family vacation to Disney World. We went the week before Christmas, travel peak time. AAA had us staying on Disney property which included meal plans for 3 days. They saved our family 25% and that's a lot when it comes to Disney World. If you have a credit card designated for travel you can use your points to rent a car, book a flight or get a hotel room. I have a Capital One Venture One Card and I automatically got 20,000 points for spending $1000 in 3 months which is easier than you think. The 20,000 points helped me get a free hotel room in Miami and rent a car for the weekend.

3. Where do you want to go? This will decide how to plan your budget and when you want to go. I know for me I love to go someone tropical in the winter months and during the fall I like to go to D.C. or New York. These places offer excellent cultural experiences because of the museum and quaint local spots. In addition during the fall I miss the snow and cold weather.