(Euro) Trip of a Lifetime: Venice

It's that time of the year - Our annual HONEYMOON has finally arrived! (Yes, we go on an annual honeymoon) We had our bags backed, our GoPro Storage Renewed, and our passports ready! Just like that, we were off for an adventure through the big hitters of Europe and our first stop was Venice, Italy.

We decided to do an Italian Tour with GoAhead tours, which was actually really nice - everything was easily mapped out for us before hand so our only job was to get there. We hopped on our plane from London, headed to Venice and then off to our fairytale hotel on the CUTEST little Island outside of Venice named Lido. To be completely honest, at first we were bummed that we weren't staying on the famous island of Venice but by the end of our stay - we completely understood why GoAhead selected Lido as our escape. It was a small island feel minus the "island time" pace - the drivers don't mess around, the food service was speedy (and delicious) and we felt like we were on set, filming for a retro Italian movie the entire time we were there! That's how perfect this place was.

After aday and night of exploring our cozy new home, Lido, we made our way to Venice. We lucked out and had an amazing tour guide that shared with us the in's and out's, do and don'ts, facts, and opinions about the amazing "sinking city". So incredible! We made our way through the alley's of Venice, learned about the art of glass blowing (ain't no walk in the park!), and of course toured Saint Mark's Basilica. The entire tour only took about 30 minutes and we then had some time to wander on our own. Wandering aimlessly in Venice is highly recommended. Between all the canals, greenery, gondola's and amazing architecture/building structure, you cannot go wrong! Even when the island became extremely crowded with people, it was easy to find some backways that were quiet, serene and empty.

We hung around Venice for a couple of hours after our GoAhead headed back to Lido as we had previously booked a gondola tour though our Chase Sapphire Card. Great option if you're not already on a tour but we failed to realize that we'd be doubling up on adventures and tours. Not to mention it was hotter than the devils armpits, a really long day (about 12 hours on the Island), with minimal shade, and little, to no free, open seating. Once we realized what we had done, we almost instantly regretted the choice of "saving a couple pennies) and booking a tour on our own with points as opposed to the optional tour with GoAhead. Despite the heat, long day and feet cramps we stuck it out like champs because... GONDOLA RIDE! Isn't that one of the main reasons people go to Venice? Let's be real.

So after about 3 hours of delirious conversation and eating our 8th meal of the day (just so we could sit down somewhere) it was time for us to go on our "one of kind, romantic, gondola ride, just the two of us" - little did we know... By this time we were already somewhat over the day thanks to jet lag and we were really looking forward to just relaxing on the Grand Canal together. So off we went! We ended up getting lost finding trying to find our next tours meeting spot (by this time, we were about 2 hours into our aimless walk through the maze that is Venice Alleyways). However! We're proud to say we were able to find our way back to Saint Marks Square and navigate to the tour meet up spot from there. TIP: If you end up lost on Venice, just head back to the Square and start over.

The tour that we had booked through Chase offered a walking tour of Venice but seeing as how we had already been walking for 6 hours at the time and had already experienced a separate walking tour through GoAhead, we opted out of the tour and just met up with our tour group at the Gondolas. We tried to lead the pack as we made our way to the common gondola port in attempts to snag the first gondola for 2reasons: 1. To wrap things up on Venice as quick as possible so we could go home and rest up & 2. We were hoping to snag a duo gondola or at least the front two seats on the gondola that sit together. BUT! As luck would have it, we got to the front of the line and heard, "You 2 - you go on this gondola". Aaron and I looked at the Gondola, looked at each other and then hesitantly wobbled our way on to the Gondola. We were with 4 other women that were selfie stick happy. Aaron had to sit up front by himself and I had to share knee space with not one, but TWO perfect strangers. Had we known that this is what our "romantic gondola ride" was going to look like, we would have skipped the gondola all together and headed back to Lido for a romantic cat nap and some gelato. But... as goes life. Here's a couple of shots we got on the worlds most romantic glide around the Grand Canal.

Clearly BEFORE we knew we were going to ride with 4 other women...

At the end of it all, we decided that truly 4 hours is more than enough time to spend on Venice.  As beautiful as it was, and how impressive the history and traditions are on the island, the fact that there wasn't really a place to sit, recharge and keep it pumping (unless you're staying on the island) trumped all Venice wondering desires that we had.

• Get there EARLY to snag photos without 8 billion people in the background. We're talking 6am early - it's worth it!
• When you fly into Venice, you can either take a water taxi or take public transportation (bus) to get to different areas
• There are ZERO cars on Venice so wear comfy shoes and bring that Fitbit to easily win any "steps challenge" you're a part of
• Be prepared to pay about $40-70(USD) for a couple cups of coffee and ice cream in Saint Marks Square - no joke, no exaggeration. Ironically, purchasing food/drink is the only way to get you a seat and some shade in the Square
• There are public toilets, but be prepared to pay to use them
• If you're not sure which boat to take when leaving/going to another island, ASK! There are few things worse than hopping on the wrong boat
• Gondola's are cool, but some may not think they're worth the ride and/or the price that you have to pay - it's pretty hefty!
• Tours are great for the history buffs out there! If you're there just to stroll and take pictures, no need to book a tour in advance

                                                                                                 Pin It. Share it. Post it

Trippin'. Road Trippin'

CA-1 Highway (Pacific Coast Highway)

 There’s an unwritten law that states: “One may not live in the state of CA and simply NOT drive the PCH.” For valid reason too.

 We decided to humor everyone that raves about this drive and took on the Pacific Coast Highway. Turns out, the road is legit! It ended up being one of our favorite road trips of all time. Not only were there great views, THE ENTIRE WAY, but there’s so many different cities that you can pop in and out of along the way. Unfortunately, our time was limited on the route up to SF so we didn’t have too much time to explore endlessly; however, we made as many stops as possible. Let’s recap, shall we?

We cheated a little bit and stayed the night in Ventura to get a 4 hour head start on our day. Doesn't sound that pressing, but when you’re trying to visit/explore/tour more than 10 cities in 16 hours, every. Second. Counts. Here's how our trip went:

1. San Diego, CA (Starting Point)

2. Ventura, CA (Resting Point)

3. San Luis Obispo, CA (Gas point and apparently Car Wash Point)

4. Morro Bay, CA

5. Hearst Castle

6. McWay Falls

7. Bixby Bridge

8. Santa Cruz

9. Mystery Spot

10. San Francisco

We made our trip up the CA-1 in literally 3 days and it was manageable but we'd absolutely recommend taking your time with this drive. We're talking a full week, plus some, kind of time. Trust us - it is beyond worth it. There's truly so many things you can do and see on this route - to this day, we're continuously learning about a lot of the stops, views, trails, etc. that we missed out on since we didn't have the time to truly take on the 1. But you bet your bottom dollar we will be re-visiting this scenic route very soon!

Have you been on the CA-1 before? What was your favorite pit stop? 

Essentials for your Bora Bora Packing List

Alright ladies and gents, we all know one of the best (and sometimes worst) part of traveling is packing. If you’re like Tey, you’ve probably already created a mental portfolio for your outfits on the trip, you’ve likely created a bullet list of all the things you need/want to bring and you’re ready to master the art of packing the max amount of essentials into the smallest bag possible. Packing is typically one of the final steps in preparing for your trip and perhaps even one of the most exciting steps. This is when you realize, “it’s FINALLY here – this is the final countdown *cue music*” and you are more than ready for your adventure.

Bora Bora was definitely an interesting trip for us to pack for. The fact that it was an international trip, a tropical trip, and our honeymoon made things a little more interesting in the world of packing. But throughout, we discovered some ESSENTIAL items that must make your list.

Here’s a list of 6 things you’d want to take special note of while packing if/when visiting Bora Bora or any location similar.

1. Island Clothing

Swimsuits. Lots and lots of swimsuits. Pretty self-explanatory, but sometimes, you just gotta stress the obvious points. Since you’ll be surrounded by water 24/7, it actually makes it harder for you to find a dry swimsuit come the end of your trip due to the fact that your swimsuits likely won’t dry... even if you lay them out overnight. The humidity is at an all-time high majority of the year so you’ll want to try to outsmart the system if you hate putting on wet swimsuits. If you don’t mind, then by all means, pack 1 or 2.  

Pack lightweight, breathable clothes that fit loosely. With the heat and humidity, you’ll be sweating up a storm. Ladies… pack those cover ups like there’s no tomorrow. Chances are you’ll be eating, sleeping, truly living in your swimsuit the entire time so it’s nice to have something you can pop on/off as needed. Men, bro-tanks are where it’s at. If you plan on doing a nice dinner while there, ladies, dresses are always a go and shorts are fine too. Guys, this is the one time you can pull off casual slacks and v-neck at a 5 star dinner so take full advantage!

2. Universal Travel Adapter

 Bora Bora uses 220 Volts – 60 Hz. In layman’s terms, you’ll need the same type of connector found in Continental Europe. Our best recommendation on this is to purchase a universal travel adapter. That way you don’t have to play the guessing game on whether or not you brought the right adapter along with you. Our personal favorite? This 4-in-1 Universal Travel Adapter

3. Travel Card

We’re new to the world of Travel Credit Cards so we’re still trying to find one that works best for us but rumor on the Travel Streets is that Chase offers “the best travel card”. We shall neither confirm nor deny this rumor as we didn't opt for this one for Bora Bora but truly, which ever card you have in your wallet will work. I believe we actually swiped our card once, maybe twice, the whole time we were there (majority of everything was simply charged to the room or pre-purchased) but it was nice to have as a “just in case”. Cards are also made out of plastic so if you accidentally drop some water on it… you won’t have to worry about laying it out to dry/having it tear on you. Just be sure to lightly rinse it off with fresh water if in case you do drop it in the pool or it gets salt water on it.

4. Bluetooth Speaker

 In the situation that you stay at a Resort without an iPod dock, it’s always nice to have the option to jam out whenever you feel like it. Whether it's while you’re getting ready or laying out on your deck soaking in all the rays and amazing views, it's just nice to have the option. So bring a Bluetooth speaker, hook up to your resorts wi-fi and play some tunes. We personally have a Bose wireless speaker that may be too bulky for most, but we made it work. There’s also some great travel Bluetooth speakers that you can find out there. Make Google your best friend and do some searching. Travel + Leisure recently featured the Buckshot Pro 3-in-1 speaker  and we’re thinking it may just be our next travel purchase.

5. Waterproof Phone/Camera

We’re a "Samsung-for-life" family so our phones came waterproof; however, we know that some of you iPhoners don’t have that option. So be sure to grab a case to waterproof your phone such as Lifeproof.

In terms of a waterproof camera, we brought our GoPro along for this trip and ended up swimming with it all day long to get great footage of life under the sea. ALSO! Fun tip, we bought a couple GoPro Floaty Backdoor pieces and slapped one on our GoPro and also put the floaty on the backs of our plastic phone cases to make our phones float too! Life. Saver.

6. First-Aid

We threw together our own kit that included allergy pills, nausea and diarrhea remedies (you never know!), anti-itch cream, Band-Aids, pain killers, and some supplements. Didn’t use any of these, thank GOD, but you always want to be prepared.