Old Traditions Being Celebrated

Every summer growing up, my family would take an annual trip to Mexico to visit family. I remember never wanting to leave the company of my cousins and enjoy the sense of community Mexico projected. As we grew older, less of the family reunited. My siblings grew older and started creating their own families. Schedules wouldn’t align and we could never all meet in the middle to continue our tradition. However, this month, things changed but everything felt all the same. 

I say this because my closest cousin’s wedding took place in Mexico. This special event is what brought us all together and continued that tradition with new members of our family! Seeing all my siblings gathered in Mexico felt euphoric as we reminisced on fond memories we had created in such a beautiful country. 

The wedding itself was beautiful and was the perfect event to create even more memories with my entire family. It’s something about seeing everyone in the same place and enjoying each other’s company. As a very nostalgic individual, hearing everyone’s laughter and seeing them all dance definitely brought tears to my eyes. It had been years since the entire family was able to reunite and the cherry on top was that it happened in Mexico. Overall this was a very fun weekend and I feel very blessed to have been able to finally continue our tradition.

Girl's Weekend in Palm Springs: A Desert Getaway Guide

Whether you're seeking poolside relaxation, or an adventurous getaway filled with sightseeing and shopping, Palm Springs is the ultimate destination for a getaway trip. Every summer, my best friends and I have our annual Palm Springs vacation, and I'd love to share some of our favorite activities, places to stay, eat, and shop.

Choosing the right place to stay is key as much of your time is spent enjoying the comfort of your accommodation. Marriott’s Shadow Ridge Resort has by far been my favorite place to stay. I enjoyed sleeping in free from the worries of daily life, and waking up to the breathtaking view of the mountains stretching across the desert horizon. My friends and I would gather to cook breakfast, whipping up the most buttery, fluffy pancakes while chatting about the day's adventures ahead. It felt like the ideal life—carefree mornings spent cooking with friends, surrounded by stunning views, and savoring each moment without a worry in the world. This resort is ideal for lounging with your friends, it offers leisure amenities, a pool just steps from the room, and the perfect blend of home comforts and Palm Springs luxury.

More Iconic Spot Suggestions:

• The Parker
• Korakia Pensione
• The Westin Desert Willow Villas

One of the highlights of a Palm Springs trip is the opportunity to relax by the water under the desert sun meanwhile enjoying a refreshing drink. This is the perfect time to unwind, sun-bathe while enjoying the beautiful desert landscaping, catching up, and taking pictures.

In addition to lounging by the pool, a trip to Palm Canyon Drive is an absolute must! This shopping district is the heart of Palm Springs', it offers a delightful mix of high-end boutiques, vintage shops, and mouthwatering restaurants. Throughout our visit, it's tradition to have an adventure day starting with brunch at FARM, where the poached eggs are so perfectly done, they practically melt in your mouth. After brunch, we make a mandatory coffee stop at Cafe La Jefa to fuel up for a day of shopping. Sephora is always the first stop, followed by H&M, and we wrap up the day by exploring the antique shops, hunting for one-of-a-kind souvenirs.

More things to do:

• Hike Indian Canyon
• Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
• Spa Day at Sec-he

Finding the best spots to eat is crucial on every trip and Palm Springs never disappoints. Every meal I have had in each of my visits are delicious. Below are some of the best restaurants in Palm Springs that you should try.

• Brunch at FARM
• The Heyday
• Birba

Palm Springs is the ultimate destination for a getaway, offering the perfect blend of adventure and relaxation. Whether you’re sunbathing by the pool, indulging in spa treatments, or exploring the desert, every moment is an opportunity to create unforgettable memories with your loved ones. Don't forget to use this guide if you plan on visiting Palm Springs next summer!

Most important things to research before going on a vacation:

 With Spring Break and summer coming up, people are exhausted and have been waiting to go on a vacation to get some time for relaxation, do some fun activities, and maybe check out different cultures. Going on a vacation to a place you’ve never been to before is always exciting, but you want to make sure you do some research on the place so when you arrive there, it’s not a culture shock or a place you end up regret visiting. Doing your research on a place you want to visit will make the experience even better since you’ll have somewhat of an idea on what to expect. I regret not doing research when I visited Miami a couple years ago, so here are a few ideas I’ve come up with on researching a place before going on a vacation: 

Climate.

This is probably the most important thing to research before going on a vacation. You want to research the climate of the place to make sure it fits with your travel plans. For example, when I went to Miami, I didn’t do research at all since it was in the summer that I had visited for a music festival. I was thinking in my head that the weather was just going to be very hot, but when I had stepped out of the airport, it was very humid and nasty. It felt like I was in a sauna and had trouble breathing for a bit. It also rained each day I was there and I didn’t pack any clothing for the rain. Researching the climate will help out with what weather to expect so that you’re prepared rather than frustrated like I was.

2. Price of the trip overall.


If you’re on a budget, then this is one of the most important things to research before planning a trip. Researching the price of the trip may include traveling roundtrip, cost of hotel, food, entertainment, etc. If you’re in a group, you may want to research and add everything all together with everyone else so it can be evenly split up. Plan to spend a little more just in case there’s something that catches your attention when on your trip.

3 Food.

This is one of the most important things to research in my opinion. When going on a trip, trying new foods from different cultures is always fun and interesting. You may want to research where the best restaurants are. Also, if you’re allergic to certain foods or have food allergies, look for certain places that fit best for you. A bad experience I had in the past was when I went to Mexico for a weekend and came back home with food poisoning that lasted almost two weeks. I always tell myself that next time I go to Mexico, I’m meal prepping before I go or I’m going to research restaurants that have great reviews so I can avoid getting sick again.

4 Activities.

Another important thing to research is the activities that are available for the destination you're visiting. It’s very important to know what things are available for you, and if you’re going with others, what’s available for them too. If you’re going with children, you may want to look up some activities such as amusement parks. I mentioned earlier how I went to Miami for a music festival, and that was probably the only fun thing I did on my trip. Since I wasn’t 21-years-old at that time, I wasn’t able to go clubbing or do other similar activities. I also wasn’t able to attend any sports game since it was summer and that time period is the off-season for most sports. Planning activities is very important if you want to stay busy during your vacation.

5. Overall reviews on the place you plan on visiting.

If you plan on visiting a certain city or different country, review that place overall to see if it’s something that actually interests you. You wouldn’t want to go to a place that’s known to be unsafe or somewhere where you feel uncomfortable. That’s a waste of money. If you have to think more than twice about whether or not you want to visit a certain place, maybe you should pass or wait on that trip and plan something else. For example, I was planning on going to Cincinnati for my birthday this year to see my football team play a playoff game. I had done more research on the state and decided that I would pass on it because a lot of money would’ve been spent and the only activity I could find that attracted me was the football game.




I hope that these tips come in handy for anyone who plans on taking a well-deserved trip soon!