What It's Like To Drive From Seattle to Phoenix

Two full days of driving, with a day of rest in between. That's a lot of traveling, especially considering I had just flown from Berlin-Paris-Seattle and got back to Seattle only 18 hours before we started driving. Here was the route we took:

Image Screenshot from: Google Maps

Driving Details:

Day One - Seattle, WA to Park City, UT: 7:30am-midnight

Day Two - Stayed in Park City

Day Three - Park City, UT to Phoenix, AZ: 8am-9pm

Washington: mountains and evergreen trees until it gets to farmland 

WA

ID 2

ID 1

Idaho: Farms, nothingness, white water rafting on the Salmon River, and some brown hills

ID sign

ID canola fields

id hills

ID salmon river rafting

ID white water rafting salmon river

Utah: Refreshing to drive on an interstate highway instead of state roads. Gorgeous drive near Park City, where we stayed the night. Southern Utah started to look more and more like Arizona.

utah mountain resort

UT

UT canyon drivess

UT canyon drive

Southern Utah

utah red rocks

Arizona: Lake Powell hovering over the border (it has a crazy shape if you look it up on a map), lots of red rocks, these weird grey hills that made it look like we were on a different planet....and some more nothing until we hit Flagstaff and then Phoenix.

Arizona state line sign

Lake Powell edie

DSC_0840

somewhere in arizona, usa

"If We Were Meant To Stay In Place, We Would Have Roots Instead Of Feet."

During my senior year of college, I started the post-college job search early. I took my resume and cover letter to the career center on campus to make them perfect. I got in touch with mentors in big cities all over the country to network and get tips on my job search. I applied to a ton of jobs and did interviews. I even made business cards...

Though when I went to a practice speed interview session during the spring of my senior year, one of the interviewers asked me what I wanted to do with my public relations/marketing degree. I said some horrible rambling answer like, "I'm interested in traditional PR, but I really like the creative side of marketing, and also social media, I could do events too, or advertising, or magazines. I'm also looking for jobs in Southern California, Arizona, Texas, or North Carolina. Maybe New York, but I don't know since it gets cold there. Ha!" The interviewer's feedback was to focus in on one thing and to know exactly what I wanted. Because, according to my answer, I had no idea what I wanted exactly. But what did I want?As graduation got closer, I started getting stressed about finding a job and the perfect place to live after graduation. I was open to moving to pretty much any big city in the US, but that would require money to move, and a job to get the money to move. I was afraid of the unknowns and being tied down to a single city.

One day I was going through my study abroad photos and the travel bug within me started acting up. That was it. I wanted to travel. I wanted to go back to Europe. What time is better than right after graduation? I didn't want to be tied down to anything - not right away, at least. This Rachel Wolchin quote really resonates with that moment:

"If we were meant to stay in place, we would have roots instead of feet"

There's nothing wrong with finding a place to start your life after college, but I knew that there was so much more to see and to learn from the world and I wanted to take advantage of the timing to travel before settling down.

My parents were definitely not on board, since I didn't have much money saved up to take a big trip, nor would they fund something like that. They told me that, well, if I found a job in Europe where I could travel and make money, then that would be a better plan.

And that is exactly what I did.

I ended up getting a job in Europe where I lived in Italy and traveled to different countries almost every weekend. I was doing marketing and tour guiding, learned a ton from the experience, and was able to improve my skills in an international setting. I found a job that I loved, and while it took a lot of time and dedication to make it happen, I didn't settle for less. I finally knew what I wanted - to travel and inspire others to travel too. (And I still got to put my degree "to use.")There are so many ways to travel after graduation, and if it's something you truly want, then figure out a way to make it happen. Whether you're just traveling for fun, working, or volunteering abroad, there are a number of ways to do it. If you can find something that aligns with your career path - awesome. If traveling makes you reconsider your original chosen career path - even more awesome. Your 20s are the time to figure out who you are and what you want, and for those of you with travel dreams, that can't happen when you settle for something you're truly not interested in.

This was originally written as a guest post by Ally Archer on Alter Apathy.

Photos: We Heart It

Amazing Mountain Resort in Utah

On my way to Arizona, my dad and I stopped at Hotel Park City for the night. We drove 16 hours from Seattle to Park City (near Salt Lake City) and arrived around midnight. The view that greeted me as I opened the blinds the following morning was absolutely amazing.

I'm not a skiier/snowboarder, so I've never really been this close to mountains with ski trails. (And I have no idea if "ski trails" makes any sense at all. Ha!) The emerald green hills were breathtaking and I can only imagine how pretty they would be under a blanket of snow.

We stayed in one of the cottage rooms, which is basically like a small furnished apartment. There is a master bedroom/bathroom, living room, kitchen stocked with dishes, utenstils, and a blender, a second bathroom, two TVs, a washer and dryer, and a private patio with a hot tub. There is a spa, fitness room (group fitness classes included), a couple restaurants, and a golf course. If I ever make it back to Utah, this is where I'd want to stay.

This article was not sponsored by Hotel Park City. All opinions are my own.

8 Essential Steps To Planning a Trip Abroad

hotel athenee view

Planning an international trip can seem like a daunting process. There is a lot of preparation and planning involved, but if you break it up and take it step by step it becomes easier to handle (and to not procrastinate).

1. Get a passport.

Because you can't go anywhere outside your country without one. Get one as early as possible too - sometimes getting a passport can take months.

2. Decide exactly where you want to go.

If you think, "I want to go to Asia this winter," it'll probably take you longer to plan your trip because you don't know exactly where in Asia you want to go. And there are a lot of countries in Asia. Do you want to take a big trip to China? Thailand? The Philippines? Central Asia (all the 'stans)? This is a good time to set a "SMART" goal for your trip.

3. Book your flights (or whatever transportation you're using).

Do this early instead of waiting 'till the last minute and paying double the amount (I know this from experience, unfortunately...).

4. Do some research on where you're going.

Read blogs, look at TripAdvisor, Yelp, etc. To be completely honest, I learned a TON of tips and tricks from blogs, TripAdvisor, and Yelp - more than I did from guidebooks. Though I wouldn't completely rule out guidebooks. They can be helpful too, as long as you read updated versions.

5. Book your accommodations.

Or be spontaneous and do it while you're there. Though if you do book it once you arrive, make sure there will be accommodation available (for example, many hotels and hostels are already sold out for Oktoberfest 2014 in Munich, since it's a huge event. Also, consider holidays as well).

Again, TripAdvisor is a great review resource for finding good accommodations.

6. Notify your bank that you'll be abroad.

So they don't freeze your credit cards.

7. Pack your bags.

Make sure you don't forget these items.

8. And go!

Enjoy your trip and have fun!

Pursuing The Stomach Drops

It’s easy to float through life. Whether it be not challenging yourself at school or work, not trying something new, not branching out and meeting new people, not traveling, or any other excuse or rationalization that you might have for not doing the things that would ultimately make you happier, it’s easier to not do new, exciting things than it is to take a leap of faith.

This is human nature. As humans living in the chaotic and crazy modern world, constantly being bombarded by information and news (often bad news) from seemingly infinite sources, we are starved for comfort. Because of this lack of comfort, most of us try to find order and peace by keeping our heads down and doing what’s expected of us. High school, college, good grades, a good job, a 401k, a promotion, a retirement plan. Each instruction leads to another, and as we complete each step, we become more and more entrenched in the process and the routine, making it more and more difficult to step away, and harder and harder to remember, or decide, what exactly it is that we actually want out of this wild ride that is life.

But is this comfort really what we need and want, or is it just a by-product of a streamlined life where our constant listening to others’ plans for us leaves us scared and alone when finally forced to make decisions for ourselves about our life? At a certain point everyone has to realize that they are the only one in charge of their life. Parents, teachers, bosses, the media, and society as a whole will always have opinions about what you should do, but only you can decide what it is you really want to do, what will really make you feel happy and fulfilled, and take the steps necessary to pursue this path.

There are bountiful examples of this unfulfilled attitude throughout our modern society. Countless bestsellers have been written by lawyers, doctors, accountants, journalists, and every other type of profession imaginable, who, after years of this unfulfilling “comfort” in their lives, threw caution to the wind and finally did what they truly wanted to do. This is undoubtedly difficult, because it essentially means undoing all of the years of conditioning telling us to follow a set, acceptable, and streamlined path. But it seems to go without saying that the risks are far outweighed by the reward: a happy life doing what you’re passionate about.

So here’s the big question: if we realize now that there’s a large chance that we’ll get a point where we understand that we want to stop living how others want us to and finally do what we’re passionate about, why not skip the in-between?

Life is short. There’s no time to waste living other peoples’ version of your life. So throw caution to the wind! Relentlessly pursue your dreams, and don’t be disheartened by other people that don’t get it. Travel, go skydiving, meet new people, drive a little bit too fast. Pursue the things that make your stomach drop. That give you a rush. Because that rush, that anxious anticipation and air of possibility when you begin your next adventure, that smile you get after having a great conversation with a complete stranger, these are the things that make life worth living. Life’s too precious to float through with no self-initiated path or purpose. So take that leap of faith, and dive headfirst into your life.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones that you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” - Mark Twain

This post was written by Derek Ball. You can find him over at his blog, Alter Apathy.

Using "SMART" Goals To Take Action Toward Your Travel Dreams

When I was working at a leadership conference recently, I was introduced to the SMART goal system. Basically, using SMART goals turns a vague goal into something more specific. A detailed outline of your goal will help you reach it faster by putting a reasonable plan into action. Last year when I was still in college, my travel goal was: "Go back to Europe."

"Going back to Europe" is extremely vague. When would I go back? How would I do it? For how long? What would I do to make sure I made this happen? How would I evaluate whether I had achieved this goal or not?

This is where creating a SMART goal really helps you define what you want and how you will achieve it.

"SMART" stands for:

SPECIFIC: A goal needs to really focus in on the specifics. Think of the who, what, when, where, and why.

MEASURABLE: Establish criteria for which you will measure your progress on your goal. Often the measurable part includes numbers - think, How much? It also answers, How will I evaluate if this goal has been met?

ACTION-ORIENTED: How are you going to reach your goal? This is where you put your action or steps toward reaching the goal in place.

REALISTIC: This is where you need to be true to yourself on the work you're motivated to and willing to put in. You're much more likely to achieve your goal if it's realistic.

TIMELY: Set an attainable time frame to meet your goal. When are you going to start acting toward your goal? What specific date do you want to reach your goal by?

Now let's tweak my vague example of "Go back to Europe." Here's how I could've turned that into a SMART goal:

"Go back to Europe for at least one month starting in August 2013, by applying to 2+ jobs per week based in Florence, Italy from May-July 2013 and networking with individuals involved with international travel through email or LinkedIn. Follow up with employers directly after any interviews and again every two weeks until I found out whether I have an offer."

Budget is also a huge part of travel goals, especially with flights. Here's a SMART goal I could've made for saving up for that long-haul flight from Seattle to Florence:

"Save x amount of money per week from my summer job to pay for round trip flights to/from Italy on the dates I will fly in/out on. Track savings using my banking app and check balance weekly to ensure I'm saving enough."

Setting SMART goals are especially great for taking action on your travel goals, though SMART goals can be applied to any aspect of life. I encourage you to come up with some SMART goals, and if you have some you'd like to share, please post yours in the comments below.

The Most Beautiful Beach Towns in the Mediterranean

There is nothing more beautiful or glamorous than hitting the beach on the Mediterranean. As an avid beach-goer whenever possible, I've had the opportunity to explore quite a few beaches on this lovely stretch of water surrounding Southern Europe. My top three destinations are listed below. Cannes, France

The country's annual star-studded film festival wouldn't settle for a less-than-spectacular backdrop, would it? The sand is soft between your toes as you inhale the smell of the salty breeze. Yachts are docked at the marina, fabulous shopping and restaurants line the streets, and other seaside towns like Nice, Eze, Monaco, and Saint-Tropez are nearby. Did I mention Cannes is my favorite place in the world?

Positano, Italy

Here you will find the popular picturesque view of Amalfi's pastel cliff houses. To get to the town, you must drive down winding roads, and then walk downhill to get to the beach. Along the way you'll find the area filled with purple flowers, trees, and the scent of lemon from the nearby lemon groves. Find a spot in the sand (or rent a long chair), grab a drink from one of the beach bars, and feel the summer sun that lasts through autumn.

Split, Croatia

Croatia is one of the more off-the-beaten-path destinations in Europe, but not for long before more and more tourists head to this unique and beautiful country. Home to over 1,000 islands, it's tough to pick just one island for this list. Stay in Split, a medieval town on the water (and home to Diocletian's Palace) for easy access to island hopping boat cruises. Whichever island you stop at, you're bound to find turquoise water, spectacular landscapes, and fresh, delicious seafood.