Weekend Getaway: Boston Highlights

This time last week, I was back on the East Coast enjoying the pouring rain and freezing weather. I was in America's walking city, The Hub; Boston, Massachusetts! I was there for the Women in Travel Summit and had an amazing time. This being my first time in Boston, I tried to do as much exploring as I could in my packed weekend. Also, the fact that Boston is such a compact city made this a lot easier for me. Just about everything is within walking distance.

So, without further ado, here are my weekend in Boston highlights!

Logan Airport

Now, you're probably thinking "why is she including an airport?", BUT I am a sucker for a cool airport location. Flying into Boston's Logan Airport, you first have to go out and fly over the Atlantic before landing. I love those types of landings. During those few minutes of flight over the ocean, you get a gorgeous view of all the small islands off of the Massachusetts coast. Great for people who love to take a million photos while flying.

Hostelling International USA, Boston

This weekend was my first time staying in a hostel. I was not expecting much at all, but HI Boston blew me away! It was one hell of a hostel! With free breakfast every morning, free wifi, a TV room, and loads of comfy places to hang out, it's the perfect place to chill out after a day or night of exploring the city. And the staff was really nice as well. But now I have to lower my expectations for all the other hostels I'll be staying at in the future! If you are ever in Boston, I very highly recommend staying at HI Boston.

Fire & Ice Restaurant

Located on Berkeley Street, this restaurant was a great place to start my weekend in Boston! My cousin came down from Maine to go to dinner and a movie with me and she took me here to eat. I loved the feel of the restaurant and the way that it functioned. You pick out all of the ingredients that you want (any kind of pasta, meat, vegetables, grains, anything you could think of!) for your dish, put them in a bowl, then pick out any kind of sauce or seasonings that you want, put them in a separate bowl, then give them to the cooks working in the big circle grill in the middle of the restaurant to cook up for you! And you could go back for as much food as you want. The food was delicious and so was the dessert! 

On Location Tours: Boston TV and Movie Sites

If you ever wanted to see the city of Boston and all of it's TV and movie history, On Location Tours is definitely for you. It is about a 3 hour bus tour that goes all around Boston to all of the sites of your favorite movies or TV series. The tour guides really know what they are talking about, and they take you to the famous L Street Tavern for some mid-tour drinks! Since I was only in Boston for a short amount of time, I felt like I got to see a good portion of the city because of this tour. They also host their tours in New York City! Visit http://onlocationtours.com/tour/boston-tv-movie/ to book your tour today!

Boston Common

I had one morning where I was free, so I decided to take a stroll through the snowy Boston Common. Boston Common is the oldest park in the country and is where the Freedom Trail starts (while I did not get a chance to actually walk the Freedom Trail, I heard it's great especially if you're a history fanatic). The park is beautiful and a lovely touch of greenery in the city. It was great to be able to explore the park on my own before spending the next two days in conference sessions.

Our Lady Of Victories Church

This church was one of the most beautiful churches I have ever been in. I went to mass here on Saturday evening and was in awe when I walked in. From the outside, the church doesn't look like much, it almost blends in with the other houses around it. But once you get inside it is amazing. Every little detail is unique and makes the church beautiful. This church is tucked away on Isabella Street and is definitely worth a visit.

Winsor Dim Sum Cafe

In the heart of Chinatown on Tyler Street, is some of (in my opinion) the best dim sum you can get in Boston! Oh, and it's super cheap too! Myself and 3 of my roommates went out to Winsor one night, ordered a bunch a food, and the bill all together was only $40 with tip. How incredible is that?! I highly recommend.

Trident Booksellers & Cafe

If you love food and books, this is the place for you. Trident is a book store inside a cafe. It was so nice to eat while being surrounded by thousands of books! While waiting for your table you can browse around for your favorite book upstairs and downstairs. If you ever get the chance to visit Trident, I recommend getting a freshly squeezed lemonade and the deluxe grilled cheese (yes, it is as good as it sounds). This book cafe is on the enchanting Newbury Street in the Back Bay area of Boston.

Picco Restaurant

A pizza place like no other! In the South End on Tremont Street, Picco has some of the best, most unique pizza I've ever had (and I'm a New Yorker!). If you want a pizza with a bunch of delicious toppings and a super crispy crust, go to Picco!!! They also have a large selection of beer and wine. Oh and they make their homemade ice cream right in the back of the restaurant! I found it was a super unique twist on normal pizza and ice cream. Next time I'm in Boston again I will definitely be back for some delicious food and dessert!

And there you have it! I loved the time that I spent in Boston, and these places and experiences just made it even better. If you have ever been to Boston, what are some of your favorite places to enjoy the city?!

How To: Kill It At Your First Travel Conference

 *Photo credit to sheswanderful.com

This past weekend, I attended my very first travel/blogging conference (woo!) in Boston, Massachusetts; Women in Travel Summit. Now before I start this how to, I would just like to thank Beth Santos and everyone else involved in the Women in Travel Summit. You all put together such a fun, inspirational experience for all of us there!

I've never been to a travel conference (or any conference for that matter), so I honestly had no idea what I was getting myself into. Before I went, I was really concerned if I would get anything out of it and if the other women there would be way more traveled than I was.


As it turned out, I had absolutely nothing to worry about. As a new traveler/blogger, it was one of the most beneficial experiences of my life. I met so many new people, explored a gorgeous new city, and learned some extremely valuable tips and lessons. So, here's how to kill it at your first travel conference:

• Be open - this is probably the best way to get the most of your experience. If you are open to trying new things and listening to people's different opinions, you will leave your conference having learned more than you ever expected.
  
  
•  Make friends with your hostel (or hotel) roomies - for me, this one was especially easy because we were all in Boston for WITS. But even if you are not there for the same reason as your roommates, still make friends with them! You never know where a conversation can lead. Who knows, maybe they live in your favorite European city. If you befriend them, maybe you'll have a place to stay next time you're in their city! Also, shout out to Hostelling International Boston and to my roommates of the weekend for being so awesome!
  
  
• Talk to new people each day - At least one new person each day! It is so important to make connections at these events, especially if it is a travel event. Like I said before, you never know where a conversation can lead! Make as many friends as you can, and try to keep in touch with them after you go your separate ways.
  
  
• Go exploring - Especially if the conference is located in a city you've never been to! Take some time to go out on your own and explore the city you are in. Take their buses and trains, walk their streets, ask the locals where to eat. Just explore!
  
  
• Have confidence - "Confidence is key". Super cheesy, super right. Be confident in yourself and in your beliefs. Know that you are there for the same reason as all the other conference goers. They may be more traveled than you, or more experienced in the blogosphere, but they are there to learn just like you. So hold your head high and be proud!
  
  
• Ask questions - In school, my teachers used to say "There's no such thing as a stupid question". And in this situation, that saying holds true. Ask as many questions as you need to. You are there to learn and to grow. You won't look stupid, you'll look like you are serious and passionate about travel and your blog.
  
  
• Take notes - This is so important to do!!! Whether its taking physical notes, or taking pictures of presentations, you should leave the conference with as much material as you need so you can put it all to good use. Also, it is good to take notes to share with others! Sometimes there are more than one session going on at the same time and, to my knowledge, we can't be two places at once. So find a friend to exchange notes with!
  
  

• Tell people about yourself - It's your first travel conference? You're pretty new to the travel and blogging scene? You're quitting your job to travel the world for a year? Tell people these things! We're travelers. We're bloggers. We love a good story!
  
  

• Listen to other people's stories - Just as it is important to tell people your story, it is just as important to listen to others stories. I heard so many inspiring stories this weekend that have made me want to go to so many new places in the world.
  
  

• Have fun - Last, but not least, HAVE FUN!!! If you're going to a travel conference, you're probably going because you love to travel. So have fun while learning about what you love! You're surrounded by so many like-minded people. They understand your wanderlust. These are your people! Go out there and embrace every second of this experience.

I hope these tips were helpful! I will definitely be attending more travel conferences in the future. Especially WITS'16 in Irvine, California!! Thanks to all the amazing and inspiring women I met this weekend. You're all changing the world by doing what you love to do, and it is awesome.


Do you have any other tips on how to kill it at your first travel conference?! Let me know in the comments below :)


xx

Why I Decided To Take A Gap Year And Travel The World..

I was a cheerleader for 13 years of my life. I thought that I was going to be doing something to do with cheerleading for the rest of my life. Whether it was coaching, actually cheering again for a team, or working on staff of a top cheerleading company. It was my dream. So once I moved to Texas in 2012, I decided to try out for Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) staff. It was my dream to make it, and I worked for months improving my skills. So, you could imagine that I was very crushed when I found out that I did not make it. 

I was so lost when I found out that I didn't make it, because I didn't know what my dream was anymore. And for me, life is not complete unless you have a dream to reach for. So I spent about 2 months trying to decide if that really was my dream. In the end, I decided it was. So, I spent that Summer and Fall practicing my skills again. Until one day, I stopped loving it. And all that was going through my head was "Dream a new dream".

And so, that's exactly what I started to do..

By this time it was November of 2013 and I was getting ready to board my flight back to New York for Thanksgiving, when it hit me. I love traveling. I love getting on a plane and flying to somewhere. I even like doing that on my own better that with others. Even if it was just going back to NYC, I still loved the happiness that getting on a plane gave me. And I knew that it wasn't just the excitement of getting to see my family and friends again. Because even on the flight back to Texas, that same love and happiness was still there.

As soon as I got home that Thanksgiving, I started to read travel blogs every now and then, just dreaming of a life of travel. Then, I started getting more interested in different countries around the world. I would spend hours and hours a day in bookstores reading about a bunch of different countries and cities, just thinking about where I would want to go if I were to travel.

It was around May of 2014 when I decided that I could do this. I could save every penny I have and I can go wherever I want. I didn't have to just sit back and read about others living the same dream as me. I was already working full time, so I knew I could save the money. Instead of buying new clothes and make-up and pointless material things, I decided not to touch a penny of my money if I didn't have to.

I didn't know exactly where to start, but I knew what my heart was dying to see. I wanted to see the Northern Lights so badly. I became obsessed with seeing them. Now at least once a week I would spend hours researching the best times and places to see the Northern Lights. Then I decided that in August, I would make my dream a reality. I was going to go to Norway for a week and see the Northern Lights and all of Norway's wonderful beauty. I even learned how to speak a bit of Norwegian!

But sometimes, things don't go exactly as we plan. The day before I was about to book my flight to Norway, I received devastating news about the death of a friend back in New York. So, instead of booking my ticket to Norway, I booked my ticket back home to NYC and flew out the next day.

But I took that as a sign that maybe I wasn't meant to go to Norway at that time. Maybe I was meant to keep saving and achieve a bigger dream.

The night I got back to Houston, I had the thought of just taking a year off of work the next year. Because to be completely honest, I was not ready in any type of way to start "playing the game of life". I was not ready to just work the rest of my life from 9-5, get married, have kids, and never get to live out my dream of traveling. I'm only 20 years old, but I decided if I don't do this now, then will I ever do it? The answer was I don't know. I had to live my dream now.

So, I started seriously doing my research. Learning new languages, getting a backpack to travel with, seeing where I would want to go. And also realizing that I will have to do this on my own if I want to live my dream now. Like I said in my previous post, no one is worth putting off your dream, even if that means living your dream on your own.

And now, here I am, still getting ready and planning for my adventures to begin..

Also to help me get ready for my trip, I will be attending the Women In Travel Summit in Boston in March! I am so excited to hear some of my favorite travel bloggers speak and to connect with other women who are passionate (and more experienced) about travel.

Remember, to always keep reaching for a dream. And even if you reach that dream, or you realize something is not your dream anymore, DREAM ANOTHER DREAM!

Thanks for reading loves! Can't wait to live these new, exciting adventures ahead!
xx