In the end of April I went for the first time for a bigger "solo" trip. My original plan was to go see the Cheerleading World Championships in Florida, but then searching for the plane tickets I found really cheap tickets to Los Angeles, so I decided to go there first for 3 days, and then for a week in Orlando. My sister who competed at the Cheerleading Worlds asked if I wanted to continue somewhere after Florida, and we ended up going for 5 days in the Bahamas. What a trip!
The purpose of this trip was to really reboot and relax. I did take my camera with me but I didn't end up filming anything. I took photos with my phone and just relaxed in the sun, went for a swim, ate well and really concentrated on myself. And it did me wonders.
I basically wanted to go to Los Angeles for two things: the beach and the vegan food. I wasn't disappointed in either, although it was still kind of cool outside, so I didn't go for a swim in the Pacific. I stayed with a friend of my sister's in Long Beach, which is south of Los Angeles. I rented a car and drove around a lot (and got stuck in LA traffic A LOT). I took a short road trip from Long Beach down the Pacific Coast Highway to Laguna Beach, walked down the long steps to 1000 steps beach, and spent this whole day by myself driving, laying on the beach, listening to podcasts and going thrifting. I loved it! I also took the car to downtown LA and visited the Griffith Observatory, which was my favorite part of LA, together with Venice Beach. I regretted going to the Walk of Fame and Chinese theater, it wasn't that nice and it was full of people, I stayed for a hot minute and fled. As for the vegan food, I certainly wasn't disappointed! My personal favorite was Veggie Grill, the best veggie burger of my life!
Florida was nice, but lacked personality after vibrant California. I basically went just so see my sister compete, and for that I certainly wasn't disappointed! I will always hold a fond memory of seeing her kick ass and become a World Champion. We did have a nice flat in a hotel with some friends, and we enjoyed the pool and some shopping and of course the sun! Florida is okay, but not really my cup of tea afterall. Been there twice now, and if it wasn't for the Cheerleading Worlds, I don't think I would have gone more than once.
Now Bahamas was a big shocker. It was as beautiful as I have seen in photos, but it was also extremely poor and quite dirty. The luxury of the enormous hotels, and the trash in the ocean and the abandoned buildings made for quite the contrast. We went there at the start of the rainy season, so it rained almost every day, but we did have sun as well (and got sunburned, of course..). It was really windy so the ocean had crazy waves, so we stuck to the pool. Even though we were a little disappointed, we still had quality sister time.
My tips for this kind of trip:
- don't be afraid to go alone. It was really refreshing, I could decide where I wanted to go and at what time, I could take my time where I wanted to and also I didn't have to wait for anyone. Also, I really had time to think, read books and listen to podcasts. Lovely!
- if you're going to a "luxury" destination, have a little bit more in your travel budget. We would have gotten so much more out of the Bahamas had we had a little bit more money. But when at taxi from our hotel to the center was 30 dollars and groceries more expensive than in Finland, we stuck to free sightseeing and the pool of our Airbnb.
- if you love thrifting, I would recommend California. Even the grubbiest looking charity shop had so many treasures waiting to be found! I absolutely loved it.
- a great way to save money is to rent an apartment with your friends that has a kitchen, so that you can cook your foods and not go to restaurants for every meal. Especially if you're a vegan in Florida!
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