Hey you guys! I suspect you are feeling a little restless for a getaway, but aren’t ready to fly yet. Well, I’ve got you covered with my video that will inspire you to take a coastal Georgia road trip. I also have a free itinerary that I’d love to share with you.
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Hey everyone! I made a tour guide filled with all my favorite things on Tybee Island that I think you will love too! I’ve created an itinerary and even found a great vacation home to stay in while you are there. Zac and I stayed in this rental, in exchange for a review, photos, and a virtual tour, with friends over spring break and loved it!
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Tybee Airbnb Option
We also loved this Tybee Vacation Rental that was perfect for large groups! Here is a quick video that shows the inside. It is 2 stories and has 7 beds. We easily fit 4 cars in the gravel driveway!
Hey everyone! I am doing some market research and am launching a giveaway to say THANK YOU for participating! The random winner will receive a $50 gift card from Hotels.com to use on the destination of your choice!
The winner can ALSO request a free itinerary from yours truly to the destination they choose to visit with the gift card.
The best itineraries will probably be from places I’ve already explored, which are:
U.S.A:
•Pasadena, L.A., and San Fransisco, California •Spokane, Washington •Washington D.C. • Wisconsin • Minneapolis, Minnesota •Savannah, Tybee, Atlanta, Helen, Elijay, Blue Ridge, Georgia •Orlando, St. Petersburg, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Sarasota, Destin, Panama City, Daytona, and Cocoa Beach, Florida •Charleston and Hilton Head South Carolina •Williamsburg,Virginia •Cape May, New Jersey
Abroad:
•Cozumel, Melaque, Guadalajara, Mexico •St. Thomas and St. Maartin, B.V.I •Rome, Venice, and Tuscany, Italy •Paris, France •Brussels and Brugge, Belgium • Bacharach, Boppard, Beilstein, Edam, Burg Eltz Castle, Hohenzollern Castle, and Black Forrest, Germany • Delft, Keukenhof Gardens, and Haarlem, Netherlands
*If you choose another place, I will still do research and make you an itinerary, but it will be based on other online information*
Here’s how to enter:
*Find my giveaway post that is a picture of me looking way too excited on a beach*
This past week, March 7-14th, I spent my spring break from college in Oahu, Hawaii, and I miss it already! I’ve learned a few things about the island that I hope you can take with you on your Hawaiian adventure. The water was actually cooler than I expected so we opted to hike SEVERAL trails along the Southern Coast and North Shore. Luckily, hiking is free (besides $5 parking) so you don’t have to spend tons of money on Oahu to have fun. I would recommend taking on all of these hikes, but will say that my legs were feeling pretty tired by the end. To help with your trip planning, I have included a map with all hiking locations and will give you as much information as I can about the difficulty level, crowds, and landmarks as some trail heads are not easy to find.
Kealia Trail
On almost the furthest west side of the North Shore hides a wonderful trail right next to an airport that’s popular for skydiving and paragliding. This hike was slightly difficult to find, but Google Maps works just fine right up to the turning point that leads to the parking lot. Once you turn left after the airport runway into a road labeled “Access Gate,” keep going until there’s a parking lot on your left. Once parked, walk to the right and head toward the mountains down a gravel path until the “Kealia Trail” sign steers you in the right direction. This hike is 3.5 miles up, and consists of several switchbacks and rocky, uneven paths. The view is most beautiful during the hike so be sure to stop for some pictures rather than hoofing it up to the top so fast. At the top, after the picnic table, explore the trails that go further. Once you reach the artwork on the water tower, there’s not much more to see as your view is covered by trees. This trail takes about 4 hours from leaving the car to returning back down. On the hike, you might see several skydivers jumping from planes that took off from the airport below as well as gliders coasting over the ocean. March weather is perfect for hiking! However, even in Hawaii’s winter, it gets hotter toward the afternoon. Try to hike no later than 10am to 2pm in January-March, but in the summer, go as early as you can. After a job well-done, hop in the car and enjoy the coastal highway, H3, admiring the beauty of the land and the talent of the surfers. Perhaps spend the evening at the Polynesian Cultural Center buffet dinner and Breath of Life Show, which I will discuss in a future post. Unless you can reserve that for another time earlier in the day, which is what I would recommend.
Koko Crater Trail
This trail is challenging and steep, but the view from the top is incredible. The parking lot most people use for this trail is also used for ballfields, so it’s pretty crowded. Arrive no later than 8-8:30am in March if you want a spot. Koko Crater Trail is not for the faint of heart. It goes straight up for about 1,500 steps. The trail is an old railway with worn down ties and washed out dirt. It is only about 1.5 miles, but it takes about an hour or two to get to the top. You will weave in and out of those going up and will try to get out of the way of those experienced crazies running down! This is why I say you should go earlier than 8:30 if you can. The less people, the better. At the top, you’ll see why you climbed all that way. Hanauma Bay is in front of you and the giant crater is behind. There are plenty of high platforms on the top of the mountain for great pictures, including the old railway car housing. Spend a good 30 minutes to an hour photographing the views, meeting fellow conquerors, and hearing their stories. On the way down, if you are a less-than-avid hiker (I am just that) hike sideways to alleviate pressure on your knees while descending. The descent will be a breeze compared to the climb. This hike is the most difficult that some people will ever experience, but it will also be the most rewarding. Once you make it back down, don’t forget to look back at the impressive feat you just accomplished and remind yourself that it was all while on vacation.
Diamond Head Trail
As one of the most famous hikes on Oahu, Diamond Head is always crowded. However, the parking spaces free up fairly quickly so wait in line until one is available. You will most likely head to the trail with a large group of others unless you get there when gates open at 6am. However, everyone has their own pace so the trail is not unbearably crowded nor is it extremely narrow. No matter, there will be hikers of all ages, so I just accept the fact that this is going to be a slow, leisurely hike. Explore every inch of this hike, and climb every set of stairs. Even if they look intimidating, you won’t regret it. Close to the top, there is a set of yellow stairs to the right, which you will want to ignore, but really should climb because it’s cool! There is a battery with rusted metal doors and a small artillery area that was used in WWII. The top of Diamond Head is so crowded that you might not want to stay long, but at least take in the city views to your right and the coastal waters to your left. Remember, gates open at 6am. So if you’re an early riser, beat the crowd.
Manoa Falls
If you’re not tired after Diamond Head, eat lunch and drive to Manoa Falls, which is about 20 minutes north. Once again, Google Maps takes you straight to this hike, and parking is about $5. Manoa is a 3 mile hike round trip. As you begin the walk, you’ll see why they chose this location to film Jurassic Park as it’s filled with bamboo shoots and jungle views that seem to go on forever. Although there is very uneven terrain, this hike is fairly easy most of the way, only getting difficult toward the end near the waterfall. You may see a few groups hiking along with you, but the real crowd comes at the waterfall. People wait for good spots to take pictures, but there probably never will be one. The bottom of the fall is just deep enough to reach your ankles, but the water is freezing! On your hike back, you may see a girl finishing up her music video in the bamboo shoots, and it will sound really good! I found her on Instagram, @OLIVIATHAI. She was on American Idol XV and won both Taiwan Idol and Megastar!
Makapu’u Lighthouse Trail
The last hike of this post is a 1.5 mile steep walk up a paved road. The ground is even, but the climb escalates quickly. After all this hiking, your legs may be giving out at this point, so it may seem more difficult than usual. The scenery is beautiful the entire way, with views of the rocky coast and bright blue crashing waves. It may begin to rain as you reach the top, but don’t turn back after going so far. The rain comes and goes in Hawaii. Now, I’m not going to lie, don’t expect a huge lighthouse, but its surroundings are still breathtaking. The waves will look like they have blue dye in them as they crash against the rocks. After staying at the top for quite a while, make your way back to the car and take a load off. Head to Waikiki and reward your efforts with an acai bowl from Tropical Tribe. Hopefully the sun will make an appearance, and you can spend the rest of your day on the beach where they film Hawaii Five-0.
Here’s just a quick snapshot of how amazing Oahu really is!
I hope this was helpful in planning your next adventure!
I used an Akaso adventure camera for all my videos in Hawaii. It was amazing and way cheaper than a Gopro. The wifi feature doesn’t work, but that’s the only issue, which I think is well worth a $100 savings! Also, if you submit a review on Amazon, they will send you a whole package of accessories for free! It comes with body and head straps, extra batteries, etc.
We rented a home in Alewa Heights while visiting this amazing island. Check out great Hawaiian vacation rentals at VRBO!
Purchasing any items on Amazon through these links, and not only the ones that I mention, help me to share useful tips with you about travel, so thank you!
This past Spring Break, I took advantage of my precious time off from class and hit the road. My family, boyfriend, and I drove to the Historic Triangle in Virginia, consisting of Williamsburg, Yorktown, and Jamestown. The most fascinating stories of the first British colonies and the Revolutionary War were told to us by historians at each site. It was interesting to listen to the stories unfold and imagine how they lived during the 1800s. After exploring the primary towns responsible for the formation of America, we decided to do the fully American thing, and drove about 2.5 hours north to Washington D.C.
This post is a compilation of mistakes we made in D.C. as well as some things we really enjoyed. I’ll list the most useful ways of getting around and my favorite parts of our capital. Here’s the map of the walking route we took, which I think covered most of the historic landmarks.
We did not make it to the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Lost Soldier this trip, but that is definitely worth attending.
The Big Mistake:
The entire day before and even on our way to D.C., we were debating whether to search for a parking spot in D.C. or park at a metro nearby and take it into town. On the way there, I read a blog that recommended the metro so we got off at the next exit, parked our car, and took the metro. HUGE mistake!!!!!! Only one metro was working so they combined the yellow and blue line into one route. We spent about an hour and a half just trying to go what would have taken us 15 minutes by car. I recommend taking the risk of driving into D.C. and finding a parking spot. If you can’t find a metered spot, which can now be paid by credit card and phone, pay $24 for a whole day at the Union Station parking garage. Once there, you can buy a metro card for the buses. Plus, if you do want to tour Georgetown or the cute neighborhoods nearby, you can just go pick up your car and drive there.
The Holocaust Museum:
Our first stop was to the Holocaust Museum because we reserved a slot online the day before for 1pm. If you have a reservation, you avoid the long line that goes all the way out the door. We scooted on by and showed the front desk our tickets that we printed at our hotel and they let us right through. This tour took us about 2 hours, but you could spend so much longer if you weren’t on a time crunch. It is heart wrenching as you walk through each level and experience the lives of the Jewish people who begin as normal citizens and eventually have everything stripped away from them. For children, the first floor has a walk-through story about a Jewish child whose life is turned upside down by the Nazis. Although still very real and very sad, this portion of the museum is less graphic.
Air and Space Museum:
Even though I had toured D.C. before, this was my boyfriend’s first time ever. I wanted him to get the most out of the small amount of time we had in this incredible place. Growing up, he wanted to be an astronaut and then a military pilot, so we chose to tour the Air and Space Museum as it was 3 pm and we could only choose one Smithsonian before they closed. Once again, in every museum you can spend 30 minutes to 5 hours there, depending on how interested you are in the subject matter.
The United States Capitol:
This is one of my favorite buildings for two reasons: 1.) The architecture and paintings inside are mind-blowing, and 2.) They give tours. I love tours because when stories are told by historians and tour guides who really love the topic, I get really into it and love their enthusiasm. We had a recent grad student lead our tour group who was an excellent speaker, knew his stuff, and even threw in trivia questions for fun. After the tour, we walked to the Library of Congress. It was closed, but we were still able to walk up the steps and admire just how amazing this building really was. I mean, even the door was made of three-foot thick solid wood!
Dinner at Union Station:
Union Station should be on your list for sight-seeing even if you aren’t taking a train ride or even eating. It is simply beautiful. It’s ceilings reach all-time highs and it doesn’t disappoint when compared to the rest of the architecture in D.C. We ate at the Shake Shack, which serves overpriced burgers and fries. I would probably recommend choosing something else in the food court like Chinese food or Charley’s Philly Cheese Steaks.
D.C. at Nighttime:
Go see the monuments at night! Lincoln looks even more gigantic then he already is and the White House is beautifully lit for pictures. We walked from the Lincoln Memorial to the Vietnam and Korean War memorials and then to the WWII Memorial. They were all so much more breathtaking when every name on the wall of fallen soldiers was lit up in honor.
Transportation Options:
While clearly I had a bad experience with taking the metro into town, others have had great luck. The parking is free, and the metro card is only about $5 each. If you do decide to use it, hopefully both metro routes will be working properly. If you choose to park in the heart of D.C., go for the Union station parking lot. As far as once you’re in the city, you walk and walk some more! The buses will take you to certain landmarks, but we just walked everywhere. As long as you make a giant loop around the city, it’s not a bad walk especially when the weather is nice. If you have more time to spend, take a car to see the outskirts. I’ve read of the amazing eats and cute neighborhoods that I will definitely go see on my next trip there. I live about 9 hours from D.C. so I’ve never flown in except on a field trip with a tour bus. I think renting a car would be helpful if spending a week in D.C. as you will want to see more outside the district.
Places to Stay:
Option #1 (cheapest):
In the city, places to stay will be pricey. I just looked it up on Booking.com and found several hostels available if you are looking to meet new people. Some hostels even serve breakfast. A 3 night stay was around $150.
Option #2 (Priciest):
Hotels on the outskirts of D.C. near Arlington Cemetery are $100/ night. However, you are paying for convenience if you choose a centralized hotel, which could be well-worth the cost if you are only staying for a few nights.
Option #3 (in between):
For families or groups of 4 or more, there is no beatingAirbnb.com. More space for less money allows you to cook your meals, or at least your breakfast, and fit more people into one house or apartment instead of in multiple hotel rooms. I just looked and found severalAirbnb stays for around $100/ night in neighborhoods close to the White House or Capitol Hill.
On our tour of Western Europe, my friends and I spent three days in Paris, exploring as much of the city as we could. Surprisingly, we got several highlights of this magical city done in a small amount of time- I’ll explain how in this blog. The best part about Paris is the Metro, which will get you anywhere in no time at all. We didn’t get a metro pass for this short trip, but chose to just buy about twenty tickets at a time and split the cost. Our days in Paris were May 16-May 18, 2017. This was still pre-tourist season, but it was getting busier as summer was quickly approaching.
Here is a recap of our Paris adventure, followed by suggestions and total costs of each day:
Day 1:
Monmarte, Sacre Ceour, Café Le Consulat, Eiffle Tower, & Arc de Triomphe
Our starting point to Paris was in Mons, Belgium, where my friend’s family lives. We picked up our friend from the Brussels airport on May 14th and headed to the Mons train station at 7:20 am on May 16th. We bought our train tickets about 2 months before our trip to Paris because prices were quickly rising. We took the high-speed Thalys train, made a few connections, and arrived in the Paris-Nord train station around lunch-time.
The train station is about 10-15 minutes from Monmarte, a very scenic area, famous for its beautiful Sacre Ceour church and artists. We locked our belongings in a giant locker at the train station and took a bus to Monmarte. This was the only time we would be close to Monmarte as it is further away from the heart of Paris. The bus dropped us off at the bottom of the lengthy stairs, which led to the incredible Sacre Ceour church. At the top, we could see the entire city as well as the beautiful inside of this enormous church. Surrounding this church are multiple artists who paint their favorite views of their beloved city. Paintings ranged from 20 euro to hundreds, and they were well worth every penny. I just did not have it in my budget to buy one though I really did want to take them all home with me. Next, we had lunch at the famous café, Le Consulat, which is the most photographed and posted café in all of Paris. We had omelets and tap water. Thankfully, Paris will serve you tap water for free, unlike any other place that we visited in Germany or the Netherlands. After lunch, we took a bus back to the station, retrieved our belongings from the lockers, and took the metro to our Airbnb apartment.
Our Airbnb in Paris was not as great as all the other ones we stayed in throughout this trip. We made it to the entrance of the apartment, but it was locked with a key pad. We checked the rule book on our Airbnb booking online and could not find the code so we were locked out. When we called the host she said, “The code is online,” and hung up! Luckily, another apartment resident arrived and let us in. I looked just now, and this apartment is no longer available on Airbnb, so that’s good. This was the only bad experience we had out of our 6 Airbnb stays during our Europe travels. I still think Airbnb is the best way to travel affordably, just read all the reviews before booking. Once we retrieved the passcode, we got our key, dropped our stuff off, and headed to the Eiffel Tower.
Just a few left turns took us to the Metro, which got us to the most famous street in the world in just a few minutes. Packed with locals and tourist alike, Avenue des Champs-Élysées runs between the Place de la Concorde and the Place Charles de Gaulle and is home to the famous Arch de Triomphe. Guards and rails blocked underneath this massive structure as a ceremony was being conducted at the time. However, there were plenty of available spots for great pictures. We continued down the street, seeing the beautiful architecture of uniform buildings with iron terraces. The famous bridge, covered in gold statues and carvings was incredibly busy. We decided to enjoy it from afar and make our way to the Eiffel Tower. This large structure that is the epitome of Paris beauty is far bigger than I ever imagined and is just as romantic as I pictured it to be. Vendors selling roses stopped couples nearby, convincing men to buy the love of their life a red flower to express their feelings. The Chainsmoker’s recent single, Paris, was literally playing everywhere, and cheap key chains and souvenirs were laid out, begging for tourists to pick them up. We splurged this evening and ate at a nice restaurant as nothing is cheap around the Eiffel Tower. Unfortunately, I got sick off of seared tuna steak and we had to turn in before night-time approached and the tower lights lit up the sky.
Train to Paris- $60, Metro 5 euro, Dinner 20 euro, Post Card .20 euro, Apartment Stay: 50 euro. Total: 135.20 euro = $161.69
Day 2:
Louvre, Lunch in La Marais, Galeries Lafayette, Laduree Macarons, Rue Montorgueil Market Street, & Train Railroad Park (Promenade Plantee) Picnic
I felt much better the next day, which was good because we had no time to spare. After eating a quick breakfast of boiled eggs and yogurt, which we grabbed the day before in a grocery store, we headed off for more adventures in Paris. This day was filled with admiring famous paintings, window shopping, and lots of eating! We left about 8 am to beat the crowd to the Louvre. Only waiting about 30 minutes in line, we spent about 2 hours in a museum that could take weeks to completely accomplish. Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa resides inside this massive structure, but don’t have high hopes. I found all the other paintings much more beautiful. Why she is so famous is still beside me.
After exiting the museum, we enjoyed the view as we strolled the sidewalk that was lining the Seine River. Unfortunately, the bridge that was once famous for its love locks had been stripped of the massive amount of metal that had been weighing it down. A few locks remained on the light posts, but the bridge was mostly bare. My favorite part of this walk was the green boxes atop the river guard walls, which looked like nothing early in the morning while they were closed. However, when their owners came to open them, the boxes proved to be filled with old French novels, souvenirs, and paintings of the city. For lunch, we headed to Le Marais, which is located in the 3rd and 4th arrondissements of Paris, consisting of lovely cafés and secret passages that open up into gorgeous boutiques. We went inside Galerie Vivienne.
Next we headed to the part of Paris that was way out of our league, but we didn’t care. The first stop was at Galeries Lafayette- the very first department store ever built. Filled with Gucci, Prada, and 300 euro sundresses, we breezed through each level admiring the exquisiteness of it all. The real reason we came to this store was for the view. Galeries Lafayette has a terrace at the very top that displayed the most spectacular view of Paris, including the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and the Palais Garnier.
The department store was surrounded by other high end shops so we window shopped until we reached the famous Laduree macarons. Some visitors bought dozens of flavors, but we each just bought one each as we were still full from lunch. Heads up, the salted caramel macaroon is a great choice! We got some chuckles from the employees as we took several pictures in the adorable shop, but hey, it was our first time in Paris!
Next on the list was to buy some food for a picnic that evening. We took the Metro to Rue Montorgueil Market Street, where bakeries, cheese and wine shops, and rotisseries line the streets and fill it with mouth-watering aromas. We each grabbed the dinner of our choice and took the Metro again to Promenade Plantee, an old railroad bridge that has been transformed into a park. I had never seen anything like this. We climbed up the stairs and entered into a narrow pathway surrounded by trees and flowers with benches for stopping to enjoy the nature.
Our last stop for the day was the famous Rue Cremenieux. Each house on this street is painted a different, pastel color. No one knows why, but the residents have maintained this tradition, making this neighborhood a fun little walk to enjoy when sightseeing nearby.
La Chappelle, Notre Dame, Museum D’Orsay, Latin Quarter
We left at 9:15 on our last day and walked to Saint Chappelle, the famous church. The stained glass windows were very ornate, but other than that it was not really worth 11 euro. The Sacre Ceour and all the other churches in Germany and the Netherlands were way more impressive and free. I don’t regret seeing it as it was beautiful, I just wouldn’t go again. However, I could have marveled at the Notre Dame all day long, and it was free. The detail in every inch of its architecture explains vividly why the Notre Dame took 200 years to complete. A story unfolds in the carvings that completely cover the solid stone walls of this church. On the inside, a herd of people uniformly circled around the outside of the pews, reading the history behind such a masterpiece as a choir was beautifully singing American hymns.
For lunch, we walked to the lively Latin Quarter, which is filled with cheap, delicious food and souvenirs. Crêperie Chez Suzette on Rue de Huchette caught our attention as it served savory crepes that were perfect for lunch or dinner, and were only 5 euro if ordered to-go at the window. I got one filled with Mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, onions, and red bell pepper… best thing I’ve ever eaten in my life, no lie. We crossed the street and got the cutest gelato dessert at Amorino. The server sculpted my frozen treat into a rose on top of a small cone.
Down the street was the famous, Museum D’Orsay, where we got through the line fairly quickly and received a student discount of 2 euro off our ticket. Though the Louvre displayed all types of art, this museum contained mostly paintings, but they were amazing. At the top of this museum was a giant clock that was perfect for silhouette pictures so be sure not to miss it.
That evening, we headed back to the Latin Quarter to eat a cheap dinner and grab souvenirs. I’m a coffee addict so, of course, I NEEDED a Paris mug and my friend got her sister a book from a small bookstore that would be every bookworm’s dream come true. Shakespeare & Co. is a small store with books that reach up to the ceiling. Outside, there was a guitarist playing and singing for visitor’s enjoyment, and tips.
Our last day in Paris ended with a light rain just as we finished walking back to our apartment. We opened the window, brewed some coffee, and relaxed to the pitter-patter of the rain as we prepared for a train ride to Germany the next morning.
I hope this detailed itinerary of my trip to this breathtaking city has given you the sense of urgency to visit Paris yourself. I promise you won’t regret it!
Katie Went There 