bit by the travel bug

2018 UPDATE: things to do: go to marina barge for sunset to look over the marina bay and super trees (don't miss). stay until 7:45pm to watch the light show do dancing with locals at zouk  check out the really incredibly botanical gardens... one of the most beautiful in the world. check their website, sometimes they have shows and you can picnic!  check out the cute cafes in tiong bahru (recommend plain vanilla cafe) check out the area near duxton hill/tanjong pagar (use lululemon as a center point). great cafes and restaurants (recommend populus cafe ) have drinks on a rooftop in a teepee with great views at mr. stork have drinks at atlas (don't miss this, super cool bar!)  the artscience museum is really great!  henderson waves bridge haji lane/little india lots of craft/stationary stores, i liked paper market go to the public library  things/places to eat:  get amazing kaya toast at wywy kafeidian. honestly don't eat it anywhere...

i am so lucky that working for  airbnb  has given me the opportunity to travel so much. i went to dublin, ireland my first week of work back in august 2014 and i've taken 4 trips to portland (which is amazing because i get to see my sis, brother and noah) and another trip to dublin in february. during my last trip to dublin i took a lil vacay before starting a crazy work week with my coworker/friend cristina and ended up in northern/western ireland visiting an old friend, katiemay. i had a great time seeing some of the beautiful country-side of ireland... and dublin is a pretty fun town too. it's small, but pretty diverse. it was nice to be back in europe since i haven't been there since 2007. cristina and i took a bus from the airport to donegal (bus system is easy and cheap in ireland): we then went up to where katiemay lives in this tiny village called  slieve league . the cliffs here are beautiful... there are tons of bnbs to stay and you could even ask katie...

airbnb graciously gives us two weeks at christmas so i was lucky enough to join my close friend mel and 10 of her/our friends to celebrate her 30th birthday and new years in costa rica! we stayed in playa hermosa, just south of jaco beach. i like costa rica but i found it to be a little expensive for central america. it's good if you're a new traveler or going with a family. here's some recs: - playa hermosa (beautiful small beach on the pacific side) - eat casados (you won't regret it) - ziplining (long runs and safe staff)... one of the better zipling experiences i've had - surf competition at playa hermosa (friday and saturday afternoons) - jaco beach - hike arenal volcano - hot springs in arenal (this one was one of my favs) make sure you book a shuttle/travel accommodations from the airport ahead of time (or go with a stranger, like i did!)

i've now taken two thanksgiving trips to kauai, one to north kauai and one to south. recommend, both, they're different. kauai is a magical place. it still feels raw and natury... hawaii without the tourism, or at least less of it. beautiful beaches, amazing hikes, great food and small enough to get around pretty easily. i highly recommend this island, although i have only been to oahu. if you're looking for adventure, relaxation and beautiful backdrops, stick with kauai. things to do/see: - poipu beach (great snorkeling, easy to access) - north kauai hike: hanakap'ai hike (challenging, but worth it. go to the water fall) - waimea canyon state park -  banana joes  (don't miss the banana whip - fucking delicious) - take a boat around the west side of the island - see dolphins and go snorkeling - beaches on the east coast are beautiful - poke to die for (try costco!) you can also go atv-ing, ziplining and eat some amazing food! hawaii it up! ...

summer 2014 my cousin/bff/human  sasha and i headed to SE asia to celebrate sasha's graduation from college and my 30th birthday. in august 2013 sasha's uncle (my cousin) jeremy passed away from pancreatic cancer. the years preceding his death he was heavily involved in raising funds and awareness for the windhorse foundation , which sent money to an organization in laos, which funds an orphanage for laotian children who have lost one or both parents. before sash and i embarked to SE asia, we raised $3,000 to buy 625 pairs of underwear for the kids and sponsored 3 kids to go to college with room and board for 4 years. our journey was amazing, some of it captured in this awesome video by sash:  minions in SE asia SE asia is a magical place. it takes forever to get there from the US but i highly recommend it. it's filled with culture, amazing food, so much adventure and it's really easy to travel inexpensively. with sleeping accommodations, food and activities we onl...