My boyfriend and I booked a flight to Colorado with no plans 24 days before lift off. This trip was for our college spring break and our trip was just days before the Coronavirus pandemic hit the United States.Wanna know what we did? Below is our spontaneous itinerary for our 5 day trip to the high altitude state of Colorado.

Day 1: Denver

We landed into Denver International Airport at 8 p.m. Instead of waiting 45 minutes for an Uber/Lyft, we found a rather expensive taxi at the airport (If you’re on a budget, wait for the lyft.) We had booked a rental car from ‘Turo‘ which is an app where real people rent their cars to travelers. You can find an average car much cheaper than the airport Enterprise on the app. From our rental car, we drove to our Airbnb in Denver and walked around downtown until it got too cold for us.

Day 2: Rocky Mountains

From Denver we eat a quick breakfast and start driving to Rocky Mountains National Park (about a 3 hour drive.) There is a park entrance fee and it is well worth the price. We decided to explore by driving around the whole park considering we were not prepared with traction on our boots from all the snow and ice. Although, we did hike a short trail head called ‘Bear Lake.” In the month of February, there was light traffic and we almost had it all to ourselves. After leaving the Rocky Mountains, we start our 5 hour drive to our next Airbnb home located directly in the mountains. We get there around 9 p.m and go to sleep after a long day.

Day 3: Red Cliff, Colorado

We drove to our next Airbnb last night. We are secluded high in the mountains over 8,000 feet. Our Tiny Home on A Mountain is beautiful. We wake up early and eat breakfast. When people think of Colorado, they think of skiing and snowboarding. How about the snowmobilers? We spend the rest of the day snowmobiling. If you are ever near the Vail/Red Cliff area in Colorado, I highly recommend Colorado Backcountry Rentals for all your snowmobile needs.

Day 4: Drive to Colorado Springs

The next day we wake up before the sun rises over the mountains, pack up all our belongings, and start our 3 hour drive to Colorado Springs from Red Cliff. We pass many fourteeners along the way, which are mountains that are over 14,000 feet! We arrive to Colorado Springs around 2 p.m for a day of exploring. I highly recommend visiting Garden Of The Gods if you ever decide to stay in the Spring’s. We stay in a cute bungalow home from Airbnb for the rest of the night.

Day 5: Flying Home

We wake up early. Our flight is at 7 pm. The drive from Colorado Springs to Denver is short so we visit Garden Of The Gods one more time before we leave. We see the huge Red Rocks Amphitheatre as we are driving on the freeway. The airport is filled with people in masks. COVID-19 is in the States and we are flying home to Michigan.

I do not expect people to take this into their own travel plans, but they worked well for us. In 5 days, we visited so many parts of Colorado. We stayed in 3 airbnbs and never got altitude sickness. Colorado is now my favorite travel destination.

In February, 2019 I took an awesome risk and drove 10 hours with my boyfriend to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. It was both of our first-times here and we rented a cabin secluded high in the mountains. Gatlinburg is known for its touristy attractions and colorful scenery. For our first trip there, we decided to stay secluded from people and only decided to interact when we needed food from the grocery store. For our trip, as you can see from the pictures above, we decided to hike a trail in the Smoky Mountains. We hiked an easy trail called ‘Grotto Falls’ which had the only waterfall you can walk behind in Smoky Mountains National Park.

5 months later and we were back in Gatlinburg. But this time… My boyfriend and I brought our friends. 8 of us stayed in a comfortable cabin from Airbnb, secluded high in the mountains with amazing views. As a group we hiked a trail called ‘Rainbow Falls.’ Nightlife is better in Gatlinburg with a group of friends. We enjoyed the views of the Gatlinburg Sky Lift at night.

*Assuming the reader is over 21 and legally allowed to consume alcohol, my friends and I highly recommend ‘Ole Smoky Moonshine’ as a souvenir for friends and family if you ever decide to visit Tennessee. A travelers tip: WonderWorks Pigeon Forge (upside down house) and Dollywood are worth visiting if you are looking for more attractions.

For my non-Michiganders, “Up-North” is what we call Northern Michigan. And for the people who do know, everything after Great Lakes Crossing is Up North.

I have made way too many memories on the lakes and on the trails. I have taken so many pictures that I can not even collect them all into one place. I wanted to share some of my travels to “Up-North” because Michigan is the loveliest state of them all, and nobody can argue with me on that. The pictures above were taken in 2018, and it was the first trip I went on without my family. I have traveled Up North countless times with my family and friends but this was my first time I was in charge of my own plans and food. My sister, two close friends of mine, and I drove 4 hours to Traverse City, Michigan for an amazing 3 day experience. Road trips with your best friends and sister, visiting cool landmarks such as the Sleeping Bear Dunes, and just having a good time with no parents. We found an awesome cabin on the lake from Airbnb and the rest was ours to enjoy!

The pictures above were taken in August 2019. My boyfriend took me on a birthday trip to Interlochen, Michigan. This small town is just a 30-minute drive to Traverse City and was perfectly located next to biking and ATV trails. I say my boyfriend took me because he paid for the stay but, I chose the house. As always, I found the perfect Tiny House on Airbnb. We both enjoy biking, so we dedicated our 2-night stay to traveling by bike. We did some research and found the perfect nearby trails to ride. The reason I am adding such a small trip from all the places I have been is because sometimes even the small trips are filled with so many fond memories. We saw so much wildlife, we enjoyed the fresh air, and with no access to the internet all we had was what was around us to take-in. Michigan’s beauty is underrated and there’s so many places to see here.

What is “DR?” It is the Dominican Republic! I hold this memory as one of my most fondest. In 2015, I spent my 16th birthday in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. I shared this vacation with my family, my best friend, and two other families I have grown up with. With 13 friends and family, I spent my birthday week surrounded by an amazing group of people and beautiful weather.

What is there to do in the Dominican Republic you ask? Tan. Lots of tanning. Oh, and if you are staying at an all-inclusive hotel, it is food extravaganza. For this trip, we stayed at the “Hotel Riu Bambu.” My family and I favor certain hotel chains, and Riu hotels is one of our favorites. All inclusive hotels are an experience worth trying if you never have- some love them, others prefer Hawaii (I am not judging.)

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These are a few pictures from the trip that show some of the things we did in our 7-day stay. For my 16th birthday, we went dune-bugging on a long-muddy trail. It was an excursion where we drove dune bugs along the way to a coffee bean farm and even swam in a crystal clear underwater cave. At another point along the trip we even partook in some snorkeling even with my great fear of the ocean! I had many first-time experiences during this vacation and I will always remember the memories I had there. It was an unforgettable trip, worth sharing.