Missed #TravelBL aka Travel Bucket List chat yesterday? No worries! Here’s a round-up of what happened on both sessions so you get a taste of the fun. Don’t forget to join us next week at noon and 6:15 pm (EST), using #TravelBL so you can share your travel bucket list items and get inspired by others!
This week’s theme was TREKKING/HIKING. Grab a pen and add your favorites to that travel bucket list of yours! **Questions formulated by yours truly, @latinAbroad =)
Hiking Franz Josef Glacier
Q1. The best hikes/treks you’ve done?
“Cares Gorge in the Picos de Europas, Pembrokeshire Coastal Path….isn’t everywhere beautiful?” –@eurapart
Alo! This shall be the fourth weekly post including YOUR travel bucket lists, submitted last week on this blog. If you wish to be featured next week don’t forget to submit your travel bucket lists, links of your travel sites and Twitter handles on a comment below. Remember that there is no limit: As long as you post new items on your travel bucket list every week, I will feature you every time! So c’mon, get greedy here. And don’t forget to join us on the Twitter #TravelBL chat every Wednesday at 12 & 6:15 pm (EST)! For this week’s #TravelBL chat round-up, click here
Lastly, an announcement: BRAND-NEW LOOK of LatinAbroad.com going LIVE this weekend! Yay!
Still confused on how Travel Bucket List Wednesdays work? Click here
Travel bucket list item # 10: “Travel to AND enjoy 100 countries” – Cole & Adela
My & Alex’s bucket list item: “Survive” with Bear Grylls (Photo: Kalei Brooks)
* Spend some weeks “surviving” with Bear Grylls
I will give props to Alexandra over there (@Alexandraeh on twitter) for this travel bucket list inspiration last week. Spending some weeks with Bear Grylls “surviving” in the wilderness (and much, much else) would be an adventure of epic proportions (for many R-rated reasons I can’t mention, too). But on to the more PG reasons: Learning how to eat gross animals, build my own shelter, take care of bad wounds with natural sources found who-knows-where-I-was-left-off…all while having such eye candy who can actually take care of me if I mess up at this “being tough” thing…ummm yes, “cast me away” with Mr Grylls, please!
Tiffany training an otter – aww! Now on *my* travel bucket list! =)
For more items of my own travel bucket list, you may click here
What are you waiting for?! Go run to your blog, put together that awesome travel bucket list of yours and come back here to share it with us. Be part of the new, exciting #TravelBL Wednesdays! And of course, feel free to use hashtag #TravelBLany other time of the week when tweeting your items – you’ll get a guaranteed RT from me!
“LIFE, if well-lived, is long enough”
-Steve Jobs (1955-2011)
Missed #TravelBL chat this past Wednesday? No worries! Here’s a round-up of what happened on both sessions so you get a taste of the fun *wink* don’t forget to join us next week at noon and 6:15 pm (EST) so you share your travel bucket list items!
This week’s theme was ROAD TRIPS/OVERLAND ADVENTURES. Grab a pen and add your favorites to that travel bucket list list! **Special thanks to @TravelDudes (Melvin) for coming up with this week’s topic! Questions formulated by yours truly @latinAbroad =)
Q1. Best road trip/overland adventure you ever took?
“Great Ocean Road Trip, Melbourne to Adelaide!” –@emeraldcitytooz
Halla! This shall be the third weekly post including YOUR travel bucket lists, submitted last week on this blog. A little late I again yes, had my hands full again, as the BRAND-NEW LOOK of LatinAbroad.com is expected to go LIVE next week! Exciting news after exciting news, I know! What a week huh!? Stay along for the ride because things with me just go from good to epic in 0000.1 milliseconds *wink* haha!
Anyhow! As last Thursday, I’m also including a round-up of what happened at both sessions of the #TravelBL chat yesterday. Topic was ROAD TRIPS & OVERLAND ADVENTURES so I myself added many items to my travel bucket list. Now grab a pen & keep expanding your travel bucket list!
Don’t forget to submit your travel bucket lists, links of your travel sites and Twitter handles on a comment below if you wish to be featured next week. There is no limit: As long as you post new items on your travel bucket list every week, I will feature you every time! So c’mon, get greedy here. And don’t forget to join us on the Twitter #TravelBL chat every Wednesday at 12 & 6:15 pm (EST)!
Still confused on how Travel Bucket List Wednesdays work? Click here
Andi's travel bucket list item # 48 - "Travel to outer space" (Photo: Virgin Galactic)
On Ted's travel bucket list: Denali National Park (Photo: Wiki Commons)
* Ted’s travel bucket list
You’ll be inspired by his list if you like: Swimming, wildlife, cultural experiences
Diving in the Galapagos - on my travel bucket list! (Photo: Teresa Subi)
* Swim with whales, mantas, sharks, dolphins, seals, etc. – Galapagos, Palau, Indonesia, AU
Swimming with manatees was amazing, but that wasn’t enough to cross off this travel bucket list item of mine. See, I’m greedy when it comes to this one: I want to swim with all kinds of creatures! Whale sharks, manta rays, actual sharks, dolphins, seals, etc. etc. (new ideas are ALWAYS welcome!). Well, no better place to do so than around the Galapagos, Palau or the giant Indonesian archipelago! So many sites, so little time. Thank God I’m only 24, because this item will take a while to fully cross it off my travel bucket list!
Swimming with manatees - crossed off!
For more items of my own travel bucket list, you may click here
What are you waiting for?! Go run to your blog, put together that awesome travel bucket list of yours and come back here to share it with us. Be part of the new, exciting #TravelBL Wednesdays! And of course, feel free to use hashtag #TravelBLany other time of the week when tweeting your items – you’ll get a guaranteed RT from me!
“Their farewell message as they signed off: ‘Stay hungry. Stay foolish.’
And I’ve always wished that for myself. And now, I wish that for you: Stay hungry. Stay foolish.'”
-Steve Jobs (1955-2011)
BHAG = Big Hairy Audacious Goal. Thanks for the inspiration, BootsnAll! You have just made me realize what’s my real last name 😉
Alo! I’m super excited to share some great news on this lovely Travel Tuesday night with ya! 😀 As you already know, I’ll be visiting Curacao for the first time in November. However, what you didn’t know yet is that I’ve added Bonaire to the mix! After speaking to other travel bloggers that have been to the ABC’s (Aruba/Bonaire/Curacao), I was told that it is wise if I were to spend 2-3 days on each instead of the whole time in just one of them. And since I’m trying to visit all countries in the world…this would be a perfect opportunity to cross off two at once 😀 after some debate, I decided to stay longer in Bonaire (3 days), as I wanted to visit the least crowded island with the most unspoiled nature for better diving/snorkeling. Then, I will fly back to Curacao and stay for 2 days to soak in the night life and possibly cycle around instead of renting a car *fingers crossed* I’m excited to have a taste of the Dutch Caribbean! Oh and in case you were wondering why I have left Aruba out? I already visited back in 2002 😉
Aruba's Natural Bridge, which collapsed in 2005 - I went there just 3 yrs earlier!
Now, how the HECK were NOLA, Egypt, Cambodia, Thailand, and even AUSTRALIA thrown to the mix!? Let me begin by saying that they are not all on a one-way RTW ticket (although that would have been pretty epic)…
French Quarter, New Orleans at night (Photo: Falkue at de.wikipedia)
NOLA, aka New Orleans, aka the “Big Easy” was an impulse buy from yours truly during a ridiculously-beautiful AA sale – snatched a RT ticket, direct flights, TPA-NOLA for just US$160 including taxes (I know, I’m a baller). I’m excited because the first and only time I’ve been to NOLA was to volunteer and help victims affected by Hurricane Katrina. Meaning? That time I got to be a part of something big for people, now this time I will be part of celebrating their recovery, BIG, with them! 😉 shall be a blast! This is happening on a long weekend in December, by the way.
And now, I shall describe the biggest event of this post. Band, drum roll please! *drum roll*
Hint: This shall involve Plans A & C
Hint: This shall be Plan B
My Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) for 2012 is to work, live, travel throughout the Middle East again or hit SE Asia for the first time in my life!
*rings cowbell loudly* YES!!!!!!!!!!!
Omg, you have no idea how excited I am, my fingertips just keep doing a happy dance across the keyboard every time I type about that! Soooo! What’s the plan you must be wondering!? Since I basically have it all planned out from Plan A to C to D, I’ll tell you all about it on a tentative timeline I’ve outlined below!
Nov – Dec 2011 * Curacao & Bonaire (Dutch Caribbean); Miami & Tampa FL (USA)
Plan A: Apply for jobs at US Embassies around the world, preferably in the Middle East, most preferably in Egypt. I want to improve my Arabic, get ready for a Master of Professional Studies (MPS) in Arabic, Track II at U of Maryland (close to DC!), studying abroad in Egypt again for the 2nd year of my degree (!!!)
Plan B? If by Feb-March I got no promising job offers on my table, start looking for jobs in Australia as well! I got a contact (if you wish to be named, you’re welcome to move forward mister!) that will help me find a job in the tourism industry there. Tour guide? Interpreter? Both? We shall see! 😀
Plan C: Really I got one? Indeed 😀 apply to become a flight attendant for a Middle Eastern airline, preferably Emirates or Qatar Airways. Travel the world while having a base in the Middle East and improve my Arabic in the process? Why not!?
Plan D (aka worst case scenario): Stay in Tampa FL a bit longer, until any plan from above happens. because you know, Maria Alexandra makes things happen!
A beach in Vieques, Puerto Rico
April – Aug 2012 * If either plan A, B or C from above happens, I’ll move back to La Isla Del Encanto, Puerto Rico (HOME!) and live with my family for a few months. It’ll be wonderful, because my first nephew is coming to this world in Feb 2012, so he will get some serious fun time with Titi Maria before she jets off to live in another remote country! (I wish he was old enough to teach him how to Skype already…)
Worst case scenario: Still in Tampa FL, job searching (aka still working on Plans A, B & C from above)
Aug 2012
Plan A: Living (and working) in Egypt again!
Plan B: Last week of Aug, head to Southeast Asia, travel through Thailand (for the first time!) for a couple of days, then head to Cambodia to volunteer on a house build through Habitat for Humanity. Afterward, tubing (and much else) in Laos. And “finally”? Travel job in eastern coast of AUSTRALIA!
Plan C: Become a reincarnated PanAm dream (umm, flight attendant) for Emirates or Qatar Airways, living in the Persian Gulf, but FLYING often around the world!
Sept 2012 * living and traveling either throughout the Middle East, Asia and/or the South Pacific!
And…what if all of the above fails due to some major mystery of the universe? Well, I’ll just stay right here, in Tampa FL, working as a translator and social media manager, still searching and waiting until a promising opportunity crosses my path. I know God has a plan for me, and while I do possess the gift of free will, He also helps me by guiding me in the path that best suits my abilities and all the love and talents I have to give and share with others. I’m such a people person, got so much love and great plans to share and spread around the world, I know what will make me wake up ecstatic every morning will show up eventually 🙂
Until then? I got my timeline to work on! And…
…a great view + pool at my apartment complex to enjoy in Tampa Bay, FL
This post may have been a little tedious for some of you to read, but I am the kind of person that needs to write (errm, type) plans out in order to focus, tackle, and WIN. I’m absent, scattered minded, so time lines like this one have previously helped me achieve some of my biggest life goals. And so this shall be my proclamation, my inspiration–the sticky note I will read every day until my wildest dreams come true!
MOREOVER, I am challenging YOU right now to proclaim your own. Write down your dreams, travel plans, BIG GOALS for the next year already! Come join me, let’s take this journey together!
In response to 30 Days of Indie Travel, Prompt # 1: What travel goals do you hope to accomplish this year?
Missed #TravelBL chat this past Wednesday? No worries! Here’s a round-up of what happened on both sessions so you get a taste of the fun *wink* don’t forget to join us next week at noon and 6:15 pm (EST) so you share your travel bucket list items! This weeks theme was Romantic travel bucket lists, by the way. Grab a pen and add your favorites to that list!
Q1. What’s your idea of a romantic destination?
“Red wine, candles, GIANT heart shaped bed on a beach, Barry white music and strawberries” –@LegendaryExist
“Dinner on the beach, with private 3 piece band and the chef serving” –@Mackinnontweets
*
Q2 Mention some romantic items on your travel bucket list
“Kissing under the northern lights (aurora)” –@latinAbroad
“Picnic under the Eiffel tower, horseback ride on a beach” –@CaptainandClark
“Fireplace, Spa, Champagne, Great food and an amazing location” –@Mackinnontweets
*
Q3. What things would u take to increase romance on a holiday?
“I can immediately think of 5 things I wouldn’t take to increase romance – my 5 kids” -@hjortur
“Probably some sun oil that smells coconut like – good for tan, good for massage, sets the mood” –@LolaDiMarco
Hey guys! This shall be the second weekly post including YOUR travel bucket lists, submitted last week on this blog. A little late I know, had my hands full this week, but for waiting this long you also get a nice round-up of what happened at both sessions of the #TravelBL chat this past Wednesday *wink* now grab a pen & keep expanding that travel bucket list of yours! Also: Don’t forget to submit your lists, links of your travel sites and Twitter handles on a comment below if you wish to be featured next week. There is no limit: As long as you post new items on your travel bucket list every week, I will feature you every time! So c’mon, get greedy hehe. And don’t forget to join us on the Twitter #TravelBL chat every Wednesday at 12 & 6:15 pm (EST)! **For this week’s #TravelBL chat round-up, click here
Still confused on how Travel Bucket List Wednesdays work? Click here
Travel bucket list item: "See a wild polar bear" -Jen and Jeff
Travel bucket list item: "The Great Wall China" -Wanderlust&TheGirl
* Wanderlust’s travel bucket list– @LAbackpackerChick on Twitter
You’ll be inspired by her list if you like: History, outdoors, beautiful waters
Travel bucket list item: "Fly a helicopter" - Patrick
* Patrick’s travel bucket list – @corktobelfast on Twitter
You’ll be inspired by his list if you like: Geography (i.e entire continents), sports events, Heritage Sites
Travel bucket list: "Loops in a glider" -Peg (crossed off!)
* Peg’s travel bucket list – @tomebug on Twitter
You’ll be inspired by her list if you like: Languages, flying, photography
Travel bucket list item: "Shipwreck diving - CHECK!" -Me 😉
* LatinAbroad’s travel bucket list item: Shipwreck diving
Oh yes, CROSSED OFF! =D Who doesn’t have this on their list after watching the box-office-smashing TITANIC movie, right? Well, lucky me, I got to dive one of the most famous, top shiwrecks in the world: The Thistlegorm, a WWII British vessel carrying supplies, which was bombed by the Germans and sank in the middle of the Red Sea! What’s even cooler is that you get to dive the Thistlegorm twice: First time is the deepest dive, at about 30 meters deep, and it is to circumvent the ship and see its vastness from the outside. It is truly awe-inspiring, if also rather eerie. You hear the haunting sounds of the ship, the exact same ones we all heard while watching the Titanic sink with Jack and Rose vying to survive. Eerie indeed…
On your second dive, you actually enter the ship. This was the coolest thing ever. We got to go inside the Captain’s cabin and even see his tub, then go to the different storage rooms and see several motorcycles and even cars still fairly intact. It is so amazing how much of the cargo inside the ship is still so well preserved after so many years underwater. Needless to say, my breath was taken away! You can see more pictures of this amazing shipwreck by clicking here
For more items of my own travel bucket list, you may click here
What are you waiting for?! Go run to your blog, put together that awesome travel bucket list of yours and come back here to share it with us. Be part of the new, exciting #TravelBL Wednesdays! And of course, feel free to use hashtag #TravelBLany other time of the week when tweeting your items – you’ll get a guaranteed RT from me!
What’s on your travel bucket list? What have you crossed off already?
This week’s FriFotos theme is “LIGHTS” so today I present you a photo compilaton of some of my favorite “light” moments, all over the globe. Hope you like them pics! 😉
I got to party with the locals by the Colosseum in Rome! =D
View from our tram, where the Roman party was at
The Ball drop in Times Square from the VIP lane! Read the story here
New Year's in Times Square from the VIP lane - AMAZING!
Lights somewhere in Rome. I think it was the Pantheon?
Me at Fontana di Trevi, Rome
Lady Gaga stage lights, concert in Tampa, FL
You got any cool LIGHT photos? Post the links below!
Got your travel bucket list ready? Because it is that time of the week folks: #TravelBL Wednesday! Today is the first weekly post including YOUR travel bucket lists and items, submitted last week on the comments section. Get inspired, grab a pen and keep expanding that travel bucket list of yours! Don’t forget to include your lists, links of your travel sites and Twitter handles on a comment below. Also, join us on the Twitter #TravelBL chat today and every Wednesday at 12 & 6 pm (EST)! Still confused on how Travel Bucket List Wednesdays work? Click here!
Kayla @ a baseball game
* Kayla’s travel bucket list
You’ll be inspired by hers if you like: Baseball, Seven Wonders of the World & Natural Seven Wonders
Carnival in Venice, Italy - photo by martina-lace.com
* Leah’s travel bucket list – @L_e_a_h on Twitter
You’ll be inspired by her list if you like: Random lists, travel through all continents, and festivals/carnivals
Islamic architecture in Fez, Morocco by wanderable.com
* Marcela’s travel bucket list – @wanderable on Twitter
You’ll be inspired by her list if you like: Animals, road trips, architecture
Tango in Argentina - photo by howtodancelikestar.com
* Anya’s travel bucket list – @anyaosk on Twitter
You’ll be inspired by her list if you like: Nature, food and overland adventures
I swam with with manatees in Florida, USA
* MY travel bucket list! =P – @latinAbroad on Twitter
You’ll be inspired by my list if you like: To get dirty, unusual landscapes and riding things (of all kinds)
Running of the bulls, San Fermin Festival by Eneko Alonso
What are you waiting for?! Go run to your blog, put together that awesome travel bucket list of yours and come back here to share it with us. Be part of the new, exciting #TravelBL Wednesdays! And of course, feel free to use hashtag #TravelBLany other time of the week when tweeting your items – you’ll get a guaranteed RT from me!
What’s on your travel bucket list? What have you crossed off already?
