A few years ago, I had the pleasure of visiting Amsterdam with my family. We all really enjoyed our time there and I can't wait to return! I thought it might be nice to put together a little travel diary of some of the places I'd recommend you go if you visit. Hope this gives you some ideas. Happy Traveling! -- We spent four full days in this pretty city and stayed at Dikker & Thijs. Our room was outfitted with canal views, it was a quiet and the staff were really great! There's lots of places to explore/things to do in Amsterdam. These are just a few of the more memorable ones: ~ Explore the Rijksmuseum & grab a coffee in the cafe (they have great lattes!) ~ Take a stroll around Museumplein after visiting the Rijksmuseum ~ Take a walk around The Red Light District (parental guidance recommended, especially for young-ins!). An interesting experience unique to Amsterdam. ~ Explore the beautiful botanical garden, De Hortus ~ Take a walk or bike ride around Vondelpark ~ Take one of the touristy boat rides! We took one around the canals, it was so relaxing and you get really great views of the city that way. Amsterdam has a lot of great little places to find all different kinds of foods. Bakeries and little food shops are scattered everywhere. We took advantage of these on more than one occasion. But as far as dining (lunch/dinner), these are just a few of the places I really loved: ~ Grab a light bite or lunch at Blue Amsterdam. Pro-tip: this place has the most amazing views of the city! ~ Grab breakfast/brunch at Pluk Amsterdam. They have really great sweet treats! ~ Settle in for a beautiful and delicious dinner at Casa di David. If shopping is what you're interested in--Amsterdam has you covered! There's shopping all over, jewelry stores, clothing stores, etc. We spent one full day just wandering the city and stumbling across little places to window shop. Another aspect of Amsterdam that I absolutely adored is how walkable it is! While there, we mostly walked, or took the occasional tram ride. Another unique aspect of Amsterdam has to be the amount of bikers. Because it is a relatively compact city, most people ride bicycles. A great way to really get an authentic feel would be to rent bicycles and take a ride around the city. But let me warn you, you should take great caution while riding amongst the more seasoned city natives. There were more than a few times, while walking, that my family and I almost stepped in the way of fast-moving cyclists. If you have any questions or want another few recommendations ask me in the comments, or reach out to me via instagram...@littlebluebxo ! That's all for now. As always, much love. xoxo -B
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Exciting News! I'm officially going Ireland this summer! Here's just a little insight into how my friend and I went about planning our trip which may help if you're trying to plan your first experience abroad. ~~~~ My #1 travel partner and I will be meeting over in England (spending a few days in Bath) and then hopping over to Ireland. Once we're in Ireland our first stop will be Dublin. We're spending two full days in the capital and then taking a train to Galway, which is our second stop. We're spending two nights there, and then taking a bus to Doolin, County Clare, and admiring the Cliffs of Moher. We will be finishing our trip off at a hotel in Shannon before boarding our flights back to the states. Why Ireland? Personally, I have wanted to go to Ireland for years, and when we were living in Bath last summer my friends and I almost booked a trip there, but things got complicated so we decided to cancel it. However, my heart was still stuck on going and when my best friend and I began discussing a summer trip together we couldn't resist going somewhere neither of us had been before! First Order of Business. This part of trip planning is pretty self-explanatory-- You need to figure out if you could actually afford going to the place in question. Keeping in mind that some places are more expensive than others. Securing Your Trip. Before looking too much into restaurants and things to do, the first thing you need to work out is how you're getting to the destination. Whether you're driving, taking a train, flying, etc. This must be done before you get too invested in what you'll be doing while you're there. Especially if you're flying, because flights become fully booked if you don't purchase seats far enough in advance. We bought our flights a good three months in advance but I would recommend booking farther out (if you can). What's on the Itinerary? Next, you can figure out the places you want to go in the country you decided upon. We decided on the locations due to interest but also due to transportation. Originally we thought about renting a car and driving our way around (creates more ease, in terms of going to out of the way places). But we eventually settled on using public transportation because the benefits of having a car did not outweigh the hassle & stress of renting one. The Fun Stuff. We are now in the stages of figuring out the places we want to visit when we arrive, the restaurants we want to eat at, and the landmarks we can't miss out on. Obviously this is the most fun part of booking a holiday, but usually ironing out these details comes last. Where have you traveled to? And if so, do you have any other tips? Feel free to sound off in the comments. That's all for now. As always, much love. xoxo -B Well guys, it has been a long road getting here but here we are. I'm so excited to launch this site, and I hope you guys are too! Stay tuned for more posts next week.
A few travel tips: 1. Write a list! I can't stress enough how important this step is for myself. If I don't write a list first, I'm bound to forget something or pack too much. Instead of the wild rush of loading seven white shirts into a suitcase and calling it a day, write out what it is you might want to bring and then evaluate. It will save you space in your suitcase for buying souvenirs. 2. Don't pack last minute. This tip is pretty self-explanatory. That being said; however, my dad is a last minute packer and manages to somehow wait until at most thirteen hours before we'll be actually on the plane before he packs his bag. I wouldn't recommend this to the responsible packer. 3. Find the right packing supplies. Go to the store and if you can afford it, grab some travel sized toiletries. Trust me, your full size shampoo will not pack easily. 4. Look up the weather of the place you will be traveling to. If it's the summer and sunny near you when you're packing you might be inclined to pack a ton of shorts and forgo the long pants. You should check the weather, and make sure that while it might be hot where you are, climates fluctuate. 5. Double, check...EVERYTHING. So, it might just be me but I prefer to be ready at least a day prior to my flight. But, the day right before I like to go through my lists again and just make sure I have everything I could need, and even possibly cut down on some of the stuff I might already have in my bag. A lot of times, things you think you will need will just sit in your suitcase, unworn/unused. That's all for now. XOXO -B |
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