“If we were meant to stay in one place, we’d have roots instead of feet”

The highlight of my summer was travelling/going on this cruise and it’s only right I share this awesome experience for anyone.

See, this was particularly important because my goals for Summer’16 was to travel as much as I can, go on crazy adventures, read new books and try out new recipes.

My budget didn’t permit the last goal, but that’s okay

I decided to go on a cruise to the Bahamas & as the diva that I am, I forced my fam to go with me.

I’m gonna give some tips on how to make your trip an awesome oneeeee

Okay here it goes:

Rule 1: Stop Dreaming, Start Doing!

Yup, I wanted to go on a cruise since December 2015 and I kept on talking about it.

Then I started researching cruise options, how to get a Bahamian visa (cause I was leaving from Miami), the ideal duration for a vacation etc

Start saving, create a budget plan, be realistic.

Eventually my fam got sold on the idea, so it was a go.

Rule 2: Prep prep prep! (have a checklist)

So my motto for summer was “eat, slay, have fun & repeat.”

The eating part was easy. cause I’m a foodie

Slay- okay I had to prepare for the weather. I picked outfits for every single day & every event planned.

Have fun- this comes naturally when you’re with your family or friends, but create an itinerary so you cover everyone’s interests.

Ideally, I love sleeping and if you leave me, I would travel to a place and sleep all day. So I had to plan the things I would do & be disciplined about it.

Rule 3: Pictures say more than words!

So when I was younger, my dad will make my brother and I journalize every time we went on vacation…. stresss

So thanks to this new age of digital media, just take pictures, videos! Do it for the gram and Snapchat

Memorialize every key moment.

So pictures I took and I’m gonna share some here & give a bit of a back story to it.

Honestly, if you want to go on a cruise, I recommend “Carnival Victory”

As soon as the trip stared, we had an opening ceremony, it felt like I was at the super bowl ceremony. Unfortunately, my phone decided to be petty and not come on, so I don’t have pictures.

This ship had 12 floors of awesomeness, it had 5 dining sections – food and drinks were on 24/7- non stop

TIP: Go for the cruise at the end of summer, so you don’t feel sad when you lose your summer body

There was a show going on every other hour At 3 floors, there were weddings and bridal showers, different restaurants, different clubs and a theatre that had Broadway productions.

So there you have me living with 2758 passengers and 1100 crew members for 4 days, Woooow.

Okay honestly I felt like I was on Titanic *include gif of jack and rose*

Lol, wrong joke..

There were pools and hot tubs on 2 floors, with slides to enter.. it pretty much felt like an amusement park. This was very cool as well, and you could swim while watching the movies on the big screen.

Rule 4: HAVE FUN!!!

Day 2, we finally got to the Bahamas

As soon as got down from the ship, we saw different small retailers. Some were braiding hair , some sold souvenirs etc

I had to buy one for the culture, ehnnn how can I go to Bahamas and I won’t have something to bring back? LOL I’m a diva

So we got to where the taxis where and then they asked where we would like to go, trust me… I screamed “Beach babyyyyy” and beach we went.

Fun fact: on the Atlantis beach, if you buy a drink with the coconut cup, you Get free refills all day. On this note: I shall not be taking a virgin Piña Colada drink for the next 5 years, because I had a lot.

RULE 5: Be Adventrous!

I decided to go jet skiing

The Ski’s have a capacity for 2 people, but my dad said he won’t let my brother and I go together

PS: If anything happens, he’s not ready to lose both children at the same time. (Assurance policy, lol)

This was fun, I was obviously scared and at a point, my instructor started doing matrix in the middle of the ocean.

I tapped him to let him know my life is not for bants, and he should just ski like a normal person.

Not every day stunt man, sometimes jump man.

RULE 6: Do Something YOU wouldn’t do on a normal day

This can be mistaken for rule 5, but it’s actually a bit different

Normally when I go to the beach, I take put my feet in the water, play volleyball, take nice pictures, eat chicken and puff puff etc

But I decided to do something different

Ride the waves/Brace the waves

I saw people standing close to the edge of the beach (inside the water) and my dad and I decided to join them

So pretty much, we wait for the waves to come and then we jump /bend down- or drown, depending on your goal

Okay this was fun, but honestly after trying multiple times and falling, I gave up.

My hair was soaked, and there was sand all over my body… ew.

BUT IT WAS FUN

Shoutout to the girl that braced the waves and kept on surfing with no board

Her place is at the Olympics.

 RULE 7: Take enough clothes

See this was important, because with my sand filled body, I had to shower at the hotel

But I had extra clothes packed – so it was okay

For some people, it’s okay to not take enough clothes. Just get ready to buy clothes there, because I guess you want to travel light.

RULE 8: Get Ready to go back home

So we went back to the ship, and knew we were leaving in 2 days.

Honestly, this felt like home and I thought about hiding in the ship but nah, that’s not sustainable.

So have a personal check list

What did you bring on your journey? What don’t you have right now?

I left my power bank charger at the ship and this pained me, because S/o to my iPhone for always dying every 2 hours.

Always make sure you left with what you came with.

This was the end of my trip and I finally got back to Miami, and guess the first place I went to?

Miami beach… because I was nostalgic already

PS: this is an awesome place to go to as well

Honestly, going on a short cruise is good for you, your family, your friends, your bae etc

It’s a good opportunity to bond and be adventurous.

It’s also awesome because you get to meet different people and make new friends.