City Walk Orlando (Bob Marley-A Tribute to Freedom Live Band)
Before all the Christmas celebration began, I ended up in Orlando to celebrate a close friend's birthday. She then explained we were going to City Walk and though I should know more about it, I surely had not a clue what we were going to do. Turns out it is neare Univeral Studios, and at night there are a bunch of clubs around that you can go to. In fact they had a band you could pay like $12 to get, and go in and out of any club. All the places were cool, but then I saw it.... people have told me about the Bob Marley Restaurant and Live Band, but I had no clue it was here. Great surprise. It was a cool atmosphere and I enjoyed it. Though we only spent a short time here, I definitely want to come back for dinner and enjoy the full night entertainment... who wants to come with me???

Booking my ticket to India and United Arab Emirates for $300
I know, I know... I already wrote a post about how you can get such good deals too... But.... waking up Christmas day at 5 am really made my holiday that much better. I am saving almost $1000!!! And now I am addicted to finding amazing deals to book and share with you that will be posted at Travel Deals.

Mechanical Bull
I went to  karaoke bar at City Place with my friend from high school and while waiting to sing an awful version of "It wasn't me" by Shaggy, we saw the mechanical bull... and you know I had to take a ride... Well, I lasted 1 minute + on the bull but my sister told me they were being nice.. So I will definitely be doing that again... gotta show them I am the boss… RIGHT?? See my bull ride below!

One of the things my friends or people in general comment on is the fact that traveling or adventure COST SO MUCH!!! I am here to tell you that is absolute BULL... Stop making excuses and change your MIND SET!! 

So, now you are thinking... "But my situation is different Dr. Wanderlust." Excuses are all in the same... at the end of the day how you think is what holds you from what you are set out to accomplish. I was listening to an audiobook "What The Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast" and it really made me think of all the LAME excuses I make as to why I don't get things done. For some it is: "the gym is far away!" "another slice of pizza will be fine!" or "it's not the right time!" Either way we all have excuses. 

This is how you can start changing your way of thinking (and yes, I am calling you out on your habits that hinder your ability to travel!).

This is usually the first instinct of the Wannabe Travelers… AKA YOU!!! Quite frankly, this is one of the myths of travel lovers everywhere! We HAVE NO MONEY... just like you. We aren't traveling first class and staying in 5 star hotels. Furthermore, we don't have the mommy and daddy banks to dip into anymore.  We simple know we want to travel, think about how to get it done, and make the sacrifices to jump on that plane/bus/train.  I have seen people travel that didn't even know where they would stay the next day, or those hitchhiking their way across Europe.  I have traveled before with very few dollars, stayed in a hostel a few times and had a great time. While on trips there are tons of free things to do and still get a great experience. In another post I will share how I visited Norway, Denmark, Serbia, Turkey, England, and a stop over in Zurich for under $2000!!! (And I flew from Florida!!) Nothing is Impossible! 

Start thinking about places or adventure you want to be on. Yes, you are going to start thinking I want to go to China and see the Great Wall, or Australia to see some kangaroos. Let me tell you right now, if you do, you WILL NOT TRAVEL! Just the flight there will be $1500+.  Check out local adventures around your town or close by cities... hiking, rock climbing, seeing a new place, scuba diving, taking new lessons in anything!!! The list is honestly endless. A great adventure doesn't have to be in a new country... it can be right under your nose. (Check Groupon or LivingSocial for great savings- plus I'm addicted to these sites) By completing small adventures and travel trips you will begin to see that it is possible. Your desire to travel will start to grow, and you will work harder to get to that big trip to China!

I am one of those overly organized travelers... I even make itineraries.  I research everything in advance, find places I want to see, things I want to do, explore costs the best cost... but I still leave time for the "unexpected" fun I may encounter that my Google search just did not pick up.

I have seen many apps out there that are the must haves, and I definitely agree on a few such as Dropbox, Kayak and Skype!!!! Seriously.... what do you do when living overseas for a few months, and just desiring to see your family and friends… but realistically, flying home is not an option.... get on Skype!

So, I think if there is anyone out there like myself, that enjoys an organized travel life then here are some Free Apps for you!! I have separated my favorite apps into 3 categories below, and have shared how I use most of these apps with pictures as well. These Apps help me in planning, communicating with friends/family and just leisurely fun. 

TripIt
TripIt is designed to be a trip planner and it keeps all your travel needs in one place!! You can make itineraries (which I do all the time) and viewable on your phone at all times. You can add things from flights, trains, buses and activities... It really doesn't matter. A cool feature is that you can forward itineraries that are booked from your email, and it will automatically upload the information. You can also share your trip with others, so they know exactly what will be happening, this is particularly helpful if you are traveling with a group.

TripIt Pro: You can go as far as to upgrade to TripIt Pro... they will update you on flight changes/notifications or track your travel rewards. Honestly, simply having the free version is often enough.

App Link: https://www.tripit.com/uhp/mobile

Booking.com
The Booking.com hotel app gather hundreds of thousands of hotels/properties from all over the world that you can evaluate. You can look at photos, and see reviews of what people that stayed there have said before you. They often have descriptions that tell you how close things are to main sites or transportation. In most cases, you can book and have free cancellation as long as it is before 2-3 days of date for arrival. I used this app EVERY TIME I TRAVEL! I have yet to be disappointed from hostels to hotels, I have been pleased with all my booking.com 

App Link: http://www.booking.com/apps.html

Airport Parking
So you have a good price on a flight out for the weekend, but no one can take you to the airport. There is nothing more annoying than overpriced airport parking with a range per day from $20 -$40 dollars a day. In addition to your flight paying a median of $30 a day (still ridiculous) your grand total of $120 for the weekend is what you will be paying for parking. That's a bit too much... heck that is another 1 way ticket somewhere or an awesome adventure (skydiving for example). Airport Parking finds your close by parking lots with cheaper daily rates; the lowest I have paid is about $4.80. They have a shuttle that brings you to the airport and also comes for you when you get back. You will have to test out which company you like best, but once you find that company close to your home airport, parking and flying will no longer be that expensive.    

App Link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/airportparkingreservations.com/id906778512?mt=8

WhatsApp
We all know communication is key when you are traveling to allow for our family members mainly to know we aren't dead. However, there are great apps like Skype that will help with those moments. What I like about WhatsApp is that any of my new international friends I meet I can keep in touch with them without racking up my phone bill. As long as they have the app, and you have their number, you can talk to them using Wifi or your unlimited network with your phone company. I currently wake up to conversations from all over the world, especially since my closest friends do not live near me.    

App Link: https://www.whatsapp.com/download/

MagicJack
I like the MagicJack App a lot. While you have things like Skype the other person has to have Skype as well, or you will have to load money on your account. With MagicJack you can directly call unlimitedly to the US and Canada, and what is even better you have a number that others can call you on. You can then add friends with a special MagicJack number, and call those outside of the US and Canada for free as long as they also have MagicJack downloaded. So, if you need to reach someone immediately back home, but they are not on Skype. You know for sure they will have their phone, so you can give them a call. Gotta love it!    

App Link: http://www.magicjack.com/magicApp.html

Overdrive
Long haul flights, bus rides, or simply a quiet night hanging in your hotel can be that much nice with Overdrive. First of all, it gives you the ability to borrow digital books, audiobooks, movies etc without having to purchase. You can borrow up to 25 items at a time and time ranges. I usually borrow audiobooks, which I have for 21 days. Even when I am not on a trip, I use the audiobooks while I am cooking, driving to work, or just going to bed. It gives me that escape without costing me a fortune. What is even better is you can have it all in one place, watch a movie or read a book. All you need is a local library card that you input your member number. The rest is smooth sailing, and you enjoy your items on loan until the time expires.    

App Link: http://app.overdrive.com/

Our Daily Bread
While this may not go for everyone, I find it relaxing to have a quick devotion as often as I can when traveling. In most cases, I am not able make it to a church while on the road, and sometimes even if I could, I just would not understand the sermon as I do not speak the language. Our Daily Bread keeps me grounded in my faith and always a good way to either start your adventure pact day, or to unwind at night before going to bed. You can make bookmarks on your favorite passage, or write a journal. I personally, write things down in an actual book, but definitely a good way to recap.    

App Link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/our-daily-bread/id437496538?mt=8

Meet Up
While planning all my trips, a great app I look to so I know what locals are doing in the area is Meet Up. I actually use it where I live as well, because so many events happen that I have no idea about until I look on the app. So, while you can Google everything you want to do in an area, it is unlikely you will find the cool hidden treasures that the locals go to each week.     

App Link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/meetup/id375990038?mt=8

An altered version of this article originally appeared in Continental Driftings, the nomad lifestyle blog, and is republished here with permission.

Location of Estonia!

So, where the heck is Estonia? That is pretty much what I said when I decided to go on a Scandinavian tour... by this I was thinking of countries like Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. However, I ended up also exploring other countries as well... like Estonia.

Just a ferry ride away from Helsinki, Finland I explored an unknown land to me. I started with my usual Free Walking Tours (which I recommend to anyone that wants to get a good feel for their new surrounding while traveling) and was impressed with the very adorable architecture of the area. 

After trying Elk Soup (which wasn't bad by the way), Seeing Patarei Prison only closed in 2005 (truly a hell hole, and unbelievable that prisoners were held there), taking beautiful pictures from Kohtu Platform seeing all of Tallinn... I still needed something adventurous.. Something new... 

So, I asked the Free Walking Tour guide, what I could do, and he recommended going to Nomme Park and exploring... SO THANKFUL HE DID! Initially, I was just taking pictures of the cool scenery, but stumbled upon the adventure park.... and yes there it was A GIANT BUBBLE ON THE WATER!!!

Curious, I asked what it was for and the cost... and well let's just say... I couldn't resist. So there I was excited to get on the water, I envisioned myself just running all over the water...

I took off my shoes and stepped into this deflated bubble with just my socks on. Soon he started filling my bubble with air, as I sat there excited! Eventually he closed my bubble and set me sailing on the water. First attempt to stand, I fell immediately...Well, let me just say: it is a lot tougher than it looks (Kudos to Jesus!). I fell extensively, laughing and rolling as the young man snapping away and taking videos laughed with me.  After quite sometime, many falls, and endless laughter... I WALKED ON WATER! How about that for a Bucket List To Do.... CHECK!!!


Sometimes finding that new thing to do is all about having an open mind and willingness to venture outside of the normal tourist areas. Ask a local, take a Free Walking Tour... some of my best adventures and activities definitely were not found on Google search... So if you want to walk on water, head to Estonia. 

A very dear friend of mine introduced me to the term "wanderlust" recently. As soon as I heard it, I knew this was definitely the word that sums up my desires.

Wanderlust is "a strong desire to travel". If that doesn't sum me up in one word, I don't know what else does.

I am currently a PhD student in Neuroscience... and while I am crazy busy in lab... I can't help but explore and travel.  While the stereotypes of a person in a Phd program especially in biomedical research seems to be that we are lab rats with boring lives... I guess, I am here to give a different perspective.

As most of my friends and family members know, I am addicted to traveling... I enjoy being able to see other cultures and meeting different people. I have been blessed thus far to be able to go to many countries, and wanted to share that with you as I continue on a never ending journey.

So far I have been to:
Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Vatican City State, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Puerto Rico, Senegal, Serbia, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad (Have not seen Tobago yet), Turkey, Uganda, and the US Virgin Islands.

I have lived in:
Jamaica, Poland and Canada.

I will try to recap sometimes on my experiences in those countries, sharing some exciting things I have done while there, and tips on how you too can make a great adventure that are budget friendly, life changing, and fun!

I will most likely from time to time share some "nerd" moments with you.. but I promise to keep them interesting!

Enjoy as I plan my next adventure.