Welcome to Adventure Part 3: Spontaneity

Last year, my aunt and cousin came to visit me in New York and I got to experience their version of a vacation. My uncle works for one of the major airlines, so they don't always know where they might end up when they take a trip. Essentially, they make it up as they go.

I am more of a planner, so to go on a trip without some sort of itinerary is a little daunting. However, I threw caution to the wind and followed along as my aunt and cousin had fun finding things to do "at the last minute".

It was great.

I've even started trying to do more things spontaneously.

For example, this past Friday I got an email from one of the Broadway ticket agencies. The play Burn This had a few tickets left for Sunday and, as I hadn't gotten the lottery tickets for Hamilton (again), I snagged a ticket. I did ask one of my friends if they thought it was a good idea (she said "of course" but she rarely says no to seeing a Broadway show).

Burn This is great, by the way. Adam Driver and Keri Russell are amazing. I went through a roller coaster ride of emotions, one minute laughing my butt off, the next wanting to run on stage and hug the characters (good thing I was way up in the balcony).

It's one thing to do spontaneous activities close to home. It's another to do so while traveling.

As I planned my trip to Japan, I sent my uncle a list of places I'd like to see. Some were places I had been before, others places I had heard about, and a few I found on travel recommendation sites. I told my uncle that I didn't have to see everything on my list, that I was open to different suggestions, and that I was flexible to changing my plans.

My uncle planned an amazing trip and we hit pretty much everything on the list I sent him. We only made a few small changes based on weather (which was only bad one day) or if my uncle had a different recommendation.

I had the best time!

My 24 hours in Hong Kong, however, were completely unplanned...and I was on my own.

I find that not having a plan is easier when I'm traveling by myself. I've written about solo travel before (click here) while I was in Iceland. I typically have some idea of what I'd like to do or see on these trips, but I'm always willing to make changes.

As I was on my way to Hong Kong, the weather took a turn for the worse. Strong thunderstorms delayed my flight by 6 hours and by the time I reached my hotel, all I wanted was food and a shower.

However, that didn't stop me from trying to explore a new city.

Originally, I thought I might just eat at the hotel and get an early start the next morning. But that didn't sit well with me. In a moment of pure curiosity, I asked the hotel concierge where they might recommend getting something to eat. They gave me a few suggestions, which I thought about, and then asked: "what would you like to eat?"

Without second thought I said, I'd like to try something local. The concierge smiled and said that I should take the subway one stop to the Wan Chai neighborhood to see some of the night life and try some local street food.

The mini adventure was worth it and I managed to get a taste of Hong Kong that left me wanting to explore the city more. I hope to go back sooner rather than later and hopefully convince my sister to come with me.

My 24 hours in Hong Kong weren't long, but I tried to do as much as I could. I managed to take the Peak Tram up to the top of Mt. Victoria and do a bit of hiking. Even in the rain, or maybe because of it, Victoria Peak is gorgeous. Part of me felt like I was stepping into the realm of the fae with how low the clouds were.

Exploring a new place without a plan is scary. Even when I'm not certain where I'm about to go or what I might do, I still take time to do my research. However, some of the best adventures happen when you stumble right into them without having any prior knowledge.

Some of the best adventures I've been on have been within an hour of my home and they usually started because I was bored and needed something spontaneous to do.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me.

Until next week.

Welcome to Solo Travel

My final post on my adventure in Iceland is going to focus traveling solo. I'll be honest, I was a little nervous about going to a new country by myself. Part of the reason I decided to go to Iceland was because it was highly recommended for first time solo travelers.

Solo travel might not be for everyone, but I definitely recommend trying it. I personally think that solo travel is best for people who like to spend a good amount of time by themselves. There were plenty of opportunities for me to talk to people, but the majority of my time was very quiet. I was able to just be imaginative for a while.

I had heard that doing a solo trip was something people should put on their bucket lists. I don't really remember where I heard this from (probably a travel blog on Facebook or from one of my really adventurous friends). Still I put it on my bucket list of things I should think about doing. Then I randomly brought round trip tickets to Iceland. Suddenly I went from thinking about doing it to actually doing it.

To prepare, I did a lot of research. I then chucked most of that research out the window when one of my friends got so excited for me that they basically became my travel agent. This friend had also never been to Iceland, but they had been on solo trips before. They helped talk me into staying at a hostel, which I'm really glad I did. They talked me into going to the Blue Lagoon and the Golden Circle Tour. This friend later decided to also go to Iceland, so I've given them all my tips for when they are there in a few weeks.

I am so glad my friend gave me some of the pushes that they did, otherwise I might not have made some great new friends or done some of the amazing things I did (Golden Circle Tour).

My mom was also a big help finding out information and bouncing ideas off of. She has done a good bit of traveling and she said agreed with my friend on a lot of the things they told me. My mom also gave me the best price of advice. She said that its okay to not have a set plan until you get there because you might find an opportunity you wouldn't have known about until you get there.

It was really good advice for me. I ended up not booking anything (except the Blue Lagoon) until after I arrived. If I had made plans for each day I probably wouldn't have gone to Videy Island or found out about the "free" city walking tour. I only found out about them after arriving*.

I might have been okay with that (non)plan if someone had come with me, but it might not have worked out. Some people just need a plan when they go on vacation. It's not a bad thing to want a solid plan, but it's not for everyone.

So here is my list of why I enjoyed traveling solo. It might not be everyone's reasons for going solo and you can probably do some of them while traveling with one or two friends, but that's why it's my list.

1) Quiet reflection while letting the imagination go wild - I spend a lot of time in my own head just thinking and being in a new place really let my thoughts go wild.

2) Change plans without compromising - this happened several times while I was in Iceland (for example I got lost going to one museum and went to a different one instead). I also sometimes would stumble across an interesting place (the cemetery) and spend time there.

3) Make new friends and talk to new people - yes this can be done with a group of people too, but there's something fun about being asked if I'd like to hang out with someone I had just met.

4) Take my time - since I was setting my own pace I could take as much or as little time as I wanted somewhere. I could also have as much down time as I wanted.

5) Say I traveled solo - a few of my friends said that they wouldn't have had the guts to traveling explore a new country by themselves. It felt like an accomplishment to do it.

Again these are my reasons for taking a solo vacation. I definitely recommend trying it once in your life. You never know who you might meet or what adventures you'll find.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really passed you of) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me. Hopefully I'll be off on my next adventure sooner rather than later.

*I had known about Videy Island before going, but I wasn't sure if I would visit it or not. It wasn't until another person in my hostel room said that they were going too that I officially decided to go. We hiked for four hours and got some of my favorite pictures of the whole trip.

Welcome to Iceland

I decided I needed to go on an adventure. Six months ago, I made the impulsive choice to buy round trip tickets to Iceland. I had never been to Iceland, I had very little knowledge of Iceland, and I was planning on going there solo. I figured the worst thing that could happen was I get kidnapped by trolls.

On Tuesday I returned from that trip.

I can honestly say that I have never been anywhere quite like Iceland. The people are very friendly, laid back, and have one of the best senses of humor I've seen. I felt incredibly safe walking around the city of Reykjavik. One tour guide even told us that if you lost something at a bar the night before, to check the lost and found at the police station the next day. Someone had likely returned it there.

Hey look he's got a pineapple on his sword. Ha Ha

 The Icelanders I met are very proud of their Viking heritage (though one tour guide did admit that they are not the best at being the notoriously bad Vikings). Everywhere I went, I saw images of the Viking culture. The Viking Sagas were sold in stores and gift shops sold small Viking ships.

The city of Reykjavik is amazing. I've never felt so safe in a city and nearly a third of Iceland's population lives in the city. It is easy to walk around. There are also buses, but I rarely saw anyone on them (even during rush hour). I was able to go anywhere I wanted to in about 20 minutes. Cats also seem to rule the city. I spotted many while walking around. There was one in particular who liked to sleep on the shelves of one of the stores during the day. I asked the people working at the counter about the cat and they said he just likes to hang out there during the day and goes home at night.

How to tie a tie three different ways.

Iceland is a beautiful county. There are plenty of places to hike and natural wonders to see. On my last full day, I went on a Golden Circle Tour. The Golden Circle are beautiful geographical locations. Our first stop was a giant crater. The second stop was a field of several geyser. I only saw one of them go off, but it was amazing. People who were standing downwind were splashed with water.

Our third stop were these amazing waterfalls. I'll be honest I wouldn't want to go over them in a wooden barrel. Finally we went to where the North American and European continental plates are separating (and where the Vikings used to gather to make laws).

If there is one thing I really missed from Iceland it would be the water. I went to the Blue Lagoon on my first day and it was very relaxing. My skin felt amazing afterwards. There are more thermal pools (that are a lot cheaper and less touristy) around the city. I'd definitely recommend checking them out if any of you guys go. The drinking water was also so tasty. It came straight from the glacier. Nearly every restaurant had some water for free for customers.

I am happy I went to Iceland. I might have been a bit more of a tourist than I typically like to be, but I don't know if I would have done all the things I did if I hadn't. I honestly hope I can go back again soon.

If you guys have any questions, just let me know and I'll try to answer them as best I can. Don't worry if you wanted to hear more about my trip or solo travel in general. I think this month will be centered around this adventure.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me. Until next week!