I’ve always been a nerd, and something for which I was horribly teased throughout middle and high school.  Now, I wear it as a badge of honor.  Yep, I’m 100% That Nerd!  I made a PowerPoint for my upcoming girls trip to Singapore and Bali – 31 slides to be exact.  I shared it with these ladies at our pre-trip dinner tonight.  I cannot believe we are going – three generations of leaders of Mile High Weimaraner Rescue, all in different phases of our lives.  It’s going to be the MOST amazing experience.  To my good friends, Brooke and Michelle, thank you for being adventurous! 

Whenever I book a trip, I look to see what attractions are nearby.  This helps to plan the trip and determine what are “must sees” and what are “nice to sees” and what don’t hold my interest.  

When planning the Central European trip for August 2019, I came across this stunningly beautiful image – Predjama Castle in Slovenia – a castle bit into the side of a mountain with an intricate cave system beneath and behind it.  

Matt readily agreed it was a “must see” – so we set out in the early afternoon from Zagreb, Croatia.  It was a quick 2-hour drive through some lovely countryside in Slovenia.  We arrived in time to tag along to the last cave tour of the day.  Well, I was hardly dressed for the occasion, pun intended.  I was in a navy dress and silver ballet flats – not exactly cave hiking attire.  There was no time, so I threw caution to the wind and traversed the slippery, cold caves in style.  We saw the usual cave formations, bats, and glowing bacteria.   Well-worth the visit.  

We stayed at Hotel Jama,in the Postojna Cave Park, a former soviet-era spy hotel.  Incredible view from our balcony, and well-appointed room.  

China was not on my bucket list – full disclosure, as I previously visited for about 72 hours, for work.  As a Celiac, a FODMAP follower, and not eating meat, China poses substantial challenges for my dietary restrictions.  The past few years have been easier for these restrictions, and the advent of nutrition bars makes travel easier.  

After my visit to Angkor Wat in Cambodia in 2016, I began tracking sites I wished to visit throughout the world – my “must sees.”  The Great Wall was on my “must see” list, with the goal of spending a full day hiking the wall.  

That pesky Scott’s Cheap Flights sent me an unbelievable fare from DEN to PEK, on United Airlines, for a mere $500 round trip. (J/k Scott’s – I LOVE you!!) Simply an offer I couldn’t refuse.  I booked two tickets, and dreaded telling my husband, Matt, that he was going to China.  It was not on his radar whatsoever.  

This is a picture taken atop The Great Wall – an unforgettable experience, with a talented guide.  I hiked 10 miles that day, and cherished every single step.  

A day I will never forget.  My good friend Brooke and I have talked about traveling together for about 9 months.  We would often trade emails on travel deals, time frames, destinations – a fun exercise in dreaming.  Apparently the percolation ended, and Brooke called me on her way to work.  She gave me specific dates, in either October or November 2019.  I told her I’d check Google Flights, and get back to her.  

Within 20 minutes I found an incredible deal from DEN to SFO to SIN, a 2 day stopover, then SIN to DPS for 4 days, back to SIN for 1 day, then home, via SFO.  The icing on the cake was the flights were all on my preferred airline, United, and Star Alliance partner, Singapore Airlines.

I snipped a screenshot of the itinerary, sent it to Brooke and waited.  Less than two minutes later, she called me screaming  “yes, let’s book this!”

I booked my flight, called the 1K desk and booked her flight (so she could get my benefits.)

Then, we both went back to work like nothing happened.  Until that night when it finally sunk in.  I booked a trip to the #1 place on my Bucket List (Bali!!)  And, it was happening THIS year.  Not on my vision board, but hey, I added it.  I’m still shaking – this is real, and we are GOING!!

I’ve never met an ocean view I didn’t like – and Bora Bora was no exception. 

The crystal clear waters in varied shades of blue – a glimpse of the colorful fish, all off our little bure, perched over the ocean.  

I loved the experience of waking up in the mornings, throwing on a bikini, and diving off my deck into the ocean – all before an impressive buffet breakfast.

The Conrad was exceptional – from the service, to the bure, and the food.  

It is difficult to get there, though.  We spent a few days in Moorea before heading to Bora Bora.  Once again, I figured if we went all the way there, that we needed to see as much of French Polynesia as possible.  

Since the only flight from Moorea to Bora Bora was sold-out, we had to take a ferry from Moorea to Tahiti, then hop a flight from Tahiti to Bora Bora.  Once we arrived in Bora Bora, the hotel had a representative (Caroline) meet us to take us to the Conrad, via speed boat.  Except, it was pouring rain.  It was a wet and bumpy ride, but we arrived in one piece.  We were greeted in style with warm towels, a drink, and shown around the hotel property by Caroline.  The upgrade to a larger bure was icing on the cake.  

Well, it’s official.  I’ve been hoodwinked by Scott’s Cheap Flights, AGAIN!

Not that I’m complaining… it just feels a bit impulsive.  

So, where to this time?  CROATIA!!  

I nabbed a killer SUMMER deal from DEN to ZAG (Zagreb, Croatia) for $572.  

I booked my ticket and used miles for Matt’s.  

 We’re slated to travel June 2019!  A nice 10-day getaway.  He’s excited to see Dubrovnik, the whole Game of Thrones thing…never seen it (gasp, I know.)  Little does he know, we’ll need to cross into Bosnia and Herzegovina in order to get from Zagreb to Dubrovnik.  What other countries can I squeeze in??

I decided to set out on a solo trip in January 2018 following a particularly dreary Christmas Day.  After our wonderful annual Christmas Eve party, and a nice morning opening presents and breakfast, I suddenly found myself all alone.  

I love Christmas, but here I was with just me and the dogs in the house.  I couldn’t help but feel a bit sad.  As I watched A Christmas Story and scrolled through FaceBook, an email appeared in my inbox that would forever change my life.  

Scott’s Cheap Flights: Denver to Morocco, mistake fare, $800 business class, round-trip. Oh…yes.  I’ve always always always wanted to go to Morocco!  I’ve had the ideal trip mapped out in my head for years.  There was something about the country that called to me, and now I was going to answer.  

I clicked the link to Google Flights and quickly saw there were only 3 dates from which to choose, and one one of those would fit into my busy work travel schedule.  I selected my flights, bought the ticket through United Airlines, and voila.  

It turned into a trip that a month away.  We were still on Christmas Break at my work, and I was headed to Hanover, Pennsylvania the following day for the end-of-year lure coursing with one of my dogs, Cayman.  I couldn’t help but feel excitement and a bit nervous.  Despite having 6.5 weeks vacation, my job always gave me a hard time with taking it.  This time I was going to take it AND go by myself.  I’ve been working myself silly… it was time to make time for me.  Little did I know this trip would not only reset my soul, but spur a new career adventure as well.  

Thailand has long been on my bucket list, and my passion for helping animals came full-circle with our volunteer day at The Elephant Sanctuary in Chiang Mai, Thailand.  

After a great few days in Cambodia touring Angkor Wat, we flew from Siam Reap to Chiang Mai.  We found an incredibly chic boutique hotel for our 2 nights in Chiang Mai – Na Nirand, which sits on the bank of the Ping River.  The hotel has this stunningly massive tree that adds to the picturesque setting.  It’s centrally located, so we could walk around town and check out various markets, temples, and restaurants.

The next morning, a van from The Elephant Sanctuary picked us up, and drove us 1.5 hours, along with 6 other people also from the US.  

Seeing all the rescued elephants, dogs, and water buffalo was simply awesome.  The compassion shown to these animals that have lived a truly awful life before they were rescued – is second to none.  

Please do NOT ride elephants.  They are broken of their spirit in order to be around people, and the methods used are horrifying.  

We spent the day walking with the elephants: hiking, swimming in the river, feeding them.  An experience we will never forget.  

Quite possibly the best way to end 10 days of driving the North and South Islands of New Zealand: a respite in Fiji at Tokoriki Island Resort.  

Only a short 3 hours flight from Auckland to Nadi, Fiji – so it seemed natural to add this stop onto our adventure.

After driving and hotel hopping, staying in one place, just chilling, sounded heavenly.  As much as I crave the next adventure, downtime is appreciated.

I found this gem of a resort, and about died when I saw the cost per night – no way was that affordable.  But, a girl can dream and hope for a deal.  The deal came over Labor Day weekend, a short two months before our trip.  And, I booked it.  We had a private bungalow, on the beach, with a plunge pool.  We enjoyed the all-inclusive meals, and the incredible sunrise/sunsets.  The chef was well-versed in my dietary restrictions and made each meal delightful.  

One day, I look forward to returned to Tokoriki.  

Our first full day in New Zealand entailed a harrowing, yet fun, ferry from Auckland to Rangitoto Island.  

Once on the island, we found sun and went on a several hour hike to the summit.