Traveling with Your Friend

Travel is coming back. Vaccines are on the horizon, which means we might be traveling by the end of the year. While we've all been stuck in our house and not really up on our social skills as much as we'd like to be, it helps to be ready to learn to deal with other people again, especially if you've been waiting to see the world with them. Monday is International Women's Day, so I wanted to share some tips on how to make a girl's trip (or any trip really) more fun and easier to do.

Traveling with a friend can be awesome. It can also be stressful. More stressful than traveling with a significant other or family. If you know how to do it right, you'll still be friends when you return. It helps to plan trips with someone you know you have things in common with to begin with. Since you might be all excited about planning a trip with your bestie, I want to share my tips on how to travel with a friend, and not kill each other in the process.

Talk About Budget

We all hate to talk about money, especially with friends, but if you don't do this before your trip, I guarantee you will not be friends after your trip. Tell them what you're comfortable spending and find out what they're comfortable spending. 90% of the time, they will not be the same, and that is okay. It sucks if they are planning to spend twice as much as you can and you don't find out until you're on Day One of your vacay. It's always easier to spend less than come up with more, when you have bills and rent to pay. 

Set Expectations

Talk to each other about your travel styles. Are they chill about everything? Can they handle your micro-planning? Is it the other way around? If you are drastically different travelers, you may not work as travel partners. Of course, you could be like me and my friend who came with me to Disney last year. She was super chill and enjoyed that I am a super planner and planned all our days. I gave her an itinerary, made all the reservations, bought all the tickets, and she just went with it. 

Talk about the other stuff too. Are you a morning person? Is coffee a must before people talk to you after you wake up? Do long silences make you uncomfortable? Do they plan to help you drive? Are you unwilling to help them carry their bags because they're a chronic overpacker? It's easier to know these things before you leave home. That said, expect the unexpected.

Plan Together

Also known as knowing priorities and learning to compromise. Once you know your budget, talk about what your "must dos" are for your trip. If you're lucky, many of those things will be the same. You might also both find that the other wants to do/see/eat things you didn't know about, but actually want to to do/see/eat too! 

It's important that you're both happy on your trip. You can't both do things that only the one of you wants to do, because one of you will end up being bitter. Of course, compromising on things is important, too. Be open to new experiences. Do things that you only sort of want to do to make the other person happy. That brings me to this next tip:

Spend Some Time Apart

I get very worn out if I spend 24 hours a day with someone. I like to have my own space, my own room, some personal time. Just because you're on vacation with someone, doesn't mean you have to spend every waking moment with them. This could mean you get a two-bedroom to stay in, you keep up your morning run without them, or even that you go and do something alone for part of the day. It's possible they want to do something that you really don't. It's okay to tell them that they should still go do it and you'll do something else on your own. Time apart is good for you both. 

Be Honest

I really don't want people to tell me what I want to hear if they feel the complete opposite. If you don't want to do something I want to do, or I'm being annoying, tell me. I'd rather know than you be resentful. I'm not sensitive, so things like this won't hurt my feelings. And even if they do, I'll still know that it was probably hard for you to tell me, so I won't let it ruin our trip or friendship. If you need to just take a walk by yourself, tell your companion. If you don't feel like Italian food, tell your companion. If their incessant gum popping is making you want to punch them, tell them. Just maybe say it nicely and not threaten to punch them if they don't stop. 

Traveling with a friend (or friends) can be super rewarding and a great bonding experience. Of course, it can just as easily break your friendship if you don't prepare and communicate, so following the 5 tips above can help you manage all expectations. 

What are some ways you make trips with friends better?

All the Marrakech Musts

On our last Destination Date Night, we "traveled" to Marrakech. Since we learned a lot of cool things to see and do and eat, I thought I'd share some of these things with you if you've been thinking about planning a trip once this is all over and we're welcomed back into the world.

Photo by Laura Cortesi on Unsplash

5 Things to See

Though you may only think Marrakech is made up of desert sands and buildings that blend into the surroundings, I've discovered these 5 things inside the city that are highly recommended and things I put on my own list.

1. Jardin Majorelle - Designed and created by Yves Saint Laurent and Philippe Berge in the 1920s, this botanical garden has been owned and maintained by artists since it opened. In order to avoid long lines and crowds, go right at opening.
2. Palácio da Bahia - Constructed by the Grand Vizier Ahmed Bin Moussa toward the end of the 18th century, this is one of the most popular places in the Medina. It's a wonderful example of Moorish architecture and craftsmanship.
3. Anima André Heller Garden - This gorgeous garden full of lush plants of all kinds also offers sculptures and art installations throughout. It's not only full of wonderful photo ops, but it also gives you a nice break from the crowded city.
4. Medina of Marrakech - This is the main attraction of the city, surrounded by the old city walls and named a UNESCO heritage site. You'll find miles of stalls in the labyrinthine souk/market, but even so it's teeming with people. In the square you'll see snake charmers and juice vendors. Pictures are encouraged, but you'll be asked for money from subjects. Fair warning: haggling is a must. This is also home to Marrakech's largest mosque, Koutoubia Mosque. A good tip I've seen is to get a table on the second floor of Café France just before sunset and order a tea to watch the sun set behind the mosque. 
5. Musee Yves Saint Laurent - A whole museum dedicated to the past four decades of fashion and work from YSL. It's highly popular and also recommended to get their as close to opening as possible to avoid crowds.

5 Things to Eat

I love food. You'll never hear me say otherwise. Good food is the best part of travel and knowing what to look for wherever you're going is important if you're like me and want to immerse yourself in the taste of a destination. 

1. Bestilla - You saw this in my last post. It's a chicken dish that's kind of like a baklava, but with the addition of chicken. It was originally made with pigeon, but in America pigeon is either really difficult to find or very expensive (it's usually called squab here).
2. Couscous - A lot of places serve couscous cold and I'm super not into it. Warm couscous is an entirely different story. It's a versatile dish that can benefit from any addition really. It's made of durum wheat or semolina flour and is a starch that can be used like pasta or rice.
3. Chebakia - A sweet pastry made from strips of dough, shaped and fried, then coated in syrup or honey. You'll find this most often during Ramadan, but not only during that time.
4. Zaalouk - Classified as a salad, zaalouk is a dish of simmered tomatoes, eggplant and spices that is served with a drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon.
5. Msemen - This Moroccan flatbread is made from kneaded, layered dough. It can be eating at any meal, and is commonly eaten at breakfast with butter and jam. We had it with a spinach dip.

Photo by Tom Tiepermann on Unsplash

5 Things to Buy

The souks (or markets) of Marrakech are a great way to interact with people and pick up some really unique items. As you may know, I love a market and I tend to purchase birthday and/or holiday gifts on vacation, so this is fantastic way to buy things with a purpose. Here are 5 things that you should look for in the souks either for gifts or souvenirs:

1. Berber rugs - There are over 40 tribes in Morocco that each have their own unique weaves, so you'll find rugs with different embroideries. 
2. Spices - I always look for interesting spices on my travels that I know I can't get at home. Saffron is grown in Morocco, but ras el hanout is a traditional spice blend that you might be interested in finding and bringing home. Other spices that are great to look out for are tamarind, cardamom, and turmeric.
3. Tangine pots - These pots are essentially a way to make one-pot meals of all kinds, and these covered handmade pots are the traditional way to make them and come in many different sizes with tons of different artwork.
4. Cashmere scarves - These make excellent gifts, as they are lightweight, warm, and high quality. You won't pay the same prices as you do in America, because they are made from Moroccan cashmere goat wool. There are also Angora goats, so look out for those products as well if you're interested.
5. Harem pants - There's nothing I love more than great comfy pants, and harem pants are popular and quite easy to find in the souks. They're light and airy, so you can wear them in the middle of the summer. 

Don't forget to try the fruit juices sold everywhere. It's fresh and a total must to sip while wandering the souks. The fruit in Morocco is easily the best in the world, so you're really missing out if you skip this.

Photo by rachid lahrach on Unsplash

5 Words to Know

Marrakech has two official languages: Arabic and Amazigh, though Arabic is more widely acceptable. You can also get by on French, as it is spoken across the country. In the south, many Moroccans speak Spanish, due to being so close to Spain. Here are 5 words/phrases to know in any language, but here they are in Arabic:

1. Yes: Wakha | No: La
2. Good morning: Salam Alekum
3. Goodbye: Bsslama
4. Thank you: Choukran | Thank you very much: Choukran bezaf
5. How are you?: Labass

There you have it. Now you have a good base of what to expect from a trip to Marrakech. you can easily add to this list to make your trip more amazing and include day trips and anything else that fits your travel style and how long your trip is. 

Have you put Morocco on your travel wish list?

Why You Need to Add Tennessee to Your Bucket List

You might think of music and good food when you think of Tennessee. But really, those two things are only part of what Tennessee has to offer. If you are thinking about where to travel to state-side this year, then here are some of the reasons why you should think about exploring and discovering what this beautiful and great state has to offer. 

image

Southern hospitality

If there is one thing that will attract you to visiting this area, then it needs to be the southern hospitality that will be in abundance when you visit. You can feel completely welcome in this state through the famous southerners and how much they make you feel welcome. From getting locals to recommend somewhere good to eat, to discovering new attractions to visit, talking to local Tennesseans will help you to feel welcomed no matter which part of the state that you visit. 

Music scene

Memphis and Nashville are two cities in the state that have really thriving music scenes, which you are likely to expect given the musical history of these two places. There are a range of musical venues in these cities, with local performers, industry leaders performing, as well as blues, and country music. There are also a range of museums that you can visit that are dedicated to music, such as the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, as well as the Stax Museum of American Soul Music in downtown Memphis.

Great food

You cannot make any complaints about the food that you will have in Tennessee. Known for BBQ food, there are some fried chicken places that will make your mouth water. There are a lot of restaurants that are also known for their southern dishes, with sides and meats, as well as a range of vegan and vegetarian joints. If you are looking for great flavors and home cooked-style foods, then Tennessee is the one.

Image

Outdoor exploring

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is found in Tennessee, so if you are someone that likes to get outdoors and explore, then this will be a great choice for you. A Pigeon Forge vacation, for example, could mean anything from visiting Dollywood, to dinner shows, to great hiking trails, and outdoor adventures like fishing. If you like to get outdoors and explore when you travel, then you can get a mix of city and country when you visit Tennessee. 

Inexpensive to visit

The residents of Tennessee will know that it is an affordable place to live. But as a tourist of the state, you can make the most of the affordability too. There are a range of hotels and self-catered accommodation, as well as Airbnb places that are totally reasonable and inexpensive to stay in. Food and attractions are also really reasonably priced, which is a great thing to note. When you save on your visit, you will be able to make up with souvenirs, experiences, and other things that will help to make your visit to Tennessee really memorable.