It strikes me odd, as a vast majority of my most romantic vacations are always in spots not known for their romance. Sure, I've done Paris, New York, Las Vegas, San Diego, London and all the rest, but all those places seem either overcrowded, overly expensive, or they happen to be just plain old tourist traps. To me, a key component to romance is reality, not fantasy. Fantasy works great for short affairs, but despite its glamorization by Hollywood and the music industry, there is nothing romantic or sexy about bumping uglies with random people. Romance comes with love, not lust.

Laying in bed with the flu in February of this year, I sent the email.

We explored Seattle a few weeks ago, and absolutely loved our time there so I wanted to share with y’all some of our favorites! We were visiting some friends in Bellingham, Washington which is about an hour away from Seattle, so we explored Bellingham for the weekend and then Seattle for a few days. We landed in Seattle on Thursday, and returned to Texas that next Tuesday night, and rented a car Friday-Tuesday. I’ll break down our itinerary and our favorite spots below. :)

Jamaica, a paradise on Earth, the land of free people and magnificent nature—people come here to recharge their batteries and experience something new. Although Jamaica has become quite a tourist place in the last years, and its most authentic spots now are overcrowded with people, there still many secluded and tranquil romantic places you have to visit when you come here! That is why, in today’s list of 10 most romantic places on Jamaica, we are going to mention not only trendy bars you can party at with your beloved but also isolated natural wonders you may want to see with your own eyes.

Ocean City, Maryland, is a very popular ocean-side destination in the summer months, and our friends from Harrisburg, PA, who we were staying with raved about it being their favourite summer escape. The resort town sits on a strip of land between the Atlantic Ocean and Isle of Wight Bay. There are miles of golden sand and a wooden boardwalk offering many restaurants, shops and accommodation. At the southern end of the Boardwalk, there's Trimper’s Rides theme-park which has been offering entertainment since 1893, and houses one of the oldest carousels in the World. The waters on either side of the strip play host to hundreds of kayaks and tour boats, alongside swimmers and bathers. In the height of summer, you cannot move on the boardwalk for other holiday-makers. The beaches are packed with people, umbrellas, blankets, sand castles and laughter. The hotels, streets and parking areas are all full. It's a very social, energetic place to be.

Throughout December, my boyfriend gave me a clue every day until my birthday on December 23rd. The clues included letters that would eventually spell out “we are going to…” and gifts such as a princess tiara and a scratch map of the world.

We’re always worried about money, today was no different. We were on our way to Portugal from Spain. We had all our luggage with us for our usual bi-weekly vacation back to his hometown. After 40 minutes in the hot metro, we finally got out. So, here we are, carrying three bags and one suitcase for our 15 minutes walk on the car and finally, were there! Yah, thank god. I haven’t eaten anything since the night before and I’m hungry, I’m tired and I just want to sit in the car and play on the new tablet he just bought me.

Born and raised southern Mexican who busts out into her twang just to laugh her way through another day.

Day 4

After the previous day we were terribly tired and we have slept for quite a bit. Oversleeping the breakfast wasn't fun, as of course going to a restaurant wasn't an option; extreme prices. Also, we have paid for breakfast in advance, so it was annoying, that I was too lazy to set up an alarm.

If you haven't read my first published post, Bucket List Traveling, you should take a look! If you aren't feelin' it, I'll summarize for you. My husband and I decided to take a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Europe for seven weeks during the summer of 2018. We each packed one (small) duffel bag to survive for the entirety of the trip. We took a year to plan and pay for our trip, which consisted of seven different countries and over 15 cities in total. I plan to break down our trip to each city in my Vocal posts- so stay tuned!

Are you a dreamer? I will be the first to admit that I am. But, sadly, that's all I am. I rarely seriously consider pursuing my goals that seem "out of reach." Don't get me wrong, I am very ambitious and a hard worker. But, you know the kind of dreams I'm talking about; those far-off wishes that you don't think possible for your life.