Skylar M. Beck

My Favorite New Zealand Adventures

Published on December 23, 2017March 28, 2019 by Skylar M. BeckLeave a comment

New Zealand was full of adventure!! Collectively, throughout the three weeks I did more adventurous activities than I ever have! I wanted to share my favorites to keep in mind if you are ever traveling throughout New Zealand:

1. Jumping off the Sky Tower – Auckland, New Zealand

Jumping off the Sky Tower was an incredible experience! It’s one of Auckland’s favorite activities for tourists. The jump isn’t like a free fall at all, the harness keeps you stable and tight the whole fall…which is only 10 seconds. The view of the city is breathtaking from this high up!

2. Snorkeling at Poor Knights Island- Tutukaka, New Zealand

I didn’t expect to enjoy snorkeling but it was a great experience! The fish are amazing at the Poor Knights Island. I was able to swim through multiple school of fish and touch jellyfish!

3. Tongariro Alpine Crossing Hike- Tongariro Crossing, New Zealand

I know I’ve talked about this hike in a previous post but this was definitely my favorite memory/experience from the whole trip!

4. Hooker Valley Track- Mount Cook, New Zealand

This hike was shorter and less intense than the Tongariro Alpine Crossing but just as beautiful! This hike was on the South Island which allowed me to experience the amazing Southern alps New Zealand offers.

5. Ziplining through the Ancient Forest- Rotorua, New Zealand

Ziplining through the Ancient Forest was such an experience. It felt so freeing to be gliding above huge trees. My friends and I wanted to zipline all day, it wasn’t long enough!

6. Horseback Riding- Rotorua, New Zealand

I have never rode a horse before so this was a new exciting experience for me and one that I loved! The views from the trek felt unreal and being on horseback made the afternoon truly feel like a fairytale.

Travel Talk

Published on December 13, 2017March 12, 2018 by Skylar M. BeckLeave a comment

For the last two weeks I’ve been traveling throughout New Zealand. The whole experience has been incredible so far and I’m unbelievably thankful for the opportunity. While I’ve been in this beautiful country a lot of my friends and family back home have been commenting on my pictures and craving to know about every new experience I encounter. Because of this, over the past few days I’ve done a lot of reflecting about my travel experiences over the summer and right now. I think it’s too easy to believe a person has a perfect life or is constantly having the best time. With all of the social media constantly presented to us everyday, it is easy to make your life appear to be something it is not. This is concerning to me for many reasons. However, this is not to take away from the gratitude I feel from traveling; it’s simply to point out that just because a person’s life appears to be amazing, a picture does not reflect everything. Therefore, I want to introduce a new category to my blog called: Travel Talk. This will focus on reflections about my travel experiences that people may not see by looking at one of my edited photos.

So to begin…I’m currently traveling through New Zealand in a large group with fellow peers from my home university. Traveling in a large group is never easy. There are days when I want to separate from the group completely because I’m so irritated. And there are days I am thankful to have company. There are days when we have a long bus ride and have to stop for lunch at a McDonald’s or a grocery store because we are in a rush. And there are days where we have the chance to find a nice authentic restaurant with great wine and food. There are days where there isn’t any wifi or service which prevents me from talking with my loved one back home. And there are days where my hostel has the best wifi imaginable. There are days where I feel annoyed, angry, and homesick. And there are days where I am overwhelmed with gratitude, happiness, and peace.

All of these feelings and experiences are normal for any traveler. Yet, the negative experiences are something that is never discussed or presented. It’s important to remember that nobody’s life is perfect. Everyone experiences a range of emotions even while traveling in a beautiful place. There is nothing to be ashamed of for feeling low sometimes. It’s also perfectly fine to admit that even though this trip has been incredible so far, it hasn’t always been fun. I believe it’s important to look at the bigger picture when I find myself feeling down. Yes I may feel homesick some days but I’m in New Zealand right now!! Which is a place I never imagined myself traveling to.

This is a picture of me in Queenstown with a beautiful view from the Skyline restaurant. What you didn’t know: the food was terrible!

This is a picture of me hiking on the Hooker Valley trail which was one of my favorite hikes. What you didn’t know: At this point in the trip I hadn’t been able to do laundry so the clothes I’m wearing were already dirty.

Photo Diary: Tongariro Alpine Trek

Published on December 5, 2017March 12, 2018 by Skylar M. BeckLeave a comment

Greetings from New Zealand! I’ve had trouble finding reliable wifi so unfortunately I haven’t been able to write a blog post. This past week has been incredible! I’ve done a lot of adventous activities. So far my favorite has been a 10 mile hike on the Tongariro Alpine Trek. The views from the trek were breath taking. I’ve never seen anything like it before, it felt like another world.

My top 5 favorite travel destinations

Published on September 13, 2017March 12, 2018 by Skylar M. Beck3 Comments

I was fortunate enough to travel a lot this summer and recently I’ve been thinking about all of the experiences and memories I had. Everywhere I went was special but there are certain places that make me feel happiest when I look back on the pictures. I decided to share a list of my top 5 favorite travel destinations from this summer:

Florence, Italy. Florence was my favorite city in Italy. Florence was also the first city I visited alone so it will always be significant to me. I immediately felt welcomed from the moment I stepped off the train. I am hoping to be back in Florence very soon in the next year or so.
Procida Island, Naples, Italy. Procida was the most colorful place I visited. The vibrant pastel colors on the buildings throughout the island always makes me happy to look at. Procida also had the best pizza I’ve ever tasted, which made the island even more enjoyable!
Paris, France. I had high expectations of Paris, mostly because I had been wanting to visit since I was little. I was not disappointed. Paris offered a charming atmosphere unlike any other city I visited.
Cliffs of Moher, Ireland. Ever since I returned home to the USA all of my friends and family have been asking what country was my favorite. My answer has been Ireland. I went to several cities around Ireland, but of course, the Cliffs of Moher was the most breathtaking place. Ireland was my favorite mostly because of the calm environment and because it was much different than every other place I visited in Europe.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Orlando, Florida. I’m a huge Harry Potter fan. The books, the movies, the aesthetic it has created for it’s fans over the years make me so overwhelmingly happy. The Harry Potter World has been on my bucket list for a few years now and I’m thrilled this summer I was finally able to go with my family.

Photo Diary: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Published on August 15, 2017January 8, 2025 by Skylar M. BeckLeave a comment

I recently spent two days in Orlando, Florida’s Universal Studios. Universal is a huge amusement park but I was most interested in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. My family and I have always been big fans of J.K. Rowling’s books and films. There are two parts of the Harry Potter World in Universal Studios. One is Diagon Alley and has multiple stores and restaurants featured in the books and movies. The second section is the small town Hogsmeade which has more stores and restaurants featured in the books and movies. And of course, visitors can stare at the amazing castle of Hogwarts which is just outside of Hogsmeade. Both sections are connected by none other than the Hogwarts express train. Visitors can ride the train and feel like a Hogwarts student along the way. There are also three roller coasters based off of the Harry Potter books and movies. Even if you aren’t a fan, I would still recommend visiting the Harry Potter World if you are ever in Orlando, Florida. I was highly impressed with how real and accurate everything was compared to the movies.

P.S. Don’t forget to try a cup of butterbeer, which is the drink featured in the movies. It’s non-alcoholic, only sweet and delicious!

Photo Diary: New York City

Published on August 9, 2017March 12, 2018 by Skylar M. Beck3 Comments

NEW YORK CITY. Out of all the cities I have been to, especially in the last two months, New York City will always hold a special place in my heart. I have been many times and every time I go back, there is always something new and exciting to see and do–which has to be my favorite part about NYC. I was there for the past four days visiting design centers and the New York School of Interior Design. I will be sharing my experience in the NYC design world in another post. For now, here are some of my favorite pictures I took while in the city.

Europe Reflections

Published on July 17, 2017March 12, 2018 by Skylar M. BeckLeave a comment

07. 17. 17.

It’s hard to believe that I have been home from Europe for almost a week now. It’s even harder to believe I spent the past two months living in Europe. Words can’t described how blessed I feel for the experiences and adventures I had while in Europe. I recently came across the quote “Traveling is only thing you buy that makes you richer.” I think there’s a lot to be said about that quote. Traveling opened my eyes to the big beautiful world we live in. There is so much more to see and experience compared to what we are used to seeing and experiencing every day. Personally, I think it’s easy to get stuck in a routine that we repeat day after day, month after month, even year after year; and at some point we start believing this is our life. But stepping outside of the routine showed me that life and the world in general are so much more than familiarity and what I was comfortable with. Traveling allowed me to take risks, be scared, be excited, and change in some of the best ways. I think traveling for the past two months was the best gift I could have given myself. I now know what I am capable of and what I am capable of accomplishing alone. Once you prove that to yourself, other things that once seemed scary suddenly don’t. Was it always easy traveling alone? Of course not. But the experiences I had were well worth some of the challenges I faced.

It’s strange being home. Even though I was only away for two months, that’s a long enough time for me to feel adjusted to a whole other world. Now being home feels slightly foreign. But with time the strange feelings I’m now experiencing will fade. The memories and lessons I learned in the last two months will stay with me for much longer and continue to shape the way I view my life. I’m already looking forward to my next adventure!

Day Tripping: Verona, Italy

Published on July 11, 2017March 27, 2019 by Skylar M. BeckLeave a comment

Verona was one of the last cities in Italy I wanted to make sure I visited before heading back home. I’m sure many of you first heard of this small town in Northern Italy from the movie, Letters to Juliet…or maybe that was just me. Verona is home to Juliet from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Although, apparently this may not have actually been her home but since her family lived in Verona, this quickly became a tourist destination. In the courtyard there is a statue of Juliet and small gift shops. Tourists are allowed to take a tour inside the home and go out onto the balcony that is attached to Juliet’s bedroom. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to walk through the home but spending time in the courtyard was enjoyable. I made sure to write a letter to Juliet and leave it in the mailbox. Other tourists leave small notes in the walkway in unique ways…some are written on bandaids!

With the short amount of time I had, I also made sure to hike to the top of Castel San Pietro. The view from the top is stunning!

A Day in Prague, Czech Republic

Published on July 9, 2017March 27, 2019 by Skylar M. BeckLeave a comment

If I had to describe Prague in one word it would be magical. I was only able to visit Prague for about 24 hours but the whole time I felt like I was in a fairy tale. The architecture of the buildings give such an enchanting feeling and of course the Prague castle was enough to sweep me off my feet. Surprisingly, I was able to see a lot of Prague in a day. My favorite sites were the Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, the John Lennon Wall, and Old Town Square. Also, for food I recommended trying a glass of beer and one of their desserts…my favorite was the donut with ice cream inside.