A Pretty Penny

SKIRT: Bohme (similar here & here) / TOP: Target (similar here) / SHOES: Target / BAG: Forever 21 / SUNGLASSES: Karen Walker

{this flamingo wall was found at Retro Vegas: 1131 S Main St, Las Vegas, NV 89104}

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I am so glad to finally be sharing these fun photos from this wall in Las Vegas! I saw it on Pinterest before we got there and knew I had to find it! I bought these shoes in preparation for our trip, as well as this denim skirt from Bohme. I loved this top I found at target. Which is very similar to this darling top from Madewell. 

***

I love planning out trips! I love planning out what I am going to where as well as where we are going to take pictures. When I plan ahead it makes traveling STRESS FREE or a lot less stressful, anyway. There is nothing worse to me than getting somewhere and having to looking through pages and pages on yelp to pick somewhere to eat. So let me share how we find fun places to visit and eat; as well as how we find the perfect places to take photos! 

I plan enough that it gives us ideas, keeps us busy, but I also love to leave a little wiggle room so we can enjoy and have the freedom to do what we want. I promise I am not super strict when it comes to itinerary. So I usually have a list of a few places we would like to eat (breakfast, lunch and dinner), as well as places to see/activities to do. Colin and I both love to visit new places and eat new foods. It is one of the reasons we love to travel! So planning out our trips like this makes it fun for us, and has us looking forward to getting to see these new places!

1. Pinterest

Pinterest is going to be your best friend when planning a trip. It is always the first place I go when we talk about traveling somewhere. It is my #1 source for ideas on where to eat, places to visit, take pictures etc… There are so many articles and blog posts filled with ideas.

When I start to plan a trip I usually search a few different key phrases. Once I find the perfect articles/pins I create a board dedicated to that trip so I can go back and see where we want to go, see, eat… 

Here are a few ideas and key phrases of what to search for:

“Best places to eat in _____”

“Places to visit while in _____”

“Best places to take photos in _____”

“Wall murals in _____”

“_____ wall guide”

“Best Instagrammable spots in _____”

“Most photographed places in _____”

It does take a little bit of time to sift through different posts to find the perfect ones for you, but I promise preparing before hand is a lot easier than struggling to find places once you’re there!

{I also specifically look for “best desserts/treats” as well. I am all about splurging while on vacation and love the different treats cities have.}

2. Instagram

Instagram is another place I love to look at when planning a trip. It is the perfect place to look for those “instagram worthy” spots. Perfect since it is instagram (haha.) There are a few different ways I look these up.

I look up specific locations. If we are going to Las Vegas, NV I look up the location and browse through some of the photos to see if there are any places I like. (you can search. multiple locations around the area as well.)

I use hashtags to help narrow my search or give me ideas. {For example: #lasvegas}

Look at people you follow. It might not always help, but if someone I follow has traveled to somewhere I am going soon I love to look closely at their posts and instagram stories for inspiration. It really helps me get into my creative space and inspired by getting ideas. 

No two people are going to photograph the something exactly the same, so it is fun to see the creativity in each post. It helps me look at things from a different perspective and gives me inspiration for how I want to photograph when traveling.

3. Yelp

I know, typical…but I promise it really helps. Of course all of us want to visit a place with some serious aesthetics! So Yelp is essential for helping you find the meal that is worthy for “the gram.” Once we have a few ideas of where we want to eat I look up those places and browse through the menu. I am huge on having to see what my food is going to look like before I order/eat it. I don’t know why, but pictures are a must when it comes to ordering. Thank goodness for Yelp! Or I would be stuck trying to pick for hours.

Most cities have a lot of unique places to eat that are specific to that city. Most of those places will also have a lot of fun dishes. I love going to the places with wacky menu items or over the top presentation, etc… It is part of the experience! So why not make it fun? It is fun to see what the dish looks like beforehand. 

For example: I went to college at Utah State in Logan, Utah. There was a diner called ”Angie’s.” They had a really unique dessert called ‘the sink.’ It was literally a kitchen sink filled with ice cream. If you finished you got a bumper sticker that said, “I cleaned the sink at Angie’s.” Obviously no one could finish it themselves, but everyone ordered it because it was unique and fun!

So those are the things I look for while traveling! Maybe not a sink full of ice cream, but fun quirky places that you wouldn’t find anywhere else.

Looking at the photos people post of their orders helps me decide what looks good. It gives me a few ideas of what to order before we get there so I’m not stuck looking at the menu. Once we are there I look back on the few items that looked good to me and I order whatever I am in the mood for! 

I really wish all restaurants had pictures next to everything on the menu! Find me that place, and I will have to go! Because that place is meant for me.

I hope this post helped you get an idea of how we plan for trips and hopefully it gave you a few new ideas on how to find those perfect places to visit!

xo,

Sara