Destinations

The Atlantis Resort on a Budget

How to do The Atlantis Resort on a Budget

The Atlantis Resort on a BudgetI’m sure you’ve all heard of it (most likely from the commercials). The Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island in The Bahamas. Although the Atlantis Resort really is a paradise, it can be a very expensive one.

This world famous resort would usually be one that is way, and I mean WAYYYY out of my budget. I’m usually more of a “stay-in-a-hostel-and-get-the-cheapest-room” kinda gal. Not only because I’m le poor, but because for most of my travels, I’m barely even IN my hostel, so I don’t like spending too much money on accommodation. I’d rather be out and about spending money on fun things!

But this was an exception because 1. The Atlantis is a RESORT so it was more than just a place to sleep and 2. (and most importantly) MAMA WAS PAYIN!

…Ok, well she got a discount. Because let’s be real, this place is PRICEY. The actual price of the rooms may not have been too bad (we were staying in the cheapest tower) but the price of everything else really adds up. That’s right. This was NOT an all-inclusive resort. As a matter of fact, food and drinks were expensive.

But good news! There are ways to make it as cheap as possible! These are 3 easy ways to do the Atlantis Resort on a budget and make your whole trip a helluva lot cheaper!

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Sunny Day in Dublin

10 Things to do on a Sunny Day in Dublin!

Sunny Day in Dublin

Ah, Ireland. You sure do know how to make a gal lose her tan…

Ok, so obviously Ireland is not exactly known for having the best weather.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the cold and rain. But it does definitely gets old. I mean….it hailed in June. That just ain’t right. So although I do love the chilly weather, after a while of that one can’t help but wonder when the sun will finally decide to grace us with its presence.

One thing I love about being somewhere with finicky weather is that when it’s sunny, people REALLY appreciate and take advantage of it. A sunny day is rare special here. The parks will be packed, the trains will be full with people heading to the coast, and there’s just a happy energy in the air.

Here are my personal recommendations of the BEST things to do in Dublin on a beautiful, sunny day!

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London, shot on film

Central London, Shot on Film

London, shot on film

Upon arriving in London, my spirits are lifted and I immediately become happy. I’ve been 3 times, and the beauty of the city still floors me every time. I really just love everything about it.

I realize that I may have a romanticised view of London. But I don’t care. I just love the hustle and bustle, and how there’s always something to do there. It’s a place I could definitely see myself living.

And whether you like London or not, you can’t deny that it is an iconic city, with numerous world-famous landmarks, and scenes and images that are just quintessentially “London.”

The first time I went to London, I shot some images with my old Pentax film camera with 35mm color film. I love photos taken on film because they have a certain graininess and rawness to them. And, it’s such a surprise when you get them developed and see them for the first time. Sometimes you find they came out horribly, and sometimes you end up with amazing photos.

Since I recently got that film roll developed, I thought I’d share some of the good ones. These photos capture what is, to me, the quintessential look London. Some of the most iconic London scenes and landmarks including Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, and the iconic red telephone boxes.

Here are a few great photos I got of London, shot on film.

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Expat Life in Ireland // Month #3 recap and photos

Ireland Month #3

So last Thursday ended Month #3 living in good ol’ Dublin! And I’m still absolutely loving expat life in Ireland.

It’s Month #3 of living in Dublin and this place is really, REALLY starting to feel like home. I regularly hang out with new friends. We have bars that we know and love, but are also still exploring new places. I know how to get to my usual spots. I can understand the Irish accent better. And I’ve taken advantage of the scenery of this beautiful country!

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Why I Love Lafayette

Hometown Homage // Why I Love Lafayette

Why I Love Lafayette

In light of recent events, I wanted to take a break from posts about places far and wide and focus on the place I grew up and have lived practically all my life – Lafayette, Louisiana.

Now, Lafayette is an amazing place, often overshadowed by tourists and news by New Orleans. Last year, Lafayette gained a lot of national news coverage when a study showed that it was the “Happiest City in the United States.” We Lafayette natives were proud that our city, our little city, was finally getting the attention it deserved.

However, more recently, Lafayette gained national attention again – but this time for a reason no one saw coming, and a reason no one was happy about. There was a shooting in a local movie theater, a movie theater that I went to all the time back when I was in Lafayette. A movie theater that many of my friends live near. Two girls were killed, and about nine others injured.

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Longitude Festival 2015

Longitude Festival 2015: A Day in Review

Longitude Festival 2015

OK, so I PROMISE this will be the last music festival post for a while. I know I’ve been posting a lot of music festivals lately, but it is festival season after all! But for those of you who would rather my travel posts, do not fear! I will be back to my regularly scheduled, absolutely awesome, and incredible witty travel posts soon enough!

But for now, I’m going to talk about and review my day at Longitude Festival 2015!

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NOS Alive Music Festival 2014

Nos Alive Music Festival in Lisbon, Portugal

NOS Alive Music Festival

I’ve mentioned before in a few posts how much I adore Lisbon. I absolutely fell in love with it when I visited last summer and am already dying to go back!

There is SO much to see and do in Lisbon (check out this post) and I could go on and on about recommendations! But when we went, there just so happened to be a major music festival happening. So (OF COURSE) we had to go for a day! So just a few short weeks after having an amazing day at the Isle of Wight music festival in England, our last stop in Lisbon was to see my favorite band (which is the Arctic Monkeys FYI) headline NOS Alive music festival 2014, right outside of Lisbon city centre!

With this year’s NOS Alive having been recently, I’ve been reminiscing on my time there last year!

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Cliffs of Moher + The Burren Tour

The Cliffs of Moher + The Burren — An Irish MUST!

Cliffs of Moher + The Burren Tour

So to celebrate the 4th of July in Ireland I got to cross something off of my bucket list! I finally got to see, with my own eyes, the Cliffs of Moher and they were unFREAKINGbelievable. I wasn’t sure if it was actually as good as I had heard, or if it was just a tourist trap. But trust me, the Cliffs of Moher are definitely worth it!!! Worth seeing, worth walking, worth sitting and taking in the views. They are incredible. ESPECIALLY with good weather, which we were lucky enough to have!

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The Weirdest Weekend of my Life | Body & Soul 2015

Let me start off by saying that if there’s some unspoken rule among bloggers as a limit to how many pictures should go in a post, this will DEFINITELY be going over that limit.

So a coworker of mine had an extra pair of tickets to a music festival she was trying to get rid of, since she was now going for free as a volunteer. She kept asking me if my friend and I wanted to buy them from her. I had never heard of this festival, and only recognized 2 names on the whole lineup.

But I figured “why not?” Who wouldn’t want to spend a weekend outside on the grounds of an Irish castle listening to bands with names like “Goat,” “Savages,” “Nightmares on Wax,” “Shit Robot,” and “Meltybrains?,” (yes the question mark is part of the name)? Basically, we’re in Ireland for a year and want to live it up! Get out of our comfort zone and experience werid/random things! Besides, I LOVE music festivals. I had already been to one foreign music festival (more on that here), and had the BEST time even though it was just 1 day. But I had never camped out at one before. So I figured I should try it out! And so, I found myself at Body & Soul 2015 during the weekend of the summer solstice.

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