Airplane cabin air is notoriously dry. This is why it’s important to stay hydrated (read: don’t forget to bring water!) and take other steps to keep your skin happy while in the air. These are the products I use to make sure that even if I’m jetlagged, my skin is not. Continue reading “My Skincare Routine for a Long-Haul Flight”
Category: Travel
I have been traveling a fair amount lately and I couldn’t help but notice how certain expenses added up beyond airfare and lodging, which is already pricy enough. So I took a step back and reassessed what exactly I was spending my money on and found ways to cut costs. Here’s what I learned: Continue reading “Vacation Hacks to Save Money While Traveling”
Chinatown is one of my favorite neighborhoods in New York City. Located in Lower Manhattan near the Lower East Side and Little Italy, there’s something for everyone, whether you are adventurous and want to try new foods, want a trendy dessert to take a picture of for Instagram, or just want to experience the culture. If you want to visit and don’t know where to begin, here are my tips and must-see recommendations. Continue reading “A Beginner’s Guide to New York City’s Chinatown”
I’ll be honest, I live for the weekends, not just because I have time to sleep in, but because that’s when I plan most of my travels—especially in the summer. Throughout the years I’ve gotten better at packing quicker and efficiently. Here are some of the tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way. Continue reading “Tips to Pack for a Weekend Trip”
I have always been fond of Long Island. It’s where I went for college and was my first home away from home once I left Hawaii. I finally had the opportunity to visit friends who live out in the Hamptons this summer, which has been on my list for quite some time, and it was truly nothing short of amazing. Here were my five favorite parts of this weekend getaway. Continue reading “Summer Getaway to the Hamptons”
Apologies for being MIA, this summer has just flown by and I’ve been all over the place. Here’s a rundown of what I’ve been up to for the past month: Continue reading “It’s Been a Minute”
I spent my Fourth of July weekend in Philadelphia: home of the Liberty Bell, Benjamin Franklin, and Philly cheesesteaks. The city itself is a great blend of rich American history, along with modern-day culture. And funny enough, I didn’t even see the Liberty Bell this time around because there wasn’t enough time.
It’s only a two-hour bus ride from New York City and there are many affordable Airbnbs to experience staying in a less-touristy area. We stayed in Fishtown, which is just a few subway stops away from Center City, and could not have been any happier with our time there, even if it was just for a four-day weekend. Here are the four highlights from my short and much-needed getaway. Continue reading “A Weekend in Philadelphia”
Last weekend, I took a quick trip to Washington, DC and had the opportunity to see Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrors exhibit at the Hirshhorn Museum.
A little background information: Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese artist known for creating dot patterns through painting, drawing, sculptures, film, performance, and immersive installations. Kusama lives by choice in a psychiatric institution and continues to create art. She sees polka dots in most of the world and some of her art stems from psychological trauma and hallucinations. Continue reading “Exploring Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrors at the Hirshhorn Museum”
A beginner’s guide to visiting Turks and Caicos Islands
As I mentioned in my previous post, I visited Turks and Caicos this past March, and as amazing and relaxing as it was, I learned a few things that I will keep in mind if I ever decide to visit again, or if I visit another Caribbean island. Here’s my guide to visiting Turks and Caicos.
We flew into Providenciales, also known as “Provo.” It is the main island and most developed. Most of the hotels are located in Grace Bay, the northeastern part of the island, however we stayed at an Airbnb in Sapodilla Bay, which is a more secluded area and apparently home to luxury villas, which brings me to my first tip: Continue reading “Tips for Visiting Turks and Caicos”
When I realized what matters most to me.
Back in March, I went on vacation to Turks and Caicos with my boyfriend. I booked the flight on New Year’s Day because I knew I needed to visit a tropical paradise in the middle of winter. Little did I realize that this vacation would coincide with the biggest storm to hit the East Coast this year: Winter Storm Stella. I mean, how was I supposed to predict a late snow storm in the middle of March, right?
The vacation was from a Saturday through Tuesday and Winter Storm Stella was expected to hit on Monday night. Everything was going fine until I woke up on Monday morning and realized that my flight was probably going to get canceled.
“What’s going to happen if I can’t go to work on Wednesday as expected? I have so many deadlines to meet.”
“What’s going to happen to my cat, will she be okay for another day?”
“What if I can’t get on the next flight out of here if they only have two per day?”
I panicked and looked through flights leaving that afternoon. There was one scheduled to leave at 1:16pm and I didn’t know what to do. I was sobbing to my boyfriend like I’ve never cried before because on one hand I felt all of my work obligations on my shoulders. I went on vacation to take a break from work, how was it that I was still stressed out? On the other hand, I did not want to cut this vacation short. It’s not every day that I get to visit a Caribbean island, and I felt that I did not experience it as much as I wanted to. So, I had a decision to make. I booked myself onto that flight at 1:16pm.
Continue reading “How a Flight Delay Helped Me Stop and Smell the Flowers”
Samantha Lea 