20 things to do in Singapore

 
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I feel extremely lucky that Singapore was the first place that I got to go all thanks to studying abroad my sophomore year of college. I think that everyone should absolutely do it if they get the chance or if the opportunity presents itself. It definitely wasn’t easy and I worked 3 jobs while saving up to study abroad and I would hands down do it again in a heartbeat!

I think that studying abroad and getting to spend a month with our classmates that are from Singapore, we got to experience some things that you wouldn’t find on the first page of Trip Advisor! Not to knock Trip Advisor, as many of these things are on that list! I feel that the best way to give you all the information is to link each activity to its website, and you can plan your trip from there.

Things to do

  1. A Japanese cooking class

  2. Spectra Light Show at Marina Bay Sands

  3. Singapore Zoo and do the Night Safari!

  4. Rock Climbing at The Rock School Gym

  5. Sentosa Island - you could easily spend a whole day here!

  6. Learn all about tea at Yixing Xuan Teahouse

  7. Rent a bike and explore Pulau Ubin

  8. Alleviate Fish Spa is a must, definitely a fun experience! We also got massages at the place right about this!

  9. Singapore Flyer

  10. Grab dinner at one of the many great restaurants in Clarke Quay

  11. Marina Bay Sands - Go up to the top!

  12. The Changi Airport itself was INCREDIBLE - spend some time here if you can! Each terminal has something very cool in it!

  13. SO. MANY. MALLS… and each mall was different! I really liked Bedok Mall, Suntec City, and Orchard Road, to name a few! You can’t really go wrong with any of them!

  14. Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum

  15. Singapore City Gallery - I learned so much about Singapore here!

  16. Singapore River Cruise

  17. Gardens by the Bay, it is gorgeous! There are also about 8 different parts to it. Bring the camera!

  18. Chinatown Street Markets, so fun to explore and find some neat things to take home! I found lots of souvenirs here.

  19. Order a Singapore Sling to experience this iconic beverage!

  20. Sultan Mosque, it is gorgeous, and it looks like the palace in Aladdin to me!

There are so many amazing things to do and see in this incredible country. The more time you have to explore Singapore the more you will be able to take in! I wish I would have been more into writing when I went on this trip because I would have loved creating a travel diary of my time there. Have you been to Singapore? What was your favorite thing to do there? I would also love to know if/where you studied abroad!

 

Six Day Fast Pass Guide

 
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You guys I am so EXCITED! In the morning I get to pick my fast passes for my August trip and I CANT WAIT. I always make a game plan before selection day(lol sounds so official). I like to write out each day, which park we will be at each day, and which fast passes we are trying to get for that day.

We are going to be in the parks for 6 days straight and we decided that we want to go to Magic Kingdom twice and Animal Kingdom twice. In my opinion, these two parks are the biggest with the most to do, see and eat. Yes, Epcot has a lot of foods don’t get me wrong but the foods and the amount of rides balance each other out. Just a personal preference!

DAY 1

Park: Magic Kingdom

  1. Space Mountain - This is my favorite ride at Magic Kingdom so we will be getting this for both days!

  2. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train - This is a fun ride, I love the line to get in but it is always a long line so I try to get a fast pass for it! This is also a good ride to end your night on, get in line about 5-10 minutes before park close and you can stay in line until you ride it! I think that this ride is faster at night!

  3. Peter Pans Flight - This is such a good ride, I never understood the hype or why there is always a long line but I went on it last time was there and now I will get a fast pass for it so I can skip the long line!

DAY 2

Park: Animal Kingdom

  1. Flight of Passage - The last couple of times I have went to get this fast pass, I have literally just taken whatever I can get for them, any time of day. I’m talking like 6pm and 7pm

  2. Kilimanjaro Safari - I recommend getting this fast pass earlier in the day because the animals are up and moving around in the morning!

  3. Dinosaur - We love this ride, but the wait time is always hit or miss for it and for that I get a fast pass for it.

DAY 3

Park: Epcot

  1. Test Track - Definitely add this to your fast pass list! It’s a ride but it is also a very cool experience as well.

  2. Spaceship Earth - Before the first time I rode this, I was pretty much like why are we going on this(because I didn’t know what it was). Now I think it is such a fascinating ride, definitely a must!

  3. The Seas with Nemo and Friends - A cute ride and a great way to get out of the heat.

DAY 4

Park: Hollywood Studios

  1. Slinky Dog Dash - This is Hollywood Studios’ latest rollercoaster and it was so much fun! Definitely add it to your plans for the day.

  2. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster - This ride alllllways has a long line and its so good!

  3. Frozen Sing-a-long Celebration - This is such a funny show even for adults! Try to get a fast pass for the 2pm or 3pm show because it is a great break from the heat!

DAY 5

Park: Magic Kingdom

  1. Splash Mountain - The perfect ride to cool off on a hot day!

  2. Space Mountain - Like I said before, this is my favorite ride and I always try to go on it as much as possible!

  3. Jungle Cruise - Such a funny ride.. so many puns haha

DAY 6

Park: Animal Kingdom

  1. Flight of Passage - So nice you’ve got to do it twice haha but seriously, try to get this fast pass for both days!

  2. Kali River Rapids - Much like Splash Mountain, this is a fun way to cool off on a hot afternoon.

  3. Expedition Everest - such a fun ride! Get the fast pass but then go on it again at night, it feels faster!

 

ABC's Bachelorette Party: Large Charcuterie board

I can’t believe that we are well over halfway done with this season, its crazy! It is seriously time for Luke P to go home and I jokingly said that this charcuterie board is as large as Luke P’s ego! The idea behind this was that it was going to be red, white and blue but it really turned into red, white, blue and orange.. a little unavoidable. But it was so so good!

 
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What you will need

  • Brie wheel

  • Pistachios

  • Pepperoni

  • Goat Cheese

  • Colby Jack Cheese

  • Blue Cheese

  • Cheddar Cheese

  • Hot Habenero Cheddar (warn your guests of the heat!)

  • Fresh Mozzarella Balls

  • Raspberries

  • Blueberries

  • Dried Cranberries

  • Simple Mills GF Crackers

  • Hershey’s Chocolate

www.tarynintotravel.com | Bachelorette | Bachelor | Large Charcuterie Board
www.tarynintotravel.com | Bachelorette | Bachelor | Large Charcuterie Board

I’ve definitely said this before, but the best thing about charcuterie boards is that you can do what you want and there aren’t any rules when it comes to what you have to do. If you missed it, you can read about my smaller charcuterie board here! You can tell in the video that I would put something down and then change my mind with how it was looking as I placed things! The freedom with these is so great. Side note, I know I have already made two but I’m sure this won’t be my last one! See the video below! As always, I have so much fun putting these together and I hope you enjoy!

Date night in Boston: Aquarium

Date nights are our favorite and if I am being honest most of our date nights happen turn into day dates. I’m not sure but I would put money on us being the most old spirited 24 year olds ever haha. I have mentioned this before but the first thing we did outside of moving into our apartment when we moved to Boston was going to the New England Aquarium and getting season passes so we could visit any time we want to. We love visiting aquariums, zoos and pretty much anywhere we can see/interact with animals. I mean a tortoise entertained us in Athens for a solid 45 minutes.. haha

 
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To start this date night/day date, head to the New England Aquarium, it is right off the blue line and the train stop is literally called “Aquarium”. We basically start from the bottom of the building and work our way up. Right when you walk into the aquarium they will tell you when and where they are doing demos and answering questions for guests about specific animals throughout the day. The staff at the New England Aquarium are so eager to help and make sure that you have the best experience possible. Plus they are going through some updates to add more and more fish and animals for you to see!

We would 100% recommend visiting the aquarium if you are visiting Boston, and if you live here and haven’t been, go! You can easily spend a few hours here(depending on your browsing speed haha). If you go in the morning, you can walk across the street to Legal Seafood for lunch or if you spend the afternoon at the aquarium you can have dinner at Legal Seafood. The best thing about this restaurant is all of the gluten free options that they offer. The majority or their menu is naturally gluten free and they have separate fryers for the foods that do contain gluten. They make sure that they know of your allergy and a manager will bring your food out to you. I love getting the fisherman’s platter as well as the fish and chips. It’s rare that I get fried GF food! Dustin gets gumbo, a lobster roll, crabmeat roll or the lobster bisque(all non GF options). They also have really tasty drinks!

Weekend in Vermont

WEEKEND IN VERMONT

I’ve mentioned before that Vermont was never really on my list to visit, other than in the fall to see all of the leaves changed colors, but boy was I wrong… It was gorgeous, the trees were full, green and the water in the lake was perfect. I can’t even imagine how pretty it is covered in snow or orange and reds in fall. WOW, gorgeous! Anyways, I will stop talking about the colors lol and get to the actually stay!

www.tarynintotravel.com | Weekend in Vermont | VRBO House in Vermont | Lake House | Weekend Getaway

WHERE WE STAYED

Dustin and I, along with 12 other people, rented out this gorgeous house on a lake. The house was the perfect size. There were 5 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms. Everyone had a spot to sleep and that was only counting beds. There was a huge couch in the basement right next to the ping pong table. It was great because there was easily a spot everyone to comfortably sit in and have their own space to escape to without feeling like we were all on top of each other. Here is the link to the house if you want to check it out!

The house seemed to have every little thing that we needed like towels, soap, and even stuff like spices in the kitchen. Pretty much if we forgot something, it was already there. I can’t speak for all VRBO’s(this might be a normal thing), but I thought that was pretty cool.

The house also had the perfect little beach that we were able to take their paddle boards and the small row boat out onto the lake. It was just the right amount of seclusion mixed with lots of things to do. I didn’t even mention the tennis courts we were allowed to use! Plus we were able to make a fire both nights and just relax in the little pavilion/gazebo they had.

There is a video of our stay at the bottom which shows the outside of the house as well!

THE TOWN OF WILMINGTON

As if the house didn't have enough to offer, about a 3 minute drive away is the cutest little town full of coffee shops, tasty restaurants, and the cute shops. When we left the house on Sunday we went into the town and grabbed coffee and breakfast before making the drive back to Boston. We ate at The Village Roost. They had great food and tons of gluten free options for me, which was a plus! I have found it’s very rare in small towns to find gluten free foods. I went in expecting to only be able to get myself an iced coffee and some fruit of some sort, but they had buns for me to be able to have a sandwich!

There were such charming shops and some really cute buildings. I couldn’t stop taking pictures. While we were in the town they had a cute antique sale going on where you could buy antiques, food and drinks, plants and other things from small vendors and that was so fun and different. It was really like antique sale meets farmers market. Its always fun to take a trip and be away from the hustle and bustle of city life, but it was still fun to find this cute town next to us.

When we were driving away from Wilmington I said to Dustin, “I’m sure this place is stunning all year round”. We plan to come back when its fall for sure to get more drone footage. We love taking drone footage and getting to see so much more than what you see on the ground! We hope you like the video! OH! AND on the drive home we literally saw a baby black bear!! We were so in shock, we seriously couldn’t believe what we just saw!

Catch & Release (Deepend remix) - Matt Simons

WHAT TO READ NEXT!

Amazon Finds: 4th of July

Amazon finds: 4th of july

I am so excited to share all of the cute things I have found on amazon for you guys to get you ready for the 4th of July! Weather you are going to be at the beach or on a lake, or something a little bit more dressy, I have you covered! I found a healthy mix of casual and dressed up and you are going to love them! They are super inexpensive and they all mix and match together very well!

The white hair scarf(8.) is the perfect way to tie in white to the red blue bikini(1.), or add it to your dressier look with the red tiered dress(6.) or the cutest navy romper(7.)!

I have linked everything below the photo!

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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |

What are your plans for the 4th? Dustin will be out of town but I think I might spend the day at the beach or poolside with a drink and a good book. I have also been doing quite a bit of coloring on my iPad lately. I have been using this app called Pigment and I will look up and two hours will have passed.

ABC's Bachelorette Party: Indoor S'mores

And we are back!

I missed a couple weeks on which appetizers I was bringing, but our host was out of town so there was no need. Nonetheless, I already have the next three planned and I can’t wait to share them with you!

What we are making

Dustin and I love making s’mores, we had them at our wedding reception and we make them indoors all of the time! I thought this would be perfect to bring to Bach night because again it is so easy to prep and there is no work while you are there. The other thing that was so easy about this is it transports so easily in the tray, much like the charcuterie board I made a while back. If you missed it you can read about it here!

What you will need

-a serving tray

-a few kinds of marshmallows

-Hershey’s bars, the OG’s

-Other type of chocolate

  • Reeses peanut butter cups

  • York Peppermint patties

  • Ghirardelli salted caramel squares

-Oreos

-Wooden or metal skewers

-Graham crackers

-Chafing Dish Fuel Cans

**make sure you have a lighter on hand to light the chafing dish cans!**

The finished product

Much like the Charcuterie Board, and even the Banana Split Bar, you can totally make the presentation your own and have fun with it! I wanted to make sure that there were tons of marshmallows and fun toppings and I went from there. I also tried to make it look as full as possible. It helped that the tray I used had sides to keep everything in.

Our First time at Universal Studios

The last time we were in Florida for a Disney trip, we knew we wanted to visit Universal. Dustin had never been and I hadn’t been in almost 10 years. We are both HUGE Harry Potter fans so we were very excited about visiting! There were definitely other parts of the park that we were excited for, but Happy Potter was the biggest thing. Going into the day, we knew we wanted to prioritize Harry Potter World over anything else and then if we had time at the end of the day we would do other parts. We had plenty of time to get done what we wanted/needed!

The Tickets

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We purchased the 2 park 1 day ticket and we felt that was plenty of time to do and see everything we went to see. You have to purchase the 2 park ticket if you want to see all of Harry Potter World. We started our morning in Islands of Adventure and went straight to Hogsmede and we were in immediate awe!

We chose not to get their fast pass system and once we were there we didn’t feel like we even needed them. We were there in the beginning of December and never waited more than 40 minutes. Now if you go in the summer, you may want to splurge and get the fast pass or “express pass” as they call it. Honestly it was too much money for us, I think it was like an additional $90 per person!!

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The Food

Breakfast: We stopped to get coffee at Starbucks right at the entrance where all the shopping is. Luckily at this Starbucks there were the egg bites that are gluten free and I was able to eat breakfast!

Lunch: We ate lunch at the Leaky Couldron(thats in London .. haha I couldn’t help myself). We tried the pumpkin juice and butter beer to drink and then for lunch Dustin had the Fish and Chips and I had the gluten free specialty chicken sandwich! Both were very good!

Dinner: We were pretty spent by the time dinner rolled around, we decided to grab a drink and eat dinner at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville. This was located at the Universal CityWalk. We couldn’t eat at Margaritaville and not get margaritas, I had tried the watermelon marg and Dustin tried the blackberry marg. We split chips and guac for an appetizer and for the main meals, Dustin had Jimmy’s Jammin’ Jumblaya for dinner and I ended up getting the Florida Grouper Sandwich… SO good, it was the perfect amount of spicy and delicious!

 

The Rides

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We really liked all of the rides in Harry Potter World, we liked Flight of the Hippogriff, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Escape from Gringotts, Hogwarts express(sort of a ride, more of an experience). We really spent most of our day wandering through different parts of Harry Potter world and just soaking that all in!

Outside of that we enjoyed The Revenge of the Mummy, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, Fast & Furious: Supercharged and Despicable Me Minion Mayhem! All of the wait times were less than 30 minutes and we were there on a Saturday but in December.

We rode Race Through New York with Jimmy Fallon and we both got off of it feeling very sick and it pretty much ended our day.. If I am being honest, most of the rides, pretty much 95% of the rides we went on we felt like we were stuck in a box and shaken up. It was a lot of simulation rides. Don’t get me wrong, those can be fun! But ride after ride of it can make you really sick, at least it made us sick.

Other than that, we loved visiting Universal Studios and Harry Potter World and now that there is a new ride in Harry Potter World we would love to go back! Have you been? What was your favorite part?

Review of Disney's All Star Music Resort

 
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It’s one of our goals to be able to stay at every single one of the Disney resorts in our lifetime and so far we have only done two but I already have a favorite! Here is a breakdown of our honest thoughts of Disney’s All Star Music Resort.

Service

Definitely great, I honestly haven’t had a negative experience with any Disney customer service before though. I know some people have, but luckily not for us yet! We stayed for 8 nights and we opted out of their cleaning services, because it was just the two of us and we received an $80 Disney gift card. It’s $10 for each night that you opt out. Plus they will bring us anything we need(toilet paper, fresh towels, etc.) whenever we call and ask for it.

We also asked to move closer to the main building after the first night and they told us absolutely and made it so simple for us to move. Now I’m not saying this is the norm, just our experience and an example of Disney’s customer service going above and beyond for its’ customers. One of our favorite perks is the Disney’s Magical Express that will come get you from the airport free of charge and take you to your resort as well as take you from your resort back to the airport.

Room

So the room was pretty standard, the first room we were in was pretty far. We were in the farthest building on the back side with two full beds and it took like 5-8 minute walk to the main building. In the second room which was much closer we had a King size bed and it was about a 3 minute walk to get to the main building. We were much happier once we were moved to the king bed with a shorter walk.

The room came with shampoo, conditioner and body wash and we never had issues with warm water. Wi-fi was free in each room and there is also a TV, mini-fridge, iron and a safe. One thing we wish there was is a microwave but there hasn’t been one at either of the Disney resorts we have stayed at so far.

We enjoyed our room for what it was and how often we were actually in the room. If you’ve been to Disney/do Disney the way we do(non-stop going, going, going) then all that will matter is to have a place to rest your head, and feet at night, with the quickest transport to and from the parks.

Food

So the Intermission Food Court has many options and we were pretty satisfied with the amount of times we actually ate there(about 5 total for all meals). The Intermission Food Court is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night snacks. They have the Specialty Shop, The Grill Shop, The Pizza Shop and the Ice Cream Shop. The GF options were pretty standard for Disney, GF chicken nuggets, cheeseburger on a GF bun, GF French fries and some other options at the Specialty Shop like chicken breast with mashed potatoes, Mahi Mahi, and Flank Steak. The Pizza shop was also great, and Dustin’s favorite! TIP: If you are going to get a pizza from the food court, don’t order just a slice. Get a whole pizza, you get more bang for your buck and you will have leftovers for later!

They also have the Singing Spirits Pool Bar, where you can grab a drink and sit next to the pool! They have over 20 options to choose from ranging from $7-$13.

They have the store at the front of the resort where you can purchase merchandise that you can get in the parks, food, snacks, beverages and things like medicine. This was so helpful! For example, I forgot q-tips and I was able to get them there.

Lastly, you can order pizza to your room from 5:00pm-1:00am, this has come in handy a couple of times.

Activities

They have two pools, the Calypso Pool and the Piano pool. The Calypso pool is right off the main building and closest to the bar. Most of the time there is a cast member playing games, doing trivia or some other sort of interactive entertainment. The Piano pool is much more relaxed and there are less people there as well.

For kiddos, they have a playground and then they have a one mile jogging trail around the property as well! Another fun thing that they have is the arcade, Dustin and I (even as adults) can spend a morning in the arcade easily, there are plenty of games to enjoy.

The last thing that they do, and probably one of my favorites is that they play movies at night. Its called “Movies Under the Stars”, its so fun because it’s a different Disney movie every night and you get to unwind while being outside enjoying a movie. You can grab a snack from the food court and grab a spot next to the pool!

Busses/Travel times

We found that it varies from park to park obviously due to location but really nothing more the 10-20 minutes and it all makes it worth while when you don’t have to park your car, take the tram to the entrance and blah blah blah depending on which park you are visiting. We always say that we will always stay in a Disney Resort just for the bus system. It honestly makes your life so much easier. We also have really never had a problem with a bus not being there to pick us up. If you have the My Disney Experience App you know when the bus is coming to your destination and you can plan accordingly.

Overall Atmosphere

The overall atmosphere for us was great. It was a little more crowded in comparison to the All Star Movie Resort but its bigger and there are more rooms for people to stay in so it all makes sense. In our opinion we enjoyed the All Star Movie resort more for its decorations and that sort of thing. Like I mentioned before, it’s so convenient and we are all about it!