backpacking Archives • Page 2 of 6 • The Bliss Movement

4 Solo Travel Fears And Why You Shouldn’t Let Them Stop You

If you had asked me seven years ago if I would ever get on a plane, fly across the world and proceed to backpack around without much of a plan, I would have called you crazy. I wouldn't have given solo travel a fleeting thought. Hell, I wouldn’t have even gone into my local Walmart alone and don’t even think about asking me to sit and have a coffee all by myself! Being all on my own was easily one of my biggest solo travel fears. Now, I tell my friends that they’re crazy not to. I get that it is a scary feeling to take such a huge leap of faith in yourself[...]

Solo Travel, Travel

10 Safety Tips for Solo Travelers in Any Country

I can’t count the number of times people have warned me not to go somewhere for fear that I will be kidnapped and sold into the sex trade a la Hostel, mugged, drugged, scammed or worse. In reality, these are things that happen all over the world, regardless of how nice you think the city you live in might be but our (or our family’s) apprehension might be a little higher when we announce that we’re about to trek off across the globe. And truth be told, the safety tips for solo travelers that I'm going to share today are probably things that you have done at[...]

Budget Travel, Tips, Planning and Packing, Travel

Travel More: 5 Steps to Afford More Adventure In Your Life

There is a misconception that traveling can only be for the top 2% of the world - that you need to have a lot of money or that travel is expensive in itself. I absolutely hate being asked how I afford to travel so much. Not because I don't like talking about money (I do), but because the people who are asking usually aren't the ones who are actually interested in making it happen for themselves. The question usually comes from people who say it as a backhanded compliment. I will say that no, it's not available to everyone but for the average middle-class person, i[...]

Mood and Mindset, Self-Care, Tips, Planning and Packing, Travel

Overcoming Post-Travel Depression: Make The Most of Coming Home

For many people, coming home can be harder than it was to leave. You've spent the last little while on the adventure of a lifetime, yet you come back to a place where it feels like time has stood still and you can't help but shake that post-travel depression feeling. I know that for me, that space between actively traveling feels a lot like a state of limbo, where I'm just not really sure what I'm supposed to be doing in this place that is supposed to feel like home but doesn't really. Post-travel depression is a reality for many travelers, but you don't have[...]

Barbados, Caribbean, Travel

8 Reasons Barbados Should Be Your Next Winter Vacay

Recently dubbed the Caribbean Destination of the Year by Caribbean Journal, Barbados is, without a doubt, the next trip you need to book. Like, yesterday. Barbados is known for its white, sandy beaches and being the birthplace of Rihanna. It’s the place where high-profile people such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Simon Cowell, Elton John and many others jet off to for their holidays in the sun. But don’t let that fool you into thinking this destination is only for the well-to-do. That’s far from the truth. Barbados is the perfect getaway for travelers of any a[...]

Personal Development, Travel

A World of Possibility

Sorry for being such an inconsistent blogger lately I find it difficult to write engaging posts for you when I'm home, spending most of my time working and saving for the next adventure (and it's a big adventure). But being home and surrounded by family and friends brings with it a little bit of enlightenment, so I'll likely be sharing some of that with you lately with more reflection posts rather than actual travel posts. It's a funny moment when you realize how differently you view the progression of your life compared to those around you. It's exciting to th[...]

Mood and Mindset, Self-Care

Stop Apologizing For Laughing Too Much: 4 Ways Laughter Leads To A Better Life

There was a moment in my life when I did the unthinkable. I was sitting in the front row of my late uncle’s funeral service. Somebody was up at the podium, delivering a tear-stained speech, and I was sitting there, listening. But I was also thinking about a time I had spent with him, a hilarious moment where laughter had been contagious and we had both gotten belly aches from laughing too hard. So I did the unthinkable. One of the most horrific social taboos at a funeral: I laughed. A bubbling giggle erupted from within, and I laughed in the middle of a very s[...]

Personal Development, Self-Care, Travel

An Open Letter To The Man I Met Abroad

It hits at the most unexpected times. It's not written in stone and it can sneak up on you when you're least expecting it. We all know the feeling: the undeniable tightening of the chest, the butterflies soaring in your stomach and the endless need to hear his voice, see his face. Love has a funny way of working and travel has a funny way of making itself a larger priority. Maybe it's not really love if it doesn't come first but it has gotten pretty close. The first time I saw him he was singing in a café that my friends and I went to every Wednesday: a guitar s[...]

Barbados, Personal Development, Self-Care, Travel

4 Lessons Learned from Living on an Island

Before living on an island I had no idea what to expect. Warm weather, the sea and days relaxing on the beach, obviously, but I had no idea just how life changing it can be to immerse yourself in island living. It has shifted my perspective on reality and I am determined to incorporate the life lessons I've learned for the rest of my life. Island time is a real and inherent thing that you will come to love if you end up living on an island. As you embrace this concept of time, the stress and anxiety begin to fade and you finally begin to take in the life that[...]

Tips, Planning and Packing, Travel

Are Toiletries Taking Over Your Backpack? Take COCONUT OIL Instead!

This may seem like an odd travel staple to some..... Carrying coconut oil has saved me from having my backpack weighed down with toiletries. Toiletries are the number one thing that I, and many friends, have complained about. Sure, it can be easy to downsize your clothes and shoes, but toiletries always seem to take up so much space! Not only that, but they're heavy! All of my toiletries could easily weigh up to an extra ten pounds strapped to my back and you know what? It is completely unnecessary. Since discovering coconut oil a few years ago, it has made pac[...]

Travel

An Ode to On the Road Friendships

There you were, sitting in the hostel common room. On the same tour. At the same pub. In the same meditation class. Exploring the same temple. Climbing the same tower. Tossing the same lucky coin into the same fountain. Sitting in the same first-day orientation class on our exchange abroad. You were just another stranger taking in the beauty of new cities and new experiences, eyes wide with wonder and unwavering smiles upon your faces. Some of you were with friends and some of you were also traveling solo, but each of you became significant pieces of my favorite m[...]

Italy

A Letter of Hope to Florence

I came with the best of intentions, the greatest of hopes for your city, with dreams of marveling at world-famous art, strolling the Ponte Vecchio Bridge, and eating my weight in gelato on my 19th birthday. I envisioned classy Italian women going about their daily business, young locals sitting along the riverside, and throngs of tourists with eyes wide open in wonder. "Ding Dong goes the bell at Bacillia di San Lorenzo" I wanted to love you, to bask in sunlight perched upon the Piazzale Michelangelo and stare down at all of what you had to offer. I wanted to soak[...]