How to plan a delightfully romantic honeymoon

S eeing a rugby match live has always been something I have wanted to do. Although it was something I was saving for my upcoming visit to New Zealand, I was happy to experience this bucket list sporting event while in Cape Town. Little did I know I was crossing this off at one of the most historic stadiums in the world. In This Post... Posh Pregame Historic Grounds Pregame Game on Post Game Tips on Catching a Rugby Match at Newlands Rugby Match at Newlands Good to Know Posh Pregame We had just checked into O on Kloof, a very modern and welcoming boutique hotel in Cape Town’s Seapoint neighbourhood, when we decided to check out a Cape Town Stormers game. We had intended on enjoying our O on Kloof room and the area it sits in but a look at the Stormers schedule proved to be the only night we could catch a rugby match at Newlands. Shame as O on Kloof is a special place. With cozy rooms, an on-site spa, and ocean views from the bar it was hardly the place to pregame from but there

Costa Rica and Panama Here is a little video my best friend Kerri (who is also an amazing vlogger) made last summer. Watch as we discuss backpacks, no man’s land, and just how scary it is to cross the border between Costa Rica and Panama by foot!

Going on a river cruise has long been on my bucket list. There's just something about cruising down a major river, stopping in new cities every day, that has always appealed to me. I've been on many ocean cruises and have enjoyed them well enough, but I had a feeling that river cruising was going to be even more my style. And I was definitely right. I spent a week onboard the AmaPrima, cruising down the Danube from Budapest to Bulgaria on AmaWaterways‘ Black Sea Voyage. It's a route that's not as popular as others in Europe (for example, you'll find many more people who have cruised through France and Germany, or the upper part of the Danube), but I wanted a different cruising experience. I didn't want to go where everyone else was going. The Black Sea Voyage was definitely that. We were in a completely different part of Europe — one with history both ancient and recent; one where you still have to pass border controls at every stop; and one where I knew I w

I went through a long-haired, tie-dye-wearing hippie phase in high school – just without the drugs. And, even though I've always been somewhat of an independent free spirit, I was the last person my friends and family ever expected to get a tattoo. And yet now, at 32, I have four tattoos. And I can trace all of them back to my love of travel. Here's a look at my travel-inspired tattoos: My travel tattoos and their stories 2006 – The Quote In 2005, right after I graduated high school, I used my passport for the first time to go on a Lord of the Rings tour of New Zealand with my mom. On tour in Wellington, we got to meet Daniel Reeve, the man responsible for the mapwork and calligraphy in all the “Lord of the Rings” films (he's since worked on tons of other movies, including the more recent “Hobbit” trilogy). Me and Daniel Reeve in 2005 When I was contemplating my very first tattoo nearly a year later, I kept coming back to New Zealand and “Lord of the Rings.” I even

Near El Nido, The Philippines I was in the Philippines nearly two years ago, and, without meaning to, I spent most of my time on the island of Palawan. I couldn’t resist the warm blue waters and delicious breakfasts, the rainy nights and smiling people. I had intended to travel much more through the country, but, as it happens to all of us all over the world, I fell in love with a time and a place, and I didn’t want to leave. I am now sitting beside another beach on Little Corn, Nicaragua, this one stretching for kilometres along the beautiful Caribbean sea. But where there were hours of sunshine and snorkelling in El Nido, here there is only thunder and lightning. We haven’t seen calm from the storm in two days; it is gorgeous and dramatic, the seas crashing, the palm trees bent in half, the sky black. Our entire guesthouse is huddled in the main lounge, drinking tea and exchanging glances with each particularly loud crack of thunder. Board games and books and the

Having lived in France on and off for a few years I have come to realise that the coffee you choose (whilst enjoying the sun on one of thousands terraced café’s watching designer clad women and their tiny pooches stroll by) says a lot about you. When I first arrived, ordering in a café was a stressful affair never quite knowing what to ask for and always puzzled as why I hadn’t got what the lady sitting next to me was drinking. Café culture is such a huge part of French life so here’s my coffee dictionary to help you get that caffeine fix abroad; Un café. A classic strong espresso coffee which basically does what it says on the tin. It’s a French staple served country wide and if you’re lucky you can still get one for less than 1 euro. I’ve seen my work colleagues shot at least 10 in a day so if insomnia and regular toilet trips are your thing, keep sipping! Un café allongé . Twice the size of your espresso for only 20 cents more, a café alongee is the slightly watered down baby b

This post highlights one of the best attractions in Philadelphia: the Reading Terminal Market.  In here, I describe what this place has to offer and what makes it unique. ___ Sometimes, I start to ponder how little I know about the historical roots of the country I live in. During my formative years, I only took a semester of US History.  I know. It doesn’t make sense.  I was born and raised in Puerto Rico which is a territory of the US.  However, for reasons that go beyond the scope of this post, the social studies curriculum offered in public schools lacks certain basic elements. It is not a surprise if I tell you I was not able to process years of pre-colonial, colonial and national history in a few months. Living in California, far away from where the country started to grow, makes things more difficult.  It is not like I can stop by Virginia or Massachusetts often. I think that desire to know more about the early years of the United States is what made me find a lot of place