Adventurous Kate

Greetings from Iceland!

Kate McCulley — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:00:13 +0000

As you read this post, I’ve arrived in my latest adventurous destination, the Land of Ice and Fire — Iceland!

I’m visiting Iceland in partnership with the Iceland Tourist Board and Arctic Adventures. Our mission? To promote Iceland as an adventure-filled destination for solo female travelers and more.

In terms of adventurous activities, Iceland is one of the best places in the world. I’ll be here for five full days, and they are jam-packed with activities. Here’s what I’ll be doing:

Snorkeling Silfra in Thingvillir National Park — some of the world’s clearest waters are here, between the American and European techtonic plates! And it’s cold, so I’ll be snorkeling in a full puffy wetsuit.

Lava caving — descending into a hole in the ground and climbing through lava-laced caves is probably the best way to understand Iceland’s volcanic geology!

Glacier hiking and ice climbing — hiking on a glacier in south Iceland, and then actually climbing a the glacier wall, jamming my pointy boots into the ice!

Horseback riding through the countryside — getting to know Iceland’s trademark furry horses on a trot through the lava fields.

Eating unusual delicacies, including puffin, (sustainably caught) minke whale, and perhaps even hakarl (rotten shark meat!). Tapas Barinn, an Icelandic tapas restaurant, has invited me to taste many local dishes in their famous Icelandic Gourmet Feast.

Luxuriating in the milky turquoise waters of the Blue Lagoon, Iceland’s most famous attraction.

Exploring Iceland’s capital of Reykjavik, which seems to be a cool, laid-back, and nightlife-loving city.

Enjoying luxury on a budget at Kex Hostel in Reykjavik, a hostel filled with endless perks like a gym, a gastropub, and a library! I’ve never stayed at a hostel this nice before, and I’m excited to check out the luxury hostels phenomenon.

Other activities? Plenty. I have a few in the works right now, and I’ll probably decide on other things as soon as I get there! Stay tuned for details.

I will be documenting this trip with the #akiceland tag on Twitter and Instagram. Follow along for all my updates in real time. As always, the big posts will come out after the trip, but I’ll try to see if I can squeeze one or two out live from Iceland. You’ll have plenty of Spain and Umbria posts in the meantime.

I always love hearing what you have to say — so if there’s something you’d like me to do in Iceland, please let me know now! Any suggestions?

Image credit: Allan Roston

My Problem With Bucket Lists

Kate McCulley — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:00:18 +0000

“Oh, I’m putting that on my bucket list!” I hear this all the time — from readers, from family members, from other travel bloggers. Each time, I’m thrilled to hear that someone has been inspired enough to dream of traveling there someday.

But at the same time, I’m a bit apprehensive. Why? Because I know that to many people, a bucket list might as well be a Pinterest board — a collection of pretty things that you say you want to do but don’t intend on ever making happen.

My problem?

**If your deadline is death – you’re not making it a priority.**

I’ve written about prioritizing travel before — how the reason that most people don’t travel as much as they’d like is because they don’t prioritize it. They dream about travel — but they spend money on nights out with friends, or having an apartment in the best part of town, or going to dozens of pricey concerts a year.

Again — I don’t expect anyone to travel as much as I do, nor do I think that most people should. If you’re happy with your current life, please continue what you’re doing!

But I do believe that if you want to travel and aren’t prioritizing it, you need to make it a priority.

I do know people who actively work on their bucket lists — my aunt and uncle are a great example, checking off their goal of camping in 48 states and adding new adventures all the time. Still, most of the people I know who not only make a bucket list but actively chip away at it are either travel bloggers (and we really don’t represent the general population!) or people who have retired.

Why not now?

It’s not just that you could die young, although that’s a very realistic possibility. You could be hit by a debilitating disease, or have a severely disabled child or spouse. This could happen to any of us at anytime. All we can do is grit our teeth, hope for the best, and live in a sense of denial.

The point? Make your travel dreams come true while you can.

The Travel Priorities Challenge

Readers, I’d like you to join me in a challenge. Make a list of around 5-10 of your travel priorities. Make these items you’ve always dreamed of — diving the Great Barrier Reef, hiking to Machu Picchu, riding in a gondola in Venice, or going on an epic bike trip down the west coast (as two of my friends, Matt and Ryan, are doing now!).

The challenge is to find items that genuinely appeal to you and your personal brand of wanderlust. Don’t put “See the Pyramids” or “Explore the Galapagos Islands” on your list because you think you should include them — only add them if you really, really want to experience them.

Two years from now, I want you to have achieved one of the items on that list. It may seem daunting, but two years is a long time. Enough time to save quite a bit of money, plan for the time off from work, and go.

So I’m going to create a Travel Priorities List, and instead of filling it with everything under the sun, I’m going to prioritize the things that mean the most to me.

Walk the Camino de Santiago in Spain. I’ve wanted to walk this nearly 800-kilometer journey across northern Spain for years and years, and I was thinking about doing it this September (until September booked up with not one but two travel blogger conferences). My friends who have done the Camino tell me that it changes your life.
Research my family’s roots and visit one of their hometowns in Europe. I have a few different options, but I’d most like to go to the village in eastern Sicily from where my mother’s grandfather immigrated.
Experience the beauty of New Zealand. Beautiful places inspire me, and from what I’ve heard about New Zealand, nowhere else in the world comes close. I dream of the opportunity to photograph these islands.
Successfully drive a motorbike or scooter through an extremely challenging city. So far, that seems to be in either Saigon or Hanoi, Vietnam, but I’ll gladly add Rome, Naples, or any city in southern Italy!
Travel solo through Myanmar. I hear that Myanmar (Burma) today is the way the rest of Southeast Asia was 20 years ago — and I’d relish the challenge of diving headfirst into a country where you can’t rely on ATMs, internet, or even electricity.
Cruise through the Arctic. Antarctica may get all the wistful attention, and I do want to go there, but I’ve got my eyes set on the Arctic — polar bears, icebergs, and the absolute remoteness of places like Svalbard and Greenland.
Go somewhere that makes people scream, “Are you crazy?!” and show them what a nice place it is. Some people thought Jordan was crazy. Hell, some people thought Cambodia was crazy. But I think people would freak out considerably more if I went to Iran, a country about which I’ve heard absolutely wonderful things.

Do I have plans to visit any of these places? Nope, not unless you think Iceland is crazy. But I love this list. Because it’s pared down to the things that mean the most to me, it looks a lot more achievable.

That’s exactly what I want for you — to turn your travel dreams into achievable goals.

You can do this. I know you can.

What’s going to be your biggest travel priority for the next two years?

My Personal Paradise: Thailand’s Andaman Coast

Kate McCulley — Fri, 11 May 2012 16:00:18 +0000

This week’s #FriFotos theme is PARADISE. I’ve been fortunate to see hundreds of beautiful places around the world — but no place exemplifies “paradise” to me better than Thailand’s Andaman Coast.

Here are all the things that make the Andaman Coast my personal paradise:

The views, and the hidden beaches — like this one in Koh Lanta National Park.

Lighting lanterns on the beach and releasing them into the sky — like we did here in Ao Nang.

The limestone formations, like these famous ones off Koh Phi Phi — you won’t see limestone like this on Thailand’s other coast!

The ramshackle restaurants built into the side of cliffs — like this one in Koh Lanta — where you sit on mats and watch the sun set over the Andaman Sea.

Watching local fishermen come home for the day, fish in hand, on every beach you can imagine.

Longtail boat restaurants! A sustainable form of business in Railay on a beach that is protected from new construction sprouting up.

Commandeering a longtail boat to Koh Phi Phi Leh and feeling like a goddess!

The occasional odd sight — like the penis cave on Phranang Beach in Railay.

But most of all, the sunsets. Especially Koh Lanta‘s sunsets. Every night is like a performance!

#FriFotos is open to all. To see more photos from everyone else, follow #FriFotos on Twitter.

Which photo is your favorite?

Where to Find the Friendliest People in the World

Kate McCulley — Wed, 09 May 2012 21:17:22 +0000

When you travel the world solo, you spend a lot of time talking to locals! And while I’ve met kind, hospitable, welcoming people in every corner of the world I’ve visited, some places are universally welcoming — no matter where you go, you’re welcomed as a close friend or even a member of the family.

So where are these standout places? Check them out:

Scotland

There is SO much that I love about Scotland — the scenery, the music, the haggis — but the people are what make visiting Scotland so special. They are incredibly friendly and welcoming, and with their cool accents, you never want them to stop talking! They also love to dance and get their drink on — if you’re a fan of either, you’ll have a rocking time in Scotland.

Koh Lanta, Thailand

One thing I marveled about Koh Lanta is that the people over and over again thanked visitors for coming. You don’t see that on popular islands like Koh Phi Phi. During the Loy Krathong festivities, locals kept coming up to us and making sure we were having a good time — but for me, the most memorable part was making friends with a wild group of local musicians at bars like Sweet & Sour.

Cambodia

Cambodia is one of the most impoverished countries I’ve ever visited. And despite that fact, people always give, give, give and make sure you’re as comfortable as possible. Despite their harrowing history, the people of Cambodia will welcome you with smiles. I’ll always remember the Cambodian children at the carnival who grabbed our hands and clamored to ride the merry-go-round with us!

Jordan

If you go to Jordan, know that you will consume more tea than you ever have in your life. Everywhere I went, people would welcome me and insist I stay for a cup of tea — and then another. After leaving Jordan, I remarked that I haven’t done this much socializing without alcohol since high school. That’s amazing. But in Jordan, it’s just a regular day!

America

Yes, my country absolutely belongs on this list! This brand of friendliness, where it’s common to approach people out of the blue, isn’t common in other Western countries. And while I may be from the notoriously cold and unfriendly region of New England, in the midwest and south, everyone you pass on the street will give you a warm smile and a hello!

And the friendliest people in the world?

Bali

The Balinese set the bar high — I’ve never known any other region that comes close when it comes to sheer friendliness. Whenever I stopped in a shop, I would be asked questions about my life for a good thirty minutes or so — not in an annoying way, but a genuinely inquisitive, friendly way! If I mentioned another part of the island, the Balinese would inevitably say, “Would you like to go drive there together?” Not in a creepy way — it was a gesture of genuine friendship.

And that friendliness and welcoming nature is why I got invited to my first ever white party at one of the island’s hottest clubs, and why I had a great night drinking arrak with artists in an Ubud gallery. One thing’s for sure — if you go to Bali, you’ll leave with dozens of friends. I still have plenty of them on my Facebook.

What about you? Where do you think the friendliest people in the world are?

Scenes from Lovely Umbria, Italy

Kate McCulley — Mon, 07 May 2012 17:10:08 +0000

This April, I got to spend a wonderful week in the beautiful region of Umbria, Italy. This spring’s Travel Bloggers Unite conference was held in partnership with the Umbria Region Tourism Board in the town of Assisi.

I absolutely love Italy. Italy probably ties for my favorite country along with Thailand, and I’ve spent so much time there, always happy to return and eat everything in sight.

I’ve been to Umbria before — two visits to Assisi, one visit to Orvieto — but I had never experienced it on this level. In typical TBU fashion, I was blown away by Umbria — its beauty, its people, and above all, its food and wine!

You’ll be hearing much more about Umbria in the coming weeks. For now, here is a taste of what the beautiful Umbrian countryside has to offer:

We were welcomed to the conference with a traditional Umbrian flag-throwing ceremony by men in tights!

I had never heard of the town of Bevagna before, but it was one of my favorite stops. It’s a beautiful little town where you can learn all about traditional handicrafts. And, of course, you can see traditional Italian street life, pictured above.

How much wine can a group of travel bloggers polish off at lunch? You’re looking at it. I loved the winery of Terre Margaritelli, where we had an absolutely delicious meal underneath a typically dramatic Umbrian sky.

More wine? Absolutely. Here we are at our second winery of the day, Lungarotti Winery outside the town of Torgiano. That’s me with Kash the Budget Traveller, Meg and Tony of LandingStanding, and Akila of The Road Forks.

An evening shot of Azienda Agraria Sorelle Zappelli Cardarelli — a farm owned by three sisters and their lovely mother, who prepared us a “simple country meal” that was more like plate after plate of amazing rustic dishes.

More vino? Of course! Our third winery: Arnaldo Caprai. At this one, we got to sample some 25-year-old wine that knocked our socks off. Seriously…I’m not super-knowledgeable about wine, but just seeing the thickness of the residue it left on the glass impressed me!

This is Umbria in a nutshell. We had dramatic skies like this almost every day of our trip — it would go from lightly raining to bright sunshine several times throughout the day. GREAT for photos!

And finally, some traditional Umbrian lace from a few centuries ago. So beautiful and intricate — we didn’t dream of touching something this delicate!

This is only the beginning of an enchanting tour through Umbria. I can’t wait to share the rest with you!

Many thanks to the Umbria Region Tourism Board and Travel Bloggers Unite for introducing me to this wonderful part of the world.

Adventurous Kate Plays with Fire

Kate McCulley — Thu, 03 May 2012 19:01:38 +0000

If you’re going to Las Fallas, you’ve pretty much signed up to be surrounded by both fire and explosions for five days straight. Know this, and embrace it early on.

And it’s not just ordinary fire — those crafty Valencians have figured out several diverse ways to bring more fire into the festival. Here are all the different kinds of fire explosions at Las Fallas:

The Mascleta

Every day at 2:00 PM, it’s time for the Mascleta — a deafening display of daytime fireworks that lasts for several minutes.

Daytime fireworks? You bet. And while the lights might not necessarily light up like they do at night, the smoke makes it especially stunning against the bright blue Valencia sky.

And it is LOUD. You hear it from the edge of the city (I heard it loud and clear from the beach one day), but right in the middle of the square, it will knock you over with its loudness.

Check it out on (loud) video — the crowd reaction at the end is great, too.

The Mascleta is not for the faint of heart. I was glad to have witnessed it, but between the noise and the crowds, once was enough for me. If you go, make sure you get there early — we were there by noon.

The Firecrackers

Valencia during Las Fallas is one of the noisiest places I’ve ever been — you hear a firecracker explode roughly every ten seconds or so. You even see little kids lighting ones of their own!

So of course, our group decided to set off one of our own. Our Busabout tour leader Dax went and purchased a “Happy Mix” from one of the stores.

The results:

(Note: not all firecrackers are created equal. One of the guys, Ric, bought a cheap box and later realized they were tiny sparklers for kids. ”Take that!” he’d shout before throwing a teeny tiny one down the street as we laughed and laughed.)

Fireworks

These are REALLY good displays of fireworks — on par with Boston on the Fourth of July (not to mention Hoi An, Vietnam, during Tet). But after all the explosions throughout the day, it’s kind of hard for fireworks to measure up.

Still, it was great. We had a FANTASTIC view of the fireworks from Dax’s room at the Purple Nest Hostel (and this is something you’ll only get to experience with Busabout, as it’s their room), but for the second day, we decided to go out onto the bridge.

Now, THAT was fun — with the lax open container laws (all but the final night!) and the camaraderie, the hottest scene was on the bridge over the river park that night, everyone swigging from their individual two euro bottles of red wine (which may have been mixed with coke for calimochos).

The BURNING

The crema, or the final burning of the fallas, is the culmination of the festival and takes place on the final night. The fallas are burned one by one, the small ones first, and the winners of the competition last.

We were lucky enough to see a few of the fallas burn, including the one of Leonardo da Vinci’s head, which won second place — but as far as I was concerned, the best burning was one of the little Flamenco-themed fallas around the corner.

Probably in part because they doused the entire thing in fireworks, gunpowder, and gasoline before they lit it on fire.

Brace yourself before you watch this video. I was SO not prepared for what happened here!

It’s not easy to recover from a festival like this — after arriving in Barcelona, my friend Justin and I remarked about how strange it was to walk down city streets without the echo of firecrackers all around us.

That said — I would love to hear those firecrackers again. I can’t wait to go back to Las Fallas next year and have my eardrums blown out once more!

Many thanks to Busabout for hosting me on their Las Fallas trip. All opinions, as always, are my own.

Visiting Edinburgh? Sheraton Wants to #meetyouthere

Kate McCulley — Wed, 02 May 2012 18:32:47 +0000

When the Sheraton Grand Hotel and Spa in Edinburgh, Scotland, invited me to check out their newly refurbished hotel for their #meetyouthere campaign, I had no idea what to expect.

I’ve never stayed at a Sheraton in my life — though I did have my junior prom at a Sheraton back in 2001! In short, I had always believed Sheratons to be upscale business-oriented hotels — not really the kind of place I would look to stay in.

But after coming to Edinburgh and spending 24 hours experiencing the Sheraton for myself, I was absolutely blown away.

It started by entering my club room and seeing what they had left out for me:

How could a blogger NOT love a nearly entirely edible social media cake? (For the record, I struggled with whether or not to eat it, and later found out that everything was edible except for the bird. It was tasty.)

I was one of several bloggers in attendance, along with Mike of Fevered Mutterings (on behalf of Travelllll), Cole and Adela of Four Jandals, Simon of Wild About Travel, Ian of Hotels.tv Edinburgh, Rebecca of Sharing Travel Experiences, Lisa iTravelBritain, Ross of Travel Ideas, and Chris of Pure Travel Style. Old friends, new friends, and first-time-meeting-in-real-life friends.

Sheraton has been tracking shares across social media platforms under the hashtag #meetyouthere. The reason for this tag? Sheraton is branding itself as the world’s meeting place.

So what does that mean? Staying at a Sheraton is like staying at a much nicer version of your home. No matter what your group is, you can bring them here and feel comfortable, welcomed, and with all the amenities you might need.

From the stylish, contemporary Scottish decor (also known as tartan non-explosion)…

As well as Scottish stamps lining the wall…

To the snacks available in the club lounge, including OYSTER BLOODY MARY SHOOTERS (why are these the first ones I’ve seen anywhere?)…

Everything you might need for your stay is readily available and easily accessible.

And furthermore, Sheraton is monitoring everything that happens with the #meetyouthere hashtag — good or bad. Everyone is able to make their voice heard — though the voices I’ve seen so far have been largely filled with praise.

Was I ever impressed by the staff. Not only did they make me feel welcome and answer any questions I had, they went above and beyond — like my Icelandic massage therapist at the One Spa, who, after hearing I was going to Iceland soon, gave me a list of Reykjavik bars she loved.

Imagine that level of service from everyone in the hotel, and you’ll know what the Sheraton is like.

After exploring the spa and fitness center, the details of which you’ll see further below, we were invited to a gin and tonic tasting session. Yes, gin and tonic tasting!

Think there’s not much to gin and tonics? Oh, how wrong I was. Spend time in this bar, get to know the staff, and you’ll get to try an amazing variety of gin and tonics.

It’s amazing just how different a gin and tonic can be with a slightly different brand of tonic and fruit garnish. My favorite? 1724 tonic. I could drink that stuff on its own. It’s like lemonade.

Before this trip, I thought the only people who would drink tonic on its own were card counters trying to fool the casino cameras.

Next up? Wine tasting.

You don’t expect hotel bars and restaurants to be famed for their wine selection — but at the Sheraton, you get that selection, along with a knowledgeable sommelier who can guide you toward selecting the perfect wine.

After the drinks, it was only natural that we progressed to the restaurant kitchen and a session with the chef. He showed off his high-tech burners with pride and cooked up some langoustines for us to sample.

The cuisine at the hotel is much like the decor: Scottish-influenced, but not obnoxiously so. You don’t come here for endless piles of haggis — you come here for nuanced cuisine, like an unbelievably tender beef cheek that I had later.

For now, those langoustines were fantastic.

As we sat down to dinner at the One Square restaurant, the Sheraton staff left us to have a meeting of our own: a meeting of travel bloggers. Any time we get to spend together is valued greatly, especially when we get to throw back and forth new business ideas.

Of course, the kitchen staff did leave us with one final surprise between courses: gin and tonic sorbet!

Here are the main takeaways I took from the Sheraton that evening:

The people here love their jobs.

Every single person I met working at the Sheraton was not only kind, welcoming, and polite, but went above and beyond in making sure we had everything we needed to have a good stay. Each staff member served as an expert in his or her field and took pride in his or her work.

#Meetyouthere WORKS because the Sheraton is a great place to meet.

No matter what you need for amenities, Sheraton provides a comfortable, fun, and relaxing place that provides you with all the amenities you may require, as well as leaving you to do what you do best.

It could be the restaurant, or the bar, or the club lounge, or the lobby lounge, or the Link @ Sheraton internet center downstairs. (For the record, you get 30 minutes of free internet each day at the Link @ center, which would probably be enough for me if I were on vacation and not a blogger.)

Sometimes, it pays to feel like you’re at home.

When you stay in $3-a-night Cambodian guesthouses for months on end, you kind of forget the value of comfort. At the Sheraton, I could flop onto any sofa in the hotel and feel like I belonged. You don’t feel that way often at a hotel of this caliber.

Or I could bring in friends or blogger colleagues and have the total confidence that this was a place that would take care of us and make every effort to let us do everything we needed to do.

(And also: their beds are so famously comfortable, you can actually buy them!)

In short, none of us wanted to leave. It was that good.

The next morning, I met up with my blogger buds for breakfast in the restaurant. The guys went for the full Scottish; I went for the full girly breakfast. If you stay in the Sheraton, you MUST make use of that Belgian waffle iron and the selection of mixed berries!

My train back to Chester wasn’t scheduled until 2:50 PM, so I had some time to relax in the hotel. And I knew exactly where that would be — the spa!

The One Spa is the single most impressive urban hotel spa I’ve ever seen. Who knew that in Edinburgh, of all the cities in the world, I’d be swimming in an outdoor hydropool as the sun warmed my face? The hydropool alone makes this spa a must-visit.

Beyond that is the Thermal Suite — a series of steam rooms, saunas, and showers. You’re supposed to go around in order for optimal results — from relaxing in a jasmine and eucalyptus-scented steam-filled aroma room to a traditional hammam with buckets for washing yourself to dry saunas, scented showers that hit you from every direction, and finally, a curved and heated bench to relax on as you recover. Click here for much more.

There are also beautiful treatment rooms, which we got to experience when we got our hand and foot massages the night before, as well as a fitness center. One of the trainers showed us jet-lag-reducing exercises and pointed out how the vibrating exercise plate could help us burn more calories quicker.

I LOVE THIS SPA. I love the outdoor hydropool, the inside swimming pool, the thermal suite, and the fact that the gym is just as nice as the posh gym I used to belong to in Boston. That gym actually made me psyched to exercise — I can say the same thing about this hotel.

I came in to the Sheraton with few expectations. I left with such a rich appreciation for this hotel, their staff, and the overall message that a hotel can make you feel at home — only a much, much nicer version of home!

Many thanks to the Sheraton Grand Hotel and Spa in Edinburgh and bigmouthmedia for bringing me to this event. All opinions, as always, are my own.

Adventurous Kate Crashes a Wedding

Kate McCulley — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:17:55 +0000

Readers, I have a challenge for you. I dare you to find me one person who saw Wedding Crashers and said to themselves, “You know what? That looks kind of lame.”

Good luck — because everyone I know who saw that movie walked out of the theater bright-eyed and excited, saying, “I SO have to do that!”

After traveling from Umbria, Italy, via taxi, train, two flights, a car ride from a friend I made on the plane, subway, Greyhound bus, and local bus, I had made it to my destination — a Doubletree hotel in the suburbs of Philadelphia — for the wedding of my dear friend and college roommate Kelly Anne.

It was a crazy weekend at the hotel, and as I made my way to the breakfast table with my college buds, I dodged a group of raucous groomsmen in purple ties, already swigging from a bottle of Jagermeister.

“There’s another wedding here,” I told my friends. ”I bet there’ll be a big party here later.”

“There are actually six weddings here tonight,” Shannon told me.

SIX WEDDINGS IN ONE HOTEL! Turns out that even though April isn’t peak wedding season, this is common practice throughout the year. (Take my advice — book a hotel room ASAP.)

The ceremony arrived, and Kelly was so beautiful — some girls are born to be a bride.

But things really cranked up once we got on the hotel shuttle to the reception venue and realized that half the people on board were actually on their way to one of the other weddings. Our venue was host to two wedding receptions that evening.

“KEVIN!” I whispered loudly to my friend next to me. “WE HAVE TO CRASH! THESE ARE IDEAL CRASHING CONDITIONS!”

Kevin readily agreed, and we calculated our moves carefully. The other bride and groom were there by the time we arrived, so they were likely ahead of us in time — we would have to move soon, but not too soon. We decided to make our move after the dinner ended at Kelly and Dave’s wedding.

Giggling nonstop, we walked down the hall to the other ballroom.

“Wait!” Kevin stopped me. ”Don’t we need background stories?”

“Venture capitalists,” I said automatically.

He shrugged.

“We’re dressed up. We don’t need to do anything. We can just merge our way onto the dance floor.”

And with a deep breath, I pushed open the door.

Right away, I saw we had our work cut out for us — this wedding was less than half the size of Kelly’s (granted, hers was HUGE), and there weren’t a lot of people out dancing.

THAT SAID — “Livin’ on a Prayer” was playing, and few songs make it easier to merge your way onto the dance floor.

After easing our way in oh-so-discreetly, we were tapped on the shoulder by the groom, resplendent in a white vest and tie. ”Heeeeeeeeeeeeeey…” he said, a smile creeping across his face.

“Heeeeeeeeeey….congratulations!” I chirped, giving him a hug. ”Big day, big day! You’re handsome!”

He laughed at my enthusiasm. ”Have fun tonight,” he said as he shook Kevin’s hand.

And of course, we had to document the evidence:

Foiled within ten seconds of crashing the wedding — but only the groom knew that.

We could hit up the other guests, like the lively groomsmen dancing in front of us.

“Ohhhhhh, we’re halfway there, OHHHHHHHH! LIVIN’ ON A PRAYER!” Singing out with our hands in the air, we made a natural addition to their circle.

“Hey ginge, I love your hair!” I yelled out to one of the guys.

His friends started laughing. ”You really like his hair?”

“Of course I do! You’re Prince Harry!” From then on, we were IN with the groomsmen.

The next song was the absolute best song we could have hoped for — “Shout!”

(The reason why my hands are the only ones up here are so that I could hold the pose for a photo — believe me, everyone else was shouting!)

“So….” Kevin ventured. ”What next?”

“We need to get a photo with the bride.”

“Um, she’s right next to the groom. He knows we crashed.”

“I don’t think it matters anymore,” I admitted. ”So what if she knows? We have to get a picture with her! It’s the ultimate souvenir of wedding crashing!”

And with that, we walked up to the bride. ”You look so beautiful!” I told her. ”Can we get a picture with you?”

And we did:

Mission accomplished.

One more shot for posterity:

What worked about our crash is that we did it respectfully — we didn’t go in to drink their booze or eat their food, but just to dash in, dance a little bit, take pictures, and wish the best to the bride and groom.

As I headed back to the wedding I was actually invited to, I realized the universal truth — there is no need to crash a wedding when the one you’re at is so much better.

I mean, come on — our groom actually flew!

We had a few crashers of our own that night — but unlike me and Kevin, these crashers from the other wedding were stumbling all over themselves with half-empty Yuenglings in hand, heading straight for the bar. They were unceremoniously thrown out by Kelly’s older brother Jeff.

At the end of the night, my bride, arms around her wonderful groom, Dave, still bubbled over with praise — “You two were classy crashers! I love you for that! I wish we got classy crashers!”

Classy crashers indeed. Now that I’ve finally crashed a wedding — with as much respect as style — I can’t wait to do it again.

Sexy Pools Around the World

Kate McCulley — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:33:10 +0000

This week, the #FriFotos theme is pool. It immediately made me think of the wonderful hotels around the world that really put the effort into building cool pools. And then there are the CLUBS that put the effort into building cool pools…

Here are some of my favorite pools around the world:

At the Kempinski Ishtar on the Dead Sea in Jordan — my favorite hotel in Jordan — you could swim in this infinity pool at night (it was just one of their many pools) and look across the Dead Sea to the lights of Bethlehem.

At the Alam Sari in Keliki, Bali, near Ubud, I loved spending time at this pool. It was rainy season, which meant it was even more quiet and peaceful than usual — but there was still enough sunshine in the mornings to lay out for a few hours.

And now the other side of Bali: a chic pool club in Kuta, where I attended my first white party. Nobody dared to jump in the pool while wearing all white, though!

The Alhambra in Granada, Spain, has its share of centuries-old pools — most famously, this one in the Nasrid Palaces.

And, of course, the oft-used “this is the life” shot of me in the infinity pool with my iPhone at the P. P. Princess in Koh Phi Phi, Thailand.

But nobody does pools quite like fabulous Las Vegas! If you’ve never been to a daytime pool club before, you need to go to Vegas — it’s amazing.

Tao Beach — the actual pool in the background is tiny, but it doesn’t matter. By mid-afternoon, everyone was dancing, partying, doing tequila shots, and throwing each other around in the pool.

What I love most about Vegas is that everyone’s always in a great mood, and you definitely see that at Tao Beach.

XS Nightclub is where to go at night. Certain nights are pool parties where everyone can dive in; other nights, jumping in the pool is discouraged or off-limits altogether. (Not that many people in Vegas follow rules.) This is definitely one of the sexiest pools out there.

And when you just want to watch the pool action, there’s always the cheesetastic pirate show at TI. So bad it’s good? Nope — so bad it’s past good and back to bad again.

#FriFotos is open to all. To see more photos from everyone else, follow #FriFotos on Twitter.

Have a favorite pool around the world? Share in the comments!

My Favorite Natural Wonders Around the World

Kate McCulley — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 14:00:02 +0000

This week, the #FriFotos theme is “Earth Day.” After thinking for a bit, I decided that the best way to exemplify this theme would be to show photos of my favorite natural wonders around the world.

I hope that the coming generations continue to keep these wonderful places protected.

Wadi Rum, Jordan — this desert knocked my socks off. I knew it would be good, but I didn’t expect to be agape almost the entire time, so privileged that I was actually standing in the middle of it.

The Tirolean Alps — hiking through these mountains outside Innsbruck was one of the most physically taxing things I have ever done, but it was worth it for views like this.

Thailand’s Andaman Coast — seen here from Phranang Beach, Railay, in Krabi Province. Come to this beach and you’ll leave with postcard photos. Particularly during the low season.

Shetland — all of it! This double beach was probably the single most impressive place we saw in the archipelago.

Cappadocia, Turkey — once again, it’s one of those places you need to see to believe. You get out into the fields and suddenly realize that they are much, MUCH larger than they appear.

Halong Bay, Vietnam — I may remember Halong Bay mostly for being the location of the greatest party cruise on the face of the Earth, but it’s such a beautiful place and deserves its recognition among the world’s greatest wonders.

White Sands National Monument, New Mexico, USA — this is one place in America that doesn’t get as much recognition as it should, but you won’t regret taking the time to visit.

Dead Sea, Jordan — yet another icon of the Middle East, shared by Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. I remember being stunned as I slipped into the Dead Sea and realized I was looking across the sea at Bethlehem!

Getting to Jordan is easier than ever with all the flight deals. As someone who looks for online coupon codes before I buy anything online, so be sure to look for Emirates coupon codes.

Snowdonia National Park in Wales. From the moment you cross into North Wales from Chester, the landscape changes and becomes almost blindingly beautiful. It’s amazing how sudden it is. The Welsh drew that line well.

And finally, the Bolaven Plateau in southern Laos. So far from everything in the world and very under the radar, but not for long.

Not all of the natural wonders I’ve seen are here. I don’t have photos from my childhood trips to the Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls.

And this list makes me think about the natural wonders I want to visit the most: Antarctica, the Arctic, the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia, the Sossuvlei in Namibia, Palawan in the Philippines, the Galapagos Islands, and everything in New Zealand. Just for starters.

I WILL get there.

#FriFotos is open to all. To see more photos from everyone else, follow #FriFotos on Twitter.

Which photo is your favorite?