What is Wanderlust you might ask yourself?? Allow me to elaborate.

Wanderlust is defined as a strong desire to travel. Some would describe it as the itch you feel when you haven’t taken a trip in months. For me, I know it’s time to get the heck out of dodge when everything at work is getting on my nerves and I have lost my appreciation of the sunrise and sunset.

Let me tell you, there are few things in life that make me happier then when I’m thinking about travel. Things like waking up on a beautiful island, hearing the waves crash against the surf, enjoying a cup of “T” while the sun is rising over the cliffs and then coming home and sharing my adventures with my friends and family. It’s the people I meet, the food I try and the amazing memories that I love the most.

I say all of this because this blog post is to help you organize your inner wanderlust!

When I first began thinking of traveling, I was extremely overwhelmed with all the information out there and cost associated with it. I did not know where to begin and I almost gave up!

I took my first trip 15 years ago as a struggling college student. I was waiting tables at night and on weekends when I didn’t have dance rehearsal. It was the passion within me to learn about the world and I would work extra hard to make sure I could take my first trip.

My first big trip was to Las Vegas with 2 girlfriends. I scoured tirelessly looking for the best hotel prices and airfare price.

The great thing about then and now is technology. The ability to research deals and specials is the new wave of traveling. 15 years ago, there were a few websites and now there are so many that it can either make it easier for people to travel or overwhelm them with too many options. My aim in the next set of posts is to make the whole process just a little travel friendly and hopefully 100% exciting!  

Here is the T for my top 5 tips for first timers looking to start their wanderlust journey.

1. Make 2 lists. One for your top 10 international dream vacation spots and one for your domestic vacation spots. I found this to be a great exercise in that I could narrow down where the number of places to research and to really focus on specific locations.

2. Determine the time you have available to travel; this can be current of within the next year. This exercise is helpful again in narrowing down the where to travel, if you’ve only got a couple of days select something from your domestic list, if you have a week or more look into your international list.

3. To include friends/family or not to include friends/family, that is the question!! It is no doubt cheaper to travel when you can split cost down the middle with someone but there is another important factor to keep in mind… can you stand to be around that person(s)for X amount of days? Do you have the same travel style? Trust me when I tell you that this is a crucial step in your traveling journey (no one wants to bet stuck with a Debbie downer or psycho on a 5-day trip! Yes, I have been there!).

4. Create a rough itinerary! I am both a go with the flow kinda gal and a schedule woman depending on the locations that I am traveling too. I find when I’m traveling domestically, I may not need a super detailed plan but that when I’m traveling overseas it helps to ensure that I can get to and from locations and sites with ease.

5. Outlining a budget, yes I know this is the least fun part about planning a trip but getting an idea of what a trip is going to cost will help you to save and be better prepared for surprise things that may come up.

My next few posts will take a deeper dive into T’s top 5 tips for developing your own wanderlust! I hope you’ve enjoyed your cup of T today!

Let me know what your top 10 international vacation destinations are and I will share mine with you!

I hope you enjoyed your cup of T! Follow me on Instagram @Enjoy_a_cup_of_T for more pictures from my trips and reviews.