My Perfect Costa Rican Getaway

The last time I visited Costa Rica, I worked hard. That’s right…worked HARD. My friend and I went to Surf & Spanish school and, although we learned how to ride waves and habla a little Espanol, it was NOT relaxing.

This time I wanted a different trip. I’m an adrenaline junkie so I knew I’d have to find some adventurous activities, but I was also looking to relax since work has been quite stressful lately.

Tickets

I don’t like Twitter, but I do have an account to monitor flight deals. I got a roundtrip ticket on Delta for $256 so it was a spontaneous, yet easy decision to make the purchase. I found it by following @TheFlightDeal

What Cities to Visit (and why)

I’d always heard about the Arenal Volcano in La Fortuna and I knew this was my chance to finally go. I decided to spend 2 days there for adventurous activities and 3 days on the beach to relax. Initially, I booked a hotel in the Jaco Beach area for the second part of the trip since it was close to San Jose, but then I realized that the Caribbean side would be much better during the rainy season. I ended switching to Puerto Viejo at the last minute. Although the weather channel called for torrential downpours all over the country, there was really just a shower each day that lasted for about an hour.

I loved La Fortuna. There is so much to do and the only thing that would have made the trip better was a longer stay. The city is not as touristy as one might imagine. You are definitely among the locals everywhere you go.

Arenal Volcano

I was pleasantly surprised by Puerto Viejo and its Caribbean roots. Learning a bit of history along the way, this city provided a chance for us enjoy the trip and not stand out so much as travelers of color. Another bonus was the opportunity to learn a lot about Limon and Puerto Viejo’s Afro-Latino culture. The food in this area was amazing and almost every dish had a hint of island spice to it. It was more touristy than La Fortuna, but I guess you can expect that from a beach town.

Seaside in Puerto Viejo

Transportation

We (by we I mean I sat in the passenger’s seat) drove! A few people made me nervous, but after looking up a ton of blogs and Tripadvisor, I realized it would be the most affordable and possibly the most fun option. Keep in mind that driving in NYC was great preparation for this drive and it’s not for the timid folks out there. It was definitely scary a couple of times because there are often people, no make that entire families, just chillin' in the middle of the road or walking with along the side with no flashlights or reflectors. It was really nice to be on our own schedule and if we had it to do over, we’d probably drive again. I would highly recommend driving only during the day because the roads can get a little windy, especially from San Jose to the La Fortuna area. I rented from Budget at the San Jose airport.

**BIG TIP**

Set the GPS when you have wifi before you hit the road and it will continue, even without wifi, for the duration of your trip. Just make sure you pay attention because it won't reroute. 

We stopped a few times for fresh Lychee fruit on the way to Puerto Viejo

Hotels

I always choose the pay later option on Booking.com because life happens. I’m glad I did this because we didn’t lose money with the last minute change we made. Both of the hotels were incredible. My favorite was Rancho Cerro Azul in La Fortuna. They have gorgeous little villas with modern bathrooms, beds and way more than I expected for a stay in the jungle.  I also really liked that it was family-owned and operated…even breakfast is cooked by the wife across the street at the family’s home!

Private Villa at Rancho Cerro Azul

In Puerto Viejo I stayed at Hotel Banana Azul (I guess there was a blue theme for the trip) and that was really nice as well. The room was spacious, but make sure you book one with an A/C unit. It was one of the only hotels in the area with beach access so the time spent by the water felt very private and relaxing. The food was delicious and the staff was very helpful. We stayed in the Red Frog suite.

Perfection just a few steps away from the hotel at Banana Azul

Both hotels were pretty cheap thanks to the rainy season prices!

What to Do

La Fortuna

I’ve been ziplining plenty of times, but I was not prepared for the experience at Skyzone. There is a tram that takes you up, ABOVE the jungle for about 15 minutes where you have a view of all of the scenery in the area. Then, you arrive on this huge platform…and everybody freaks out! They allow you to do a practice zip first and then you take on the big lines. The first one was so exhilarating and we had an awesome view of the jungle and the volcano. Each time was fast, scary and so much fun!

We ventured to Baldi Hot Springs after hearing so much about it. I’d say it was ok. I’m not sure if there’s a better one in the area and it was massive. There’s a water slide which was pretty fun as well. We went at night which I enjoyed because it wasn’t too busy. Also, stop by the Red Frog Coffee Roaster for the best little coffee shop in town. He grinds the beans fresh and uses a cloth coffee filter!

Benefit of driving: Stopping for pics!

View from the top of the tram

Roy, owner of Red Frog Coffee

Puerto Viejo

Eat at Bread and Chocolate. It’s closed on Sundays and Mondays so go every other day for breakfast because it is DELICIOUS! The Jerk Potatoes were amazing as well as the pancakes and they even had almond lattes which are my favorite. I’d also highly recommend Mopri for some of the best dinner we had on the trip.

Other than an ATV ride gone wrong (long story, but the guy is so nice so I won’t even go into and instead I’ll just pray for him and his business) we straight chilled. The hotel had beachside service so we just drank a lot of mojitos (so yummy) and relaxed. Our hotel also had bikes so we rented them and did a bit of sightseeing around the city.

Bread and Chocolate Breakfast

Well…that’s my trip! If you have any questions or thoughts feel free to comment below.

XO,

Kaycee

Planning (and Enjoying) A Girls' Trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee

The Mushy Stuff

In 2005 I was introduced to 13 women who will always hold a special place in my heart. I am thankful for all of the laughter and love we have shared over the years as well as the difficult moments when we’ve endured hurt, pain and even loss. I remember the broke moments in college and how my 13 taught me how to hustle and make things happen. I remember fighting with my number 12 because we were both so damn ambitious and now I am thankful for her challenging me and for the special bond we share. As I began planning our 10 year anniversary trip, I was truly overwhelmed by how much all of my line sisters have supported me throughout my 20’s because as we all know, we learn so much in that decade. We’ve prayed together, we’ve celebrated together and although we left our trip feeling sleepy and emotionally drained, this trip changed us as individuals and as a unit.

We left time for a mini photoshoot :-)

Why Gatlinburg?

I started the planning by sending out a Google Form to get an idea of what everyone wanted. The result: a cabin/ski trip in May. LOL! Well since we can’t ski in May, I did some research some to learn about all of the fun summer things to do in the mountains. After seeing pictures of ziplining and white water rafting, I was sold. Next it was time to decide where to go. The consensus, according to the poll, was that they wanted the trip to be between $400-$700 so I looked up areas near Denver and Tennessee. I realized that flying into Denver would mean airline ticket prices would be high for everyone so I settled on Gatlinburg, Tennessee and gave everyone options to fly into Nashville, Charlotte and Atlanta. Each city had a “captain” and people could coordinate their flights with that person so that the pick-up and drop off times from the airport would be convenient. Crazy organized, but I LOVE doing this stuff. My trip planning services are for hire by the way (Wink! Wink!).

Welcome bags for my loves

Where to Stay

Gatlinburg is a little mountain town that has a busy strip, similar to what you would see in a beach town. I thought a cabin would be fun and I figured it would allow us to maximize our time together. Homeaway was an easy and convenient way to find a place. I read through the reviews and settled on a beautiful cabin that housed all of us comfortably. Yes, some of us were immature and did the whole run into the house and scream and claim beds thing…and yes I was one of them. 

One car of people went grocery shopping when we arrived and I told everyone to BYOB so that everyone could drink what they really wanted and we wouldn’t waste alcohol. I was turnt on my Pellegrino as usual!  The pros of the cabin outweighed the cons since we got to stay up in our pajamas all night and hang out as a group. The only downside was making sure everything was perfect and somewhat clean before we left.

Sleepover Time!

What to Do

We did a vote for activities so that everyone could do what they wanted, but we made sure we did at least one activity together. We all went ziplining and then half of the group left to go horseback riding while the other half went whitewater rafting. My personal highlight was rafting although I wish we could have taken a camera. If I had it to do over again, I would have taken a waterproof one. On the ziplining part, tell someone in your group to take one of those armbands to hold their camera so you can get fun action shots. We booked the ziplining and whitewater rafting through the same company, Rafting in the Smokies. It was awesome because they took care of everything and they have a great system for large groups.

Ready for Ziplining

There are TONS of restaurants but my favorite was Cherokee Grill. We actually went there twice and the second time we got a private room and we thought we were exclusive. Maybe it was because we were so loud the first time…LOL!

The scenery is GORGEOUS as you drive into Gatlinburg. The roads wrap around the mountains so the drive is slow, but there are a ton of lookout points with breathtaking views. We stopped a few times on our way to town for photoshoots J

I can’t wait until our next trip! We’ve decided to do one every two years from now on J

What it's REALLY like to live in New York City

I was never the girl who dreamed of one day living in a cozy Upper West Side apartment in New York City. Whenever my friends shared their dreams of ending up in the Big Apple, I told them they were nuts for wanting to go somewhere where they'd be living paycheck to paycheck in a tiny apartment. It seemed silly to give up a comfortable life with parking lots and central air conditioning to stand on crowded subways and carry heavy bags around all day. I guess the joke is on me now because it's been 6 years in NYC and I’m renewing my lease this month. If I told you what I pay to live in my Harlem apartment, with a roommate, you wouldn't believe it. 

New York is so different. People are always shuffling and hustling. If it rains, men seemingly teleport to street corners with 5 dollar umbrellas. Young kids hop on trains to do flips and head stands to boom box beats and almost kick you in the face before they ask for donations. The MAC man walks around 125th street selling fake lipstick (I fell for it once, never again, WHO makes fake lipstick?!) When you're almost over all of the craziness, you'll find yourself on a boat eating a lobster roll at a restaurant that takes a free cruise every 30 minutes so you can admire the city from the Hudson. Or maybe you'll be running errands and you'll stumble upon a street festival and end up spending a fun day eating local food and shopping for jewelry before going home and  wondering if you should've bought all of that because you remember how much your rent costs.

Ran into this on a regular Sunday afternoon.

This is the cycle. New York tricks you. I still find myself wondering if it's worth it. I’m in education and as far as I know, I can do my type of work anywhere in the country. I will admit that New York has made me grow up. You cannot slack here or you will fail miserably. I’m more assertive and direct which has helped me in every aspect of my life, especially with my career and in relationships. I know how to take care of myself and I am certain that living here has given me a huge boost of confidence in my abilities. People in New York just keep going. Even the homeless have figured out how to build the most incredible sleeping conditions I have ever seen. The grind never stops.

People from New York are in a different category. I find that many of them stay here and have no desire to be anywhere else. Of course there are exceptions to this rule. I get it though. It’s like no other place in America. It you are not from New York and wondering if you’d like to live here, here is my biased list of the biggest pros and cons:

Pros

You will grow personally and professionally. Whether you learn from mistakes or learn amongst some of the best and brightest “you gon’ learn” something.

Dating isn’t too bad. The only complaint I hear is that men (and sometimes women) want to settle down later in life here because they’re focused on their careers. As far as ratios go, there have been plenty of times when there were way more guys than girls at a party (take that Atlanta!)

The summer is insanely awesome. There is so much to do and you will never, ever get bored. If you do, it’s your fault. Rooftops and parks are usually the move.

Summer fun in Central Park

You are forced to become more open-minded. Even if you live on the Upper East Side, you are exposed to so much that you can’t help but to think about other people’s circumstances. *Warning: One may get jaded and desensitized over time

Lots of restaurants for the foodies.

Root & Bone. Yummm!

People say NY is convenient because you can walk out of your door and eat, shop and go to restaurants without a car. Some (by “some” I mean me) would argue that they’d rather have a car, a trunk and parking. This pro also depends on your neighborhood.

Lots of healthy people. You walk a lot and it’s cool to be healthy here so there are lots of food options (like turkey bacon and chicken sausage) and gluten-free items. I really like this because every time I go down south I feel like I get gluttonous from all of the yummy, gluten goodness.

It’s cheap to travel to a lot of international destinations. Huge bonus for my fellow travelers!

Cons

Rent. I could own a really nice house down south for what I pay.

The Winter Comes (hehe). Every winter I find myself saying “This is SO much worse than last year!” I don’t know if it’s actually true. Also, since many people don’t have cars, there’s gross slush everywhere and mounds of dirty old snow. It is just icky and cold. Ugh! The same goes for a really hot summer day. You can’t escape because you are walking so you just sweat off all of your make up :-(

Before it gets ugly

I really do not like shopping or carrying my groceries in NYC. I’ve worked out a system where I just pick up a few things at a time on the way home during the week. As far as shopping, I shop online a lot because who is going to carry my Target purchases home for me? I need a car and a trunk except…

Parking is a beast. Whenever I rent a Zipcar, I ride around for 15-30 minutes looking for a spot. Also, you have to move your car every other day for “street cleaning” so you can’t simply keep your spot all week. If you’re driving to an event, you have to leave at least 30 minutes early so you can find parking, especially downtown. Therefore, most people, especially transplants, don’t have cars here.

It’s hard to relax. Even when I’m home I can sometimes hear loud music outside of my window or sirens and honks. I’ve become accustomed to it now so it’s not as bad. Also, as you’re walking down the street, you’re exposed to everything and everyone so a quiet stroll can easily become a catcalling session or you may step in poop. It’s the little things that add up and make it stressful.

Rats and mice. They are REAL and they own the streets y’all. You’ll see them in subway tracks, on the streets…it’s pretty horrifying. I still scream and run like a madwoman every time I see one. As for mice, SO many people have had at least one in their apartment or at work. Again, H-O-R-R-I-F-Y-I-N-G! Bed bugs also seem more common here. Thankfully this has not happened to me. I pray about it.

So there you have it. Feel free to comment and cosign or debate with me in the comment section.



XO

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My Fun (and Affordable) Trip to Abu Dhabi and Dubai

Lots of people have been asking when I would write about my trip to UAE. I've been swamped with grad school work, but now I can finally come up for air and give you all the deets!

I was one of many blessed folks who received an early Christmas present on December 24th in the form of an Etihad Airlines glitch fare for cheap,cheap,cheap! I called the BF and he immediately said, "Let's book it!"

We got a roundtrip ticket for $287 which included taxes and all. For glitch fares, book right away or it will disappear. A tip for the readers who got the same deal, call Etihad ahead of time and confirm your seat if you didn't do so when you purchased. Doing this allowed us to sit together for the long journey.

Abu Dhabi and Dubai hadn't been on my short list of travel destinations, but the more I read, the more excited I became. Having just visited Morocco, I was looking forward to learning more about that area of the world and even more excited about my first international trip with my main squeeze.

Hotels

The first thing I did was book the hotels. I use booking.com and hotels.com often and do the pay later option so that I can book ahead and cancel it if I find something better. I am pretty belligerent about it. I booked about 4 different hotels between the two sites so that we could have choices. Once we both took a look at the locations and amenities, we canceled the ones we didn't want, then chose the "pay now" option to lock in the cheaper price. This is CLUTCH and one of my top travel tips. Paying ahead on the ones we wanted saved us a couple hundred dollars, but having the time to cross check it on Trip Advisor was necessary. In Dubai, we stayed at the Park Regis. The hotel was great, but the location was not. Although nothing was too far, traffic was pretty awful so we spent a lot of time (and money) dealing with taxis. If you don't mind that. go for it. Otherwise I'd highly recommend staying near the Dubai Mall or Palm Jumeirah. WE LOVED our hotel in Abu Dhabi. It wasn't in the middle of the action, but it didn't seem far either. The service, the food, everything was perfection at Southern Sun and it was such an amazing price ($116!)

Delicious Southern Sun Breakfast! 

Activities in Dubai

My boyfriend's birthday was during our trip so I did some digging for concerts and activities and located the UAE Ticketmaster! Gotta love the world wide web. I found out that John Legend would be performing on his actual birthday at the annual Dubai Jazz Fest. I secretly bought those tickets and let's just say he was more than surprised and excited to go. Check out Ticketmaster, What's On Dubai/Abu Dhabi and Time Out that might be happening while you're there.

The Dubai Mall was an activity in of itself. We had fun checking out the aquarium, walking around and shopping a bit. The area that it's located in is really lively and fun as well. I heard Emirates Mall is just as amazing, but seeing that we spent so much time in Dubai Mall...

The view of the Burj Khalifa is perfect from the Dubai Mall

Visit the Gold Souks. It's a really great chance to see a more authentic side of Dubai and you can get some great deals. There are also great shoes, jewelry and scarves as well. My trick to bargaining is to let them offer first, then I come back at 1/3 of the price and only move up slightly from there. Stay strong!

Convincing us that his shop was the best shop :-)

You've gotta head to the beach at some point. I did a lot of research on this and now I'll just hand it to you. There are a few public beaches, but for about $30-60/day, you can buy a day pass to a really nice resort (if you're not staying at one). We went to Le Royal Meridian where their restaurant Maya they offered a beach pass AND an amazing multi-course brunch all as one package. We chilled at the beach all day and ate “lovely” as my students would say. The Dubai weekend is Thursday-Saturday so brunch is on Friday & Saturday. Call or email ahead to book a table! If the brunch doesn't interest you, here is a list of day pass hotels.

View from the beach at Le Royal Meridian

Activities in Abu Dhabi

The Grand Mosque is just..everything. To maximize our time, we stored our luggage in the Abu Dhabi airport when we first arrived. Just go to customer service and it'll cost about $30. We took a taxi to the Grand Mosque and spent a few hours touring and walking around. When you arrive, there will be signs that will lead you to where you can get an abaya to wear inside since women must be covered. Tip for the ladies: take your own scarf because the hoods on the abayas are nothing fancy. I would have much preferred a pretty scarf or lengthy one at least, rather than the attached hood it came with. We had time to kill afterwards, so we also visited Yaz Island. We had a nice lunch outside and shopped a bit at the mall before heading back to the airport to take the shuttle.

The gorgeous Grand Mosque

While doing research, I saw that desert tours were very popular so I took a look at a few of their websites. Then I thought...I bet UAE has Groupon. Sure enough, they do! I booked our tour through Groupon for super cheap and we had the BEST time riding ATVs in the desert, hanging with camels, and dune bashing in Jeeps. It's a must. Just make sure you find the name of the company and CROSS REFERENCE using Tripadvisor. You wouldn't want to have a bootleg experience just because you paid half price. We booked ours with Desert Rose.

Desert Chillin

We only spend the first day and last day in Abu Dhabi, but I definitely could have hung out there for a while. It's more chill than Dubai, which I personally enjoyed.

What to Wear

I packed lots of light harem "beach" pants (thanks Asos!), tanks and scarves. This way, if I got too hot or if I was in a less conservative area, I could remove the scarf. UAE wasn't as conservative as I thought it would be, but you would definitely be looking crazy in a little sun dress. I'd say harem pants and maxi skirts are a safe bet with tanks and a scarf over your shoulders or a short sleeved top. The best thing about UAE in comparison to Istanbul or Marrakech, is that the men won't harass you much. I have, however, heard stories of people being corrected in public for their attire. Don't be that girl.

As for guys, most men wore long pants and short sleeved tops. You could get away with shorts, but definitely look around and scope it out on your first day and see what you feel comfortable with.

PDA

We were nervous about this! Abu Dhabi seems to be more conservative so we didn't hold hands or anything while there. As far as Dubai, it was much more liberal. We held hands when we saw that other couples were doing it, but no kissing or anything like that. Plus, I think it's important to respect the culture of where you are so we obliged.

The Etihad Shuttle

I booked multiple shuttle times, two with my name and two with my BFs name, just so we had options. (Are you seeing a trend here?) You can add multiple people to one booking on the website. This way, we were able to explore Abu Dhabi before heading to Dubai the day we arrived. The bus was completely empty on the way to Dubai, but packed heading back. Book early friends!

Lessons Learned

-I needed more days to adjust to the time difference. UAE is the farthest I've been from the US since Turkey. I was sooo tired the whole time.

-Book a hotel with free wifi.

-Write down/store the exchange rate just in case you don't have wifi to look it up. Things are going to sound crazy expensive in Dirhams so you need to be prepared.

-People smoke everywhere, all the time. Sorry in advance if you loathe ciggy smoke as much as I do.

-Zomato=Yelp. It's great.

-If paying with a credit card, they'll ask if you want to purchase in Dirhams or Dollars.Charging in Dirham will save you money (at time of publishing)

-Abu Dhabi and Dubai are only 90 minutes away from each other. Enjoy them both!

-Dubai is to Miami Beach as Abu Dhabi is to Los Angeles (in my opinion)


-The Abu Dhabi airport does US Customs there so get there 3 hours early. No exceptions!

However, if you do happen to miss your flight because you didn't look up this information ahead of time and thought you could pop up two hours before like you do in most other countries...

Go back to your hotel, take out your swimsuit, and chill until you get the later flight. LOL!

Lemons to Lemonade Moment

5 Reasons Why Everyone Should Visit Napa Valley

1. It's close to San Francisco. Since you'll likely be flying into SFO, you can check out Fisherman's Wharf (hello lobster rolls), the Golden Gate Bridge and all of the wonderfulness of the Bay Area before heading to Napa.

Fisherman's Wharf

2. It's the most CHILL place ever. For me, it ties with Martha's Vineyard for that casual, peaceful vibe with that knowledge that the people around you aren't exactly pinching pennies. Know what I mean? There are many other towns with wineries, boutiques and restaurants that are close to Napa so it is also nice to put the windows down and just take a drive.

3. Wineries. My favorites were Pine Ridge and Grgich. We booked a tour through our hotel so it was nice to kick back and not worry about getting behind the wheel. Almost every hotel will have a tour that they can set you up with and if you're lucky, you may even come get gifts or discounts as a part of your tour. I even joined a wine club! Fance, right?

The view from Pine Ridge Winery

4. Oxbow Public Market. I went every day. My mom wanted to go to all of these fancy restaurants, but I loved the street food vibe of Oxbow. They also have a ton of little shops where you can buy tea, spices, and everything else that I love to spend all of my money on. 

5. Spas Galore. My mom and I chose a very interesting spa that specializes in mineral mud baths...with sulfer...which smells like poop...and is brown. Needless to say, it was a little uncomfortable at first, but after the bath and massage, we felt rejuvenated.  Our treatment was about 30 minutes from Napa at Dr. Wilkenson's Hot Springs Resort and Spa, but there are lots of traditional choices to kick back and relax. 

I found Napa to be very romantic and ideal for a couple's trip, but it also served as a great location for my mother/daughter trip. The only requirement is that you're ready to kick back and let this quaint city amaze you.

How to Survive Family Vacation as an Adult

Family pic in Aruba

Beachin' with my bro in Martha's Vineyard

Every year at Christmas, my stepdad asked the same question: 

"Ok family, so where are we going for vacation this year?"

My brother and I usually shrug and leave it up to them and they pick an awesome place. That's the easy part. The hard part is figuring out how to do vacation (well) with your family as an adult. Who pays? Who picks? Can I share a room with my boo? We haven't gotten it completely right, but I'll let you in on the evolution of my family's vacation do's and don'ts. 

Our first big family getaway was to St. Lucia in 2009. It was an all-expenses paid trip and it was INCREDIBLE. We stayed at a gorgeous villa, went deep sea fishing and rode horses on the beach. Romantic right? Lol! We also drank lots of delicious St. Lucian rum and ran up quite the tab at every meal. This is probably what made my parents go back to the drawing board about our role in this vacation situation.

How do you get your adult kids to choose family vacation over their trips with friends and significant others AND cough up some cash?

It's pretty tough.

After a similar vacation in Aruba, my parents decided that my brother and I would each pay for a meal for the family. Not too bad for soaking up sun and drinking some sex on the beaches! (I was younger and my stomach could handle those back then). I'll be honest that my brother and I both tried to find the most affordable options, but we didn't complain about the new requirement.

The next year was the straw that broke the camel's back. My parents were over their mooching kids. They chose St. Barth's and my parents told us to pay for our own plane tickets and a meal and our drinks. Dayum! That year, I debated on whether or not I would attend. It wasn't because I didn't love my fam. I was also taking an international trip with friends that year and I hadn't accounted for the new family policy changes. I eventually went and had an amazing time. The house we rented was like something out of a music video and we had a lot of fun together. However, after a long discussion, we realized that our time together was more important than a glamorous vacay. To make things work, here are the steps we now take as a family to keep the peace:

1. Decide on a place that is affordable for everyone to fly to.

2. Set expectations in advance of what we are paying for and what the 'rents will cover.

3. All adults pay for a meal for everyone at least once.

4. Adults pay for their own drinks at restaurants.

5. I promise each year to try my best not to roll my eyes when my mom wants to take the perfect family photo in the hot a$$ sun.

Since we've started our family adventures we've also been to Martha's Vineyard and Naples (Florida, not Italy). What I've learned is that it was never about money to my parents. They just wanted us to take some responsibility and that's completely fair. They actually end up not even enforcing some of these rules. Plus, my mom stocks the house with drinks we like and our favorite food. Although I would love to go on another trip to an exclusive island and gallop on horseback along the ocean, I am looking forward to our low-key, affordable lake cabin trip this year. Jet skis are way cooler on lakes anyway :-)

The horse I spoke of. Poor thing!

Action shot at our pool in St. Barth's

How to Successfully Plan a Group Trip

Old San Juan

In 2013, my line sisters and I finally agreed to do a reunion trip. I knew that planning a trip for 14 girls would be a lot, but I was also excited because I LOVE to plan vacations. It’s kind of like a hobby to me. Eleven out of fourteen ended up going because we are grown and things happen. We are working on a Part 2 so I thought it would be fun to tell you how I approach the planning process.

Find a Robin to Your Batman

My line sister Ashley stepped up early as the one who could speak up when I didn't want my voice to became too obnoxious. This is important because at some point people will get tired of hearing from you. They'll need a fresh face after the 10th reminder email.

Location

We are all over the place in terms of careers and priorities. Keeping this in mind, I wanted to ensure that we had an affordable destination. We threw out a few ideas such as Mexico and Dominican Republic for the all-inclusive deals. We also considered Puerto Rico because the flight was very affordable. After the ladies looked at flight prices, the majority ruled for PR. There weren’t a lot of all-inclusive deals, however, none of us are not huge drinkers so we were ok with it.

Accommodations

I put this after location because once the hotel is booked and paid for, it’s every lady for herself (I mean that in the nicest way possible).  Something will inevitably “come up” with a large group, so if the hotel is paid in advance and everyone is clear on the fact that there are no refunds, it will create less drama if someone is indecisive. I’ve heard of nightmare situations where a lot of people backed out last minute and everyone else paid the difference. Not cool.  Plus, this provides incentive for people to follow through and book their plane ticket. I used BookIt.com and created a deadline to collect the money. Once it was all deposited to my PayPal, I booked the hotel for everyone. There were options to do two per room or 4. I also did a lottery (with my other line sister as a witness) for rooms. Can you tell I was the kid in first grade who said “Hey! That’s not fair!” I looove fairness J

Plane Tickets

This part was pretty easy. Since I booked the hotel rooms 4 months in advance, people had plenty of time to look for tickets. A few people waited until the last minute, but again, hotels were already paid for so if they waited to purchase, it only affected the individual person.  Eventually we all worked it out and we exchanged flight information so that we could share airport taxis.

Activities

This part was so funny. The only thing we all actively participated in was a ratchet “dance contest” in the hotel room. Those videos will remain in the vault. So will our pool music video. Ok that’s it, they’ll kill me if I say more. Other than the contest, we were not always on the same page. I tried to include something for everyone, but everyone didn’t like every activity.

The catamaran trip made some folks seasick. Half of us were basking in the sun while the other half were hiding under towels. Some people wanted to close down the nightclub, while others were ready for bed at 10:30. Get my drift? But all in all, everyone was a trooper and we had a good time.

I created a loose itinerary with information about currency, cell phone availability, taxi costs, etc. The activities looked a little something like this:

Friday

Dinner as a group at La Playita

Relax, Chill

Saturday

Catamaran and Snorkeling

Relax, Pool, Nap or whatever

Dinner

Club

Sunday

Breakfast

Beach

Old San Juan and Dinner

Monday

Hugs and Goodbyes

This itinerary worked because it allowed room for flexibility and options. Other than dinner and the catamaran trip, people did things in groups. I think that’s ok and if someone thinks everyone should do everything together, that will create arguments. The best approach is a couple of large group activities and then multiple suggestions for down time. Of course there were some special little moments where things weren't so seamless, but again…it’s a group trip. It won’t be perfect.

Cost

Besides shopping, most of us left the trip spending less than $300. Flight, hotel and everything included, no more than $700. Pretty good right?

We’re planning our 10 year reunion now and I can’t wait to see where we go and what we do! I’ll be sure to share.

XO!

In the end, we all had a great time.