London Recap

If you didn't know this about me, I lived in London for 6 months after I graduated from college. I worked at Quiksilver, I lived in the tiniest room ever (which I shared), and I loved every poverty stricken minute :)

I had studied abroad the year before and fell in love with this amazing city. For many years I visited as often as I could, but after moving to Nashville and finally taking the time to explore other places, it turns out I haven't been since 2011 - which is insane! Finally, I was able to take Matt to the city that meant so much to me.

Anyway, we had a great time! It was rainy and grey, but isn't that part of its charm? ;)

Greenwich

Trafalgar Square/National Gallery

Regent's Park

Westminster Abbey

Big Ben/Parliment

The London Eye

We did a lot of fun stuff! I took Matt to all my old haunts, showed him where I worked and lived, and of course we just wandered and wandered. Here are a few highlights from the trip:

Southbank Christmas Market
If you're visiting London anytime in late November through the New Year, you're in luck because the city is DECKED OUT in true holiday fashion. The Southbank Centre is probably my favorite because it has everything festive you could ask for - mulled wine, string lights, fire pits, tons of evergreens, and cute little stalls to buy food & drink from. There was even a pop up skating rink! More info here.

Even if it's not Christmas, the South Bank is worth your time. The Thames Path or the "Queens Walk" has always been a favorite of mine when I visit (and lived there). For the most bang for your buck, start at the London Eye and walk East until you hit the Millennium Bridge (Tate Modern Museum and walks across to St Paul's Cathediral), or if you're feeling really up for it, go all the way to the Tower Bridge/Tower of London. There's nothing quite like it.

Emirates Air Line Cable Car
This was new since I last visited, and it was fun/terrifying :) I don't like hights, but I do like amazing views! Unfortunately it was quite misty the morning we went, but even if it was a little sunny, the views would have been amazing! This cable car takes you across the Thames just like a ski lift but over the city. You can use your Oyster card which is awesome. More info here. 

Greenwich/Prime Meridian
Something I'd never done all the times I've been in London is go down to Greenwich to see where the Prime Meridian is. If you like history at all, do this! Even if you just like adorable English towns, do this. Greenwich is what you *imagine* London would have looked like 100 years ago. It's still part of the Greater London Area, so it's only about 25 min on the Tube to get there. More info here.

We did a lot but those were some of my highlights! Other highlights included seeing old friends, wandering the pretty Christmas decorated streets, and visiting the markets!

I miss it so much already! It's my favorite city in the world! More details on London coming later :)
xo

The Best FREE Museums in London

Let's just start this post by clarifying, most of the museums in London are free. I think this is incredible, because art & culture should be shared with everyone. I've skipped many of the major museums of the world, for fear of seeing ONE famous panting and being bummed I spent $25 to do so (cough, cough.... Mona Lisa at the Louvre). But I digress.

London is chock full of museums, more than you could ever see during a week-long visit. And in my opinion, it has some of the best, most diverse museums in the world! Even if you're not a museum person, keep these on your radar if you're caught in a storm or need to warm up.

Here are five (technically six!) of my favorites & they're all free.

The National Gallery

Location: Charring Cross tube station (Trafalgar Square)
This might be my favorite "traditional" museum in the world. It has so many different paintings from the 13th-19th century, and a little something for everyone. I also love the National Gallery because of the beautiful fountains out front in Trafalgar Square. It's a great place to sit and drink a coffee while you people watch. Some noteworthy artists include Monet, van Gogh, Rembrant, Michelangelo, Botticelli, da Vinci, and more.

Victoria & Albert Museum and the Natural History Museum

Location: South Kensington tube station
A little less traditional, the V&A is focused on fashion and design. They have famous fashion designers collections displayed from time to time and they're so cool! If you aren't one for paintings but also don't understand modern art, this is a museum you can get behind. 

And I included the Natural History Museum because it's right next door. Anyone who is into dinosaurs, bugs, butterflies and more will love this. Even if it's not your cup of tea, it's really interesting and worth a browse! I've never been to the AMNH in NYC... but I don't think I'll pay the price tag, because the NHM is great.

Tate Modern

Location: St Paul's or Blackfriars tube stations & walk across the Millennium Bridge
To be completely honest, I don't always understand modern art. At all. What really sold me on this museum was its location (at the end of the pedestrian bridge & looks down over St Paul's Cathedral, just gorgeous!), and the paintings Rothko was commissioned to do for the Four Seasons & instead, he donated to the pieces to the Tate Modern. So cool. 

British Museum

Location: Tottenham Court Road tube station
The British Museum is going to offer a lot of ancient history - truly.  Instead of paintings, think of specially curated artifacts from all over the world. History at its finest.

Museum of London

Location: St Paul's tube station
If you're into London or British history at all, this is the place for you. There's so much cool stuff here, as well as rotating pop culture exhibits (currently it's Sherlock Holmes & Pattington Bear). It's a favorite.

I might be a little bias, but London is the BEST! These museums are so well done, and don't rely on ticket sales. Amazing! 

Have you visited any of these museums during your travels? Which one is your favorite? Did I leave any of the greats out?
xo

Wanderlust Wednesday: 2015 Travel Bucket List

I've always got the next trip on the brain. While we don't *officially* have anything booked for 2015, I'm already dreaming up where we'll go next (Poor Matt... but hey, he knew this about me when he married me!!!). Here are the places I'm wanderlusting after for 2015.

New Zealand

Full disclosure - this trip is practically booked. Thanks to my husband's former life in touring & some built up American miles... we're scoring this trip for next to nothing. While normal AA reward flights aren't worth the miles you put up, they're surprisingly affordable to NZ. Not to mention the low amount of taxes (less than $100 per person) makes this a no brainer. PLUS, my best friend, Ashley, will be living & working there for several months starting in February! Stay tuned as she will be guest blogging on her experience on making the decision, living in another country, and so on.

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Maine

I've never been.... and I'm dying to go! I just want to wear nautical sweaters & eat lobster. Is that so much to ask for? It just looks like a true New England dream land; rustic cabins, adorable local shops, lighthouses, rocky beaches & more! I'm thinking late Spring... perhaps May. Have you ever been? I'd love tips & insight, because I'm mainly thinking about the sweater opportunities. I saw read this article last year about Maine and have been dreaming about it ever since.

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Charleston, SC

If Maine is the New England preppy dream, then Charleston is the Southern Belle fantasy. I've visited Savannah just once, and it was so beautiful & charming! I've heard Charleston is similar in some ways, and from photos & stories I've seen, I have no doubt I would love to go there. From what I hear, the food scene is pretty great, so I look forward to eating my way around town.

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Iceland

With the development that WOW Airlines has $99 one way flights to Iceland.... it may have opened up some time & budget for us to get to that beautiful arctic tundra. Matt was able to go in 2012 & he is obsessed, and would love to take me. I, of course, will not object to new adventures. I heard it's almost sensory overload, but it looks magical.

(via Matt)

Asheville, NC

I almost have no excuse... but how have we NOT been here?! It's a 5 hour drive... seriously, no excuse. 2015 WILL include Asheville. There's wine tasting at the Biltmore, beautiful hikes, cabins & what seems like quirky towns to explore. Count me in.

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London

Ok, so this isn't quite bucket list because I've lived, studied abroad, and visited several other times, however, I haven't been to London since 2011! And the fact that Matt has never been... I'd really love to show him my old stomping grounds. It was my first love, so I'm sure it will always be my favorite city. I could spend hours wandering around & be perfectly content. Maybe we'll get back there this year.

(via me)

...and of course, everywhere else in the world. I am still dreaming of Croatia, Portugal, Pacific Islands, Australia, Thailand, Whistler, Grand Canyon, Costa Rica, Cuba, Norway, Turks & Caicos, San Diego, Portland, Austin, Duluth, Traverse City, and all the other favorites like LA, NYC, Chicago, South Florida, Seattle & more...

Yes, I have a problem. But hey - work hard, play hard. This is how I play.

Do you have any trips planned for 2015? Have you been to any of these places? I'd love your insight!

xo

How to Budget Travel Into Your Lifestyle: Part I

If there's one question I've been asked over and over, it's "how do you travel so much?" quickly followed by things like "It's so expensive" and "I wish I could do that"

Well guess what - YOU CAN! All it takes is deciding what is more important: a new shirt for $50 - or knowing that's 1/4 of your flight to Seattle.

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Full disclosure on financials for this. I will give you an idea of my budget and how I made it work. It's about budgeting your essentials, and then deciding what's most important to you.

When I was 24 I was working at my first job, and after my raise, I was making $35,000/year. After taxes, this came to about $2700/month.

This is about what I was budgeting a month. Of course there's always the things you forget about, but I'm $100 under budget, and that's also what misc expenses are for. I also always budget extra into my 'gas' budget, for things like your registration, burnt out break lights, and oil changes.

My rent was rather low, but to make up for it, I was making double car payments ($300x2) so I could pay my car off early. Once that was done, I planned on taking that extra $300 a month to place towards student loans. Budgeting means taking care of responsibilities and debt first.

What you might notice is low is my "fun" budgets - $150 for eating out, for example. At approximately $15/meal with tax and tip, puts me at 10 outings a month (or 2 per week and a couple left over). This is more than enough to accommodate girls nights, coffee stops here and there, so-and-so's birthday, brunch on Saturdays with my roommate. There is absolutely no reason no eat out every night unless you don't have a kitchen. And even then, you can get a hot plate. It's one of the biggest money vacuums to a young budgeter - don't fall for the trap! Save your restaurant excursions for special occasions and being social. Skip the table for 1 or the close relationship with the local pizza delivery guy.

A small experiment - let's say every dinner costs $15 with tip. Every "quick, cheap" lunch costs $6, and every coffee you stop for is $3. If you do each of these things 3 days a week (very easy to do if you aren't paying attention!) you're looking at an average cost of $72 per week, or just under $300 per month. Check your eating out habits, and start saving to eat out when you're in Chicago instead.

Another thing that's low is my "others" category: mani/pedi's, movies, buying clothes. I would limit myself to 1 movies a month in the theater, and 1 mani/pedi every 2 months. A bottle of nail polish costs $8, and $35 saved is a 1/5 of a plane ticket.

Now clothes. Ohhhhh clothes. I'm a girl. I love them. But there are more important things in life! This doesn't mean I never buy any - it just means I play it right. I wait for sales, scope out TJ Maxx, and save my $50 budget from this month, so next month I have $100 to play with :) It's much more satisfying, and I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything.

Giving myself this budget allows me to fly 8-10 times a year, visiting friends and places all over the US. I'd also like to add that I took a few babysitting jobs a month - between 1-3 per months - and put that cash directly into a box labeled TRAVEL FUND. This is how I managed to visit Europe three years in a row. $50-100 per babysitting job, I was pulling in about $2k per year of unexpected cash. This could easily be done with a 1 day a week night job at a coffee shop, or doing retail floor sets. If you work one, 5 hours shift a week at $8/hr, you'll earn $2000 before taxes. Now where did you want to go again?

If you find yourself thinking you have no room in your budget, I'd challenge you to do this. Take your debit/credit card statement from last month and get a few colors of highlighters. Highlight anything like in spending (i.e., all coffee, or all take out/eat in food, all clothes shopping). You'll be shocked what you're spending! I did this with my coffee habit fresh out of college, and realized I was buying 1-2 coffees every single day - putting my bill at almost $200 a month! For that, I could have purchased a fancy espresso machine. I put myself on a budget of 2x a week, for more like $25 per month, and enjoyed my new extra $175 to buy myself a plane ticket.

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Budgeting travel is all about taking all of your "extras" and deciding if they're worth it. Let's say you want to take a trip to New York with your girlfriends.
Flight: $200
3 days of meals: $150
Drinks+Coffee: $75
Broadway Show: $100
Hotel split 4 ways: $225pp
Weekend Metro Card: $25
Misc Spending: $50
Trip total: $800

Luxuries You Want:
iPhone 5s came out (you still have a 4s) = $200
Monthly Mani/Pedi $600/year (at $50 per session, including tip)
Never Packing Yourself a Lunch $1560/year (at $6/day, 5 days a week for 52 weeks)

Deciding if they're worth it?: 
Stick with your 4s for another 6 months, and your flight is paid for. $200 saved
Take cut your spa days to every 2 months instead, and pay for your hotel & drinks/coffee $300 saved
Decided to pack your lunch MWF every week, with leftovers, or batch cooked meals (very affordable) - even if you spend $50 extra on groceries a month, you'll have enough money to pay for your drinks, food, coffee, souvenirs, metro card, broadway show, and still have $275 extra to put towards your next trip. $650 saved

It's a matter of priorities. If new technology is on the top of your list, then go for the iPhone. If seeing old friends and new places ranks higher, stick with the ghetto phone as long as you can (I got an iPhone when the 4s came out - and I still have it), and enjoy texting slightly lesser quality photos to your friends stuck at home.

Do you have any budget tips or tricks? Where would you like to save up to go?
xo

Wanderlust Wednesday: London in the Fall

Hands down - my favorite season + place go hand in hand, with the winning combo of London in the Fall. It is SO pretty, and SO festive, and it stays fall weather for MONTHS! Part of my love for it could come from living there for two falls.... and visiting a handful of other Fall's. I'm addicted! I can't help it.

Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea

Kings Rd, Chelsea, SW3

Southbank.

St James Park

Regent's Park

Regent's Park

Me and the Thames, a few Fall's ago. 

So true. Especially in chilly temps!

Hyde Park

Chelsea, down by the Thames

Kensington Gardens

I swear there is something about it that makes the light look like sunset all the time. Perfect amount of coziness. PLUS, around this time of year (beginning of November), all of the different areas of town start to decorate and light the streets up with Christmas decor. It's the best!

Regent Street, W1

St Christopher's, W1

South Kengsington, SW2

Sloane Square, Chelsea, SW3

Sloane Square, Chelsea, SW3

Covent Garden, W4

Not to mention all of the Christmas markets, Guy Fawkes day and all of the shops decorating their windows to be festive! If you have the chance, November is the best time to visit London.... it's pure magic. I'm always extra nostalgic for London in the fall months.... it's just not the same anywhere else.

Have you been to London in the fall? Or London in general? Do you love it as much as i do? :)

xo