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| Jacksonville Beach (May 2015) |
Focusing has been difficult the past few months, so I'm taking an alternative approach to A-Z this year: looking back at past travel, editing or re-editing images from travels before, and responding to travel-related questions. Hope you are able to join me on this journey to my past!
For Day J, I went with Jacksonville Beach; it was one of the few places I knew I had pictures for! While Jacksonville, Florida is a pretty fun city to explore, the last time my husband and I went down to this part of Florida, we were there for a graduation at the University of Florida. Rather than head back right away, we decided to explore the beach instead of the city. It was a really complicated weekend since my car broke down while we were there! Luckily, we were within walking distance (a mile) of the hotel we were staying at. Unluckily, we forgot to put on sunscreen and came back home after our long weekend looking like lobsters. It was truly an unforgettable weekend. 😳🙂
Other places I considered for this post: ??? Can you think of any places that start with a J?
To the questions –
28. The most important of all travel questions: Window or Aisle?
Window, of course! I want to be able to look out and photograph the landscape below! Plus, I'm one of those annoying passengers that lifts the blinds up every so often during a long overnight flight so that I can see the sunrise over the clouds! (Or the sunset!) Of course, I'm also the ideal window seat passenger because I can go long periods without needing a restroom break. I've definitely done the whole transatlantic flight without getting up which I absolutely DO NOT recommend doing. When you take long flights, get up and stretch your legs even if you don't need to use the restroom! Blood clots are not worth it.
29. How do you choose the places you visit?
Luck?
It's easy when there is an event going on. Wedding, graduations, visiting friends … All of that makes the decision easy.
Prices can also influence the decision. If you see flights for $11 plus 25,000 Delta points to Hawai'i and you have that many points, then why not go for it? I'm not incredibly familiar with Delta point valuation, but, overall, the price is still less than paying straight cash to go somewhere else. Or maybe it's cheaper to fly into Newark rather than JFK when you are going to NYC? Or maybe you need to skip the flight altogether and just go for a cheap road trip?
This brings me to my next point: time. If you only have a weekend, you don't want to spend all of your time on a flight. Nor do you want to spend all of your time driving. Maybe you pick a smaller city and save the larger city when you can get more vacation time?
And sometimes you go to a place because it is an experience you want to have. Maybe you really want the food there. Or maybe there is an art exhibit that you'd love to see? Maybe there is a special event, like Mardi Gras for example, that you've always wanted to take part in. Last year Justin and I explored PCH in April because I had heard that was when flowers were in bloom there.
Decisions can be hard. They can be complicated. In the end, you just have to go to the place that suits you best.
30. Who is your dream travel companion?
I live life simply. I couldn’t go anywhere without my husband. We always have the best adventures together. ❤️
Traveling with others is hard. Managing expectations is hard.
The late Anthony Bourdain would have been interesting to travel with. I loved his perspective on travel – how the middle and lower class are the key to any location. He did an awesome documentary I watched on my way to Paris this past December entitled Wasted. It was all about food waste; I learned so much from it and highly recommend it!
See other posts in this year's A-Z.
