Tay Explores – TAYONTHEMOVE

Five Days in Northern Italy

Europe April 29, 2024

I feel so grateful to continue checking off my bucket list destinations one by one. Just like Iceland, Lake Como has been on my list for a long time! Also, I’ve always been intrigued by the famous Duomo in Florence. So, I finally planned this trip, the second one ever with my mom! The first one was right before the pandemic, when I took her to Spain. Getting There We were going for a wedding in the UK and decided to take a trip to Italy from there. What I did was book two separate tickets. I booked a round trip ticket from US to UK. Then, booked a separate roundtrip ticket to Milan, Italy from London, UK. This made the cost cheaper! I ended up paying $300 per ticket to Milan but originally when I was looking, it was $70-$150. Lesson: if you plan ahead enough, you can get…

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A Road Trip on the Ring Road in Iceland

Europe August 25, 2022

Iceland is every nature lovers dream! This country had been on my bucket list for a very long time and when I heard it was opening to tourists again in 2021, I knew I had to go immediately. After a year of no international travel, this seemed like the safest destination at the time (outdoor explorations). There were no reported COVID cases in the country and you could enter with proof of vaccination, so it was easy enough. It took me a year to make this post because there was just too much to cover. I did my best to be as helpful and informative as possible. I hope you enjoy my thoughts as well as the photos that most definitely do not do justice to it! Getting There I took a direct Icelandair flight from Dulles International to Reykjavik, Iceland from July 3-11, 2021. It was about a 6…

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Omni Bedford Springs Resort – A Review

Tay Explores April 28, 2021

I went to the Omni Bedford Springs a few weekends ago. The purpose of my trip was to treat myself to a relaxing weekend, to spoil myself a bit. I chose this particular resort due to its location. It was only an hour and forty five minute drive from my apartment which meant it was the perfect destination for a quick trip. Unfortunately, my experience was not very resort-like. I had never booked something like this before but I was expecting a 5-star resort experience. I will break it down below on how I felt about the various parts of the resort and start with the positives. Location I loved the location. It was beautiful and quiet. There were mountain views from the bedrooms. There were plenty of beautiful trails and springs to see. Spa The spa was very nice and relaxing. All of the employees were attentive. Even though…

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Summer Vacation Airbnb Rental Ideas in Maryland/Virginia

Beaches February 1, 2021

I know it’s not summer yet but that doesn’t stop me for dreaming about it! It’s the beginning of February which means the cold is starting to make me crazy and I’m dreaming about getting away! In doing so, I remembered that I took a fun little vacation with the family last summer and never shared it! Because of COVID, it was a tough decision to finally figure out what to do but I think it ended up being pretty memorable for us all. Looking up vacation rentals all over the world is a fun hobby of mine (see list towards the end of the post for ideas in MD/VA) and so far I have only had good experiences. I found this particular one on a whim and totally last minute. As you will see in the photos, the rental had everything we needed and more! We didn’t need to…

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Shenandoah National Park

Outdoor Activities November 10, 2020

Hello everyone! I am back after neglecting my blog for several months. It’s been a rough year for everyone and getting motivation to do things like this has been hard. I have been cooking a lot and did take some local trips which I’d like to share in the upcoming weeks/months. One of these trips was to Shenandoah National Park. It’s a great park to see in the fall. However, it is super crowded and lines to enter can be long. We managed to avoid that and ended up here the weekend after the peak foliage. Regardless, it was beautiful! This park runs along the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia and has one main road that goes through it. This road is called the Skyline Drive. Once you enter, you can choose to stop at overlooks or hike the many trails around the route. Entrance We entered through Thornton Gap…

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Seville, Spain

Europe March 26, 2020

Day Trip Transportation Train from Cordoba Station to Seville Station. Once again, most of our site seeing here was done on foot with a couple of exceptions as we did not have enough time. Uber from the Seville station to Alcazar de Seville:~5 Euros Uber from Plaza de Espana to Setas de Seville : ~6.30 Euros Places Visited Real Alcazar de Sevilla When researching the Alcazar, I saw mixed reviews on buying tickets in advance. Some people said there weren’t lines during off seasons so I decided not to buy them. BIG MISTAKE! We waited in line for two hours!! So I would recommend whether you are going off season or peak season, just buy the tickets to be safe. After finally getting through, we were free to explore as long as we wanted. Also, fun fact for Game of Throme fans, you will know that this was the set…

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Granada, Spain

Europe February 25, 2020

Day Trip Transportation Train from Cordoba Station to Granada Station. Places Visited We arrived in Granada at 10 am and had until 6 pm to see the Alhambra and the Old Arab Quarter which were the two things I knew I HAD to see. Walk to Alhambra My mom and I decided that we would slowly walk to the Alhambra since our tickets for the Nasird Palaces were for 2 pm. This was a great idea because we got to walk through some cool streets and do some souvenir shopping. Alhambra Grounds Buy Tickets Here My main purpose in Granada was to see the famous Alhambra. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint! The photos you are about to see do not do justice! In person it is better than the photos I saw in my architecture classes! We arrived at the Alhambra at 1 pm and had an…

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Cordoba, Spain

Europe December 16, 2019

My mom and I stayed in Cordoba for 5 nights. We made this our central hub while visiting Andalusia to go see other cities that were on our itinerary. This was a smaller city which was perfect for us. We weren’t looking for a night life or anything, just a comfortable place to stay where it would be easy to get around. We loved this city and if I ever get a chance, I would definitely visit. Accommodations Airbnb 10 minutes from the famous Mezquita. It was a great location and the hosts were super nice. We accidentally broke a plate and they didn’t even charge us. This was the walk to and from our place, every day!! <3 Places Visited Patios Cordobeses One of the things Cordoba is famous for are these beautiful patios decorated with potted plants. Some of them, you have to pay to see but some…

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Madrid, Spain

Europe November 18, 2019

Accommodations (Sep. 27-30) AirBnb in Atocha Neighborhood This was the perfect place for my mom and I. There were two beds but it could accommodate up to three people. It was very stylish, clean and spacious enough for us. I preferred the location too as it was a more quiet area compared to probably somewhere closer to the city center. I would definitely stay here again if I ever came back. Photos from AirBnb. If you don’t have an account already and want $40 off your first Airbnb stay, click here. Accommodations (Oct. 5-6) Hotel: SLEEP’n Atocha I booked a hotel for our last night in Madrid, on our way back from exploring Andalusia. The hotel was in a great location, right next to Reina Sofia Museum, lots of restaurants and El Retiro park. The rooms however, were tiny, but I was definitely expecting that. And when all you go…

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One Week in Spain (An Itinerary)

Europe November 4, 2019

*This post contains affiliate links. I will earn a commission at no additional cost to you if you make a purchase using my links.* A dream of mine came true when I had the opportunity to visit Spain in October. This dream began back when I was studying Interior Design at California State Northridge. Part of our curriculum was to take a couple of architecture history classes in which we studied Moorish architecture in Andalusia (south of Spain). I immediately fell in love with the photos of the architecture I was seeing and told myself that I will one day go see these places on my own (God willing). At the time I time I didn’t think I’d be going with my mom. But it totally made my trip even more special because I got to go with her. This post will briefly layout my week itinerary. Each city will…

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