The Sydney Opera House

For my birthday (four months ago), Will and I went to Sydney for the weekend.

I'm all about iconic landmarks, so clearly I took 500 photos of the Opera House.

Since it was New Year's Day, the Harbour Bridge still had some lights set up from the previous night's celebrations. 

Sydney is so different from Melbourne, but you can't deny the charm of the bridge and the Opera House.

We spent the evening wandering around Circular Quay and The Rocks, including a tragically average dinner at a place called Pony. Traveler's tip: Don't go to Pony if you visit Sydney.

Flinders

Otherwise known as...that time Will and I accidentally wore too much matching clothing.

The weekend after Christmas was spent in a charming little beach cottage with some of the extended family. There was a lot of eating and drinking and general good times. 

And of course, lots of time on the beaches. Operation TAN is going amazingly well for me thanks to summer Christmas!

Ever the animal lover, I was tasked with "dealing with" a tiny bat that was found in the cottage. After googling bat rescue options in the Mornington Peninsula, I discerned that this was a mircrobat common to the area, and I should just let it go. 

I am hoping that it is happily living its life now and was not eaten by a seagull. 

I really enjoyed seeing a new part of Victoria, as there is really so much to see in the Melbourne area. These gorgeous beaches (AND manyyyy wineries) were just a little over an hour away from us. I'll take any excuse to escape to the sea side! 

Travel life-savers

Thanks to a mom with a travel bug and a former job with a very international company, I've done my fair share of traveling over the years. To say it is one of my greatest passions would be an understatement. I love it so much that I up and moved across the world!

While discovering new places is wonderful, the actual act of travel can be a bit stressful, tiring, annoying, or all of the above. A great peer-to-peer car rental company, RelayRides, asked me to share some of my travel must-haves. So here we are!

1. Phone/Kindle/Computer/iPad/etc. charger in your carry on- Nothing worse than a flat phone when all you want to do is check in at the airport before your big trip! Or show your boarding pass. Whatever your priority may be. 

Via

2. Converter- If you're traveling internationally, this is clearly a must. I also keep this in my carry on so I can have it handy in case the checked luggage is delayed.

Via

3. Pen- This may seem like a simple, silly item to list, but it just plain sucks when you don't have one to fill out your customs formly with. As an over prepared traveler and someone who hates waiting in line, I always make sure my customs card gets filled out on the plane so I don't have to waste time doing it in the airport. On another note, if you're a frequent international traveler you should really look into being part of Global Entry. No customs card, no lines, just a quick stop at a machine once you're back in the US and voila! 

Via

4. Cards- For when you're waiting around for an (inevitably) delayed flight or just feel like flogging your partner in your favorite game of cards.

Via

5. Change of clothes or AT LEAST clean undies- Because baggage never gets lost, right? 

Via

6. Pre-packed toiletry case- Such a packing time saver if you already have a toiletry bag ready to go with travel sized items. Bonus: if all the toiletries really are travel sized, you can pop it into your carry on to ensure you have necessities if your luggage doesn't show up! 

Via

7. Plane toiletries- For long overnight flights, it can be really nice to have a bit of a freshen up before sleeping. I like to bring a contact case and solution, glasses, and a mini toothbrush and toothpaste. Deodorant and a brush can't hurt either! 

Via

8. Foldable extra bag- For when you buy lots of American grocery items and there's no way they're going to fit into the luggage you brought with you. Not that I would know. 

Via

Now go forth and have an adventure!



RelayRides provides car rental services from people like you and me! Visit their current airport options here.

Ticking off the Bucket List: Great Barrier Reef

Wow, where do I even begin?

I know. Let's talk about how I had a serious misconception about the location of The Great Barrier Reef. 

I consider myself to be fairly smart, well traveled, and knowledgeable about the world around me. So I'm embarrassed to say that I thought the GBR was just right offshore. You know, like you go to the beach, swim out a bit, and there it is!

Please tell me someone else thought/thinks this.

Obviously, I was completely incorrect. As soon as we booked our day trip and I learned it was an almost two hour boat ride out to the reef, I knew I was in trouble.

Trouble, as in I could be eaten by a shark in the middle of the ocean. This is Australia, after all.

Three cheers to Will for putting up with a really anxious person on that boat ride. But come on, jumping into the ocean when you can barely see land in the distance is a bit scary, right?!

Anyway, it was 50000000% worth the anxious nerves because let me tell you, The Great Barrier Reef is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. It's a whole different world down there, and most of it doesn't even look real. There were fish in colors I didn't even think fish came in, caves that seemed to never end, plants that danced and swayed as the water moved.

I wish the pictures could do it more justice! Shout out to our underwater camera who mercifuly decided not to die until the end.

It should be noted that no, I did not find Nemo, and yes, I did see a shark.

HOWEVER, it was a baby shark. And my scream caused it to swim away very quickly.

I highly recommend this experience as a must-do if you ever visit Australia.

I can't wait to go again!

Whitehaven Beach

Australian beaches are kind of awesome. I mean, it IS Australia after all.

Whitehaven Beach was no exception. 

The sand was out of this word. Not only was it pristinely white, it was also very soft and squeaky! The silica content makes it this way, and I had never encountered anything like it.

Located on Whitsunday Island, the beach was about a 45 minute boat ride away from Hamilton Island. Best part of the boat ride: seeing Humpback Whales!

Once there, we had time to lay out, take naps, and perfect jumping pictures.

This is definitely a place I need to come back to.