Travel Playlist

As I mentioned in my "What I Pack in My Carry-On" post, I recently signed up for Spotify Premium and I think listening to music is a great way to pass the time on long trips. I haven't only been doing plane travel lately, but also have been going on lots of road trips. I've created a playlist on Spotify for you to listen to during travel (it includes the songs above and many more)! I listened to this last week on a 5 hour drive to visit family. It's a great mix of new and old favorites, slow and up-beat!

I hope you enjoy and be sure to follow me on Spotify!

-Gabi

Top Travel: Thailand Inspiration

The beaches, the sun, the markets. Thailand is a place so many people dream of and the hype is definitely well deserved. I'll soon be writing a post about a trip I took to Thailand, but for now, I'm just sharing a bit of inspiration and planning help for travelling Thailand.

{hints & tips for travelling thailand}

{7 places to explore when you visit phi phi islands in thailand} 

{a weekend in kata beach phuket}

{how to travel thailand in in one month}

Hope you're feeling inspired!

-Gabi

My Packing Tips

I am an overpacker. I like having lots of options for outfits, so packing can be a bit of a struggle. For the last post of this travel series, I'm sharing some of my best tips for efficient packing. 

1 // Fill hats and purses with clothes so that they don't lose their shape.

2 // Always put liquids like shampoo and face wash in plastic bags inside your toiletries case. (I've had way too many things leak in my bag!)

3 // Limit your clothing to one color palette and bring only pieces you're sure you'll wear. You know those outfits that you can always rely on to feel comfortable and confident in no matter what the day? Those are what you should be bringing.

4 // Roll your clothes instead of folding them. Everyone say this, but it really does save a lot of space.

5 // Put a few dryer sheets in your suitcase to keep clothes smelling fresh.

Thanks for reading and I hope these tips helped!

-Gabi

Travel Food Guides

I am obsessed with learning about foods. I think that food is a huge part of culture and one of my favorite things to do when travelling somewhere is to look up the best restaurants, cafés, and dishes in that place. Today, I'm sharing some lists and food guides that I have found throughout my "research".

ASIA

hong kong guide: eating & drinking

the beginner's guide to thai street food

AUSTRALIA

brisbane brunch guide - 5 places you can't miss

8 sydney cafés you should know about

EUROPE

london's 30 most instagrammed restaurants

inside lisbon's incredible mercado da ribiera

top 10 coffee shops in paris

29 of the best cheap eats in stockholm

NORTH AMERICA

where to eat in nyc

24 vegan restaurants that belong on your culinary bucket list

the most instagrammed street food in new york city

21 magical burritos across america that you need to try

dc guide: where to eat

VARIOUS

13 cafés with a window seat waiting for you

25 bakeries around the world you have to see before you die

35 food markets around the world to put on your travel bucket list

25 coffee shops around the world you have to see before you die

Enjoy!

-Gabi

What I Pack in My Carry-On

I've been on a lot of long plane rides in my life and I've narrowed down my must haves for a carry on. Some of my specific favorite products are linked in the list below!

1 // Phone and Headphones

Listening to music and playing games is a great way to pass the time on long plane rides. I recommend using a service like Spotify Premium, which I recently signed up for, because they're having a promotion where you can have three months of Premium for $0.99. The offline mode is a lifesaver!

2 // Gum or Mints

Trust me, you'll want these after hours on a plane with plane food.

3 // Oil Blotting Paper

The air on planes in not good for your skin and makes it both dry and oily (it's a weird feeling), so these are a necessity to feel refreshed.

4 // Book

Sometimes it's nice to have something to do so that you can be unplugged for a while.

5 // Pillow or Neck Pillow

Plane seats are not exactly the most comfortable, so having anything to make it more comfortable is nice. (Extra nice if you're in a window seat, the walls of the plane are usually freezing!)

6 // Sweatshirt, Sweater, or Scarf

Again, anything to be comfortable and warm!

7 // Moisturizer for Hands and Face

As I mentioned earlier, your skin will get dry during the flight and you will want some moisturizer for both your hands and your face.

8 // Disposable Toothbrush

You can buy miniature, disposable toothbrushes (like Colgate Wisps) from any drugstore and you will be so thankful to have them to feel fresh during and after your flight.

9 // Regular and Portable Phone Charger

You'll be using your phone lots during travel and inflight, so back up battery is necessary. (Also, lots of planes have USB ports to charge your phone!)

10 // Lip Balm

Again, plane air is extremly drying!

11 // Eye Mask

Great for if you want to sleep on the plane but they haven't dimmed the lights yet.

12 // Noise Canceling Headphones

Something else to help with sleep. Music + sleep = the best ways to pass a long plane ride. :)

13 // Empty Water Bottle

You can't bring a full one through security, but still pack a bottle so that you can get some water on the other side without having to pay super high prices!

I hope this helps!

-Gabi

Travel Videos for Planning and Inspiration

I watch a lot of YouTube videos, probably more than I would care to admit. Recently, with my backpacking obsession, I have been watching so many travel videos. Today, I figured I should make use of all the time that I have wasted spent watching these videos and share them with you!

One of my favorite travel YouTubers, Mollie Bylett, shares what she packs in her backpack and her tips. Once you've watched this video, check out her channel!

The Vagabrothers answer questions about Eurail passes and how they used theirs during their trip around Europe.

Another video by Mollie Bylett, this time with her tips from when she backpacked Thailand.

I love all of Essena Oneill's vlogs, especially from her time in India! After you've watched Part 1 here, head over to her channel for more!

-Gabi

My Favorite Travel Blogs

For me, travel blogs are the best and worst type of blogs. The best because I get to explore all parts of the world without even leaving my house, but the worst because they make me so insanely jealous. I have a few favorites that I'm sharing today.

1 // The Blonde Abroad

Fun female travel with guides and tips.

2 // Alex in Wanderland

Scuba diving, parties, and lots of Southeast Asia.

3 // Adventurous Kate

Solo travel for women anywhere.

4 // Travelettes

A community of bloggers exploring every city you can think of.

-Gabi

European Travel Inspiration

I have a new obsession with backpacking. The summer after I graduate, I just want to buy a Eurail pass and explore all of the places in Europe that I've been dreaming of for years. For almost a week, I've been browsing YouTube and Pinterest obsessively, finding all the places I want to visit. This week, I'm going to be sharing some resources I've found for backpacking Europe and beyond, including my favorite travel blogs, videos, and tips. Today, I'm going to be featuring a few destinations and guides to them for you to begin to (wander)lust over.

Explore Barcelona with the Blonde Abroad.

Jet off to Prague with No Money, Will Travel.

Wander through Vienna with the Everygirl.

Enjoy yourself in Copenhagen with Design*Sponge.

-Gabi

The Orangery Tearoom & Patisserie, Bahrain

Another one of my Bahrain favorites, The Orangery. It's on the grounds of the Palace Boutique Hotel and it is delicious. The first time I went, it was for brunch and I got the French toast (yum!). 

This time, I went for lunch and I got the honey roasted chicken (so flavorful and the rice that comes with it is perfect) and Kandy tea. For dessert, I recommend the berry cake! It's dense, light, and not one bit dry. I also like that the frosting is more like a whipped cream than a super sweet icing.

Definitely recommend a stop at the Orangery if you're in Bahrain!

-Gabi

Top Travel: Oman

The Sultanate of Oman is a country in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula which is a fast growing travel destination and an amazing place to visit. I visited Oman a few months ago and I was very impressed. I enjoyed it even more than I expected to!

One of the first things we did there, and my favorite, was the Wadi Shab. A wadi is pretty much a (mostly) dry riverbed that you can find all over Oman and other places in the Middle East. Wadi Shab and a few others in Oman are very popular places for tourists because they can be easily hiked and are great for a more active, fun thing to do when traveling. 

I didn't take my camera on the walk, because you come to a point where you have to swim and I didn't want to risk any damage, but I did find this great YouTube video, so that you can see what it's really like! 

We also went to the Bimmah Sink Hole, only about 15 minutes to drive there from Wadi Shab. You can see it in this video by Casey Neistat. I thought that was pretty cool, because I had never seen the video until the day when we went to the sinkhole, when I just stumbled upon it on his channel, having no idea he had been to Oman! 

It is the part when he jumps off the ledge into water (so scary), it's even higher up in real life than it looks!

While in Oman, we stayed at the Shangri-La's Barr al Jissah Resort for most of our time and it was gorgeous. (Also, the food was amazing!)

We did so many other things too, but these were some of the highlights!

-Gabi

Lumee Street Cafe, Bahrain

Today, I am going to be talking about my favorite restaurant in Bahrain, Lumee Street Cafe. It is in the Al A'ali Mall in the Seef District. It is an Arabic restaurant that the website describes as "the new face of Middle Eastern flavors". I've been three or four times and it is so delicious every time, not to mention it is the cutest cafe. (Sorry for the photo quality, it was nighttime and I used my phone for the pictures.)

The hommos is the best I've ever had. It is so creamy and they serve it with warm bread. I recommend the "Beetroot Hommos". It tastes almost the same as the "Classic Hommos" (which is great also), but it's pink and I just like it more for some reason, I think it's a bit milder, most hommos has a taste that I'm not sure how to describe that I don't really like (bitter maybe?), but this does not.

For my main course, I usually get "Bahraini Lamb Kabab" which is my absolute favorite thing, it's amazing. I went last night and I got the "Tikka Lumee," just to try something new, but I wasn't a huge fan. I've had friends come with me and get the "Spicy Lamb Chops" and the "Chicken Kabab" and they loved both!

As for the deserts, I got a "Croissant Umm Ali" last night and my friend got the "Warm Rangeena Tart with Vanilla Ice Cream". They were both great. Umm Ali is like a bread pudding but with more flavor and spices and Rangeena is a date tart. 

Everything is so wonderful at Lumee and I'd definitely recommend a trip!

Top Travel: Abu Dhabi, UAE

Last November, I went to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates for a long weekend with my family.

The first day we were there we went on a desert safari and stayed overnight in the desert. The first part of the safari was dune bashing which was extremely fun. We stopped in the desert to take pictures before heading to the camel farm.

We ate dinner and spent the night at the desert camp, where you could ride camels, go dune boarding, and smoke shisha. Some people left after dinner and my family all agreed that would have probably been enough time to do everything we wanted, but since we were some of the only people there in the morning, my brothers got to do some more dune boarding.

The next day, we went to Yas Island. This is where a lot of hotels are in Abu Dhabi, as well as the F1 track, Ferrari World, Yas Mall, and Yas Waterworld, along with a few other attractions. I would recommend staying on Yas Island for tourists because of its large offering of activites. At Yas Mall, I bought a pair of pants a lot like these from American Eagle, but in black and with a draw string waist. I've been wearing American Eagle jeans for years, but had never worn any of their other pants. I wear the ones I bought all the time now and I would definitely recommend them.

For me the highlight of our trip was the last day. My brothers and dad all went to Yas Waterworld (which they loved), so my mom and I had the day to ourselves. We visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, which was so so so beautiful. Living in and traveling around the Gulf, I have been to a lot of mosques and I have to say this is one of the most amazing that I have seen. There was so much color and detail on the inside, while the outside was a crisp white with the most gorgeous architecture. 

After the mosque, we ate lunch at Amici restaurant in the Yas Viceroy over the F1 track. I had pizza (I'm not sure which one, oops) and cannoli and they were both delicious.

Overall, I had a great time in Abu Dhabi and it was a wonderful place to go for a weekend away!

Travel Blogs Lately

Hi, I'm back! Now that school is out for summer I'm going to have lots of time on my hands and I'm going to try to update the blog a lot more often. I didn't have much time during school to even read my favorite blogs, but now I've made my way through all of them. As you may know, I am a huge fan of travel and travel blogs. These are a few of the posts that I found that inspired me as I was making my way through my favorites:

My Favorite Day in Central America - Semuc Champey

Adventurous Kate

I've never traveled to Central America, but when I do, this natural wonder in Guatemala is somewhere I'd be sure to visit.

Arriving in Amsterdam

The Londoner

This whole day looks wonderful, but it was the hotel that really got me. The room is gorgeous!

Taiwan's Greatest Hits: 8 Things to Do, See, and Eat

ink + adventure

Taiwan looks seriously amazing.

Top Travel: Cape Town, South Africa

Top Travel is a new series here on Sarcasm and Stripes for those of us with a severe case of wanderlust! Visiting new places is such a great experience and I have been lucky enough to do a lot of traveling in my life. In this series, I will be writing about both places at I have been to (and loved) and places that I wish to visit. Up first: Cape Town, South Africa. 

This year on my spring break I had the amazing experience of traveling with my family to this diverse, immensely interesting city for the first time (of hopefully many!) and it was one of the most unforgettable trips I have ever taken. There is so much culture and history as well as endless things to do. 

Table Mountain is a definite must for anyone visiting Cape Town. The views of the city are gorgeous:

We took the cable car to the top and, once again, the views were amazing. This was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. It is very obvious why Table Mountain has been named one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. Hiking to the top (instead of taking the cable car) is also an option. It is a 3km hike that is steep and strenuous, according to the visitor's website for Table Mountain. That being said, I think that the views and experience would be well worth the walk, if time will allow.

The Cape Town sunsets are another marvelous thing about the city, so be prepared for an overload of "sun dipping into the horizon behind the ocean" photos in this post, starting with this one:

The neighborhood of Camp's Bay is a great place to spend a day at the beach. There are restaurants lining the street along the beach and gorgeous views of Table Mountain and the 12 Apostles, not to mention white sand and extremely blue water. I've heard it gets pretty crowded in the summer, but when I went in April, since it was fall in the Southern Hemisphere, the number of people wasn't too bad.

Another sunset, this time from the restaurant that we ate at in Camps Bay along the beach.

Next up, the V&A Waterfront. It contains four markets to browse, as well as many other shops and restaurants, and is in close proximity to the Two Oceans Aquarium (one of the best aquariums that I've been to in the world).

One of the markets is the Market on the Wharf, a building with a bunch of food stalls inside that were absolutely delicious! I think we ate here about 3 times and each time it was amazing. I'd recommend the wraps, the juices, and the empanadas.

About a 45 minute drive from central Cape Town is Boulders Beach. This beach is famed around the world for being the home to...

a colony of African Penguins! 

There is an inlet for (human) swimming, but be prepared for crowds. People come for the penguins, but stay for the gorgeous, clear water. Same goes for the penguin viewing area, it will be crowded, but it is well worth it.

I'd recommend taking a day to explore both Boulders Beach and the Cape of Good Hope. They are both a bit of a drive from the city, but you can make a route from the beach to the cape and take Chapman's Peak Drive as a segment of your journey to and from the city's center. Chapman's Peak Drive is a scenic road which is famous in Cape Town and beyond. You can knock out those three exciting things in one day which is an especially great plan if you're pressed for time during your travels. 

The Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point are at the tip of the Cape Peninsula and provide beautiful views of the ocean and some great photo-ops.

On the drive back to Cape Town, we spotted these ostriches on the side of the road.

Definitely an awesome experience!

Also on the way back, we spotted a gorgeous beach and an absolutely mind-blowing sunset.

One last one. Sorry, I can't resist!

Cape Town is a dream destination and I definitely hope to visit again sometime in the future!

-Gabi