It Was All A Dream!

  "It was all a dream....I used to read National Geographic Magazine..."

I know that's not how the song goes but that was indeed the story of my life. Unlike B.I.G I used to hang pictures of the Sphinx and the Champs Ellyses on my wall...next to my poster of Salt-n-Peppa and Heavy D up in the limosine. Despite my young age I knew that it was quite possible I'd meet them all at some point (and I did). Like most 80's brown babies I grew up reading VIBE, Essence, Ebony and the rest but I had a secret obsession with my dad's Robb Report and National Geographic magazines. I would make mental notes of all the fabulous and mysterious places I would one day visit once I was able to break from the confines of homework and chores.........

I started off not taking no for an answer. I saw no reason why I couldn't see the world even though I had no real income to speak of and barely knew how to get around the block. At 17 I decided Martha's Vineyard wasn't an option for my senior trip since a friends parents had a time share in the Bahamas. I convinced my parents that a week in the Bahamas was a better investment in my future. At 18 a professor told me I wasn't qualified to be a delegate for the school in Argentina for the Model Organization of American States because I wasn't a political science major. I told him I was a better politician than he could ever be and proceeded to convince his boss that I was not only going on the trip, but that I would co-lead the delegation. And I did, the rest as they say, is history. The following fall, at 19, I moved to Tokyo to study Japanese and International Business. Since then I've been to China, England, Scotland, Wales, Canada (yes it counts dammit), Ireland, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, the Czech Republic, The Netherlands, Croatia, Montenegro, Egypt, Brazil, Dominican Republic.

What I've learned over the years is that the destination is really the journey. The greatest reward in travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted. I live for the possibility to experience a thousand sunsets a thousand different ways, and most importantly, I believe its my life's purpose to bring that experience to everyone. With that said, I present to you the "Adventures in Divaland" logo. It's just a step, but we all know a journey of a thousand begins with just that.....

 To me this is much more than a logo, this is something I can look at, along with the stamps on my passport, to remind me where I've been but most importantly where I'm going. There's so much love left to spread over the  world to see and I'm just the girl for the job.

-Carmen

 “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” - St. Augustine


o. 

Tis the Season to be Carmen.....

Le sigh…. The holiday season is indeed upon us. Time to max out your credit cards, od on pumpkin spice latte’s, and endure another family gathering where you have to explain to everyone why you are STILL not married (just me?) Yep!  Tis the season to be Car-men (Sandiego that is)! For those of us who don’t live in our hometown or are looking to escape,  it’s time to hit the road. Whether you’re hastily coordinating the logistics to get to big mama’s house or frantically scouring the net for those last minute getways, finding the right flight, hotel and rental car can be a beast, especially if you are pressed for time and on a budget.

Not to fret my dears, I’ve compiled a list of six smart phone apps, ipad apps, and websites that help make flying the skies friendly again… You are now free to haute-strut around the world…..

Before You Go:

1. Hipmunk  http://www.hipmunk.com/

Hipmunk is a virtual savior for the young broke and fabulous who don’t have time to scroll through flight options we can’t afford, or that leave at god-awful hours of the morning. Flight results are presented in a visual "timeline" that allows people to select the best flight for them at a glance. Hotel results are shown on a map so that people can view where in a destination they will be staying and the landmarks near them.


2.    Yapta.com - http://www.yapta.com

Yapta aims to help travelers get a better handle on pricing by providing easy-to-use tools and information that assures they get the best value from their travel spending. Yapta allows you to track the pricing of your desired route and will alert you when it’s the best time to buy. All you have to do is enter in your email address and your desired trip. It works for hotels too! It saved me $100 on my trip to Minnesota. No offense to Minessotans (?) but no one should be forced to pay $100 more to go there…jus saying 

3.     Trip it – http://www.tripit.com

This is perfect for us who party til 4am before a 6 am flight and then go to the wrong airport and then blame our assistant for confusing LGA to JFK on our itinerary….or you know.. whomever. TripIt turns chaos into order by making it easy for anyone to:

•  Organize trip details into one master online itinerary — even if arrangements are booked at multiple travel sites
• Automatically include maps, directions, and weather in their master itinerary
• Have the option to book restaurants, theatre tickets, activities, and more right from within the online itinerary
• Safely access travel plans online, share them, check-in for flights, or print an itinerary

4.     FlightTrack – http://www.mobiata.com/apps/flighttrackpro-iphone

So you managed to wake up in time, run all your errands, and grab a cab in to make it to the airport with plenty of time to spare just to arrive to find that the plane was having a bad day and your flight is now delayed, despite the fact that there is no bad weather in sight. Sweet! You probably should’ve downloaded FlightTrack, by Mobiata. Using this app, you can track flights using graphically beautiful maps or you can view the information in simpler ways. What makes FlightTrack really stand out is its international coverage – this means exactly what it says – you can track every single one of your flights worldwide. If you’re travelling on the same flight as someone you know, you can upload your flight’s status by email, Facebook or Twitter.

While You’re there

5. Uber -  https://www.uber.com/

So you’ve arrived to your destination, now what? Uber is a handy car service, which is available for iPhone, Android and via text message, will summon a driver to your location and take you to your destination for a pre-negotiated fee. This app is perfect for New Yorkers who’s idea of driving responsibly is remembering to hide your flask (again, just me? ok). No money changes hands, as the service automatically charges the credit card on file, including tip. However, Uber is only available in San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Boston and New York City for now.

6.    AroundMe -  http://www.tweakersoft.com/aroundme.html

This app quickly identifies your position and gives you directions to the nearest Bank, Bar, Hotel, Movie Theatre, Restaurant, Supermarket, Theatre or Taxi, etc. without pulling out a stupid travel guide. Once you’ve chosen which building you’re in most need of, AroundMe places this location on a map and gives you the most direct route to your intended destination. So simple, yet so useful, and best of all, you can download AroundMe from the App Store for free. 

Happy travels folks!