Travel Guide

Over Presidents Week I will be visiting Seattle, Washington for six days and I am planning for my trip. I love traveling, I've been everywhere from Costa Rica and Mexico to Portland and Hawaii. I plan on my job being related to travel, and try to leave my town whenever I get the chance. From all of my travel, I have learned a few things on how to spend your limited time wisely. I hope my tips will help you have the best time on your future vacations.

1) Pre-Plan-

I've been planing for my trip to Seattle for several weeks now because I want to make sure I do everything possible to see the greatest aspects of the city. Trip Advisor is a life savor for pre-planning where you are going to eat, the best tourist attractions, and the little holes in the wall that you would normally not visit. TV Food Network used to have a show called, "Best Thing I Ever Ate" and if you type in Google, "Best Thing I Ever Ate" followed by the city you are visiting. My mom and I were watching that show and ended up going to Portland because of a restaurant featured on the show.

Trip Advisor has everything from restaurant reviews to local's favorites.  Photo from http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g60878-Seattle_Washington-Vacations.html

2) Find a Reason-

Vacations are always so much more exciting if you have a reason to go. The reason I'm going to Seattle is for the coffee shops and flannels, so my mom and I will have a plan on what to do, making the trip have a purpose. This also makes the "pre plan" part much more exciting. My mom and I had a great experience when I was in fourth grade in Portland, OR. We saw a clip on TV Food Network about a biscuit place in Portland, so we made it a priority to go. I think this makes the experience so much more exciting and you may end up somewhere you love, like I did.

Pine State Biscuts was featured on "
Diners Drive-in's And Dives"
and we ate there as soon as possible. 

We made sure to find the "Keep Portland Weird"
wall while in Downtown Portland

3) Know where you are-

Although this is a vacation and a break from school, it helps a lot to know where in the world you are! Look up the city you're visiting on the map, you will then learn the area, landmarks, and surrounding rivers, lakes etc. This may sound ridiculous but I can guarantee it will make a difference in your trip.

I hope these few simple tips will help with future vacations, because I know it has helped me.

2014 Favorties

Most people are saying, "Wow I can't believe it's already 2015! 2014 went by so fast!" but I think 2014 lasted long enough. I'm ready for 2015 to be one of my favorite years. I want to share with you some of my favorite products in 2014 from beauty to music to travel.

Beauty-
2014 was the year I realized I have an unhealthy addiction to makeup and beauty products. Therefore, I experimented with plenty of products and have some favorites to share.

Naked Flushed Palette- I've mentioned this before in some one my blog posts, I absolutely love this for its blush, bronzer and highlighter. It's great for traveling because its really compact but still has enough product.
Kat Von D Ink Liner- I've tried a lot of liquid eye liners and this one is by far the best one to make the  perfect wing. The tattoo liner is also good, but I find a felt tip easier to apply then a brush tip.
Bobbie Brown eyeshadow in Taupe- This is what I use to fill in my eyebrows and it is the perfect color for my hair. I had it laying around and decided to use that instead of buying a new expensive eye pencil.

Travel- Traveling is one of my absolute favorite things to do, so here are some of my favorite places I visited.

Costa Rica- This one is pretty obvious. It's the farthest I've ever been from home in Utah and by far the most beautiful area. The food, animals, people, scenery, absolutely everything about that country was breathtaking.

This was taken on the plane, and
according to the flight attendant we were over Cuba. 

My sister Sierra and I loved the beautiful view
from the infinity pool.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming- My family has been going to Jackson since before I was born; My parents were married there, we have a family cabin, and some of my extended family lives there. It is similar to Park City, but different enough so you know you're on vacation. We stayed in a cabin-like hotel room in Colter Bay, and it was such a fun and adventurous trip. Also, we spent one night camping in TeePees on the side of the Snake River as part of a white water river rafting trip.There is some incredible wildlife there, great food, and plenty of outdoor activities.
Apps-
Snapchat- This one is pretty obvious and it's been a favorite of mine for a few years. I'm on snapchat pretty often, and such a fun way to talk to friends.
Vine- I've had vine for a while but this year I've really become addicted. I spend too much time just laying in my bed laughing out loud alone because of the dumb and hilarious vines.
Music- I've really been enjoying listening to music lately, and in 2014 I found some great songs and artist.

Vance Joy- I began listening to his music after the song "Rip Tide" became my favorite around October. I started listening to his radio on Pandora and have learned to love almost all of his music.

Photo Courtesy: http://d1b8o2ti419sns.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/God-Loves-You-When-Youre-Dancing-LO-290x290.jpg  

Beyoncè- I know for a fact I'm not the only teenage girl that fell in love with Beyoncé this year. It was more in the beginning of 2014 when I went through an obsession as most girls did. "Drunk in Love," "Flawless," and "Partition" were my favorites. Honestly I overdid it and not a huge fan of those songs anymore because I listened to those songs constantly.
Netflix-
I watched way too much this year, so I have found a few shows and movies I love.

American Horror Story- Netflix has three of the four seasons on, Murder House, Asylum and Coven. My favorite was Murder House (I re-watched this season) then Asylum and then Coven. It is pretty scary but not too scary to watch alone like I did.
Gossip Girl- I was really obsessed with this show in the beginning of 2014. I never finished all the seasons because it was pretty much the same episode every time, but I really enjoyed it for the first two seasons.
Bob's Burgers- This is one of the funniest shows on Netflix, some people probably think it's stupid, and it kind of is but it is hilarious. It's also a show where you don't have to watch the previous episode so you can easily skip through.

Travel Makeup and Outfit + My Carry On Essentials

I am writing this blog post at five in the morning during a layover in North Carolina. I’m on my way to Costa Rica and super excited. I thought I would share with you some of my travel essentials for plane rides, long or short. 

This was taken during the sunrise in North Carolina

Carry On;

Hand Sanitizer- Airports have so many people in a confined space, and you never now what kind of sicknesses others have.  

Lotion- It can get very dry while in high altitude, you’ll be glad you brought some lotion. 

Lip Balm- With the dryness, your lips will probably end up getting chapped. 

Magazines/Reading Material- Long plane flights are always a good time to catch up on a book you've been wanting to read. 

Electronics- I brought my IPad, Nintendo DS, and of course my phone. Those things keep me the most entertained on long flights.

Homework- Even though you are on vacation, while on a plane, you might as well get started. 

Makeup Wipes- I had an overnight flight and didn’t want to sleep with all of my makeup on, so bring a pack of makeup wipes. 

Majority of what I brought on the plane.

I like to keep my makeup super simple while traveling, and it isn’t nessecary, but here is what I usually wear:

Lights, Camera, Splashes mascara- Tarte

Fit Me concealer- Maybelline

Waterproof Pencil Eyeliner- Sephora 

Studio Carbon Pressed Powder- Mac

I always put comfy before cute when it comes to traveling. Sweats are a must for me no matter what, so I am wearing black sweatpants from my volleyball team. I paired that with a plain maroon top from American Eagle, and of course Jesus Sandals from Amazon. 

My suitcase and shoes.

Hopefully these things will be helpful for you and your future travels. I will be in Costa Rica for ten days, and will be back blogging after!