laken, Author at Work on Monday Travels

Madrid

November 6, 2022

An Amazing, PTO-Friendly Itinerary to Madrid

If you are like me and are playing the work/life juggling act, this itinerary to Madrid is for you! We used 4.5 days of PTO and were able to fit three cities into our trip! In summation, we had 2.5 days to explore Madrid along with two different day trips! Included in this post is a quick outline of a great way to spend yours days in the Madrid area (not a detailed, hour-by-hour breakdown 😉). P.S. Flying during the week like this itinerary is usually cheaper than flying on the weekends 🙂[...]

Maldives

Asia, Travel Planning

July 18, 2022

Bargain: How we Miraculously went to the Maldives for $4,000!

Before we get started and you call me a liar, let me clarify something. We spent $4,000 on accommodations (breakfast and dinner included; not drinks), flights from Little Rock to Malé and our voucher included one way transportation to the resort. So, this does not include what we spent on the island or getting back to Malé for our flight home. I'll provide that info below! So, read on to find out how to get to the Maldives without breaking the bank!Full disclosure: I am not getting paid to wri[...]

In Switzerland with Backpacking backpacks

Everywhere

Travel Resources, Travel Thoughts

June 26, 2022

Is there a right way to travel?

Is there a right way to travel? Honestly, the slow travelers judge the fast travelers, the luxury travelers judge the backpackers, the local cuisine eaters judge the McDonald's eaters. And all of this vice versa. I've been guilty of it, and I'm sure you have too.But thats dumb. We are wrong. So, here, I am going to shed a little light on the topic and delve into why we are wrong. And, hopefully, make you feel better about your travel decisions! I apologize ahead of time, because this post is a l[...]

View of Almudena Cathedral from the hill to the east

Madrid, Spain

Europe, Travel Planning

June 23, 2022

10 Amazing things to do in Madrid

Madrid is an amazing city! Honestly, it is one of my favorite large cities I have been to due to its cleanliness, easy navigation, friendly people and amazing culture. So, what is there to do? These are the top 10 things we did while in Madrid! View of fountain from Ayuntamiento de Madrid 1. Do a "Tapa hop" Obviously you've heard of bar hopping, but have you heard of tapa hopping? It is custom in Spain to receive free tapas, the Spani[...]

Everywhere

Travel Thoughts

June 6, 2022

Read the Pages of the World with Travel!

I guess I am here to tell you why you should travel. I am also here to tell you what I've learned through travel. Travel is fun, yes, but it is also more than that. Travel is the best way to read the pages of the world. There is so much to see in the world and it is so exciting to touch down in a place you've never been, knowing you are about to explore places you've never seen. "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page"- Saint Augustine I think Saint Augustine su[...]

Costa Rica

Central America, Travel Planning

April 26, 2022

10 Amazing things to do in Costa Rica

Costa Rica is full of adventure and fun; the possibilities are literally endless. Here are our top 10 amazing things to do in Costa Rica! If you've already looked through my blog posts, all of this information is somewhere already. However, it is not all in one spot for you. Therefore, this post is to make things easier for you? 1. Manuel Antonio National Park Sloths: the first the that pops into my head when I think about Costa Rica! Manual Antonio National Park is where we had the mo[...]

Central America, Packing Guides

April 16, 2022

Your Complete Guide to Packing for Costa Rica

Packing for Costa Rica was one of the hardest trips I've packed for. For one, we went in October and it was supposed to be rainy season. So in my mind, I pictured a rainy, fall day in the US. This was an ignorant mistake ? I had a fear of being chilly and was overthinking things WAY too much while packing. I mean, it's tropical Central America. However, I want to help ensure you have an easier time packing than I had! Weather Recap To help with packing for Costa Rica, it is valuable[...]

Central America, Travel Guides

April 13, 2022

Your Complete Guide to Costa Rica!

Your guide to Costa Rica! Before you decide to read further, I'll just mention that we visited Manuel Antonio, Monteverde and Arenal/La Fortuna. If things on the Pacific coast do not correlate to things on the Caribbean coast, I am sorry ?.This guide to Costa Rica includes:Best time to visitWeatherCurrencyAccommodationsTransportationDetails on Car RentalsFoodSafety Best time to visit I am a BIG fan of off-season travel. I avoid crowds (or lines) at all costs. However, in Costa Rica, of[...]

Central America, Travel Resources

November 28, 2021

Guide to Rafting with Arenal Rafting Company!

If you are planning a trip to Arenal, Costa Rica then you MUST add white water rafting to the list. We had it on our list as an option, but as activities and prices started adding up, we weren't sure we were going to go through with it. However, after one local waiter said one thing we MUST do is white water raft and one friendly stranger told us that she had just gotten back from one of the most fun days on the river, we decided we had to add rafting to the list. One recommended rafting with Ar[...]

La Fortuna, Costa Rica

Central America, Travel Guides

November 17, 2021

Your Guide to Arenal/La Fortuna, Costa Rica!

Your guide to Arenal/La Fortuna! Looking for adventure, beauty, hiking, great food? You'll love this area of Costa Rica! The Arenal Volcano is incredible and the hot springs are amazing. There is a lot of entertainment to fill yours days in Arenal and La Fortuna! Arenal and La Fortuna are about 20 minutes apart. When you start looking up housing, activities, etc it helps to know! Arenal is closer to the Arenal Volcano National Park and the hot springs while La Fortuna is a bigger town and close[...]