10-Jet Skiing in 5-6 foot Waves in Malaysia

This Gary. Gary survived jet skiing with us. We will forever be bonded with Gary.

Picture ramping over 5-6 foot waves in a 1995 jet ski with me hanging onto the back of Johnny for dear life when we almost tip over and our guide’s jet ski breaks down in the middle of the ocean. But hey, we made it back to land and got some good laughs out of it.

9-Strangling Yourself While Learning to Surf in Australia

All smiles now that I’m breathing!

While learning to surf in Byron Bay, I came crashing off of my board and tried to come up for air when I realized my leg strap was wrapped around my neck and quickly tightening as the waves took my board away. Despite my initial panic, my hulk like strength ripped that strap right off my neck and then it was back on the waves! Our instructor kindly told me that having that happen is just “really really bad luck”. Thanks.

8-Experiencing an Earthquake + Tsunami Warning in New Zealand

The site of the earthquake. Literally a jail that was our hostel.

I think this one speaks for itself. Waking up to an earthquake in your hostel isn’t the best feeling ever.

7-Hiking Table Mountain in South Africa

Teamwork makes the dreamwork (and keeps you alive on the way to the top of Table Mountain)!

We’ve done many hikes in our day and this one takes the cake. It has a ton of climbing and scrambling. There were many moments where we would hang onto a rock face and hope for the best as we made our way to the top. Luckily, we had our friends Jeff and Catherine with us for extra pushes, pulls, and pep talks.

6-Getting Lost in Fog While Ocean Kayaking in South Africa

FOG.

Liloing and kayaking was one of our favorite activities in Tsitsikamma, South Africa, but things went south when made our way out of the river and into the ocean where we realized that we had passed our turn back to the docks and were surrounded by dense fog, big waves, and no landmarks. We quickly realized that our guide also had no idea which way to go, uh oh!  Luckily, after a few minutes of panic, another guide was able to catch up to us and get us back to the safety of land.

5-Wading Through a Cambodian Flood

Ew.

Muddy rainwater + muddy/dirty streets + water up to our knees + fear of stepping on a rusty nail or broken glass = NO FUN.

4-Long Tail Boat Ride to Maya Bay in Thailand

Look how calm we look. It was all an act.

Our long tail boat ride to Maya Bay was one of those situations where 50% of our mind was 100% certain the boat was going to capsize from the waves and the other 50% of our mind was 100% certain that these boats were made for these waters and we would be totally fine. During this activity, we had to trust in the locals and it paid off!

3-Dune Bashing in Dubai

Looks safe enough, right????

Dune bashing was one of those things that seemed super awesome while reading about it online, pretty fun during, and absolutely idiotic in hindsight. The margin of error while tearing through the desert doing 360 turns and ramping off of dunes isn’t the greatest, but we managed to exit the vehicle unharmed except for a pair of headaches.

2-Ferry Ride From Georgetown to Langkawi in Malaysia

The calm after the ferry ride. Worth it!

This was one of the only times I cried while we were gone. The day we made this ferry ride the waves were 9-11 feet high and we happened to be on the “smaller” ferry. Thus, we were stuck inside a boat with screaming and/or vomiting people for over 2 hours. I was convinced that we were going to crash and no one would ever find our bodies. I was also very upset that this was one of those situations that allllll of the travel blogs don’t warn you about. So, if you’re headed to Langkawi—THE FERRY RIDE WILL BE EXTREMELY ROUGH!! Again, we’re here to tell the tale!

1-Bus Rides in Laos

The calm before the bus ride. Also, worth it!

Enter the activity that actually scared Johnny. During all of the above, Johnny was pretty much cool as a cucumber and I was panicked, but our bus ride from Nong Khiaw to Luang Prabang in Laos sent Johnny over the edge. We’d heard transportation was wild in Laos and boy was that true! Our driver insisted on going over 100mph on windy, hilly, pothole filled, and sometimes dirt only roads. Oh, and he would pass every vehicle in front of us even if it meant playing a hardcore game of chicken with the oncoming traffic. The final straw was when he sped up to purposely kill a snake on the road. WTF. Right before we were about to exit the van to hitchhike back to LP (because that seemed safer than continuing this ride), we finally got a local in the van to explain to the driver that he needed to slow down. In reality, we’re sure the local told the driver that those American babies were freaking out, but whatever, it worked.

Honorable Mentions:

-Trying to cross the street through the millions of motorbikes in Hanoi, Vietnam

-Riding around India in a car or rickshaw while dodging 24 million people, cows, and stray dogs

-Driving a rental car in South Africa

The post 10 Experiences More Thrilling Than Cage Diving appeared first on Pineapple Pursuit.

Mexico

Deep sea fishin’!

You say all-inclusive, I say YES. A quick all-inclusive vacation to Cancun is totally doable for a long weekend. Snag a Friday and/or Monday off work and you’re all set. There are tons of awesome all-inclusive resorts in the Cancun area, so we suggest hopping onto hotels.com or a discount site like LivingSocial Escapes, checking out the reviews, and snagging a killer deal for the weekend. Then, sit back, relax, and enjoy a weekend full beaches, blue water, pool bars, buffets, cheesy entertainment, and deep sea fishing . What more could you want?!

Nashville

Had so much fun in Nashville I only took these two blurry photos.

Dancin’ boots.

Did someone say girls weekend? Nashville is the perfect weekend getaway for the gals. Throw your cowboy boots and dress into a backpack, grab one of their many reasonably priced Airbnbs for the weekend, and dance the weekend away in the “Music City”. Some favorite Nashville to-dos are dancing on Broadway (duh!), wine tasting at Belle Meade Plantation, spending a drunken afternoon on a pedal pub, and experiencing the Grand Ole Opry radio show. There are tons of restaurants in Nashville, but some local recommendations are San Anejo, Urban Grub, Virago, Adeles, and Merchant’s.

San Diego

Sunset Cliffs Natural Park

San Diego Zoo Shenanigans.

The charm of La Jolla.

The weather is basically always gorgeous in San Diego so it’s a no-brainer for a break from the winter weather. San Diego gives you a little bit of culture and a lotta bit of beautiful. San Diego is another great city to snag an Airbnb in one of the many great neighborhoods: Pacific Beach, La Jolla, Coronado, the list goes on and on. San Diego is a driving city so you’ll want a rental car and will end up driving to see the city so your home base can be flexible. While visiting San Diego, make sure to stroll around adorable La Jolla, watch the seals in La Jolla Cove, complete an informal “bar crawl” in the San Diego Zoo by stopping at the bar in each section of the zoo (my favorite activity), eat, drink, and walk the beach at Jake’s Del Mar, enjoy the sunset at Sunset Cliffs Natural Park, and play golf or go hiking in Torrey Pines.

Austin

Quintessential Austin.

Street art solo shot.

4 words: Austin is super cool. There is tons of culture in Austin and something for everyone. You can relive your college days in the wild bars on 6^th Street, get hipster in the bars on Rainey Street, play foodie by eating your way through their food truck scene (this a great article about the food truck options: http://roaminghunger.com/food-trucks/tx/austin/) and downing meat at Salt Lick BBQ (this spot is outside the city, but worth it!), spend an afternoon in the sun river tubing, or get back to nature by watching the bats at Congress Avenue Bridge. This is another great city for Airbnb and Uber is really easy here so, again, your home base can be flexible!

Napa Valley

Does it get any better?

A weekend in Napa Valley is a dream! Wine and relaxation, need I say more? You have one job while you’re in Napa and that’s to try as much wine as possible! The best way to enjoy a day in Napa is to hire a driver. There are tons of them, but we have had great experience with Perata Tours. There are also more wineries than you know what to do with, but some of our favorites have been Yates Family Vineyard, Aonair, Porter Family Vineyards, and Hill Family Estate. We definitely recommend looking for some of the smaller family wineries because you’ll get a much more personal experience (and more wine!!). If you have time, start or end your Napa Valley weekend in San Francisco where you can take in gorgeous views of the San Francisco Bay, Golden Gate Bridge, and visit Alcatraz Island.

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• I don’t like lying, especially to myself. Accept it, I’m not going to magically start going to the gym everyday.
• Resolutions are the unicorns of goals. You pick the BIGGEST thing you did wrong the year before and expect it to disappear on January 1^st.
• Life without McDonald’s, lazy days on the couch, or champagne happy hours*** is a life not worth living!

***If you’re doing “Dry January”, I believe in you! That started and ended for me at about 10AM on New Year’s Day. But YOU GO GIRL (or boy)!

Thus, resolutions were a bust. BUT, that didn’t mean I’m not dedicated to becoming the best me in 2017. Instead of resolutions that end with a yes or no, in or out, success or fail, I’m going to let the mindsets below guide my decisions during the next year, to help me make decisions I will be proud of and that will bring me happiness on the reg.

Value Experiences, Not Things

I touched on this in our lessons learned from traveling blog post, but the longer we are home the more important I think this mindset is. Valuing our worth through the things we have is a dangerous game full of negativity. “Valuing experiences not things” will guide me as I establish new friendships and navigate old. This mindset will remind me to check-in on hobbies and interests, support friends through both highs and lows, and encourage new adventures over conversations about job status, lifestyle image, or gossip.

In action:

-When I meet someone, I will ask what they are interested in and what they do in their free time instead of what their job is or what neighborhood they live in.

-When I meet a friend for drinks, I will ask about what they have been most excited about since we last saw each other instead of venting about past problems.

-When I reward myself (or others), I will seek out experiences like travel, hiking, or trying a new restaurant instead of a new purse or piece of jewelry.

-I will value my relationships with the people in my life based on quality time, shared adventures, and mutual respect, instead of by the gifts given to one another.

Empower My People

Hey coach! Send me a sub, I’m quitting the game of comparisons! Every day is filled with comparisons: through social media, the things we own or don’t own, weight, job, happiness. When we left on our trip, we left the world of comparisons (because we had no things) behind and I’m not planning on going back. I am prepared to remind myself daily to bust into the world proud of myself and those around me. This mindset will encourage me to always empower my people. As they say, it’s time to compliment, not compare. Let’s take some time to give a champagne toast to all our peeps!

In action:

-I will not only encourage my friends to reach their personal and professional goals, I will also do anything I can to help them along the way.

-I will find ways to support friends through their ups and downs rather than discussing their struggles with others.

-I will show love through phone calls, texts, compliments, encouragement, likes, and comments.

-I will not view other’s failures as my successes.

No Second Guessing

Will all the people pleasers and perfectionists out there raise their hands? I’m one too! When I spend my day worrying about making everyone happy while also doing every task perfectly, I end up spending my day second-guessing everything. Second-guessing is the kryptonite to growth and creativity. When you’re perfect, you won’t let yourself fail… if you don’t fail, you won’t grow… if you don’t grow, you won’t try new things… and if you never try new things, your creativity dies. Ugh, that’s exhausting! Thus, I am done with that second guessing BS! I’m ready to get out of my comfort zone, try new things, fail at a few, challenge myself, and have a little bit of fun with life. 

In action:

-I will establish positive affirmations to replace negative thoughts.

-I will pursue careers that will take me out of my comfort zone.

-I will remind myself and my people to take chances and believe in themselves.

Treat Myself

I don’t always let Justin Bieber guide my life, but ya gotta learn to “Love Yourself!” I can show myself some love by consciously making decisions to treat myself. Don’t put your biggest fan, YOU, on the back burner. 2017 looks like as good of a time as any to rejuvenate, laugh, rest, learn, and explore!

In action:

-I will find a new hobby and accept invitations to learn new skills.

-I will make decisions that will help my body (get a few extra hours of sleep, hit the gym here and there, drink extra water).

-I will say no and value “me” time.

-I will carve out time once a week to do something I love.

-I will surround myself with people who make me feel happiest.

Find Happy Every Day

Life is hard. Life is messy. Life is a puzzle. Do you have life figured out? I sure don’t, but the most important parts of my life are my family, my friends, my job, and my feelings. If those things aren’t making you happy then it’s time to switch it up! Remember – no second-guessing. If one of the major parts of life is bringing me down, I need to be confident enough to admit it and do something about it. I’m not only my biggest fan, I’m also my biggest advocate. No one is going to make me happy but myself so, in 2017, I’ll be pretty busy finding all kinds of happy!

In action:

-I will seek a career allows me to create, engage, and collaborate (no more dreading work!). Also, if you know someone hiring, hit me up! wink wink, nudge nudge.

-I will laugh out loud.

-I will surround myself with people who build each other up.

-I will replace negative self-talk with positive affirmations.

What will your 2017 mindsets be?!

The post 5 Mindsets for a New Year appeared first on Pineapple Pursuit.

Disclosure: while making these lists, we included any trip we have taken before or during our 4 month RTW trip so you will notice a few spots from before our big adventure. Don’t worry, we are definitely not done adventuring the world and will revise these lists as needed throughout our lives.

The post RTW Trip: Our Travel Rankings appeared first on Pineapple Pursuit.

Feeling all of the feels on this chilly Wednesday morning! We finished up our “around the world” GoPro and are loving reminiscing about our big trip. This 3 minute (okay, it’s actually 3 minutes and 28 seconds) video captures some of our favorite moments from the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Australia and New Zealand (whew!!). Hope you enjoy!  

The post GoPro Video: Around the World in 3 Minutes appeared first on Pineapple Pursuit.

1-The World Isn’t That Scary

Leaving the comfort of home to explore new and different places is inherently scary. In the U.S., we’re taught to worry about EVERYTHING—the food, pickpockets, transportation, terrorism, the list goes on and on. Turns out, the world isn’t that scary! If there’s one thing we will take away from this trip is that KINDNESS IS EVERYWHERE. No matter where we were traveling, we were met with smiling faces, helpful ears, and eager locals ready to share their cultures and homes with us. While frequently less developed and different than our lives at home, we were surrounded by amazing people, unbelievable landscapes, delicious food, fascinating history and exciting cultures.

Lesson learned: The world rules, don’t be scared of it!

Literally, the kindest human ever.

2-You Don’t Have to be Rich to Travel

Surprise! Travel doesn’t have to expensive. Yep, you heard me right, you don’t have to stay at The Four Seasons, eat expensive dinners, or drink expensive wine to have a kickass vacation. There’s clever ways to cut down on the costs, like staying in hostels and Airbnbs, cooking your own food, and using credit card miles to pay for flights. We met tons of people that have way less than us, traveling way farther and more often than us.

Lesson Learned: Travel doesn’t take all the Benjamins, it takes a little hustle and a good attitude!

Delicious street always helping us stay on budget!

3-We Aren’t Special

We hopped on our flight out of the U.S.A all like Miley Cyrus thinking we were the bee’s knees—an American couple sticking it to the man to travel the world. Turns out, we aren’t special AT ALL. Actually, we’re kinda lame compared to many of the world travelers we met. The U.S. is way behind when it comes to prioritizing travel. While we’re all stuck in the rat race trying to accomplish “the American Dream”, our foreign counterparts are living it up exploring the globe. Most of the travelers we met were traveling for much longer than us and make time for long term travel way more often (picture month long trips to Asia every year).

Lesson learned: Prioritize time for exploring the world as it brings lessons and joy you don’t find in other places.  

All of these humans=traveling longer than us.

4-Save the Planet

Yes, I mean it, save the planet (coming from the girl that didn’t recycle, but now I will!!). While traveling, we were faced with many of the horrible effects that humans have on nature. We witnessed changing and extreme weather patterns leaving our favorite safari animals struggling to find water, sometimes causing death, learned about how koala numbers are dwindling due to deforestation, worried about shark attacks as they are coming closer to beaches more and more to find food in an ocean where prey is quickly dwindling, talked to disappointed scuba divers who traveled from across the world to dive just to be met with bleached coral reefs, and saw countless plants and trees destroyed by visitors standing on them for pictures or carving their name in the bark. We were constantly in awe at the beauty of nature surrounding us during our trip and had a reality check about how our actions impact our planet and the world around us.

Lesson learned: If we want to keep exploring (or even living on) our great planet we’ve got to take care of it!

Look how pretty it is! Don’t ruin it!

5-Your Friends and Family Will be There

One of the hardest parts about traveling full time is leaving friends and family (& our dog….duh). While I suffer from FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) on the reg back in Chicago, we quickly realized that no matter how far from home you are, your friends and family will have your back. Through text, email, and Facetime, you get to bring your loved ones along for the ride with you! While not everyone will be your #1 fan when making a big life change, the ones that matter will.

Lesson learned: The people that love you most will be there to cheer you on during your greatest (and sometimes scariest) adventures.

Getting that love from home!!

6-When You’re Happy, Bad Habits Fade Away

I’m the QUEEN of bad habits—having an apartment that’s a mess, not working out, eating junk food, the list goes on and on. While traveling, we both quickly learned that when your days are exciting and enriched, these bad habits fade away. We were suddenly living a life where we were engaged in things we loved everyday. We didn’t have to exercise, we got to hike and swim. We didn’t need junk food, we got to enjoy fresh, local food. We didn’t need to drink every weekend to make up for our miserable weeks at work. Now, we know we can’t travel full time, but our time traveling taught us a lot about prioritizing happiness in our daily lives. How we spend our days is our own choice and it’s up to us to make the choices that make us happy. No one is going to give you the courage to finally pursue a new career, no one is going to move to a new place for you, you’ve got to think long and hard about what will make you happiest and go for it. We all have to go to work and do things we don’t want to do, but choosing to surround yourself with your favorite things everyday makes it all worth it. Whether it’s a new career or just walking through the park on the way home, make the choice to make room for happiness everyday.

Lesson learned: No one is going to bring the champagne brunch to you, you gotta go get it yourself!

The moment I decided catching waves will forever make me happier than any treadmill.

7-Sometimes Less is More

While at home we’re surrounded with tons of STUFF. We went from an apartment and life jam packed with things to two backpacks and smiles. Turns out, we loved it! There’s something liberating about not wearing make-up, not thinking twice about what to wear in the morning, throwing thoughts about how others view you out the window, and living off of what’s on your back. Getting to see the Taj Mahal and only wearing pants with elastic waistbands for 4 months was a lot more fulfilling than a new purse, ya know? Not only did we love living a lighter life, we also witnessed many communities living the less-is-more lifestyle (sometimes without a choice). In countries like Laos and Vietnam, communities living in environments that would seem almost unlivable at home surrounded us, but they were some of the happiest people we’ve ever met. We’ve been forced to really reflect about what happiness means. Is it driving a nice car or being surrounded by family and friends? Is it climbing the social ladder or living a relaxed life in a small community? Is it making a ton of money or waking up to create something that you value and take pride in? There’s no right answer to any of these questions, but we learned to take a step back and really think about if our jobs, the people we surround ourselves with, and our experiences are buildings us up or tearing us down.

Lesson learned: Happiness is in the experiences you choose, not the things!

Got all I need right here!

The post RTW Trip: 7 Lessons Learned While Traveling appeared first on Pineapple Pursuit.

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Days 1 and 2: Christchurch (no driving)

Activities:

• Christchurch was hit by massive quakes in 2010 and 2011, which destroyed a lot of the city and killed about 185 people so a lot of our time in Christchurch was spent walking through the old damage and new developments of the city.
• Visit the main church in Cathedral Square, which has not been rebuilt at all since the quakes (it’s quite eery to see).
• Shop and dine at food trunks in Re:START Mall, which is a small mall created from shipping containers after the 2011 earthquakes in order to get small business back up and running as quickly as possible.
• Hunt for street art scattered throughout the city.
• Admire the colorfully adorable New Regent Street shops and cafés.
• Remember those lost in the earthquakes at the eerie 185 Chairs Art Exhibit.
• Hike to the lookout in Mount Vernon Park, which is a local favorite. This hike was fairly easy and gave us great views of Christchurch and a hilly bay on the other side of the mountain!

Accommodation: Jailhouse Hostel just outside of downtown Christchurch. This hostel was super clean and super cool. It’s in a historic jail so you get to experience living in a real life jail! Not only is the setting fascinating, but the hostel also has a great kitchen and common area.

Our Experiences: Our first night in Christchurch we got to experience a 7.8 magnitude earthquake, which was quite exciting (and certainly unexpected). Johnny and I both woke up to tell each other to quit rolling around so much when we realized we weren’t causing our bunk to shake excessively, an earthquake was! We were evacuated from our hostel and waited through several big after shocks and a tsunami warning before attempting to head back to bed. This was definitely something we neither prepared for nor would want to experience again. I decided I can’t live in a place prone to earthquakes!

Enjoying the views at the end of our Mount Vernon Park hike.

Damaged church in Cathedral Square from the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes.

“185 Chairs” art memorial.

The adorable facade of Regent Street.

Positive attitudes in a rebuilding city!

Day 3: Christchurch to Omarama (3 ½ hour drive)

Activities:

• Stop at Lake Tekapo, where we took in one of our favorite mountain views of all time. We were greeted with a gorgeous blue lake lined with snow capped mountains and a field of purple-ombre flowers.
• Stop and see Church of the Good Shepard, a tiny church set right on the edge of Lake Tekapo.
• Drive up to Mount John Observatory and take in the panoramic (and WINDY!!) views overlooking Lake Tekapo.
• Make a pit stop at Lake Pukaki for another picturesque and less crowded lake surrounded by mountains.
• Visit High Country Salmon, a salmon farm where you can grub on fresh salmon. I even got to feed the big ‘ole salmon!

Accommodation: Countrytime Hotel, a basic hotel set in the middle of the mountains right next to an airfield where glider jets take off and land for tours of the area. We had a gorgeous view of the mountains and enjoyed watching the jets glide in and out.

Our Experiences: Unfortunately, I got really sick here, but the wonderful staff at Countrytime helped me get some help from a doctor (and the entire Omarama volunteer fire and police brigade, LOL) in the middle of the night! Shout out to Johnny for being a champ while I was sick and Dr. Beth from the neighboring town of Twizel for mending me right up!

Lake Tekapo, you are a beaut!

Church of Good Shepard–talk about a place to worship!

Feeling on top of the world at Mount John Observatory.

Day 4: Omarama to Queenstown (2 ½ hour drive)

Activities: On day 4, we drove from Omarama to Queenstown, which took most of the morning. As per usual, the drive was beautiful as we drove through winding roads, flower filled valleys, and snow capped mountains. I still wasn’t feeling 100% so we didn’t partake in any activities

Accommodation: Alpine Lodge Airbnb, perched on the side of the mountain with gorgeous views of Queenstown, the lake, and surrounding mountains.

Our Experiences: Still sick and a bit rainy in Queenstown, but luckily, our Airbnb view made us feel better about spending some extra time on the couch!

Beautiful Queenstown from across the lake.

Day 5: Queenstown (no driving)

Activities:

• Walk the path around Lake Wakatipu, This was a low-key, easy walk with great views. You can walk or bike the path and if you’re feeling competitive you can play a game of Frisbee golf along the path as well.
• Eat at Public Kitchen and Bar where we enjoyed delicious small plates and a view of the lake. We also got to indulge in our first nice beer and rose in a LONG, LONG while! 
• Stroll the streets of downtown Queenstown where you can get lost in all the shopping!

Accommodation: Alpine Lodge Airbnb for a second night. 

Our Experiences: Queenstown has your quintessential ski resort vibe with outdoor restaurants, cute boutiques and outdoors stores, all tucked in between the mountains. We thought Queenstown was fabulous!

A chilly walk around Lake Wakatipu.

Day 6: Queenstown and drive to Te Anau (2 hour drive)

Activities:

• Ride the Queenstown Skyline Gondola up to the top of the mountain near town. The gondola will cost you about $23, but the view at the top of this mountain is amazing and there’s lots activities including luging down the top of the mountain on their luge track (for an extra fee).
• Zipline with Ziptrek Ecotours at the top of the mountain. We got to fly through the fir trees and take in awesome views of the lake while zipping along. We even zip lined upside down and did a zip line trust fall!
• Eat bomb burgers at Fergburger’s, the go-to burger joint in Queenstown. Don’t EVER miss this spot if you’re in the area. Seriously might be the best burgers we’ve ever had and we’ve had A LOT of burgers in our days.

Accommodation: Explorer Motel in Te Anau, which was a great, clean room with a small kitchen so we could cook our own breakfast and dinner (AKA Johnny could cook, I watched).

Our Experiences: This was the point in the trip when the weather started to take a turn for the worst and we started getting bursts of rain throughout the day.

Gondola ride with a gorg view!

Zip line all-star.

Gotta have a Fergburger!!!

A Fergburger as big as my head. Hell yeah!

Day 7: Te Anau and Milford Sound (no driving)

Activities:

• Cruise Milford Sound with Southern Discovery Cruises. It’ll take you about 2 hours to get to Milford Sound from Te Anau, but the view makes it all worth it. On the water, we were completely surrounded by tall mountain peaks and even got to see seals and penguins enjoying their day in the sound! Definitely book an early morning cruise as it is not nearly as crowded as the afternoon times.
• Make a quick stop at Mirror Ponds on the way to or from Milford Sound where you can see the mountains reflecting in the calm pond water. This stop is well marked by signs and takes about 5 minutes.
• Stop at Humboldt Falls before/after Milford Sound for a quick 20-30 minute hike along a rushing river to a small waterfall. During this hike, we walked over crystal clear, crazy blue water on a suspension bridge and watched water rush down the rocky mountainside.
• Tackle the Key Summit Track in Fiordland National Park, which took us straight up to the top of a mountain. This hike was very steep and definitely took some energy, but was worth it! The top was a unique marshland with a pretty pond and we were surrounded by 360 views of snow-capped mountains. We even experienced some early spring flurries at the top! This hike is about 3 hours round-trip (or less when you have to keep up with Johnny’s long legs).

Accommodation: Explorer Motel in Te Anau for a second night. 

Our Experiences: At the Humboldt Falls car park, we were greeted by a New Zealand parrot, which decided to attack Johnny and even climbed onto our car to try to get to us through the windshield (see picture). Turns out, it’s not just monkeys that are cheeky; it’s those parrots, too! We’re definitely taught to love the wrong animals when we’re little!

Mirror Ponds on point.

Nothing beats a coffee on Milford Sound!

How is Milford Sound even real?!

Jumping for joy after making to the top of Key Summit!

The cheeky, cheeky parrot!

Day 8: Te Anau to Wanaka (3 hour drive)

Activities:

• Make a pit stop in Arrowtown, the most adorable little town with a strong mining history. Don’t miss the Chinese Settlement, where the Chinese miners were forced to live during the mining days and indulge in the YUMMIEST meat pie from Arrowtown Bakery.
• Down some wine at Rippon Winery right outside town. We couldn’t get over the setting of this vineyard, which literally overlooks grape vines, Wanaka, the lake, and the surrounding mountains. The real icing on the cake was that the tasting at Rippon is free!! BOOM. 
• Drink local beer and enjoy the weather at Whakapai Cafe and Bar.
• Eat 2 for 1 pizza at Urban Grind. Pizza is a budget traveler’s best friend, after all! 

Accommodation: Fairway Motel, which was another clean, basic room with a small kitchen.

Our Experiences: We’ve officially been to wineries in 4 different continents now (WOW!!) and this one was definitely the most beautiful!

Arrowtown being too adorable.

Exploring the Chinese Settlement in Arrowtown.

Rippon Winery, does it get any better?

Day 9: Wanaka (no driving)

Activities:

• Hike the Rocky Mountain Track just outside Wanaka. There’s a ton of great hikes around Wanaka and after lots of research we chose Rocky Mountain, which didn’t disappoint. This steep hike took us up, up, and up to the top of the mountain for 360 views of Lake Wanaka and the surrounding mountains. We definitely recommend the east track of this hike as it has much better views than the west track.
• Photograph the infamous “Wanaka Tree”. Every morning and night, tourists and photographers huddle along the edge of the lake with huge tripods and lenses to catch a pretty photo of the lone, little tree surrounded by mountains. This is a funny phenomenon and locals will laugh at you, but snagging a picture of the Wanaka Tree is a right of passage for tourists!

Accommodation: Fairway Motel for a second night. 

Our Experiences: Wanaka was one of our favorite stops (and it wasn’t just because of the wine!). It’s a much smaller, chiller version of Queenstown and just as beautiful! Don’t miss it!

Made it to the top of the Rocky Mountain track! What a view!

THAT Wanaka Tree.

ALL of the people photographing the Wanaka Tree.

Day 10: Wanaka to Franz Josef Town (3 hour drive)

Activities:

• Stop at The Blue Pools, which is a short hike and was one of our favorites! We walked over a suspension bridge to the bluest water we have ever seen (Koh Phi Phi water included).
• See the glacier at Fox Glacier. I felt that this stop was a bit underwhelming. The glacier itself looks more like rock than ice so it takes some imagination to enjoy the stop. As Johnny put it, you have to focus more on the valley that the glacier carved than the glacier itself and I agree! You can book tours to actually hike on the glacier, which is supposed to be a lot more impressive, but it comes with a pretty high price tag.

Accommodation: Bella Vista Motel Franz Josef, this simple spot has a good location and very clean, nice rooms.

Our Experiences: This drive was super interesting because the landscape changed from mountains to lush rain forest very quickly. With the rainforests, comes rain. It rains about 255 days of the year in Franz Josef (including the 2 days we were there!!).

I can’t believe that glacier photobombed us!!

The bluest water and suspension bridges at the Blue Pools. How does this water this blue exist?!

Day 11: Franz Josef Town (no driving)

Activities:

• Get out of the rain at the glacier hot pools in town. There are 3 pools of different temperature and they are all covered so, despite the rain, it’s very relaxing. Our leg muscles thanked us for the relief from the hikes!

Accommodation: Bella Vista Motel Franz Josef for a second night. 

Our Experiences: Rain, rain, and more rain! We hid in our room during most of our time in Franz Josef Town!

Day 12: Fox Glacier to Greymouth (3 hour drive)

Activities:

• Drive out to Punakaiki to walk through the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes. This stop was super awesome and definitely worth the added drive. The Pancake Rocks are an unreal feat of nature that scientists can’t really explain. Over millions of years, the rocks have been formed into thin, pancake-like layers. Also, no matter your age, watching water shoot through blowholes is super-duper entertaining! Go at high tide for the best blowholes. 
• Try the signature beers from Monteith’s Brewing Co. in town. All of the beers were really delicious and kept us busy in the rainy weather! If you find yourself at Monteith’s, do yourself a favor and try the Velvet Stout. You can thank us later.

Accommodation: Global Village-BBH-Global Village is very clean hostel, has a great kitchen, and even free bikes and kayaks for guests.

Our Experiences: At this point in our trip we’re starting to get to “lasts” of things before heading home. So sad!! Staying in Global Village was our last stay in a hostel! While I’m pretty happy about no more shared bathrooms, we really enjoyed the community vibe and amenities in the hostels throughout our trip.

Cheers to rainy day activities!

The unbelievable Pancake Rocks and blowholes.

Day 13: Greymouth to Christchurch (4 hour drive)

Activities:

• Drive through Arthur’s Pass, which seems like it would be totally amazing, but our visibility was horrible due to rain and fog on our way back to Christchurch. So, no views, just careful driving.

Accommodation: Airbnb near the airport

Our Experiences: This was our last day in New Zealand and Thanksgiving Day! We met up with our friends, Jeff and Catherine, one last time to celebrate Thanksgiving complete with rotisserie chicken, instant mashed potatoes, American Football, and of course, plenty of wine! We are definitely thankful we’ve been able to explore so many parts of the world with these great friends!

Happy Thanksgiving from a couple of travelers!

One more shout-out to Johnny, our fearless driver who did an A+ job staying on the left-side of the road, getting us safely through windy, mountain roads, and killin’ it in the many roundabouts! 

The post New Zealand: South Island Road Trip Itinerary appeared first on Pineapple Pursuit.

Adorable trams cruising the city.

Overall, Melbourne reminded us a lot of Chicago, but with way sweeter accents. This part-hipster, part-fancy city is bustling with streets full of tourists and locals, trams navigating through the city, crowded shopping areas, and alleyways packed with café goers enjoying expensive coffee and brunch. After spending the last few months in Southeast Asia and India we were met with a bit of reverse culture shock including:

• Lanes: it took us some time to take in the western road system complete with speed limits, stop lights and rules of the road. We were cautiously optimistic that we may actually be kind of safe on the road in Melbourne!
• Road construction: this was something we hadn’t seen in a LONG time and we were overwhelmed with the bright orange cones, reflectors, and machines working along the road. What is this city development?!
• The Opera: seeing the Melbourne Opera House seemed totally gratuitous. So you’re saying people go to the Opera instead of driving tuk-tuks or worrying about Dengue Fever?
• Hobbies: This goes hand in hand with the opera. Observing locals enjoying hobbies like biking and rowing on the river seemed totally strange. After observing so many people living in what can seem like uninhabitable situations, it seemed like we had literally been transported to another Pleasantville-like land.
• The daily grind: There is something unconventionally peaceful about the way the people of Southeast Asia and India live—no one wears suits, small businesses and farming are the status quo, people break for lunch, families live together in small towns, locals greet each other on the street (imagine that!!). In Melbourne, we were suddenly surrounded by a big city full of people rushing to work, crowded sidewalks, fancy shopping and dining and there was a sense of the old rat race. Insert panic. We 1) took a step back and thought, “is this what we look like in Chicago?!” and 2) wanted to tell everyone to CHILL OUT, take it a bit slower, and enjoy the day. A message we all need to hear once and awhile!
• Food choices: after being limited to (the BEST) Asian food for almost every meal we were totally overwhelmed with amount of food choices in Melbourne. What do you mean we can get Eggs Benedict or doughnuts or bagels or cheeseburgers OR Mexican food?!?!?!
• PRICES***: after spending about $10 for both of us to eat dinner in Southeast Asia, we couldn’t get over the prices in Melbourne. We were suddenly looking at menus where coffee was $4-$5 and breakfast could run you $15-$20 a dish. WHAT. No thanks.

To help us stay on budget we had to get creative with our activities and food choices. Here’s how we stayed cheap and stayed busy for 48 hours in expensive, expensive Melbourne:

Where to Stay

We stayed at the Ibis Budget in CBD Melbourne. When visiting, you definitely want to stay in the CBD. This area made it super easy for us to explore the city by foot. Ibis Budget was very basic accommodation, but clean and a good place to sleep. The room ran us about $100 a night, which was on the cheaper end of other options downtown. The downside was no WIFI—Oh yeah, not only is Melbourne expensive, but they also charge you for WIFI everywhere. Are we being robbed?

http://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-6371-ibis-budget-melbourne-cbd/index.shtml

What to Do for FREE!

To save money, we stuck exclusively to free activities in Melbourne. Good news, there’s a ton of them!

Wandering the aisles (and choosing breakfast, of course) at Queen Victoria Market.

Our favorite activity was visiting Queen Victoria Market, the largest open-air market in the Southern Hemisphere. This market is a blast to walk through as locals and tourists alike wander through acres of vendors selling deli meat, fish, cheese, breads, and gifts. We suggest spending a bit of money enjoying some of the food options in the market such as the American Doughnut Kitchen, but if you’re sticking to a strict budget, as the Southeast Asians say, “you can look FOR FREE!”

Loving the street art in Melbourne!

More street art down Hosier Lane.

Exploring Melbourne by foot can easily take up an entire afternoon and, guess what?, it’s free! We soaked in the mild weather of Melbourne by taking to the streets. I am always on the hunt for street art and there’s loads of it in Melbourne. We walked to Hosier Lane and had a ball photographing the alleyways filled with street art. This spot is filled with tourists, but is still awesome. The Shrine of Remembrance and Royal Botanic Gardens are also an easy walk from the CBD. The Shrine of Remembrance is an important Melbourne landmark, which serves as a memorial to Australians who have served in war. The architecture of this memorial is gorgeous and it’s very interesting to walk through (for free!). It’s definitely worth a stop. From the memorial, we hopped on over the botanic gardens, which are unbelievable. You can literally walk through these expansive gardens for hours. You can read a book on a bench, take a sack lunch to enjoy on a hill, and learn about the plants unique to Australia. Don’t miss Guilfoyle’s Volcano at the highest point of the gardens, where you can see a view of the city. Again, all free! I like it, I love it, I want some more of it!

The best baby ducks in the Royal Botanic Gardens.

Inside the Shrine of Remembrance.

And more of it we got. We also walked up and down the riverfront during the evening and were entertained by lots of street entertainers, including one who swallowed a sword! The riverfront is lined with tons of cool restaurants and bars if you want to throw down $12 on a glass of wine. We did not.

The beautiful riverfront.

There is also a free tram zone in the CBD, which allows you to hop on and hop off a tram in the general CBD area. You can take this tram to the Harbor Town/Docklands area of Melbourne to see Emirates Arena and walk around the harbor. Again, there are lots of restaurants and a few paid activities in this area, but it’s also a nice place for an afternoon walk to see a new part of Melbourne.

View of the harbor.

Cheap Eats

Jumbo sushi rolls from Sushi Hub.

The food culture of Melbourne would definitely be a blast if you weren’t on a budget, but sadly, we were. So, to keep our food tabs to a minimum we had to be very careful about our eating and drinking. So careful that we didn’t drink any alcohol in Melbourne… so responsible!! To save money on food we ate:

Breakfast: On morning one, rather than paying for a sit down breakfast we found a café that sold cheaper pastries and went with banana bread and shared a coffee. On morning two, we enjoyed boreks (a Turkish pastry with various filling – we opted for one cheese & spinach and one spicy potato) at the Queen Victoria Market, which had a much better price tag than the neighboring restaurants.

Boreks…GET ONE!!

Lunch: On day one, we shared fries with lots of toppings from Lord of the Fries at Flinders Street Railway Station (a gorgeous train station!). On day two, we shared a delicious sandwich from The Soup Place on Flinders Lane. One of the coolest things about Melbourne is the alleyways or laneways full of restaurants and shops, so definitely make time to wander through a few!

Dinner: We only had one dinner in Melbourne, which was good because dinner comes with a steep price tag. We found a great little gem called Sushi Hub, which sells unique, enormous pieces of sushi for about $1.40 a piece. So, we were able to fill ourselves up for about $5 a person!! Sushi Hub has yummy beef, chicken, and fish sushi, which were fun to try!

As you can tell, to save some $$$ we had to share most of our meals, which is good for our wallets and waistlines! To make sure we don’t starve, we always keep granola bars, gummy bears (Haribo brand, of course!), and Pringles on hand for snacking, duh.

Until next time, Melbourne! 

The post Australia: 48 Hours in Melbourne on a Budget appeared first on Pineapple Pursuit.

What We’ve Gotten Rid Of

Those jeans. SO gone. (Photo taken in London)

While in Thailand, we sent home a box of stuff that we just couldn’t stand having in our backpacks any longer to free up space and lighten the weight being carried on our shoulders. Who would have ever thought I’d want less clothes to choose from at the beginning of this trip?! #lookatmenow The box is supposed to take about a month or two to reach home (same, same, but different?) and these were the contents:

Jeans. You only need (and need is a loose term) them in Europe because it helps you fit in with the Westerners. No one wears them anywhere else…and they’re tight, uncomfortable and take up a TON of space in your packs.

Jacket. My annoying, space ruining jacket with gold buttons and a belt went home.

 Infinity scarf with a hidden zipper for my passport. Again, loved this in Europe when I was still paranoid about my passport. Now, I’m less paranoid and don’t need it.

Graphic t-shirt. This went home for two reasons: 1) it made me look like more of a tourist than I already am and 2) it was thick and uncomfortable. Comfort first!!

Cross body purse, which was used about 2 times before being shipped off. Again, this is a great accessory in Europe, but so dumb everywhere else. People don’t carry them in most countries so it just draws attention to you and all the expensive things you might have in it.  (Tip: pack pants, shorts, and tops with zippered pockets so you can still bring your phone and money with you!)

Long sleeve shirt. Johnny sent this home because it’s hot as hell in all of Asia.

Journals. These went home because they are pretty heavy and both of us were recording memories electronically. That being said, since shipping them home, we have had multiple situations in which we’ve needed pieces of paper to jot down thoughts or plans and we’ve been stuck asking our hotel for paper to use.

Things We’ve Barely Used, but Haven’t Ditched

This skirt. LOVE that is keeps me culturally appropriate. HATE how it packs. (Photo taken in India)

Chaco sandals. These have only made it out of our bag for activities like kayaking and light hiking during hot weather.

Convertible maxi skirt/dress. This little number has been good for when I need to cover my knees at temples (India and some of Asia) or throw a dress on over a swimsuit and has been more useful as a skirt than a dress. When I don’t need to cover my knees, it’s heavy and hard to pack.If you’re traveling to a country where you need to cover your knees, I suggest finding a skirt that is very light and easy to pack, mine is not.

Maxi dress. This is another item that has served it’s purpose when 1) we need to look slightly nicer to get into a restaurant or bar (which has been about once) and 2) I need to cover my knees. Otherwise, a maxi dress has no place in my day-to-day comfort first life and is way too fancy for most places we’ve been.

Camera tripod. We literally haven’t used this, but feel like as soon as we send it home we’ll need it desperately. Life.

Water Bottles. This is a tricky one—we used our water bottles a TON in Europe and South Africa, but couldn’t use them at all once we were in India and Southeast Asia where there isn’t clean water to fill them up. We’ve been reusing a huge plastic water bottle while in New Zealand because it holds more water than our small water bottles. 

Head Lamp. Haven’t used. Haven’t sent home because, ya know, there could still be a power outage?

Make–up. Literally don’t use my make-up, EVER, but the westerner in me can’t part with it/mascara is too expensive to replace as soon as we get home.

What We’ve Bought

Our new jackets to protect us from the SNOW (WWTTFF) at the top of this mountain. (Photo taken in New Zealand)

Johnny bought a hooded fleece and I bought a water resistant coat upon our arrival to New Zealand because we’re not used to this 50-degree weather! No, I don’t regret sending my old jacket home because it would not have been comfortable to hike in.

Johnny bought a sleeping bag liner, which has been an A++++++ purchase that makes for comfortable sleeping in dirty hotels or on trains.

External Hard drive. My computer SO ran out of memory about 2 weeks into this trip and couldn’t even begin to handle storage of our GoPro footage so this was a must!

Laxatives. We’ll spare you the gory details, but diarrhea isn’t the only problem when you’re traveling long term. Sketchy is an understatement when describing most of the pharmacies we’ve been into. So, bring some.

What We’ve LOVED

My all time favorite pants! Why yes, I do wear them almost everyday. (Photo taken in Bangkok)

Sleeping bag liner. Discussed this above, but I have a silk one and Johnny has a cotton one. They are seriously the best when you’re in a hotel/train and sheets are dirty or there’s a critter nearby. Buy one.

https://www.rei.com/product/850427/cocoon-silk-mummy-liner

GoPro. We use the GoPro ALL the time and have absolutely LOVED documenting our experiences.

Reebok Skyscape Runaround Sneakers. These sneakers are EVERYTHING! They are pretty cute and made of neoprene so I have worn them hiking, out to dinner, and in the water with a wet suit. They are easy to clean, comfortable and VERY lightweight.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LH7TQ7I/ref=twister_B00LTP0XCA?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Athleta Light Pants. I’ve literally lived in these. They are lightweight, comfortable, and have 2 front zippers for storing anything I want to bring along for our daily adventures.

http://athleta.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=1059471&vid=1&pid=983350012

Maps.me-This wasn’t something we packed exactly, but it’s a navigation map that works offline and has gotten us in and out of road trips, hikes, and everything in between.

Currency converter-This is another app that has been a lifesaver for figuring out how much money we need!

Johnny nailed packing and feels like he uses everything he’s brought pretty equally. His clothes must feel more loved than mine. So, his original clothing packing list was an A+ minus the jeans and one long sleeve t-shirt! 

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