Let me preface this post by saying there are absolutely way more than just 10 reasons to hike the Inca Trail. However, below I will briefly discuss the 10 main reasons why I found the Inca trail to be so spell binding and inspiring.

1- The Views

I still can't believe it was real. The nature surrounding the trail is so diverse and expansive. The trees and mountains truly seem to be infinite. I can promise you will never get bored with your surroundings while on the Inca Trail. Everywhere you look, there are just continuous mountain ranges dense with greenery.

It is important to ...

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I reached the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro on New Year's Day 2020. Traveling to Africa was high on my destination list, as I chased my goal of reaching all 7 continents before I turned 30 (Africa would be #6). While researching Africa, I came across the stories of Kilimanjaro. The chance to summit the tallest free standing mountain in the world?? That sounded right up my alley! (I always love a good challenge). So, I researched that a bit more, and before I knew it, everything was booked. Keep an eye out for an upcoming blog post about how to prepare and pack for the hike.

Below is a day by day itinerary of my trip. I chose to follow the Machame Route. This is one of the most common routes, and was a 7 day itinerary which is a perfect amount of time on the mountain. First, ...

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It all started with a simple trip to Sydney, Australia in 2013. I thought I was just joining a friend for a New Year's Eve destination, but it became much more than that. My wanderlust was instantaneously sparked.

It was my first time leaving North America, and I quickly realized it would not be my last.

...so what happened next?

Well let me start off by saying I didn't always have a goal of reaching all 7 continents.

I fell in love with what traveling offered me, and it quickly and organically became an attainable accomplishment. After...

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Have you ever found a super cute Airbnb...so cute that you just book it without really researching the location? Well, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Keene, New York! That's right. This was a totally spontaneous trip planned solely on how adorable (and affordable) the Airbnb was. The idea was to take a simple "getaway" trip, so location wasn't exactly top priority. However, I really lucked out. After booking it and panicking that I didn't actually know where I was going, I discovered Keene is actually in the Adirondack region. This was perfect because I have always heard great things about the Adirondacks, but never took the initiative to take a trip there. Sometimes things happen for a reason!

So at this point you're probably wondering what ...

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It was 2012, and I was just working another shift as a waitress at a restaurant. One of my friends who I worked with suddenly came up to me and said, "Do you want to go to Australia with me for New Year's Eve??" I didn't even have to think about it before automatically saying YES. And that's where it all began...

That trip to Australia was my first time leaving North America, and I immediately knew that I wanted to see as much of the world as possible.

Ever since that first big trip, I have constantly looked for opportunities to explore new places...

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So...what exactly do I mean by a "tourist trap"?

Picture this. Imagine you are scrolling through Instagram, and you start seeing photos of this beautiful geothermal spa... steam is rising off the water, Icelandic mountains can be seen in the distance... you can almost feel the still peacefulness of the setting. You've been planning a trip to Iceland, so you add this magical place to your itinerary. The morning of your scheduled visit, you awake feeling invigorated and excited to explore this new location.

Fast forward... you arrive. The line to check in is out the door. You finally make your way through only to find swarms of other tourists in the locker room, so crowded that it takes you an hour to find an empty locker and change. You make you way care...

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