Mark and Mary Nelle's wedding was beautiful, minimal and got right down to what is important in life: your people. The most important people in your life that is: your (newly) significant other, parents, siblings, family and friends. I absolutely LOVED their wedding. Here are a few photos from their special day. Enjoy! <3
Since our last trip to Ireland, Katie and I thought we traveled so well together we would do it again! When our $450 return flights to Spain (from Des Moines, no less) came up, we jumped at the chance! Here is what we did every day, and some photos that I took along the way.
May 6:
We arrived in Valencia and made our way to our Air Bnb. Went out to dinner, got our bearings, and roamed around the city.
May 7:
May 8:
May 9: Our Gaudi day
May 10:
May 11:
May 12:
May 13:
May 14:
Instead of actually packing for my trip to Spain next week, I decided to write a blog about how I pack and prepare for any trip I go on. I was talking to some coworkers today about some things I usually do to prepare for trips and pack, they said, "That is a great idea," so I thought I would share some packing tips with you!
In the past couple months I've found incredible deals on flights and trip packages. I have done this through following pages on Facebook believe it or not! I booked a $1400 trip to Paris and London (flights and hotel included!!) from Travelzoo , and a $350 return flight to Spain from Des Moines (unheard of) on The Points Guy all in the same night. I'm sure my boss thought I was crazy when I emailed him about it! When I find deals like this, they're just too good to pass up! I'm sure there are more pages to follow to keep track of flight deals, these are just the ones that I used to find my incredible deals recently.
So you've just booked your flights. Now what?!
Do your research: I would suggest finding things that are of interest to you. They don't necessarily have to be the typical tourist attractions, but those are fun too! I generally use Pinterest and Instagram to find things that look interesting enough to make me want to go there. Then I do a little reading up, and plan my visit! Sometimes the great deal is just getting you to a region you want to go (like Europe), not necessarily a city you want to visit. Find out how to get to a city that you want to explore and then use the tips from above to be a well researched and prepared traveler (if that is your type of thing).
Even if you're not the type to do research for a trip and would prefer to "wing it", I think it is a good idea to at least see what the country or city you are visiting has to offer, so you're not sitting around fumbling through maps and wondering what you should do for the day.
It is also a good idea to research customs of certain countries so you don't mistakenly offend someone or make a gesture that isn't acceptable. For example: look up what the rules are on tipping in the country you're visiting. Why tip if you don't have to?!
My Spain Pinterest Board
Where to stay: My friend and I comb the internet (blogs, Air Bnb, Hostelworld, etc) to find some funky, beautiful, and relatively inexpensive places to stay. We opt for Air Bnbs or private rooms in hostels over run-of-the-mill hotels. We have stayed in places like an old Church to a re-purposed manor house.
Air Bnb
How to get around: I'm a huge fan of public transportation. I research how to get to and from the airport, or train station using public transport. Using public transpiration is usually the cheapest way versus a taxi, or express transportation through a private company. Also check to see if there is a punch card, or day ticket you can use. It is generally cheaper, and can sometimes be passed around throughout your group to be used by all!
If you can't or don't want to use public transport and are adventuresome enough to use UBER, I would recommend it. You can order one using wifi, even if your phone doesn't have cellular service!
Before you travel: Download specific cities to your phone using Google Maps. (Don't know how? Find a tutorial here.) These downloaded areas will work, even when your phone is on airplane mode. Star places of interest, and while on wifi, use Google Maps to navigate to a particular point of interest. Screen shot the directions and you're off! As long as you know how to get back to where you're staying via public transportation, or know how to find free wifi, you will never get lost. I like to go to all the surrounding starred points of interest when I get to an certain area too.
Downloaded section of London with all my stars!
On EVERY single trip I go on these are items I bring along with me:
Packing cubes or space bags- I have a few of each of these and they are wonderful! You can roll your clothes to save space, and then put a ton of said rolled clothes into the packing cubes or space bags! You can pack so many clothes into a carry on size piece of luggage with them, not to mention larger pieces of luggage!
Packing Cubes - I got mine at TJ Maxx
A travel size Febreze - life saver! For those pieces you bring along that you want to re-wear: just spritz and you're ready to go! Such a great item to pack.
Travel Febreze - Check the travel size section at Target!
A collapsible bag - I usually just travel with a carry-on. But what if I buy too much British chocolate (this has happened to me) and I don't have enough space to bring it back? Pack one of these handy bags that fold up small, but become little backpacks, or like the one pictured here, a small duffel bag to bring back those tasty treats.
My cute little collapsable bag.
My camera - I especially take this on my personal vacations, but sometimes even on work trips. If there is something I want to document, I snap away! I also think you can never have enough memory cards, just in case! I generally always have a camera around, even if it is just my iphone.
Snacks - I don't like to buy food from airports, and if I'm not on a flight that is long enough to offer meal service, then I'll always have some sort of backup nourishment. My go-tos are apples or fruit and then high protein granola bars.
Reusable water bottle - I ALWAYS bring a re-usable water bottle, empty to start with until you get through security, and then find the nearest water fountain, and you're good to go! Who wants to pay 2.50 or more for an airport water anyway!?
Chargers and converters - For my phone and camera, because you never know when you'll need them. On my recent trip to Paris and London, I mistakenly left my converter in my checked bag, which subsequently got lost. I was literally lost with out my phone! I had planned on relying on it to navigate the city.
I hope this list of my travel hacks will help you become a savvier traveler from the planning process to your return.
Happy Traveling,
Love, Rachel
March 14-22 I visited Paris and London by myself. This was truly my first time traveling alone, except for when I studied abroad. I was so proud of myself for navigating the cities alone, and never once getting lost. I even helped someone get to their hotel in Paris! While I could write literally pages and pages about what I did and what happened, I won't (though I'll provide a link to it if you're interested in reading more). Here I will just outline what I did each day.
This blog is named "I Followed My Stars" because my first day in London when I met up with my friend Emily. I told her about my method of getting around the cities. I had logged into Google Maps and starred a whole bunch of things that I was interested in seeing in Paris and London. Each day, I would pick a star and figure out how to get there. From that point, I would wander to the other surrounding stars. My friend Emily called it following my stars, and I absolutely loved that phrase, so it stuck!!
I recently got a new camera, so I decided to go test it one afternoon at Saylorville Lake. It was only 20 degrees outside, so it was cold to say the least. When I decided to go to Saylorville, I didn't know what was going to be waiting for me. When I arrived, I was pleasantly surprised at what I found. Take a peek below to see what I saw, and how I captured the gorgeous frozen waves on the shores of Saylorville Lake.
