A: Age you went on your first international trip
In the good old days, you didn't need a passport to travel to Canada, so we'd gone to Canada many times (if you can count driving across the bridge at Niagara Falls actually going to Canada). I don't really remember these trips, but the first international travel that I remember is when I traveled to Mexico when I was 15 years old.
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| Nothing says "I'm traveling without my parents for the first time" more than corn rows and a Hooters shirt. |
B: Best foreign beer you've had and where
Totally not a beer person. The first, and only, beer I've ever finished is a Port Royal in Honduras, but that attests more to how much I had already drank as opposed to the quality of the beer.
C: Cuisine (favorite)
Baleadas. Followed by Honduran fried chicken.
D: Destinations-- favorite, least favorite, and why?
Favorite? Cayos Cochinos. I mean, how could I not love it? It was beautiful and it was cheap and it was with
some of my best friends.
Least favorite?
I don't know. At the moment, I love everything that I've ever done. Can I say the hostel that we stayed at in Ilha Grande? Because that was pretty gnarly.
E: Event you've experienced abroad that made you say "wow"
Surfing at sunset in El Salvador. I mean, come on, who does that?
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| It was my first time, give me some credit. No one is perfect. |
F: Favorite mode of transportation
In the back of a
pick-up truck.
G: Greatest feeling while traveling
When you aren't 100% positive that your transportation plans are going to work out and you aren't positive that your hostel isn't going to be terrible and you aren't even sure that you understood correctly when you asked for directions, but then you find yourself on transportation that takes you to a hostel that has everything you need and you just feel relieved that nobody died.
H: Hottest place you've ever traveled to
Rio is pretty toasty. As was the car ride from Honduras to Nicaragua.
I: Incredible service you've experienced and where?
Martin, with
Prime Tours, in Ilha Grande, Brazil. We climbed Pico do Papagaio with him, and while I wanted to die, he was the most awesome person I have ever met. I want him to accompany of all my life journeys and be my life tour guide. If anyone goes to Ilha Grande and doesn't do some sort of tour with Martin and his company, they are definitely missing out!
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| Martin with the selfie sick for the win. |
J: Journey that took the longest
I've been lucky enough to have avoided any sort of overly stressful travel adventures (apart from luggage not arriving), thank goodness. It did take almost 30 hours door to door when traveling from Siguatepeque, Honduras to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
K: Keepsake from your travels
I
always make a photo book through
Shutterfly for all of my travels. I work on it throughout the trip,so that as soon as my trip is over and there's a sale, I can purchase it for cheap. Shutterfly usually has a sale for each holiday and some of them can be up to 50-70% off! Having all of my photos and memories in one place is priceless for me, so I'm willing to pay the high prices for these.
L: Let-down sight and why?
It was so CROWDED when I went up to the Christ Statue. All three times. And the first time I went, it was cloudy. I love the Christ Stature, but I haven't had great luck when visiting it.
M: Moment you fell in with traveling
I don't think it was a moment as more of something I've been born with. I've always loved exploring and going new places, so I think it's always been part of me.
N: Nicest hotel you've stayed in
Living in Honduras doesn't really lead to staying in "nice" hotels. Manageable hotels, but not necessarily nice. I did spend a couple nights at the
Union Station Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee a couple of years ago and it was AWESOME. I've also spent many afternoons wandering through the gardens of the
Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, but I've never actually stayed there so I can't attest to things such as customer service, etc
O: Obsession-- what are you obsessed with taking pictures of while traveling?
Bodies of water and sunsets. Better if they're in the same photo. My life can be a huge cliche sometimes.
P: Passport stamps-- how many and from where?
16, give or take a couple. All from Honduras, Brazil, Canada (had to ask for that stamp), El Salvador, and Nicaragua.
Q: Quirkest attraction you've visited and where?
Hands down, the playground where American playground equipment goes to die.
R: Really frightening-- where's one place you've visited where you felt unsafe or uneasy?
I haven't visited a place where I have felt consistently unsafe or unease, but rather situations where I haven't felt the most comfortable. I can say the same for places in the States, too.
S: Splurge-- something you have no problem spending money on while traveling
Something that I have been thinking about for a long time (like hang-gliding) or an experience that I don't want to miss out on or something that is really particular to the culture of the country I am visiting (an authentic churrascaria in Brazil, for example). I'm more likely to pay for to do something for the experience than to pay money to buy something.
T: Touristy thing you've done
Hang-gliding. Bought a GoPro and used it?
U: Unforgettable travel memory
How could I pick just one? Spending New Years Eve in Times Square was awesome though. Cold, but awesome.
V: Visas-- how many and for where?
Many temporary ones for Honduras and two for Brazil-- one expired and one not.
W: Wine-- best glass while traveling
I'm kind of a snob and like wine better the more it tastes like juice. Which is hard to come by. Thank you, Wal-Mart for stocking Barefoot wine and Arbor Mist.
X: eXcellent view and from where?
The Sugarloaf and Vista Chinesa.
Y: Years spent traveling
Consecutively? 3 and a half.
Z: Zealous sports fans and where?
Cleveland Indians, duh. And la H. AND Fluminense.
