Bucket List In A Bikini

7 Weeks In Hawaii: Vacation Like A Local, Not A Tourist.

You really can’t go wrong with Hawaii! I have visited Maui, Oahu, Kauai, and “The Big Island” of Hawaii, and each island is amazing in its own special way. Each island has a different “vibe” unique to itself. I was extremely lucky as a child, as I had family that lived in Hawaii, and I was able to spend extended periods of time there each year. Staying with family, I got to feel as though I was living there while on these trips. I did keiki deep sea fishing tournaments, and spent so much time trolling in the ocean on my family’s boat in hunt of the big kahuna marlin. This is most definitely where my passion for deep sea fishing began!

Little Jessica in the keiki (child) deep sea fishing tournament. Kona, Hawaii

Since my childhood, I have been visiting Hawaii in a much more touristy fashion. Staying in hotels, and doing as much touristy stuff as I could fit into my vacation has been the norm for me over the years. Although each and every trip has been absolutely amazing, I wanted to plan a trip that reminded me of the time I spent in Hawaii as a child. I wanted to experience feeling like I was living there as a local. To achieve this feeling, it had to be as long of a trip as I could make it. I decided on 7 weeks in summer while the kiddos were out of school. Now, which island to choose? I am most partial to Kauai (North Shore) for how lush the landscape is. But for this long of a trip, I chose the island Maui. Maui has beautiful landscape, but it also has a bit of a livelier vibe compared to Kauai. I thought it would be a good mix of beauty and things to do. Let the planning begin!!

I get a lot of questions about how I’m able to take extended trips like this. My husband and I work from home, and can really work from anywhere in the world. These extended trips are obviously working vacations which add to the feeling of actually living there instead of vacationing.

Accommodations

To stay 7 weeks, I wasn’t trying to stay at the super high end places in town. I needed something reasonable, but also large enough to accommodate my family of six, and a home office set up. I landed at the Sands of Kahana. What a perfect choice! We had a huge three bedroom condo on the beach with a pool, kids pool, mini golf, gym, community beach bbq’s, and a restaurant on the property in case we were feeling too lazy to cook. We also had so many walk-able dining options in the village of Kahana.

Hawaii02 — Our view for the next 7 weeks. Sands of Kahana was reasonable and a perfect fit!

This little village of Kahana sits right in between Kaanapali and Kapalua. It is so much more reasonably priced than its neighbors, but still right in the heart of all the action. I highly recommend this area if you are on a budget. For the nights when you would like to put a huge dent in your bank account, you can just hop on over to your neighboring towns to get some fine dining, or an expensive round of golf. You are also just a short drive to Lahaina, where most of the island nightlife resides.

hawaii32 — Downtown Lahaina for 4th of July celebrations.

Rental Car

Next, I needed to get a rental car. Getting a rental car for seven weeks isn’t cheap. I found Kimo’s Rent A Car online. They have vehicles of all price points but the one I rented was basically less than a basic vehicle. They gave a great rate on monthly rentals and I spent around $1,000 for the entire 7 weeks. It really was exactly what we needed, and the price was right. I have spent $700 on a car for one week in Hawaii, so I was pretty excited about this deal.

Ok, so now what did we really do on this trip to make us feel less like tourists and more like locals? First off, I hit Costco and stocked up. We bbq’d and ate dinner on the beach about 70% of the time. There was no rush to do anything, and we snorkeled until the sunlight was gone while bbqing on the beach…..that was our evening schedule. I found a bunch of beach equipment on Craigslist for us. I bought boogie boards, ice chest, chairs, an umbrella, beach toys, and I paid $35 for everything. This is a great tip to check there for your stuff because buying these items brand new will be hundreds. When we didn’t feel like bbqing, we would get seafood off the food trucks. We would take our food and paper plate it to watch the sun go down, hike, or chill at a park.

hawaii34 — Costco run for the essentials. LOL! For the record, this was not completely all for us. Haha!

Hawaii17 — Too lazy to cook so snagged some food off the food truck and watched the sun go down at the beach.

Road to Hana

What did we do with our time outside of being beach bum bqqers? My favorite adventure as a temporary local was going camping for the weekend in Hana. The Road to Hana is so beautiful!! It has waterfalls around every twist and turn, and is the epitome of the “it isn’t about the destination, it’s the journey” quote. I have driven the Road to Hana many times, and have even driven around the entire island in one day. I LOVE IT….but it’s not for everyone. You are truly in the car all day, and the road is very curvy. People with weak stomachs may call it the road to hell. I have definitely learned over the years (having a large family of six) that not everyone likes what I like. And although I can explore and drive from sun up to sun down, my family would be miserable. However, there was no way I was going to Maui for 7 weeks and not driving the Road to Hana. So I checked into camping. What an amazing experience! I rented all of our gear from Camp Maui which we picked up on the way out of town to Hana. Camp Maui stocked us. We had everything….tent, pads, pillows, sleeping bags (which weren’t necessary), stove, flashlights, propane, etc. It was so reasonable and I didn’t need to pack anything from home other than clothes. We camped at Waianapanapa State Park with hiking, black sand beaches, and water caves. You need to get a permit in advance to camp here so plan ahead. This place gets crazy busy during the day with tourists coming in by the bus loads. We were able to go explore the ins and outs of this park early in the morning and late at night, completely skipping all the crowds.

hawaii21 — Camp is all set up at Waianapanapa State Park.

Hawaii20 — Getting up at 5:00AM to feed my baby has its perks. Good morning Hana!

hawaii22 — Exploring the black sand beach that was right below our camp. Just walked down a little path and here we were.

The best part about this camping trip? We got to explore Seven Sacred Pools for the entire day. This place is gorgeous, and could be my favorite place on all of Maui. It is so far to get here if you are driving in for the day, so most tourists only get a short visit as they have to get back on the road for the very long drive home. Not us! We stayed all day swimming and rock jumping and then drove 15 mins back to our camp for a bbq. This mini vacay was beyond amazing and pretty eye opening for me. I was so happy that my family didn’t want to drive to Hana for the day because it forced me to find a way to achieve exploring this side of the island along with keeping everyone happy. There is more than one way to skin a cat! Ps- I really hate that saying…who came up with that anyway?? Skinning a cat is just wrong. Plus, I love cats.

hawaii24 — Beautiful Seven Sacred Pools. Absolute paradise!

Our oldest being brave and rock jumping. I love the boy all prepared to jump from the shorter rock looking up at her. Girl power!

Hawaii25 — When you are 3 months old and in paradise, swimsuits are optional.

Making Friends

Back at home in our little village of Kahana we began to make friends with a lot of locals who lived there. I think Kahana is popular with the locals because its cheaper but still so central. When you eat and drink at the same places quite often you begin to run into the same people. We met a local who took us all surfing for a private lesson for next to nothing. No waivers or contracts…just a local teaching us how to ride the waves. This local became our friend, and he spent an entire second day with us taking us to a private property to go fishing.

Hawaii11 — Surfs up! Private lesson from our local friend.

Hawaii15 — My hubs really makes friends everywhere we vacation. This guy really showed us a great time on the island.

hawaii27 — Fishing on private property. No one around but us.

Best Date Nights/Days

Before arriving on this trip, I found a babysitter to come on a schedule to give my husband and I some adult time. With the grandmas back on the main land, this was an absolute must. I hired a nursing student who was training in Labor and Delivery at the Maui General Hospital. Can you get a better resume for a sitter? She also had nursing student friends to replace her when she was busy.

For most of our dates, we would pack an ice chest, and hang out at the beach all night. But my favorite date night was attending a Reggae Concert at the Maui Tropical Plantation. Maxi Priest and Big Mountain were the big headliners, and it was probably one of the best concerts I have ever seen. Super fun, and definitely something I wouldn’t have squeezed in on a one week vacation. We also spent several nights partying in downtown Lahaina. Fleetwoods was my favorite place to get a drink and listen to live music.

Date Night = $6 raft, a homemade margarita, and watching the sun go down in the ocean with my sweetheart.

hawaii29 — Reggae concert with Big Mountain and Maxi Priest at the plantation. SO MUCH FUN!

Hawaii7 — Date night at Fleetwoods in Downtown Lahaina

My favorite Day Date was snorkeling at Honolua Bay. It is untapped serenity…so beautiful, and so peaceful. We loved it so much that we planned a second day here to bring back the kids to enjoy with them.

Hawaii3 — Day Date snorkeling at Honolua Bay.

hawaii38 — Had to bring the kids back to Honolua Bay to snorkel with them. Too beautiful not to share.

Favorite Touristy Things to do

We didn’t book many tours on this trip, but one that we did do was a snorkeling cruise to Molokini Crater. The snorkeling there is awesome! We saw dolphins along the way and snorkeled with a ton of beautiful fish. The kids loved this cruise! One of them actually started crying when we had to leave the crater. LOL.

hawaii40 — Snorkeling at Molokini Crater.

One of the seven weeks we had Grandma and Grandpa visit, and we did zip lining and parasailing. I mean you have to get high at least once in Hawaii, right? The kids absolutely loved both these days. This was definitely the one week where we packed in a lot of touristy adventures. After parasailing off of Kaanapali Beach, we ended our day at my favorite happy hour spot on the beach….Hula Grill. You can sip Mai Tais with your feet in the sand while listening to live music. Heaven!

hawaii8 — How many Grandmas are up for this stuff? Grandma and baby girl ziplining.

Hawaii28 — Crazy Grandma having fun parasailing with her grandkids.

Hawaii5 — Just finished parasailing, and having happy hour at Hula Grill with Grandma and Grandpa.

To finish up our one “touristy” packed week we ended it with a traditional Luau. There are so many great Luaus on Maui. They are no doubt pricey! I chose Royal Lahaina Luau for the simple reason that for every paying adult, you get one child for free. It worked out pretty well with four adults and four kids. This was a perfect way to end our week spent with my parents!

Hawaii05 — Royal Lahaina Luau. Great way to end our action packed week with my parents

Best Beaches

You can stay anywhere on Maui and will be happy with your choice, but the majority of people choose the west or south shore. I’m more partial to the west shore since it is so close to Lahaina, and is a bit more lush. But the south side is beautiful too. So beautiful it is in fact my favorite beach on Maui…Makena Beach. Makena Beach is split into Big Beach and Little Beach with Little Beach being bathing suit optional. From our village in Kahana, it was about a 45 minute drive to get there but so worth it. Stay the entire day!

Hawaii14 — Sharing beautiful Makena Beach with my beautiful daughter.

My favorite beaches on our side of the island were Napili Bay Beach and Kaanapali Beach. Napili Bay Beach is literally the most fun beach I have ever been to with kids. The rolling waves are like an ongoing roller coaster and you can hear the screams of excitement and laughter from the road as you park your car. Boogie boards and floaties make this day an absolute blast. Be careful of the waves wiping out your entire beach set up. It happened to us! Try to sit as far back as possible on the beach away from the water.

hawaii35 — Napili Bay Beach. Home to the never ending roller coaster waves.

Kannapali Beach is home to the famous Black Rock. It is a very popular beach. The snorkeling is awesome and you can jump of the rocks at Black Rock. Super fun!

hawaii37 — Black Rock at Kaanapali Beach. My face is so swollen from my snorkel mask! Haha.

Favorite Land Activity

You really can’t go to Maui without being blasted with marketing materials everywhere in your face about bike riding down the Haleakala Crater. I have done this ride several times but unfortunately it wasn’t in the cards for us on this trip as our littlest kids weren’t big enough for a ride like this. I have to include a little write up though because it is truly such an experience. You need to get up early for this at 3:00am and take the two hour drive up the crater. It’s cold when you get up there so bundle up! You watch what is hopefully the most beautiful sunrise you have ever seen in your life. Once the sun is up, you begin the bike ride down the crater. There are a million tours going down where you all follow each other in one line all the way down the crater. Not for me!! I’m not big on group activities with strangers. I have always found a company who drove me to the top of the crater, handed me my bike to ride down alone and at my own pace, and then met me at the end of the day to pick me up. Most tours end at the bottom of the crater but I like to continue the bike ride to the Maui Pineapple Winery. The extra ride is rolling hills closer and closer to the coast. It is a beautiful ride! The bonus is you get to end the 18 mile ride with some wine tasting and a picnic.

hawaii0 — The sunrise at Haleakala Crater is truly the most beautiful I have ever seen.

A few trips back on the top of the crater freezing my buns off. Hence the bright red nose. How cool is the moon behind me as I’m watching the sunrise in front of me??

Biking all the way to the Pineapple Winery. I have no idea what year this was but by looks of the photo quality, it was a while ago.

What To Do When It Rains

Maui isn’t as beautiful as it is without getting rain. My favorite “ohana” day spent during the rain was the aquarium. The Maui Ocean Center is one of the coolest aquariums that I have ever been to. We learned so much and got to see so many fish that are in the Hawaiian ocean waters.

Favorite Family Friendly Hike

As I said, this was a working vacation. I had to keep the kids busy on many days when my husband was holed up in the condo working. My favorite day I spent with them was a very moderate but beautiful hike to the Iao Needle. It was really pretty, and we learned so much history on the battles fought in this area back in the old days.

Hawaii9 — Mama bear and her cubs hiking to the Iao Needle while daddy is home working

Favorite Restaurant

Well it wouldn’t be a good blog if I didn’t write a bit about food. There are endless amazing dining options on Maui. My all time favorite is Mama’s Fish House. Bring your camera because the location is right on the beach and is quite the photo op. This is definitely an expensive dinner but worth the splurge! And you simply can not visit the island of Maui without going to the famous Cheeseburgers In Paradise. The cheeseburgers are delicious, the cocktails are tasty, the view of the ocean is to die for, the live music is a blast, and the location in downtown Lahaina makes it easy to bar hop around after dinner. Lastly my favorite “cheap eat” on Maui is Ohana Tacos. Seriously…if I didn’t watch my weight, I would live a fulfilled life having Ohana Tacos for every meal! It is the bomb.com! It’s pretty much fast food so perfect to take on the go while adventuring.

Island Fever?

So after spending six weeks on Maui we started to get panicky that we only had one week left. We had zero island fever. We really didn’t want to go home. Our time here really allowed us to enjoy everything at our own pace and we truly felt like we were living there. Mission accomplished!!

In our last week we had two back-to-back hurricanes hit. If this had been our only week of vacation, it would have been a huge disappointment! But we felt really lucky to experience it. It was very cool to watch Mother Nature do her thing and once they passed we were left with the calmest ocean and most beautiful sunset of the entire trip. It was quite a farewell.

This child was born to live on the beach.

Hawaii6 — After 7 weeks in Maui, it’s time to go back to the main land. We didn’t want to leave!

How to vacation more like a local and not like a tourist in a short vacation

My all time favorite read prior to visiting Hawaii is the Maui Revealed book. The authors have a book for every island and I have purchased the newest edition for every single trip I have taken to the Hawaiian Islands. It gives you hidden secrets that you would never find without it. I’m talking directions like “Hit the 42 mile marker, hike a quarter mile to the left, enter the broken chain link fence, go through the bamboo forest, hike a quarter more mile through the dirt steps and you will find a huge lagoon with a rope swing to spend the day at”. Haha. I have led the way with directions from this book on so many adventures with people I am on vacation with. Believe me I have gotten the stink eye from people traveling with me as they follow me to these secret places. But once there, everyone has always thanked me for such a special experience. Buy the book before going! It is truly the best vacation guide I have ever read!!

Joshua Tree Oasis: Get Wanderfully Lost.

It’s that time of year again. Time to celebrate my anniversary with my hubby! We get to travel out of the country, and stay in hotels for most of our trips so I always try to plan something “different” to celebrate this with him. It was going to be difficult to compete with last year’s anniversary trip to Havasupai . This year I decided on Joshua Tree. Joshua Tree is located in Southern California, and is where the Mojave and Colorado deserts meet. The desert setting is gorgeous! Joshua Tree is well known for camping, music festivals, and getting in touch with one’s “real” self. For this trip, I wanted to sit back and relax and enjoy the pretty scenery. I wanted to hole up…have a staycation! I always plan our trips with my husband’s opinion in mind. I know what he likes and doesn’t. For the most part though, my husband goes with the flow of whatever I choose. His mama didn’t raise no fool!

Haha…truth! No, joking aside, I really do plan my trips with what I think will make my husband happy.

I turned to VRBO and Airbnb to look for the perfect place and stumbled upon Joshua Tree Oasis. It looked perfect in the photos. It was a bit higher than I wanted to spend, but we weren’t going to be going out and spending any money on wining and dining. We were going to hole up and cook at home. Taking that into consideration, it definitely penciled out, and we were able to splurge a bit on the accommodations. This has turned out to be my favorite VRBO/Airbnb yet. I loved it so much that I wrote a blog on it!

Joshua Tree was about a 10 hour drive from our house. We stocked up on very gourmet goods to cook our meals, including all the ingredients to make some amazing cocktails. We also picked up a ton of wood for the outdoor fire pit on the property. It felt like we were going camping. We pulled up to our private gate, and entered the property. It was so much more than I expected! The house was decorated to the nines. We had views from every room, the kitchen was well stocked, we had a bumping sound system that went through the entire property, and the best part was there was not another soul in site. We literally had this huge slice of earth all to ourselves (except for the coyotes who kept photobombing me). We had complete privacy for the next five days. It was perfect for an anniversary trip! This place was a two bed/two bath with an in law unit with another bed/bath. We loved it to enjoy as a couple, but you could fit a large family or three couples perfectly.

I can’t believe I didn’t get the coyote in the background. It was running behind me trying to photobomb me! LOL

The first morning we woke up with bacon jalapeño bloody mary’s in hand, and jumped right in the hot tub (bathing suits optional). We spent the day doing all there was to do on the property. Hot tub, cowboy tub (which was very refreshing), horse shoes, more eating and drinking, bbqing, napping, repeat, and finished the night off with a gourmet meal and a campfire.

Bacon jalapeno bloody marry in hand to enjoy my first morning in the desert.

This property is also located about five minutes from the Joshua Tree National Park entrance. On the second day we explored the park, saw all the sites there were to see, scouted our favorite campground for the next trip, and hiked the day away. Cholla Cactus Garden and Skull Rock were fun, and perfect photo ops. The park is huge, and there is so much to explore!

There isn’t much to the actual “town” of Joshua Tree. This property is just a short five minute drive down the hill to the town, but there really isn’t much to see. We did stumble on a fun saloon called Joshua Tree Saloon (of all unique names). It was super fun! They had live music, karaoke, pool, darts, and a beer garden. Being the incredibly brilliant young lady that I am, I wore the highest heels I own to enjoy this beer garden. Always trying to look my cutest for my man! Well, I then returned home to my desert property only to walk through a cactus garden in those five inch heels. Low and behold, I ate it hard, and took a fall straight into a cactus (hands first). No matter how much I enjoyed that beer garden, it couldn’t numb me enough for the pain of diving hands first into a cactus. That ish hurt! My husband had to sit me down and pull out the needles, one by one. I may have shed a tear or two…and maybe had a shot of tequila or two. Maybe. I actually had needles deep in my hand for over a month after this trip. Very wise advise to share with you guys…don’t wear your high heels to enjoy a beer garden and follow it up with a walk through a cactus garden. Cactus 1, Jessica 0. I still love the desert though!

Belize: You Betta Belize It!

Jungle or Beach??? Why not both??

Belize is located in Central America. It is a tiny country on the western edge of the Caribbean Sea. Belize is located below Mexico, east of Guatemala, and north of Honduras. Half of Belize is covered by dense jungle. Belize also has many coral reefs, cayes, and islands in the Caribbean Sea. Most of these form the Belize Barrier Reef, the longest in the Western Hemisphere.

When I first began planning my trip to Belize, I read that most first timers break up their trip between the jungle and the beach. I’m very glad I listened to these reviews! Fast forward through an 8 hour plane ride, and a 2 hour drive into the jungle and I landed in the middle of the Belize rainforest in a city called Belmopan. I chose Sleeping Giant Rainforest Lodge to call home for this leg of the trip. It was a larger lodge in comparison to others in the area with 25 rooms and casitas, pool, bar, and a restaurant where you eat every meal.

sleeping giant — Sleeping Giant Rainforest Lodge

I’m typically a beach baby, and was nervous about spending time in the remote jungle. Would it be boring? It was a bit of an adjustment upon arrival….no TV, no internet, and no phone in the room. I’ve never been on a trip where I was forced to completely disconnect. I gulped down my rum welcome cocktail, and went to unpack. Now what? That first night I explored the grounds, ate ridiculously amazing food, and closed down the lodge bar. The next four days were filled with adventure, mind blowing food and cocktails (all made fresh), and forced restful recharge.

My activities included a hike through the thick jungle, a bike ride to the orange orchards, paddle boarding on the river, relaxing by the pool, a massage on the river, and a full day of adventure exploring the famous ATM Cave of Belize. ATM stands for Actun Tunichil Muknal. The ATM Cave was the top rated tour to do for adventure, and it did not disappoint. I hired a private guide for this tour which I highly recommend. If you can’t swing private, definitely ask how many people will be on the tour with you, and go with a smaller group. I saw large tours with 10 people going through in a line. They just weren’t getting that much attention from their guide. If you are 10th in the line, how can you learn anything from your guide who is leading? Plus, I had very heightened nerves on this tour. Being the 10th person in line of a tour would have been terrifying (for me). Our guide led us through 6 miles of adventure. We crossed the river (neck deep) six times, hiked, and explored the ATM Cave which you have to swim into. Once in, you climb and swim your way through two miles of total darkness with only a headlamp for sight. I literally had a minor panic attack going on for about three hours. But just like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, the only way out was through. It was pretty amazing learning about the Mayan people, and what this cave meant to them. We came across many artifacts and skeletons that were human sacrifices to the gods. Our guide was Gonzo from River Rat Expeditions. He was so knowledgeable, and actually spends about three months per year living in these Belize caves doing research. He took his time educating and calming my nerves all the way through. Once out of the cave, I was on an adrenaline high. I was so proud I finished but I’m in no rush to do it again. Haha.

cave — Just completed the six miles of adventure exploring the ATM Cave.

For beginning my adventure in the jungle with the question of “will I be bored here?”, I actually began to freak out by day three that I wouldn’t fit in all there was to see. I fell in love with the jungle! I’m usually pretty attached to my phone and staying in touch with my family. For this leg, I had to forget about all of that, and it was all about exploring and recharging.

Once my stay at the jungle lodge had come to an end, I was ready to put my toes in the sand, and have more than one dining option. Five days in the jungle was perfecto, but now it was on to the beach for another nine days. I decided on Ambergris Caye. It is the largest caye (island) of Belize. From the jungle, it was a 2 hour drive to the ferry station and a 1.5 hour boat ride to Ambergris Caye. I chose Captain Morgan’s Retreat as my hotel on Ambergris Caye for the sole reason that they had true beach huts in the sand for much cheaper than your average hotel room. However, we were still part of a huge resort with all the amenities including the only Casino on the island.

OOOOHHHEEEMMMGGGEEE!!! Opening my porch door and stepping into the sand was truly paradise. When I arrived I was warned how bad the bugs were from another guest. He told me to soak myself in bug spray every day. After four days of literally getting eaten alive, I accidentally forgot my bug spray one evening, and didn’t get any bites. I ditched the spray and never had a problem again. Thanks for that sweet advice bro!

Relaxing under a palm tree off of my beach hut porch on Ambergris Caye.

The coolest thing about Ambergris Caye is that there are very few cars and the mode of transportation is by golf cart equipped with off road tires. Oh hells ya! Look out for me! I drove that golf cart up and down, and back and forth. We mostly only ate breakfast at our resort and spent the rest of the days beach and bar hopping our way around. Ambergris Caye is so lively! Whether you are eating pizza or the abundant fresh sea food they have to offer, it was always a party. Live music was everywhere. My favorite drive was a 40 minute golf cart ride to Secret Beach. It was a bumpy adventure through the center of the island to a beautiful beach with food and music. A must see (or drive) while on Ambergris Caye.

Belize is famous for it’s ocean life. I’m sadly too big of a wimp to dive but the snorkeling was the best I have ever seen with my own eyes. Belize has the second largest coral reef system in the world, with Australia’s Great Barrier Reef being the largest. If you like diving and snorkeling this is truly a wonderland, or wonderwater I guess. Our captain took us to Hol Chan Marine Reserve . As soon as you get in the water there are a gazillion fish around you. I saw huge spotted eagle rays, eels, large puffer fish, endless schools, oh ya….and sharks! Our second stop that our captain took us to was Shark Ray Alley where he chummed for sharks to come right up to the boat. My crazy husband jumped into the water to swim with them. I volunteered to be his photographer from inside the boat. 😉 The day was perfect. I wish I had spent more time exploring the reef of Belize because (not to be lame) it was magical.

Well after exploring every nook and cranny of Ambergris Caye, pigging out at all the fresh seafood restaurants, bar hopping to every bar, and hearing every live band on the island, I jumped on the ferry to explore the sister island of Ambergris Caye….Caye Caulker. It’s a 30 minute hop to this tiny island that has a super laid back vibe. There were a lot of backpackers, and simple people who love to party. If you bring more than a bathing suit, cover up, and flip flops to this island, you have over packed. You walk everywhere on Caye Caulker, and I spent most of the day at a place called the Split. A hurricane split this island in half, and they turned it into the largest place to party with a picture perfect setting. They have a bar there called the Lazy Lizard that has everything from hot bodies to grannies with fanny packs twerking and taking shots. I took the last ferry ride home to Ambergris Caye, which was a very fun ride home at night. I wished I packed a backpack and stayed overnight. One more day would have been fun to run back into the friends I made there in such a short time.

One last day on Ambergris Caye to stuff my face with fresh seafood, drink too many fresh squeezed margaritas (the ice was safe), and listen to one last performance of live reggae music (my favorite). The people of Belize are so incredibly friendly, and I always felt safe day and night. Belize was a great trip and mixing in the jungle with the beach was a twist I enjoyed more than I realized I would. I also brought home five dread locks! Lol.

Italy For A Month: How To Plan From Scratch.

So, let’s start from the very beginning…straight-up from scratch. Probably the most common question that I am asked is how I plan my trips on my own. Where do I start? Well it usually involves me staring at the computer scratching my head with a glass (ok a bottle) of vino in hand. And little by little my trips take form. I hope to write multiple blogs from this 30 day trip to Italy but for this blog, I’m going start with how to plan it. I did all of this planning on my own and felt so overwhelmed when I started. This is my story of how my Italy trip came to life.

I rarely take big trips in the summer. I always get my big break right after Christmas. I’m running out of new places on my bucket list to explore in a bikini at Christmas, so this year I opted for a summer vacation. I chose Italy. I didn’t know where the heck to start as I really had never vacationed there. I went about 20 years ago but I just drove across the border and ate lunch. Doesn’t count. As always, I was on a budget for this trip, and I knew one month in Italy isn’t cheap. Hotels were out! I went VRBO and Airbnb all the way through, and kept my budget at $200 per night. If you haven’t traveled through these two sites, you are missing out. Click on this link to join for free and get a credit for your first reservation: Airbnb They are awesome!

I was traveling with my husband and two children (ages 8 and 3). I knew it would be nice (and less expensive) for us to have a kitchen and cook at our rental vs. being in a hotel. Having to order room service for every meal gets pricey. When I’m vacationing, I’m usually planning my next trip so the more I save from one trip is more I bank for the next. Also, hotels in Italy don’t work like they do in the USA. In the states you can get a “double” room and have two double/queen beds. It is easy to stay with two small children in one room with that bed setup. In Italy, a “double” room means two twin beds. If you have four people, you need to upgrade to a suite, and I quickly found that my budget of $200 per night in the areas I wanted was simply not going to fly. VRBO and Airbnb was the answer for me!

Step 1: Plan your route. When you think of Italy, what do YOU want to see? Me personally… Venice, Rome, and Positano were at the top of my list. Then I thought, I’m going to fly all that way and when will I get to Italy again? Maybe I can do one extra week and see more? I decided on 30 days to explore but you can do this in three weeks if you are ambitious or just choose a few places and go for two weeks. There is SO much to see in Italy. So much history that you feel guilty sleeping in. You have to go, go, go, so you don’t miss a thing. I booked a longer trip to really work in relaxing too. I wanted one day to explore for every one day of relaxing.

When traveling through Italy it is best to go top to bottom or bottom to top.

I decided to go top to bottom because I knew this would be a busy trip, and I wanted to finish it off on the beach relaxing on the Amalfi Coast.

Step 2: Once you have an idea of your route, you have to check flights to make sure they will work with your itinerary. At the time of my planning, AirBerlin was the cheapest ticket from San Francisco to Italy. They were actually $500 cheaper per ticket which is a lot when traveling with four people. I later found we paid the price for that cheap ticket but we will get into that later. AirBerlin flew into Milan (top of map) and they flew out of Naples (bottom of the map). The flight out of Naples only went on one day per week so I had to plan for that. Once I figured out what my flights were, I broke the trip apart leg by leg. I decided on this route:

Lake Como: 5 nights/ Venice: 4 nights/ Florence: 5 nights/ Cinque Terre: 6 nights/ Rome: 4 nights/ Amalfi Coast: 6 nights. One month in Italy!!

Step 3: Find the VRBO/Airbnb to stay at sticking to my budget of $200 per night. This was the fun part to me. How did I choose which places to stay? I read review after review on the VRBO/Airbnb sites….like hundreds of reviews. I hate the reviews that say “it was a nice place…I highly recommend!”. Ok well thanks for those riveting details, but you didn’t say crap about the property. I want to know things. How far to restaurants and bars? Do you need a car? How does “this” area compare to “that” area? I want details people! If I can’t find exact answers to my questions through the reviews on VRBO/Airbnb, I usually Google the exact question I have with the word “Tripadvisor” after the question. If I’m between two areas to stay, I will Google “Positano vs Amalfi, which is better? Tripadvisor” Most of the answers to my questions come right up on Tripadvisor which is where I read hundreds more reviews. Tripadvisor, Oh How I love Thee! None of my trips would come to life without the reviews on this site.

Step 4: Plan transportation. I did not want to rent a car in Italy. Many people do and give reviews about their days explored with the freedom of their own schedule in their own car. Not for me. First off, the roads are pretty wicked in Italy. I consider myself to be a very bad driver on the safe roads in California. We are talking about a girl that totaled her car 3 times during her 16th year of life! Oopsie! So, driving on these winding roads that seem like they have one lane, honking as you approach a sharp turn to warn oncoming traffic that you can’t see. Hmmm, yes I don’t think this blog would have ever come to life because I probably would have died attempting to drive these roads. Another reason? When I travel, I tend to eat and drink my way through for most of my entertainment. I wanted the freedom to indulge in lots of great food accompanied but lots of great vino.

I chose all accommodations to be in the heart of the action in each destination so that I could walk everywhere or take a cheap cab ride. To get through the country we rode the Trentitalia train. One month of traveling through Italy on this train cost me less than the cabs to/from the airport. The train system is so easy, so affordable, so comfortable, so reliable, and such a nice way to travel! You get to see the country as you travel through, which was just lovely. Each ride was only about two hours with the exception of one four hour train ride. Tip: Get to the station early to buy some snacks and wine. More important tip: Have all the electronics charged for the littles so that you can enjoy those snacks and wine while riding in style.

train — Training to Cinque Terre. Sipping on vino while the kiddos play electronics.

I sprung for three long and pricey cab rides (transfers). One from the Milan airport to our first property in Lake Como. After flying for 13 hours with two small children, we just wanted to get there. The train from Milan to Lake Como isn’t as convenient as the other legs as the train we needed only left every three hours. Just didn’t want to hassle with that after a long flight. The second transfer was taking us to our last leg of the trip, Naples to Positano. When heading south to the Amalfi Coast, the train won’t take you any further than Naples which is about an hour from Positano/Amalfi (see map). We got off the train in Naples and took a private transfer (cab) to Positano. Not very cheap at $130 Euro but it beat getting off the train and walking to the nearest bus stop which was reported to be incredibly crowded. You may have to stand the entire hour plus ride on the bus and deal with pickpocketers. It was so worth the private transfer! Last high priced ride was Positano to the Naples airport. This flight left once per week, so we could not have anything go wrong and risk missing the flight. We also had to leave at 4:30AM, so the transfer allowed us to sleep the entire ride to the airport. And that’s a wrap on transportation! It was right around $700 for four people to travel through Italy for 30 days. You certainly can’t rent a car for that.

Step 5: Plan to pack. Please someone tell me how in the heck I am supposed to pack light traveling to Italy with a toddler and 8 year old for one month? There are things you need when traveling with kids…car seat, stroller, toys, electronics, etc. I have to share with you the biggest find for packing light if you have a toddler. It is Care’s Fly Safe safety restraint system. Cares Kids Fly Safe Airplane Safety Harness. This gem is FDA approved and buckles your toddler into the airplane seat just like a car seat except it’s a just a belt. Not only does it keep your little one safe but it also keeps them from running all over the plane, all while packing up into a small little carrying bag that fits in your purse.

seat belt — Little guy all comfy for his 13 hours of traveling, and I didn’t hit 20 people in the head carrying a huge car seat onto the plane. Winning!

I then purchased an airplane stroller that is specific to traveling and folding up small for planes and trains. I bought it off my Facebook for $10! Tip: I made $2,700 selling things out of my garage on Facebook that went directly to paying for this trip. I also allowed my kids to pack a scooter each. With as much walking as we planned to do in each location, I knew they would get so worn out and our days would be shortened due to exhausted kids. Instead of walking everywhere, they scooted the days away and we were able to explore as much as we wanted.

Lastly, I got three pieces of luggage that were the largest we could go without going overweight, and incurring fees on the airline. There is soooo much debate online about how big of a bag is too big of a bag to travel through Europe with. It’s really a simple answer…you can pack as large of a bag that YOU can handle. There is no one to help you up the many many stairs in between changing trains. There is no one to help you load your bag onto the train. No one to help you load the bag on ferries or cabs. And if you plan on walking after getting off the train vs. taking a cab, you will be the one lugging that bag through town. You get the point. Luckily, I married a man with big muscles. My bag was a big one, and I got to pack as many bikinis as I wanted. I don’t recommend this for everyone but it worked ok for us.

This brings me to my final plug of the trip. Remember that great deal I got on my airline tickets that was $500 cheaper per ticket than all the other airlines? Well, you get what you pay for. The airline ended up losing our son’s bag on the way there. Thank goodness it wasn’t mine! Ha ha. I can’t tell you how crazy it was to see how long the lost luggage line was at the airport in Milan. It took us about 30 mins to get through the process of reporting our lost bag and we were 2nd in line. Can you imagine how long it took the 20th person in line to get through this process? What a terrible way to kick off your trip! We were very hopeful that our bag would arrive any day on our trip, but in fact…it never came. My kids went all the way through a 30 day trip in Italy with nothing but the clothes on their back. This lost bag also had all of our liquids, including all of my beauty products. Of course we bought things along the way but it was such a pain in the butt! I later heard that this is actually a common problem when traveling to Europe (explains the super long lost luggage line) and in actuality, your bag is just sitting in the airport waiting to be delivered. Due to under staffing, there is just no one attending to these lost bags. In fact, no one even answers the phone in that area of the airport. Trust me I called a million times. Horrible! How will I make sure that this never happens again?? GPS in my luggage…DUH!

LugLoc Luggage Tracker – The Worldwide Smart Lost Baggage GSM Locator – Track The Exact Location Of Your Bag Globally (not just bluetooth like others) – Rechargeable battery that lasts 15 days

OMG, what a genius idea! You never lose track of your bag and you know where it is at all times, even if the airline claims that it is lost. I will never travel without one again! My kid’s bag was found and delivered to us two days after we arrived home in California…32 days after it was lost.

Losing the bag was devastating at first but in the end, we had so many laughs about my son going all the way through Italy with one pair of underwear and them wearing the same outfits in all our family photos.

Venice

Positano

Rome’s Colloseum

Havasupai and Grand Canyon: The Trip Everyone Reads About, But Few Experience.

The Grand Canyon was always something I had heard about growing up. One of the Seven Natural Wonders Of The World? OK, you have my attention! This beautiful place at the bottom of the Grand Canyon kept popping up on my Facebook feed. It was an Indian Reservation that you hike down to, and camp right on the water with the most gorgeous waterfalls you have ever seen. It looked like a cartoon almost. Ok, so again it had my attention. It was called the Havasupai Indian Reservation. I called the reservation line and got no luck. After researching, I found that it is one of the most desired places in the USA to see. Wanderlust at its best! I did more research and found that if I ever wanted to secure a reservation in the peak season, it was going to take a ton of tenacity. Once the phone lines opened up, I gave it my all for 4 days. A busy signal for 4 days straight can make you go kinda nuts. Everyone told me to give up. “I’m not giving 4 days of my life to something with nothing to show for it” said Me. I actually kept trekking for 7 more days, calling 8 hours per day, every day. I clocked over 4,100 calls getting a busy signal (yes, I tracked it). You ever felt like a stalker? I stalked the hell out of that phone number….and guess what?? After 11 days someone answered.

“Hello?”

“OMG. Hello, I have been calling for 11 days (tear) and would like to make a reservation”

“Sorry, we are full and all booked up for the summer months.”

I won’t go into the embarrassing things I said to secure this reservation but the point is that I got it. Never take no for an answer! When it’s important to you, make it happen…..write that down.

grand canyon — Here I am starting this 39 mile journey. GET OUTSIDE OF THE BOX! I don’t need to sip a cocktail on the beach for every vacation. I love a new challenge.

To get to the bottom is about 11 miles down. You need to carry everything in. Your tent, your sleeping bag, your food, your wine (which is not allowed and I never break the rules), clothes, etc, etc, etc…you get the point. I was going into the Canyon for four days. I consider myself to be in great shape however I found this hike to be much more pleasant by throwing my 65 pound pack on a horse which met me down at the campground. I think it’s awesome how hard core people are to carry those huge packs on their backs for miles and miles. But quite honestly, it was 90 degrees out and I had much more fun climbing rocks and taking selfies while being pretty much weightless. To each their own!

Only water, snacks, camera, and lipgloss on my back for the trek down.

Once, I reached the Havasupai Reservation it was completely surreal. This village at the bottom of the Canyon was a little city. School, post office, church, store….everything you need. It’s considered America’s most remote Indian Reservation. My camp was another 2 miles past the Reservation where there aren’t many Indians, and the grounds along the creek are filled with campers feeling like they won the lotto. I picked up my pack from the stables and set up camp right on the water.

I spent the next two days hiking to the most majestic waterfalls I have ever seen. Sounds so cheesy but it’s true. The water is the most beautiful color of turquoise. Every day I had to filter my water right out of the creek, and make my dehydrated meals, which were surprisingly delicious. I also indulged in the yummiest Frybread. It is an Indian specialty, and there was a little stand selling this at the campground. Mmm mmm good!

I had to cross this bridge with my 65 pound pack to set up camp. Also, every time I needed to use the restroom…even in the pitch black. Luckily, I never fell in!

The most beautiful falls of all were Havasu Falls. Photos of these falls is what really ignited my desire to get here. It was just as beautiful as the photos! No filter needed.

There are other beautiful falls and hikes to see while you are down there. I did Mooney Falls on Day 2, and also hiked further into the Canyon. I wish I had more time to see everything. One more day would have been perfect. If I am lucky enough to visit again, I will plan on five days total down there.

If you want your pack on a horse on the way out, you need to wake up while it’s still dark to pack up, and have your pack to the stables at 6am. This, in my opinion, was much more important than having a horse carry your pack on the way down. The way out is 13 miles straight up from the campgrounds…no thank you to that 65 pound pack! So many people we met at camp were actually thinking they would take the helicopter out because they had no idea how they would be able to hike out. People wait in that helicopter line all day long in hopes to get flown out, and the line is so long that some people have to wait until the next day to try again.

I dropped my pack at the stables and power walked my way out passing all these people who looked like they might die from heat exhaustion. It was so freaking hot! September in the Canyon is no joke. And these people carrying those huge packs…so core!

Reaching the top of the Canyon was one of the most exhilarating feelings I have ever felt. I hiked 39 miles on this journey. Another trip that tweaked me a little as a person. I grow just a little bit from every adventure.

Hotel I stayed at before hike: Grand Canyon Caverns Inn. This place is in Peach Springs on Route 66. It is as close as you can get for lodging prior to starting the hike to Havasupai. Bonus, it has the largest dry cavern in the United States. Going down into the cavern on a tour was interesting…and scary. You can actually rent the space and sleep down there. It is super cool!!

Havasupai Tribe: People of the Blue Green Water.

Route: I flew into Las Vegas, rented a car, checked out Hoover Dam, and cruised Route 66 to Peach Springs. After hiking Havasupai, I drove an hour towards Las Vegas and stayed in Kingman. I soaked in the hot tub, ate an entire medium pizza to myself, and watched movies before catching a flight out in the morning. Las Vegas to Oakland.

Recommend this trip to: EVERYONE!! Well, I take that back. No young kids. You have to be in good shape to hike this trip. But if you’re not in the best shape, you can just take the helicopter. You can also scrap all the do it yourself work and headache of securing your own reservation and join a tour. I opted to do this on my own because I like the freedom to hike at my own pace, and wanted my camp to be my own little space. I don’t mean to sound antisocial because I love meeting new people, especially when I camp. But I love my own area too. To each their own! The tours hike down together, camp together, and eat together. It’s all inclusive so they cook you gourmet meals which is pretty cool. The price ticket is much higher for a tour but some prefer being in a group in adventurous situations, and from the reviews it is also a great way to go. Either way, find a way to make it here sometime in your life. It will change you…I promise.

route 66

British Virgin Islands: Bareboating For Beginners.

The first time I thought about creating a travel blog was at the end of this vacation. So, I found it fitting for this to be the first article on my site. This trip was so nontraditional, stressful (at times), and truly the biggest adventure I have ever taken. It changed me in a way once it was all over. In the end, it confirmed that I want to live on a yacht one day and cruise my days away.

What is Bareboating? Bareboat: (n) A boat, such as a yacht, that is chartered without a skipper or crew. That’s right, you rent the boat and head out to sea without any captain or crew….just yourself. I planned this trip with my husband in tow. We both have always loved boating, grew up owning a boat, and still own a boat today. It has always been a dream of ours to retire on a yacht, so I thought I would give bareboating a try to test the waters on our retirement dream.

When I say that we have always owned a boat, I am talking about a ski/wakeboarding boat that we take out on lakes while camping. This trip I planned was going to be for one week on a 38ft 2 bedroom/2bath power cat in the Carribean. We both had very little experience boating on the ocean. We had never anchored out at sea or used waypoints. However, I banked tens upon tens of hours researching this, and where would be the best place to bareboat for beginners. I came up with the Virgin Islands. The Virgin Islands are perfect because the islands are very close together so the seas are fairly calm. Plus, you can always see shore somewhere so that is very comforting as a newbie. Lastly, the route I chose had us driving the boat 1.5 hours (at the most) to get to our next stop. Bouncing around from island to island on calm water seemed like a perfect fit to get our feet wet.

We flew into St. Thomas, and took a ferry to Tortola which is where we were picking up the boat. We spent a couple of nights unwinding from our travels and also preparing for our ocean adventure. We hit the grocery store, got our fishing license/gear, and had a very nice dinner filled with nerves of excitement to board our boat. Our route was Tortola, Norman Island, Jost Van Dyke (including Sandy Caye), Virgin Gorda (two sides of this island), Cooper Island, and back to Tortola. We were shooting for six different islands in seven days.

I decided to rent our boat from Marine Max Vacations. For the main reasons that they were very fairly priced and had power cats. Most bareboating rentals in the BVI are sail boats. Sailing is really big in the BVI, but we opted for a power cat as we know nothing about sailing. I was very happy with Marine Max, and they actually rent boats for bareboating all over the world. I am secretly planning my next bareboat adventure while writing this Blog. Probably Greece or Croatia!

After a 2 hour orientation of our new home, we drove out of the marina into open waters with butterflies in our stomachs, and feeling totally in over our heads. Our first stop was Norman Island, which was a very short hop from the marina we were in. There were literally hundreds of boats anchored here, which definitely solidified the fact that the BVI is extremely popular for bareboating. We were the little guys on the block for sure. The boats around us were filthy gorgeous. I found yachters to be much like campers. All of our neighbors were so nice, and willing to help. Like that one time we woke up to find that our dingy was no longer tied to our boat…the dingy we had signed a $10,000 replacement cost on. Ya, that was a stressful moment! Our neighbors came and picked us up, and we found the dingy which had floated away. Yachters are good peeps! But back to Norman Island…We got our anchor secured (after about an hour of trial and error), bbqed some steaks and scallops, and took the dingy over to Willy T’s Floating Bar for some cocktails and dancing. This place was rowdy and fun! Everyone was getting straight up crazy!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — Willy T’s Floating Bar.

I think we checked the anchor about 50 times that night, but we didn’t float away and woke up to a beautiful morning feeling confident to move to the next island.

Our second stop was Jost Van Dyke. We spent 2 nights here including NYE…Oh, did I mention the weather is perfect in the BVI’s at this time of year? I am always chasing that summer weather! We got to Jost Van Dyke early and scored a moor ball…no need to worry about our anchoring skills…winning! This island was a party. One of my favorite spots here was the Soggy Dollar where I consumed too many of their famous Pain Killers.

My other favorite spot was Foxy’s where I spent NYE dancing the night away in the sand. There had to be a thousand boats parked here for NYE. People travel from all over the Caribbean to come to the NYE party at Foxy’s. Our boat rental company strongly suggested that we stay away due to all the traffic on NYE. I was very happy we rolled the dice and went anyways because it was an absolute blast!

Before leaving the island we popped over to Sandy Caye on the dingy early in the AM. Not bad for New Years morning. We were literally the only two people on the island. It was gorgeous. We toasted a little champagne and enjoyed this little island to ourselves for a couple of hours. It was a great way to start the New Year!

On to the next stop! Virgin Gorda. This was our longest drive on the route at about an hour and a half. We trolled along the way but came up empty on catches. We went spent one night on one side of Virgin Gorda exploring and snorkeling the Baths. It is just a must if you ever visit BVI! The water was so pristine and the Baths lived up to their reputation. We got here pretty late and weren’t supposed to spend the night but oopsie…we had no choice because it got dark. No ticket in the morning. Yippee!

The other two nights were spent on the other side of the island at Bitters End. We were surrounded by multimillion dollar yachts, and caught fish right off the back of the boat. Pretty amazing! Saba Rock is also located here. It is such a small island they call it a big rock. We took the dingy here at night for lobster, cocktails, and dancing.

The last stop on the route back was Cooper Island. There were turtles everywhere and we had the most beautiful sunset of the entire trip. After all of the anxiety I started the trip with, I couldn’t have felt more relaxed at this island….and sad to return the boat the next day for that matter. I like to push myself to just a bit outside of the comfort zone when traveling. I always want to challenge myself with adventure. This trip ended up being the biggest adventure of my life (to date) and I am proud of how much I learned.

After being on a boat for a week, I was ready for a hot bath, some makeup, and high heels. We spent another four nights at the Frenchman’s Reef and Morning Star Marriot Beach Resort on St. Thomas before heading home to California. It was beautiful and luxurious, but I have to say….I preferred the boat!

Recommend this trip for: People that know more than the basics about boating. I really think anyone with a pulse would love this trip, but you do need to be able to handle the boat. If you can’t, hire a captain or invite a friend who is a boater. It’s great for families, couples, and friends.

Favorite restaurant in St. Thomas: Havanna Blue. Love me some Cuban food!

Favorite Bar in St. Thomas (Charlotte Amelie): Rum Island Pub, aka Husband Daycare.

Favorite Wine Bar in St. Thomas (Red Hook): XO Bistro

Favorite Place to shake my bon bon in St. Thomas (Red Hook): Duffy’s Love Shack

Bikinis on the trip: Beach Bunny and Victoria Secret.

Favorite bar/restauraunt on Tortola: Pussers I had chowder every time I went. So good!

Best place to stop for lunch on your way to Vigrin Gorda: The Dogs! The Dogs are a small group of five uninhabited Islands that sit just to the West of Virgin Gorda. They are named for the barking sound from the seal population that used to inhabit these islands (long ago). The Dogs are made up of Great Dog, George Dog, West Dog and Seal Dogs (east & little).

Tip for the trip: If you are prone to sea sickness or have a fear of becoming sea sick, get the prescription patch from your doctor. It works wonders! Slap that baby behind your ear, and come away with me.