I decided last month that it was time to come back home to visit everyone for the holidays, since I’ve been traveling abroad for the last seven to eight months. Don’t get me wrong, it’s fantastic to see my friends and family – because over a half of a year alone can have its toll on you… But I desperately despise my horrible timing – winter in Ohio is typically not a lot of fun. It’s cold, dreary, dull, and has absolutely random weather tantrums. So, the worst part for me being in Ohio for the winter is… The winter, itself. Bring on Christmas and warm tithing and all that jazz, but I’m still reminded at how much this winter will suck, with each day that it goes from 60-70 degrees down to under 30 within only a few hours.
With that said, I’ve been trying to escape the frigid cold temperatures and grey skies by planning a couple of literal escapes. I have my heart set to spend some of my winter holiday time relaxing on the beach – so I’ve began the process of planning and booking a couple of trips far away from the heart-shaped state. I began looking at reviews of providers like On The Beach. As far as which destinations I’ve been weighing in on, I’ve considered Bermuda, Jamaica, Hawaii and Florida. I have some connections in the Caribbean, so a nice, resort-style vacation may be in order. But the key question is: How do I choose the perfect beach holiday destination? I mean, as far as Florida goes, it’s quite typical for Americans to travel as far south as Miami or Key West for a holiday away, rather than adventure much farther south – so that adds to the draw of the Caribbean for me.
One of my best friends that I used to live with in Columbus moved to Tampa, Florida right after I left for my trip last Spring. Tampa is a sure thing, so I’ve been planning it and flights are booked for December 5th-9th. My friend has some attractions and antics planned for us, like sailing, beaching, and partying – it should be an interesting experience, as I’ve not visited Florida since I was young, when my mother and I lived in Orlando for a summer. I’d like to stay longer than four days in Tampa, but it’s the holidays and I have a lot of projects that I need to finish before the end of the year – because there may be something pretty big coming after the New Year, but that’s news for a later time.
As much as I want to lounge on white beaches with crystal clear blue water, and of course explore the Caribbean some more – as the last time was a very rough experience – but the more I think about it, I think I should hold off until I can explore a lot more of the region. Because if I visit the Caribbean again, I want to do it right, and for a much longer time period – visiting one island at a time isn’t really how I like to do things. I’d much rather travel at a leisurely pace, hopping from one island to the next, as I see fit – what do you think?
And then I think – Hawaii. Oh yes, Hawaii, that’s a MUST visit for me. Beautiful beaches, sunsets, volcanos, and other wonderful landscapes with loads of interesting attractions and historic draws. I know that Hawaii has a lot of development on parts of the islands, but there are still a lot of relatively untouched areas that I want to experience and to photograph. It’s insanely rare and very difficult for me to slow down my natural curiosities and cultural interests for me to have a real vacation, where all I do is focus on what I want to do, while staying relaxed and entertained with activities, rather than exploring and meeting locals, and learning cultures and trying all new things – and yes, I can do a lot of those and still live up the vacationing part of the trip, but it’s rare for me to totally let go of the explorer mindset, I suppose. Even though Hawaii has loads of interesting places, people and cultures, I think I can make an exception and give myself a real break for once – haha. For example of how bad it is sometimes, I will work nearly ten hours a day sometimes, just because I have a lot of projects on my plate and I enjoy what I do, but that severely limits the time for my travels too – and this is something that I must work on this winter.
Anyway. Overall, I’m looking for a relaxing holiday, away from work, crime and tourists… Would you like to weigh in and help me choose something somewhat close to home, yet fits the bill for what I’m looking for?
(Photo via wallpaperweb.org)
One of my best friends that I used to live with in Columbus moved to Tampa, Florida right after I left for my trip last Spring. Tampa is a sure thing, so I’ve been planning it and flights are booked for December 5th-9th. My friend has some attractions and antics planned for us, like sailing, beaching, and partying – it should be an interesting experience, as I’ve not visited Florida since I was young, when my mother and I lived in Orlando for a summer. I’d like to stay longer than four days in Tampa, but it’s the holidays and I have a lot of projects that I need to finish before the end of the year – because there may be something pretty big coming after the New Year, but that’s news for a later time.
As much as I want to lounge on white beaches with crystal clear blue water, and of course explore the Caribbean some more – as the last time was a very rough experience – but the more I think about it, I think I should hold off until I can explore a lot more of the region. Because if I visit the Caribbean again, I want to do it right, and for a much longer time period – visiting one island at a time isn’t really how I like to do things. I’d much rather travel at a leisurely pace, hopping from one island to the next, as I see fit – what do you think?
And then I think – Hawaii. Oh yes, Hawaii, that’s a MUST visit for me. Beautiful beaches, sunsets, volcanos, and other wonderful landscapes with loads of interesting attractions and historic draws. I know that Hawaii has a lot of development on parts of the islands, but there are still a lot of relatively untouched areas that I want to experience and to photograph. It’s insanely rare and very difficult for me to slow down my natural curiosities and cultural interests for me to have a real vacation, where all I do is focus on what I want to do, while staying relaxed and entertained with activities, rather than exploring and meeting locals, and learning cultures and trying all new things – and yes, I can do a lot of those and still live up the vacationing part of the trip, but it’s rare for me to totally let go of the explorer mindset, I suppose. Even though Hawaii has loads of interesting places, people and cultures, I think I can make an exception and give myself a real break for once – haha. For example of how bad it is sometimes, I will work nearly ten hours a day sometimes, just because I have a lot of projects on my plate and I enjoy what I do, but that severely limits the time for my travels too – and this is something that I must work on this winter.
Anyway. Overall, I’m looking for a relaxing holiday, away from work, crime and tourists… Would you like to weigh in and help me choose something somewhat close to home, yet fits the bill for what I’m looking for?
(Photo via wallpaperweb.org)
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