I never check bags anymore. Whether I’m traveling for 3 or 10 days, I just don’t see the need to. I’ve learned how to pack smartly and efficiently in a carry on & personal bag. If you don’t have an airline credit card, or status you are wasting ? on baggage fees. Check out my tips and tricks below on how to pack carry on only for a weekend running trip.
?Use a small bag: the smaller your bag, the less you can stuff in it! ?Pack only what you need: it’s only 2-3 days, how many outfit options do you need??!! ? Pack clothes in the same color family: this makes it easier to mix and match pieces, and you can wear things more than once! ? for longer trips. ?Organize in Pouches/small bags: group things like toiletries, tech, health, hair, etc. together, it makes things easier to find once you get to your destination. ?Bring a reusable water bottle: you can fill it up at a fountain once you pass security. This beats buying that $6 bottle of water at the airport. Also, hotels often have water in their lobbies that you can refill with. ?Invest in good luggage. You don’t have to spend $500 on a bag, but that $50 carry on will not last you. I’ve had my go to carry on since 2011, and it’s still going strong! If you plan to travel often, a good bag(s) is worth it.
What is your preference, checking a bag, or going carry on only? Let me know your thoughts, and any tips or tricks you may have.
Hello, and welcome to the first episode in my New York City Marathon 2019 training series. I knew that this years training would be unlike previous years, so I thought now would be a great time to document it.
This episode picks up during week 6. I do a little running, swimming, gym workout, and I even travel to Atlanta and volunteer at a race. I promise the next episodes won’t be as long…unless some travel is included in them!
Check out the video below, and let me know your thoughts!
I am participating in the London Marathon on April 28, 2020 on behalf of Team Sense. Please consider donating to help me reach my fundraising goal of €1700, Thank you!
The first half marathon that I ever ran out of state was during Ironman Eagleman 70.3 on June 14, 2015 in Maryland. That was my worse half marathon experience ever! Next came the Cayman Islands Half Marathon on December 6, 2015 which was out of the country, so that doesn’t really count now does it. Next was the Gasparilla Distance Classic in Tampa, Florida, on Febuary 20, 2016. This was my first real taste of traveling and running road races, and this is what sparked the idea of possibly running a half-marathon in each of the 50 states.
Back in 2016, I wasn’t really serious about accomplishing this task. I just wanted to run some states and see how I liked it. I added GA, NJ, and IL to the list that year, and in 2017 added LA, DE, & CT. In 2018 I made a bit more progress than the previous years, adding TX, NC, DC (not a state but I’m counting it!) CA, MA, and PA. 2019 has been a bit of a dud with only SC checked off the list. I did a whole lot more local racing in New York this year.
So as of this post I am sitting comfortably at 15 states + DC with 35 states to go. Seems like a whole lot, but I am in no rush and will see and explore the United States at my leasure.
Next up for me is the Detroit Free Press International Half Marathon this weekend. This race is super cool because we get to cross the bridge and run 2.5 miles or so in Ontario, Canada, and then back over into Michigan. This will be my first time stepping foot on Canadian soil so I’m pretty excited about that. I’m just hoping it is not too cold at the start. Sundays low temp is 47 degrees, with a high of 66.
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We took a bus from Chania to Heraklio, to the ferry port. This was a 2hr bus ride and was €15pp. There is a port in Rethimno which is an hour ride from Chania, but the ferry runs every other day, and the day we were leaving it was not running, so 2hrs to Heraklio we went. The bus was just like a greyhound bus, but with comfy seats….I slept the entire ride.
Ferry Heraklio-Santorini €156 for 2 people
We took the Minonan Lines Santorini Palace and I splurged for the VIP tickets which were well worth it. The seats were large and comfortable, there weren’t a lot of people, and there was table service. Well worth the splurge.
VIP Seating
Transportation in Santorini
I booked ground transportation through Viator. It’s a great website for booking tours and transport. There was a man waiting with a sign with my name on it at the port. I booked shared transportation so I knew we’d be waiting for others, but I didn’t think we’d be waiting an hour! The company was Sunbird Travel Agency and the cost was €34 for 2 people. The car was a Mercedes van, it was very nice and comfortable, but the hour wait I could have done without. My husband and myself, and another couple had to wait for a group of 3 girls who came in on a different ferry. That wait was entirely too long. Private transfers were like 150 euro so this was a bargain. I also booked them for our return back to the port.
This hotel was definitely a splurge, and well worth it. It just opened in May so everything was new, and it was a 10 minute walk to Oia. To stay in Oia was a minimum of like $700 per night. The prices were insane! So finding this little gem so close to Oia was a big score. Breakfast was included, and they had a great spread. They have lunch and dinner service, and their food was delicious, but everything on the menu is pretty pricey. The staff was so friendly. I would definitely stay here again.
Santorini is just so beautiful with all of the white buildings, and churches with blue domes. The sunsets were out of this world. I had never seen a purple and pink sky before. It truly took my breath away.
When I’m on vaca I always do a catamaran cruise. It’s a great way to see places you would never see on foot. I booked this through Viator as well, it was €171 for 2 people. The company was Sunset Oia. I have to say this was the best catamaran that I have been on. I have never been on a catamaran with flushing toilets! Usually you have to pump until everything goes down. They cooked the food on-board which I’ve also never seen on a catamaran. There was a huge grill at the back of the boat. The crew could have been more lively, but maybe that’s a Greek thing. We still had a great time.
We ate at Skiza our last night. The food was amazing, and we had a rooftop Caldera view. Our entire meal with drinks and dessert was only €54. I thought that was such a steal for such a great meal.
Days 7-8 – Santorini to Athens
We took the ferry from Santorini to Athens. It was a 5hr ride. . I wanted to fly which was a little over an hour? But reading the reviews of the 2 airlines that flew to Athens had me terrified. There were a ton of cancellations and I didn’t want to risk missing our flight to Madrid, so ferry it was. We took the SeaJet ferry and it was €140 for the both of us. This time I was cheap and didn’t go for the VIP, but boy did I wish I did. While the seats were comfortable, albeit a little tight, there were a ton of people in the regular seating. VIP is definitely worth the splurge when traveling the Greek Isles….Trust me!
Me in the Ferry seat
Once we arrived in Athens we headed back to the airport. We had about 2hrs before our flight so we headed to the Goldair Handling CIP Lounge. This lounge had a pretty good food and alcohol spread, and comfortable seating. The lounge could use some updating because there were no outlets at the seats. They were all at a pretty nice table that looks like it was later added to the lounge. We boarded our flight and headed to Madrid.
I booked this room through Agoda for $70.78. The room was quite small, but it was clean and had everything we needed for our 12 hour stay. The best thing of all is it was located right on Gran Via. The location was absolutely perfect, and right in the center of Madrid. We had dinner that evening at a cute little restaurant, and my main mission for the next morning was to head to the Adidas store and score some swag; which I did, but I won’t reveal it now because it is my NYC marathon outfit! I also hit up Primark of course for some souvenirs, then we hightailed it to the airport. We didn’t get to visit the lounge in Madrid because we didn’t have much time after shopping.
I hope you enjoyed my Greece Vlogs, hopefully you had a chance to watch the videos as well. I’ll be documenting all of my trips going forward, so hopefully I’ll get better at this video thang. Thx for reading and watching!
We took Olympia Airlines out of Athens Airpport for the short 30 minute flight. It was $159 for 2 people. This airline was super spacious, they gave us the entire exit row so 6 seats for 2 people. They served beverages, Greek cookies which I did not expect, and the staff was super nice.
My husbands co-worker is Greek, and his family is from Chania (pronounced Hania). He was vacationing in Crete last year and I saw the pictures and video and said we have to go there in 2019, so he is the reason we were there….thanks Nick! We got to experience Chania from a locals perspective which was amazing. We went to beaches that we would have never found on our own. Drove down mountains that had no edges, one wrong turn and you were toast. Ate amazing Greek food, it was really the highlight of our trip.
We visited Seitan Limania Beach, which is a newly discovered beach in Crete. The drive down to the parking area was terrifying. When I stepped outside of the car my legs were shaking, I could barely walk. The hike down to the beach was even more terrifying. I took 19 steps, looked down, and said there was no way in hell I was doing this. The beach was really beautiful and I am so angry I didn’t get to see it I’m close, but my life is worth more than an IG post. ??? Since our trek to Seitan Beach was unsuccessful, we headed over to Kri Kri beach instead.
This hotel was so beautiful, and in the heart of the Rimondi. It was a 10 room hotel, so we were lucky to nab a last minute room. The room was spacious, new, and had the cutest balcony. Breakfast was also included, but we didn’t partake since we were out so very early in the morning. The staff was very nice, I would highly recommend. You want your hotel to be located in the Rimondi, you’re in the center of Crete, with easy access to all the nightlife. This area is still lively at 2am.
The outside of the hotel with the morning bread delivery…so cute!
View from our balcony
Hanging out at night in the Rimondi.
We visited Balos Beach and Lagoon. We took a bus ride which was about an hour, to the ferry, another hour. This was €38pp. It was well worth the cost of not having to drive down another scary mountainside. This Lagoon was absolutely beautiful. I would highly recommended visiting Balos if you are in Crete. The ferry then went over to Nisos Gramvousa which was another beach. Not as pretty as Balos, but still beautiful, and there was a fort at the top. I was pooped so I just layed out on the beach and slept for an hour. Crete was so beautiful and I don’t see a lot of people talking about it. Definitely add it to your Greek island tour.
Laying on the beach in Balos.
View of the blue lagoon.
I just want to leave you with some pics of some of the Gyro’s and Greek Salads we had. Gyros were super inexpensive. No more than 2.50 euro for one, most times less than that. Greek Salads were 4-5 Euros. We must have eaten 3 of these a day. I loved the fact that they stuff french fries inside of them!
