This was a great experience! As a true all inclusive product, there are multiple free excursions included each day - you can choose to do one or more (if timing allows), or you don't have to do any at all! You could even grab a bike from the ship and explore on your own. As long as you fly in the day before the cruise starts, and fly out the day the cruise ends, your airport transfers are included as well. On board all meals, and unlimited drinks (their chocolate martini was delicious!) are included. I could also eat off the ship if I didn't feel like going back, but the food was so good on board, that I always went back to eat! The dinners were an entire experience - starters, main course, and dessert, not to mention all the wine! Each meal was catered to the specialties of each area we were in. Dinner usually lasted around 2 to 2.5 hours and was a great way to end a day of touring. There was also a light menu for room service!The routing on the Danube started in Passau and ended in Budapest. Stops along the way included Linz (Salzburg), Melk, Durnstein, Vienna, and Bratislava. Each stop was unique and fun to tour around, but I'd have to say my favourite stop was Budapest. It is incredibly beautiful there and has so much history to learn about. There were some specialized tours which were at an additional cost. You can sign up for them ahead of time or if there is still availability, you can book a spot on the ship. The tour will be charged to the room (no credit card required at time of check in), and you pay the day before you leave the ship. The local guides were fantastic and very knowledgeable, and staff on the ship were incredibly helpful and friendly. The ship was beautiful, the beds were incredibly comfortable, the bathrooms were much larger than expected, and the lounges were a great place to chill. There were chairs with blankets up on the top deck so you could chill as the world slowly passed by. This ship, the SS Maria Theresa also had a small pool and a movie room. The nightly entertainment was good - especially the 70s dance party! One thing I wasn't expecting was that most of the sailing was done overnight. We had 2 days with some daytime sailing, which was a great way to spend the afternoon! By doing most sailing overnight, you got a lot of time in the ports for exploration. All in all, I had a fantastic time on this cruise!

The experience on the ship was great! Service was top notch! I happened to go when 24 hours prior to arrival, there was flash flood rain. This gave me a unique experience as to what happens when the river cruise can't move due to water levels. The onboard staff went above and beyond to make it a good experience, but it did turn into a bus tour rather than a river cruise. I still had a great time even though it wasn't exactly what I thought I had booked!

This was a great spot to visit for a few hours, especially if you have a family!  There are 4 sections - the main museum, an aquarium, a rainforest, and a planetarium.  There is also a restaurant there, and the food was surprisingly good.  The aquarium was bigger than I thought it would be - lots of stuff to see, including one massive alligator!  The rainforest had parrots and so many butterflies everywhere!  My favourite was the planetarium - that was a really fun experience!  One thing to note - if you don't have kids, be aware there are many of them there, all running around and screaming excitedly, especially in the aquarium!  

If you like history with darker history, this is a great place to visit!  I did a behind the scenes tour, which took me to off the main path areas.  It was interesting to hear the stories of past criminals and the lives they lived in this jail and the punishments they had to endure.  In addition to this tour, you can do the audio tour of the jail - I didn't have time to do this as I had to get back to the airport for my connecting flight, but one of the guides on my tour ran me all through the jail, making sure I saw everything - he took me to the dinning hall, the hospital, the outside yard area, the warden's house with the view of the city/Golden Gate Bridge, I even got to see where David Copperfield escaped from Alcatraz!  All this in 5 minutes - we ran all over the place, saw everything, and still had time to wait in line for the ferry back to the mainland! 

I was here for one night, and it was a pretty good location - lots of food options and convenience stores within walking distance.  Beds were comfortable and staff was friendly.   If you're using a GPS to find the hotel, make sure you put in the right address - the hotel address is 396 Queen Street, but the *entrance* address is 110 Mayoral Drive.  It's a one way drive in/out, and they do valet parking, which was great! We were about a 15 minute walk to the Auckland Domain park - a great spot to visit!  My favourite part of this park was the Winter Garden area.  The flowers were beautiful, and the Fernery was like stepping into a min rainforest.  It was so beautiful and relaxing, I could have stayed here for hours. We also went to the Auckland Botanic Gardens, which was about a 25 minute drive away from the hotel.  This was a great spot to slowly walk around.  It wasn't packed with flowers, but had different sections spread out with different themes.  I was also there during their fall, so most flowers were gone for the season, but it was still a very beautiful spot.

To say I've been to Hobbiton will always bring a smile to my face!  I am a big fan of the Lord of the Rings movies, and love the Hobbits... especially Pippin!  My tour guide was amazing!  He was incredibly knowledgeable and had answers for every single question, and provided so much information about Hobbiton and the Shire - it was great!  Walking the path and seeing Hobbiton appear was a dream come true!  There were 44 unique Hobbit homes that we got to see, and we were told about how the week after we were there, they are starting a massive project to construct a full working Hobbit home where visitors can go in and explore the full house.   I was very lucky to be there before the construction, but now I need to go back so I can go inside a Hobbit home! I did the main set tour and lunch buffet.  The food was so good!  There was lots of choice and the desserts were so yummy!  The decorations in the special event tent were beautiful.  After we ate, we had some free time to walk around the general area, which was a great time to take pictures.  I walked across the bridge that Gandalf and Frodo take the cart across in the Fellowship of the Ring movie, and had a ginger beer at the Green Dragon!  For any LOTR fan, this is such a great experience!

After spending time at Hobbiton, staying here continued my Hobbit dreams!  This spot is amazing and completely private.  It's categorized as "glamping" and is such a relaxing, peaceful spot.  There is a loud moment though - you drive a farm buggy down to the location.  It's a bit of a bumpy road, but once you get the hang of the buggy, it's not a bad little drive! The accommodation is built like your own hobbit home, complete with a private pond and lush land all around.  There is no power - inside is lit by candlelight, and is surprisingly great light! There is an outdoor tub for a nighttime bath, where you can see the stars and hear the crickets.  The bathroom has 2 sections - one in an indoor shower/change area, and the other is the bathroom.  There is no pluming, it is a compostable toilet.  At first, I was a bit nervous of this, but it was totally fine! Seeing the stars at night was amazing.  We had a fire going inside the home, in the kitchen wood stove.  There is no food provided but the owners have an outdoor grill and provide an chill bin to keep the food you bring, cold.  It is recommended to go to a grocery store before arriving, so you are ready for the weekend.  Speaking of the owners - they were fantastic! Very friendly and easy to get a hold of via email. One thing to note is that it is one bed, and it's a bit of an odd shape.  It's definitely big enough for 2 people but if you are not a couple, be aware there is no pull out sofa, and the floor is quite hard, so you will be sharing a bed.  I definitely think this a great spot, especially for the Lord of the Ring fans out there!

I had a few hours to visit Hamilton before checking in at that night's accommodations (Underhill Valley).  I didn't get to spend much time in the actual city but I did spend quite a bit of time at the Hamilton Gardens, in the "enclosed gardens" section.  It was very interesting - there were lots of sections based on historical civilizations that I wouldn't have expected to see.  My favourite area was the "fantasy garden collection", part of it felt very Alice in Wonderland!  It was a really interesting way to spend the afternoon, but prepare for a lot of walking! 

This was a very interesting spot to visit.  It's a geothermal reserve and mud spa with Maori history as well.  Some of the views during the walk were really incredible, but the smell - that takes some getting used to!  The strong smell of Sulphur is everywhere!  I would have stayed a bit longer, but the Sulphur that day was potent!  I'm still very glad I went and got to check this spot out, it was a really unique experience.

This was a major highlight of the trip!  There are a few tours you can do here - there's a walk and boat ride through the glowworm caves, then there are the more intense black water rafting tour options.  I did the middle level - the Black Labyrinth tour.  This involved getting in a wet suit (not an easy process!), climbing into the cave through a hole in the ground, and being in a pitch black cave.  I have a lot of fears, and this included many of them - but - this experience was absolutely amazing! Our tour guides, Luke and Pippin (yes, that is her actual name) were the best guides on my entire New Zealand trip!  They made me feel 100% safe and they were so funny!  Stories were told, sea chanties were sung, laughter was constant! We did a safety lesson before getting the cave, and were very clear on what would happen when inside.  We got to jump backwards down small waterfalls, and float in tubes.  Then we got to the glowworms.  We all turned off our headlights and floated through this amazing space with green glowing worms.  It was amazing.  The water temperature was about 14-15 degrees Celsius - with the wet suit, it wasn't bad at all. You do not have to be in great physical health to do this tour - if I can do it, anyone can - and everyone should!

I was meant to do the night time tree walk when the paths high in the trees were lite up, but we bought our tickets about 4 months before going and the park hours changed, so it was closed when we showed up!  Their customer service desk was just shutting down when we got there and the staff there were incredibly helpful - they offered me a refund right away and let me come back the next day to do the walk in the morning, for free. Doing the tree walk the next morning was a great experience!  It was very relaxing being high up in the trees, walking on suspension bridges- though, I suppose if you have a fear of heights, this might not be the best place for you! There were 28 suspension bridges through redwood trees that were over 100 years old.  It was really nice walking through the woods, high off the ground.

I would classify this as an adventure tour, with hiking, suspension/swing bridges, a cliff walk, and ziplining through amazing forest areas.  I was terrified lol I had never done ziplining before... it was amazing!  We had great weather, and wonderful tour guides who made sure we felt safe and had fun.  I was able to rent a go pro and film doing the actual ziplining, including one spot where you can race your friend!  Our tour guides made sure to provide history on the area and told us about the wildlife that is there today and what has gone extinct.  They are an environmentally progressive company, trying to save the forest. You don't have to be in top physical condition to do this tour, but you do have to be able to climb 6 flights of stairs (yes, there's one really big staircase to climb!), and be able to lift your knees above your hips for the zipline.  I was able to do it without issue - well, the stairs weren't the funnest but it was doable!  I definitely recommend this as a fun way to spend an afternoon!

I stayed here for 1 night.  The room was a good size, the beds were incredibly comfortable, and we had a lakeside view, which was great!  When you first walk in the hotel, you do smell Sulphur but that's pretty much everywhere in the general area.  The location was good - we were very close to the lake for a walk, and about a 10 min drive to the Redwood Treewalk, and about 15-20 minute drive to Hell's Gate.  There was a restaurant right across from the parking lot, which was pretty convenient!   There was no issue getting a parking space and the hotel was sold out, so that was great. I did have one issue with the room, but the staff was great with dealing with it.  On top of providing a solution, they also gave me free breakfast, which was very delicious!  They were great to talk to and incredibly helpful.

This was a fantastic spot!  After 1 week of sharing a room with my travel buddy, we got to spend the night in a 2 level, 2 bedroom suite with a washer/dryer in the kitchen!   Getting to do laundry for free, rather than paying for laundry services at a hotel, was great!  Also, being on a 2 week trip with only a carry on, we definitely needed to get some laundry done! The bedrooms were small, but had what we needed.  The larger bedroom had a window where the smaller room did not.  The kitchen and livingroom are also small, but after being in hotel rooms, this felt huge!  The kitchen had all the supplies one would need for a long stay.  The location was great, we were about at 20 min walk from downtown, so going out to eat and explore a bit in the evening was very easy to do.  The staff was friendly and helpful with suggestions of where to go for food.  I would definitely stay here again. 

This is a great option for Queenstown!  It's about a 10-15 minute walk to the downtown area - all down hill, which is great! ...walking back is not as fun, all uphill, but it's not the worst! The beds were comfortable, the staff was very friendly, and the little courtyard was really cute.  It's very easy to get to the main downtown core from here, and is less than a 10 minute drive from the airport.   This hotel is also very close to the Remarkables Market, about a 15 minute drive.  If you are there when the market is open, you have to go!  My friend and I spent about an hour wondering around, buying the best fruit, veggies, cheese, bread, and chocolate that we've had in a long time!  I would stay at this hotel again.  

I really enjoyed the gondola.  Before we got to it, we saw a Kiwi Park, and we happened to get there 5 minutes before their last encounter of the day with Kiwi birds!  My friend was all about this, so off we went!  It was a unique experience - especially because they are nocturnal birds and I have horrible vision in the dark.. but I did see 2 of the birds!  After this, we continued on to the gondola. The ride up was nice - as you get higher, the views get better and better!  We noticed a lot of people going up on the gondola were taking mountain bikes with them - I didn't realize there were bike paths up there, it was very popular!  Before you go out to the view point for pictures of the city and mountains, you walk through a building with some shopping, and some very interesting artwork on the walls - like a giant image of Frodo with the one ring... made out of jellybeans.  It was pretty neat! The views from the top are amazing.  I must have taken 100 photos!  The mountains, water, and town are so incredibly photogenic.  I was very glad I spontaneously decided to do this.

I stayed here for 1 night.  It was a very large room.  When we walked in, you were directly in the bedroom, then as you walked through, there was a large bathroom and a very large kitchen/Livingroom area.  The Livingroom had 2 lazyboy chairs, and extra big fuzzy blankets, so we got very cozy, very fast!  The view off the terrace was beautiful. We were right across from the lake. The best part of this motel, was when we got into our beds, we noticed the bed had an electric blanket under the sheets!  We were there during fall, which was quite brisk, and these electric blankets were the best!!! The location was good - we were a very short 3 minute drive to a walking area which also had a small bird park inside.  It was about another 2 minute drive down the road in the other direction to get to the main downtown core, where we found a grocery store and lots of restaurants.  It is a cute little town, which would be nice for walking around in good weather. We also did another glowworm cave, which was maybe a 10 minute walk from the motel. I would absolutely stay here again.

I did a second glowworm experience but I wanted it to be different, so this time we did the boat tour.  To get to the area where the glowworm caves are, it was about a 20-30 min boat ride each way.  The views were beautiful as we made our way over.  This tour involved a walk, some history and information, and then the cave exploration.  It was an easy walk through the caves, then onto the tiny boats to go see the glowworms.  It was pitch black and the caves weren't as tall where the glowworms were, so they were *right there*.  The actual boat ride around the glowworms felt like it was about 15 minutes max.  On the way out, we went to a spot in the cave with a waterfall and got to take pictures. We did the tour at night time, and when we came out of the caves, it was night time, lots of stars in the sky, and an almost full moon.  It was quite the sight.  I'm glad I did both the boat tour and the black labyrinth tours - both are great options.  I recommend doing at least one of these tours if you go to New Zealand!

This is a full day experience (7 hours).  It was an hour cruise/ferry across Lake Manapouri, to an hour bus over the Wilmot Pass and the Fiordland's rainforest, then the 3 hour cruise in Doubtful Sound, finally you go back by bus and cruise/ferry again.  It made for a long day, but if you are a nature lover, this is a must do! The views are amazing, and the fjords are beautiful!  The cruise has the option of being inside where it's warm and food is for purchase, or you can be outside on each level, with the most space on the top deck for taking pictures.  Make sure to dress warm as it can be brisk out there on the water! Even though it's a long journey to get to the actual cruise, it's worth it - the views are amazing the entire time.

If you love nature, you must do this!  There are different tours available, some 2 hours, some 3 hours.  I did the 3 hours tour that included the underwater observatory. The views when you're simply parking your car to get to the cruise, are amazing.  There's a pathway by the parking lot that takes you down a very scenic path.  The other direction is the pathway to the cruise, which is about a 10-15 minute walk, depending on how fast you walk. The views on this cruise are beautiful!  We saw waterfalls, rainbows, and dolphins swam up by our boat!  I liked that it wasn't a full day cruise, and more of an afternoon adventure.  You can be either inside to keep warm, or be outside to take amazing pictures.  It's a great way to spend the afternoon.  The tour we got included a picnic lunch, which was stuffed with more food than I was expecting!  The underwater observatory was interesting, but I think I personally would skip this part if I did this cruise again.  It was neat, but I mostly wanted to be on the water, seeing the views and taking pictures! I definitely recommend a Milford Sound Cruise.

I hadn't heard of Great Barrier Island, until my friend found this during our planning.  This is an amazingly beautiful island just off the coast of New Zealand.  You can get there by ferry (4.5 hours), or by plane (30 minutes).  I did the plane roundtrip - but you should know it's the smallest plane I have ever been on, so if you're a nervous flyer, you might want to take the ferry! This island is like something out of a story book!  It's amazingly beautiful and the few people who live here are incredibly friendly.  The roads are very narrow in areas and the turns are tight!  You never know who is going to be coming around the corner, but the locals are great drivers!  Bazzah's Beach House was almost at the top of a hill overlooking the beach and general area.  It was incredibly beautiful and relaxing. The house had 3 bedrooms, and worked on solar power, so you had to keep an eye on how much power you had.  The owner of the house left super clear and easy instructions on what to do if the power went below a certain level, and she was very easy to contact when we had questions. The driveway up to the house was bumpy to say the least!  You absolutely need to rent a car with 4 wheel drive to get up it. The beach was about a 2 minute drive or a 7-10 minute walk at most, and it is an insanely beautiful beach. Spending the last 2 days of our trip here was the best decision!  We ventured out and drove around the island, spent time chilling at the beach, and watching movies at the house.  The stars at night were amazing.  We would just sit on the huge front deck and take it all in.  It was a great way to end our amazing adventure in New Zealand.

I spent 1 night at this hotel, and I would say the name is very appropriate!  This is definitely a budget hotel.  It had more of a university residence feel, where the rooms were incredibly tiny and the beds were single size.  At least, my room was!  I believe you can get a larger room, but I did the best price of the day. The location is very close to the airport. There is a shuttle bus that costs a few dollars to get between the airport and hotel, or it is about a 15-20 minute walk from the airport.  I walked there and took the shuttle bus back.  Very easy to get around. For a post night, this was an easy option, though if I were to book here again, I would get at least one room category higher.    

Disneyland was so much fun!  I stayed at the Alamo Inn & Suites Motel, which is about a 10-15 minute walk from the park entrance.  Great motel to stay at! I did a lot of pre-planning for this trip, booked my dining reservations, reserved my days at each park, and played a lot with the Genie Plus App.  One of the great things about the Genie Plus app is that for Disneyland, it includes the photo pass - this isn't something Disneyworld does.  My friend and I got there a day before our park passes were set to start, so we tried to buy an extra day pass on the spot - this unfortunately didn't work out for us as the parks have limited capacities now and they were fully booked up.  Make sure to plan your days before getting there!!  Instead, we spent the first day exploring Downtown Disney - we went bowling, shopping, and had some great food!  We went on as many rides as we could over the 4 days we were there, and did both Disneyland and California Adventure.  My favourite rides were Indian Jones Adventure, Jungle Cruise, Big Thunder Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, and I loved Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout, and Web Slingers (Spiderman)! The nice thing about this park is that where it's so much smaller than Disneyworld, no car is needed between Disneyland and California Adventures, unlike Disneyworld where you need transportation to get between parks.  That said, I think Disneyworld is my favourite between these 2 locations, but I still had an absolute blast at Disneyland!

It was very interesting staying in 2 different locations, which were only about 30-40 minutes away from each other and seeing how very different they were!  Playa Mujeres is a quieter area with a great beach.  The ocean wasn't super wavy so it was good for swimming.  This is a newer destination to visit in the area, about 40 minutes from the airport.   After my stay in Playa Mujeres, I went over to Cancun which was a much livelier area with a fun Caribbean party vibe!   It was quite windy here, and the waves were intense, so I found it not a great beach for swimming. Both were great spots - but if you're looking for quite, relaxed spot, you might want to check out Playa Mujeres!  If you want a happening, lively area - you want Cancun!

I really loved New York!  This was my first trip and I will be going back!  I was only there for 3 days, but was able to fit in a convention at the Javits Center, Times Square, a play (Book of Mormons - hilarious!), Top of the Rock, quick visit to Madison Square Gardens, Central Park (I did the horse and buggy, I couldn't help myself), saw the Statue of Liberty, the bull of Wall Street, and a visit at the 911 monument.  I stayed at the Courtyard New York Manhattan/Chelsea hotel. This hotel is a great location!  I took the train from the airport to Penn Station, and the hotel was about a 5-8 minute walk away.  Super easy to get to.  There were places to eat close by, some fun NY tourist shops, and a police station right across the street, so I felt very safe!  Beds were comfy and the pillows were amazingly comfortable.  There was a small cafe on the first floor, around the corner from the front desk, so it was a good spot to grab breakfast.  There was also a small concession shop beside the front desk, but it was very expensive. I was in New York to attend the NY Comic Con at the Javits Center, which was about a 15-20 minute walk from the hotel.  That convention center is huge.  I took a cab once between the hotel and the Javits center - it took almost as long as it does to walk, thanks to NY traffic!  If I go for another convention at the Javits Center, I will probably stay here again.

I stayed at the El Tambo I Hotel in Lima.  It's a standard hotel in a quiet neighborhood, within walking distance to the waterfront, which had lots of restaurants and shopping options. There is also a market about a 20-30 minute walk away in the other direction, and a park with local art for sale.  This hotel can accommodate large families as well - at first I was put in a room with 4 beds!  One double bed and 3 twin beds.  Once I let front desk know I was the only person in the room, they changed me to a room with 1 Queen bed.   The breakfast area was a small room, but it had an outside area with one large table.  The front staff was very friendly and there were no issues with language barriers.  I recommend this hotel.

I stayed at the Cayman Lodge in the Amazon and it was amazing!  It was about a 2 hour boat ride to get to the lodge, which was a fun experience in itself.  While looking at the passing amazon rainforest, we would also stop when someone would spot an animal.  The lodge itself is very much camp style.  Be aware that you can hear everything in the cabin attached to you as the walls do not go all the way up to the ceiling.  There was only power during breakfast and supper - the rest of the time, you actually had to talk to people, which was wonderful!  With no power, that meant the cabins were lit by candle light.  There are bug screens to put around your bed, which you unravel and tuck around the bed yourself. On the lodge grounds, there were animals running around and monkeys screaming in the trees.  We did a night time jungle walk, which was very cool to see insects and animals you only see on tv - I didn't like the big hairy spiders though! One thing I do recommend about this lodge, is to bring your own pillow.  The beds are hard, which is to be expected, but with the damp air of the rain forest, it makes the pillows heavy and hard. I would absolutely stay here again!

I stayed at the San Agustin Internacional Hotel in Cusco.  The location was fantastic - close to shopping, food, and a big courtyard where there is more food, more shopping, and some public events - it was Earth day when I was there and there was a concert happening, which was pretty neat. My room was on the ground level, which was a bit noisy but nothing where I needed earplugs to sleep.  The shower had really good pressure and the bed was comfortable.  The staff was very friendly and helpful.  There was a restaurant on site, I had breakfast there and it was very good. I recommend this hotel.

I stayed at the Tunupa Lodge here.  It was within walking distance to shopping and restaurants, and the best part - it was a few minutes walk away from the train to Machu Picchu!  The grounds of the hotel were beautiful - flowers everywhere and a stream in the back.  The room was lovely and the bed was comfortable.  I was there during a rainy time, and there was a damp smell in the room, but that couldn't be helped. If you're going on from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu, this hotel is a great location.

I stayed at the Inti Punku Machu Picchu hotel.  I would say it's about a 5 minute walk, or less, between the train from Ollantaytambo and this hotel.  You are also about 1 minute walk to cafes and the big market area.  The walk to the bus up to Machu Picchu is less than 10 minutes.  Aguas Calientes is a really cute town with good food, and great tourist shopping where you can do all the bartering!  I'm not good at bartering, but I had fun trying!  My room at the hotel was a decent size and the beds (I had 2 double beds) were quite comfortable.  I didn't realize at first, but one of my windows in the room faced the inside stair area - I recommend making sure of your window views and close the curtains accordingly :) The staff at the hotel was very friendly and you really could not beat the location.

I have wanted to visit Machu Picchu ever since I first heard about it in high school.  To stand there, looking at the view (once the clouds parted!) was so surreal.  I had tried to prep myself for the climb up the hill... but did not prepare quite enough!  I took the bus up from Aguas Calientes but there is still a bit of a climb to get to the top of Machu Picchu.  It involves walking uphill and climbing up old stone steps.  I found myself out of breath doing this, but I picked up a trick from some other girls on the climb - if you raise your hands and put them on the top of your head it opens up your lungs and makes it easier to breathe.  It worked!   I honestly can't remember just how long it took to get to the top, I took a lot of breaks on the way up! When walking through Machu Picchu (after you take 1000 pictures of the view), there is a specific path to take so as to keep the traffic flow going, and you only have 2 hours to be there.  My guide with Intrepid was fantastic - full of knowledge and able to answer all of our questions. I was lucky and got to go up again the next day, and this time, after climbing to the top and taking more pictures of the view, I did the Sungate Trail.  This took about an hour-ish and was harder than expected.  There were lots of stone steps, and of course, it's an uphill climb, but the view from the top is absolutely worth it! Being there was a dream.  I am happy to have that checked off my bucket list!

Amazing!  Biggest tip I can give about visiting the Rainforest - bug spray.   Lots and lots of bug spay, and sunscreen, and a rain jacket!  I wasn't exactly sure what to expect when visiting the Amazon Rainforest.  I knew it was a Rainforest, but man, some of the insane rain I saw was intense!  On the 2 hour boat ride from Puerto Maldonado, we were served lunch which was delicious!  We saw some interesting animals and just looking out at the jungle kept me entertained.  One night, we took a nighttime boat ride to look for night creatures.  They took us to the middle of the river, shut off the little engine, and told us to just sit, listen, and take it in.  The stars were incredible, and the sounds of the jungle were alive and so cool to experience! I enjoyed not having access to wifi or power.  I did not enjoy the cold showers!  It was an amazing experience that I won't forget any time soon.   

I stayed at the Thistle Trafalgar Square hotel, on the recommendation of one of my clients.  This is an amazing location!  I was at Trafalgar Square, in the theater district, and around the corner from Piccadilly Circus, and within walking distance to Canada House, and the National Gallery (next door to my hotel), and was able to walk to the British Museum, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and Parliament House, the London Eye, and there is a massive tourist shopping/restaurant area just around the corner. The hotel itself is standard and clean. The front desk staff was very friendly and accommodating when I showed up early.  I ate at the restaurant a few times - always found something to eat and the servers were very great. If you want a good location in a touristy area, I highly recommend this one!

I did a day tour to Stonehenge - there were lots to chose from, but where I didn't have a lot of time on this trip, I did a half day tour.  This is essentially simply a bus that gets you there, a ticket in, and then time to explore on your own without a guide.  I was there in April, which was freezing cold!  I had no idea it would be so windy there!  Even though I was shivering the entire time, I really enjoyed the experience.  I got an audio guide to get a bit of history, and took all the pictures!  I liked that you have a choice of either walking to the stones, or taking the bus.  I opted for the bus where it was so cold. On a nice summer day, a walk would be lovely.  I think it would probably take about 20-ish minutes to do the walk.  After viewing the rocks, I went to check out the exhibit on the history of the area and the mystery of the rocks.  After that, I went to the café for a hot chocolate before heading back to the bus.  Even doing a half day tour, it still took up almost the entire day.  It was just over 2 hours each way by bus, and I had 2.5 hours at the site, so it was a total of 6.5 hours.  I got back to the city just in time to go to the theater that night. I found it a really neat experience and recommend others to check it out!

I did a bus tour of China with "On The Go Tours", and it was fantastic!  We got a lot of distance covered in a good amount of time.  We travelled by plane, bus, boat, local overnight sleeper train, high speed bullet train, and rickshaw!  We got to do a cruise on the Bund in Shanghai, a visit to the Xian Terracotta Warriors, bike on the Xian city wall, saw the Shaolin Kung Fu Temple where we not only watched a Kung Fu demonstration, but also got a private lesson from a Master!  We visited the Longman Caves (amazing site!), visited 2 sections of the Great Wall of China, went to markets and saw 2 cultural shows.   The hotels were all 3 star or better - you do have the option to upgrade the hotels, and you can fly instead of taking the overnight sleeper train (which I recommend flying!).  We had a local rep who stayed with us the full time, and additional local reps at each city we visited, who grew up there and know all the history.  They were able to answer any question we had - and there were a lot at times! I definitely recommend this tour company.  It was a good mix of hitting all the must see spots, and still allowing time for shopping! 

I had a fantastic time with Norwegian Cruise Lines!  I was on the Norwegian Spirit, which is a smaller ship, but still has a lot to offer.  The staff was friendly and engaging, the food was good and there was always something going on.  I was in an ocean view, picture window, mid ship cabin.  The room was a decent size, and the bathroom was also a good size - the shower was bigger than I thought it would be, which was nice!  There was a promotion that came along with my cabin category - 2 free promo items... I took the specialty dinning and unlimited drinks.  The food was fantastic and the unlimited drinks was a great deal!  Mykonos was windy and beautiful.  The shopping was great, and views were amazing!  Did I mention it was windy?  Athens has fantastic history and the food... the food was so good!  I did the hop on hop off bus, which was a great way to get around. Rhodes was my favourite spot.  When I got off the ship, I met a taxi driver who took me to the beach he takes his family to... it was beautiful!  It was a lovely way to spend the morning. There was also a restaurant right where we were dropped off at the beach - the food there is the best food on the entire trip.  I want to go back!  When I left the beach, I toured around the old town section, which has really great shopping.  I spent entirely too much money here! I did an excursion in Santorini, which gave me free time to walk around to take pictures, and it ended with lunch which had a Greek dancing show, and we all got to smash plates! I only had about 3 hours in Chania (Crete).  I took a cab into the downtown area, and walked around. There was really good shopping and lots of restaurants.  It was a really pretty place.  I wish we had more time there. My cruise also went to a few spots in Italy - Rome, Naples, Pompeii and Messina (Sicily).  It was my first visit to Messina (great shopping city), and my 2nd time to Rome, Naples, and Pompeii. I had such a good experience with Norwegian, that I will absolutely cruise with them again!

I was lucky enough to see the following shows/attractions: Ka - Cirque du Soleil This show was amazing!  The set/stage alone took my breath away. Sometimes I was slightly confused by what was happening, but it didn't even matter because the performance was brilliant. I loved it! David Copperfield I have been a fan of David Copperfield since I was a little kid.  I got to sit about 8 feet from the stage, with no one blocking my view - it was great!  He did some old tricks that I have on my VHS tapes from the early 90s, and he did new stuff as well.  It was a really good time! Rock of Ages This was my absolute favourite show that I got to see.  I don't even like musicals, and wasn't overly looking forward to it, but all the 80s and early 90s rock songs - I was singing at the top of my lungs the entire time!  It was great! The actors were amazing, the band was great, and the songs were the best.  I will go see this play again. Criss Angel Great show! High energy, very cool illusions/tricks, and there was comedy in there too.  The Bodies Exhibit This was super cool - so long as you have a strong stomach!  It's a very educational exhibit about the human body... by displaying dead bodies to show how we work.  I will admit, a few times I had to sit down as I got a bit dizzy thinking about what I was getting up close and personal with... but I would go again!  It was very neat. The High Roller at the Linq Even if you're afraid of heights, this is do-able.  You go 535 feet in the air in an observatory cabin and the views at night are beautiful.  You can get a cabin with a bar if that helps you get over your fear!  It's a slow ride, taking about 30 minutes to complete.  You go so slow, you don't even realize how high up you are, until you look down.  I highly recommend doing this at night - it's more expensive, but definitely worth it. Red Rock Canyon (Pink Jeep Tours) If the Grand Canyon is too far for you to get to, or you just don't have enough time to make the long trek, Red Rock Canyon is a great day trip.  It's maybe 30-45 minutes outside of Vegas, and once you're there, you're relaxed and at one with nature.  The guides with Pink Jeep Tours love their jobs and you can see it in the way they talk about the area, teaching you things about the plants and land that you would never know otherwise.  I thought this was a great trip, and it was definitely a high light of the week for me. Helicopter ride of the strip at night (Papillon Group) I definitely recommend if you do this, try to make it so a group of you is in 1 helicopter and not split up.  It's a very quick ride, about 10-15 minutes in total, but it's really neat.  You fly up and down the Vegas Strip while listening to fun music, like "Viva Las Vegas" by Elvis!  It's hard taking pictures because of the shaking of the helicopter, so I recommend to just take in the moment and look all around.  It's pretty neat!

I loved everything about this city!  You can easily drive to some beautiful scenic areas close by, like: Portugal Cove - amazing views, you need to see it!  Middle Cove - the lookout has great views, and the beach (rocks, not sand, is a great spot to spend the afternoon. Flat Rock and Red Head -  it's kind of like it sounds - lots of flat rocks you can walk on! Quidi Vidi - My favourite spot I visited. You park near fishing boats and walk towards the ocean. It's amazing here, but you have to be comfortable walking in some narrow areas on rocks to get to the best spot!  When you finally make it to the end, it's worth it - you're in a cove, looking at 2 cliffs that open up to the ocean.  It was so relaxing here, I didn't want to leave! Blackhead - part of the East Coast Trail, I saw a path called Deadman's Bay Path... I didn't go on it!  The view here was very pretty as well. Cape Spear - this is the most eastern part of Canada!  I saw whales here!!  There is a great walking path, and the lighthouse is a great spot for photo ops. Can't forget about Signal Hill, which you can see from downtown.  When at the top, you have views of the town and of the ocean.  It's really beautiful up there. If you're into photography like me, you will take tonnes of pictures and get some amazing shots! If you're a foodie, there are great restaurants to chose from - like Raymond's Restaurant, Mallard Cottage, Oliver's Restaurant, Rocket Bakery, The Reluctant Chef, The Gypsy Tea Room, Duke of Duckworth... I could keep going!  When you're done dinner, why not stay downtown and hit up a pub for some local music, or go to George's Street and go pub/bar hopping!  The entertainment is fantastic.  If you're a shopper, there are plenty of places to spend your money on local art, specialty chocolates, and souvenirs.  If you're more of a mall shopper, you can do that too.  From jellybean house, to the famous 4 sisters houses, museums, art galleries, pubs and chocolate shops, St John's has something for everyone!  One last word of advise - be careful if you're driving in St John's - if you're not a local, it's easy to get confused at some crazy intersections!

I had so much fun at Aquatica!   There are so many fun waterslides, wave pools, and beach area with chairs to lounge/tan in.  My favourite was Roa's Rapids - so much fun!  Strap on a lifejacket and enjoy the rapids!  Another great ride is the Dolphin Plunge, where you take a waterslide through a dolphin tank.  There is another waterslide, the Ihu's Breakaway Falls where it is a drop slide (I was way too scared to try), it looks really intense!  You can also rent a cabana for as low as $49/day. Discovery Cove offers a dolphin swim experience, lazy rivers, quiet beach areas, swim with sharks/stingrays/fish, snorkelling, and you can walk on the bottom of the lake.  It's a great day trip!  They also have random animals they bring out in common areas for people to see and learn about.  It is an all inclusive place, so meals and drinks are included.  It's a great laid back, relaxed atmosphere. SeaWorld has more to offer than I knew!  There are some really scary, I mean, thrilling rollercoaster rides, water rides, penguins (that you have to take a ride to get to), dolphin shows, killer whale shows, pet shows with rescued animals, an area to fee stingrays and another area to fee dolphins, kid hot spot play areas, and there are even random stations through the park to charge your cell/ipad/camera.  I had a lot of fun at this park!  I also got to see a back area where they take care of rescued and injured animals before they release them back to the wild.  It's a great place to spend the day!  

I think the highlight of this park was the safari ride where you get to feed giraffes.  That was pretty cool!  There are so many animals you get to see, it was quite the experience.  This park is another good one if you like rollercoasters or water rides.  If you have kids, there's a big kids area with only one way out, so it's very easy to keep your eye on your kids.  This area also has Sesame Street characters who have interactive shows with kids.  It's very cute.  There's also an area where you can feed birds, and other spot where you can see Cheetahs running around.  If you get tired walking around, you can take a sky ride, or a train to get around.

If you ever wanted an airboat ride experience, this is the place to do it at!  You have a choice of 30 min or 1 hr ride and it's really fun!  Make sure you wear bug spray though!!  After the boatride is a bbq and man, the food is amazing! There are so many animals in this wildlife park, it's a great learning experience.  There's also an area where you can feed alligators and another area to feed birds.  It's a really neat place to spend an afternoon. 

I loved spending the day at this park!  There is so much to do, and I definitely recommend getting a park to park ticket so you can go to both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.  As someone who gets motion sickness, I stayed away from the rollercoasters, but had a blast on other rides like the Minions from Despicable Me, Transformers, Spiderman, and Harry Potter!  So much fun!! I really liked the Harry Potter World section, there is so much detail from the books, it was really neat!  They will be opening a new Harry Potter section soon - the date isn't released yet, but it looks really good from what I could see!  There is also a Simpson World and a Dr Seuss area - it's really fun to walk around.  There is lots to do, see, eat and places to shop.  I will absolutely go back to this park the next time I'm in Orlando.

I didn't really have a desire to go to Disney, but I wanted to see what it was like... and I am totally a Disney girl now!  I actually skipped through the Magic Kingdom and could not stop smiling!  It really is the happiest place on earth :) I only had the day to experience as much as I could, and I went to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot, both are really great parks.  I happened to go on a day when it rained and I now know that the park never closes!  They might close some rides if the rain is too much, or there's lightening, but there are so many inside rides and lots of restaurants to go to, that you don't really feel like you have to wait for the rain to stop to have fun... so you don't have to worry about weather.  They also sell rain ponchos at every store in Disney World, so you can stay dry. Fast passes are a great idea.  You can pick 3 at a time and you have an hour to get use your pass.  While you wait for one of the fast pass choices, you can go on any other ride that has a short line up, or grab a bite to eat.  Downloading the Disney app is also really helpful for knowing the wait times at each ride so you can plan your day out better. The monorail system is easy to use and there are also buses to get between parks.  You can always Disney employees around to help you out if you have any questions.  I can't wait to go back! 

Regal Oaks is located a few minute walk away from Old Town.  It's a big carnival area that takes up a few blocks and it's filled with rides, games and shops.  This is also where you catch the bus to Busch Gardens, which was really easy.   The homes are newer, the back yard area is screened in and some homes have hot tubs, which was a great way to end the day.  I stayed in a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom home and found it very comfortable.  The kitchen was large as was the livingroom area, and there was a laundry room in the house.  The bathroom had face clothes and towels (and a few other towels were in the bedrooms), and hairdryers were provided.  There were games by the tv left for us to play, and movies to watch.  Other people travelling with me had a 2 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom home.  All the homes were really nice, and there was a corner store and pizza place just a few minutes walk away.   The homes also had wifi, which was really great!  The location was about a 20 min drive to SeaWorld and about 30 min to Disney World.

These are great apartments for those needing 1 or 2 bedrooms.  80% of the rooms were 1 bedroom.  The property includes free parking, wifi and there is no resort fee.  Housekeeping and room service is included (*note the room service is at no cost, but the food is a cost).   There are 3 pools (all with pool bars), 2 gyms, a kids play area, and a small store (open 8am-11pm) on site.  All rooms have some kind of water view.  They offer free transportation to Disney, and there are frequent rides to work with your schedule.  It's a large property and very pretty.  The apartments have screened in balconies to keep bugs out.  There is an internet "link" station on site, which is great for printing tickets/boarding passes.  There are also 1 and 2 bedroom villas, most are independently owned and rented out.  The location is also ideal, they are only about 2 minutes drive from SeaWorld, less than 10 minutes to Universal Studios, and less than 5 minutes to the outlet shopping.  It is a very family friendly property.

This is a very large property at 125 acres!  The location is great - you're basically right ontop of Downtown Disney.  They have 7 pools and 13 tennis courts.  80% of the rooms are 2 bedroom.  There is a very large store on site, with an internet "link" area, and you can find pretty  much everything you need there.  It's very pretty, with a lot of water and green areas.  Both 1 and 2 bedrooms have full kitchens, laundry rooms, and balconies.  Some of the 2 bedrooms even have Jacuzzi tubs in the bathroom. Housekeeping is included in the cost.  There is an area where you can rent dvds, and have access to tennis courts, basketball courts, volleyball and more.  It's very family friendly.

This is a large property with golf on site.  There is also a restaurant and bar that has great reviews.  You can easily find a grocery store and Walmart near by to get any food/items you need.  If you stay in the newest building (#32), and you're on the 6th floor, you can see the Epcot fireworks at night - that's how close you are to Disney!  The rooms are large and have full kitchens, laundry room, and a balcony.  There is no hairdryer in the room, but you can request one and it will be brought to you.  All units are non-smoking and no pets are allowed.  The only building to have a pool view is #31.  That does not mean it's right ontop of the pool - just that you have a view of it.  The common area has a good size pool with waterslide and there is either live music or a dj to keep things lively.   There are 2 other pools on site, one is quiet and one is for adults only.  The oasis rec centre has tennis court, the quiet pool, contiki bar, snack bar, bike rentals, basketball and more.  The golf clubhouse has a restaurant and sports on the tvs.  Some nights the clubhouse has a "drive in" movie theater on the course, where you drive a golf cart in and you can get snack food!  I think that would be pretty fun to do.  The clubhouse also has it's own wedding department to help coordinate your special day.