All posts tagged: vacation

24 Hours: Luxembourg City

“Where are you headed next?” “Luxembourg!” “Oh cool…silly question, where is that again? Switzerland?” “No, but close, there’s a “Little Switzerland” in Luxembourg!” “Wait, I thought Luxembourg was a capital city in another country?” “Yeah, Luxembourg City IS the capital of Luxembourg!” “Oh jeez, get out of here before you drive me nuts!” “Haha, love ya!” Typical conversations that surrounded my recent trip to Luxembourg always seemed to either begin and end in a cloud of confusion as to where Luxembourg is, or garner disbelief as to how I spent an entire weekend there without electing to hop over to popular neighboring cities like Brussels, Paris and Cologne. However, during my summer in London, I decided to zip over and find out what the local sensibility of this city full of drifters is, with 60% of its population being expats and having 170,000 people commute back and forth each day. Outside of having well-paid jobs particularly in the EU and financial sectors, what is the draw to life in Luxembourg City? Upon arrival, I quickly …

Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Thifa

“Some people have obsessions like fro-yo, Netflix, sex or shoes. My obsession is traveling. One of my favorite pastimes is going to faraway lands and being mistaken for random celebrities. Not because I look like them, but just because for most of the locals I encounter, it’s not often they see a 6 foot Jamaican girl wearing 5 inch wedges visiting tourist sites. I wonder…who do they think I am?! And will they figure it out when showing their vacation pictures to friends/family or posting on Instagram/Facebook….Do you think Beyoncé, Rihanna or Michelle Obama will shut them down when they are tagged?!” – Thifa   031/100 of #100DaysofConfessions Instagram Project    

Confessions of a Jetsetter w/ Irina Kipnis

“Max and I have been married forever. We met in college and became “that couple that ran to City Hall!” Still students, still kids, we floated around looking for the landing ground. Years go by, seven to be precise, and I spend the summer running around the city between three freelance gigs. It must not be all for nothing, I must go to Italy! A decision was made, we were finally going there for 10 whole days. Our first trip together abroad and our first real vacation…  It all begins in Milan. Foolishly we fall into a tourist trap cafe, but it redeems itself by serving the largest bellinis I have ever had the pleasure of drinking. With no time to waste, the next morning we run to the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie to see The Last Supper. The slides from my art history classes pale and disappear and are now replaced with a new memory that I keep to this day… Our journey continues as we hop on a train to Venice …

10 Personality Types To Avoid When Selecting A Travel Buddy

Traveling with a friend, lover or family member can either be the most invigorating experience or biggest nightmare on the planet. The key to avoiding the latter category is by remaining mindful of different personality types while plotting your next escape. Enlisting the cast of one of my all-time favorite first world problems movies, “Mean Girls” along with E- Online, here’s a handy list of travel buddies to avoid so you don’t end up kicking your own bucket list! 10) The Age-Inappropriate Partier whose motto will forever be, “Turn down for what?!?!” 9) The Thirst Bucket who falls in love with everyone and everything no matter where you happen to be… 8) The Debbie Downer who should never have left home in the first place and reminds you why every second you attempt to make plans…ummm #BYEFELICIA!! 7) The Paranoid Worry Wart who is convinced everything you do will either kill you or land you in the next installment of “Hostel”, “Taken” or a remote Thai prison… 6) The Itinerary Nazi who needs to calm down …

Jetsetter Problem #1: Where To Go Next! (Part II)

Fresh off the heels of an exciting 4th of July holiday weekend coupled with migraines gained from watching some pretty riveting soccer matches (namely the Netherlands vs. Costa Rica heart attack special!), I’m ready to dive back into using the World Cup as a means of narrowing down my next international destination! Unfortunately my desired pick from last week, Colombia, was eliminated by Brazil, which means it’s time to draw a new card for the semi-final rounds… The remaining countries left in the pool for World Cup domination are Brazil, Germany, Netherlands and Argentina.  These choices pose a 2:2 dead heat ratio of places I’ve visited in the past and places yet to be discovered. My new desired pick would be Argentina. Buenos Aires has been a city high on my list for quite some time now. Who can honestly go wrong with the solid combination of fine wine, sizzling steaks, sexy tangos, fascinating architecture, a fantastic arts scene and a chance to recreate an even cheesier rendition of Madonna’s “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” at …

Jetsetter Problem #1: Where To Go Next! (Part I)

One of the toughest decisions for a travel addict like myself is narrowing down my endless wish list of places to roam. In true Liz Lemon fashion, I WANT TO GO TO THERE…EVERYWHERE…ALL THE TIME! This of course isn’t the easiest feat… So finding fun ways to be decisive about where to visit next are always welcome. Rather than tossing a coin to decide my next trip – one of my tried and true methods for resolving cliffhangers – I’ve chosen instead to toss my fate up to the hands of the world’s game…that’s right, FIFA 2014 baby! This year, FIFA Fever has been at an all-time high as unexpected brilliant performances have come to pass (hello Costa Rica!) and rekindled my interest in revisiting my bucket list. As a result, I plan to translate my rousing cheers at my TV screen into camera-shuttered glimpses of astonishment by visiting the country of the winning World Cup soccer team by the end of this year. Anybody else with me?! Currently, the countries still in the running …