If I had to choose any city in the world to live in for a year I would choose Amsterdam. This city is the best. It's extremely easy to get around, everyone is so nice and trusting, and it's all around a beautiful city. I did a walking tour with my sister and mom and learned about the history of the city and got some tips of places to eat and things to do. The tour was only 90 minutes and our guide was really cool and entertaining so I would highly recommend doing that while you're there. One of my favorite places to see were the canals and the houses in the Jordaan District. It's a very pretty little neighborhood in Amsterdam. There are small shops and restaurants in the area as well. We stumbled upon a hole-in-the-wall pancake place that serves sweet and savory dishes that turned out to be amazing. It is called The Pancake Bakery. While you're in Amsterdam you cannot miss the Van Gogh museum. There is a long line so you should go early to get your tickets. Start at the bottom of the museum and work your way to the top floor. In front of the the museum you'll see the famous "I Amsterdam" letters and cute food trucks that serve the most delicious hot dogs. I am not a fan of hot dogs but these were exceptional. To be honest, you can't say you've really seen Amsterdam until you've walked through the Red Light District. The women do not appreciate any photography or filming and they will take your camera and destroy it if they see you trying to take pictures of them. I saw a few people get yelled at so don't say you weren't warned. During the day the district is just a regular street so you will have to leave this part of the tour until nighttime. If you want to visit any cities outside Amsterdam, which I think you should because there are a lot of cool places to see, the train station is not to far from the city center (about a 10-15 min walk) and it's very easy to figure out where to go.

I just came back from a trip to Jordan with my sister and hands down this is probably one of my favorite trips I've ever done. We only had 3 days in Jordan and while we could've used a couple extra days, we did a lot in the time we had. We landed in Amman at around 9:20am. We organized a pickup with a driver through a company that works with the hotel we were staying at for the night. The drive from Amman to Petra is about 3 hours but it's pretty scenic and honestly our driver was so cool and entertaining I almost wish we had an extra hour to talk to him and learn more about the country. We took a few pit stops along the way and he showed us the world's smallest hotel - it was hilarious. It's literally a bed in a car on the side of the road. We stayed at Movenpick Petra which honestly is the only place you should stay if you're trying to visit Petra because it's literally right across the street from the entrance of the visit center. We were advised not to go outside between 12-3pm because those are the city's hottest hours during the summer. We did a guided tour at around 4pm and walked through the Siq, saw the Treasury, and the Roman ruins. For all my fellow Arabs out there, they do a really bad job advertising this small detail but if you show your passport or ID proving you're Arab at the stand where you book your tour guide it's literally only 1 JD which is the equivalent of $1.41!! Otherwise you'll end up paying $60+ like my sister and I did because we didn't know about the discount until it was too late. They DO NOT do refunds. We tried.. We decided to stay the morning and go back to explore Petra again before leaving for our next adventure. We left our hotel room at around 9am for our hike to the Monastery. When the map tells you it's about a 2-3 hour hike and is rated hard they're not kidding. You must walk through the Siq, Treasury and Roman ruins again in order to begin the climb uphill to the Monastery. That's about 2.5 miles I believe and then you have another 800 steps up mountains to get to your destination. Bring water because in the Jordan heat it's not a joke and there's like one place to stop with a little bit of shade along the way. But in all honesty the Monastery is unreal. I did not regret it whatsoever and there's a small cafe at the top where you can get food and water and relax in a big tent in the shade. If you have more time in Jordan I would highly recommend making the most of your time and checking out Wadi Rum where scenes of "The Martian" took place, the Dead Sea, and Jerash.

I did a day trip from Munich, Germany to Salzburg, Austria with a tour group. It was about 3 hours by train to get to Salzburg and then we did a walking tour throughout the city for a couple of hours. For all my Sound of Music fans out there you will appreciate this city as a lot of major scenes took place here. We walked through St. Peter's Monastery & Cemetery & Catacombs which by the way is stunning. It's very quiet and peaceful as you walk through it. I also saw Residenzplatz Square & Residence Fountain as well as Leopoldskron Palace. At the time that I went it was already midday and of course there were a lot of people taking pictures. If you're like me and don't like having random tourists in your pictures, I would recommend going earlier in the morning. Maybe you'll have better luck than I did but it was totally worth seeing because the architecture and design is breathtaking. During this walking tour we were also able to see the birthplace and home of Mozart. I was able to dine at Mozart's favorite cafe where they serve the world's best chocolate cake, Cafe Tomaselli. The cafe is a total zoo and no one waits to be seated. It's first come, first serve so you better have eyes like a hawk to snag a table quickly. The chocolate cake is delicious. I love chocolate and I fell in love with this piece of cake. Across the plaza are two small shops that make the famous Mozart balls. This is where they originated. One of the shops lets you walk in and watch how they're made. They're a little pricey but you can only buy the real stuff in Salzburg. I was told not to bother buying it anywhere else so when in Salzburg, why not treat yo self? Just a few feet away from Cafe Tomaselli there is a long street with tons of shops and places to eat. When our walking tour ended and we had free time I had myself a little shopping spree. Even if you're not a big shopper you have to go to Getreidegasse because it is such a beautiful site with the cobble stone and the architecture and iron guild signs for all of the stores. I mean even McDonald's has a pretty impressive iron sign. Hohensalzburg Fortress is another place to check out while you're in Salzburg. I, unfortunately was unable to go to the top to see the views from the fortress as I chose to shop but half the people from the tour group I was in went and they loved it. They were able to see views of the entire city. Getting to the top is a climb though so you'll need a couple of hours to go to the top, take pictures and go back down. If you have a chance to go to Salzburg I say go and pair it up with Vienna too!!

My sister and I did a spontaneous long weekend to Montreal in November a couple years back. It was a little chilly when we went but roundtrip flights from LGA were $120 so honestly I wasn't going to argue. On the bright side the town was filled with beautiful lights gearing up for the upcoming holidays. We stayed in an Airbnb on the border of Old and New Town which honestly was a great decision because we ended up being in walking distance to a lot of things. The vibe in this city is very cool and hip. There's tons of well known street art and thrift stores to check out. Be sure to check out Plateau Mont-Royal for all the beautifully colored houses and spiraling staircases. And you cannot miss out on Mile End. The neighborhood is very artsy and cool and this is where you'll find most of the street art and thrift stores. If you're like me and love food and/or breakfast you MUST check out Restaurant Maison Publique. But be sure to be there before they open because a line is already forming. The cafe is tiny so I would say getting there at least 10-15 minutes before they open would be a good idea. I had delicious pancakes and bacon covered in the best maple syrup you'll ever have of course. Also, you cannot go to Montreal and not have their smoked salmon. It is to die for. Check out St-Viateur Bagel, a landmark bakery in Montreal. They also have the best hot chocolate. There are a lot of clubs in the area we stayed. My sister and I decided to check out a speak easy close by to our Airbnb. It looked like the inside of a cave and they played techno all night. Techno isn't my personal favorite genre but I have to say it was a pretty fun night. I don't remember the name of the place but there are a town in Old Montreal and Downtown. Montreal is a really fun place to go especially for a long weekend. The people there are super nice and it's a pretty diverse community. Highly recommend visiting!!

I travel to Beirut every summer to visit my family and it always so much fun. There is so much to do in this city and the surrounding cities of Lebanon. Whether you want to relax on the beach or by the pool, go shopping, or party until 7am, Beirut literally has it all. If you'd like to stay local, the Riviera Hotel is a great place to stay by the pool. It has an adult pool, bars, and a restaurant. It also overlooks the Mediterranean Sea. Over the summer they host a lot of pool parties as well and it gets packed. There are many places like Riviera so you really can't go wrong with wherever you decide to go. Although I usually stay with family while I'm in Beirut, I have stayed at the Riviera and it's very nice. There is an underground tunnel that takes you from the hotel to the pool area as the hotel itself is technically across the street. If you'd like to take a nice stroll on a long boardwalk and stop to grab a bite to eat, there is Zeitunay Bay. There are plenty of cafes and restaurants and the food is awesome. If you're in that area make sure to check out Raouche which is a natural landmark in Beirut. If you want, you can even go kayaking right next to it! The food in Lebanon is seriously to die for. There are many outdoor ovens where you can pick up a zaatar and/or cheese manouche for breakfast and keep moving. A very fun and traditional way to eat in Lebanon is going with a large group of people to a restaurant and eat mezze style which is just ordering a bunch of small plates and dips for the table and trying everything. A few foods you must try while you're there include hummus, tabouli, falafel, shawarma (lamb & chicken), cheese sabousek, and kibbe. There's so many things to choose from and you really can't go wrong with the Lebanese cuisine. A restaurant I would highly recommend trying if you want the real mezze experience is Diwan Beirut. It's a little pricey but honestly worth it for good quality food. Beirut's nightlife has consistently been voted one of the top cities in the world and coming from someone who has experienced the true nightlife there, this is 100% true. For Hip-Hop and R&B clubs definitely check out White Beirut and AHM. There's a variety of places to go that cover pretty much anything you're in the mood to do. There are streets filled with small outdoor pubs that are a little bit more Americanized, roof top bars with stunning views of the city, lounges if you feel like relaxing and smoking a little hookah, or raging clubs that stay open until the sun comes up. Some of the higher end places I would recommend going to that receive amazing feedback year after year are SkyBar and White Beirut. These are much higher end places though so you have to really dress to impress if you want to get in. There are also many places to go to eat or drink in downtown Beirut which also happens to be a historical area of Beirut. If you're in that area be sure to check out the Roman baths right in downtown Beirut. These are only recommendations within the city of Beirut. There is so much more to see in the country as a whole and I am still discovering it every time I go. Going up to the mountains, hiking, skiing, wine tours are just a few more activities you can do while you're in Lebanon. Of all the cities in the world I've visited, Beirut is my favorite. You seriously will not regret it.

I went to Munich back in October and loved it! I was there for about a week on a business trip and was able to eat like the locals, shop in the city center, and also do the touristy things too. Food wise you must try the pretzels as you will get addicted to them. I probably had at least 2 a day. The Hofbrau Haus is a really fun place to check out. It's a huge hall filled with long tables. They serve lots of beer and traditional German food with live music. The schnitzel is also very good and a very popular item in Germany. The city center has a lot of shops, some bigger name brands along with stores that are only found in Germany or Europe and it's pretty affordable too. The architecture of the churches and buildings are also stunning to look at. Be sure to check out the English Garden. It is beautiful with various trails, lakes and scenery. There is also the Chinese Tower where you can sit down to eat and drink. Be sure to find the surfers under the bridge on the edge of the Garden too!! It is a man made river and surfers practice on the waves. I stumbled across it and it was probably one of my favorite things to see in Munich.

I only made it to Edinburgh for about 2 days but honestly I think that was a decent enough time to see the city and other parts of Scotland as well. I took a 4 hour train ride from London (which I highly recommend doing) and the train stopped right on the bridge between Old Town and New Town. You could see the Edinburgh Castle as you come out of the train station. Old Town is stunning with the castle and the Royal Mile which is also a must see. There are tons of pubs and restaurants. The castle is beautiful but make sure you get there earlier because the average time it takes to see the entire castle is about 2 hours. The views are incredible; you can see all of Edinburgh. There is the Tea Room in the castle. The hot chocolate and dessert options are great to choose from and take a break after walking around the whole castle. The Royal Mile is very nice to walk down. Make sure to check out the bag pipe street performers and pick up some locally made whiskey (which Scotland is known for). If you're in the mood to shop, there are plenty of stores like H&M, TopShop, etc in New Town. If you're hungry, there is one restaurant in particular I highly recommend checking out. It is called Twenty Princes. It is in a hotel and they are primarily a steakhouse. The steak is amazing and they serve Haggis there as well. If you go to Scotland you cannot leave without trying Haggis. It's actually very good. If you're a picky eater (like me) though don't look up what it is before you try it ;) If you have a sweet tooth (also like me) then you have to try the Millionaire Shortbread. It consists of chocolate and caramel and you can find it in pretty much any bakery or cafe around Scotland.

I recently came back from a 3 week trip to London. I was there for work but also wanted to experience living somewhere else for a somewhat extended period of time. To get around the city, I mainly used the tube. There is an app that helped so much figuring out which tube to take until I was comfortable enough to figure it out on my own. The app is called Tube Map. Whether it's going out, eating, or shopping you can find all of this and more in London. I loved checking out all of the stores on Regent Street and Oxford Street but you can also find some cool thrift stores and outdoor markets on Brick Lane and the Shoreditch area. The Shoreditch area is also home to a ton of street art and some of Banksy original graffiti art. It's a very unique area and I absolutely love going there every time I visit London. This past time I went there were streets filled with food stands, thrift shops, and street performers. It's a nice change of pace from the vibe you get around central London. If you've never been to London, you should definitely do the touristy things and check out the London Tower Bridge and The Shard. The Shard has a 360 degree viewing at one of the top levels of the building with views of the entire city. There are also plenty of restaurants and bars but make sure you make a reservation in advance! The Tower Bridge has a tour you can do that allows you to go up and walk across the top of the bridge on a glass floor. There are plenty of pubs in London to check out. One I highly recommend that is also a historic pub is called the Horniman. It has such a fun vibe and plenty of different beers to choose from. It is also right on the water looking out to the London Tower Bridge. Other beautiful places that are a must see include Notting Hill, Oxford & Cambridge University and Covent Garden.