Out with the old and in with the new—we’re onto a new decade, y’all! I am so excited to enter the roaring 20’s in a new city and with new perspectives and lessons learned from this year. There have been ups and downs, for sure. But all of it has strengthened who I am and what my values are in this life.
In this post, I reflect on what I gained personally from 2019—including finding my adventurous side again and facing a challenging friendship situation. I discuss how my travel priorities have shifted as a result of my move to Miami. I also reflect on my favorite travel moments from this year while gearing up for whats in store in 2020!
For years my queer friends have been telling me "You gotta go to P-Town." I understood why—Provincetown, MA is a famous queer destination—but I didn't really know how it would feel until I got there.
There are few places in this world that I feel like I can be absolutely 100% myself. P-Town is now one of those places.
This post is about my experience in P-Town for Memorial Day Weekend and how it shot up to the top of my list of favorite towns to visit in the USA.
There's nothing like spending time with a close friend in a new city and seeing new sights together.
For the last 2 days of my trip to visit Dasha in Denver, I saw psychedelic art, celebrated her birthday with more of her friends, and explored some iconic parts of the Denver area.
We visited the Natura Obscura art exhibit, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and checked out a little western mining town called Golden. Read on to hear about and see all that we did before I departed back to New York!
You know what's awesome? Having friends as adventurous as I am—friends who aren't afraid to travel across the country to try on a new lifestyle. That's what my friend Dasha did over a year ago when she moved to Denver, CO.
A hiker like me, Dasha left her Brooklyn life seeking higher elevations. When I visited for her birthday weekend back in April, I had the privilege of experiencing some of Denver's gorgeous mountain views.
We also had the chance to explore a bit of Denver's nightlife and restaurants. I did a ton with Dasha in just the first 24 hours in Denver—but there's more! This 3 day weekend in Denver is in 2 parts. Here is part 1...ready, set, go!
Curaçao has plenty of calm, clear water and beautiful, sandy beaches flanked by sheer cliff walls and sea caves.
But that's the southern side of the island. Travel to the north side and craggy, rocky shores, rough waters, and natural blowholes make up the scenery.
With all the snorkeling I did, I really appreciated mixing things up to see natural attractions at Watamula Hole and Shete Boka National park.
With my own snorkel gear in tow, I did so much snorkeling while in Curaçao. I have no regrets! The snorkeling, in some cases, was even better than my SCUBA diving trip.
This post is a guide to all of the locations I snorkeled while visiting the island. The best snorkeling is away from the major tourist/resort destinations down near Willemstad. Instead, I focused my attention on the upper, Westpunt region for all my snorkel needs.
There are tons of beaches to choose from, but this guide explains the details of each, my personal experiences with them, and what you can expect in terms of fees, crowds, and more!
This is a quick little story and video to share with you the most amazing snorkeling experience I have ever had.
While snorkeling in Curaçao, I was absolutely awestruck when a huge school of fish, known as a bait ball, came out of nowhere, surrounded me, and then shot back out to sea. It happened in less than 25 seconds but it gave me a natural high I’ve never experienced in my life!
At the time, I was traveling solo in Curaçao after a recent and difficult breakup. I was finally feeling like myself again, like I had made all the right decisions, and that my time in Curaçao was already proving that I am my best self when I trust my instincts.
That’s when the Caribbean sea sent me this gift.
The Blue Room is a major snorkel destination that was high on my list of must-do activities in Curacao. This cave is known for it’s beautiful, deep blue hue and school of fish that hover inside it.
Inside the cave, photographs can be epic beyond words! I had an amazing time on this tour, but not just for the photo opportunity. I heard getting there would be an adventure in itself—an adventure with Curacao legend, Captain Goodlife.
The unexpected parts of this experience are what made this tour absolutely priceless. It was such an awesome experience, I outline in this post all of the ways to get there and the details on why the Goodlife way is the best way!
A major reason why I chose to visit Curaçao is Mt. Christoffel. Curaçao is the only island in this part of the Caribbean that has a true mountain hiking experience.
Mt. Christoffel, also known as Christoffelberg, is a short but challenging hike with satisfying, 360-degree views from the top. I loved this hike and the views so much I spent a ton of time at the top taking it all in.
In this post, I give the complete breakdown of how to make this hike happen in the best way. From the best time to go to how long it'll take you, this is my hiking story and your guide to climbing the highest peak in Curaçao.
Almost 5 years ago, I earned my SCUBA diving license while diving off Koh Tao in Thailand. Since then, I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Earth from beneath the ocean's surface.
My first exposure to diving the Caribbean set the bar high. Diving off the coast of the Dominican Republic was absolutely beautiful. The turquoise seas, the variety of coral and sea life, and the personalized experience I received was top notch.
Diving Curaçao was a very different experience but a truly unique one! With coral shaped like giant mushrooms and reef growing high like skyscrapers, I loved my dive experience in Curaçao!
I can’t believe it! My blog has been going for 5 years now! The date came and went a couple of weeks ago, but I still wanted to take a moment to mark this occasion.
I am proud of the fact that I have kept this blog completely ad-free and non-monetized. I earn nothing for the content I post. And after 5 years of consistently posting at least every other week, there’s a lot of content.
This means my posts have naturally been picked up by search engines and are still offering people some of the best tips on travel hacking and travel in the countries I’ve visited. Although modest in comparison to other travel blog giants, I am proud to share for the first time some of the analytics that represent my totally organic readership!
When I visit new places, I rarely spend a lot of time in the main tourist areas. But the Otrobanda, Punda, and Pietermaai districts of Curaçao's capitol were unique and rich with history, art, culture, food, and fun. I am glad I spent time in this area both during the day and at night to discover the atmosphere in both settings.
I got stuck on a floating bridge, found a secret beach, uncovered unique historic landmarks, and posed with lots of street art. Everything I did I could easily experience in one full day of exploring Willemstad!
My favorite way to explore a country and its culture is through its food.
I enjoyed experiencing Curaçao's unique mix of Caribbean and Dutch food through some of its restaurants, grocery stores, and other little gems I found!
Below I write all about what to eat in Curaçao, including the foods I tried (like iguana!!) and some that I (sadly) missed.
Back in January, I took a vacation for 9 nights to the beautiful, culturally rich Caribbean island country of Curaçao. Typically, a trip like this would cost at least $2,000 in hotel and airfare alone.
My trip cost me about $800 for everything. That included airfare, airbnb stay, car rental, trip insurance, car insurance, local SIM card, all food/meals, diving and snorkeling.
I made this happen through a combination of points, some careful budget planning, and a little luck. In this post, I share the breakdown of what I did to find these deals, including the breakdown of all the costs.
Call me crazy but I love change. I thrive on change. Lucky for me, I have come to understand that change is the only, reliable constant in life.
And so here comes my next big adventure…I am moving to Miami! I am moving for a new job. It’s my dream career, in fact. And I am so very excited about it.
Learn more about this move and my thoughts on it in this quick update post.
This month is the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots and the 3 year anniversary of the Pulse Nightclub shooting. So I have decided to write a bit about my experience visiting the Pulse Nightclub memorial back in November 2018.
Like many of my fellow queers and friends in the LGBTQ community, I was devastated on June 12, 2016 when I learned about the mass shooting that took place at Pulse nightclub resulting in 49 dead, 68 injured, and a world in shock.
While I went to vigils up in New York, my visit to Orlando was my chance to pay my respects in person and reflect more deeply on the reality of what happened.
Being there was even more powerful than I anticipated.
When friends invite you to travel across the border for a one night adventure—you take it! My friends Chelsea and Dayle headed to Montréal, CA last summer for a friend’s wedding. They offered to bring me along for an adventure of my own.
I couldn't pass up the chance! I decided to meet up with an old friend whom I met in my travels. It was an opportunity to catch up with her and see more of Montréal after visiting in summer 2017.
Cape Town is the oldest city in South Africa. There is a ton of history and culture to explore and lots of adventures that will give you some epic coastal city views.
In this post, I share 11 highlights or things I experienced in Cape Town and the nearby areas. Perhaps this will inspire you to visit or revisit to see and do some of the things I did!
Table Mountain is iconic to Cape Town, South Africa. Reaching the summit of Table Mountain is necessary to complete any visit to Cape Town.
I chose to hike Table Mountain on my second to last day in Cape Town. This hike challenged me with its constant upward incline. But the views were immediate, making it worth every ounce of sweat!
Below, I take you on my journey while answering some common questions about this iconic hike. Take it all in and consider it a must-do for when you visit Cape Town!
What happens when two solo travelers meet with no plans that evening? You get instantaneous travel companionship and spontaneous adventure—that's what!
My Polish dive buddy in Cape Town turned out to be a solo traveler looking to hang out. It started with me gladly accepting his offer to drive me into Cape Town. When he suggested we take the "scenic route," I gladly accepted again!
The route we took led us to epic coastline scenery, beach sunset views, and a lookout point over Cape Town at night. This perfect evening spent between two random, solo travel companions marks one of my favorite memories from this trip.
