World Travel – Andrea M Jara

My Favorite Travel DJI Drone

Advice for those looking for a drone to travel with and what I suggest! A full DJI spark review

Ryan with drone — My fiancé flying my DJI Spark

Hi! If you do not follow my social media, first off INSTAGRAM AND TWITTER links here, GO FOLLOW!

Anyways, I love to travel and I love to film and create travel diaries! I knew if I wanted to up my film game I needed a Drone! So about 6 months ago I got the DJI SPARK (https://amzn.to/2t6dPBN) ! I did my research and loved what I found!

Now here is why I think you should get the DJI SPARK https://amzn.to/2t6dPBN if you are a travel on the go film/drone flyer!

FIRST OFF! The size! You can not beat the fact that it fits in a super small case and you can put it into your backpack without having to pack a separate bag for everything. The exact size is 143×143×55 mm! It is tiny! However, it does shoot very well!

The DJI Spark does not shoot 4K quality but if you are a quick editor or on he go all the time 1080 is great for any computer and any hard drive. You do not have to worry if you will be able to send the footage to your phone or if your computer can handle the files because it shoots the same quality as your Apple iPhone 7 Plus, GSM Unlocked, 32GB – Black (Certified Refurbished)“>iPhone! When ever I shoot 4K on my PANASONIC LUMIX G7 4K Mirrorless Camera, with 14-42mm MEGA O.I.S. Lens, 16 Megapixels, 3 Inch Touch LCD, DMC-G7KS (USA SILVER)“>Lumix G7 camera or on my GoPro HERO5 Black“>GoPro Hero 5 it takes forever to edit, as all the files have to render and my computer, Apple MacBook Pro MD101LL/A 13.3-inch Laptop (2.5Ghz, 4GB RAM, 500GB HD) (Certified Refurbished)“>a Macbook Pro, constantly crashes I just got tired of it and knew that a DJI Spark Drone Quadcopter Fly More Combo (Alpine White) with 3 Batteries, Remote Controller, Charger, Charging Hub, Shoulder Bag, Camera Gimbal Bundle Kit with MUST HAVE Accessories“>DJI Spark would give me the quality I wanted and the convience of quick editing and viewing ability.

Here are three videos I filmed from Utah, Iceland and Los Angeles using my Spark

I also love the fact that you can connect your Apple iPhone 7 Plus, GSM Unlocked, 32GB – Black (Certified Refurbished)“>iPhone into the controller! Which means again less space to be taken up in your travel bags! After you are done flying you can just drop off the footage onto your phone with a click of a button.

The spark is super easy to learn how to fly!!! Just take it out into an open field and practice moving the right side up and down and the left side!!! Trust me it is fun!

The fact that the drone is so small as well is that you can fly it anywhere and in-between things as well. You can also fly it without people really noticing that you are filming and flying a drone as some times that can be distracting.

Each battery lasts about 15 minutes. To some 15 minutes may seem like a lot of time, but 15 minutes goes by quick!!! and you technically have like 10 minutes because at 5 mins left the drone begins to try to go home. You can buy DJI Spark Intelligent Battery, Black (CP.PT.000789)“>extra batteries as well as the charging dock can charge up to four batteries at one time along with the controller.

The drone can also fly up to 13,00 feet which is super high!!!

Wind movement is very limited, it does do well with stabilization in the wind but will be picked up from heavy gusts of wind!

However, I have crashed my DJI Spark With Remote Control Combo (White)“>DJI spark before and thanks to the Propeller protectors I still have all my wings! and it is perfectly fine! So they have strength!

The best part about the DJI Spark With Remote Control Combo (White)“>DJI Spark is the price!!! It is super cost-affordable compared to other Drones!!!

You can also get a DJI Spark Portable Mini Drone Alpine White (Certified Refurbished) (Standard Unit)“>refurbished drone which means it was once used, but was fixed to be brand new!

I would recommend getting aDJI Spark Drone Quadcopter Fly More Combo (Alpine White) with 3 Batteries, Remote Controller, Charger, Charging Hub, Shoulder Bag, Camera Gimbal Bundle Kit with MUST HAVE Accessories“> package deal that comes with an SD card, Micro Sd card reader, the propeller protectors, the case, and extra batteries. This is what I bought as I knew when I will be traveling I would need extra batteries already charged up and ready to go and knew I was going to need to buy an SD card or else I would be able to film!

I do recommend bringing a GETIHU Portable Charger 13000mAh Power Bank 2 USB Ports 4.8A Output High-Speed Charging External Battery Backup with Flashlight for iPhone 7 6s 6 Plus 5s iPad Tablet Samsung Mobile Phone Pack“>portable charger for your iPhone as it does drain your iPhone Battery!

Overall, It is everything you can ask for in a drone! The camera movements, the fact that it is light and small enough to fit in the bottom of your travel bag, and the easy assembly!

If you are looking for a drone for a first timer this will be your drone!

DJI Spark With Remote Control Combo (White)“>DJI Spark

Thanks for reading I hope this inspires someone and hope this helps anyone on the hunt for a Drone, or a drone to travel with on their adventures.

HOW I TRAVEL THE WORLD WITH NO MONEY

Hey!!!! I know you are reading this because you are thinking “I want to travel but my bank account says stay home.” When ever I see someone after a trip I also get asked “How do you travel so much?” or “omg you must be rich because you travel a lot” or “do you even work?” and the answers are always, “really because I feel like I haven’t seen enough of this beautiful world” and “no I am also a broke college student like you” and “yes Ryan and I work normal jobs like you.”

Honestly HATE when people say “ugh you are so lucky you get to travel” or “I wish I had money to travel like you do.” BUT IN ALL REALITY YOU CAN!!!!

But let’s skip the BS thoughts some people have and get into what I do and my tips and tricks.

BE FLEXIBLE!!!!!

Now when I say be flexible I mean with your travel dates and travel locations. You may really want to go on a weekend but in reality it may be cheaper to leave on a Wednesday or a week later than when you wanted to travel.

SIGN UP FOR ALL THE AIRLINES MILES PROGRAMS!!!

FIRST OFF WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOT SIGNING UP FOR THESE!!! THEY ARE FREE!!! You get free miles every time you travel with that airline!!! If you travel with that airline often you may be able to get free upgrades, food or even better FREE FLIGHTS!!! I traveled to LA for free because I saved up my miles and got a free round trip ticket!!!! It is so SIMPLE!!!

IF OVER 18!!! GET A TRAVEL CARD!!!

If you are over the age 18 and is responsible and have cash! Get your self a travel credit card because this way you are able to get more discounts on hotels and flights, along with perks like priority boarding but you get DOUBLE MILES sometimes MORE!!! After you spend $1,000-2000 you get 40,000 miles- 60,000 miles!!!! That is multiple roundtrip flights for free. Again only use if you have cash to pay it off and be responsible!

MAKE TRAVEL TICKET HUNTING A PART TIME HOBBY

A lot of the time I travel is because I just so happened to run into a $50 dollar plane ticket to a place or city I have never traveled to and want to go. I literally make it a hobby to constantly check airplane tickets and studying the best times to travel. I use the skyscanner app to see what airlines travel to what cities and when the best times are to travel to certain areas. This allows me to say okay Delta travels to LAX and then you can go directly to Delta’s website and purchase the ticket from the. This app also this cool feature where you click “EXPLORE” and you put “ANYWHERE” at “ANYTIME” from a specific departing airport and it tells you THE CHEAPEST PLACES TO TRAVEL ANYWHERE WITHIN A 6 MONTH PERIOD. This is how I found my families $230 roundtrip ticket to Iceland and back!!! Just from exploring my options. (ps wish this was sponsored but it’s not I just REALLY LOVE THIS APP)

TIP 3: GO TO THE AIRPORT TO BUY YOUR TICKET!!!!!

When you go directly to the airport you do not have to pay all the crazy service charge fees!!!!! Ryan and I saved $70 for going to the airport to buy our ticket for our latest NYC trip we paid $29 for a one way ticket and $42 dollars back!!! IT IS SO CRAZY BUT IT WORKS!!!!

DO NOT BE SEAT PICKY!!!

If you are traveling alone or with a buddy as long as you booked your tickets at the same time you will be seated next to or very close to that person. I say skip the expensive “seat selection” that for some reason always changes… and get your seat for free!!!!

TRAVEL LIGHT!!!

I KNOW! I KNOW! I can hear you all screaming at me! How can you pack light when you have to take a pic in all 20 outfits sitting in your closet right now!!! My tip for this is TRY ON ALL THE CLOTHES and make outfits that can be reused in different ways. Sometimes you think an outfit may be cute as well and it might not actually be cute… it happens to me all the time and then you think that could of been space I could of saved. Try to pack as much in a backpack or carry on so you do not have o pay for the luggage space on the airplane.

DO NOT ALWAYS TRAVEL BUT AIRPLANE OR UBER EVERYWHERE!!!

ALWAYS!!! Look for what the city’s or states public transportation options are because you may be able to say HUNDREDS of dollars. For example, Last year Ryan and I flew into San Francisco and we wanted to visit family in Sacramento. An airplane was $211 for a one way ticket for ONE PERSON!!! Instead we found a Gray hound that cost $11!!!! The Greyhound has plugs, wifi, and comfy seats!!! We paid $11 and got more than what most airplanes provide for $100s! Yes Greyhounds may seem scary to some and I would recommend you do your research for certain bus stop areas but I just brought my neck pillow and closed my eyes and feel asleep for 3 hours and we arrived! Also Trains!!! Trains may cost you $3-10 dollars and can get you anywhere from city to city to state to state!!! Just do your research before you jump into a $50 uber. Who knows you may get lost and find somewhere beautiful!!!!!

DO NOT STAY IN THE BUSY CITIES

I feel like this is a common tip because it’s like common sense, sometimes looking for a place to stay 5 mins away from the main cities may be more peaceful and a hella lot cheaper!!!

AIRBNB OR STALK BOOKING.COM

So I have not personally been able to use Airbnb because people take too long to respond or cancel… but I hear good things and the prices look cheap! but I use booking.com because you can find apartment and hotels and it tells you straight forward how much it is going to cost for the amount of days you are staying. You also get $20 credit when you refer people!!!

Hotels.com

If you use Hotels.com every 10th stay is free!!!

TRAVEL WITH FRIENDS

Who doesn’t love travel buddies!!!! You get to travel with friends and you can split cost of rooming, transportation and what ever else you do!!!

MEET PEOPLE WHERE YOU ARE TRAVELING

I am saying this for two things… one if you meet someone who knows the area they will tell you all the secrets of what to do or where to go for cheap or just for fun! and TWO so you can stay somewhere for FREEEEEE!!!! I know some people may think it is weird but I promise this may be the best thing you decide to do and may lead to long time friendships! Ryan and I’s friend from High school who we didn’t speak too regularly opened her house to us when we went to Vegas and now we consider them to be one of our best friends and love them so much!!! So do not feel scared to step out of your comfort zone and you may friend a life long friend!!!

USE AAA IF YOU HAVE IT!!!!

IF YOU HAVE AAA YOU SOMETIMES GET CRAZY TRAVEL DEALS THAT ARE AMAZING SO USE IT!!!!!

Also keep the option of Renting a car

This again depends where you are traveling to because if you do not have to pay for parking everywhere and there is not crazy traffic and the rates for renting a car is cheaper for a longer travel period then do it!!! (AAA can be used for this as well!) Also if you are under 25 but older than 21 you can rent a car with AAA or the app called Turo!

SAY NO LESS AND SAY YES MORE!!!

Hope all these tips are useful and help you travel more!!! The key to traveling is in your hands it is up to you to save the few dollars of coffee or video games and travel! There is nothing better than exploring and seeing the world!

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR FIRST TIMERS: ICELAND

PHOTO TAKEN AT SKOGAFOSS

I Just got back from the most amazing unforgettable trip of my life!!! My family and I went to the BEAUTIFUL country of ICELAND for a week! On my trip I learned so much and I wish I would of know some stuff before my trip as well! In this blog I will talk about what I have learned and how we saved money on our trip!

TIPS:

FLY CHEAP!!!

To begin we flew on the Airline WOW air and honestly it was a smooth and comfort ride! The seats recline, there was a decent amount of leg room and it only cost $230 ROUNDTRIP!!! YES THAT IS RIGHT $230!!! However, you do have to pay for everything on this flight!!! You have to pay for your checked in bag, carry on, beverages, meals etc. so after we paid for everything that we needed to purchase on WOW air it cost about $300 per person with bags and meals as we share one bag per couple. I would suggest researching for a cheap flight to Iceland as Iceland is SUPER expensive and if you can start saving money starting with the flight do it!

RENT A CAR!!!

There is honestly NO OTHER WAY to see Iceland than by renting a car! If you do not rent a car you will be spending $1000s of dollars for each Icelandic excursion you take with your travel buddies. You also will be able to take Iceland in all on your time rather than being on the tours time. To be honest, the best part of Iceland was the drive!!! You will see the most beautiful scenes that you can not see anywhere else and you will be able to stop your car and get out and see it when you are driving yourself!

GROCERY SHOPPING!!!

Unless you have been to Iceland you do not realize how expensive eating out actually is in Iceland. It cost about $30+ per person per meal to eat out at a restaurant. Not to mention if you are not staying in the downtown Reykjavik and you are camping, I would recommend shopping for food as there is nothing once you pass the city to eat, or restaurants to go out and eat. Now when you do go shopping go to a BONUS!!! BONUS is an Icelandic discounted grocery store, and they literally have everything like a normal grocery store would have but for a cheaper price, or what we would think normal priced, from produce, dairy, ready-to-go sandwiches, meat, everything!!! BONUS is commonly found around Iceland!

AIRBNB OR BOOK AN APARTMENT!!!

If you are not traveling to Iceland to camp, I would recommend Airbnb or booking an apartment!!! First, I would recommend because you will want more space as hotels are small and when traveling with families it is easier and cheaper than a hotel! Also, because if you are grocery shopping you want a place to be able to cook and store you food! We stayed in an Apartment in Downtown, Reykjavik and it was absolutely beautiful and in the perfect location! So much to do in walking distance and we had the view of the beautiful ocean on one side and the beautiful view of the downtown and the Church Hallgrimskirkja!

Here the Vlog I filmed with a tour of our apartment-

IS FLYING A DRONE ALLOWED IN ICELAND?

A lot of known, tourist sights in Iceland you are not allowed to fly a drone!!! So no drones at Skogafoss or Gullfoss. I believe this is because it is illegal to fly over people in Iceland and because the wind and the temperatures make drones freak out. Every time I would try to fly my DJI Spark, it would fail or go crazy, due to the wind and below 15 celsius, this sucked as I was looking forward to having so many more drone shots that what I was able to capture.

BLUE LAGOON!!!

Blue Lagoon is SOOOOO worth your money!!! The basic package is $100 it comes with a towel, a ticket, a face sulfur face mask and one drink at the bar which can also be a non alcoholic beverage as well. I would recommend buying your ticket to blue lagoon when you buy your plane tickets because they do sell out fast!!! Unfortunately but fortunately we waited and had to go at 8:00pm but it was so beautiful swimming and relaxing under the stars.

OUR TRIP TO VIK

Our trip to VIK and back was 5 hours roundtrip! We made a few stops on our way to Black sand Beach as well. Our first stop was to the beautiful waterfall Seljalandsfoss!!!

(Photo Taken: Seljalandsfoss)

At Seljalandsfoss you DO have to pay for parking!!! They were handing out parking tickets left and right! There is a public bathroom and a small cafe! You can walk up super close to the waterfall and usually you can walk behind the waterfall but unfortunately for us it was iced out and we were not allowed to walk behind it. I rate this waterfall a 10/10!!!

Our next stop was SKOGAFOSS!!!

SKOGAFOSS IS SO BEAUTIFUL AND HUGE!!! IT IS ALSO WHERE I GOT PROPOSED TO!!! This is where Ryan got down on one knee and asked me if I would marry him!!! So Skogafoss will always have a special place in my heart!!! (Of course I said YES!!!)

On the side of Skogafoss there is a stair case of around 500 steps that you can walk up to see an “ariel” view of the waterfall. Again no drone allowed, Free parking and no bathrooms.

Our Next stop was Black Sand Beach,

The wind here was so rough walking onto the beach but it is still a beautiful view that I would recommend seeing. This beach also a great story where the three stones coming out of the water, are pirates/sailors who turned into stone and that treasure was found by locals that disappeared. Black Sand Beach also has an indoor cafe with a lot of food selections to choose from and a bathroom!

Our next stop was to the crashed airplane site!

WARNING!!! If you decide to go on this journey please note it is a 5 mile walk roundtrip from the parking lot to the airplane and back!!! The view and the airplane is worth it however, I would recommend going during the day as at night the temperature drops and the wind picks up so much that the walk becomes extreme hard!

THE GOLDEN CIRCLE

We did the golden circle all in one day and the first stop we made was at GULLFOSS!!!

Again, free parking and no drones!!! The wind is super strong at this location but the waterfall is extremely beautiful and YES it does look like a slice of pie!!!

We then moved onto the Geyser! IT WAS SO COOL!!! It is just so beautiful and amazing how cool nature is! You sit there and wait and once you hear a little rumble get ready because it is going to blow!!! The Geyser also has free parking and a HUGE rest stop, with a cafe and HUGE gift shop with actual reasonable prices stuff in my opinion.

After the Geyser we went and visited the thingvillere where the two continent tecnonic plates met! Everything was frozen but we were still able to park our car and walk into the snow and enjoy the view!

Downtown Reykjavik

Again downtown Reykjavik is beautiful! I would suggest to eat at Elders Cafe! They have delicious crepes, Nutella hot cocoa, ice cream!!! I would 10/10 would recommend, they also have super cool art work all around the cafe!

I would also recommend Joe & the Juice and Lebowski Bar, This bar also has themed gamed nights!

Downtown is also filled with souvenir shops!!!

Seeing the Northern Lights

When we traveled to Iceland, my family and I thought it was going to be super easy to see the northern lights, that we would just look up in the sky and see it. We were wrong. You actually have to track the northern lights and see where they will be visible and make sure it is not a cloudy day. If you can not see the stars you are in the wrong place. We were in Iceland for a week and we finally saw the Aurora Baralis on the last day of our trip!!! We were so happy! However, It does not look like all these Instagrammers make it seem. The lights in the sky look super faded with the human eye and kind of look like a white stripe in the sky but when a take picture with a camera you are able to see the green and purple lights. It truly is amazing to experience and hope everyone will also be able to experience it as well.

More photos from our trip!!!

MY FIRST TIME WALKING THE RED CARPET IN CALIFORNIA

I just got back from my trip to Los Angles, California and I want to mention that our flights were free and this is because of Miles! It is so important to sign up for the free miles clubs on every airline because they do rack up! I also have a United Credit Card so I get double Miles but it is still amazing to make that 2 second and save up for free flights!

The main reason for our trip to Los Angles is to walk the Red Carpet and watch Funko’s Documentary called “Making Fun” in the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre! We met so many amazing people from the Funko world to Famous people like the Actor of Freddy Kruger, WWE fighter Zac and Tony Hawk! If you did not know I am a film student and being able to go watch something as a big production like this deff inspired me to keep working hard on my film goals! We also vlogged our whole experience so keep a look out for that too!!!

On our first night at California we, and by we I mean Ryan (My boyfriend) and I did nothing but grab dinner and go to sleep after traveling all day and the time change from Florida. The next morning, we spent 3-4 hours exploring and filming Santa Monica Pier. I honestly keep thinking to myself how lucky I am to have Ryan who also enjoys and has patience to film and take photos. We keep competing and seeing who could get the most creative and better shots of the pier. This was also my first time flying my drone in public! At the Santa Monica Pier they had on the right side, facing the ocean, had every flag for all the 50 states in the USA and every Country in the World! In the middle of the USA States flags (that were in a circle), Was a heart with a Peace sign. It was super cool and powerful art to have! Santa Monica is also know for the rides and food! If you have kids or want a cute date place I deff recommend!At night we went to the Grove to walk around and if you do not like name branded stores that are expensive I do not recommend but do recommend to go if you have time to waste because it is a super cute walk and they have a cute farmers Market. From the Grove we walked to the LACMA Lights and took photos before going bowling with friends! The next day, which was a Monday was the Day Minnie Mouse got her Star on Hollywood Blvd!!! We went around 11:00am and their was about 100 people all around a small stage and Bob Iger, the CEO of Disney and Katy Perry came up on the stage. We sat and watched for a little before we made one of the best stops of the trip! IN N OUT BURGER!!! I LOVE THIS PLACE! Every time I go to the West coast I have to go to IN N OUT!!! I always get a cheese burger and a Neapolitan Milk shake with Fries!!! TRUST ME IT IS SO GOOD!!!! This was also the same day as the Movie Premier. The next day Ryan and I along with a bunch of his Funko Friends headed off to DISNEYLAND AND CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE!!! If you do not already know I am a huge Disney girl and Stitch Lover!!! I also want to give a huge shout out to David who got us into both parks for Free!!! We had so much fun in both parks! We ate so much food, rode all the rides! A HUGE RECOMMENDATION is get the DisneyLand App on your phone and use the Max pass it is $10 per person but if you are planning on spending a whole day in both parks it is so beyond worth the 10 dollars. You get unlimited passes unlike Disney World and you can add a new fast pass an hour before your next pass starts which is super cool and you never not have a fast pass to look forward too!

Also, 10/10 recommend an Oreo churro it has filling in the middle and is SUPER delicious. They have a Churro Cart inside California Adventure and in Downtown Disney like literally a few steps from the right, facing California Adventure is a Churro Stand with 6 different Churro Flavors like Strawberry lemonade flavored Churros!!! If you have a trip planned make sure you go to the churro stand!!! You wont regret it and think about it too you kill off all the Calories walking around the magical place of Disney!!!

Sadly, Our trip flew by but I can not wait to be back in California!

VLOG COMING SOON!

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MORE PHOTOS FROM THE TRIP (:

trolly — AT THE GROVE, IN FRONT OF A SUPER CUTE TROLLEY

Ryan with pop — Ryan in front of Freddy Funko

Ryan with Group — All the Funko Fanatics that also went to Disneyland the same day!

Ryan at pier — Ryan at Santa Monica Pier

Ryan and friends — They were recreating a meme from Jurassic Park called Golden statue

Beach photo — AT SANTA MONICA PIER I can not tell if I like this photo or not haha

Andrea Route 66 — CARS LAND IN CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE

Thanks again for reading!

HOW I ALMOST DIED IN SAN FRANCISCO

Here’s a story of one of my most crazy Travel Adventures ever… So my boyfriend Ryan and I were traveling the West coast this past summer and made a quick stop in San Francisco before we took a Grey Hound to Sacramento to visit Ryan’s Grandma’s Sister, so keep in mind we had all our bags with us exploring San Francisco.

FULL HOUSE.jpg — In front of the Full House!

So we get off the plane and went to visit the Seven Paint Ladies and the Full House because Full house was a big part of my childhood!

Anyways so Ryan and I had been traveling for a while and we are a couple so we do get into arguments and I really wanted to go to this Swing that I found on Pinterest!!! But Ryan wanted to go to the normal view so we got into a little argument and both got into cranky moods… but we got to Kobey Cove which is on the other side of the Golden Gate bridge.

This photo was taken when we got to Kobe Cove and WE WERE ON THE TRAIL!!! Okay so I say that we were on the trail in this photo because literally like not kidding 3 minutes later were off trail and lost! We were walking and saw two girls coming up a little cliff and I thought to myself, “OH! They must be coming from the swing!” So Ryan and I went down the cliff. I fell in the clay for the first time and we ran into an abandoned building with Graffiti walls… Honestly would of been really cool for some Instagram photos. I immediately was like okay I think we are lost but the article I was read had a photo of this Graffiti abandon house.

Screen Shot 2018-01-20 at 11.55.57 AM.png — A clip from my vlog!

Ryan and I asked each other “Should we keep going” and we kept saying “we did not come this far for nothing”…. SO WE KEPT ON WALKING THROUGH THIS FOREST!!!

THIS IS WHERE WE REALLY NOTICED WE WERE LOST!

We kept walking down step inclines to when we reach a Cliff and a dead end.

At this point I was about to cry and I pretty much was crying and thought we were never going to go back home. We were about to call 911 and say please find us but of course we knew we would figure it out.

We then heard noises and then cheers of girls so we kept walking around to find out where they were it was a sign of relief but at the same we were like how the heck are we going to get down from this Cliff so we literally slide down our luggages down and then we slide/ rock climbed our way down and finally made it to the highland beach!!!

It was so awkward to look at the people’s face who were on the beach just watching us struggle… I could imagine them thinking “where the hell did they just come from?” lol

So in total we were lost from about an hour in the middle of the woods cliff thing with no signal, water or food… only left with a few cuts and an amazing view.

And when we got down Ryan and I literally sat on a log and hugged each other as this literally tested our relationship to the max. We have never been in a situation like that before and we think it was God testing us after getting into a little fight and reminding us to appreciate things and each other more!!!

My advice is research trails before you decide to make your own haha and if you want to go to this swing the trail is long but an easy trail and an amazing beach is at the end!

Thanks for reading I hope you enjoyed!!! Watch the Vlog here to visually see our trip to San Francisco!

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MIAMI Museum of Ice Cream

January 10th, 2018 My brothers, Ryan and I all traveled to Miami to visit the famous Museum of Ice cream! Okay so let’s first start with what I did not like about this place! We first encountered a rude employee who told us to go walk 4 blocks away to a Starbucks until our time came which was in 30 minutes and she did not even let Ryan use the bathroom even though we had tickets to this event and the bathrooms were right behind her. The lighting sucked in all the rooms. It was not worth the $45 for the experience. DO NOT GET ME WRONG I HAD A BLAST but if I am going to be honest I wiSh there were more rooms, more ice cream and a more upbeat friendly environment throughout the whole museum.

In some rooms they served Ice cream!!! WHO DOESN’T LOVE ICE CREAM!!! In this room they had Chocolate ice cream with Pink whip cream and a PINK cherry!!! I kinda question if a pink cherry is good or not for you but YOLO! Deff my favorite Free ice cream in the whole place!

In another room, they had a room filled with Ice cream windmills! In this room the employee was very entertaining and dancing the “Ice cream” Dance!!!

We of course had to take a pic on the Banana swing! This room also had a cherry swing which kinda reminded me of Miley Cyrus!

“I CAME IN LIKE A WRECKING BALL!!!!”

In other rooms we got Melted Ice cream which LITERALLY brought back childhood memories of the ice cream machines you would get at like Toys R Us to make at home ice cream! YUM! Frozen Chocolate bananas, and Key Lime Pie ice cream were also served for free!

We can not forget the famous sprinkle pool! I did not know the city was actually fined for getting the plastic sprinkles into the city water and potentially harming animals until I got home from the event or else I would of not had gone in as the Sprinkles really do follow you home! You get like 3 minutes in the sprinkle pool to take as many photos as you possible can and are timed by an employee who is literally counted out loud and not to mention was sweeping behind the pool too so like you could not get the perfect picture during the anxious count down! Thankfully, I was able to capture this photo as soon as we jumped in!!!

Over all I am just always happy to spend time with my family!

If you are looking to go to this Museum, I say if you have the money deff go and have fun! However, we were a little disappointed with the cast members, lighting and the limited amount of ice cream for the money we paid!

MY SEATTLE TRIP

AHHH…. IT FEELS SO GOOD TO FINALLY SAY I WENT TO SEATTLE, WA!!! I say that because this was a surprise christmas present for my boyfriend Ryan! Seattle has been on his bucket list for years and I love traveling and looking for cheap plane tickets and found some and book them without telling him. We went to the airport and I have known about this trip for a month Ryan thought we were going to Colorado only BUT we got to the airport and I printed out a ticket and asked him to read it in which he found out!!!! He cried I cried it was great then began out 8 and a half hour travel day!!! WATCH RYAN’S REACTION HERE ON MY VLOG CHANNEL!!!

We got to Seattle at 12:00pm Seattle time and as soon as we arrived we rented a car through the app called TURO. We picked up the car and check in our hotel, The Hyatt in Renton next to Lake Washington. By the way the Hotel was BEAUTIFUL!!!! It is a brand new hotel we paid $130 a night and it is near so many food places and things to do, they have a plaza called The landing that has EVERYTHING!!! Not to mention all the hotel employees learned my name and always took the extra mile to make us happy and feeling at home. It was so peaceful and is on Lake Washington. I was in love with this city and would recommend taking a visit!

However, as soon as we dropped off our bags we headed to Everett, WA which was less than an hour north of Renton. Everett is the home to FUNKO! Funko is the company that creates the collectibles called POP! figures. My boyfriend is a huge fanatic and knows the store managers and people all over the world that also collect. This was the main reason for this surprise trip!!! So we got to the store and Ryan went on a shopping spree!!! BUT then the store Manager gave us a huge behind the scenes tour!!! This office is the most magical fun office ever!!! They have slides to go down every floor, they have a private gym, arcade, and bowling alley!!! Who wouldn’t want to work there!!!

We bowled and hung out at the Funko store all night!!! Special thanks again to the Funko community for their hospitality!!! After our visit we just went back to the hotel to catch up on sleep and get ready for the next day!

Our next day was our last full day in Seattle! We first woke up and headed to Pike’s Place! We ate at a restaurant right next to Pike’s Place Fish Co that had the most unbelievable view ever!!!! The food was okay but the view was everything and more!!!

After, we walked around all 5 floors of the market before heading to the gum wall which is to the left of Pike’s Place when you first enter the Public Market! We added a Polaroid and our gum to the gum wall and took photos like any tourist would haha!

After our gum experience we walked over to the first EVER Starbucks!!! The store is small and there is supposedly always a line but we got lucky, however, a tip when you go is do not waste time look at the cups and souvenirs because they give you a brand new one at the cashier desk and they have a menu of all the souvenirs that they have in the store so as soon as you get there just get in line!

We then went to the Space Needle, which is under renovations so it is not a full 360 view but is deff worth the view of the city, mountains and lake!!!

We had so much fun in this city and can not wait to come back to see more!!!

SEE MORE PICTURES HERE AND WATCH MY VLOG HERE AND TRAVEL DIARY HERE

Family Camping Trip

I just got home from my family’s annual camping trip!!! We had so much fun we went Friday-Sunday and even though it’s technically only two nights it is so nice to be able to get away and be one with nature.

We camp in tents and honestly I love it! I know some people are totally against it because you know, no wifi, no a/c and no actual memory foam beds. I have grown up tent camping and grew an appreciation for it!

If you do not know I have a 7 month old puppy named Everest and I brought him to his first ever camping trip!!! Okay, so I mean who doesn’t love puppies because they are so cute but honestly it’s hard when it is their first time in the middle of the woods and being in a tent and hearing animals they have never heard before! Everest had a rough first night he was so nervous he would not pee, or poop, eat and would bark for every sound he heard. I literally had to cuddle him and say “Everything will be okay!” But besides that he had so much fun as he loves being outside and being with family!!!

My favorite part about camping is literally just sitting by the fire!!! It is just so relaxing and oddly enough I love the smell of a camp fire and it literally makes me so happy! At our campsite you can also go canoeing and kayaking which is so much fun as well, however, if you are seriously afraid of Alligators stay away from the water because they are everywhere haha

You can also walk to a natural spring and to railroad tracks that you can take cute pics on haha or if you walk along the tracks you can see a beautiful view of the canal!

Over all we had a blast with family and friends over the weekend and can not wait to go back out into nature!

More pictures from my recent camping trip

Processed with VSCO with f2 preset — My cute puppy Everest!!!

Processed with VSCO with a6 preset — Everest enjoying the view

Processed with VSCO with p5 preset — SMILES

Processed with VSCO with hb1 preset — Love these walks

Processed with VSCO with a5 preset — HE IS CUTE

NEW PANDORA RIDE AT DISNEY

Ryan and I drove 2 and half hours to DISNEY!!! After 6 months we are finally back at our HOME AWAY FROM HOME!!!

We decided to become annual Pass holders!!! We bought the Weekday annual for $114 and $14 a month so we can now come any weekday of the year! Which means after 2 visits you get your money worth and you get free parking which is normally $20! and discounts on almost everything you buy in the park!!!

We stayed in Orlando for two days so we decided to go to Magic Kingdom FIRST!

When you get to Magic Kingdom, you have to park at the transportation center where you can take a Ferry or the Monorail! We obviously took the Monorail because it gives the prettiest views even though I am kinda scared of it lol

I have never been to Disney during the Fall time but BOY OH BOY IS IT BEAUTIFUL!!! They decorate the park so well which is amazing considering how Florida does not get season, BUT disney helps get ride of that seasonal FOMO.

Ryan and I walked around Magic Kingdom and rode all the rides before we went to our friends house to go to sleep and wake up at 7am to be at Animal Kingdom for the opening!

Ryan and I ate at Animal Kingdom’s Rainforest cafe at 8:30am and had waffles which were BOMB! We ate them super quick however, because the park opened at 9am and we wanted to see if we could bet the line to the flight of passage ride in Pandora!

SO… It is 9:05am and we are in the park like the park just opened and the line for the PANDORA FLIGHT OF PASSAGE WAS OVER 3 HOURS LONG (I think it could have been 4 hours +) Ryan and I saw the line and was like nope we will come back LOL so we keep walking and realized the other new Pandora ride Na’vi River Ride was only 30 mins long! So we jumped right into the line and rode the ride!

Sorry for the blurry picture but this ride was so aesthetic pleasing!!! If you’ve been on it’s a small world it is smiler to that ride as you are on a boat and you ride around a river looking at beautiful colorful scenery! It is really pretty and calm!!! After the river ride we decided to get all the other rides in Animal Kingdom done before we waited for the Flight of Passage ride! We first went of the Safari where we saw a bunch of animals and even got super close to some as they walked across the roads!

We then just walked around and went on every single ride including one of our favorite rollercoaster Mount Everest! Check out my Instagram @jaraandrea I made a funny joke under this photo haha!

Ryan and I knew we were going to be waiting 2 and a half hours so we grab our lunch to bring into the line and eat while we wait rather than waste time not in line!

PS. THIS IS WHAT I LOOK LIKE WHILE I WAIT LOL

The line for Flight of Passage begins outside where you get to see so many beautiful scenery!!! Honestly, the whole wait for this ride is so worth it there is something new to see every turn you make!

Also my camera died so I had to use my iPhone camera so the quality is not that good in low lighting! but here are some more views of what you see while waiting in line!!! IT IS SO COOL!!! BUT LET’S TALK ABOUT HOW COOL THE RIDE IS!!!! So yes the line is super cool! You then get split up into groups of 16 and go into separate rooms where you are scanned to become an avatar and find out what avatar you are!!! You then leave the room and go in front of a screen where you talk to the boss lady and she tells you how this flight is going to go! You then walk into a room where there is what looks like cycling bikes where you sit like a bike and then back harness comes up behind your legs and lower back strapping you in! The little screen under you scans you in and your avatar is locked in and you are ready to ride a Banshee!!! WHEN I SAY I HAVE NEVER BEEN ON A RIDE LIKE THIS I MEAN IT!!! IT IS SO FREAKING COOL!!!! You are looking at the screen under you on the bike and then it gets super dark and these white dots come out as if you were dizzy and BOMB A HUGE SCREEN APPEARS OUT OF NO WHERE!!!! YOU THEN FEEL THE WIND!!! SMELL THE GRASS, WATER, SCENTS!!! You feel as if you are actually going upside down and making turns and the bike thing you are on massages and blows air on you to feel all the little details you need to actually feeling like for those 7 mins that you are an Avatar riding a BANSHEE!!! I 110% THINK EVERYONE SHOULD RIDE THIS RIDE!!! I had a little girl next to me screaming the whole time of joy and as soon as it ended she keep saying again! again!!! and we talked about how cool the ride was after!!!

Hope you enjoyed the read about our Disney trip!!!

MORE PHOTOS FROM THE TRIP!

ATV RIDE IN ST.KITTS

I went to St.Kitts and rode an ATV around the whole island! Read more to find out why your next trip should be to St.Kitts!

St.Kitts was so much fun!!! Just like my last blog A DAY IN BAHAMAS … which I mean if you have not read it.. you should! We went to St.Kitts on a Royal Caribbean Cruise and only had 12 hours of the island. My immediate reaction was WOW this place is BEAUTIFUL!!! I LOVE mountains and this place had a lot of them. So our day started by walking into the port and since we had time before our ATV tour we decided to walk around the shops of the port which they had a lot of here. So what was interesting to me is almost all the shop owners are from India… and yes I ask where they were from to confirm and they came here to St.Kitts for the money. St.Kitts is actually an island in the West Indies I also found out. Anyways so money there is good when it comes to America dollars because one American dollar is Equal to 2.75 dollars in St.Kitts which is why you are able to talk down prices and items may seems cheap because technically they are getting about triple what we think we are paying. SO I guess thats good for both the person buying and the person selling.

It was then time to go on our tour!!! We took a bus taxis and it was just my family on this ATV tour which was AWESOME! But the cool thing is the taxis driver is like a tour guide as well! He took us around the island and told us facts, For example, how people keep monkeys as pets, how houses are expensive and small, and how the island is a complete circle and it only has one main road so if you stay on it you will just keep going in circles. So we finally get on our ATVs, The people who own the land had a bunch of goats and again because I am super curious all the time I asked why they had so many and they responded with fresh meat!

Anyways! haha We all got on our own ATV besides my mom and dad who shared… completely thankful because my mom prob would’ve died it was hard and she has no balance. So the ATV Tour guide takes you in a circle to make sure you can do it and you understand how an ATV works and then you are off!!! SO again remember when I said I liked mountains and St.Kitts HAD A LOT OF THEM… OH and Volcanos… ya we went up on inclines a lot on the tour and down and the roads are not perfectly flat they were rocking and bumping…. but the VIEWS WERE 100% WORTH IT!!! We road around a forest for a while and then our tour guide took us to the oldest Volcano on the island. We then ended up at a fort.

This fort used to be a Millionare’s house that was just never finished being built, it had so many rooms and a stage for performances. The view from this place was amazing as well!

This was our half way point of the trip so we relaxed and enjoyed the beautiful view. Also, this island has A LOT OF COWS ROMING!!! They hide in the bushes and some of them are tided up (prob for meat?)

So we headed back to where we started and on the way back we saw wild monkeys, ate guava off the trees, and saw more cows! Also, I followed my brother who went into a HUGE MUD POOL AND I GOT SOAKED IN MUD… kinda refreshing… I gotta attempt.

So we made it back to base and we cooled off with some pink lemonade and waited for our taxis bus back to the port. I would recommend this tour if you are an outdoor adventurous!