Tag: travel blogger

PostGrad

Moving Out Of State – First Impressions

New Hampshire and I didn’t necessarily get off on the right foot. It can seem kind of glamorous to get up and leave the world behind, start somewhere new. But in reality, it’s very very difficult. And I knew that coming into it and I also didn’t set myself up to be in a situation where I would love it right off the bat.

I immediately jumped into a new job when I got here, a job that is much more demanding and requires me to learn a lot in a short period of time. And my boyfriend isn’t moving up with me until the end of the month which means I’ve had a lot of quiet evenings and quiet weekends.

I’m not really one for making friends and I knew that would be my biggest challenge coming up here. It’s too early for me to knock a place because of that. I’ve piled far too much on my plate (as I always do) so my first impression of moving out of state has not been a great one. Especially because we were dumped with snow which put off my boyfriend’s plans to come visit me.

I miss him and my dog and my lizard. I was well-adjusted to living together, to coming home to someone or something every day. Now it’s very very quiet and my apartment is still filled to the brim with boxes and is just a hot mess honestly. I suck at unpacking. I’m kind of just going through the motions in January, knowing that it will be better here in February.

When people start over somewhere new, they make it seem so adventurous and amazing. So I wanted to share my first impressions with you, as that is not always the case.

person holding outlined map
Photo by Francesco Paggiaro on Pexels.com
travel

My Trip To Egypt!

Egypt is unlike any place I’ve been before. Flying in, you can immediately see how much of a city it really is as it is packed with stone apartment buildings. We had to catch on to the culture pretty quick here because there’s a lot to learn and a lot to be weary of. I think there are a lot of pros and cons to visiting Egypt. The pros mostly surrounding the history and just how amazing to see things built thousands of years ago. Cons are the way tourists are treated in Egypt – they are mostly treated and seen as a way to get money. The city itself could also use a lot of love, buildings were in disrepair and it didn’t seem like there was any sort of garbage pick up.

It was a huge traveling learning experience and I’m so grateful because we got to see things some people only read about in text books and it was incredible.

Places we went:

  1.  Step pyramid in Sakkara
  2. A tomb in Sakkara
  3.  Memfis open air museum
  4.  Pyramids of Giza
  5. Sphinx
  6. Pompey’s pillar
  7. Catacombs
  8. Alexandria gardens
  9. Alexandria library
  10. Egyptian museum
  11. Bazaar

My advice:

1. Get a guide. It seems impossible to get around in Egypt without a travel guide. If you don’t have one, people will try to get money out of you any way they can and you will have a very hard time getting around or even knowing what you’re looking at when you get there.

2. Do research. I had to do a lot of research on the culture, money, and tipping. I wore long pants or skirts with shirts that covered my shoulders to be respectful. Even with the research I did, I felt very lost.

3. Be firm. Almost everyone gets a tip in Egypt and it’s important to know how much to tip them or if you should tip them at all. I followed this rule of thumb from tripadvisor.

4. Get ready to learn. While we had time to relax with some pool time or hookah time, the meat of this trip is visiting historical places and learning.

I’m still in awe that I had the chance to go to Egypt. My boyfriend and I are not great (or are really great depending on how you look at it) tourists and are easily sold on many things. We saw a lot of amazing sites that I’m not sure will even last for too long. We may have spent a bit too much, but it was truly a trip of a lifetime and I’m going to brag about my Egyptian essential oils, handmade carpet hanging, papyrus print, and Egyptian cotton pants forever. 😂

Go to Egypt now while the history lasts and the tourism is doing well – it’s more than worth it.

PostGrad

November Recap

November is coming to an end and it was a whirlwind of a month! Here’s a recap of some of my favorites.

Favorite Show: Rewatching Vampire Diaries!

Favorite memory: My dog going nuts when I picked her up from my boyfriend’s parents house after two days away ♥️

Favorite place: Egypt

Favorite meal: Alllll the falafel

Favorite Instagram: The Mediterranean Sea is pretty impressive.

Favorite Tweet: World Kindness Day

Favorite book: I actually reread the Hunger Games trilogy!

Favorite blog post: Analyzing my negative thoughts.

Favorite collaboration: Sooo many collabs for Christmas season, but I have to give a shout out to the Mighty Patch

Tell me one thing about your November in the comments!

travel

Need Tips For Egypt!

I am headed to Egypt next week and I am SO excited.  I’ve read a few blog posts about the area and we’ll be on tours most of the time, but if anyone here has been to Egypt or can refer me to some good blog posts I will be so thankful!

I’ll be dressing modestly and will be careful of my surroundings. I also don’t think I will be riding any camels due to the overall treatment of the animals. But any other tips about the culture or just things I should really know would be great. Any restaurant suggestions, local shops, etc. I’m just open to any suggestions! 🙂 We will be in Cairo for most of the time.

Thanks in advance for any help! xoxo

sand desert blue sky egypt
Photo by David McEachan on Pexels.com
PostGrad

Completed Summer Bucket List

I always say summer is my favorite season, then fall rolls around and I’m like YESSSSS GIVE ME ALL THE SPOOKY STUFF!!!!  Anyway, it’s also my busiest season at work so my next bucket list won’t be too extensive. Check out what I got done this summer! Are you excited for fall?

  1. Read 5 books
  2. Have a picnic
  3. Visit Longwood Gardens
  4. Travel out of state 5 times
  5. Go to a concert
  6. Go to the beach at least once a month
  7. Reach 1,200 Twitter followers
  8. Reach 6,800 Instagram followers
  9. Reach 2,900 WordPress followers
  10. Reach 650 Facebook likes
  11. Finish my photo album
    This is definitely a better item for fall or winter!
  12. Meet up with friends at least twice a month
  13. Host a game night
  14. Eat vegan once a week
  15. Go to the gym at least twice a week
  16. Plan a trip for 2 year anniversary
    New Hampshire in September 🙂
  17. Change my hair
  18. Put more money into savings
  19. Make a wreath
  20. Make better choices when it comes to accepting sponsored posts
  21. See fireworks
  22. Watch 10 sunsets
  23. Take a walk with my boyfriend once a week

travel

Weekend in New Hampshire

On my mission to visit all 50 states, we often use long weekends to visit a new state nearby! This time we rented a cute cabin and headed up to New Hampshire.

This was our first time bringing our doggo on a trip and it went SO well. When we went to Vancouver we had a conversation every day about how fun it would be to bring Kaya along, so we made it happen!

This trip was a little less planned and packed as a result because there’s only so much you can do with a dog in tow.

We stayed at Tarry-Ho campground and our cabin came with only a bed, toilet, and shower. But it was perfect for our easy going weekend! There was also a yummy food truck across the street called 302 Grill and a little deli called Yaya’s – they were our go-to stops for food!

We hiked Franconia Notch National Park. What started as an easy 3 mile hike to see the Basin ended as a very difficult 9 mile uphill hike through empty and full river beds. My boyfriend and I run into trouble every time we hike, we are terrible at mapping out trails. As a person who hates to work out, I was less than thrilled about this long hike. It resulted in a bit of a tiff between us that resolved itself when we got to Lonesome Lake. It was too beautiful to fight or think about how much my knees hurt.

We checked out Sunday morning and stopped in Littleton, New Hampshire to check out a covered bridge. While here, I fell in love with the quirky and upbeat town. I swear I’ll live there one day.

As we got on the road back to New Jersey, we stopped at the Old Man in the Mountain which used to be a profile of an old man in the mountain, but crumbled so they set up a way for you to see what it used to look like.

Then halfway through the trip home we stopped in Hartford, CT for food and a peak at the Capitol building and Mark Twain House. Hartford just wasn’t what I thought it would be so it was an interesting learning experience for me.

I loved the trip and hope to make it back to New Hampshire soon! Have you ever been?