Margie Travels

15/07/2024

Meet Larissa! She's an amazing travel content creator who took an epic cruise to Antarctica! Read about her trip in a new blog post on my website. Link in the comments.

"If someone told me voting on an Instagram story poll would lead to me booking a trip to the South Pole and leaving with lifelong friends, I would have never believed you.

But wait – I’m getting ahead of myself here. Let’s rewind to the beginning." Life with Larissa

10/04/2024

Good morning! Any guesses as to where I am?

07/03/2024

Travel is really my thing. I’m flying out today to take my first river cruise! It also happens to be my birthday. The wonderful human I’m flying with told the airline crew today was my birthday. They gifted me this. ♥️

08/02/2024

This just made me smile!!!! Anyone else want to accomplish this? I'm so happy for her.

07/02/2024

My little city is slowly growing into Florida's next cruise port.

Carnival Cruise Line, has sailed from Jacksonville, FL or some time now. We love that Carnival Cruise is here.

In 2025, Norwegian Cruise Line, will be joining them. The Norwegian Gem will homeport in Jacksonville, FL. How exciting is that!

Would you consider sailing from Jacksonville?

01/02/2024

We were deep in the Ngorongoro Crater when we stumbled upon a sleeping pride of lions. When I realized how close we were my Apple Watch started to going off. 😧

High heart rate notifications! ♥️ More like, “you’re too close girl!!! Back up!!!” 😁 If you haven’t been on safari, what stops you? Would you go? I’m thinking about taking a small group next year.

20/01/2024

While on the spice tour in Zanzibar, we came across this spice. Any guesses as to what it is?

This tour is one I’d repeat. We sampled so many fruits along the way. One guy climbed to the top of a tree, knocked down a few coconuts, opened them up and gave us fresh coconut water. Much needed on that very humid day.

18/01/2024

Well! If this picture doesn't show my short stature, I don't know what does. 🤣
This was my Kenya safari guide (left) and driver (right). Kenya 🇰🇪 was amazing. I spent the entirety of my time there on safari in the Masai Mara. I need a second trip to get to know Nairobi a little better.

Funny story. We were in Nairobi heading to an airport hotel but stopped at an open-air mall to pick up a few things. It was really nice with lots of stores. We went to one store called CarreFour. They had electronics, groceries, clothing, and more. So you know me... the first thing I said was, "This is Walmart!!!" The guy in the photo on my left turned around and said, it's not Walmart. To which I replied under my breath, THIS IS WALMART in Africa. 😆

I wanted to wander every aisle. What sort of spices are they cooking with in Nairobi? My husband is Liberian and they like spicy food. I wanted to find some hot sauce that would burn his butt!!! 😂 We were only there for about 15 minutes. But I felt so accomplished. I'd found the "Walmart" in Kenya! 😆

I'm thinking of getting a small group to go back with me. Interested? And I'm definitely going to Walmart aka CarreFour.

Did I tell y'all about the guy who approached me in Kenya at the bar and asked for my phone number? Then told me it's been his dream to come to America? That's a story for another post. I've watched way too many episodes of 90-day Fiancé for that sir. 😁

And I managed to get on some Instagramers live at the bar. Hahaha! Good thing she didn't know my name and tag me. Whew!

Good times in Kenya! 🇰🇪

16/01/2024

Have you ever wanted to have professional photos taken when you travel? I do it often.

This one was taken in NYC. I had a photographer snapping a few candid photos on the street. Batman decided to approach (he saw the photographer) and ask for money to take a photo with him.

I politely declined. He pursued me and the photographer snapped this photo. I still laugh because Batman wasn't much taller than me!

I hired Flytographer for this photo shoot. They have been a favorite over the years, and I've used them for clients. I've used Flytographer in Italy, the UAE, and the Bahamas.

TIP: Schedule your vacation photoshoot for sunrise or sunset. You'll get amazing light and your photos will pop.

Another place to contact for vacation photos is Airbnb Experiences. There are photographers available to capture your day or trip.

15/01/2024

She's here! The Icon of the Seas has arrived and officially takes her place as the world's largest cruise ship. ⛴🛟⛱

Are you planning to sail on her?

12/11/2023

This is a really good reminder. Be extremely careful when using GPS in a destination you're not familiar with. The problem isn't the GPS. The problem is the route. You don't know if it's taking you through an unsafe area.

We recently traveled through Arizona and used GPS to get around. Thankfully, most of our route was by highway.

The update comes after a tourist was shot and robbed while using GPS routes earlier this week.

24/10/2023

Being on a safari is an amazing experience. After doing them in South Africa 🇿🇦, Kenya 🇰🇪, Tanzania 🇹🇿 and from the air in a hot air balloon, there are some differences.

1️⃣ Knowing what animals you want to see is really important when deciding where to go, where to stay and what parks you’ll visit. Seeing the Big 5 requires planning.

2️⃣ The Serengeti is HUGE. You need time and patience here unless it’s during the migration. Even that should be planned months in advance. It’s high season and the best lodges fill up very quickly.

3️⃣ Hot air balloon safaris are a fantastic way to see the wildlife in a way you can’t see it from below.

The land cruisers that you use in each location is also different. In South Africa, they are completely open with no roof or sides. In Tanzania and Kenya, you are in a closed vehicle with large windows and a roof that pops up.

It’s a fantastic experience. Have you done a safari? Where’s your favorite place?

I loved the Ngorongoro Crater.

16/10/2023

I went from the desert in Doha to the mountains in Tanzania. We’re hiking up Mt Kilimanjaro!!!

15/10/2023

Some of my favorite spots around Doha. You won’t find a lot of US tourists here yet although I believe Doha is ready for it.

The skyline view is best at sunset. The temperature isn’t as high and makes it a bit more enjoyable.

Most of the tours here are private. There are a few mosques here in Doha. The gold mosque glistened in the sun.

The Force of Nature statue is visible from the amphitheater and below. It was my favorite symbolizing our lack of control of Mother Nature.

14/10/2023

Someone had a little too much fun in the desert. 😆🤣

14/10/2023

The sunsets in Qatar are phenomenal! Visiting the desert is best done in the evening. It’s not only hot but humid. It’s exceptionally beautiful and worth the visit.

13/10/2023

I’m back in beautiful Doha! I’m 7 hours ahead of US EST. I spent a few hours in Doha on my way to the Maldives earlier this year. I wanted to see more so here I am.

09/09/2023

🙏🏾 Praying for those in Morocco. I have a few friends over there right now. It's a very difficult situation. 💔

30/08/2023

So far it’s calm. If you’re in the path of the hurricane, stay safe.

29/08/2023

My husband’s sense of humor… 😆🤣

29/08/2023

One of the things I love about our little airport is how our luggage comes out. Notice how they point the handles towards you? ❤️

28/08/2023

A friend once told me, you haven't been on safari until you've visited the Serengeti. In about six weeks, I'm making that happen. Have you been?

25/08/2023

I am back from Puerto Rico! The food was amazing. I didn’t have one bad meal. Most days I enjoyed Puerto Rican cuisine. I could taste those African and Spanish roots in every bite.

Many dishes feature plantains or yucca. In some African countries, yucca is called cassava. You’ll also enjoy lots of fresh seafood, paellas, and the island favorite mofongo. I tried it my first night. My base was mashed green plantains covered in a garlic sauce.

Be warned, after that garlic sauce, you’re going to need a toothbrush and a good mouthwash. 😆 But it’s worth it. You can try it with a tomato based sauce instead or add chicken, shrimp or lobster to it.

My favorite dish was the canoa de platanos. It’s sweet plantains stuffed with all sorts of goodness. The sorbets are really good too.

27/06/2023

Somewhere under the rainbow…

10/06/2023

It’s the first leg of another adventure. This time to the Maldives. I arrived in New York (JFK) early (9:30 am). My international flight doesn’t depart until tonight.

So what do you do with such a long layover?

Post up in a day room at the TWA Hotel of course. It’s my favorite thing to do when traveling internationally from JFK. I had a fantastic lunch at the Paris Cafe, rewatched Top Gun. And I have time for one more movie before I head to my terminal to check-in.

There are tons of other benefits to being in your international gateway early or the night before.

1️⃣ Not stressing over a flight delay

2️⃣ No running through an airport so you don’t miss your international flight

3️⃣ A chance to relax and refresh before your 12+ hour flight

4️⃣ Shower, have a good meal, take a nap. Get a spa treatment. Shop if you want.

I’ve learned to appreciate the process of travel by building in fun things along the way.

Vacation doesn’t have to start when you arrive in destination. It should start the moment you leave home with lots of little extras along the way. 🥂

How do you travel? Do you barely get to the airport in time? 🏃🏽‍♀️

03/06/2023

Crossing this little river at sunset in Kenya made for an epic shot. I was hanging out the window as we started to cross and roll back and forth over the rocky river bed.

🙏🏾 I didn’t drop my new iPhone 14 Pro Max in the river. 🤦🏾‍♀️

25/05/2023

🤔

01/04/2023

Any guesses as to where I am?

25/02/2023

😔 I never thought I'd have to take this position with a cruise line.
But this... is... not... right. NO ONE should be dealing with this sort of thing on vacation. This is my experience on MSC Cruises.

What's your experience been on MSC Cruises? Was my experience an isolated incident or repeated bad behavior?

It was, the travel advisor related, "racial profiling at its worst."

16/01/2023

Are you a Vegan Travelers?
Join me for the Vegan Travel Summit! Discover the amazing destinations to visit as a Vegan and how to eat well along the way!
Register: https://summit.vegantravelassociation.com/?sc=GZWh110l