AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURES.

Ya’ll know how much I love spontaneous trips to places I’ve never been to. I’m always up for a new adventure as long as my schedule allows it! However, spontaneous adventures almost always come with at least 15 hour flight and are always across the globe. A few weeks back W Hotels reached out to me and to me this was probably one of the most organic collaborations to work on as we’ve stayed at W many many many times so to go out to Australia was a no brainer! Especially when the trip was for the premiere of the new hotel in Brisbane!

Just to give you a break down of how crazy some of these trips can get…flights were booked about 4 days before leaving, we only brought carry ons [as usual] , unfortunately this time we had to check it in and risked the luggage making it there as they get lost alllll the time annnnnnd we were only in Australia for 3 nights / 4 days to explore Brisbane, get a full feeling of the new hotel and attend the premiere oh and capture all the adventures along the way on the camera!

Day 1

BRISBANE FROM ABOVE

To be honest we never really get jet lagged no matter how far we travel. We left at midnight / got there in the morning which made it easy to adjust as we slept the entire time on a red eye flight to Australia. As soon as we landed we checked into the W Hotel and left for the helicopter tour over Brisbane to help us understand the reasons why the interior of the hotel is done the way it is. Because I don’t want to give away too much of the information on the design I’ll let ya’ll go there and see it yourself as the employees will give you alllll the fun info on the hotel. Hint: river.

P.s. As much as I love helicopter tours I am always secretly freaking out inside as it’s such a tiny thing to fly in lol and the fact that there is only one pilot never fails to freak me out. Not to mention I always want to sit next to them so if sh&* hits the fan…well I have the front seat lol.

After getting back we had a high tea which is an absolute must-do at the W! It sort of reminded me of being in London just with a bigger variety of unique foods instead of mini sandwiches. The food was delicious and pretty much anything that is bottomless, whether it’s a drink of a plate of food I’m always in for! Yummy brunch was followed by a massage, quick nap and preparations for the night. W planned a fun evening with live music [see more on my highlights on IG under “Australia”], super creative drinks and oh did I mention it was by a poolside?

Day 2

MORETON ISLAND

When we flew into Brisbane and I looked out the window I was shocked by the beauty of water, it seriously looked like Maldives. We also had a stop over in Fiji when flying from LA and I expected the waters to be more turquoise in Fiji than Australia but was shockingly surprised that Australia had a more beautiful water! You’re probably wondering why am I talking about it so much but that is because on day 2 we had a yacht trip planned to visit Moreton island where we could feed the dolphins, ride four wheelers and see sunken ships. The photo below still does not do the justice of how beautiful the island was. If you’re heading to Brisbane I highly recommend you book a boat and get yourself over to Moreton for some island fun!

I am pretty sure there is a hotel or two on the island if you want to stay for longer, however because we were on a time scrunch we only spent one full day there. The reason why I’d recommend going for an overnight stay is because dolphin feeding takes time when it’s dark and unfortunately not many boats go back to city at night unless it’s a privately booked boat.

 

Day 3

ALL THAT GLITTERS 

While everyone went to the workout class we went to a local spot to feed kangaroos and play with koalas. This was on Adam’s wishlist and I knew there was no getting out of it. While I absolutely love animals taking photos, holding them etc. freaks me out. While kangaroos turned out to be absolute sweethearts, koalas smelled like a cow’s butt! Not to mention it pooped in our hands while we held them for a damn picture. Is it worth it ? Yes. Would I do it again? Yep, with gloves on lol. The place was called “Lone Pine Koala sanctuary”, just a 15 minute ride from the W.

This was also THE DAY of the week, also the reason why we were in Australia – the premiere of the new W in Brisbane. As soon as we stepped down for breakfast over the river we saw everybody checking in, this was the day when all the media / press checked in for the party of the night. In case you’re wondering how big premiere was, just to give you a brief idea – there was 800 bottles of Veuve for the 800 people haha. Everyone from bloggers, press from National Geographic, press from Forbes magazine, Glamour magazine to Veronicas singers were there – hotel was packed with some of the coolest people I’ve probably ever met in my life. Everyone had their own story, have traveled the world and were there for a specific reason which was to support the opening of a new hotel we’ve all been fans of! Unfortunately I haven’t found the pictures from the event yet so until then you can check out my IG highlights [under “Australia”] where I’ve saved all the snaps from the trip to Australia.

xx, Sky Naite

Post from: a Blog and life in Between

MARRAKESH AND BEYOND.

Bucket list worthy getaway.

Before I get into all the to-do’s and must visit spots in Marrakesh I just want to let you know that Marrakesh has been on my bucket list for YEARSSSSS and to say the least my expectations were so high for it that I was scared to be disappointed once I got there. For that reason we never went out of our way to go there, we said that if we happen to be on that side of the globe and tickets are cheap let’s do it and everything finally aligned this summer! Now, let me tell you that this also wasn’t the ideal time to go as it was a summer in the desert which led to temperatures being closed to 100  F degrees, however we both agreed it wasn’t bad as it wasn’t humid at all.

P.s. we were only in Marrakesh for 2 nights/3 full days so my suggestions on what to see and what to do are pretty limited!

S T A Y. 

Thanks to Instagram that has literally planned my vacation for me! Before even going I knew where I’d want to stay at, take pictures at and what I wanted to explore. When it came to picking a hotel La Sultana Hotel was a no brainer for us! Adam was all into their design, pool while I was obsessed with overall interior, to me it was a picture perfect hotel. We got to stay in a suite (thanks to La Sultana team!) which was beyondddd amazing, if you haven’t seen it on my Instagram real time you can still see it under my highlights of “Marrakesh”! Hotel is located inside of what me and Adam called a local fortress (I think that’s how I spell the word lol), it was surrounded by local restaurants, cafes, markets, stores and just about a 10 minute walk from the market! Due to a great location of the hotel we didn’t need anymore than 3 full days to see Marrakesh as we wanted to explore local areas instead of touristy. We spent our mornings munching on hotel’s complimentary breakfast, walked around town during the day and spent evenings at local restaurants and kiosks on the street trying new foods country had to offer.

p.s. hotel has someone that’s always just outside the hotel so that he can get you a cab and tell the driver where you want to go, that way there is no language barrier!

V I S I T. 

La Mamounia Hotel. This hotel has been on my bucket list ever since Sincerely Jules took pictures there about five years ago lol. Something about their interior design really stood out to me and I was very happy to see that it was just as beautiful in person. The hotel also has the spa that is one of the most Instagrammed spots in Marrakesh! However, to see that you must stay there and be a hotel guest.

Touristy area. Pretty much anywhere by SLS hotel is where the “touristy” area is. Once you cross over to that part of town expect to pay x10. Ex: coca cola by the hotel was $1 , coca cola in the tourist area was $8 smh…

Local market. Probably one of the coolest markets ever, they sell everything from souvenirs, spices to shoes and local clothes. We went during the day instead of a night time as we wanted to avoid busy times in the evening.

 

Don’t waste your time on: 

YSL museum. Blahhh is all I have to say for this place. While I thought it would’ve been a cool, large museum to visit and see I was very much wrong. It took us 10 minutes total to get through the entire place. Don’t waste your time or money on it.

Camel rides. Let the animals rent and live the life they were born to do and don’t ride them! Instead of supporting tourist attractions like camel rides, you can look for them around town, take a picture with them, give locals a tip and move on with your day. Yep, I am big on animal rights as they cannot speak for themselves!

G E T T I N G    A R O U N D. 

If you follow me along on Instagram you probably saw my stories on how a short trip to London quickly turned into staying in UK for over a week, then we went to Marrakesh, from there to Amsterdam and then to Spain… yep.. we were away for literally the entire month! Getting to Marrakesh from London was a short & sweet trip. It cost about $100 to get there and another $100 to go to Barcelona from there.

Getting around Marrakesh could get pretty interesting as people love to bargain, once you say you need a cab they’ll start out with $20..then after arguing back and forth you’ll get the price to go down as low as $5 lol. I didn’t know how to bargain my way down so Adam was the one doing all the work at the stores and with cabs.

p.s. There is no uber!

F Y I. 

Bring cash! I personally didn’t see any ATM’s, no businesses took credit cards so thankfully Adam had money he has exchanged and we were able to buy stuff. To put it into perspective on how cheap Marrakesh is – fresh orange juice is 1cent / cab to get across town $5 / whole pizza $4.

Watch out. There is soooo many motorcycles there that if you’re not paying attention when you’re walking you will get your feet driven over – no joke! I once even felt the guy on a motorcycle touch my feet with his feet while he was driving and I was walking, so don’t even think about crossing a road where you’re not supposed to.

Safety. This was our biggest concern as no one really gave us a straight answer whether it was safe to go for American tourists or not. We felt very safe! We stayed at an amazing 4/5 star hotel in a local area and were able to walk around at night there, get a cab and go anywhere we wanted without looking over the shoulder.

Clothing. I had a head scarf on me at all times in case we decided to go somewhere extremely local. However I wore it a few times for the photos and didn’t get to wear it at any places or felt like I absolutely had to wear it, as most places we went to were somewhat touristy.

xx, Sky Naite

Post from: a Blog and life in Between

LONDON DIARY: EXPLORING COUNTRYSIDE.

Part of United Kingdom that should be in your bucket list.

I’ve always loved exploring the big cities but the real experiences of culture and best memories are usually made in the areas you’d least expect it from.  You always want to make sure you split up your trip in a half and explore all the “tourist attractions” and the “unknown” and I don’t mean just exploring the areas down the street. We’ve decided to venture out of London this time and take a little road trip to what I’d call suburbs to a city called Taplow. When looking up the area there was one place that kept popping up all over Pinterest and google – Cliveden House. At first I thought it was a museum or a place you could only come and see, however I shortly realized it was a hotel and staying there for a few nights was instantly added to our itinerary!

How to get there:

Usually I’d recommend renting a car to get a full experience and be able to make stops as you go however the fact that driver’s seat is on the right instead of left and they drive on a different side of the road – Uber is the way to go!

Clividen is about 1.30 – 2 hrs away depending on traffic and weather.

What to expect:

It is not your typical countryside, while the hotel comes with lots of history and has been around for hundreds of years the rooms are updated! They offer two restaurants, tea time in the main area and a bar area for drinks.

For the rooms they have a large variety such as a cottage (literally a house for yourself! if you’re going with a big group and want to splurge I highly recommend checking it out!), regular rooms and suites. A fun touch that I thought was pretty cool is that the hotel rooms do not have numbers, they are named and also have your name on the door to make your experience that much more personal.

What to experience: 

Some of the activities I highly recommend is the champagne boat ride on the river, laying out by the pool which I took quite a few pictures by (see below) and tea time because duh. you’re in England!

Tips: 

• Uber > car. It’s not a vacation if you’re going to be stressed out about driving and worrying not to break any rules.


• Experience luxury & local. We stayed at airbnb for the first half of the trip and the second at the countryside at this luxurious hotel that I thought was absolutely worth sharing about on here!


• BYOS aka bring your own snacks! I’m a big “snacker” when it comes to traveling, I tend to only eat two full meals every day and snack throughout the day as I go. We couldn’t find a grocery store on the way to the hotel and had no snacks besides what hotel offered. I highly recommend you make a stop at a gas station or a store and pick some things to eat while there!

Hopefully this post will inspire you to get out of your comfort zone and explore parts you’d never usually consider visiting! You can easily find some hidden gems or towns of different countries by just picking random towns from the map of a country you plan on going to and googling what it offers!

xx, Sky

Post from: a Blog and life in Between

TRAVEL DIARY: TULUM

Not my ordinary vacay getaway.

A while back I did a blog post about my goals for the year of 2018 and stepping out of my comfort zone, saying yes to new things I am not familiar with, exploring new places in the world and meeting more people like me who have same interests in creating cool content to share and inspire! My trip to Tulum checked off almost all of those boxes, while I’ve been to Tulum a few times before I was excited to go back with a group of creatives I didn’t know and see it through different eyes by exploring new spots and adventures.

When it comes to traveling we always tend to go with those that we know and are comfortable with but how are you supposed to grow and become better, learn something new if you’re living in your comfort zone and you’re surrounded by those who are in your comfort zone? Answer is easy, you don’t because you never end up trying anything new. Which leads to an email I got about a month ago from a fellow creative who owns The Stand By Diary, it’s pretty much a Company that connects Brands with influencers where they travel to amazing places with fellow creatives to create content for themselves and Brands. While the idea sounded amazing I was skeptical about almost every part of the trip as I wasn’t sure how everyone would get along but the idea of everyone being in a creative world meant that we all would be going for a reason, each one of us having the same reason – create! So I said yes to the new adventure and it couldn’t turn out any better!

Long story short, we got a super cute house in Tulum and spent 5 days exploring, going to cenotes, driving to a hidden paradise which by the way took like 3 hours to get to via rode that was literally non existent! While the trip was filled with fun things to do we all bonded so well creating content, helping each other get better, strangers shortly turned into friends and moments turned into memories I’ll never forget! This was my first trip going on a spontaneous trip like this one and I truly can say I cannot wait for the next one.

The reason why I shared this story with you is to hopefully inspire you to step out of your comfort zone and do things you have been afraid of to try! There is so much in the world to see or do and you never know what adventure, experience awaits when you say “NO” to something. Remember, we’re only half way into the year and there is plenty of opportunities coming your way that you can say YES to!

Fellow creators that were on the trip: 

Kiana — owner and content creator behind The Stand By Diary, pretty much a major #girlboss who does it all! Her IG stories are always hilarious and she has great advice for those who want to grow their business.

Dakota — A man full of surprises, literally. Not only he is a back up dancer for Britney Spears but he also has a great IG + Youtube that is all about his travels and it’s not like any other pages you’ve ever followed. Every image, every IG story and every video tells it’s own story and makes you feel like you’re on that adventure with him.

Eryn — If a mermaid was real Eryn would be it haha. This girl was in the water literally 99% of time, if it wasn’t in our pool, then she was swimming in cenotes or in the ocean! Such a free spirit content creator, loved her positive energy and creativity in front of lens.

Melanie — she was my roomie during the stay there & my oh my did I learn a lot from her! Not only her creativity is always taken to a whole new level but her IG is all happy, positive and vibrant vibes — make sure to follow her and get her Lightroom presets too! It’ll take your Insta to a whole new level.

Justin — Videographer of the trip, based out of Hawaii. His IG always gives me major vacay vibes, if you love a good tropical feed go check him out!

If ya’ll want any recommendations or have any questions about places we went to etc. drop down a comment or send me a DM, I’ll be more than happy to share more about the trip!

Tips & tricks for Tulum, MX:

• Rent a car. You’ll not only save money but you will be able to create your own schedule and see more by not going on the tours.


• If you’re going with friends rent an Airbnb, no need to stay at a Hotel. You can go and explore the main part of Tulum to go shopping, see the boutique hotels and eat.


• Check the weather before you even book your tickets as a lot of people after I got back told me that they have gone a week before us and it rained on and off the entire week.


• Some of the restaurants are completely booked out on Fridays and weekends, make sure to make your reservation ahead of time!


• Mosquito spray will be your best friend! They’re everywhere and you’ll be bitten.


• When drinking water at restaurants make sure to tell the waiter not to add ice cubes as the water isn’t filtered and you’ll get sick as your body isn’t used to it.


• Grocery run before checking into Airbnb/Hotel is a must! Stock up on lots of water and snacks as the main Tulum area does not have much of snack spots and it’s mainly restaurants.


• If you’re looking for cheap tickets, jetcost has the best deals! They’re also super last minute so I do check them on almost daily bases to see deals!

xx, Sky

Post from: a Blog and life in Between

5 LESSONS I’VE LEARNED FROM BEING MY OWN BOSS

Working for yourself definitely has its positive and negatives. The idea of working for yourself always sounds like a great one, but once that is a reality it can be challenging in many different ways. Below are five lessons I’ve learned from being my own boss and a few pieces of career advice I can offer to those thinking about making the transition.

5 Lessons I’ve Learned from Being My Own Boss:

1. Always play two roles. The boss & the employee
   
   
   
   • I learned this with my first business and even more-so now with my blogging business. My mentor once told me, when you work for yourself you are playing two roles — the boss and the employee. Sometimes you have to ask yourself as the employee, how would my boss react to this? As the boss, are you being the example you would want your employee to follow? If you slept in and didn’t get to work until 11am, how would your employees feel about that? This is such a simple, yet profound way of thinking about it and I have been implementing it into my business ever since.
   
   
   
   


2. Having a dedicated work space that inspires
   
   
   
   • For me, this has been a game changer. I thought I would never take for granted no longer having to work in a cubicle, but I did a few months into going full-time with my blog. I realized I was waking up and wanting to work from bed some days, only because I could. After a few weeks, I was feeling so lazy and uninspired. I decorated my home office and made it a dedicated space, so when I got out of bed in the morning I looked forward to going in there and getting to work. For some, their home office isn’t what inspires them, but maybe getting out and working from a coffee shop or an outdoor space does. Wherever that space is for you, go there and you’ll be amazed by how much more you accomplish!
   
   
   
   


3. Creating a schedule for yourself
   
   
   
   • I have never been one who likes to be on a schedule, but the longer I have been working for myself the more I have realized this is crucial. Having structure in your daily schedule gives you a starting and end point, which allows you to accomplish more during your working hours. To give you an example, 8 a.m. is my starting point to each day. On Monday’s, my assistant shows up to my house at 9 a.m. sharp and our Monday is always dedicated to getting caught up on emails, invoicing, content planning, etc. Tuesday’s and Thursday’s are shoot days, but I typically get up early to respond to emails before getting ready and planning outfits for the shoot. Wednesday’s and Friday’s, I always try to get a workout in and then I’m in the office at the computer the rest of the day. Creating this schedule has allowed me to create a timeline for projects and be more intentional with my time.
   
   
   
   


4.  Make sure you have time where you ‘turn it off’
   
   
   
   • This one is really difficult for me, because working for yourself means it usually never stops. There’s no 9-5 hours where you get to leave the office and call it a day. Emails and work communication continue to come in until late hours of the night and it seems like you always have to be ‘on’. Recently I have made myself step away from work shortly after Kyle gets home from work so that we can have quality time together where we aren’t on our phones/computers just existing in the same space. This is such an important one for your relationships in my opinion. Being totally present and in the moment seems to be rare in today’s society and I think we can all work on this part, self-employed or not!
   
   
   
   


5. Surround yourself with like-minded entrepreneurs
   
   
   
   • Whether this is finding a business mentor or a group of women that are fellow girl bosses, connecting with entrepreneurs and building relationships with like-minded females can be extremely empowering. I love having blogger friends I can bounce ideas off of and get opinions from. It’s almost like my own little support system within the industry. Having other women who can relate to your specific business and also cheer you on with your successes is vital!
   
   
   
   

I was inspired to write five things I’ve learned from being my own boss along with how I started my blog and went full-time after hearing Tristan’s story with Olay. I am proud to stand with her and all of the other fearless pilots and females throughout the world!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Olay. The opinions and text are all mine.

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THE PERFECT FIT | EXPRESS DENIM

Finding the perfect fitting jean is kind of like finding your perfect fit in life, am I right? My perfect fit is my pup Miley (sorry Kyle).

But in all seriousness, Express is killing the denim game right now. I am all about wearing white after Labor Day, so I was on the hunt for a pair of distressed white denim that isn’t the ordinary pair you see on everyone. The side stripe and step hem on these white jeans is giving me all the heart eyes. I love that I can wear them doing pretty much anything…. like walking Miley in the neighborhood, working around the house, running errands, and they can even be dressed up for a date night with a pair of heels.

BLACK FITTED T-SHIRT | WHITE SIDE STRIPED RIPPED JEANS C/O EXPRESS

The fit on these side stripe white cropped jeans are amazing! They’re high-waisted, have the perfect amount of stretch, and the holes aren’t too wide open. Also, can we talk about the price? They’re under $100 and so are most of the Express jeans.

I love that they have size ranges from 00 – plus size and also have petite, regular, and long options. Basically they are catering to all body types and that’s rare these days! The tee is sooooooo soft and a perfect basic for layering in the Fall — I need it in all three colors

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SEQUIN JUMPSUIT | NASTY GAL

You know when you see something online and you immediately have to have it? Yeah…that’s how I felt about this sequin striped jumpsuit. Saw it and knew I needed it in my closet ASAP.

I started shopping at Nasty Gal when I was in college and would steal my moms CC # to buy everything I wanted from there (oops). I remember when I finally got busted and my mom asked what the hell NastyGal.com was. She thought it was a dirty website or something… LOL!

Their selection has always been amaze though…the perfect mix between edgy and girly, but I couldn’t afford it myself until I had graduated and was on my own. Recently Nasty Gal was acquired by a new owner and the prices are so much more affordable. Also, they usually always have a sale going on!

I’m currently obsessing over all their occasion wear, because if you have an event you are sure to stand out in any of their pieces and most likely your BFF won’t show up in the same thing. This jumpsuit is currently on sale for 50% off! It’s perfect for weddings, prom, any dressier events. I am going to the Justin Timberlake concert next week and am thinking it would be perfect for that as well! Below I have included outfit details along with some other favorites from their occasion wear selection Enjoy! xx

sequin striped jumpsuit | Ruffle Heels C/O Nasty Gal

 

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Una publicación compartida por Sage Coralli Wilson (@sosageblog)