Brooklyn Travel Addict

The Hustler’s Guide to Budget Travel

January 29, 2015

This article was originally published on Parlour.com.

In a few weeks, I’m headed on a three week adventure starting in Jaipur, India and ending in Cape Town, South Africa—and my trip is mostly free. While I’m definitely taking applications for sponsors, Sugar Daddies and other hood rich streams of revenue, none of these assistance programs helped me get there. My trip is free because I’m a hustler.

My business card may say otherwise, but my friends know I’ll sell pretty much anything that’s not bolted to the floor and if you stand near me for long enough you might find a price tag taped to your back. I’m one of the most financially irresponsible people I know and yet I have repeatedly found ways to make a dollar out of 15 cents, sometimes returning from trips with more money in my bank account than when I left.

You too can make it rain passport stamps with a hustler mentality, an ear to these travel streets and your eyes on the skies.

HIDE YOUR MONEY … FROM YOURSELF

Ever wonder how that chick in your Instagram feed ends up on pristine beaches and random desert animals every other month with that part-time job as a singing ice cream scooper at Cold Stone? She probably has a travel fund, which is the fool-proof way to fund your trips.

First open an account with Mint and set your financial goals. Then arrange an automatic draft from your paycheck to a high-yield savings account so your money never sees the light of Zara. Occasionally, Mint will tell you about yourself with these nosy reminders about your spending and you’ll be like ‘You don’t know my life’ but out of nowhere you’ll check the balance and see you have enough for your vacation!

BECOME A LANDLORD

So here’s the thing; the laws in certain states and buildings make apartment renting illegal. But I, um, heard you can make a ton of money by renting out your apartment on Airbnb. This has theoretically been my number one moneymaker for my travels over the past few years. And before you ask, yes, people will touch your stuff. Their little stranger hands will be all over your remote control and all up in your refrigerator looking to see what breakfast treats you left them. If that freaks you out, then Airbnb is probably not worth it for you. But if you’re open, your humble abode can become a stream of income that makes your future beach trips a whole lot cheaper.

LET FELICIA BORROW YOUR CAR
All this ‘Bye, Felicia’ hype is nonsense—as long as Felicia has a few dollars, she can borrow your car all she wants to. Services like Relay Rides allow you to make money while your car is just sitting around collecting bird treats all day. Or if you’re headed out of town, you can rent it to savvy travelers coming in at the airport from which you departed. But, like Airbnb, if you’re not comfortable with people in your space, this may not be the move for you.

STALK THE INTERWEBS
Hey you over there, the one scared of the Internets with the little blue man as your Facebook profile picture and throwing shade at us tweeters! Please understand that you’re never gonna catch these crazy flight glitches—read AMAZING DEALS—if you’re not plugged into social media. The Flight Deal consistently breaks the Internet, sending your broke brethren into a frenzy with some $75 return flight to Heaven on Earth. To catch these flubs, check your feeds early and often as word spreads fast and seats sell out quickly.

From travel hacking and points hoarding to staying in hostels over hotels, there are so many ways to beat the system when it comes to travel and keeping your coins. Ultimately, you need a ‘by any means neccesasry’ attitude when it comes to achieving your jaunting dreams. Whether it’s a trip home to visit family or an international adventure, you’ll get there faster if you abandon the wait and save method and pursue your passions with a relentless spirit.

Travel, Travel Tips

My Amtrak Journey + 5 Tips for an Amazing Ride

January 5, 2015

As I write this post I’ve been on my way to New York from New Orleans for almost 3 days now. I know, crazy right? This trip could have easily taken 4 hours via flight and I could have been watching cooking shows on my couch by now. However, back in New York there are holiday parties and window displays and up to 75% off at Bloomingdales and oooooh I wonder if that Michael Kors bag is on sale, and sweet baby Jesus if this family of 17 would get out of the middle of the sidewalk I can get home before my Caribbean spot runs out of curry goat, but first let me check GroupMe to see if anyone is out at happy hour and….wait, where was I going with this.

Oh. Distractions.

While I love New York like a home cooked meal, sensory overload is a way of life there, and as the year draws to a close, I always like to get away and focus my goals for the next one. As a little girl I remember loving our long rides from South Carolina to New Orleans to visit family, so I decided to take a train from NOLA back to New York.

This trip has been everything I wanted it to be. I took naps. I wrote down my goals, edited them, and questioned them like Annalise Keating in court, making sure my argument for achieving them was rooted in purpose. I sat quietly and looked out the window, watching state lines pass without signage or a welcome message from my airline app. Most of the time I didn’t know what city I was in and didn’t have a signal at times, but who needs a signal when you are passing by scenes like this (I literally just stopped to take this picture as I was typing.)

Passing over the Susquehana River in Delaware

On top of the scenery, traveling by train introduces you to to people you’d never speak to on a flight. I had long conversations with conductors, learning that many of them had been with the company for decades and the crew was like family. I asked one guy what the craziest thing was that he had seen on the train and died laughing when he said a girl on Meth stripped down completely naked, walked into the dining car and wondered why people were staring at her. A young brother was in the cafe car with me studying for the MCAT, and while I wanted to ask him what college he attended and where he was applying, and go into my “you can do it young brother we need more of you/I believe you can fly/You is smart you is important..” motivational speech, I remember the focus it took to study pre-med biology in college and left him alone.

While a train ride isn’t your fastest option, it’s a definitely something to consider if you’re willing to slow down and enjoy the journey. Here are a few tips to make your trip even more awesome than mine has been:

*******

GET A ROOM

If you’re traveling overnight and can swing the price, I suggest getting a room in the sleeper car. I was lucky enough to upgrade to a Viewliner roomette last minute, and while it was super awkward to have a fold-down toilet next to the bed, (what engineering school dropout designed that?) it was nice to be able to sleep in privacy and stretch out without looking homeless. Some rooms come with one bed and the in-room toilet situation, while others have up to 4 beds, a couch and a shower/toilet down the hall. All rooms include meals. Prices vary widely ($250-$900) based on train route, number of beds and timing, but definitely look into it if you’re doing an overnight trip, especially if your’e traveling with someone else. It’s like 2 flights, a hotel and meals, and the dollars make more sense.

BYOB

Unlike air travel, ain’t nobody sweating that 5th of brown liquor you smuggle onto the train. I’m all about the flask-life, but somehow forgot hit the liquor store in New Orleans before I boarded (which is a fail because you can buy liquor at the grocery store, drug store, corner store, Wal-Mart, in the middle of the street, at the confessional booth at church, and pretty much anywhere in New Orleans so I had no excuse.) There’s liquor available on the train, but it’s those little underachiever mini-bottles just like flights, so bring your own stash and it will come in handy with that sleep situation if you don’t have a room.

PACK SNACKS

So there’s plenty of food on both short and longer-distance trains, but don’t think you’re about to get smothered pork chops and collard greens up in that joint (OMG how awesome would that be? An all-you-can-eat buffet with all the fixins? Soul Train for real! #DearUniverse) Sadly, it’s more like diner food. A solid 3 stars and on the pricey side for the quality (esp if you’re a food snob like me).

My steak with peppercorn sauce was actually pretty good at dinner, but I swear the caesar salad had McDonalds croutons and I spent a good 20 minutes at breakfast trying to figure out what wild animal had sacrificed it’s life for the “chicken” maple applewood sausage.

TAKE A FALL TRIP

On a train ride you spend much of your time sitting by a window. And what passes you by is often small towns and countryside between big cities. Since my trip was during winter, much of the landscape was in winter-mode: kinda dry & depressed looking. I can only imagine how beautiful it will be in Spring when Cherry Blossoms are blooming in the Northeast or in Fall when the foliage peaks in the mountains! There’s even a Dome Car on the Montreal route with windows on all sides to give you an even better view. If that’s not your chosen route, you can still maximize your experience by traveling mostly during the daytime, and in an optimal season for scenery.

HOP ON & OFF

Several times along the way I wished I could have gotten off and explored a bit, but a single ticket doesn’t allow this sort of flexibility. However, Amtrak offers Rail Passes that allow you anywhere from 8-18 stops over 15-45, days respectively. If you’re doing a longer trip across the country or through some interesting places, consider a rail pass where you can hop off and enjoy the attractions of small town America, or visit friends in cities along the way!

******

As I write this we are approaching Penn Station and the 3 hour ride from DC felt like 20 minutes. The time really flies by and it’s far more relaxing than the many airport catastrophes I’ve experienced (like that one time I threw a full out toddler tantrum at the airport b/c of a cancelled flight and they were all like “Ma’am we can get you there by the 27th,” and I’m all like “WHAT ABOUT CHRISTMAS THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING WHYYYYYY!!”) The next time you have extra time, schedule some quality time on a train ride with your family, friends, or that special someone and experience the remarkable beauty this country has to offer.

Brooklyn

The #BlackLivesMatter Movement is Bigger Than Black and White

December 12, 2014

It’s been 12 days since a Staten Island grand jury decided not to indict Officer Daniel Pantaleo for choking Eric Garner to death. The night after the verdict was announced, I marched across the Brooklyn bridge with Amadou Diallo’s mother and the family of Eric Garner. By the time I got home, footage from our protest in Brooklyn was on the news, and I sat on my couch in disbelief that history was repeating itself right in my own backyard.

Overwhelmed I called my Dad to ask him about his stories from the 60s, and the similarities were painful. The fear, the tension, the tear gas…it was all too familiar. But the biggest difference was, when he marched, everyone around him was Black. It was Us against Them.

Last week on the bridge, however, it wasn’t Just Us. It was a melting pot of anger, frustration, passion and grief, united in a single demand: Justice. A Hispanic guy in front of me screamed “Black Lives Matter! Hispanic Lives Matter!” with such passion (nearly in tears) that he lost his voice. It felt personal. To my right an older Asian man walked silently with his hands up in honor of Mike Brown. He had on no coat, and looked like he wandered out of his office to get coffee, ran into the crowd and was so moved that he had to join. At that moment, halfway across the bridge, with the American flag above my head and the Statue of Liberty shining on my right, I realized this movement not about race. While the actual cases were clearly the result of racial bias and insensitivities that would require a dissertation to explain to some people, the movement that has captured the world is bigger than race. It’s bigger than Black vs. White. It’s about fairness. The concept of fairness is something we all learn as children, regardless of race. And underneath our varying degrees of melanin-coated skins are hearts that ache when another human is expressing the universal language of pain. What has happened in the cases of Eric Garner, Mike Brown, Oscar Grant and countless other men is incomprehensible in a country that prides itself on liberty and justice for all. And while no protest, t-shirt or hashtag will ever bring these men back to their loved ones, hopefully this movement that has started around the world will shame the United States into living up to the proclamations on which this country was created, and eventually those unalienable rights that all men are entitled to will include life.

**** Portraits of the movement from around the world****

BROOKLYN, NY

Family and friends of fallen men carry mock coffins across the Brooklyn bridge in protest.

LOS ANGELES, CA

Logan Browning joins demonstrators protesting against police violence, including the July chokehold death of unarmed black man Eric Garner in New York, as they march near the area where LAPD shot an assault suspect. Photo by Patrick Fallon.

TOKYO, JAPAN

Citizens of Toyko join the fight and share under #Tokyo4Ferguson

Protesters in Tokyo, marching in solidarity with protestors around the world calling for Justice and condemning racism and police brutality. #Tokyo4Ferguson // Photos by Nayalan Moodley

PARIS, FRANCE

Protestors in Paris. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

NEW DELHI, INDIA

Protest against racism in New Delhi, India. Photo courtesy of The Island Diaries

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

Melburnians block major road in support of #iCantBreathe movement. Photo courtesy of @newzuluAU

KOREA

LONDON, ENGLAND

London protests outside the U.S. Embassy

BRAZIL

Workers union in Brazil standing in solidarity for #BlackLivesMatter

STATEN ISLAND, NEW YORK

Erica Garner leads die in on Staten Island; December 11, 2014

Erica Garner leads die in at the site where her father was killed. Photo courtesy of the Huffington Post.

**************

For those who would like to contribute to the family of Eric Garner, click here to contribute to the Indiegogo fund set up by his daughter to support the children.

Travel, Travel Tips

How to Plan a Last-Minute Trip to Carnival

October 29, 2014

Wait, WHATCHU MEAN last minute? It’s only October and carnival isn’t until February!

While that may seem logical for many trips, Trinidad carnival is one of the few that folks start planning up to a year in advance (Yes, it’s that serious.) Luckily, it’s not too late. I planned my first trip to carnival in October of 2010, and it was hands down the most fun week of my adult life. So here are a few tips to help you catch up and be on your way!

1. CHOOSE YOUR CREW

I’ve written before about the importance of your travel crew, and carnival is no exception. This is not the trip for your high maintenance girlfriends who need 5-star accommodations and bottle service. This is for your ride-or-die, down for anything homies who are ready for a good time, and can survive on a strict diet of Johnny Walker, sunshine and soca music. I’ve done carnival with 2 friends and I’ve done it with 10. Either way, with the right folks you’ll have a blast.

2. FIND A PLACE TO STAY

You actually need to handle this before you even book your flight because lodging is really hard to come by during carnival season. People book the Hyatt (the most popular/nicest hotel) nearly a year in advance, and many hotels are already full, so you’ll need to move quickly. Start with the hotels closest to the action, and if they’re full, try private homes on Airbnb, Homeaway, or TripAdvisor. If no luck there, start looking on carnival sites like Trinidad Carnival Diary or asking around in travel communities like the Nomadness Travel Tribe.

Note: Try to stay in Port of Spain if you can, because the last thing you want is to spend half your week cursing in traffic.

3. BOOK YOUR FLIGHT

This makes it official!!! Since it’s late you may have missed out on most of the direct flights (bummer), but book now before you end up with layovers in Scotland in Zimbabwe on your way to Trinidad. If you’re a frequent traveler, now is the time to use those miles or credit card points to save some pennies!

3. JOIN A BAND

So you know all those folks covered in feathers in glitter that you see when you google Trinidad Carnival? The maqueraders you see are a part of different bands that are in the big parades on Monday and Tuesday. Joining a band gets you a costume for both days, meals, snacks and open bar. While the costs vary significantly between bands, expect to pay around $600-$900 depending on your costume. There are tons of bands to choose from, here are 3 of the most popular ones:

Tribe – This is the most exclusive band at carnival. The only way to get a costume is through a prior masquerader or inside connection or a secret code or government clearance or something. I gave it all the side eye cause that’s not how I get down, but they did live up to their name when I played with them this year. At our lunch stop we had everything from makeup touchups and costume adjustments, to a full-service hair salon! There was a great vibe on the road, (a little pretentious at times but your crew can fix that), the costume quality is excellent, and everybody was freaking gorgeous. It was like an international hoeasis for both men and women.
Island People – TURN DOWN FOR WHAT! I played with them my first year and can confirm this band is consistently all the way live on the road, with the energy is on 10 pretty much all day long. However, be prepared for average service at best. Costume pickup was painfully long, and we literally were fighting/shoving for food at lunch like it was the Amistad or something. The costume quality is ok, but honestly your first year you won’t be able to tell the difference and will feel amazing when you put it on for the first time!
Yuma – For lack of a better description, this is the middle ground between Tribe and IP. The costumes are really nice, there’s a pretty good vibe on the road, and decent service which I heard has improved over time. Yuma is a solid choice for your first year.

While the pickings are pretty slim at this stage in the game, first check their websites, and then try costume-swap sites like Fineabahn.com or Carnival Junction. At the end of the day, if you have a fun crew you’ll have a blast in any band, so get in where you fit in and get ready for a day of epic euphoria!

5. GET YOUR PARTY TICKETS

Luckily you have a little time here. Parties don’t start selling out until closer to carnival, but definitely start looking around for tickets. The cheapest way to get tickets is from someone who lives in Trinidad, but if you don’t feel like driving into the mountains to pick up tickets from your homeboy’s play cousin with the hookup, try a site like Lazy Mas to keep it simple. From cooler fetes to all-inclusives, there are too many parties to list, but here are 3 types of fetes you should try to experience:

Breakfast Parties
Sunnyside Up and Diamond Vale are the 2 biggest all-inclusive breakfast fetes. Both great choices, but I’ve only done Sunnyside which is always a blast! If you don’t go anywhere else, go to Sunnyside!
J’ouvert Parties
Caesar’s Army A.M. Bush is definitely in the running for best fete 2014 (right behind Sunnyside). Super bright paint colors, awesome vibe, great music, water hoses and an adult bouncy house. You’re welcome.
Ultra-Premium Parties
If the top-shelf life is your thing, then you should definitely check out one of these “classier” parties. Beach House and Bryan Lara are both high-end, top shelf fetes with gourmet food and premium liquor (as in Johnny Walker Blue and Hennessy White). However, the ticket prices are steep so be prepared to drop $200+ on these.
Concerts
Watching Machel Montano perform live at sunrise in Trinidad my first year was the moment I fell in love with carnival. As a non-West Indian, the energy was something I had never experienced before. Tribe Ignite and Girl Power are 2 large concerts that are also all-inclusive fetes, and major artists usually perform. Soca Monarch is also a good way to catch some great performances since it’s a competition.

6. PUT DOWN THE CHICKEN LEG

No really. Put it down, pick up your gym bag, and start a consistent regimen of cardio and clean eating. Here’s a quick guide to get you started. While you don’t really need to look like Beyonce, you definitely need get your endurance up for the nonstop dancing and 12 hour parade routes on 1.5 hours of sleep. And on a vain note, Facebook/The Interwebs will find you even if you don’t post a single photo, so hit the gym so you can smile and pose for the 5,987 cameras on the road!

*******

If this all sounds like a lot, to be honest, it is. But it’s worth it! And the good news is, if you plan a little earlier, you can sign on with a trip organizer like LP:TS, The Ultimate Trinidad Carnival, or countless other companies that will plan everything from lodging to fetes. Typical fees range from $200-$400, but if you can swing it, it’s totally worth it! And if you’re still not sure, check out these photos by Dwayne Watkins from this year’s carnival that will make you a believer.

Are you currently planning a trip to Carnival 2015? Are you a veteran with more tips to share with readers? Leave a comment below and…no wait, don’t. Actually, I might cry since I’m not going next year lol. Just kidding, feel free to share more tips or ask questions, and enjoy your epic adventure in February!

Travel

What it Really Means to Be 30-Something

July 4, 2014

By 30-something you should be married. Well into your marriage in fact, with most if not all of your kids already born, and paying a mortgage, not rent.

By 30-something you should have finished your education, and well into a steady job that supports your family. Loving that job isn’t nearly as important as having it because the retirement struggle is real and day care is like tuition. So hopefully you’ve gotten all that frivolous shopping and spontaneous traveling out of your system, because responsible adults don’t behave like that.

But your rewards will come when your kids grow up as successful members of society, you and your husband start traveling again, and you can move to a nice vacation home in Florida.

This was my portrait of 30-something for a very long time. And it is a very realistic portrait for much of American society, putting pressure on both women and men to force their lives into this perfect little frame to hang on their wall next to Black Jesus and Obama.

Yet sometimes, life doesn’t seem to fit into that traditional frame, and suddenly it seems like something is wrong with you. Relatives ask you if you’re okay, when you’re gonna finish school, when you’re gonna find a real job, when you’re gonna settle down, when you’re gonna have your first child, or your second child, or buy a house, or stop shacking up. Society will act like you’ve got 99 problems plus Solange just because your frame is a triangle. Or a hexagon. Or one of those crazy shapes you learned in Geometry but couldn’t name for a million dollars today.

I expected everyone in my life, including myself, to pick out that pretty frame from Target with the smiling family of 4 somewhere in our mid-late 20s, and have it hanging in our suburban homes by 30-something. But as I crossed that scary age of 30 and saw all the unfamiliar frames, shit got real. The early divorces. The infertility struggles and silent pain. The career frustrations. The unfulfilled dreams. Suddenly the chick on her 7th degree, traveling on student loan money with no 401k seemed just as happy as the soccer mom with 2.5 kids and a picket fence.

There is no magic age for your life to be “complete.” No magic number for the day your children, your passion, your big break, your dream job, or your partner will magically appear. Everybody’s number is different, but at the end of the day most people eventually have their number called.

My charge to you is while you’re standing in line, enjoy yourself. Listen to some music. Bust a quick Nae Nae when nobody is looking. Ask the person behind you to hold your spot so you can go hug a friend way further back in line real quick. On your way back to your spot, do a cutie run and scan the line for Tim Howard and that awesome beard and those dope tattoos and chile, if you find him just stay in line next to him cause honey…

Tim Howard, MVP U.S. Soccer Team. For more athletic loveliness click the image to view this year’s ESPN body issue

Wait, where was I again?

Oh, yes. Enjoy your own story, and don’t allow society to define what your 30-something looks like. Whether you’re in that line still waiting for your dreams to manifest, or have your oddly shaped frame already hanging next to Black Jesus, understand that the exception is actually more common than the rule. Even the smiling soccer Mom in that frame at Target is still in line waiting for something else. If you’re waiting to finally finish school, give praise for not having to go to work every day! If you’re waiting for that second child, give the first one some extra attention because those precious moments will be less frequent once #2 arrives. If you’re waiting for a spouse, TRAVEL! Book a flight on a whim and blow your paycheck on fine wine, international cuisine and new shoes. Do it now before you have a husband or wife that will throw semi-harmless objects at you once they see that credit card bill.

Have fun in line! Even at Six Flags in August when it’s 439 degrees and the roller coaster line is 13 hours, it goes so much faster when you’re enjoying the people around you (whether you know them or not). Wherever you are, enjoy it, keep your eyes open to the world around you. Before you know it your number will be called, your wait will be over and you’ll see how fast time flies when you have a smile on your face.

So how have the 30s been treating you? Are you struggling with feeling “complete” or are you loving the journey? For a quick pick me up while you wait, check out 27 underrated things about being in your 30s!

Click here to view this post on Ebony.com

Travel, Travel Stories

4 Countries, 5 Days & 160 Cousins: An Island-Hopping #TravelFamily

June 6, 2014

Imagine island hopping between 4 of the most beautiful and exclusive islands in the Caribbean, with private beaches, deluxe yachts and the most beautiful water you’ve ever seen. Then imagine you don’t have to plan a single piece of your vacation. No flight stalking, no customs clearance drama, no Hotwire Hustling for a better hotel rate. Nada. Every detail is handled Olivia Pope style, and all you have to do is show up at JFK on time (that’s actually the hard part cause LAWD that 5:30 AM flight had me on that #OpenMouthLeaningIntoTheAisle struggle bus).

It almost seems like there’s a catch, right? I had the same question my first time traveling with the OHPsalms “Travel Family” but it’s really that simple, and the group’s organizer, Omar Hamilton, spends nearly a full year taking care of these details so the group can relax and have a great time.

Last year when I first heard they were called the “travel family” I was skeptical though. Like, “aww that’s cute, but what makes ya’ll family?” And who goes on these trips anyway? Why have I never heard of them? Does everybody come back? Am I gonna end up on a milk carton?

However, after last year’s trip to Curacao I totally understood. While the trip can get pretty live at times (the “booze cruise” was like a straight up Trinidad carnival boatride!), at the end of the day it really does feel like you’re traveling with a bunch of cousins. I’ll admit your first trip feels like freshman year in high school, all awkward cause everybody seems to know each other. But by the end of the trip you be all like “Ayo son, sign my yearbook!” and stuff because you have all these new friends and memories from your adventures together.

This year was the 10 Year Anniversary of the trip and while it was only my 2nd one, it felt like they took the experience to the next level. Below is a run down of the islands we visited and some tips for anyone interested in planning their own island-hopping adventure!

ST. MAARTEN

St. Maarten was our home base for the trip. We stayed at the Sonesta Great Bay all-inclusive resort and the view from the rooms each morning (pictured above) was breathtaking. The daily buffet had a wide range of options, but the star of the culinary show was their jerk chicken served poolside daily that will make you lick your fingers in public. Twice. The staff at Sonesta was also super friendly and accommodating to our group of over 160, simply looking the other way during a few turn up moments by the pool at their “quiet resort” #PoolsideTwerk #TurntUpTammy

For those looking to hang out, there’s definitely plenty to do on the island, with enough nightlife to have a bachelorette/bachelor type of weekend. Several nightclubs, (and strip clubs for the fellas), shopping malls and other attractions to keep you busy, with easy access to other islands nearby via ferry.

ANGUILLA

The water here was unbelievable. Like, I would take photos and go to add filters on Instagram, only to find the original was flawless as is. These photos are the ones I’m still weeping over at my desk in New York. With perfect blue waves and pristine white sand I just….I mean….. *holds back ugly cry*

My favorite beach from the entire trip was Sandy Island, a private island accessibly only by boat that we traveled to on our “Booze Cruise” that Sunday. At only 150 yards long, it’s super tiny but was perfect for the group to take over for the day. We enjoyed lunch complete with grilled lobster, played football and volleyball, sunbathed, took some amazing sunset photos and indulged ourselves in what felt like a once in a lifetime experience. In my next life when I’m rich and fancy I’ll definitely be taking my yacht out to Sandy Island on weekends.

ST. BARTHS

I was actually surprised at how much this island reminded me of Paris! It’s shamelessly expensive with lots of designer shopping for their wealthy clientele. I kinda sorta got my feelings hurt at the Louis Vuitton store though (why nobody told me their bags are a few months rent! I was like how much is a wallet? Ya’ll got a layaway plan?)

As far as the beaches go, here’s a tip: Skip the typical American destinations like Nikki Beach, and head over to Shell Beach for lunch at Do Brazil. When you’re done, take a dip in the clear, turquoise water in front of the restaurant. It’s so serene and untouched here, perfect for a lovers adventure and a little skinny dipping if you dare 🙂

Overall, the OHPsalms island-hopping trip left me craving more of “the good life” and reinforced my desire to pile my pennies and have a vacation home one day on a Caribbean island (possibly St. Kitts). Complete with a chef and a personal captain for my private yacht to take me out to Sandy Island on weekends, it’s gonna be amazing and you are all invited to the house anytime!

*checks bank account*

Um, so yeah….for now I’ll have to settle for my mini-getaways, and as often as I can get them planned for me with groups like this, I’ll keep traveling and can at least narrow down my options for where me and my Heathcliff will eventually settle down at our vacation home and finger-licking jerk stand on the beach 🙂

Click here to view this story on Travel Noire

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