Cuba Travel Budget 🇨🇺

Ah, Cuba on a Budget! You may have heard that Cuba is a cheap destination to visit. And that is both true and untrue. We went to Havana to mark a very special occasion with deciding to visit our 5th country together to celebrate 5 years of marriage. So we definitely spent a little extra and splurged on a few things on this trip, but still stayed on a budget. Let's take a peak shall we? 

Trip Length: 4 days & 3 nights for 2 adults 

Travel Dates: August 2018 

For simplicity, I've listed all costs in American dollars. At the time of travel 1USD was equivalent to 1CUC. Keep in mind that all totals listed below are for two people. 

A Great Big Southwest Adventure Road Trip

Here it is. A great big post all about our Great Big Southwest Adventure Road Trip! Every year, we head out to spend some time on the West Coast. And our 2018 adventure took us on a week long road trip through Nevada, California, and Arizona. 

I've been sharing bits and pieces from this road trip for a while now, but here is our itinerary with links and budget all in one place. 

desert oasis

After spending a day hiking through the desert in the hottest place on Earth, it was nice to stumble upon this hidden gem of a desert oasis in Palm Springs.

Pressure from the San Andreas Fault created underwater springs that support the palm trees in this area. It's kind of crazy to be wondering through the desert to suddenly happen upon a lush forest of palm trees.

camping in Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park...it's where the cool kids go. It's just an hour away from Palm Springs, California. And it's the perfect quick detour on the route from LA to Vegas. Never have I been to a place with so many hipsters and professional photo shoots. It's the place to be. But the true cool kids do this park just right with camping here. At least we think so. 

We spent 8 nights on the West Coast, staying in some pretty nice hotels, but nothing beat camping under the stars in Joshua Tree.

exploring the big easy!

The big easy truly is the perfect way to describe New Orleans. Husband and I are always so stressed out and on the go, so it was amazing to meet up in NOLA and really take a few days to enjoy the laid-back easy-going lifestyle here. 

We flew into NOLA late Thursday night and had a nice long weekend there, which was plenty of time to explore this unique city. We slept-in every morning, strolled & biked the city streets, and ate more than our fill of all the great creole cuisine. 

Here's just a peak of our time in New Orleans! 

a glimpse of mardi gras

We may have missed out on Mardi Gras, but we still managed to get the best glimpse of it while we were in New Orleans. 

We got to take a behind-the-scenes tour of the massive warehouse where they build and store the parade floats for the year. This was definitely a favorite stop during our time in NOLA. It gave us such a great perspective on this city and its traditions. 

I've always thought of Mardi Gras as being a crazy time and it definitely is. But there is so much history and pride and culture that goes into this parade too. 

Easter in New Orleans

I think it’s safe to say that Husband and I had a pretty untraditional Easter weekend living it up in New Orleans. But nothing about our lives right now feels traditional, so why should this weekend be any different?

we're headed to new orleans!

happy hump day! 

As if this month hasn't been packed with enough adventure from our west coast trip, we're headed to New Orleans tomorrow.

sunrise ride with Icelandic ponies!

The day we road-tripped through Iceland's Golden Circle, what mesmerized me most wasn't the waterfalls or the geysers or the cute Icelandic homes dotting the countryside. It was the ponies! We would whiz by them and I would swoon. So the very next day, we headed on a sunrise horseback ride---a definite highlight of the entire trip. 

chasing the northern lights

While we spent our days in Iceland soaking in geothermal pools, riding Icelandic ponies, and hiking through lava tube caves; our nights were spent chasing after the northern lights.

Giraffe Ranch

Beyond excited to share this truly unique experience from my sisters weekend in Florida. Giraffe Ranch is home to many of the animals that you would only expect to find at a traditional zoo, but its run like a true ranch that allows you to interact directly with the animals.

 Short of being a zoo keeper or a vet, you would never have the chance to engage so directly with these types of animals. It was seriously one of the best things I've ever done--even if it has ruined traditional zoos for me for life. 
Follow along on our southern safari!

misty fjord

fjord: a long, narrow inlet of the Sea between high cliffs 

As a girl who loves her nature, is always looking for a mountain to climb, a new place of harmony to traverse...I have always wanted to venture to a fjord. Mountains that are literally popping up right out of the sea, no one could dream up a place as glorious as this, yet it exists.   

a train ride to nowhere

My absolute favorite adventure during our Alaskan Anniversary Adventure was our train ride to nowhere. We followed the White Pass & Yukon Route along the original track that was built back in 1898 during Alaska's Klondike Gold Rush. 

mountain zip-lining

Every trip needs an incredible adventure to go along with it, one stand out experience that sticks with you forever. While everything we did during our camping trip was amazing, zip-lining through the Blue Ridge Mountains was easily the highlight. 

kissing 2016 goodbye

I guess I'm a little late to the party with sharing my year end review, but I was a little busy ending 2016 on the best note possible thanks to a trip through Europe. Now that I'm back stateside and finally having a moment to unpack, catch-up, and shake off the jet lag, I'm ready to officially say goodbye to 2016.

In a lot of ways, this past year was not an easy one. I feel like I was tested in so many ways....in my marriage, in my desire to become a dentist, in the path I've chosen in life. But there were also a lot of good moments freaking fantastic moments. So here are a few highlights from my 2016.

new year, new adventure

After ringing in the new year over the pond with a trip through Europe, I have a feeling that 2017 is going to be a good year. One full of adventure. As of now, I have no idea what to expect from this coming year and no major plans. But I know this year is going to be a crazy one with grad school and living long distance from my husband, we will need to plan lots of crazy adventures to help pass the time and make this year even better than the last. Expecting a lot from you 2017, can't wait to see what you have in store for me. 

merry in mexico

I will forever be in love with our holiday tradition of gifting each other an adventure for Christmas. We started doing this years ago right after we got married. While I love giving and receiving all the things at Christmastime, nothing beats creating memories and once in a lifetime experiences that we will have forever. 

Mule Rides in Bryce Canyon

Wanderlust Wednesday-Week 15 

Day 2 of our Mighty 5 Road Trip landed us in Bryce Canyon National Park. After this crazy hike and all our adventures in Zion the day before, we were feeling exhausted by the time we arrived. Thus, we decided to give our hiking boots a little break and do a mule ride through the canyon.  

There are a lot of options for horseback and mule rides around Bryce Canyon, but Canyon Trail Rides is the ONLY company authorized by the National Park Service to enter the actual canyon. We did their half day ride, which takes you through the most iconic spots in Bryce Canyon including Queen's Garden, Fairyland Loop, and the Peek-a-Boo Loop. 

City by the Bay

Our very last visit during our week in California was San Francisco. Last time we were there, we had an amazing night out and spent a day biking all over the city. This time around, we only had a few hours before catching a red-eye home. While my instincts told me to squeeze in as much as we possibly could, we ultimately decided to slow down, relax, and really enjoy the City by the Bay.

Tips for Hiking the Half Dome

See that guy on the edge of the cliff? That's my amazing Husband and we just hiked the Half Dome! If you're here reading this, then you already know that the Half Dome is an experience of a lifetime. You also know that it's definitely not one of those things you can just show up for, it requires lots of planning and preparation. We spent many an hour researching ahead of time, so we did a lot of things right. We also did a lot of things wrong, which is why I think that it's important to pass along what we learned to other Half Dome hikers.