Emily over at Maiden Voyage Travel recently talked about her Top 20 travel goals. It made me think about places that I’d like to visit and experience. Here’s my list and I’m not sure I’ll get to 20 but maybe over time I will.

1. Australia: I’ve wanted to visit Australia for as long as I can remember. It just looks amazing and beautiful. I’m always keeping an eye on deals just in case I find myself able to actually afford a trip. I’m hoping to get there in a few years hopefully.

2. Ireland: I’m not sure why Ireland but it’s on my list. A friend of mine had the chance to visit and I fell in love with the scenery and landscapes after she shared all her amazing photos. It doesn’t hurt that I think Irish accents are high on top the hot accent list either.

3. New Orleans: I don’t want to go during Mardi Gras but I do want to experience New Orleans. I’ve talked about going before and I’m hoping to make a trip next year. The history of the area is deep and I’m a sucker for haunted hotspots.

4. London: One main reason I want to go is to check out the catacombs. The whole idea just sounds really neat. I’m sure I could spend all day just checking those out. I’d like to go on the Jack The Ripper Tour as well. Morbid I know but that’s how I roll.

5. Florence: I’d love to visit Florence one day. I’m not sure when but it’s something I really want to try and make happen. The architecture alone is worth a trip. Another reason I’d like to visit is because the film “Hannibal” was filmed in Florence and while researching that I found an interesting website that maps out his travels in the city. I think that’s kind of neat and different.

As you can see my list is pretty short right now but as time goes on I’m sure I’ll be adding to it and hopefully crossing some things off as well.

If you don’t know what San Deigo Comic Con (SDCC) is don’t feel bad. I really had no clue what it was until this past year.

At Comic-Con, the programming incorporates the whole realm of pop culture, and in particular, the science fiction, horror, action, adventure, and animation genres. And Comic-Con is a big deal: the annual gathering is where the major comic book publishers like DC Comics and Marvel Comics unveil their latest projects. It’s where Hollywood presents exclusive previews of their upcoming productions, presented by the actual directors and stars of the films. It’s where retailers gather to discuss issues within the industry. And it’s where the latest merchandise is rolled out (action figures are a big deal here.)

That’s how About.com sums it up. I’ll be attending for the “pop culture” aspect of the Con. Last year there were a number of shows that I love in attendence including Dexter, Big Bang Theory, Bones, Burn Notice & Psych. It’s a great way to get some inside info and have a chance to meet some of the stars. Another awesome part is the fact that many of the shows & movies that attend Comic Con give out some one of a kind swag that you can only get by being there.

As of right now nothing major has been announced as far as who’ll be there. Normally that’s not announced until a few weeks before the event. I’m hoping most of my shows are in attendence but this isn’t something you can just sit around and wait to buy tickets for. The 4 day passes are sold out as are certain single day tickets.

You can learn more about Comic Con here. If you want to see a ton of pictures you can visit the San Diego Comic-Con International Flickr group.

I’ve been wanting to go to The National Musuem of Crime & Punishment in DC for awhile now. I’m a big reader of true crime and enjoy watching shows like Forensic Files and Cold Case Files as well as the random biography on certain crimes/killers. Luckily I have a friend who’s into crime related stuff as much as I am.

The museum is located in the Gallery Place/Chinatown area of DC which makes it pretty easy to get to. We’ll be hopping onto the metro to make our way down. It’s made up of three floors , 25,000 square feet and features over 100 interactive exhibits. One floor I believe is dedicated to the filming of America’s Most Wanted. Along with the exhibits they offer CSI Workshops and even a book club! How exciting is that? My friend and I plan on attending a Blood & DNA Workshop when we visit. It’s only $5 extra and sounds pretty interesting.

The murder in apartment 13, the museum’s own crime scene exhibit, remains unsolved. Three suspects have been captured, but the three suspects have three very different stories. Each describes a different event and a different murder weapon. In this workshop you will learn how blood spatter evidence and luminol can help identify the weapon used to commit a crime and how DNA can place a suspect at the scene of the murder. This is an interactive workshop where you see the evidence and help recreate it to solve the crime.

We plan on trying to go in March or April. It depends on when they offer the workshop that we want. They don’t have an April schedule yet and March is a busy month for the both of us. We’re really excited though and can’t wait to make a day out of it.

In case you’re wondering ticket prices range between $12 and $19.95 depending on the various discounts offered (kids, military…) or if you purchase tickets online. If you’re a “local” which includes DC, Maryland & Virginia you lucked out. You can visit for just $6 on Sundays now through March 14th!

I’ll be sure to post about the visit as soon as it happens! If you’ve been there before feel free to leave a comment about your visit.

This morning I was checking my email and noticed I had one from Southwest letting me know I now had enough Rapid Rewards credits for a free round trip flight! I’ve been waiting for this in order to book my airfare for San Diego in July. It’s the whole reason I applied for the Southwest Visa. I was able to save myself about $400! My flight ended up costing only $7.50 and that’s the 9-11 fee or whatever they call it now.

I had never used Rapid Rewards before and was surprised at how easy it was to use them. I just logged into my account and picked my flights and done. It was that easy. The best part is I had been keeping an eye on certain flights that I liked and was able to book those flights. I’m actually having a stop at MDW in Chicago that way a friend who’s going will be able to be on the same flight as me which is nice. The flight home though is a non-stop.

I’m really excited and can’t wait. I’m working on having a special Comic Con post to explain what it is for those of you who don’t know. Hopefully I’ll have that together soon.

Another month is over and that means one month closer to Comic Con. The only thing left that I need to do is purchase my airline tickets. I’m going to be using Southwest and hopefully I’ll be using my Rapid Reward credits! That’ll save me $400! I signed up for their Southwest Visa card through a promotion I received. I already have 7.5 credits plus I have a flight in May which gives me another 2 credits plus the offer I received will give me 16 first use credits and 2 credits for a balance transfer. I’ve already been approved, now I just have to wait to get the card and earn my credits!

I actually went back and forth on the idea of getting the credit card because it does have a yearly fee. In the end though I thought saving $400 was worth it plus I plan on using the card for travel related purchases only. I think I actually earn double points on those purchases which is always good.

I really can’t wait for Comic Con! 168 Days!

Original Post: December 2008

I arrived back home today from Playa Del Carmen! I had an awesome time and I’m going to do my best in relaying that in my post. I’m going to do one text post (this post) and follow it up with a picture post. There’s just way too much for one post. I’m going to try and space the two posts out to give people time to read everything before moving onto the photos.

Saturday:
The big day. The day where my parents would be surprised at the airport. In case you missed it, my dad’s side of the family including my parents planned on going to Mexico. The plans were made last year and that’s when my one Uncle said he’d pay for myself and my sister as long as it stayed a surprise. Mission Accomplished. We made sure to get to the airport first. We checked in just in the nick of time. As we reached the counter my mom & dad showed up along with my Aunt & Uncle. The rest of the family had to take a separate shuttle from the airport to BWI. Luckily my parents didn’t see us and we made it through check in and security without being spotted. We hang out at the gate and when we see my parents coming we run over and surprise them. They asked what we were doing there, if we were there to say good bye and that’s when we showed them our tickets. My mom almost cried! It was pretty funny. To make a long story short, everyone boarded the plane and we made our way to Playa Del Carmen. Saturday was spent pool & beach side at the resort which worked for me! The ocean and beaches were amazing! You’ll see in the pictures.

Monday: Xcaret
Xcaret is an Eco Park. It’s almost like a zoo but in the middle of the Mayan jungle. You can swim with dolphins, snorkel, have your picture taken with various critters, cruise down a calm river or just walk around the park and admire all the ruins and what nature has to offer. I was able to see Jaguars, Spider Monkeys, Boars, Macaws, Iguanas and tons of other wild animals. It was pretty awesome. At the end of the night we stayed to watch a show that told the history of the area. It was awesome. It was about two hours and featured songs, dance and wonderful costumes. It was really breath taking to watch! I think this one of the longest days of the week. We arrived at the park around 9am and we got back to the resort at about 9pm. After a day of walking and heat, I went right to bed.

Tuesday: Horseback Riding & Dolphins
This was the day I had been waiting for. A day filled with animals that I love. We woke up bright and early to head off to go horseback riding. We didn’t just ride on a trail though, we took the horses INTO the ocean! You have no idea how fucking weird and awesome it is. The only down side was the weather was a little icky and the water was a rough but I still had a blast but riding bareback on a horse is NOT fun. It actually kind of hurts. An hour or so after that adventure it was time for swimming with the dolphins! I was beyond excited for this. I’ll admit I was a little nervous too but it was all good. We were able to do a belly ride, hug, kiss, boogie board push and feel the dolphin plus we had time for some smaller tricks like having the dolphin dance, “sing” and splash around. I think I had a smile plastered on my face the entire time. It was amazing and beyond awesome. I’m so glad I had a chance to do it and I’d recommend it to everyone. You have a new respect for the animal and just how smart they are.

Wednesday: Sick
No, “Sick” isn’t some cool club or park, I was actually sick. I woke up around 4am with a very upset belly. I was back and forth between the bathroom and bed for about an hour. I won’t disgust you with details but it wasn’t pretty. Needless to say I didn’t wander far from a bathroom on this day. I stayed pool side and read a book and tried to get some sun thinking it would help. The whole day I had that nasty feeling you have when you’re sick. That feeling that at any moment you could just get sick. If I was home I would’ve stayed in bed all day but since I was on vacation I tried my best to suck it up and enjoy the day, which I did.

Thursday: Into Town
Thursday I was feeling much better. I was worried I’d be sick the rest of the trip but luckily that wasn’t the case. Thursday we had a lazy day in the town of Playa Del Carmen. We had lunch at a little local place that took two hours. We weren’t too happy about that but what are you going to do? They run on Mexican Time. After we finally finished lunch we headed out and did a little shopping. I ended up buying a nice Mexican blanket for a friend for $4.50. Some places had them for almost $20! What the hell? That’s really the only thing I ended up buying in town. We had planned on doing more but since lunch took an unexpected amount of time we missed out on doing something’s like going over to Cozumel or checking out Senor Frogs. I still had a good time though and enjoyed checking out the little town and seeing some sights besides the resort.

Friday: Xel-ha
Xel-Ha is along the same lines as Xcaret but it focuses more on water. It’s a huge natural water park and aquarium. You can snorkel, scuba, check out various fish and wildlife, jump off cliffs or just float around in a tube all day. The choice is yours. I tried snorkeling but I didn’t really like it. I don’t like the mask covering my nose and I don’t like having to breathe through a tube. It’s just not my think. I’d rather just wear the mask and check out the sea life that way. Since I didn’t like it too much and the water was a bit cold I headed back to our lounge area while everyone else enjoyed snorkeling. When everyone else was finished we walked around the park which included going over a floating bridge, feeding fish, checking out cenotes and jumping off the Cliff of Courage. It’s exactly what you think. It’s a cliff over the river that’s about 15 feet high that you can jump off of. I know what you’re thinking. Those 15 feet doesn’t sound that bad. I agree, until you’re the one standing on the edge of those 15 feet. I swear it took about 20-30 attempts before I finally jumped. In the end though I finally did it and was pretty proud of myself. By that time it was time to head back to our little area and pack up for the day. We had to head back and meet our van that would take us back to the resort. This was another long day. We were up around 7am, got to the park around 9am and we were back around 5pm in order to make it to dinner.

That pretty much sums up the highlights of the trip, and the one lowlight. The time in-between outings were spent at the beach or at the pool. The weather was pretty good until the last two days when it got a little too breezy and cool. I think I ate way too much and drank way too much but hey, it’s all-inclusive and you don’t want that to go to waste! I know this post is a little long but I tried my best to keep it short. If I remember anything else I’ll be sure to add it to the picture post.