My year of travel

My year of travel

The year 2016 was a tough one for me. I lost my grandmother who was my rock, and freed myself from a long and draining relationship. When 2017 came around I had no idea what I wanted to do next so I decided to focus on me and my true love, travel.  I traveled to Orlando, Miami, Greece, Mexico, Aruba, and Cuba all within the same year. I know you're wondering... girl do you have a day job?  Yes, I do and I traveled to Hilton Head, Phoenix, and Las Vegas for work that same year. So are you still wondering how I did it? Well, I saved up vacation time over the years and I received an extra month off for my 5th year work anniversary.  Also, you may wonder how I could afford to travel so much…well just continue reading to find out my tips.

Orlando

My year of travel began with a family trip to Orlando.  We actually have a timeshare with Westgate Resorts so we just needed to buy our flights.  The timing of our trip was perfect because it was the same week Pandora - The World of Avatar opened in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Maybe going the first week was not the brightest idea. The lines for the new rides were long, up to 300 minutes wait times. I even tried to wait until the end of the day when the wait lines went down to 180 minutes but was only able to get into one ride. the Na'vi River Journey. Nice boat but it definitely wasn't worth the long wait.

Thankfully, customer service gave us another ticket to enjoy the park another day due to an experience I had with the staff member telling me I could not stay in line due to park closing hours. We decided to go back later that week and go on Avatar Flight of Passage. This ride was definitely worth the wait. My overall experience of Pandora, was great I would definitely recommend visiting during the day and night. At night, the area is transformed into an illuminated rain forest and you feel like you’re in another world.  The best ride is the Avatar Flight of Passage which is takes you through Avatar riding on the back of a mountain banshee as an Avatar.  During our stay in Orlando, we also took small day trips to Cocoa Beach and Miami.  

Greece

I decided to go with a travel group for this trip since my friends were not available.  I found a group called African American Travelers on Facebook. When I saw there next trip was Greece and they had a monthly payment plan, I was in since Greece has always been on my bucket list.  This trip was a dream come true with some minor arrangement and scheduling hiccups.

The package included Athens and I opted for the Island Hopping add-on which included Hydra, Santorini, and Mykonos. The highlights from this trip included the Acropolis tour, Dinner in the Sky in Athens, Oia in Santorini, Mykonos beaches and nightlife, the food.  I had the pleasure of meeting some great travel minded people like myself. The people I met during this trip have a special place in my heart. We also had a great photographer, Carey "ThatMan" Bradshaw, on the trip with us to capture our moments.

                                                                                       

Mexico

Every year I spend a week in Mexico with my best friend and Goddaughter.  We generally stay at one of Vidanta’s resorts in Maya Riviera. This year we were at the Grand Bliss.  I booked my stay here through my timeshare exchange which was very inexpensive for a full week stay. My flights were paid with my new credit card's bonus miles.  The resort was gorgeous with an exclusive beach club and plenty of restaurants. The highlight of this trip was a tour to Chichen Itza.

Aruba

I love this happy island.  The weather is always great in Aruba especially in October which was the start of my sabbatical month off from work.  I booked my flights with my airline points. I stayed at the Marriott Surf Club. I purchase a Marriott Vacation Club packages.  I sat through one of their 90 minute presentations but who cares for the price and when they have a lazy river. I brought a float when I got there and I floated…in the lazy river, pool during happy hour, and even in the ocean. I started the first few days of this trip solo but I made some new friends by the pool.  My friend was able to join me for the long weekend. Highlights from this trip include the Jolly Pirates Cruise, Sand Bar, and Carnival night at the hotel.

Cuba

I met my friends in Miami the night before and used my Hilton rewards to book our one night hotel stay in South Beach.  I also used my airline miles to book my flights. We boarded the Norwegian Sky for our 4 day Cuba cruise the next afternoon and arrived in Havana the next day and decided to take full advantage of our day and half. We signed up for Riding Viñales, they picked us up in an purple American car for our 2 1/2 hours ride. Once we got there, we did a small tour of the farm and was taken to the horses. The view of the valley was amazing we visited the tobacco and coffee farmer.  I would recommend doing this but I wouldn't recommend signing up for 5 hours. It was exhausting and my legs hurt so bad I slept the entire car ride back. 

When we got back we went to see Tropicana. I really enjoyed the show, cigar and rum. We were able to book our tickets before we left the states and caught a taxi ride for 20 CUC each way. Our driver even agreed to pick us up after the show. The next morning we were up early for our Old American Car tour of Havana. The highlights for our tour were El Cristo de La Habana, Plaza De La Revolucion, and Plaza de la Catedral.  Overall, we had a great time just wish i had more time to explore the culture. I will definitely be back.

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