Eat Well, Travel Often, Enjoy Life

Do you plan activities around where you are going to eat when you travel? I can't be the only one that does this. When I take a weekend trip or a longer vacation I almost always plan my trip around the restaurants where I want to eat. I'll pick like one or two activities depending on the length of the trip and then the rest of my pre-travel prep is spent looking for coffee shops, local dives, and restaurants to try while I'm there. Now I even go as far as following the businesses on Instagram so I can see options before I get there.

My favorite city so far has been Seattle. The city market with the fresh pastries from local bakeries (before I started having to eat gluten-free). Fresh seafood. Small local coffee shops along the strip where I could duck in for a warm latte. The tiny crepes eatery across Puget Sound in Banbridge that I stumbled into my last day there.

Now I'm planning a trip to Puerto Rico, hopefully for later this fall, and starting to research the food and art scenes in various cities across the island. I've found local coffee shops for brunch, and taco dives to taste homemade guac and street tacos, and restaurants infused with the local flavor.

If Puerto Rico doesn't happen this year (try planning a trip with a partner whose schedule is constantly changing and doesn't have a guarantee of taking time off during his first year), we might be able to sneak away to the mountains in Montana for a week. There's a local restaurant on the main street with the most delicious cinnamon rolls (which my boyfriend will love) and a delicious local pizza joint where I can get a gluten-free pizza.

I spent most of the last three years traveling alone. Seattle; Chicago, Toronto, and Boston. And while I still yearn for the occasional solo trip, I'm excited to have someone to share in these adventures now.

Whether you travel alone, with friends or family, or with a romantic partner remember this:

1. Be adventurous.

2. Plan the trip.

3. Be flexible.

4. Eat the food.

5. Enjoy your life.

#LifeLessons #Food #Drink