Ten days in Europe

This past Memorial day, the boyfriend and I spent our vacation traveling across central and eastern Europe. We visited five countries in ten days, accumulating five different currencies, listening to five different languages and carrying all of our belongings on our backs.

I never did the European summer abroad while I was in college. I instead spent my summers earning money for tuition, working in the lab or completing industry internships. My first visit to Europe was in 2006, when the boyfriend and I took a Mediterranean cruise from Spain to Italy. Our second journey was a train trip that began in London and looped through western Europe, departing from Amsterdam.

This time we wanted to see the other half of Europe. We sat down at Starbucks with our computers, Google maps, Trip Advisor, United Airlines and Rail Europe working away. We decided on another open airline ticket and a West to East journey. Flying into Prague, we would then travel by train to Bratislava, Slovakia; Budapest, Hungary; Brasov, Romania; Bucharest, Romania and finally fly to Istanbul, Turkey. We would spend 1-2 days in each city, depending on the things that we wanted to do and the sites we wanted to see.

Planning the route, we realized that we need some luggage that was much more portable than our rolling luggage. After looking through Amazon for some time, I came across the eBags Mother Lode Weekender backpack. I wound up buying the boyfriend the full size backpack and myself the Junior size. I already owned several eBags packing cubes and they fit inside the backpack just perfectly. After planning the route, packing for the trip was the hardest thing.

Stylebook to the rescue! Again! I used the app to plan my outfits, whittle down my packing list and eventually pack my bags. My packing list usually starts off about twice as large as it needs to be. Once I realized that it wouldn't all fit into my new little backpack, some serious editing had to happen. For the ten days in Europe I packed 2 long sleeved shirts, three t-shirts, one sleeveless blouse, a pair of jeans, two pairs of capris and a skirt. I wore the bulkier items, cargo capris, long sleeved shirt and sneakers, on the plane.

I tried to keep the rest of the packing very light, because I like to buy books as souvenirs. I didn't want my bag to start out heavy and just get heavier! Here's my full packing list, in case you need a little help packing for your next trip abroad! I've included a link widget for specific items where I could find them!

3 t-shirts (Old Navy)
1 sleeveless blouse (Equipment)
2 long sleeved shirts (Gap)
1 pair jeans (7 for All Mankind)
2 pair capris (Joie & Stitchfix)
1 skirt (from Stitchfix)
2 tank tops (Gap)
Sandals (DSW)
Sneakers (Nike)
Crossbody Purse (Kate Spade)
4 pair ankle socks
4 pair underwear (Victoria's Secret)
2 bras
Sleep shorts & shirt
Face wash
Tangle teaser
Hair ties & bobby pins
Tinted moisturizer
Mascara
Deodorant
Toothbrush/toothpaste
Sunscreen
DSLR Camera
Journal
iPad - loaded with travel guides
Dropps laundry detergent
Eyemask & earplugs

I didn't bring any shower toiletries, as we were staying in hotels for the entire trek across the continent. I also brought some Dropps laundry detergent packs to wash my socks and underwear at the halfway point. It also helps to split your toiletries with your traveling partner. If you are planning on enjoying the nightlife in Europe, I might also suggest packing a cute dress! And some eyeliner.

Stop back next for details on our first stop - Prague!

European packing list, train travel in Europe, 10 day European vacation

Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas

If you have been following me on Instagram, then you know that I just returned from a ten-day trip to China. With the completion of this recent visit, I realized that I am months behind on posting here at WITC! Rather than jumping ahead to China, I'm going to spend the next few weeks sharing the previous adventures, starting with our April vacation to Atlantis.

Each year, the boyfriend and I like to take a beach vacation. Generally we try to schedule this trip for February or March, right when we can't stand any more Northeastern winter weather. Due to crazy schedules at both of our jobs, this years beach vacation was pushed into April. We decided to spend half of the vacation on a quiet island (see my Eleuthera post here) and the second half of the vacation at Atlantis.

After the quiet isolation of Eleuthera, Atlantis was quite the shock. Not shocking in that I was awed by the size, beauty,etc. I've been to Atlantis twice before. It was shocking because of how many people were on the property.

Atlantis is celebrating its 20th anniversary and had quite a few vacation deals happening in April. This lead to the resort being pretty busy and all the lounge chairs filling up quickly. I would recommend visiting Atlantis during the quiet months. In the past, I've enjoyed Atlantis for New Years Eve...

And in September, days before a hurricane...

This visit to Atlantis was only three days, but it was just long enough for us. Perhaps if you have a family, you and your kids would want to stay for at least five days. You could make it a full weeks vacation if you throw in a few off-resort excursions. Yet, with the cost of a room at Atlantis, I would try to make the most of your time on site and find a different hotel for a few days on Nassau.

The boyfriend and I aren't really night owls, so we never make use of the hotel casino, bars or restaurants. You're more likely to find us up early, enjoying a coffee at the island Starbucks and settling into a prime spot at the pool.

We generally spend all day at the pool, in the waterpark or on the beach. By the time the sun goes down, we are exhausted and simply want some pizza and our bed. We managed to stay up "late" one night and took in a 9:00 movie in the theater.

I did mention that there were deals to be had on Atlantis hotel rooms, right? We snagged one of those deals and were rewarded with this amazing view...

Not such a huge letdown for the boyfriend and I, since we didn't plan on spending hours relaxing on our balcony and looking at the ocean. Just be warned that if you book a discounted room at the hotel, you will most likely wind up with a roof view balcony!

Finally, I highly recommend wearing a rash guard while enjoying the waterpark. I wore my Mara Hoffman set all week. I was rewarded with dozens of compliments and questions about where to buy it, but I also escaped without a sunburn. It's so difficult to keep up with the sunscreen when you're busy floating around in the lazy river.

Would I recommend Atlantis for a vacation? Sure. Though I would highly recommend booking your vacation with one of their holiday deals. Often times you can get free airfare or deeply discounted room rates. Everything on Paradise Island is pretty pricey, so be sure to pack some extra snacks in your luggage to cut down on incidental food costs, leaving you more money to enjoy your time in the sun!

Eleuthera, Bahamas

The boyfriend and I recently took a well-deserved Caribbean vacation. We wanted to go somewhere relaxing, with quiet beaches and warm water. There had to be snorkeling and sites to see, but most importantly it had to be affordable. We don't have exclusive resort kind of money.

We chose Eleuthera.

We flew from Newark, NJ to Fort Lauderdale, FL. From there we hopped on a tiny little plane with twenty other people and enjoyed a bumpy 45 minute flight to Eleuthera island. Our destination was Governor's Harbor airport, right in the middle of the island.

Upon landing and walking to the airport, our luggage was carried into the international arrivals terminal, aka, a tiny building the size of a garage. Our rental car was delivered right to the front door and we drove the fifteen minutes from the airport to our little bungalow. I will highly recommend the Squire Estates in Governor's Harbor. We rented the Cottage at Belmont and it was just the perfect little space for two.

Then it was off to the beach!

See that lunatic is the background? That's the boyfriend. He's playing with a ball.

Eleuthera was the perfect place to spend a few days. Just about every beach was a private beach. The waters on the Caribbean side are shallow for hundreds of feet out. Snorkeling areas are plentiful.

I only have one complaint - the food is so expensive! Not necessarily restaurant food, but a trip to the grocery store will set you back a pretty penny! Be sure to pack some extra snacks in your suitcase.

My favorite part of a Caribbean vacation? TING! You can get Ting in American grocery stores these days, but nothing tastes better on the beach.

Oh yeah, and the Buick that everyone is looking for in this commercial? I think we found it.  

This beauty was our rental car. It came with all of those fancy dents - custom decor.

After a relaxing visit to Eleuthera Island, we hopped over to Nassau and spent a few days doing the opposite of relaxing at Atlantis. Stop by Friday for Atlantis through the years!

Wilde Favorites - Beach Getaway

I'm freshly back from a beach vacation and I miss the weather already. If you are looking for a quiet island with long stretches of empty beach, I would highly recommend visiting Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas. We also spent a few days on Paradise Island at the Atlantis Resort. It is not quiet or romantic there, at all. Here are a few things I brought with me for our eight days in the sun...

First and most foremost, as cute bikini. The most important thing on my mind for this beach vacation was to avoid getting a sunburn. In addition to packing three full-sized bottles of sunscreen, I bought this amazing Mara Hoffman bikini.

I'm wearing the bikini with a pair or Lululemon run shorts here - we hiked to this beach over a bunch of sharp rocks

You can buy all three pieces (bikini top & bottom and rash guard) or you can just pair the rash guard with a black bikini. The bikini itself is reversible, it's black on the inside, so you're really getting a whole bunch of combinations in one! I'm also happy to report that I didn't get a sunburn.

Not only is the print and cut of this rash guard absolutely gorgeous, you'll be the envy of all of your friends. During out time at Atlantis, I got dozens of compliments from other people at the resort. If you would like this suit, pick it up soon because at least ten women wanted to know where I got it!

1. DVF - Printed Sleeveless Wrap Dress - Wrap dresses are so comfortable and pretty. This was the easiest way to look put together for dinner, without putting any effort into my outfit. I have a few sleeveless wrap dresses that I got from Saks Off 5th. GILT has a few of these on sale right now too!

2. Peter Thomas Roth Sunscreen - I'm all about sunscreen on my face and re-applying once an hour. Why? Sun damage isn't cool. This sunscreen doesn't break me out and it doesn't sweat off and run into my eyes.

3. Sensi Studio Straw Hat - Want to splurge on a summer hat? This Sensi studio option is so cute. It will keep the rays off your face and hair, because again - sun damage = bad.

4. FRESH - Sugar lip balm in Tulip - I have five different colors of this Fresh lip balm. The share Tulip is my favorite for summer because it is such a pretty pink. I believe that it is a Sephora exclusive color.

5. Ray Ban Mirrored Shrunked Aviators - Personally, I find the traditional Ray Ban aviators just too big for my face. If you're not into the big sunglasses trend, try out this shrunken option. They come in a bunch of adorable colors!

6. BECCA Swim Coverup - I didn't wear my rash guard all day everyday. When I wasn't in the ocean or pool, I could be found wearing this cover up. The print is so pretty and it provides just enough coverage so that you don't feel naked walking from your room to the pool.

7. H&M Straw Hat - Don't want to splurge on a summer hat, this H&M option is perfect. I always ruin structured hats by burying them in the closet. I am a saver when it comes to hats.

8. Leapfrog Ello Water bottle - Stay hydrated! Depending on the island that you visit, the water may or may not be potable. Just be sure to always bring water with you and keep drinking all day long. No, alcoholic beverages do not count.

9. Havianas - Slim Tribal Flip Flops - I buy a new pair of flip flops each year. These Havianas are cheap, come in a bunch of cute colors and are easy on your feet. Pick up a few pairs!

10. Larabar - Cherry Pie - The outer islands of the Bahamas have some of the most expensive grocery stores ever. I always pack snacks in my suitcase when traveling for a beach vacation. These Cherry Pie Larabars are the absolute best. The apple pie flavor is also pretty amazing.

I'll be posting some pictures from our vacation a little later this week!

San Francisco, California

Looking at my 2015 calendar, there are not as many business trips this year! You may remember that I spent a good third of 2014 traveling around the world. My new job required a lot of attendance at conferences and meetings with global agencies last year.

This year will be a lot more travel within the United States, to places that I am very familiar with. First up this year? San Francisco!

My last visit to San Francisco was as a graduate student attending an American Chemical Society annual meeting. I stayed in a pseudo-hostal and subsisted on fast food, convenience store snacks and whatever I could scrounge from the exhibitor booths.

This trip was much different, as I was there attending the JP Morgan Healthcare summit for work. First, my hotel room had its own bathroom and the view you see below...

The conference not only fed us very well (Odwalla juices for breakfast anyone?), but my colleague and I were able to go out for dinner, at real restaurants! I was able to enjoy the seafood of San Francisco, the great variety of options in Chinatown and all the sourdough bread I could handle. I guess I've come a long way in the eight years since my last visit!

Sadly, we were only in San Francisco for the days of the conference. We didn't have too much extra time to wander the city. In our final afternoon in California, my colleague and I walked to the coast, bought some Ghirardelli chocolates and took a boat ride to Alcatraz. We then hopped in a cab and headed back to SFO, being sure to get some Boudin sandwiches for the flight home.

I'd love to spend more time in this unique city. In the two times that I've visited, I have barely scratched the surface. Perhaps I can convince the boyfriend to take a California road trip with me this spring. Start in LA, drive north to SF, eat a lot of food along the way! 

Have any of you done a California coast road trip? I'd love to hear about your experiences!

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

After our three and a half day visit to Siem Reap, Cambodia, the boyfriend and I hopped on a plane and fly back to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We flew Air Asia. It was cheap, clean and felt very safe for our 90 minute flight. Be prepared to pay a little extra for everything on this airline. They really nickel and dime you here.

The KL airport is about 50 minutes away from the city. You can either grab a taxi (pre-paid at one of the taxi airport stands) or grab the KL express train. Since this was a work trip, we hopped in a cab. We stayed at the Renaissance Kuala Lumpur and were treated to this view from our window...

I'm glad we arrived a day before the rest of my work team, because they all got rooms on the other side of the building, with views of construction cranes. Upon our arrival, food was needed. We picked up this giant bowl of ramen and a cheesy-rice bake for only $3. So cheap. So good.

Apparently no trip to KL is complete without visiting the Batu Caves. We were greeted by Lord Murugan as we drove up. This statue is 140 feet tall and very shiny. Then up the stairs we went. 272 stairs to be exact.

Once we reached the final room of the cave, the boyfriend and I weren't terribly impressed. It was like a very sad Hindu theme park, filled with garbage. There were also monkeys, eating bags of yellow curry. It was a bit gross. I'm sure that it's lovely during religious festivals, but it could use a fresh coat of paint. And a broom.

Though not all of the monkeys were eating bags of curry. This one had a baby and was adorable. National Geographic quality photos here.

And of course you can't just look at the Petronas Towers, you have to go to the top! In the pouring down rain, the boyfriend and I booked our tickets to the observation deck and sky bridge.

Not recommended for those that have a fear of heights. The sky bridge is not actually connected to either building and it sways a bit in the wind.

Another hot spot that we visited was KL Chinatown. This part of town is centered around a market that sells all the "Chanel", "Prada" and "Gucci" that you can fit in your suitcase. We mostly just ate "meat on stick" in Chinatown.

I recommend deep frying everything. Makes it so tasty.

Our last night in KL was spent dining atop the KL Menara Tower. Think Seattle Space Needle, but it's in Malaysia. The restaurant rotates. Enough said.

As with every other night in KL, it poured. So much rain! Luckily the clouds passed and we were left with a beautiful image of KL, as our table slowly crept past the dessert bar...

This was my last work trip of 2014 and I'm happy to be calling this year of travel over. There are a few conferences and trips on the books next year, who knows where you'll see me next!

Wilde in the World - Angkor Temples Day 2

Day two of our vacation in Cambodia started off very early. We had to wake up before the sun because we wanted to watch the sunrise! Our tuk tuk driver (the same Mr. Phuc Me!) picked us up at 5:30am and we drove to Angkor Wat. Then it started raining...

Sunrise was a bit of a bummer, but the rain didn't last long. We zipped ourselves up in the tuk tuk and headed over to the Ta Prohm temple. This temple was made famous by Angelina Jolie's Tomb Raider movie. This temple has been taken over by strangler fig trees and is completely haunting.

There was some construction, courtesy of the Japanese government, and I think they were trying to tell me that they were sorry... Maybe. I'm not really sure what this sign was trying to say.

The temple was hidden beneath a layer of jungle,

intricately carved,

and then the sun came out.

Get there in the morning (i.e. 6:30 am) and you'll have the place to yourself.

After Ta Prohm we continued on the Grand Circuit and visited Pre Rup. This temple was a wonderful departure in color from the other Siem Reap temples. The yellow bricks at Pre Rup shine in the sun and are a beautiful contrast to the green jungle.

Then it was time for breakfast. Bring it on spicy egg in a roll! It cost me $1 and was delicious.

East Mebon was next. An adorable little squat temple with rooms upon rooms and more carvings and reliefs than you could look at all day.

One of my favorite temples was Neak Pean. You have to walk along a wooden boardwalk for ten minutes before disappearing into a copse of trees.

The temple is hidden within the trees and sits in the middle of a pool. It was so hot at this point in the day (it was maybe 11;30 at this point) that I considered jumping in.

The final temple on the Grand Circuit was Preah Khan. This was a massive temple! The boyfriend and I were getting tired at this point, but there was so much to see on the grounds of this temple.

After all this walking, I just had to stop at this fruit vendor and pick up a pineapple! You can buy baby pineapples that are peeled (do you peel a pineapple? Hulled? I don't know) and ready to eat. These little pineapples are the perfect amount of sweet but completely packed with flavor. I want more of them!

Our Grand Circuit tour was complete at 1:00 pm and we headed back to the hotel for some pool time. And some Ernest: Scared Stupid...

What? It was Halloween! And apparently the Cambodian people love Ernest. We had dinner close to the hotel and hit the sack early!

Stop back tomorrow for the last day of our Cambodian adventure!