Traveling to Marrakech was a dream come true! It’s an exciting vacation for lovers of color, architecture, food, shopping, and a bit of chaos. You could easily get lost and lose track of time, spending your whole time in the city navigating the souks, but you don’t want to miss the Medina’s historic sites. If you are only in Marrakech for a short time, here are the 4 Must Visit Sites in the Historic Marrakech Medina.
We tried so hard to narrow down our top travel experiences of 2015 to a Top 10 list, but it was just too hard! So many wonderfully exciting things happened! We eventually narrowed it down to our Top 15, our #Top15of2015, and we’ve been sharing them on Instagram for the past few days. These are, of course, in no particular order – how could we decide?!
Meagan couldn’t believe her luck when she visited the most picturesque lavender fields in Provence. Every stop along the drive was like a photo from a book! All of the flowers were blooming brightly!
In January, Stephanie traveled with her husband to Thailand to show him where she studied abroad.
Our second photo for our top 15 experiences in 2015 comes from my trip to Thailand in January. It was my first time back since studying abroad there & I had so much fun watching my husband take in a country that will always hold a special place in my heart. One quintessential Bangkok experience we had was riding in a tuktuk, weaving in & out of traffic. What a rush!
A photo posted by A Friend Afar Blog (@afriendafar) on
Meagan had the most amazing experiences in France, and cycling through Burgundy with Beaune as a home base blew her away! She wants to go back again right now! It probably isn’t on your travel list yet, but is should be! Continue reading
Today’s post is by our good “friend afar,” Emily! She recently traveled to Costa Rica for an anniversary trip with her husband. We’ve known Emily for over a decade now, so we loved hearing about how she faced her fears and the wonderful adventures she had in return.
For my 5th anniversary, my husband and I decided to take a big trip. I am absolutely a read and relax on vacation kind of girl so when we settled on Costa Rica as the destination, I was a little terrified. I knew the trip would be lots of hiking, sight-seeing, and adventure. I decided early on to buck up and really enjoy the ride, and I made a promise to myself not to complain and to push myself to be uncomfortable.
It only got higher from there!
Hanging bridges may have broken me in a little at the start of the trip, but dangling by a cable for the mile long zip line didn’t sound like my idea of fun! My husband, however, was beyond thrilled! Standing around, in full gear waiting for instruction, I nervously chatted with my husband about how safe he though everything was. Two guys nearby jumped in and assured me everything looked pretty good, except the hand breaking, which they had never done before. Turns out this was their 3rd zip line trip, and they had done this before in Puerto Rico and Mexico. It was great to get some tips from people with experience! Come to find out, one of the pair actually works at the same company as me in another office! The world has honestly never felt so small!
For the entire experience, they stuck with us, encouraged me, and even used their Go Pro to video my trip down the mile long zip line. It was amazing how meeting these strangers totally eclipsed my fear! Hanging a mile above the earth, dangling from a wire was so invigorating!! It was worth pushing through those terrifying moments in the beginning! It wasn’t an experience I will soon forget! I was so glad I had leaned into the fear instead of missing out, and I’m so grateful for my husband and new friends for encouraging me to be brave.
It was worth it for the chance to relax in these amazing hot springs near Arenal!
Check out my packing list below from the week I spent on my European vacation visiting Santorini, Hydra, and Athens! Greece had been at the top of my bucket list for a while so I was so excited to finally make it to a place I’d been dreaming about for quite a while.
Packing light is so freeing and makes travel so much easier. I packed all of this (and more) into a small carry-on, and still had room to bring back some great souvenirs!
If you’re spending the majority of your time on the islands, you’ll want to bring light and airy clothing. I packed a lightweight scarf for breezy nights on the water, as well. You’ll want skirts, shorts or cropped pants for when your walks take you down to the shore. Hydra doesn’t have any cars, so you’ll need to bring comfy walking shoes and sandals. Also Athens cobblestone are particularly slippery so bring shoes with traction. One last thing: don’t forget your swim suit! This is THE place to wear it!
2 pairs of pants – I packed my go-to cropped denim and some adorable, breezy printed pants. It’s still a little cool in the evenings, especially on the water, so these are perfect for sunset strolls. [The printed pair are from Old Navy this season, but I can’t find them online. Here’s a similar pair.]
3 tees – I packed olive green, white, and heather grey. I didn’t want my entire suitcase to be blue, and green is my favorite color!
1 black tank – It’s always classic and easy, and I can dress it up with my jeans and some fancy jewelry.
2 dresses – I packed the blue and white striped dress that you see here, and another blue one that can be worn as a beach cover-up, a dress, or a skirt. So many options! Besides, who doesn’t want to wear blue and white while exploring Santorini? It’s the perfect dress! [Similar: J.Crew, J.Crew Factory, and Gap] You may recognize it from Meagan’s Florence post- I borrowed it from her.
3 pairs of shoes – I brought my cute Keds, which I’ll wear at the airport and for walking, some brown sandals, and some black sandals. I bought some sandals there, of course, and leaving my older ones behind.
1 swim suit – Are you seeing a theme with my colors? I couldn’t help but to pack items that fit the Mediterranean color scheme!
A Baggu backpack – My trusted Baggu backpack joined me in Cuba, and it was the perfect day bag in Greece as well. Those blue and white stripes – so perfect!
1 floppy beach hat – in navy, of course!
My camera and camera case – Check out my camera strap here. It’s the perfect accessory for any adventurer.
My Top 5 list of places to travel to changes all the time. All it takes is an Instagram picture, a friend’s story, or a new restaurant for me to throw all of my former priorities out the window for some place new. I wonder if my locations have a connecting theme, because they sure look different on paper. Maybe it’s that they’re all less-visited in comparison to other tourist destinations. After all, that’s how I ended up studying abroad in Thailand.
Does this happen to you? Where are your Top 5 Destinations?
Tell us about them in the comments below!
