The Travels of 2015

There have been quite a few destinations explored this year...some planned and some very spontaneous.

So far, and posts will follow focusing on each location, this year I've been lucky enough to explore around:
Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague- Netherlands
Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, Oita, Beppu- Japan
Dublin and the Cliffs of Moher- Ireland
Rio de Janeiro- Brazil

& tomorrow we are off to explore Athens, Mykonos and Santorini, Greece!

By the end of this year, I'm hoping to make it Dubai and Abu Dhabi- United Arab Emirates; Istanbul- Turkey; Venice- Italy and head back to South America (Brazil, Argentina, Peru) for two or three months before I need to present my bachelor's thesis and take my state exams in February. Has anyone been to these places and give me some recommendations? I'm always trying to find the best coffee shops in any new city I travel to as I am an extreme caffeine addict...or maybe it's just that I love latte art from around the world!


A few of my favourite travel quotes, which I like to remember right before going on an adventure:

"Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller." – Ibn Battuta

"We travel, some of us forever, to seek other places, other lives, other souls." – Anais Nin

"To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted." – Bill Bryson


This one is especially important:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.” – Mark Twain

Yes, I'm a student and money is usually tight but if you REALLY want to travel, you will make it happen someway. I'm a firm believer in that. I have worked numerous jobs or gone to the United States for my summer holidays to work as a nanny for two wonderful girls in order to save some money and be able to travel to these places. I've spent countless hours in my university lectures with my mind wandering and thinking 'why the hell am I sitting here when I could be out there somewhere exploring?'

I told myself long ago that I will not be one those people to sit in an office job for the next 30-40 years of my life, from 9-5pm, Monday-Friday. No matter what happens, I will find a way to travel around the world and live a life full of adventure, happiness and bring back wonderful stories and have unforgettable experiences. That being said, this quote is spot-on: "I travel a lot; I hate having my life disrupted by routine." – Caskie Stinnett

Travel on wanderlusters!

THE WORLD'S BEST DRESSED COUNTRIES

As an avid fashion lover, I was excited to read this article. They also give "essential items" for each country.

8. United States

• Essential item: sweater dress

7. Brazil

• Essential item: bikini

6. Australia

• Essential items: dress (Alex Perry) for women and for men, a paisley shirt. 

5. United Kingdom

• Essential item: slim pencil skirt

4. Japan

• Essential item: flannel long sleeve tunic

3. France

• Essential items: cotton tweed culotte skirt (women) and leather jacket (men)

2. Sweden

• Essential items: long knitted polo neck jumper (women) and Royal Blue Johnny sweater (men)

1. Italy

• Essential items: Miu Miu bag (women) and tailored Zanetti blazer with pocket square (men)

Travel (and from this post, fashion) on wanderlusters!

BEST COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD TO GROW OLD

If you are like me, a college student who is trying to figure out their life after college while trying to make it through university and graduate with a degree, the question of "where am I going to live after I graduate" probably crosses your mind a lot. At least, it does for me. So, if you are in the same boat as me or you are getting to that age where you are getting ready to retire but want to experience more of the world, then you should take a look at this list:

15. Finland
14. Australia
13. United Kingdom
12. Ireland
11. Austria
10. Japan
9. Iceland
8. United States
7. New Zealand
6. Switzerland
5. Canada
4. Netherlands
3. Germany
2. Norway
1. Sweden

The countries in bold are the places I am seriously considering moving and settling down in after I graduate from university.

You can read up all you want with this.

Travel on wanderlusters!

'10 ULTIMATE TRIPS OF A LIFETIME'

Cue my cup of coffee and sitting in front of the TV...wait, I've done that everyday this summer already. Oops.

Upon my morning ritual of stalking Yahoo!, checking emails and reading various articles that catch my eye, I came across the '10 Ultimate Trips of a Lifetime'.

1. Great Wall of China (Beijing) to Gorky Park (Moscow) via Trans-Siberian Railroad.
2. Bhutan...also known as the happiest place on Earth.
3. India...tiger safaris and saris
4. Tokyo (Japan) to Jigokudani Valley.
5. California...road-trip style.
6. Antarctica.
7. Galapagos.
8. Jordan.
9. Seychelles.
10.  Guyan...also known as no-man's land.

I know I will definitely be going to these places, some before others but I will make it to all of them someday and hopefully can still tell all of you how they went!

Travel on wanderlusters!

HEAVEN IS A PLACE ON EARTH

It is true, heaven is a place on Earth. There are actually 18 'heavens on Earth'...and I live in one of them :) I was browsing through the website Fantastic View Point and found some pretty interesting articles.
If you are work currently like I am, here is the list and a few pictures to get you through the next few hours:

1. Laguna Beach, California

2. Matterhorn, Switzerland

3. Mount Fiji, Japan

4. Gullfoss, Iceland

5. Florianópolis, South Brazil

6. Honolulu, Hawaii

7. Prague, Czech Republic

8. Nirwana Bali Golf Club, Indonesia

9. Lake Garda- Alpine Region, Italy

10. Tahiti

11. Baku, Azerbaijan

12. Cenote Ik Kil, Mexico

13. Lake Moraine- Banff National Park, Canada

14. Portofino Resort- Ambergris Caye, Belize

15. Vermillion Lake, Banff National Park, Canada

16. Yoho National Park, Lake O'Hara, Canada

17. Palawan, Philippines

18. Hallstat, Austria

I'm dreaming of these places...can summer come sooner so I can travel?! Only about 3 or 4 more weeks now. Seems almost too far away. 

The girls and I have decided to make our fall break trip to St. Petersburg, Russia. We have to of course buy plane tickets and get the visas sorted out but we are really looking forward to going! Fingers crossed! 

Back to work and writing the Italy post (I made an oopsie at the end of yesterday's post).

Travel on wanderlusters!

A Full Plate

Again, I have been MIA...apologies, apologies! 

This semester of uni with a side of a big girl job, an internship, reporter for student newspaper, new gym commitment, friends and the need of sleep has my plate almost as full as a Thanksgiving dinner plate...maybe even a little more filled. I find myself super exhausted and in the few moments I have to myself in a week I catch up on my TV shows or have True Blood and Sex and the City marathons in my bed with a hot cup of peppermint tea. Being sick on top of everything has also been the cherry on top.

So, that's why I have been MIA. I have been meaning to write a post but I always end up passing out face down on my key board when I get home from uni or work. I'm starting to get into the routine of things again so more posts will be coming again. I never wrote my Berlin post....ahhh! Still need to do that and I will...soon....

It's such a beautiful, warm-ish, sunny day in Prague but I am stuck inside doing uni work and a research paper. The only good thing is that I am also applying to my dream internship (other than the one I currently have) which is at the National Geographic headquarters this summer. So excited and my fingers are triple crossed! I also applied for a spring 2014 study abroad in Seoul, South Korea; Montevideo, Uruguay and in California. I should find out if I was accepted in the next week or two. 

I'm trying to set up some travel plans with friends and so far we have a list of places we WILL go before 2013 ends: Thailand, Hong Kong or China, St. Petersburg in Russia and Egypt. Still in the works though. Looking at the time between August and December since I have university and work until the end of May then my best friend from the States is coming for a 3-4 week 'euro-trip' as I mentioned in previous posts. Can it be the end of May already? Oh!! We are also looking at attending the World Cup in Brazil next summer- about 95% that we are going, just need to buy the plane tickets and find somewhere to stay.

Have any of you wanderlusters been to Brazil? I've always wanted to go and especially to Rio de Janeiro. 

Happy Tuesday and travel on wanderlusters!

P.S. I found this on Pinterest the other morning, I thought it was so cute and relatable! 

Just One of Those...

Nights where you can't sleep no matter what you do? Yeah...that was my night last night after tossing and turning for a few hours I decided to watch catch up on some Homeland and Vampire Diaries and I instantly passed out. Well, for only about 4 hours but something is better than nothing right?

I'm staring outside as I type and it's really yucky and depressing out. I miss the sunshine and warm weather...never thought I would say I miss the warm weather because I am definitely a cold weather type of person. Hmph, I blame it on Europe! Haha.

Well, I promised my friend I would take him up to the Prague Castle, snow or no snow, today so that's what I'll be doing a majority of my day and I promised you wanderlusters that I would post some pictures of Prague in the snow! Bear in mind it will be some dreary, gray/dark pictures but you'll get the jist of Prague winter beauty :) Despite how beautiful Prague is in the winter, I am dreaming of Thailand...only 2 more months until Bangkok and Phuket Bay beaches.

P.S. I started my internship with CollegeFashionista.com, for those of you who haven't heard about it, CHECK IT OUT! But my first post went live and my wanderlusters should check out the fashion-loving side of my writing! I convinced my best friend to do a mini photo-shoot for me in my backyard and now she's the face of my first CF article! http://www.collegefashionista.com/shelleahpedersen/style-advice-of-the-week-these-boots-were-made-for-spikes/

P.S.S. ONE WEEK UNTIL ROME!!

Travel on wanderlusters!

Spotted: Tom Cruise

On the Charles Bridge yesterday afternoon! Now where is little Suri?!

Today, on the walk to the National Library, we were stopped in our tracks when we saw they were filming a movie right outside of the library. So, of course we stopped and stared, waiting patiently for some A-list celebrity to come running in the scene. We left minutes after to the Christmas market then came back and right when we came back they were filming a scene...couldn't tell if it was Tom Cruise but it sure looked A LOT like him.

Whatever movie they are filming, they are trying to portray it being in the Netherlands, nope, it's in Prague. The fake street signs and Netherlands license plates were added to make it seem like it was in the Netherlands.

It's beaaaautiful and sunny today but I get to spend the entire, FREEZING, afternoon in the library studying for finals next week. I just looked up from typing this and realized an extremely creepy lady with a "I'm going to steal you and throw you in a cave" grin was staring at me from across the library. Okay, then.

Travel on wanderlusters!