![\"Just](\"\/going-places\/wp-content\/uploads\/files\/2014\/7\/10492550_10152255809426914_7555426618057447143_n.jpg\" "\\"Just")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Not an early bird? No problem! We asked pro wanderer and OneTravel Twitter chat co-host Kirsten Alana<\/strong><\/a> to share her best tips for planning your trip, favorite travel Instagram accounts, and the most spontaneous vacation she\u2019s ever dared to embark on. What’s your favorite music to listen to\/books to read while on the road\/in-flight?<\/strong> <\/p>\n Tell us about your first travel experience.<\/strong> Not an early bird? No problem! We asked pro wanderer and OneTravel Twitter chat co-host Kirsten Alana to share her best tips for planning your trip, favorite travel Instagram accounts, and the most spontaneous vacation she\u2019s ever dared to embark on. And if you like what you see here, don\u2019t forget to join @OneTravel and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[71],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4138619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4138619","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4138619"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4138619\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":98921196,"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4138619\/revisions\/98921196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4138619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4138619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4138619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nAnd if you like what you see here, don\u2019t forget to join @OneTravel<\/strong> and @KirstenAlana<\/strong> for a special Twitter party on last-minute world travel (July 31st, 2014 at 2pm EST). It\u2019ll be chock full of tips, tricks, and deals. Follow #OneTravelChat <\/strong>to participate. Three cheers for a spontaneous summer!<\/p>\n
\nFor music my classic standby, going back to long bus rides in High School, is Radiohead but I also enjoy Rhye, Future of Forestry, Explosions in the Sky and David Gray. And whatever \u201cicarryyourheart\u201d recommends on SoundCloud. He has impeccable taste. For books I like to alternate between travel biographies and travel narrative. I can often be found with one of The Best American Travel Writing<\/em> yearly anthologies. Favorite biographical books include Cheryl Strayed\u2019s Wild<\/em>, and Wanderlust: A Love Affair with Five Continents<\/em> by Elisabeth Eaves.
\nWhen\/why did you start blogging about travel and what has been your favorite post to date?<\/strong>
\nI started blogging about travel because, at the time, I saw it as the only way to get to my dream job, that of a full time editorial travel photographer. I don\u2019t regret beginning a blog because it has taken me to so many amazing places but I wish I\u2019d started out differently now, because I tend to always be pegged as only a blogger and rarely labeled as what I consider myself to be, a passionately curious travel photographer. My favorite post to date is one that\u2019s not actually on my blog at all, but on my friend Abi\u2019s as a guest post. It\u2019s my story about a visit to a remote village in Costa Rica<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nI can\u2019t actually remember my first. I was born in Vermont and I know we left the state a lot because of the artistic work that my parents did, they had clients all over the country. However, I do remember my first passport and first international trip like it was yesterday. My mother took me to England and from that trip on I knew that I would need to travel a lot to quench the thirst and curiosity that immediately welled up within me. It started with the different words they used for things like a television or a sweater, and continued with the magically confusing Stonehenge. I still haven\u2019t quenched that thirst or fulfilled all of my curiosity.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Tell us about the most spontaneous trip you\u2019ve ever taken.<\/strong>
\nI decided to spend my 30th birthday alone on a beach in Puerto Rico because I didn\u2019t want people to actually see how genuinely fearful I was of that silly number. In hindsight, it was the worst thing I could have done and I felt so lonely and unloved (despite it being my own decision) that I wish I had taken more time to think about it. If I had, I think I would have realized that being alone was the opposite of what I needed then.
\nWhat are your favorite destinations for a last minute vacation<\/a> and why? <\/strong>
\nParis will always be my go to. The only way I can explain it is to agree with Gertrude Stein who is quoted as saying that, \u201cAmerica is my country but Paris is my hometown.\u201d Or Audrey\u2019s, “Paris is always a good idea.” That being said, anywhere with a beach and warm temperatures is equally as good an idea and I never turn down a tropical destination without a very, very good reason.
\nWhat are some tips for booking a last-minute getaway? <\/strong>
\nI like the TravelZoo newsletter. If I had a limitless credit card, it would be put to work just because of that newsletter. Though it doesn\u2019t indulge my love of truly authentic travel, it\u2019s quite motivating for booking spontaneous trips based on having fun or relaxing. I also think everyone should follow the Twitter accounts of every brand and destination they really love; it\u2019s surprising how many deals that are announced only on Twitter!
\nWhich types of attractions are worth splurging on and which should you skip?<\/strong>
\nRiding in a hot air balloon at sunrise over the city of Melbourne is probably the most expensive thing I\u2019ve ever done while traveling but it was also one of the most worthwhile that my money has ever bought. It\u2019s in my top 3 travel experiences of all time. Splurging on spa treatments, especially after a long journey, is also never a bad idea.
\nAre there Instagram accounts\/bloggers we should follow for travel inspiration? <\/strong>
\nI\u2019m continually inspired by @dante8 <\/strong>who has a talent for both cityscapes and landscapes. His images are refreshing and unusual, they don\u2019t look like copies of any else\u2019s work. I also love @ZachsPassport <\/strong>because he has a love of libraries and captures them all around the world. Few people entice me more with their landscape images than @Maurice<\/strong>. @Charissa_Fay<\/strong> captures NYC as I\u2019d like to capture it but can never seem to be able to replicate and @Mevallieres<\/strong> makes everywhere she travels look like the very place I am just dying to go. I also recently discovered @JonesCrow <\/strong>while traveling through Bali and one of his photos of a rice field near Ubud just seems to sum up the entire island for me in one image.
\nWhat are five things to keep in mind when embarking on an eleventh-hour vacation?<\/strong>
\n1)\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Don\u2019t set your expectations too high. Just have fun!
\n2)\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Know that last minute trips can have a lot of hidden costs, plan accordingly or suck it up and \u201cpay for it\u201d later. If you worry too much, you\u2019ll ruin the experience.
\n3)\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Leave room for continued spontaneity with a fairly open schedule.
\n4)\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Be patient.
\n5)\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0During packing, take out half the clothes and throw in twice the money. You can always buy local clothing and sometimes those items make the best souvenirs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"