On Friday I got back from a week in Berlin! My cousin Devin and I went to visit our other cousin, Nolan who has been living in Germany for the past few years. It was honestly a random trip for us - last Black Friday, Delta Airlines was having a huge sale so we ended up getting round-trip flights for $480! Can't beat that! Within the day, our flights were booked! Our spur of the moment idea finally arrived, and we were able to visit him!

In this post I'm going to share a breakdown of our week - what we did and where we ate, drank and shopped. Since we of course couldn't fit everything in Berlin in just a week, I'll be compiling resources and other recommendations in another post coming soon!

Cheers! Last week was Brian's birthday, so for his gift, I wanted to get him an experience instead of a thing. It's our other friend Sydney's birthday in a few weeks, so her boyfriend and I surprised her and Brian with a weekend trip to Vancouver! 

As you read about in my New Year's trip to Vancouver, I love popping up to Vancouver since it's such a close way to explore! We took a half day on Friday, loaded the car with snacks, and drove up to the boarder! Brian and Sydney were guessing the whole way about where we were headed, until we got to the boarder guard when the secret was finally revealed. 

Brian and I grabbed an Uber from my work on a rainy Friday to head to SeaTac. We were off for an extended weekend on Isla Mujeres, which is a 5-mile long island off of the coast from Cancun, Mexico.  We had only booked the trip a few weeks before, after two of my friends had come over for dinner, which turned into making vacation plans! We were graciously able to stay with them, so Brian and I jumped on the opportunity for a tropical getaway!

Unlike staying in Cancun, which can be touristy, Isla is a lot slower paced. We stayed in my friend’s house, making it low barrier to entry as far as vacations go. There are still quite a few tourists on the island, but most are there for the day, and my friend’s place is on the opposite end of the island from the ferry and main beach, so it can feel remote at her place.

One thing Seattle certainly doesn’t have is humidity. The warm, humid air of Isla Mujeres helps keep your skin hydrated and dewy (when it’s not sweaty). I’ll be doing a series of posts on my recent trip to Isla, which is a small island off of Cancun, Mexico. My boyfriend Brian and I went for five days with another couple, one of whose dad has a place there. This was my third time to the island, and each time the reality of it always outshines my memories. Over the next few posts, I’ll be giving outfit suggestions and recommendations for the island, so stay tuned!

Why not go to Vancouver!?

That was my thought process when Brian jetted off to Atlanta to watch the Huskies play in the Peach Bowl (Go Dawgs!). I had wanted to go to a bowl game if it involved sun – so Pasadena or Phoenix, but I didn’t have a huge interest in going to the Atlanta game despite it being so exciting for Husky history. So while he was gone for four days, I decided to head to Vancouver for a night with my mom!

Snow is something I always look forward to about the winter. Seattle winters are typically rainy, so being able to get away to the mountains to ski, lounge in a cabin, and hot tub is the ideal getaway (besides somewhere tropical).

This year, I took the week between Christmas and New Years off, so I was able to spend four nights at my boyfriend, Brian's family cabin at Snoqualmie Pass here. With extended family and friends popping in and out, it's the perfect mix of activity and relaxation. Snoqualmie Pass is about an hour East of Seattle, so it's an easy drive to feel like you're in a completely different place!