Monday, September 14, 2015

Post Grad Travels


Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great weekend. Mine was relaxing and as always, too short.

Well I have an exciting announcement to make! I am taking a trip abroad in October. I've never hid my love for traveling so when I felt like I had an opportunity I grabbed it. I decided less than a month ago that I was going to make this trip happen and I'm so glad I did. It was like the cards aligned perfectly...I was able to get the dates off from work and I was able to coordinate my trip with my parents.



The motivation of this trip is to visit my sister, Katherine, who's studying abroad in Bilbao, Spain. I've had some major changes in my life lately...graduation, a big move, a new job/start of a career, and a breakup so I decided that I needed this trip to really be by myself. I've told my friends that I'm "Eat, Pray, Loving" it. I chose to forgo meeting up with my family till later in the trip and spend the first half by myself. I'm hoping to do exactly as I wish on this trip. I'm going to write, read, pray, explore, and really process through all the changes in my life.

I'm really excited for the opportunity to do this. It's going to cost me a lot of money but I truly believe that traveling is worth every single penny. So a little about the trip...I'm flying out of Charlotte into Brussels, Belgium. I'm staying there for 5 days in a great flat I found on Airbnb. Then I'll fly to Bilbao, Spain for a few nights to meet up with my sister and my parents.


Over the next couple of weeks leading up to my trip I'll go into more details of the trip such as budget, Airbnb, flights, clothes, packing, day trips, etc. For now I'm just going to share a few tips and items that I'll bring for the trip. 

1. A journal. I'm planning on using this trip as a way to unplug and really focus on thinking inward and writing. I've always had a passion for writing from a young age but haven't taken as much time to do so recently. I'm thinking a fun one like this...

Source
2. Selfie stick. Brussels and Bilbao are stunningly beautiful. I want to have great photos to document my trip. The selfie stick will especially come in handy when I'm in Belgium solo.

3. Manicure/Pedicure. Now, I know this one probably sounds silly but I'll be gone for about 10 days jam packed with flights, trains, and exploring. I don't want to worry about my nail polish chipping or painting my nails while on my trip. Therefore, I found a Groupon for a gel manicure/pedicure for $35! I usually don't splurge on gel but for this trip I will make an exception!

4. Train rides. I've booked train rides to visit Brugges and Ghent in Belgium as day trips. I got roundtrip tickets for both locations for less than $100!

Well, this is a start to a great adventure! Have y'all been to Belgium or Spain? I would love to hear any tips or advice you have for me! I'm so excited to share this process with my blog world :)

 photo signature_zps061a4d79.png

14 comments:

  1. I am STOKED to follow along with your travels, I am just going to live vicariously through you! The graphics are beautiful for this series too! I love what you have as necessities so far and can't wait to read through this journey of yours.

    Linds @ Not A Mom

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for your support!! I'm really excited to see how this unfolds!!

      Delete
  2. How exciting. I can't wait to hear more about this !!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Very exciting!! I always say that traveling is the best education you can give yourself. I can't wait to hear more about this exciting trip! - Seri

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I definitely agree--you learn so much! Thanks, Seri!

      Delete
  4. I LOVE that you're "eat pray love"-ing! You are going to have the BEST time. SO SO excited for you and to follow along! Oct is so soon too!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know, I can't believe I pulled it off with less than 2 months notice...eek. But isn't that the perk of being young--spontaneity?

      Delete
  5. Holy wow. October is going to be a BLAST for you. I want to go on a trip this time next year after I graduate college…I can't wait to see how you like the places you travel to!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You definitely need to! Traveling is the best.

      Delete
  6. I studied abroad in Santander, Spain which is super close to Bilbao. I visited Bilbao a few times and it was a great place, with such a history. The Guggenhiem museum there is amazing too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What a great tip! Thank you! I'll add that to my to do list :)

      Delete
  7. OMG I would love to travel solo!!! This sounds like so much fun, especially because you end up seeing your family. I might have to come. But I won't bother you ;)

    ReplyDelete