Life in the Travel Industry #NYCHVILLE

It took quite a long time for me to complete my Asia posts, but in the midst of detailing that adventure I was living my own new adventures. When I returned from Asia life went on, it was back to work, this time in a new office on the Upper West Side. From August to December I faced many changes both at work and in my personal life. As much as I struggled I was constantly reminded by my mentors and the people around me that life is good, I love what I do and I work for the greatest company in the world. I realized that we are stronger together and in the hardest times if we stick together as an area we will be successful. Side note- as you may have noticed, I call my co-workers NYCHS and our region is Nychville…it stands for New York City Highrisers, our area made up of all the offices in the 5 boroughs. I love Nychville and everything it represents. We are closer than ever and nothing will break the bond that us Nychs have. We work in the travel industry and honestly nothing is cooler than that!

Here are the top 5 adventures from Fall 2014 in the land of Nychville: 

1. We headed to Breathless Punta Cana for our annual Team Leader conference. Not only did we have an incredible time, but we proved to everyone that we are the most united area and are so passionate about what we do and how much we care about each other. One of the reasons my job is so awesome is that once a year we are sent on an annual manager conference. This year, AM Resorts hosted us at the very trendy Breathless Resort and Spa. The resort is fairly new and has a very chic, modern feel to it. Perfect for the young adult that wants a more lively, active holiday in the sun. Its' price point is excellent for a 4 star all inclusive, adults only in Punta Cana and I would highly recommend it for young couples or guys/girls trip. It is perfect for anything I would want in a vacation. It is far too expensive for the spring break crowd, but still has those fun spring-breakish vibes with DJ's by the pool, foam parties, and endless entertainment. We had an incredible time, a huge thank you to AM Resorts.

The NYCHS have arrived!

Sunset in Punta Cana

Ready for conferencing!

NYCHS doing the congo at our beach dinner party

Foam Party

Evelyn and I on the beach during our site inspection of Secrets

Beach of Secrets and Now Larimar Punta Cana

2. Our queen NYCH and three other FCUSA legends ran the NYC marathon and we cheered them on with FCUSA posters along the sidelines. Congrats team FCUSA, we all inspire to be like you!

So proud of Gus on his first marathon!

She did it!!!

Our legendary queen NYCH, Linda Balme!

3. A few of us got invited on Royal Caribbean’s Inaugural sailing of the Quantum of the Seas. I was so lucky to be invited onboard with my colleague and good friend Ashley. The ship was incredible and we took full advantage of all the activities onboard including bumper cars, IFly (indoor skydiving), roller skating, Flywheel (sorry I cheated on you soul cycle), rock climbing, and joining the Michael Jackson flashmob Thriller dance. We saw all of the shows and dined at all of the fantastic restaurants. I highly recommend Quantum of the Seas to anyone who is looking for a truly incredible, innovative cruise experience. Thank you RCCL for an amazing trip!

Bumper cars on a ship!

Bionic Bar- probably the coolest thing ever, a robot makes your drinks.

Ash and I making a pit stop in between activities for a pina colada!

New friends and rock climbing fun!

All suited up for indoor skydiving

Sunset on our balcony

Rollerskating!

4. In December we headed out to the Hamptons for a weekend Team Leader retreat. The weekend was complete with NYCH bonding, copious amounts of delicious food and wine, a backyard bonfire, and morning bike ride to the beach. If anyone doubted us before- this retreat was pure proof that we have so much love for each other it is beyond words. The Hamptons was amazing and I hope to get back there during the summer!

A Nychville Christmas in the Hamptons

Cheers to the greatest story ever told!

I made all of them bike to the beach with me!

NYCHS take the Hamptons 

5. Nychville celebrated the holidays in style at our holiday buzz night- A Black and Gold Affair. It was a night to remember! 

I love my job, I love the people I work with, I love my boss, and I love coming into the office every single day. Not many people can say that, and for that I am grateful. Life in the travel industry is a whirlwind, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I have the coolest job in the world. Thank you NYCHS for your unconditional love and support.....we will be the greatest story ever told.

The Final Chapter- Ha Long Bay and Hanoi

I cannot believe how long it has taken me to come to the end of my Asia saga. Maybe part of me wanted to stall ending my storytelling because that would mean the experience is truly over. Still, I believe the Asia adventure of a lifetime deserved five postings and I hope you enjoyed the journey. Here is how the trip ended....

After a rough early morning flight from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi we hired a taxi to take us to our overnight cruise through Ha Long Bay. Summed up....as a travel consultant I would never recommend an overnight cruise to any of my clients. Ha Long Bay is absolutely stunning and a wonder of the world. However, it is overly touristy-bombarded with the touristy passenger boats, and the beaches are absolutely packed! The actual scenic beauty of Ha Long Bay can easily be seen in one day and the food and accommodations on the ship were definitely something I would avoid in the future. Still, there were two highlights to the overnight boat experience. First, watching the sunset over Ha Long Bay on the top of the boat deck was a view I will never forget. I did my best to capture it in photos, but images simply do not do it justice. Another highlight was waking up to go kayaking around Ha Long Bay. Of course I did not have a camera with me for that adventure, but it was so cool to be off on our own kayaking through the tower rock formations. I highly recommend a kayaking excursion or tour during your trip to Ha Long Bay. Overall, I am glad we went it was definitely one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, but next time I might pass on whole non-air conditioned, leaky roof, terrible food, boat experience.

Ha Long Bay

Crowded beaches along the bay

Representing Soul Cycle from Vietnam

Sunset view from the boat

Josh and I before we went kayaking

On the last day of our trip, we made our way from Ha Long Bay to Hanoi. Thankfully, we had utilized perks of working in the travel industry to properly prepare for the end of our journey with a room at the 5 star hotel, Intercontinental Westlake right on Ho Tay (the lake that runs through the city). I have never been so excited to take a shower, put on a giant bathrobe and lay in a massive bed with a down comforter. Our journey had started out with 5 star luxury and done a full circle from dingy hotel rooms, to a mattress on the ground of a tin hut, back to luxury. We decided to take full advantage of the hotel and lay out by the pool while waiters served us fruit smoothies.

After much needed rest and relaxation we ventured out to explore the city. Hanoi is a unique city and its colorful architecture really made it different from anywhere else we had been. We enjoyed an amazing sunset over city and our last Asian meal of the trip- naturally it was noodles.

Hanoi Sunset

Last meal in Asia

Style of the buildings in Hanoi

So there you have it....my trip to Asia summed up in 5 blog posts and a few photos. It is difficult to put into words how much this journey meant to me and how much it opened up my world. I thought I had seen so much after my travels throughout Europe, but now I know, this is just the beginning....there is so much of the world left for me to see. There was this one moment that will stay with me forever and I think it very accurately sums up my journey. We were on the bus from Bangkok to Siem Reap bouncing over the non-existent dirt roads. The wind was blowing in my face and Brand New came on my iPod shuffle, particularly the song I listened to on the bus from the Florence airport to my hotel the day I landed in Florence. Right in that moment everything stopped and I felt this inexplicable rush, the same feeling I had the first time I looked up at Duomo. It was the feeling of being so overcome by the unknown and so passionate about the journey I was about to embark on. For the first time since Florence I felt this exhilarating rush that made me feel so alive and free. That rush is the passion for travel that I talk about every single day to my clients, which is why I know this is what I was meant to do with my life. It is in those moments that I come face to face with myself and feel truly alive.

Floating Markets and Sky Bars- Part IV Asia

As we headed out of Can Tho we decided make a stop to experience the Cai Rang floating market which ended up to be one of the highlights of the trip for me. Every day locals gather on the Mekong River Delta to exchange goods and buy food for the week. In order to do this they must hop from boat to boat. They will know who is selling goods and who is looking to buy based on the pole they have raised. Families live on these boats and sell their food that has come directly from their farm. It is quite a fascinating tradition and something that was so cool to witness first hand.

Vietnamese woman selling melons

You can see they live in the back of the boat and sell from the front

We decided to hop off our boat and try some of the local fruits. I had the most delicious, fresh pineapple I had ever tasted and sampled some other exotic fruits- tried so many I forgot the names.

Heading off the boat

Vietnamese woman and her daughter carving out pineapples to sell

So juicy!

Exotic fruit boat

On our way out of the floating market

After the floating market it was time for our last and final long stretch of driving. After several hours we arrived in Ho Chi Minh City also known as Saigon, the largest city in Vietnam. Making our way into the city I noticed the tall skyscrapers and city lights along with the congested traffic and constant honking of horns- reminded me a bit of home. It was our last night out with the group so our CEO, Kinal, wanted to take us somewhere special. We ended up at the Skybar, a classy rooftop bar overlooking the entire city. As I stood there staring out at a beautiful city I thought to myself, wow, if I didn't know better I would think I was in NYC. I was halfway around the world in such a foreign land, yet at the same time, the city lights and smells felt so familiar after coming from such rural towns of Cambodia. I couldn't believe this was the last night, this group of people had become like family and I couldn't believe it was already time to say goodbye. It was an emotional night full of tears, but I felt so lucky to have had such a life changing experience and be walking away with 17 new friends. If any of you are reading this right now, despite how much time has passed, I still think about you and all of our Asia memories every single day. We all went back to the reality of our own lives but it feels like yesterday that we were bonding over fried tarantulas and jugs of sex on the beach. I hope all of you are well and know that one day our paths will cross again on our next adventures!

The gang all cleaned up and ready for our last night together <3

Me, Josh, Celine and Becky 

View from Skybar

The original 4 from the very first night

If you walk away from every life experience with one new best friend you will live a happy life....

...so thankful to have met this one in Asia, miss you Annie <3

Cambodian Beaches and Vietnamese Pancakes- Part III Asia

The drive from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville was probably the roughest of them all. We were exhausted and hot and driving across nonexistent roads. I can still feel bumps as we bounced up and down the muddy roads, practically falling out of our seats at each turn. We finally arrived Sihanoukville in time to relax and head to dinner on the beach. Sihanoukville is known as the beach vacation destination for Cambodians so the beaches are lined with restaurants and bars packed with locals and tourists alike. They are also known for the BBQ so of course we had to get the BBQ fish platter.

BBQ Fish Dinner

The next day we were off on a tour of the islands. Thankfully, the weather was perfect and we spent the day boating from beach to beach while making casual stops for snorkeling and back flips off the boat (don't worry mom, I didn't try that).

Beaches of Cambodia

Our boat that took us to the islands

Stop for some snorkelling

Matt's in action back flip shot

Annabel and I on the boat

Annabel and I finally getting our tan

Honestly, our time in Sihanoukville was simply relaxing. It was so nice to finally slow down and have two days to relax on the beach and get some sun. Before we knew it was were back on the road and prepared for the homestay experience that everyone had been questioning since day one. None of us knew what to expect, but by this point we were prepared for anything that would come our way.
We were sunburnt and low on energy as trekked across the Vietnam border- yes, trekked, as in walked with all our luggage. HELLO VIETNAM! From the minute I left Cambodia and entered Vietnam I could recognize the vast change in landscape.

Trekking across the border

After a few hours of driving we arrived in a village near the town of Can Tho, which lies right on the Mekong River Delta. We met the family we would be staying with and some of the locals as we wandered through the village. I remember seeing the hut we would be staying in and thinking oh- this isn't so bad. I was slightly weary of the fact that we had to sleep in a mosquito net- but that was really only because on day two Josh and I realized we were the only ones not taking malaria tablets. Note to travel agent self and future travelers....you must take malaria tablets when visiting Vietnam and Cambodia. Anyways, we made ourselves comfortable and joined the family for dinner where they taught us how to cook a traditional Vietnamese dish called Banh Xeo. I have to say this was probably one of the best meals of my entire trip! It is basically an egg like pancake filled with veggies, pork and prawns....similar to a crepe but much thinner and filled with much more flavor. It was quite the feast, and such an awesome experience to learn how cook a traditional Vietnamese dish with a local family. Dinner was followed by some bonding moments and early night to sleep... although falling asleep wasn't so easy as we heard all kinds of creatures crawling around the hut and thunderous downfalls of rain hitting the tin roof. All I can say is it truly was a unique experience.

Mekong River Delta

Bridge into the village

Local homes

Visiting the local village

Dinner time!

Learning to make Banh Xeo.

My bed for the night

Beautiful Vietnam sunset

Stayed tuned floating markets, sky bars, and kayaking in Ha Long Bay!