My idea of an awesome vacation varies depending on the location and the point of the trip. Do you want to veg out and relax, read, catch up on some sleep, soak up some sun? Do you want an adventure, see new things, try new things, go somewhere you have never been before? Do you just want to have a whole lot of fun?

One of the travel treats for the hubby is usually a fun luxury rental vehicle. We love Sixt Car Rental, it’s a European company that has great cars at reasonable prices. We have rented from Sixt our last several trips and have had nothing but great service and fabulous cars. They are not in all states in the USA but you can check their site to see if there are available in your location. Some may be turned off by the fact that generally they are not located in the group rental centers however their shuttle is super efficient and adds no additional hassle to your trip.  The Mercedes definitely made for a cushy ride from Fort Lauderdale, FL to Orlando, FL.

Awesome discovery of 2017 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS MARDI GRAS ORLANDO (i think Hollywood does it too)!!! I know theme parks are not for everyone but sometimes you just need a let go and have some old fashioned kids fun even as adults. What we didn’t know was that Universal Studios celebrates Mardi Gras in March with an awesome nightly parade through the park, food, street music AND FREE CONCERTS!! We were all booked to have a fun weekend at the parks when we realized BONUS we could see UB40 live for free! They were phenomenal, sounded the same after all these years, great performance, played ALL my fav songs. It was super cool and included in the cost of our park tickets. This years line up was really cool and had some great names. I definitely recommend  anyone that wants to do the Universal Studios parks looks at going at this time of year and during their Mardi Gras celebration as you can get a great treat for the same cost and see some really cool artists, possibly even more than one in a weekend. The parks were so fun, so many 3D and virtual rides, not only roller coasters. It is amazing how they can put you in a virtual machine and make you feel like you are falling 10 stories or more or being tossed around by a giant gorilla. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was absolutely perfect, down to the interactive wands you can buy to cast spells throughout the park. EZ pass is definitely worth it if you don’t want to wait on long lines but be aware they the Harry Potter rides do not accept EZpass and have the longest lines BUT SOOO WORTH IT!

Ripley’s Believe it or Not Odditorium Orlando, an unexpected, strange but interesting stop on our adventure. I am not sure how one could drive by a leaning building and not want to check out whats inside, but we couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Lot’s of very interesting and strange stuff in side, believe it or not sums it up perfectly.

Sports games are always fun events even when the teams aren’t necessarily your teams. We had originally booked tickets to the Miami Heat vs the New Orleans Pelicans game to support a young player from The Bahamas who was playing for the Pelicans at the time of ticket purchase. Unfortunately Buddy got traded just a few weeks before the game, we were disappointed but decided to stick it out and go to the game anyway. We had a great time, the crowd was exciting and it was a close game.

Jazz in the Gardens Miami is another awesome musical event which happens annually in March. We attended 4 years ago and just loved it and swore we would do it again. It is a 2 day event packed with great artists, names you know, names you don’t know, current artists, old artists, but all in all a really cool mix of music. It’s a huge event but very well managed and orderly, super relaxed environment and all about fun. 4 years ago we enjoyed Charley Wilson, New Edition, Earth Wind and Fire, Babyface, Fantasia, Monica, Ne-Yo, i am sure i am forgetting some but it was awesome. This year some of the names were Chante Moore, Will Downing, Morris Day and the Time, Jill Scott, Robin Thicke, Smokie Norful, The Roots, Andra Day, Common, and LL Cool J and again we enjoyed it to the fullest. It is guaranteed that you will have a great time and meet some really cool people seated around you, by the second day you are old friends.

We had an amazing adventure, road tripping, concerts, parks, the game. Of course a great trip is mostly about who you travel with and i married the best travel companion ever! Until the next adventure….

For the love of food and life.

J.