{guest post} Make The Most Out of Your Vacation!

hey, lovies!
i'm lori from a crazy walk on the safe side. and i am so glad that ashley has asked me to guest post while she is away, enjoying some sunshine and tropical drinks in punta cana for the week!

if you were to hang around my blog for long, you will probably catch on to the fact that the hubs and i love to travel. in our dating days we bonded during early trips to chattanooga for a friends wedding, savannah {where the hubs learned the lesson that you don't invite your boys to stay the night on your weekend getaway with your girl and i truly discovered that i loved greg} and myrtle beach.

since traveling is one of my favorite things, and i'm super jealous of the awesome vacation ashley is currently on, i decided it would be fun to do a post outlining my tips and suggestions to make the most of your vacations...

{our first anniversary in st. thomas}

 first, always do research on your destination. i highly recommend asking blog friends who live where you are going or have visited for their suggestions! this helped me SO much while planning our new york trip.

{at the empire state building in new york in january}

find out where the locals eat- often the touristy places are simply popular because they're large restaurants with a big marketing budget, and not actually because they serve the best food.

make reservations at any restaurants you definitely want to try, especially if you have a large group.

this was one challenge in new york {because doing anything with 15 people is difficult}- we missed out on some of the restaurants that i would have liked to try.

{eating with the old roomies at magnolias in charleston}

 carry cash... but mostly small bills. i also like to separate my money into different locations, and not carry all of it at a time {heaven forbid something happen and you lose it!}

plan your outfits- stick to one color scheme.... i like to go with neutrals and accessorize with a colorful scarf or bag. i also like to pack crossbody bags because they are so convenient for walking around sightseeing or shopping- so you can just carry the essentials and not have to carry a heavy bag on your shoulder.

{at the biltmore while visiting asheville, november 2012}

a vacation should be the perfect balance of relaxation, local flare and tourist attractions- since you ARE a visitor after all. look into the tours to see the famous highlights- but read reviews and check with the concierge desk at your hotel for their opinions and coupons!

{snorkeling on our honeymoon in st. lucia}

and lastly, take LOTS of pictures to document the good times everywhere you go :)

{our anniversary/babymoon in turks and caicos in may}

 if you didn't gather from the last picture, i am currently pregnant with our first little one- so i think it will be a while before we're able to go on another big trip... but i hope my tips help you with planning something fun!

... please stop by my blog sometime and say hello! :)