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Anna's Amazing Adventures

Aftermath of the trip

USA | Wednesday, 24 Dec 2014 | Views [475]

Now that I've been home roughly 24 hours, it's finally hitting me that I'm not in Australia anymore. Work was a battle to stay awake today, but was filled with familiar faces asking about my trip and how tan I am (shweeet). I didn't realize how much ... Read more >


Great Barrier Reef

USA | Wednesday, 24 Dec 2014 | Views [549]

4 dives in 24 hours is a lot, but I would do it again in a heartbeat. I saw corals, nemos, dories, rays, and a sea turtle. I spent Friday in two areas of the reef diving and hanging out with all the backpackers. The group I hung out with consisted of ... Read more >

Tags: australia, cairns, great barrier reef, scuba diving


Sunbathing in Brisbane

USA | Wednesday, 24 Dec 2014 | Views [742]

The morning after the siege was gloomy, literally and figuratively. There were police everywhere and a part of the city shut off from cars and foot traffic. So I walked over to Darling Harbor and then up to Circular Quay and grabbed a ferry to Toranga ... Read more >

Tags: australia, beaches, brisbane, jellyfish, sydney


A city on lockdown

USA | Monday, 15 Dec 2014 | Views [531]

One choice, one decision, that's all it takes.   My choice? To do my blue mountains tour today instead of yesterday. Why is this one decision, that I made months ago so monumental? Because yesterday, twice I walked past Martin's place, and ... Read more >


Sightseeing in Sydney

USA | Monday, 15 Dec 2014 | Views [626]

If I lived in Australia, I would move to Melbourne, but if I were to visit again, I would come back to Sydney. There's so much to see and do here that it's sometimes overwhelming. I ended up getting into the kayaking group. I had to wake up at 6 and ... Read more >

Tags: australia, blue mountains, kayaking, sydney


Initial thoughts on Sydney

USA | Monday, 15 Dec 2014 | Views [627]

The drive from Sydney was interesting. I got lost. A lot. What should have been a 3 hour drive turned into about. 4.75 hour drive to drop my car off. I was hoping to go to a market before giving my car back, but alas the market gods were not in my favor.... Read more >

Tags: australia, sydney, travel


Canberra is very boring.

USA | Monday, 15 Dec 2014 | Views [476]

9 hours driving up the coast of Australia is exhausting. The good news is that I didn't crash, or fall asleep, although a cop did follow me for 10 minutes....Probably because every time I tried to changed lanes, my wipers went off not my blinker...yea ... Read more >

Tags: australia, canberra


Roundabouts are Satan's mistress

USA | Thursday, 11 Dec 2014 | Views [519]

I love Melbourne, but they have to make a more efficient way to and from their airport. I had to walk 10 minutes, catch a tram, get off and walk 5 minutes, get on the sky bus for 18$ and sit on that for 30 minutes. All in all it took 65 minutes to get ... Read more >

Tags: australia, melbourne, opals


The running of the Penguins

USA | Thursday, 11 Dec 2014 | Views [544]

So the Italian place I went to was called Pelliginis and it was bomb. They served pasta and desserts, that's it. It's not a sit down per se, but more sit at a counter and order from a gentleman who spews out the menu at you. I got the days special, ... Read more >


Adios New Zealand. G'day Australia

USA | Thursday, 11 Dec 2014 | Views [475]

So...the U.S. Needs to step up their airplane game. My flight was 4 hours and I got beer/wine, copious amounts of beverages, a dinner, an ICE CREAM BAR, and a nice piece of chocolate. Seriously, I'm lucky if I get trail mix on my 4 hour flights. So ... Read more >


World Cups and Wind in Wellington

USA | Sunday, 7 Dec 2014 | Views [592] | Comments [1]

Today's my last day in New Zealand and it's raining...oh well 7/8 good days is enough for me. Wellington is a lot smaller than I thought it would be, being the capital and all, but most of the fun stuff can be done in a day. Yesterday I went to the ... Read more >

Tags: new zealand, wellington


Rocking in Rotorua

USA | Friday, 5 Dec 2014 | Views [494]

My time in Rotorua is brief, but I'm trying to make the most of it. The city is about middle of the north island and a little right of center. It's known for its adventure activities and geothermal spas. If you've ever been around a city like this, ... Read more >


I didn't cause an accident driving!

USA | Friday, 5 Dec 2014 | Views [468]

Today was harder than I thought it would be. I officially said goodbye to my Contiki group and am on my own for the rest of my trip. It's amazing the bonds and friendships you can make in a few short days. I already made plans to meet up with Kristin ... Read more >


Pie-here!?

USA | Tuesday, 2 Dec 2014 | Views [533]

I've officially begun my Contiki tour group and we are quite the crowd. My roommate, Jasmine, is from Orange County, CA and a forensic accountant for Deloitte, so immediately we bonded over it. We went downstairs to meet the rest of the group, which ... Read more >


Derrick Rose eat your heart out

USA | Tuesday, 2 Dec 2014 | Views [573]

People in New Zealand LOVE the Chicago Bulls. I am not joking, every time a Kiwi hears I'm from Chicago, their immediate response is ARE YOU A BULLS FAN?! Then we chat about Derrick Rose's robotic knees. It's pretty funny that of all things Chicago, ... Read more >


Airport Adventures

USA | Sunday, 30 Nov 2014 | Views [610] | Comments [1]

I'm in my third airport in 24 hours and will shortly begin my journey to number four. I've been on vacation a little over a day now and all I've seen are airports; although the Sydney airport is quite nice and has free wifi, score! It hasn't been the ... Read more >

Tags: auckland, australia, new zealand, sydney


2 week notice

USA | Friday, 14 Nov 2014 | Views [612]

Since roughly day 35, I've been keeping a countdown of days until the big trip. Today, I hit a big number and then straight up panicked while at work. 14 days. That's two weeks. That's 336 hours until I'll be on a plane heading towards the west coast ... Read more >

Tags: australia, new zealand, solo travel


And the Countdown begins!

USA | Monday, 29 Sep 2014 | Views [803]

As I lounge in my bed, looking at my half packed luggage for my latest business trip, I decided I wanted to blog about my upcoming trip. So, here I am blogging, hopefully I'm doing this right...probably not, oh well! I figured it would be a good way ... Read more >

Tags: australia, new zealand, solo travel


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Volunteering at Lollapalooza in Chicago, IL

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