new destinations: Arizona

This Friday, I'm packing my bags and flying to Arizona for a long weekend. I've actually never been to the southwest, unless you count Southern California. I actually haven't seen all that much of the U.S. I've basically limited myself to the northeast, Florida, and Los Angeles. I've always had a penchant for going abroad - I mean, the grass is so much greener on the other side - but I've been realizing more and more that America has a lot to offer.

My brain has barely had any thoughts on Arizona; I only know that the capital is Phoenix and that everyone and their mother has been sharing their hikes in Antelope Canyon on Instagram. That's it. So when D suggested we go there for a quick trip, I immediately took to the internet (which is the solution to 90% of my problems).

After some time spent on Google images and Pinterest, I had a newfound obsession with Sedona and cacti and the dessert.

I think D had a similar experience and all of a sudden we were dead set on going. And two minutes later, we had booked our flights. This is the first time I've booked a flight this close to a departure date (not including my experiences booking travel for work-related activities). Luckily for us, it was just $330 which isn't at all surprising since January is the exact opposite of high season and flights have been deliciously cheap lately. We probably could have gone even cheaper but I wanted to fly out of Newark and with my age I want the convenience (I'm so old!) and with my current income, I have the luxury of being a little flexible.

We're flying into Phoenix and then renting a car to do some exploring. We have a general idea of what we want to do and where we want to go but we're mostly winging it. I'm excited because I haven't ever done a trip like this. I feel like because it's not as "dense" as many of my previous destinations (meaning there isn't a mile-long list of must-see's packed into a city) it's going to be pretty relaxing. And I think I'm going to just be reveling in the natural beauty of the desert and being really pensieve about life.

I love going out of my comfort zone in regards to travel and this is definitely a trip that will challenge me. For one, it's an ecosystem I've never been to before. I suppose Los Angeles can count as a desert (as can the leeward side of most caribbean islands) but this is an actual desert with cacti and tumbleweeds. It's going to look like Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner's stomping grounds and I am beyond excited. I have to figure out what I want to pack - I think the key is going to be lots of layers and sunscreen - and I think I need some comfy shoes.

I've been spending a decent amount of time online (mostly TripAdvisor and Pinterest) trying to figure out how we can maximize our time and do really cool things and not spend too much money.

I can't wait!

xoxo.