The In-Betweeners

Finding an excuse to travel is my best worst habit. 

Generally, that wouldn't be a problem. Except in my case, I'm particularly gifted in finding insane deals on flights. Which oftentimes leads to... well, an excuse to travel. 

I don't always get around on a plane though. In fact, all of my most recent trips have been made possible via road trip. And heck, with good company, road trips can be the premiere way to travel. This past semester, I've ventured to some pretty cool places. 

Interested to see more? Check out the recap below!

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TAMPA

Ohh Tampa. If I've ever felt emotionally conflicted about a vacation before, this one would be it. Despite the heartbreak, the short trip was totally worth it. 

In case you missed it, Alabama went to the National Championship game. I'm not going to go into further details on the situation. Unnecessary and way too painful.

But anyways. Roll Tide. And that is all.

All jokes aside, you know what made this lil trip so great? The fact that I got my National Championship ticket for a whopping $0. Working for the Athletic Department sure has its benefits. 

Another reason Tampa was great: my grandparents. My best bud Britt and I were lucky enough to crash with my grandparents in Orlando.

Sleeping in Orlando meant commuting to Tampa, but all game-day traffic aside, I wouldn't have had it any other way. My grandparents are my entire world, and it was a time and a half cruising around their town mid-December on golf carts. Aah, Florida problems.

And those free seats? They were row M. And between all the beers Britt and I consumed pre and post game, row M felt a whole lot closer to row A. The only semi-ok part of losing was the confetti. It definitely would have been a lot prettier had the confetti been red and white.

* * * 

SIPSY WILDERNESS

Well, I went wild for a weekend.

And by wild, I just wanted an excuse to test out my new hiking gear. My company was two furballs and the coolest, outdoor guru I know (read: my dad).

I had two main takeaways from our overnighter:

1) Osprey Backpacks are sewn from the threads of heaven. Best. Gear. Ever.

2) Avoid- at all costs- tent camping with a dog who thinks she's a cat. Sweet little Izzy didn't seem so sweet when she was laying on my face or making circles around our (tiny) tent.

But hey! I got to spend time with my favorite dude in my favorite environment. The weekend was a total win in my book. 

* * *

DALLAS

I'd be lying if I said I went to Dallas for any reason other than my best friend, Jenny. Jen and I are in a low-key fight because she apparently thought it would be ok to leave me this semester for an internship that would advance her career and turn into a job offer upon completion. Can you believe her? Ugh. 

(Ok, Jen. Maybe I forgive you. 

But obviously only because I had such a blast in Dallas).

As much as I miss having my lil nug in Tuscaloosa with me, I couldn't be more in proud-best-friend mode if I tried. Go accountant bff!

Conveniently, one of my good friends, Jase, happens to to date another one of my good friends, Caroline. More convenient than that, Caroline and Jenny are both in Dallas for accounting internships, and therefore decided to be roommates for the semester. 

Jase and I wasted no time planning our road trip to see our t-town gals. We left on a Friday morning and came back on a Monday. It didn't feel like we had nearly enough time, but we both took what we could get.

In between coffee shops and afternoons exploring the city, my camera was a staple. Dallas never disappoints with its food- the taco diet I seemed to be on for the duration of the weekend was worth every extra pound I came home with.

With Jen as my unofficial tour guide and this being my second time in Dallas in six months, I felt like I was really starting to learn to learn my way around the city. 

Too bad I didn't have like 20 extra days to spend there. Oh, well.

Another huge plus of Jen's internship? She gets really crazy free things! Case in point: the four free Dallas Mavericks tickets we got. We took two of Jen's friends and had an absolute blast. 

Spoiler: I actually enjoyed basketball. Like a lot. 

Sydney liking sports? Scary, I know. 

The (not so) funny thing about this trip was that I was supposed to fly into Texas over Christmas Break to help Jen move in to her apartment. The trip would have gone perfectly had I not booked my return flight for the wrong year. 

Pro tip: when you book two one-ways, book them for the same year. Or don't.

* * * 

So what's next?

Well, Spring Break is coming up. And that one is going to be a whirlwind 10 days. From NYC to Stockholm to Amsterdam to Copenhagen back to NYC, I am startign to think sleep is going to be a luxury.

Gear up for updates on my trip, it's coming up in 5 days!. As always, feel free to subscribe to get my latest posts delivered straight to your inbox.

xx.Syd