Rebecca Pattee – Page 6 – Away From The Office

In my bag: 9 travel-sized beauty essentials

Unless I’m heading out on a business trip, I’m not a high-maintenance traveler in terms of my beauty routine. I don’t need a hairdryer, curling iron or flat iron while I’m on the road. While I use those products at home, they only weigh down my bag and take up space that could be better used for souvenirs.

When it comes to toiletries, I prefer airplane-approved, multi-tasking products. Even if I’m traveling with a huge backpack, I prefer carrying my toiletries with me.
Here are the 9 essential beauty products that I can’t travel without: Continue reading “In my bag: 9 travel-sized beauty essentials”

How to save for your next vacation

I’m a firm believer that just about anyone can go on vacation, even if money is tight. If traveling is your biggest priority in life, you can get there with a savings plan and a bit of creativity.

Don’t let other people discourage you. Saving for a vacation is all about trade-offs and priorities. Someone else’s priority might be saving for a new car or buying a new house. I have a few savings accounts but I put the bulk of my savings into my travel fund since it’s a huge priority for me. Fancy designer shoes and going to movies? Not so much. Continue reading “How to save for your next vacation”

Two days in Cartagena, Colombia

In a previous post, I talked about the beginning of my Colombia trip and how it wasn’t exactly the start I was looking for.

My trip started in Cartagena, Colombia and I didn’t get to see as much of the city as I would’ve liked due to my luggage issues. I only had a couple of partial days to explore but I tried to make the most of them by seeing as much as possible. Indigenous people founded the city known today as Cartagena as early as 4000BC and it was officially founded in 1533. Cartagena’s colonial walled city and fortress were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984.

I arrived in Cartagena on Friday, February 21^st and a wall of hot, humid air greeted me as I stepped off the plane. Since I didn’t have any checked luggage, I quickly made my way to the taxi stand, paid around $7 USD for a cab and checked in at my hotel, Villa Colonial, which is just outside the walled portion of Cartagena, in Getsemani. The hotel is a bargain at around $35 for night and the staff were some of the nicest hotel staff I’ve encountered in all of my travels.

Hotel Villa Colonial, Cartagena — Hotel Villa Colonial

My first order of business was to buy some new clothing since I arrived wearing a thick sweater and winter running tights, not ideal in 90-degree weather. Also: I didn’t follow my own advice and pack a change of clothes. I wandered around the cobblestone streets and managed to buy a couple of outfits and some replacement toiletries using my broken Spanish. I almost left my passport in my hotel room but in hindsight, I’m glad I brought it with me. In order to use my credit card, I had to provide my passport. Compared to the rest of Colombia, Cartagena is expensive and I spent much more than I would’ve liked on replacement clothing. Thankfully, I purchased travel insurance before I left and it covered most of the cost.

I spent the next couple of days wandering the streets, people-watching and trying delicious Colombian cuisine. Don’t try to rush through an itinerary in Cartagena – part of the beauty of this destination is wandering the streets and getting lost. At every turn, there’s another colonial building, a street vendor selling snacks or a plaza with a set of comfortable chairs. Plus, the heat is pretty intense and chances are, you won’t feel up to rushing to tourist attractions.

Everyone in Cartagena that I encountered was warm, friendly and very patient when dealing with my abysmal Spanish skills. If you’re from the U.S., you’ve probably heard over the years that Colombia is a dangerous, scary place to visit. I took the normal precautions that I would anywhere in the world and I didn’t feel threatened or unsafe at any point.

I recommend visiting Cartagena in combination with some other cities in Colombia but if you’re short on time, it’s a location that can keep you occupied for a few days. It’s also a very short (2.5 hours) flight from Miami, making it one of the most accessible South American destinations.

Here are some more photos from Cartagena:

Popsicles Cartagena — The most delicious popsicles I’ve ever had. Can’t remember the name of this place.

Cartagena clock tower — The clock tower in Cartagena

Colonial building Cartagena — One of the many colonial buildings in Cartagena

Cartagena at sunset — Near the city’s seawall at sunset.

Plaza Santo Domingo, Cartagena — The naked bronze lady in the Santo Domingo plaza.

Half of Americans don’t use their vacation time

I read an article about Americans and vacation time that made me sad. According to a survey by Glassdoor, the average U.S. worker only takes half of his or her eligible paid vacation time and 15% of U.S. employees don’t take any vacation time at all. Perhaps even worse, nearly 60% of workers who take vacation time check email and stay connected to the office. Continue reading “Half of Americans don’t use their vacation time”

8 reasons why cruises aren’t for me

The cruise ship swayed with the waves while my sister and I watched Up on repeat. It was the third day of our four-day cruise to the Bahamas and we were at sea the entire day. The motion sickness medication wasn’t working; walking, sleeping and watching TV didn’t help my nausea either. It was 3 pm and I wanted off the boat but our cruise ship didn’t return to Cape Canaveral, FL until 4 pm the following day. I’ve never wanted a vacation to be over with so fast. While I enjoyed the time spent with my sister, we both decided that in the future, we’ll skip the cruise and head straight to a destination. Continue reading “8 reasons why cruises aren’t for me”

In Photos: Colorful Colombia

As I mentioned in my previous post, I was fortunate enough to visit several areas of Colombia at the end of February, including: Bogota, Cartagena, Tayrona National Park and Villa de Levya. Winters in Seattle can be grey and dreary and the weather in almost every part of Colombia (except Bogota) was warm and sunny. I still need to finish the full recap of my trip but in the meantime, here are some of my favorite travel photos from Colombia. I hope the photos inspire you to take a trip to this part of the world. Continue reading “In Photos: Colorful Colombia”

Colonial Colombia: The start of my trip

Intrepid Travel was offering 25% off all of their tours as part of a Black Friday sale in November, so I decided to book the 9-day Colonial Colombia tour on a whim. Colombia has been on my destination wish list for a few years and I finally took the plunge based on the fact that winters in Seattle area dreary, flying time is relatively short and the country is fairly inexpensive to visit. Continue reading “Colonial Colombia: The start of my trip”