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!

FREE TRAVEL

Whaaaaat, free travel?! Yes, you read right. Well, some of it is very, very cheap and some are free. I loved reading this article because as a college student who is an extreme wanderluster, you are always looking for budget-friendly or even free travel opportunities. From EscapeNormal, they offered 23 ways to travel for free or close to free, I will give an explanation after each one:

1. Work Away- free food and accommodation just handed to you on a silver platter by families in places throughout the world...in exchange for volunteer work.
2. Escape Normal: Adventure Jobs- (I would assume offered by the website) job postings in many locations doing many different things: exotic retreat centers to kayak guiding.
3. Back door jobs- fear of commitment? me too...this is perfect because it is numerous short-term jobs throughout the world doing the most random of jobs (cheese-churning?).
4. Coolworks- a job search engine in places throughout the world- both long and short term.
5. Retreat Finder- think Bali in Eat, Pray, Love. Bliss.
6. Couchsurfing- you literally couch surf...well not literally, literally, but you sleep on random people's couches...don't worry they have backgrounds checks beforehand so you aren't walking into a death trap. I have had several friends who have done this and said it was a great, free experience.
7. WWOOF- volunteering on farms throughout the world, if you are into agriculture and what not.
8. Help Exchange- similar to the above, but with a wider range of options...volunteer work in exchange for food and accommodation.
9. Footprints TEFL- Teaching foreigners your native tongue for money...good deal, good deal.
10. Kibbutz- volunteer program for about 2 to 6 months, you have to pay a small amount of month to reserve your spot though.
11. Peace Corps- (I have actually considered doing this) it's a 2 year commitment doing volunteer work in one place, no leaving for 2 years so if you can't sit still in one place, don't even think about it. You get paid for your volunteer work and also afterwards until you get on your feet with a stable, steady job.
12. Summer Camp Counselor jobs- exactly what the name says. You can be the one calling the shots this time at summer camp...maybe they will offer band camp?
13. Au Pair- Nannying for families in countries throughout the world, I actually applied for a Au Pair in China but I never heard back :(
14. TEFL (Teach English as a Foreign Language)- again, teaching your native tongue to foreigners in another country for an extended period of time for pay. You have to take online classes and get certified first however.
15. Yacht Crewing- working on a yacht, not a cruise ship...it could be good or it could be horrible and stressful- depending on the yacht owner ultimately.
16. Americorps- a 1-3 year program based on volunteering for social issues (poverty, disease, women's rights, etc.) that you receive a pay for, healthcare, training and another bullet point on your resume/CV.
17. Se7en- free or very cheap volunteer opportunities throughout the world.
18. Home swap- ever seen The Holiday? Think what Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet did, switching their homes when they traveled to the other's country...not sure I would do this, pretty risky if I do say so myself...
19. Caretaker- of a mansion, castle...celebrities and the world's wealthiest hire people to care for their house and pets when they are away for pay, a free stay and a taste of the sweet life.
20. Craigslist Rideshare- forget planes, trains and buses, you can car-pool with other travelers to various places for a small amount of money.
21. Vantage- where you are the trip leader with friends and family...it'll be free for you but not the others.
22. GVI Careers- amazing, interesting and diverse job opportunities throughout the world...might check this out at work today.
23. Idealist- cause-based jobs and volunteer opportunities throughout the world.


Now, yesterday I mentioned I would talk about something I have been thinking about lately, a decision that I think I am going to make in coming weeks, months, maybe in a year. I graduate university with a BA in Journalism and Communications at the extremely young age of 20 (I was one of the youngest in my grade during high school and the BA programs here are only 3 years), so I was planning on just packing up after that summer (2015) and moving to Melbourne, Australia. This was my plan for some time now. However, then I got to thinking, after writing this blog and trying to sort out my life...why would I want to begin working and being committed to a career for the next 30+ years of my life when I am only 20 years old out of college? I should want to travel, explore and see what is out there before I have to plan vacation days and enter the big girl world. So, with that, I think I have decided that I will spend a year, year and a half after university and just travel around to as much places as I can, ending my trips in Melbourne, Australia where I plan to begin my career, my big-girl life and so on. I want to travel to different countries where I would do volunteer work and work in smaller villages to get a little more than the city life experience. I am thinking of maybe going to some places in south-east Asia, New Zealand, South Africa and maybe some central African countries, South America, Hawaii, Philippines, Alaska and maybe Japan. A random island might by nice as well. I have to do my research of course, but I think the volunteer work and travels would be a once in a lifetime experience. Plus, after I start working, have a family, settle down etc., there won't be time to travel when I am young, only when I am old and my knees have officially given out (I have knee problems already at a young age).


P.S. For those of you working this weekend, like myself, here's 17 ways you can be happier at work...who would've thunk...I won't be officially happy for the long-run in a job until I am working with either a travel magazine, fashion magazine or TV station.

1. DON'T COMPARE YOURSELF WITH OTHERS...this is a great tip, it's hard not to but you will only make yourself feel worse if you continue to do (or start doing this).
2. NEVER OBSESS OVER THINGS YOU CANNOT CONTROL...I'm guilty, I'm guilty, I do this too much in every job I work.
3. KNOW AND KEEP YOUR PERSONAL BOUNDARIES AND LIMITS.
4. DON'T OVERCOMMIT YOURSELF OR YOUR TEAM.
5. REMEMBER THAT YOU GET THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME AS EVERYONE ELSE, EVERYDAY (that means on a 24 hour clock).
6. DON'T TAKE YOURSELF SO SERIOUSLY, NO BODY ELSE DOES...I am guilty of this at times, I beat myself up over silly mistakes.
7. DAYDREAM MORE RATHER THAN LESS...I need to do this in work more often.
8. DON'T BOTHER WITH HATE; IT'S NOT WORTH THE EFFORT.
9. MAKE PEACE WITH YOUR PAST LEST IT CREATE YOUR FUTURE.
10. DON'T TRY TO "WIN" EVERY ARGUMENT...hard for those of us who are very stubborn.
11. REMEMBER THAT NOBODY IS IN CHARGE OF YOUR HAPPINESS EXCEPT YOU...so if you don't like your job, get out and try to find a new one that you will be happier at. It's not worth working a shit job that gets you down.
12. SMILE AND LAUGH MORE FREQUENTLY.
13. DON'T WASTE PRECIOUS ENERGY ON MALICE AND GOSSIP.
14. DON'T WORRY ABOUT WHAT OTHERS THINK ABOUT YOU; IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS...when you learn not to care what others think, not only does it improve your work ethic but it improves your overall quality of life and the way you look at thing. Best thing to let go of, ever.
15. TRASH EVERYTHING IN YOUR WORK AREA THAT IS NOT USEFUL OR BEAUTIFUL...sheesh, the trash can is about to be full...
16. REMEMBER THAT HOWEVER BAD (OR GOOD) A SITUATION IS, IT WILL CHANGE NO MATTER WHAT..."there is a reason for everything" or "after a rainstorm there is sunshine."
17. BELIEVE THAT THE BEST IS YET TO COME, NO MATTER WHAT...I absolutely love this. Not only does it apply to work but to life in general.

Travel on wanderlusters!

100 MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACES IN THE WORLD

Tomorrow morning will be the New Zealand post, but until then, here's some fun stuff I am browsing through at my long evening at work. I have been oogling over the 100 Most Beautiful Places in the World, thanks to EscapeNormal, wishing I was somewhere else other than work. 

A girl can dream, right?

1. Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
2. Angkor Wat, Cambodia
3. Cinque Terre, Rio Maggoire, Italy
4. Blue Lagoon, Iceland
5.Maldives
6. Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA
7. Glass Beach, California, USA
8. Pamukkule, Turkey
9. Big Island, Hawaii, USA
10. St. Lucia
11. Santorini, Greece
12. Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany
13. Marble Caves, Chile
14. Chittorgarh Fort, India
15. Giethoorn, Holland
16. Crystal Cave, Iceland
17. Aogashima Volcano, Japan
18. Longji Rice Terrace, China
19. Amazon Rainforest, Brazil and South America
20. Venice, Italy
21. Petra, Jordan
22. Machu Picchu, Peru
23. Tuscany, Italy
24. Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico, USA
25. Shirakawa-go Village, Japan
26. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
27. Himalayas, Nepal
28. Bali
29. Serengeti, Tanzania, Africa
30. Sahara Desert, Africa
31. Dubai, UAE
32. Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
33. Moeraki Boulders, New Zealand
34. The Great Wall of China, China
35. Antarctica
36. Lake Retba, Senegal
37. Morocco, Africa
38. The Fjords of Norway
39. Socotra, Republic of Yemen
40. Alaska, USA
41. Victoria, Australia
42. Fingal's Cave, Scotland
43.Giant's Causeway, Ireland
44. Lake Tahoe, California and Nevada, USA
45. Cappadocia, Turkey
46. Havasu Falls, Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA
47. Glow Worm Cave, New Zealand
48. The Australian Outback
49. Tikal, Guatemala
50. Antelope Canyon, Arizona, USA
51. Reed Flut Cave, China
52. Verdon Gorge, France
53. Bagan (or Pagan) Myanmar
54. Napa Valley, California
55. Zion National Park, Utah, USA
56. Swiss Alps, Switzerland
57. Lake Bled, Slovenia
58. Whitehaven Beach, Australia
59. Luxor, Egypt
60. Meteora, Greece
61. Bioluminescent Bay, Puerto Rico
62. Giant Crystal Cave, Mexico
63. Fairy Pools, Isle of Skye, Scotland
64. Beachy Head, England
65. Rotorua, New Zealand
66. Lencois Sand Dunes, Brazil
67. Rio de Janiero, Brazil
68. Spotted Lake, Canada
69. Iceland
70. Istanbul, Turkey
71. Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA
72. Inga Falls, Congo River, Africa
73. Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia
74. Torres del Paine, Chile
75. Bingalong Bay, Bay of Fires, Tasmania
76. Danxia Landforms, China
77. Death Valley, California, USA
78. Great Barrier Reef, Australia
79. Blue Grotto Cave, Capri, Italy
80. Huanglong, China
81. Positano, Almalfi Coast, Italy
82. Dead Sea, Israel and Jordan
83. Maui, Hawaii
84. Sanibel Island, Florida
85. Nootka Island, Vancouver Island, Canada
86. Fiji, Republic of Fiji
87. Kyoto, Japan
88. Brittany, France
89. Everglades National Park, Florida
90. Lapland, Finland
91. Flaming Crater, Derweze, Turkmenistan
92. River of Five Colors, Colombia
93. Moraine Lake, Baniff National Park, Canada
94. Seychelles
95. Multnomah, Oregon, USA
96.Madagascar
97. Bora Bora, French Polynesia
98. Lake Baikal, Russia
99. Rocky Mountains, Canada
100. Norway

Boooom, there you have it. I just spent a good chunk of time at working doing this, meaning I am closer to going home! I have a hot date with a piece of left-over fish from last night, Eurotrip (the movie), my laptop to work on the New Zealand and my mass amounts of pillows. It'll be great one...in case you are wondering.

Have any of you been to any of the listed 100? If so, how was it? What did you like and what did you not like?

Travel on wanderlusters!

A NEW PROJECT

I'm thinking of starting a fun, new posting project.

After I post about some of my trips in the past. I think I will start posting about random countries in the world. Just basic facts, travel opinions and suggestions for these countries. Small, big, rich, poor, first world, third world, hot, cold, popular, unheard of. I want to travel to a majority of the world's countries one day so why not get some background knowledge on them and inform my wanderlusters as well?

Of course, when I travel to these countries, I will do a short recap of the informative post then the post about my visit, experience and reviews while being there. Me thinks the first country should be, hmm...Seychelles? Have you heard of Seychelles before? I actually met a lovely new friend of mine who is from there. To be honest, I have never heard of it before she told me she was from there. It's one of those small islands you wouldn't think of just randomly going to. So, Seychelles will be the first country of the new project. Now to do some research...and find some travel inspired pictures.

Travel on wanderlusters!

Find Me on WordPress.com!

I extended to WordPress.com as well, so check out the posts on there! I will also be posting here, many of the same posts but this expands my audience a little bit.

http://travelingwithwanderlust.wordpress.com/

Travel and read on wanderlusters!

'Of Eyes and Hands'

GREAT NEWS!! Today, my friend and I decided to start our own DIY website/community for other DIY designers. We will start out on a blog (which I am creating after this post and will feature in the next post) and it will turn into a website where we display our DIY line (name still pending), as well as other DIY designer's clothes.

The blog/website will be called 'Of Eyes and Hands'.

We are really excited about this and it all happened over a fantastic bowl of Pad Thai...which is my favorite meal in the world...it's never to early to start your dreams is what I keep reminding myself.

Thought I should break the news here first! Travel on wanderlusters!

P.S. The beautiful Christmas market is officially open in Old Town Square so Wednesday (after some of the finals craziness is over) we are going to wander there, take pictures and I'll dedicate a post to it.

"The 10 Amazing Exotic Vacations"

Whenever I read these on Yahoo, I always feel the need to share them with my wanderlusters...

"The 10 Amazing Exotic Vacations"



1. South Island, New Zealand
2. Hawaii
3. Tasmania, Australia
4. Thaiti
5. Adelaide, Australia
6. The Cook Islands
7. North Island, New Zealand
8. Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
9. Fiji
10. Brisbane, Australia

Here, have a look for yourselves: http://travel.yahoo.com/ideas/10-amazing-exotic-vacations.html?page=1

Have any of you wanderlusters traveled to these places?

College = Less Travel Time

Whoever said college was easy...wait...no one has ever said that. I find it astonishing how much work and things there are to do. As I always say "same ish, different day". Couldn't be more accurate.

The amount of work is preventing me from traveling which is absolutely no bueno, but break is coming soon which means tons of travel...fingers crossed. So far, Barcelona and Rome are on the list then it's back to school for second semester. Craziness.

Until my research papers are done and projects are presented, travel on wanderlusters...I know I am experiencing some severe wanderlust withdrawal.

"25 Places to Go...that I WILL go...Before Dying".

According to List25.com, these are the places YOU should definitely go before dying...let me book my flights now...I will be visiting #1 in May actually, so cross off that one!

25. Tianzi Mountains, China
24. Santorini, Greece
23. Machu Pichu, Peru
22. The Azores
21. The Great Wall, China
20. Petra, Jordan
19. Bagan, Burma
18. Antelope Canyon, Arizona
17. Ayers Rock, Australia
16. Tanah Lot, Indonesia
15. Meteora, Greece
14. Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
13. Preikestolen, Norway
12. Plitvice Lakes, Croatia
11. The Twelve Apostles, Australia
10. Angel Falls, Venezula
9. Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
8. Positano, Italy
7. Angkor Wat, Cambodia
6. The Wave, Arizona
5. The Pyramids of Giza, Egypt
4. The Maldives
3. Socotra, Yemen
2. Monument Valley, Utah
1. Phi Phi Islands, Thailand

Travel on wanderlusters!

Perth, Australia

Where I will be studying abroad in a year or year and a half! So unbelievably excited. While out with some friends for Halloween last night I met a guy who lives there and says it's an amazing place. I mean, come on, the city surrounded by a beach in AUSTRALIA. I don't think it gets much better than that and then being able to road-trip up to Sydney and Melbourne...

Prague Takes Over Paris

In the land of crepes, chocolate croissants, gorgeous French men, great architecture and fashion...I fell in love, with the city, that is.

I've always seen it on Pinterest and in the movies so I made a promise to myself years and years ago that I would take a trip there, even if it were just for a weekend...which this was, but I will most DEFINITELY be going back for longer. My friend from growing up is currently studying in Paris so that was a plus but she ended up not being there that weekend. Not sure that the French men on their little Vespas, the statue I sexually harassed in the Louvre Museum, the chocolate croissants and crepes were ready for us crazy Prague girls.

So, we left Prague on Friday evening, took a 14 hour bus ride through the Czech Republic then Germany and arrived in Paris at about 9 AM.
About 20 things happened in the 14 hours we took over Paris:
1. We first climbed the Eiffel Tower...took the stairs which was the death of us...and got REALLY rained on.
2. Walked around aimlessly with our cameras pointed at anything and everything.
3. Ate some authentic Parisian crepes.
4. Walked along the Seine.
5.  Was asked for directions (compliment, yes) and replied successfully, "je ne parle francias".
6. Went to Champs Elysees Blvd.
7. Saw the Louvre...for real and not on the computer or tv screen.
8. Louvre Museum and hung out with my girl Mona Lisa and saw some other famous paintings and sculptures.
9. Saw the Opera House
10. Walked across the Love Lock Bridge and saw the Univerisdad de France
11. Frolicked down Parisian streets, just as they do in the movies
12. Ate like a non-French woman in a restaurant with delicious steak and french fries
13. Had a chocolate croissant for dessert given to us by a cute French boy
14. Got successfully but happily lost. This led to being a tourist and buying souvenirs.
15. Wandered over to the Notre Dame Cathedral.
16. Had a jaw dropping moment when we stepped foot into the Cathedral.
17. Lit candles in the Cathedral and said "Namaste".
18. Got lost again and had a temporary freak-out moment walking right by the Seine because we couldn't find our tour group.
19. Boarded the night river tour boat, saw the BEAUTIFUL Eiffel Tower at night, shining radiantly even from afar, saw all the bridges and almost got hit in the head by one of them upon going underneath it, saw a majority of Paris' famous buildings/ landmarks from the view of the water.
20. Fought the rain then sadly, got on the bus only to fight the urge to kick the guy across from me for attempting to play footsie every 10 seconds...

Even though I was bummed that my friend was away from Paris, all in all, I would say it was a pretty successful 14 hours in Paris. Until the next time we takeover Paris...

Travel on wanderlusters!

"10 Trips of a Lifetime"

http://travel.yahoo.com/ideas/10-trips-of-a-lifetime.html?page=4

I will visit these places some day.

Fall Break Destinations!

Fall break is coming up...which only means one thing: travel time!

So what are the plans? Paris for a weekend with a friend and then Istanbul for 5 days with another friend.
These two places are on my bucket list so I'm really excited about getting to explore them.

Cross those places off the list for the "best city in Europe" in which I live...keep on guessing!

Until then, midterms and an insane amount of studying will be taking place, but look forward to some cool pictures after my trip! and of course, a few good stories.

Until then, travel on wanderlusters.

Welcome...to the World!

Traveling with wanderlust. Sounds pretty accurate right?

Now, I don't know about you but I love to travel, I love to explore, I love to meet new people and I love to take photographs of these foreign places. I suffer from wanderlust. There I said it. I know you probably do too.

So, several years ago, upon discovering my NEED to travel and explore the world, I came up with a life goal/career plan for myself: become a travel journalist for National Geographic with my BA and MA in Journalism. With this, I will be able to travel around the world to the sunniest and darkest of places, to the places no-one dares to go and the places we all see on Google Image Search or Pinterest now a days. I made a promise to myself that I would do this with my life, and that is exactly what I intend on doing.

Now begins my adventures. About 8 months ago, I decided to attend university in Europe. I'm European, my family lives here, the people here are fantastic and I just love the country. I always knew I would end up back in Europe at some point in my life.

One morning back in February, I woke up having a revelation about my life: I wanted to travel and do what I want, not what everyone else in my town does, not what my family wants me to do, what I want to do. That being writing and traveling. I asked myself, "What are you doing? You have always wanted to travel yet you are so set on attending college in Europe and by the time you graduate, you will be so in debt you will not be able to travel often." With that, I made the best decision of my life, which is where I am now.

I won't tell you where in Europe I live, because you will soon figure it out as I post more and more pictures. Just know, not being biased of course, it is the best city in the world. Guesses?

Fun fact though, my family is from here, some live here and I can speak...well somewhat but more understand...the language.

So, welcome to the world. See the beauty of foreign places through my eyes and experience the beautifully delicious taste of wanderlust I'll be writing and sharing about!