The idea of going somewhere new whether for relaxation, exploration, or both makes me incredibly excited. Travel has always been a passion of mine, and I get giddy just thinking about when and where I can go next.
My mom and dad enjoyed traveling before they had children and instilled their adventurous personalities into me and my older brother. To our great fortune, my parents had the means to travel which in turn afforded us kids the opportunity to visit places up and down California, within the United States, and even abroad while growing up. They thoroughly enjoyed nature, took advantage of our school breaks, and knew how to make trips fun. Some memorable vacations from my youth include a summer exploring London, a week in Vermont while driving cross-country from LA to Toronto, a spring break snowboarding trip to Colorado, and many occasions spent with family in my dad’s home country of Trinidad & Tobago.
As an adult, I try to travel whenever feasible, and to me, “feasible” means whenever my schedule and pocketbook allows. While working full time, I find myself scheduling trips to fun local destinations almost every holiday weekend and using my available vacation time to lengthen those trips by a day. When I’m not tied down to a 9-5 job, I typically go on a few short trips to places nearby, a handful of weeklong vacations to visit family in the Bay, and attempt to travel outside of California at least once during the calendar year.
Some favorite excursions I’ve had as a full-fledged grown-up include a backpacking trip to Costa Rica when I was 23, wine tasting adventures throughout Sonoma county, weekends in Palm Springs, my 30th birthday celebration in Barcelona and Paris, a food and wine frenzy in Valle de Guadalupe, a late summer getaway immersed in the veritable beauty of Zion National Park, and a remarkable trip to Puerto Rico this past January. When it’s all said and done, my absolute favorite thing about traveling is enjoying the unique culture and physical beauty of the place I am physically in.
So whether I’m strolling through a small town in Idaho or visiting a quaint neighborhood in France – chatting with the locals, indulging in the regional fare, admiring the architecture, and soaking up the natural surroundings is always the ultimate travel takeaway for me personally.
MY TRAVEL STYLE
My style of travel can be summed up as “easygoing and adventurous.” I don’t need to stay in a fancy hotel in the fanciest of neighborhoods, but I do enjoy the standard creature comforts which for me at a minimum include clean, comfy, and safe accommodations with easy accessibility to local attractions. When traveling to a brand-new place, I enjoy having a loose itinerary with a good balance of sightseeing, exploration, and relaxation planned. I book all hotels and as many activities that I can prior to traveling and build my itinerary off of those bookings. My itinerary always includes plenty of time to aimlessly stroll city streets which has ended up making each of my trips so memorable because of the fun decisions that have been made on the fly. As far as my budget is concerned, I love saving money where I can by finding great deals and making the most of every dollar I’ve allotted for that particular trip. When traveling locally to familiar places, I’m completely fine with larger groups. However, when traveling out of state and especially abroad, I prefer a smaller group of two to four friends with similar travel styles.
SOME TRAVEL ADVICE
Go with the flow! Things aren’t always going to go according to plan, so just live in the moment and find enjoyment where you can when the unexpected inevitably happens. Regardless of what type of traveler you are, you’re bound to have more fun when relaxed.
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE TRAVEL SECTION OF HOMEMADE IN LA
- Personal Travel Stories
- Vacation Planning Essentials
- Tips & Tricks While Traveling
- Destination Recommendations
LAST BUT NOT LEAST
I so look forward to sharing my passion for travel, exploration, and discovery with you all.
And if you’re reading this in 2020…
I’m sure the last thing many of you want to hear about are vacation destinations when air travel has pretty much come to a halt for most of us due to the COVID-19 health crisis. Being the optimist that I am, however, the quarantine is just giving those of us who enjoy touring around far-away lands even more time to plan our next big trip. So here’s to looking on the bright side and excitedly awaiting for the day that we can not only safely travel free of anxiety but to when we can once again fully support the very deserving hospitality, restaurant, and tourism industries that oftentimes make the joys of travel that much better!
HOMEMADE IN LA 