Why I don't take vacations...

I travel.

And I never call my traveling a "vacation."

I don't travel to relax. I travel to conquer anxiety. (And also to see the world, of course!)

Yes, I could book a nice beach "vacation" through a travel agent or do a nice relaxing cruise, but that's not my style. I plan my trips myself in which every hour is planned and accounted for, every detail, every booking... and it's stressful as heck.

Is that stupid for someone dealing with anxiety? Probably. But executing my plan, following through, and making it back home gives me something that a typical stress-free "vacation" never could.

I plan, I schedule, I stress out, I worry, but when I arrive back home at the airport I can breathe a sigh of relief. I did something that seemed near impossible. I conquered every "what if" fear and I MADE IT! I put myself through the hard stuff because I know it'll be worth it... every step of the way.  Every experience is worth it... even when I get into a tizzy. Because guess what? In the end, it's always okay. It has always been okay. And isn't that a good reminder?

While my traveling is never stress or worry free, it's okay. They're not meant to be vacations. They're empowercations. I need that in my life. I need to be reminded that I can do whatever I set my mind to and while there are scary things out there in this world, I can't live my life in fear. 

The world is too beautiful and the people you meet are too wonderful to let worry and anxiety dictate your life.

Go on, CONQUER THE WORLD.

Obsessive Planning Disorder (OPD)

Obsessive planning disorder.

I know everyone at work is tired of hearing of my travel planning so I figured I would let the rest of the world in on it as well. (aren't you lucky!) As most people know by now, the plan is to head to Africa in June or July of next year.

This is a sample timeline of how I've been planning Africa 2016:
April of 2015: Got ideas from a friend of places I NEED TO GO in South Africa
June of 2015: started researching different tours, hostels, itineraries, things to do/how to get around
August of 2015: basic 15 day itinerary is plotted out (tentative flight ideas, what city I'm in which day, what I'm doing in each city)
Jan-Mar of 2016: big booking !! (flights and game reserve that I really want to go to) ...
April 2016: obtain visa, communicate and ask any questions to tour places/hostels
May 2016: more booking! (hostels, bus travel, other tour)
June 2016: tentative departure!
^yes, I have a plan for planning out my plan! hehehe :)

It's crazy how much planning has already gone into it and just how many little details there are that all have to work out JUST right! For example: flights running only once a day and at a certain time, buses only operating on certain days, tours only operating on certain days, etc. so I'm currently going crazy trying to make sure every last thing is PERFECT and that I don't miss out on anything. It's like one big puzzle which is fun, but frustrating as heck. AND I LOVE IT!

As of now (9/4/15) I'm 75% sure I'm going to Egypt now instead of doing Botswana/Zimbabwe (Victoria Falls) ... I'm terrified, yet super excited. I think it would be awesome to finally see the pyramids in person!!

I'm also trying to get to Hillsong church in Capetown, South Africa (so again, planning out the details just right so I can be in Capetown on a Sunday!)

I must have researched flights at least 50 times already... using different dates, different times, different layovers etc.
Cincinnati --> Cairo
Cairo --> Capetown
Port Elizabeth --> Johannesburg
Johannesburg --> Cincinnati

phewww!

One of my favorites parts about planning travel is that moment when you finally get your flights booked because then you know it's official!! I'll anxiously be awaiting the day....  :)
If anyone wants to come with me, I can squeeze you in! I'll even let you adjust the itinerary... maybe!

Be Safe and Smart!

This is kind of a weird topic for me to write on since I don't have many personal examples... I've been fortunate enough (thank God!) to have never experienced trouble while overseas and am blessed beyond measure to have never felt my personal safety threatened. (let's keep it that way, please!)

I feel like I owe some major thanks to my TRAVEL POUCH!  This is one of my favorite traveling companions. I've heard many stories about pick pocketing in foreign places so I like to walk around with this tucked away underneath my shirt/pants. I'll have my passport and cash stashed away in my pouch so I never have to worry about someone stealing from me. (I also have a copy of my passport in my hotel room and one copy at home with someone I trust)

Before I go to any country, I ALWAYS read up on the do's and don'ts (what's acceptable and what's not) so I know what to expect and will hopefully eliminate some culture shock. :) I do my research, check any advisories, and any insider tips that I can find.  Trip Advisor is such a life saver nowadays so be sure to review activities, tours, hotels, etc. before you go! And then if you had a good experience help them out with some positive feedback! Common sense plays a major role anywhere, but especially when you travel... Don't do things that aren't smart! This should go without saying, but obey the rules of where you're at!

I've seen other blogs mention how important it is to be confident when you're walking and to not pull maps out in busy places. I hardly ever carry maps around, but that's usually because I would rather get lost than look like a tourist.  ;)  I think the main lesson here though is to pay attention to your surroundings. And don't trust (all) people! There are some really good scammers out there-even kids!

I always have someone back home that I check in regularly with... usually via email or text.  They have a copy of all of my important documents and know where I'm staying and where I'm supposed to be each day. This helps tremendously and definitely eases some concerns! 

STAY SAFE & BE SMART!! 

Traveling with money... or no money

I've stayed in really nice hotels and I've also stayed in really disgusting hostels. One of the great things about travel is that you can spend a lot of money or you can spend a minimal amount.

I had never stayed in a hostel until my time in New Zealand... and I stayed in quite a few there as well as one in Australia and a few in Spain. I was extremely skeptical since I had never done anything like that before, but the experiences were actually pretty decent! A good portion of the time, I shared a double bedroom with my friend and I don't think I ever paid more than $30 a night. I also stayed in a female-only dorm style room which was really nice and spent a couple nights in a mixed room. The less picky you are, the cheaper it is. :) I know there are some horror stories out there, but I recommend checking ratings on the hostels before booking. I didn't have a bad experience in any of them... some were just better than others. My favorite one that I stayed in that I can highly recommend is Base in New Zealand/Australia. A lot of hostels even provide you with tours (some free) that you can sign up for and explore the city. Some cities even offer FREE walking tours which usually hit the highlights of the city! 

Another great way to travel around is through HelpX. It's how I traveled around New Zealand in the beginning. You stay with host families and they will usually include food and accommodation in exchange for working a few hours a day. You do simple things like cleaning or gardening and then you have the rest of the day to explore. It's super nice and it's all done by ratings so you can verify the host listings before you get there. It also provides you with an authentic experience by staying with families. :)

Hostels and HelpX are both wonderful ways to travel around on a limited budget.

I have mixed feelings about hop-on-hop-off tours. It's nice if you only have a day in the city and want to hit the highlights, but you don't often get the authentic non-touristy experience by doing so. Usually the bus price is pretty reasonable and it's an easy way to not get lost. I got into Ireland at 6 or so in the morning and my hotel wasn't ready yet. I had a half a day to waste so instead of using my brain to think about where I was going I just got on the hop bus and took it around the city a few times.

As you can see, there ARE options for travel on a limited budget. You just have to find them. :)

What travel means to me...

Traveling is one of the most incredible and rewarding experiences... EVER. I've said it before and I'll say it again - one of my all time favorite things about travel is the "I'M FINALLY HERE" moments! 

I remember our drive to see the Great Wall of China and I was so full of excitement and anticipation. This was something I had seen multiple times on TV, in textbooks... and I was about to see it in person!! My eyes were wide open (I don't even think that I blinked!) the last 30 minutes of the drive as I was trying to catch the first glimpse of the wall. I remember when I first caught sight of it-- it was pure JOY and elation! You learn so much about history, culture, people, politics, art... anything you can possibly think of. Going to these places and experiencing things first hand is always way better than any textbook or documentary. 

Not only that, but the people are incredible. One of my favorite stories involves staying at a hostel in Australia. I shared a room with a girl from Venezuela, a girl from Australia, two girls from Norway, a girl from China, and a girl from England. (5 of 7 continents represented!) We had been in the room for maybe 10 minutes and we were already talking and laughing and poking fun at each other. There is something so wonderful when everything else gets pushed aside- whatever is happening in the world simply doesn't matter and countries can come together as friends. It's a beautiful thing. 

Something else that's beautiful is the confidence you gain when you realize that you're a strong and independent woman and you can navigate any gosh darn country you please!  ;)  I've mentioned this in other posts, but I'm as anxious as they come. I'm also an introvert. I'm also terrible with directions, but that has not stopped me! I've done solo traveling on two different continents and 6 different countries. It is the most exciting and liberating experience and I have not regretted it once!! 

I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes about travel:

"Travel has made me a better Lover. A lover of self, a lover of individuals, a lover of humanity at large, a lover of the possibilities, a lover of opportunity, and a lover of what is, in any given moment, right in front of me."

(For full article click here: BootsnAll) 

Scary travel stories

We were just on the Yangtze River cruise a week and a half ago. I got word this morning that a similar cruise boat sank in the river and hundreds are feared dead. 

Years ago, I was in Wisconsin doing bungy jumps at Extreme World... A week later a girl almost died doing the same jump I did. (Last I heard she was paralyzed) 

I can go on about places I've been and accidents that have happened shortly after I left, but that's not what this post is about. 

I am as scared as they come. I was freaking out pre-Asia ...worrying about earthquakes and getting sick and almost anything else you could think of, but I wouldn't let that stop me. 

After the news today, I went through and found the note I had written after the bungy jump incident. The last bit says it all:

Big dreams becoming real tonight

I'm not going to lie... the title of this post was a line in a song from the 2014 movie, Annie.  I only watched it 10 times flying back and forth during my Asian journey.  :p  (What can I say? I didn't like my other movie choices!)

I've been back in the states for about a week so I decided to write my summary/recap post about my journeys. 

JAPAN:

I used Viator and found a couple of guides to show us around Tokyo and Kyoto. I used Viator once before (my quick day trip to Paris) and it proved itself so I decided to use it for private guides. While I can't say it was the greatest option out there, it  DID serve its purpose and proved itself yet again. 

I was nervous about Asia from the get-go since mostly everything is written in characters and there is no way I was going to learn or try to translate all those 你好 characters! We had limited time in Japan and, sure, we could have probably struggled along and stopped every 5 minutes to ask for someone who could speak english to get us to our destinations, but going with the guide was so much easier. They knew the city, they could give us background, and they could translate for us. It was worth it-especially since the rates were good.

Japan was decent, but I would probably not go back. I'm glad I got to see everything that I did, but there wasn't anything that I was truly over the moon for. 

CHINA: 

I booked through China Highlights and I HIGHLY recommend them!! I was in contact with my representative, Delia, and she gave me a sample itinerary based on what I had expressed interest in. We then tweaked it and customized and that was it! (Aside from getting the visa which Travisa helped tremendously!) 

We had our own private tour throughout China and a guide met us every step of the way and took us everywhere we wanted to go. I'm even still in touch with a few of the guides! They were great! (Shout out to Louise in Beijing, Cody in Chengdu, and Leo in Shanghai!)

I think I mentioned this earlier, but I was SUPER nervous about China - from eating over there, to the language barrier, to being so crowded, to everything I know being blocked over there, etc. BUT IT WAS SO MUCH BETTER THAN I THOUGHT!!! I was extremely impressed with China and my dad was too! 

Funny thing about China is how many people wanted to take a picture with me because of my blonde hair. Definitely felt like a celebrity! 

AFRICA:

Yes, AFRICA. I did not go to Africa, but that's my plan for next year. I am currently working on an itinerary and will be going sometime between May and September of next year. I would LOVE for some company! If you (or anyone you know) would like to come, please message me!!  While I would love to go to Egypt and Morocco, I kind of doubt I'll be going since it's probably not safe-especially for me solo.  I will probably go to South Africa - maybe Botswana and Zimbabwe.  Any advice from fellow travelers would be greatly appreciated!! 

My dream is to travel the world. One of the greatest things about traveling (aside from seeing all these AMAZING places) is meeting so many AMAZING people. My heart is happy. I am happy to have explored a new continent, experienced a new culture, learned more than sitting in a classroom could ever teach me, and become friends with some of the sweetest people. Thank you for following me, reading my blog, liking and commenting on my photos. I hope that one day my travels can help someone else plan their perfect trip. <3 

River Cruise Recap and Shanghai!

Recap: The river cruise was alright. It was not a highlight, but it was okay. It was a Yangtze River cruise and we saw the three gorges, the dam, and boat locks.

We are currently in Shanghai. The city is beautiful at night :) 

Today we explored the city and also went to the Venice of China, zhujiajiao:

The city of Shanghai is so lovely:

We went to the Shanghai museum and went to the top of this bad boy:

(Shanghai world financial center)

The only thing that would have made it more perfect is if they would have a bungy jump off this thing!! 

Heading home tomorrow!! We have a few hours in the morning to see some more sites and then we'll be off on our 19 hour journey home! Yuck! 

I'll write more once I get home...It has been hard to blog this all from my phone!! 

River Cruise update

Not a bad view, eh?

But it's so windy !

Tomorrow we will end our cruise and head to Shanghai (our final city!)

Another note: overall, China has been crowded/not crowded. It has never been overwhelmingly crowded as I originally thought, but every now and then there are spurts of crowds. And in those particular crowds it's always push push and shove shove...which I abhor and yet secretly love. 

I'm good at darting and getting through crowds. If someone cuts me off over here I jump right back in front of them. It's an extreme annoyance towards people who do it and yet fun at the same time because I can get away with it over here. You just gotta fight for yourself sometimes. #dontmess

Yangtze River Cruise: pagoda excursion

Today was a lazy, but good day. We're on the Yangtze River cruise right now and did a shore excursion to a pagoda. 

This was a fun bouncy bridge we crossed:

Then we climbed the pagoda! 

A view from higher up:

(You can see our boat on the left hand side)

That one update..

This trip has been fine/good up until yesterday. I think every trip, at some point, has a breaking point. Yesterday was it for me. 

A bunch of things went wrong.... None of which were a huge deal, but everything added up quickly and I'm over it. I'm really missing me some blue skies, Panera, toilets to sit on, and English. (Not in that order)

Last night I had a really good grilled cheese sandwich which made my day a little better... And we got to sit with some Aussies at breakfast today which made me happy. It's the little things I miss most! (Not to mention I'm getting tired of being stared at all the time!)

In other news... 

This is one of my favorite guides ever:

I wish we could have had him for our whole time in China! 

We're currently on a "river cruise" on the Yangtze River ...  Before we boarded, we went to the 
Three Gorges Museum.  It's built to protect, research, and exhibit he history and culture in Chongqing and Three Gorges area. This wasn't interesting to me, but I'm not familiar with the area so that is probably a big factor. 

Chengdu Panda Stop!

First of all... I can't handle so much cuteness!  I must have a couple hundred pictures of these guys! 

The Panda Research base in Chengdu is fantastic. For over 30 years the base has been a non-profitt breeding and research institute for giant pandas, red pandas, and other rare animals. I believe there are about 120 giant pandas and 76 red pandas here.  They also work to educate about conservation! 

Xi'an

Driving in China is CRAZY!! This is the land of no rules/no tickets.

Well, I take that back... Here are the rules that I've picked up on:

Red means stop

Green means go

Drive on the right hand side

Pull over for ambulance 

There is no such thing as yielding 

You can cut across 5 lanes of traffic without warning 

You can drive in the middle of the road whenever you feel like it's a good idea 

If there's not a spot, make one

You can make U turns whenever you feel like it

You can stop on the side whenever you feel like it 

I'm amazed at how there are no dents or scratches on any of the cars. (That I've seen)

I tried to take a video of the driving here, but it simply doesn't do it justice. 

Back to the itinerary! 

We spent the day in Xi'an ...

There is an actual wall that surrounds the city!! Big enough to ride bikes on :) 

We also went and saw the Terracotta Warriors which is one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of all times! We even met the farmers who discovered them!

We're in Chengdu now and will be visiting the pandas tomorrow!!

That moment!!

One of my friends was just talking about this... He was talking about the "I'm finally here!!" moments. 

It's when you've seen landmarks on TV or in textbooks and then to actually be standing there in person... it's a complete joy-filled moment!! 

I walked along the Great Wall of China today!!! I just wanted to keep staring at it because it was so magnificent and stretched out as far as eye could see. 

'

I have so many photos of it because it made me sooooo happy!

They even have a toboggan coming down from the Great Wall!! 

We then did the Hutong tour in  Dongcheng district... It reminded me of Nashville. A lot of music and bars :) 

We traveled around in this thing:

I have videos, but for some reason I can't upload them to the blog from my phone. Check other social media sources for the vids! 

Complete 180! Starting in Beijing !

Wow!!

Yesterday when we arrived in Beijing, I was beyond impressed. Complete 180 from our time in Japan. 

Okay... So since we're out of Japan, I feel like I can speak more freely about the experience there. 

I used viator to find tour guides of the cities. (I used viator before to book a one day tour to Paris and it was fine) 

The guides we got in Japan were okay, but not great. I feel like every 5 minutes it was another ___yen to get on the train or go to this attraction or this or that... Seemed to really add up! They got us around, they told us stuff, they did their job... But they weren't good at having conversations. It was awkward and uncomfortable a lot of times because of the language barrier. 

A lot of the sites were temples and shrines... Which were nice, but once I saw 3 or 4, I was good. 

I think the overall flow of our time there was exhausting and very difficult -even with the guides. It might just be my experience or because of the guides, but I was always worried about offending people. (Which I don't think is necessarily bad because we do need to be aware of our surroundings and cultural differences)  There was just an overwhelming sense of uncomfortableness and awkwardness.

So on one hand, the guides did get us from place to place, they did show us things we probably wouldn't have seen ourselves, they did their job, but there was something so greatly missing from the experience there. 

China, on the other hand, is blowing me away. 

I booked through China Highlights and the guide who came and got us was as sweet as could be and very chatty. Right away I felt much more at ease and welcome here in China. Definitely not what I was expecting! I had preconceived ideas and worries about China and it has been the exact opposite!! I was expecting to feel better and more comfortable in Japan, but I'm actually feeling more happy and comfortable in China.

Enough blab... Here are some pics from today!!

Tiananmen Square 

Forbidden city 

Theatre at the summer palace 

Olympic stadium 

Kyoto 2

Golden gates of Fushimi Inari Taisha

(Finally something I recognized!)

Favorite moment so far:

We were taking the bullet train back to Tokyo and all of a sudden this beauty appears. Mount Fuji is so big and majestic and perfect. I wish we would have done a day trip there instead of some other things... Also awesomely enough, "Overwhelemed" was playing as Fuji came into view. :) #perfection

In other news ... We're leaving tomorrow for China. 

Japan has been slightly ...(insert missing word that I can't come up with at the moment), but there have been a few things that I've really enjoyed: seeing Mount Fuji for 2 minutes out the bullet train window, the golden gates as pictured above, and the bamboo forest from yesterday. Me gusta mucho! 

Glad we could spend a few days here 

Kyoto

We took the bullet train to Kyoto today and then walked our legs off touring the city. 

We went to the bamboo forest:

Saw another temple:

... I honestly don't know what all we did today. It seems like it's one temple/shrine after another. 

It's pretty, but Japan is definitely...not what I expected. 

Tokyo

Okay... so first of all, flight over here was KILLER. And I think for the first time ever I got air sick.

CRAZY STORY: I also dropped my phone through the narrow crack right before you board the plane so it fell straight to the pavement. The little guys in ear muffs had to go get it and somehow my phone was perfectly fine!! 

I also couldn't get a full nights sleep once we arrived which is weird for me... Jet lag normally doesn't affect me. 

So aside from the rough travel day... 

We spent our day today exploring Tokyo. 

 imperial palace grounds:

Shibuya diagonal crossing:

Rikugien garden:

Senso-ji -Buddhist temple 

And I thought this was pretty: