by Alyssa Ramos Recently I stumbled upon my “only I can view these” photo albums on Facebook from my Eurotrip in college, and immediately remembered why I had hidden them… Mixed in with all of my awesome sightseeing pictures, are a few very obnoxious ones that made me wonder what the hell I was thinking when I posted them. Oh right, I was young and...
by Alyssa Ramos You know you want to take a selfie at the Grand Canyon. But that’s not the only mind-blowing canyon you’ll find in Arizona. In fact, there are a few canyons on my to-see list that happen to be spread out just enough to require a road trip! I also learned about a few awesome places that would make for great stops on an ultimate Arizona road...
Traveling to Cuba was never something I ever considered, even though both sides of my family have their roots there. Growing up as a Cuban-American during a time when there was nothing but tension and hostility towards Cuba made me feel like I should never go there, and well, also the fact that it was illegal for me to anyway. I think my mom once even told me that if...
Cuba might not strike you as the safest place to be traveling solo, but after walking around Havana and the beaches by myself for two weeks, I can say that I really wasn't worried the whole time.
by Alyssa Ramos I never realized that being a proud female solo traveler would translate to “DRUG MULE” until I reached the final TSA customs checkpoint at LAX and immediately got sent to the secondary search line. Since I’m not in fact a drug mule, nor do I do or deal drugs, it didn’t occur to me that when he asked if I was alone or with...
by Alyssa Ramos Panama wasn’t on the top of my To-Go list, but a sudden offer to go to a country I’ve never been to before was obviously not going to get turned down! Aloft in Panama City was nice enough to host me for a few days, and even set up tours so I could see all that their beloved city has to offer! My initial stereotypical thoughts on Panama...
by Alyssa Ramos When I first arrived in Vedado, an area of town in Havana, Cuba, my jaw dropped and my brain went into a frenzy trying to figure out why there were so many astounding mansions everywhere, and why in the hell they were all crumbling. There was literally block after block of the most opulent architecture that boasted styles from the colonial and baroque...
My mom and I are basically living proof that the wanderlust travel gene exists, except for one minor difference; I tend to travel and do things as dangerously as possible. I don’t do it on purpose, but I mean, if there’s a cliff to be climbed or waterfall to jump off of…it’s going to happen. To be fair, her travels in the pre-cell...
by Alyssa Ramos Wellp. Since soon pretty much anyone is going to be able to go to Cuba now that flights are open and talk of a ferry is happening, you might want to avoid the mobs of tourists in Havana, where most of the touristic activities take place. Havana is great and all to experience, but you’ll see what I mean when you get to Havana Vieja and there are...
by Alyssa Ramos Sometimes my head is so far in the wanderlust clouds that all I can think about is where I’m going to travel to next, and forget to appreciate all of the places I’ve already been to! There have been places (and moments) I’ve loved…and some serious travel fails that I’ve learned from. So in honor and in gratitude of the...
