Tag: Unanchored Passenger

Escape from D.C. with the Perfect Glamping Experience

Mikala Whitaker

Back in November, Jared and I had the most wonderful stay at a tiny house in the middle of the woods about 2 hours from D.C. near Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. We stayed with the house through the company called Getaway, which puts plots of tiny houses in the middle of the woods outside of New York City, Boston, Atlanta, and D.C. for the exact purpose of getting away.

I first heard of the company through Instagram sponsored posts. I hadn’t known anyone who had stayed at one before, so I wasn’t sure if it would really live up to the appeal, but it most definitely did! Here’s what I loved about it:Read More »

What I Would’ve Done Differently in Thailand: Elephants

Mikala Whitaker

Elephant riding has long been an unethical and abusive tourist attraction in Thailand. Now elephant sanctuaries have taken off as an “ethical” way to interact with the gentle (and endangered!) giants. Sadly that doesn’t mean that all of them are true sanctuaries that have foregone abusive treatment of the animals. I wish I would have looked into this more before choosing to go to Elephant Jungle Sanctuary.Read More »

Tips for Living with a Host Family in Spain

Mikala Whitaker

Living with a host family is the absolute best way to make the most out of travels abroad because it allows you to get a firsthand view of local culture and get involved with it yourself. But that doesn’t mean that living with a host family in a foreign country can’t have it’s challenges. After living with two host families in Argentina for five weeks and a family in Spain for four months, here are some of my tips. Some can apply to staying with a host family in any country, but some are more specific to Spain.Read More »

The Blue Lagoon: Is it Worth It?

Mikala Whitaker1 Comment

When you think of Iceland, one of the first things you probably think of is the Blue Lagoon, a warm pool with milky blue water and beautiful views of Iceland’s surrounding mountains. When I began planning my Iceland trip, I quickly learned that some people choose to forego this stop on their itineraries because it can get incredibly crowded and it’s expensive. There are also many other geothermal pools in Iceland such as the Secret Lagoon, a much cheaper ($28/person) and more off-the-beaten path favorite of tourists opting to skip the Blue Lagoon.

Jared and I decided to book the Blue Lagoon after all, so here are some of my thoughts on the experience and if it truly is worth it.Read More »

Travel Essentials: A Few of My Favorite Things

Mikala Whitaker

Throughout my various travels, I’ve tried a variety of different items. Here are some of my tried and true favorites.

For Packing Everything from a Weeklong Trip to a Month: Tom Bihn Aeronaut 45 bag and packing cubes – I’ve used this bag for week-long trips within the U.S., for my four month study abroad experience in Spain (see this post for my packing list), for a month spent in Thailand and Cambodia, and more. It’s perfect for all of those situations and is the perfect carry on size!Read More »

Should You Rent a Car in Iceland?

Mikala Whitaker

Yes! Before my Iceland trip, I did a lot of research into renting a car and got scared off by a lot of horror stories online. Now that I’ve done it, I can confirm that driving in Iceland, at least on the main roads, is pretty easy and pretty much essential considering most of the country is incredibly remote. Without a car, you’d be stuck paying tour companies too much money for something you could go and enjoy on your own schedule. Here are some of my tips and notes on car rentals.

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What it’s Like to Travel Internationally with your Significant Other for the First Time

Mikala Whitaker

Taking a big trip with your significant other is always so exciting, but it can be challenging too, especially if you’ve never traveled together before. Traveling long distances and into foreign countries is an exhausting and sometimes frustrating experience that will show both you and your significant other at both their best and their worst. For those who have never traveled extensively with their significant other before, it’s certainly a test for the relationship.

I took my first major trip with Jared, my boyfriend, last year when we went to Thailand and Cambodia for a month together. I will say that we had taken some smaller trips together before and had visited each other while apart in our long distance relationship, but this trip to Thailand was like nothing we had ever done before, even individually. Here are some things I learned while traveling extensively with Jared for the first time:Read More »

A Weekend in West Virginia

Mikala Whitaker1 Comment

West Virginia is one of those places I’ve driven through a million times but never considered stopping for. In planning trips, I never thought to myself hmmm let’s check out West Virginia. After spending the weekend there to a visit my boyfriend, however, I learned how much the state has to offer, and I cannot wait to go back. Here’s a look at some of the things we did that I very much enjoyed.Read More »