a lifestyle, family and travel blog
As I mentioned in my original post about Planning a Safari in East Africa, there's really not much to do since the Safari company you select organizes the entire thing [at least that was our experience]. We simply provided a rough budget, ideal travel dates, where we were coming from and where we were going after and andBeyond did the rest! It really is ideal for a honeymoon since so much planning goes into the wedding and reception. Read more about our experience on Safari here.
Another oldie but goodie from the archives! I figured I'd share because it's been exactly almost five years since my three girlfriends and I visited the island of Puerto Rico. Plus, since Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory it's one of the few places open to American tourists right now. Without rereading the post first, the most memorable things from this trip include, the colorful and charming town of Old San Juan, snorkeling with sea turtles and sting rays on Culebra Island, beautiful Flamenco Beach [also on Culebra Island], the strangely good Chinese food at Tayzan and the tasty acai bowls from Bajuice Juice Bar. Read on for more details!
![Vancouver, British Columbia [Canada]](https://jetsetdarlings.files.wordpress.com/2020/10/img_2993.jpg?w=720)
Sadly, American's are still not able to cross the boarder to Canada at this time. But if you ever get the chance to visit Vancouver, it's a beautiful city filled with so many fun activities and delicious restaurants. It's been a few years since I visited but many of the staples haven't changed.
I can't believe it's been four years since I last visited Seattle. For as long as I can remember, I've always wanted to live in Seattle. People think I'm crazy because of how gray and rainy Seattle is said to be. Our trip was really no different but I just love the Pacific Northwest. I spot checked and most of our itinerary still seems relevant so hopefully it's useful if you ever find yourself up that way.
We just got home from the most incredible anniversary trip to Oregon! The Pacific-Northwest has long been a favorite destination of mine and Kevin has never been so it seemed like the perfect getaway to celebrate our second wedding anniversary. Of course we're also in the midst of COVID-19 so we needed to find a destination that would allow us entry without a quarantine period coming from Chicago.
September 2018 - A Wedding Celebration in Budapest! Our most recent trip to Budapest was short & sweet [again]! We flew over to celebrate the marriage of a dear friend over Labor Day Weekend in 2018 [only three weeks before our own wedding, a little crazy in hindsight]. It was an incredible four day event [...]
Finally getting around to writing up our most recent [recent = three years ago] trip to Florence. I guess that's what happens when you come away from the trip engaged and moving to California - LOL! I believe this was my third trip to Florence but also my favorite because we had the chance to explore some of Tuscany which is absolutely beautiful. I always "joke" with Kevin about wanting to retire there on an old vineyard one day. I'd say he's still warming up to the idea.
My first trip to Canada was to celebrate the wedding of our dear friends, Zrria and Jon. Although the actual wedding was in Kitchener, we extended our trip to explore Toronto, a city very similar in size and makeup as Chicago.
As I mentioned in my earlier Tulum post, I instantly fell in love with this crunchy, eco-chic, boutique beach town located just south of Cancun. When it came time to pick a destination for my Bachelorette party, I couldn't shake visions of me and my besties sipping frozen beverages on Tulum's picturesque beaches or dancing the night away in a jungle bar under the stars. And so, we were off to Tulum!
Like most people, we've had to cancel several trips due to COVID-19 and have been dying to get out of our city condo and travel somewhere - anywhere. Knowing the virus is still very much at large and airline travel is primarily for essential needs only, we needed to find somewhere within driving distance. Emerald Isle is a bit of stretch since it's a good 15 hour trip from Chicago but sun, sand and salt water were all trip requirements and geographically speaking, we weren't going to find anything much closer. Besides, Kevin and I never scare away from a good road trip.
KARA VALLARI 