EXPECTATIONS
Love Begins
bliss lane
h
Product Placement
RMH
Not today Justin
Lint Roller? I Barely Know Her
Fieri Frames
art blog(derogatory)
The Bright Sessions
Color Me Curious
The Stonewall Inn
Phantogram Three
Mike Driver
❣ Chile in a Photography ❣
KIROKAZE
hello vonnie
#extradirty
gracie abrams
seen from France
seen from Vietnam
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Brazil
seen from Canada
seen from Norway
seen from Türkiye
seen from Singapore
seen from United States
seen from Côte d’Ivoire
seen from Brazil
seen from United States
seen from Türkiye
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Iraq
seen from Singapore
seen from Netherlands
@dianadventure-blog
It’s been long...
Well it’s already September 2015 and as expected, my New Years’ Resolution went down the drain. I haven’t been able to keep an updated blog. However, this summer I was able to travel to 10 countries and 18 cities.
Stay tuned and hopefully I will begin posting my adventures from 2015! Maybe that’s how it’s going to be 2015 was meant for traveling and 2016 is meant for blogging while I slave my butt off at work!
Traveler's Worst Nightmare
Never would I thought that I would get to the airport and not able to get on the plane because my name isn’t on the flight. It happened on Thursday when I flew down to LAX expecting to fly to Stockholm and then land in Barcelona. However, when we got there, they said our cards were never charged and we didn’t have a flight.
It was one of those K-Drama scenes where you run up to the ticket counter and ask for the next flight to a certain location because your lover is there and won’t ever come back. Yup, the three of us were there. We had to run from counter to counter, website to website to find the best price. We eventually went with Turkish Airlines which was the cheapest option, yet we all had to pay an extra $700.
Instead of having a layover in Sweden, off to Turkey we went. Our layover was in Istanbul. I won’t forget sitting on the floor of LAX trying to book a flight day of. My friends’ parents just watched us in disbelief.
All in all, we eventually made it to Barcelona and we were just glad that we got out of the situation. It just took me at mere 33 hours to get to Europe with a detour to the Middle East.
Summer in Europe
Today marks the beginning of a near 3-month trip in Europe. I’m very excited for what lies ahead in the next few months. Currently I’m at Oakland International Airport waiting for my flight to L.A. where I’m meeting up with two of my traveling buddies.
My trip has been off to a bad start since I was in a fight with my parents but I know this is something I need to experience for myself and nothing was going to stop me. For my parents, it is definitely hard letting me go.
This blog will serve as a memoir of my Europe trip for myself but feel free to follow my summer.
Live. Love. Travel.
Exciting News
I am excited to announce that this summer, I will be studying abroad at the International Summer School at the University of Sussex. I am excited to be continuing my travels this summer. It will be my first time in Europe and I'm fortunate to be sharing this journey with two amazing guys (it's okay to compliment them since they don't read this). Keep an eye out on my upcoming plans!
Boston Travel Tips
To complete the Boston series, I want to discuss 7 Boston tips that I accumulated my weeklong experience there.
1. Transportation - Boston have a great subway system. After going to different cities, I realized how much BART sucks but at least we have some sort of public transportation because SoCal doesn't. One thing that I really liked about the MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority) is how cheap it is. I spent only $19 for a 7-day pass. That's super cheap. I was lucky to have had people drive me around and in two cases, it was too late so I just Uber or taxi home.
2. Oysters - Like I mentioned in the Boston food post, you need to eat their seafood. While I was going through the Haymarket, I noticed there was a stand that shucked and served oysters right there and then. They also served clams. I personally didn't try it myself but it looked delicious.
3. Stay outside of Boston - Boston, like many metropolitans, are surrounded by many suburbs. Thanks to the great transportation system sometimes staying in surrounding cities are actually cheaper than staying within Boston. I personally stayed at Malden because my friend lived there.
4. Dress in Layers - I went there in November and coming from sunny California, Boston fall weather was super cold for me. But when I went indoors, I felt like I was going to overheat. I would say dress in layers to accommodate for both indoors and outdoors weather.
5. After Midnight - many cities are blessed with late subway hours, but in Boston, they close at midnight. Plan ahead or call Uber. Uber is an app that provides ride similar to a taxi but at a much lower price.
6. Flight Delays - Expect them if you are traveling in the winter. As much in our fantastic world, they do exist. Prepare yourself for it. I was stuck in it even though it was sunny in Boston but fortunately I didn't miss class because the next day was Veteran's Day.
7. Bostonian accent - This is not really a tip but more of an affirmation but their accent is real. Just asked them to say "dark roast".
Well I hope you enjoyed my post and that concludes my Boston section! Enjoy your travels!
Tahoe Retreat
Last week, I went on a retreat in Lake Tahoe with PASAE, which stands for Pilipino Association of Scientists, Architects and Engineers. It was an extremely relaxing weekend with plenty of funny moments. Unlike other posts where I give more advice and tips regarding the location, this post will be more about my own experience. Feel free to skip this post but if you're interested why I love spending time with PASAE, read on!
Along with 28 other individuals, I stayed in a cabin in the woods. It was extremely spacious and the best part, I got to sleep on a bed. I actually always sleep on a bed during PASAE Retreat. However, different from other retreats, PASAE retreats have no strict programming whatsoever. For our Summer Core retreat, we had to do calendaring but we did this a week before so all we were in Tahoe for was FUN FUN and more FUN! On the ride to Tahoe, I didn't drive but I belted out Taylor Swift on the way there. I love stopping to get In-n-Out! Totally worth it all! Once we got there, my car was the very first so we got to call dibs on beds. By the time, the others got there, it was already midnight, however, we still commence the festivities until the wee hours of the morning (aka 6am). I can say I can add that to my senior checklist.
The next day was much chiller. It was relatively boring in the morning because no one planned anything to do. We had sleds but didn't know where to go sledding. However, after waiting for a few hours, a few others and I decided to take the car and venture somewhere. First thing first, Joan, a dear friend, needed to get her coffee fix. After that, we went to a Mexican food place, Jalisco Grill, and it was AH-MAZING! I got the tacos but the other girls got burritos larger than their heads. The rest of the group met up with us there but we were done eating. We all ended up going to the lake. It was extremely nice.
After that we all just returned to the cabin and the festivities began again, only on a lighter note. I was the designated driver for the ride back. My navigator just slept through the entire ride back! All in all, it was a great retreat with some great friends! Best part, I became closer friends with two other girls as well :)
Student by Day, Organizer by Night, Senior all day!
It's been a busy few weeks! As many of you already know, I'm a graduating senior at UC Berkeley. It's my last semester so I have been packing my schedule with many activities. Just kidding, if anything, I have been doing less and less this senior year! I have been focusing on hanging out with my friends and spending my last semester with those that mattered.
Boston Continues: Top 5 Sightseeing Spots
When I went to Boston, I had to go to Career Forum, mainly for job recruiting, so I did not have enough time to go sightseeing as much as I would like. Here is top 5 sightseeing spots I would highly recommend.
1. Bunker Hill Monument - I went here on my very last day with my friends. The entire time I was in Boston, I could see the monument but it was far off and I didn't think I would be able to visit the monument but my friends drove me to the site. As a child, I have always been fascinated with history and since Battle of Bunker Hill was a significant battle during the American Revolution.
2. Quincy Market - I went by here to get lunch with a friend I met there. I really like the atmosphere at the market. There were street performers, tourists, and plenty of eateries. I would recommend other people to come here just to soak up the atmosphere.
3. Newbury Street - This street definitely has almost any store you can possibly want. I didn't come here to shop but more of just taking in Bostonian atmosphere. I got to say visiting the New England area during the autumn time was a great idea.
4. Boston Public Library/Trinity Church - Boston architecture was definitely beautiful. It had a Gothic feel to it. Unfortunately, I didn't step inside any of these landmarks. I only got to see the outside of it.
5. Harvard Square - From what I saw, it seems like a very lively area. I went there later at night and I would describe it as a classier version of Berkeley downtown. It had plenty of food eateries and bars.
The Break is Now Over!
It's been a few days since I posted on this blog; however, I have been home resting up for the upcoming academic semester. My time at home was great but I'm excited to be back for my final semester here at UC Berkeley.
With the upcoming semester, I would like to share a few trips that I will going on in the next few months. I hope that I will be able to share more on how I plan and budget these trips too!
This semester, I am fortunate to be able to go to Hong Kong, East Coast and Lake Tahoe. I am extremely excited for each of these trips because they each have a different meaning to it.
Lake Tahoe - This will be my last PASAE retreat. It's been exactly a year since I decided that I wanted to be on CORE. Through last year's Winter Retreat, I felt a great bond with this group of people and I'm excited to be returning for a weekend of fun and relax with my friends!
Hong Kong - My big girl trip. Even though I went to Canada and many other trips by myself. I would say being by myself in Asia for a few days would be the most "big girl" thing I'll do. However, it will be one of my last family vacations so I'm excited even though I need to miss a lot of school for it.
East Coast - I am extremely humbled to be accepted into the bridges Graduate School Tour. I will be visiting Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, Georgetown, Boston University, UPenn and NYU. Even though I have visited three of the schools, I have never really went there with the thought of pursuing a MBA so I'll be excited to return to the East Coast this Spring Break.
I hope that you will follow my future adventures and how I get there and what I learn from them (especially the Graduate School Tour)!
12 Air Travel Tips
Unfortunately due to an overwhelming number of work hours lately, I haven't able to write my next parts of Boston. However, I was recently notified of being accepted into the bGST so I will be traveling to the East Coast during Spring Break, YIPPEEE! It inspired me to write a post regarding efficient travel tips!
Online Check-In I cannot emphasize enough how this is so great but not enough people do it! I almost always check into my flight at least 12 hours in advance if not 24. I get to choose my seat and if I'm not checking in any baggage, I just skip the lines and print my ticket at home. When I do check-in online, I don't arrive at the airport until an hour before my flight.
Roll, Don't Fold Many people are aware of this tip but it's always nice to re-enforce it. When you are packing your items, to maximize your luggage space, roll all your clothes. It takes up less space than folding it.
Triple S Sandals, Sweats and Sweaters! I hate it when I am going through security in front of me and there's someone who holds it up for everyone because they are taking off their 5 million layers of clothing. Wear sandals (w/ socks if cold) because it comes off easily and sometimes they don't even make you take it off. Wear sweats, it's not like an efficient thing but you don't need to take off a belt and it's comfortable on the plane ride. Sweaters, unlike jackets, you don't have to take sweaters off to go through security. I mean unless you are really into "airport fashion", these tips will help you get through the security line much faster and you won't be THAT person.
Maximize Luggage We all been there, especially in Asia, where we buy more stuff than our allowance gives us. Most people don't utilize their carry-on luggage. You are allowed one carry-on baggage, one personal bag (aka your purse, laptop bag or even duffle bag) and food (pretty much as many bags as you can carry and not embarrass to carry but it can only be food). I have been there where I did not have enough space/weight in my checked baggage that I just took out all the food I bought and put it in my carry-on. No shame.
Wear Your Thickest/Heaviest Clothes I know earlier I mentioned to wear the Triple S, but if you are maximizing your luggage, it's always a good idea to wear your thickest or heaviest clothing, just dress in layers and after security, just put it all in a bag. They can't do much once you pass security.
Twitter If you want to get a good deal on flights, I recommend you getting on Twitter. Many airlines have very active twitter accounts and they often talk about their promotions on there. Also before your flight, you might want to make a tweet about your flight, they might offer you a free upgrade or special promotion.
Air Miles Want to travel for free? It's not as popular here as it is in other cities but there are certain credit card lines that for each dollar you spend, you earn mile points that you can redeem for free flights. Also if you buy with a certain airline, you can also accumulate points for being a returning customer.
The Early Bird Gets the Worm Similar to the Twitter, most airlines have special offer at the beginning of the month either on Tuesday and Wednesday. Is it a marketing tactic? At first, I thought people were just saying that to promote air travel, but one of the reasons why airlines have a specific timeline for promotions is to compete with other companies.
File a Complaint If you don't like something while you are traveling such as a rude flight attendant or check-in clerk, one thing about tourism industry that the customer must be satisfied, most of the times, these complaints don't go unnoticed and often times, you are offered credit towards your next flight.
Flight Delays We have all had nightmares of being stuck at the airport for hours on end. I unfortunately have experienced this too many times that I have mastered this! If the airline made a mistake or is unable to get you out on time due to technical mistakes, ask for what you deserve whether it's a hotel or food vouchers. I was stuck at an airport for 3 hours and they gave everyone on the flight a $10 food voucher and I was left behind at an airport flying to my destination and had to spend a night, I demanded to be put up in a hotel (even though I had family in the city). At times, you can get the same perks if you were stuck due to weather, happened to me when I was in Boston but I did not want to trouble them because they had too many issues to deal with.
Jet Lag If you are flying into a city in the morning but left in the morning at your place too, just sleep deprive yourself and sleep on the plane. It's not the best way to combat jet lag but it have worked wonders for me. I was always able to be up and running once I arrived. Try and adapt to your new time zone before you get there.
Ramen & Ice Cream Diet I was never too sure if it was me or does airplane food have this really discerning smell to it? Well, since I was little, I found out that they have ramen on board every flight and most of the time, you can ask for it for FREE! You can't ever go wrong with ramen and it'll definitely trigger many orders around you too so you're not the fatty alone. Love the ice cream you had for dinner and need a late night snack? Most likely, they have extra, don't be afraid to ask! I ate 5 Haagen Dazs bars by myself on a flight to Japan before.
*Unless noted, most pictures on this blog are taken by me*
10 Reasons Why I Studied Abroad
Many people have different reasons why they want to study abroad but here are my 10 reasons why I studied abroad last summer.
Burden I had a lot on my plate and shoulders here in Berkeley, an expectation that people had of me. I felt bogged down by the daily life here in this bubble. Going abroad was a form of me running away from my responsibilities.
Self-Discovery Cliche or not, studying abroad was a way of finding out your true self. I found that through the years, I just came to accept the person that people wanted me to be and I wasn't sure of who I was or what I was doing. I needed time and space to find myself.
Re-Invent You may think this and the bullet above is the same but for me, it's quite different. When I was abroad, I was able to be anyone I wanted to be. I could be promiscuous, introvert or a bitch. No one would know if that was who I am or not because none of us knew each other prior to the program.
Independence Moving out of your home to college was a big step and my first sense of independence. But it wasn't until I went to Canada was I truly independent. My parents were no longer a drive away but almost 4,000 miles away from me. I had to learn to be by myself because sometimes you just pack up your life and go!
Fresh Faces After seeing the same people over and over again, it gets tiring and you take people for granted. It's hard to meet new people when all of your circle of friends overlap. It was nice getting to meet new people outside of my "usual" crowd.
Exploring a New City Despite being Canadian, I have never been to the East Coast of Canada. Toronto was definitely a new city and I was able to immerse myself into the city. By the end of it, I was no longer a tourist but felt like a resident.
New Doors Going to Toronto, not only helped me further as a person but in terms of career, I was able to explore other career options out there! Before Global Internships, I only could do what I intended on doing and what I learned in the classroom but being abroad, I was able to take on an internship that changed my senior year.
Daring Persona While I was abroad, there were times I would put on a different persona, one where I would never be around anyone who know me remotely. I would be more open to talking to strangers at random places from supermarkets to coffee shops to bars. I would, sometimes, give out my Google number or my email to people.
New Things During the two month, I definitely did many things I would never thought of trying such as riding roller coasters or booking a flight to NYC the weekend before.
Time to Myself This is probably the #1 reason why I went abroad. When I'm at school, I am constantly surrounded by my friends, when I'm at home, I am surrounded by my parents but when I was abroad, I was by myself and able to reflect things in life. I was able to prioritize what was most important to me and value things that were not with me on my trip. Through this time I was able to reflect and clear my mind. That's why this senior year has been more of a breeze!
Today would be what I call a cheat day. Unfortunately, I did not have time to write today but I saw this article a few days ago and it's truly amazing that this man was able to achieve. Sometimes, you just need to get off the couch and do something extraordinary. If given the opportunity, I would not mind doing what the man did but I think something extreme would need to occur in my life to push me to do this. The closest thing I have thought about to this is road tripping to all 50 states -- inspired by Forrest Gump even though he ran.. but I'm not about that running life.
Graham Hughes, from Liverpool, used buses, taxis, trains and his own two feet to travel 160,000 miles in exactly 1,426 days - all on a shoestring of just $100 a week.
My Latest Adventure: Boston, Massachusetts -- Food and Drinks edition
Last November, I had the opportunity to visit Boston for almost a week which was extremely exciting because I was able to see a friend, explore a new city and recruit for jobs; talk about killing three birds with one stone. It was my first time in Boston and really traveling by myself but luckily I had an old friend there. With this blog, I want to provide an in-depth coverage of the different locations. Each location will be broken down into the following categories: Food & Drinks, Sightseeing, Travel Tips, People & lastly, Personal Experiences!
Food & Drinks
For me, a city can capture my heart if it has good food. Something that I will remember Boston by is its shellfish. When I first arrived there, I had dinner at my friend's house. The following day, I had a pastry from SBux. For dinner, I met up with a Berkeley friend who was also in Boston for the weekend. We went to Shake Shack. The verdict: It's alright. It was my first time having the burger but I had their shake while I was in NYC. I would say their burger was a bit too soft for me, I'm a loyal In-n-Out fan! That night, my friend and I went to a few bars near Harvard Square (since her friend goes to Harvard). We had a few beers and it was okay. What stood out to me the most was the Port Mulled Cider. It's pretty much hot cider with red wine. Best invention ever given the cold weather. That night we also went to a fancier bar and order raw oysters and clams. The oysters were alright, but the clams were definitely my favorite. However, the price was a bit steep to my liking. To counter the steep price, it was really fresh, according to my friend, it's so fresh "you can taste the ocean".
The next day, I went to the infamous Mike's and had the cappuccino cannoli. It was delicious despite the giant mess it made. It was my first time having cannoli and it was really good, I would say to choose the less sweet flavors. For lunch, I went to Quincy Market and tried Boston's famous Lobster Roll and Clam Chowder. Both were only for about 20 dollars with a small drink. I didn't really have any to compare it to so it was delicious in my opinion. That night I went to a few company functions and it was nothing too amazing.
For Sunday, I went to Legal Seafood for breakfast/lunch/dinner. I had some crab sandwich. The portion was huge! The crab was super fresh. That's one thing I would give Boston, their seafood is absolutely fresh and sweet.
On my (supposedly) last meal, I went to a local diner in Malden. I have never been a big breakfast food person so it was alright. It was definitely cheap and large portion. I was supposed to fly out at 2pm but due to weather conditions, I was stuck there for another day. That night, my friend and his family took me to a local Pho place in Malden. I'm Vietnamese so my standards are through the roof. This place was definitely better than those in Berkeley but it was nothing compared to Pho restaurants in Oakland.
This was a really bad review of Food & Drinks in Boston but I wanted to post nearly daily and since I'm not feeling too well, this will do. I might revisit and edit this! Stay tuned tomorrow for Boston Sightseeing tomorrow! Peace out as I cry myself to sleep from this pain.
Here are a few snaps I took while I was in Boston! The quality are not as good as I would like it to be since I was there for job recruiting.
An overview of Boston will be posted tomorrow! Stay tuned!
An Introduction to #dianadventure
Hi, I'm Diana, a California native! My passion with travel began as a child with my parents taking me back to Vietnam in 1994, one of the first tourists to enter the country since the Vietnam War. Before I was 2, I experienced my first plane ride. By 2001, I visited Vietnam 8 times (and now, 13ish time) -- I seriously lost count how many times I visited Vietnam.
The first country I visited outside of Vietnam was South Korea when I was 6, for only half a day which I barely have any recollection of. It wasn't until my first mother-daughter trip with my mom across Vietnam did I begin to appreciate travel. During that trip, my mom wanted both of us to experience as much as Vietnam as possible starting from Ca Mau to Sapa. We started off in Ca Mau and ended our trek in Hanoi because going to Sapa was a bit too dangerous for a mother and daughter to go alone by train at night, so we didn't take the journey. Through that trip, I was able to see the local culture and experience the distinct regions of Vietnam, it was then that I realized there are more to the world than my daily life.
Since 2001, I have been fortunate enough to travel to Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Mexico, Canada, Japan and Philippines. Within the US, I have been able to travel to many different states: Oregon, Nevada, Washington, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Hawaii and Montana.
I have always wanted to start a blog but never had a true passion that I can blog about and decided that travel was a passion that I can share with many! Through this blog, not only will I document future travels but also post regarding my past traveling experiences and travel tips I have gained through the years! Follow my hashtag #dianadventure for my current travel adventures! Thank you for stopping by!