Week 4 - Superbowl XLIX - how the heck do I get there?

 

                                             Courtesy of Wall Wide HD

Marion, my favorite travel agent,

It's January 30, so we almost made it to February of 2015. Crazy how time flies these days! Anyway, I am writing to ask you to figure out the best aka. most affordable way for me to travel to this year's Superbowl. I know, I know, the game is already on Sunday and I am a tad bit late, but hopefully you will still be able to give me some advice, and get a great deal.

I always wanted to attend this huge event since ever I got infected with the football virus - as one of my former football coaches used to say. "Once your heart and mind is crazy about American football, it is impossible to get rid of it." Similar to cancer, however, - fortunately!!! - not all cancers are as persistent as the football virus. Just like mine.

I got diagnosed with skin cancer - melanoma to be more precise - at the young age of 22. It was April Fools' Day 2009 when I received the devastating message in a phone call by my German dermatologist. Given the date, I first hoped he was kidding, but unfortunately he wasn't. Instead of giving up right then and there, I told myself that I don't want to die anytime soon, and that - if I just stay positive at all times - everything will be alright. (It's working pretty well to this day. :) )

Since that day, however, I told myself that I am able to do anything and nobody could stop me from following my dreams! You already know one of my biggest passions is American football and to become a sports caster. And to this day, I am chasing football players, journalists, writing teachers, coaches, and not to forget MYSELF, to accomplish this goal.

So, dear Marion, it would be really amazing if you could find me a last minute travel deal to this year's biggest sport event in the USA, so I can keep chasing my dream, and learn from the best sports casters currently out there.

Thank you so much!
Warmest wishes,

Marion

Week 3 - Packing, packing, packing

 

Now that I have told you how to save time and money during your vacation, it's time to take the next step. For some people - you can include me in that category - it is a complete nightmare, others, however, love it: PACKING!

Once you've decided on your next travel destination and are ready to take off, you should make sure that you pack the right attire to go with the place you want to visit. Because who doesn't know the feeling that once you get to your holiday destination and unpack, you realize you forgot, hmmm, let's say your bathing suit. Bummer! From my own experience, I therefore recommend to write a PERSONALIZED PACKING LIST.

                     Photo courtesy of Smarter Travel

You can print out your own packing list by simply clicking here: Ultimate Packing List (requires a program that is able to open PDF-files)

Week 2 - Planning and organizing trips

 

When I was an Au Pair for two years, my friends (usually a group of three to four girls about the same age) and I traveled a lot on our days off. We loved going on day trips and weekend getaways. Since our time was limited, I suggested that we should think of places/sights/restaurants etc. that we really wanted to visit. Then, we all came together and brain stormed our ideas. I wrote them down and checked how much time we had to do any of them. This turned out to be very helpful later on. 

 

                                                                                   photo in courtesy of G$W 

1. You save time and money while on vacation!
2. You get to see the coolest places!
3. You can look up the trendiest spots before you actually travel and see how other people rated them!

Those are just some of the advantages. Following, you will see a list of things to think about when planning and organizing a trip:

• Where do I want to go? --> DESTINATION
• How do I want to travel? --> TRANSPORTATION
• Who is coming with me? --> PEOPLE
• When do I want to travel? --> TIME
• Where do I want to stay? --> ACCOMMODATION
• What do I want to do/see? --> ACTIVITIES
• How much does it cost? --> EXPENSES
• What do I need to bring? --> PACKING

P.S.: No worries to all of you who are thinking "Oh geez, that's way too much planning!" My friends and I always made sure that we had enough "wiggle room", meaning that we could adapt our plans to weather conditions, mood etc. Remember, the most important part of vacation is to HAVE FUN! :)

Hello everyone and welcome to my little travel blog!

Week 1 - This is how it all begins...

 

...mein Name ist Marion Hohlfeld. My name is Marion Hohlfeld. Je m'appelle Marion Hohlfeld. Nimeni on Marion Hohlfeld.

Haha! I hope you found the English version for introducing myself. Being born and raised in Dresden, Germany, I grew up speaking German (duh), English, and - starting in seventh grade - French. I have always been a fan of learning new languages, and exploring different countries and cultures which is why the last introduction is written in Finish (you know, Finland, this one Scandinavian country that Santa Claus is from located East of Sweden and West of Russia in Northern Europe!).

I moved to the United States in 2009 to be an Au Pair (oh gosh, another French word meaning Live-in nanny from a different country than the one you are working in) and afterwards decided that it would be a great idea to follow my dream, and pursue a career as a sports journalist/caster in the homeland of American Football. This requires having a BA, which is why I am at De Anza College currently with plans to transfer to San Jose State University.

Before making the move to the United States, I completed a three-year apprenticeship to become a certified travel agent. My love for new countries, cultures, and traditions made this a wonderful experience, but I always knew I wanted to work as a journalist.

Therefore, my blog will combine my two loves: I will be writing about traveling - which falls in the entertainment category - and everything related to the topic. I chose it because traveling is one of the best things in this world that I never want to stop doing. As written above, it also connects two of my passions: writing and seeing the world. I have never written for a travel magazine, but always found it interesting. As an Au Pair, I wrote little travel diaries about all the places I visited in America.

Some of the most recent trends in the travel industry are:

• You'll Take a New Route Overseas: New Routes in 2015

• You'll Be Tempted By a New Class of Seats: New Seats in 2015

• Your Rental Will Look More Like a Hotel: New Rentals in 2015