How to travel more often

    I've heard it time and time again. "I don't have the money to travel" "I wish I could travel" well  I got news for you. I do not have alot of money. Anyone could travel if they make it a priority. Last time I worked for two years and took seven months off and now I'm working for about 10 months and taking 4 months off. All you have to do is make travel a priority. Yes, it helps to have a job that takes you places, but most of the big travelers I meet work resorts, temp jobs, jobs with high turnover like waiting tables, really anything to get them to the next destination.  It really is a lifestyle choice. I make most of my meals at home and work long hours. I have a budget for fun and going out to eat and drink but it's not a whole lot. I make financial goals for my savings and for my travel budget and they are two separate accounts because you never know when you might  cut open your leg in the tropics, or just take a little longer then you expected to get a job. You have to ask yourself... do I want stuff? Or travel? To go out to eat or to bars all the time? Or to see new countries? I don't wear fancy clothes and everything I own fits in my car, but if you plan, budget, and prioritize, you can travel too.

    How do I budget when I'm abroad. I always bring more then I think I need. Every once in a while, it's nice to go to the nicer place to eat instead of buying local groceries. I like to give myself money to go out a couple times a month when I'm traveling. I do not enjoy keeping track of my money manually, so for me personally, I take out the money for the week or month with an ATM using my international bank account so I don't get all the fees, and when I'm out, that's it for me. It's back to rice and beans til next withdrawal. Once again, it's a lifestyle choice. If you want to travel, well... it's honestly up to you. I personally think the sacrafices are well worth the experiences.

Little Rock Falls

So I've had a lot of people tell me that I need to go check out Little Rock Falls. It was a nice little area and not too far. If I didn't have someone with me then I never would've found it. You can't see or hear it from Magnetic Lake, but it really isn't a big walk at all. The swimming was nice but don't get your hopes up too much about the size of the falls. I think it was slightly exaggerated by whoever named it. It is more of a little rock rapids then a falls but I digress. The views were peaceful and the water was nice. Next time you're in the north woods, check it out!

Traveling Solo

Here's the thing about traveling alone. IT'S AMAZING! As long as you are smart aabout it there is nothing to fear. When I travel alone I can take my time. If I want to stop and take pictures all the time, I do! If I want to longboard, I longboard. When I see a beautiful mountain, I hike it. 

If I want to sit on my car and watch the sun set, I do just that. 

The alone time gives you time to think, and a breather from stress. 

As long as you stay smart and don't put yourself in dangerous situations, traveling alone can be a beautiful thing and I recommend everyone tries it at some point.

Berry Picking and Bridal Falls Escapes

 

  Berries are Sooooooo Delicious!  I have been excited for berry picking for a minute and this place is full of them. We have strawberries,  raspberries galore, and fresh wild blueberries that are ripe for the picking.

    My yield wasn't huge but I wasn't out to spend a large amount of time picking. I was just enjoying the last of my time with my friend Alyssa before she moves from this job.

    I even made friends with an adorable little worm that was hanging out in my raspberries. Ok so I know that sounds silly but I love critters and this one was entertaining the way he moved and I just couldn't kill it.

    Alyssa hadn't had the chance to hit up Bridal Falls yet, so I know I have already made a post on the place but I thought I'd share just a few more beautiful photos of the place.

Sailing Lessons!!!

    In Grand Marais sits a school called North House Folk School where you can take a wide assortment of classes. I signed up for the sailing class and enjoyed it fully.

    We started out with some brief classroom time while we waited for the rain to die down. Our instructor gave us an idea of some terms and such and tried to prepare us for what to expect when we got out in the water.

    The time in the water was amazing. I was able to learn to get the feel for being at the correct angle to the wind while staying on course and learned so much about handling the sails and all the cords on the boat. It was kind of funny how I felt more excited over handling ropes then over steering. It was so much to learn with all these knots and such. It was a very exciting class.

    The school itself was very beautiful.  They have done such an amazing job keeping the place as original as possible with it's cute little bay style. I look forward to going back to become a certified herbologist

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Minneapolis Part 2- Mall of America

    Now I've been spending the vast majority of my time in small, remote places since August of last year, so a trip to the cities seemed super fun. We did not realize how over-stimulating and crazy it would be!

    First, we were overwhelmed by the size of the place! Three story's high and crazy big! To find something specific I had to get a map and/or find a security guard to ask for directions.  I know, I know, I'm the worst at directions so that shouldn't mean much, but I had a friend there that was a local and she even does that so there you go.

   We went to the Nickelodeon Amusement Park to look around and chose to ride the Spongebob roller coaster.  It was perfect because we all love Spongebob and it was a very scary coaster!  It was the turquiose one on the left going streight up in my photo.

     Before retreating back to the wilderness we just had to see the new Jurassic Park movie at the Mall of America Theatre. It was an amazing trip with an awesome finish. I am a huge Jurassic Park fan and I was not let down.

   Over all, I feel like the Mall of America was a utopia, like what people in other countries think America looks like. Big and fancy and clean with white tile floors and lots of rich white people with lots of money to spend at expensive stores. But maybe that's just what I think of utopia America is and looked like. It was fun, but definitely not a final destination for me. I'm going back to nature where I belong!

Minneapolis Part 1-live music

    I took a trip to Minnneapolis to see two amazing bands. The first one, Ethan Tucker, I have already seen in this blog when he was in Dallas. He is an amazing musician with super chill bluegrassy, reggae type music and is also my brother. It was so awesome to see him even for such a short trip.

(Not my photo)

   He played an awesome show like he always does and was followed by John Butler Trio. It was an awesome show held at the Weesner Amphitheater at the zoo! I had a great time with friends and family this trip!