10 Reasons Why I (Temporarily) Moved to Buenos Aires

Hello, gorgeous. (Yes, YOU!)Christina here - chiming in from the cozy balcony of my studio apartment in Palermo Hollywood, Buenos Aires.I've just arrived to call this charming place home for a bit, and I couldn't be happier to share the news.It's been some time since I've written here (loads to share at some point), but after receiving the same question on IG stories from so many of you today, I figured it would be best to go ahead and answer here!Of course: WHY Buenos Aires?!For anyone considering a long or short-term trip to the Paris of the South, here are 10 reasons I've decided to make it my temporary home:

1- Buenos Aires is Oh-So-Charming 

Since my first visit to Buenos Aires in November of last year, I was immediate struck by the insane charm.It has the scale of Manhattan, the architecture of Europe, and the lifestyle, currency and hours of operation of South America. Magic found.

2- Practicar mi espanol 

To be honest, I'm a bit embarrassed to admit on the internet that I don't speak Spanish fluently.After growing up in south Florida and 4 years of study, simple lack of regular use has led most words (and definitely most grammar) to escape me, and we're only getting older here. Especially working around-the-clock on a global project where English is the least common language of our team, it's a daily reminder of where I'm selling myself short.Argentines may speak Castellano, pero estoy aquí para practicar.

3- Creative and Start-Up Community 

What initially led me to San Francisco, draws my same interest here in Buenos Aires. Artists, photographers, performers regularly fill the streets with passion, while budding writers, designers, entrepreneurs fill cafes galore.Buenos Aires is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in South America -- but still making a name for itself on a global scale for innovation -- and that's a great energy to be around.

4- Constant Inspiration 

On the same wavelength as creative energy, inspiration is found at every corner here!Art is simply part of the culture, with intricate murals painted across most walls, tango shows in the streets, and tonnes of free cultural events in the many museums and parks.

5- People Who Make Eye-Contact During Conversations Instead of Staring at their Phones

I can be as guilty of this as the next American, especially when I'm stable in work mode in SF for a while, but it was one of the first things I noticed here.Buenos Aires is a sprawling, dense, business metropolis, yet when you're walking around, people aren't in the middle of phone calls on every sidewalk. In restaurants and cafes, Porteños (Buenos Aires locals) enjoy each other's company uninterruptedly, instead of looking down at their devices.Surely, there are many factors that play into this, but whether for convenience, safety or mindfulness, it's a welcome change of pace.

6- Positive Nationalism 

Argentines are known for having an immense amount of pride about their country, and for people who have been through decades of political instability, economic collapses, shaking social programs, world cup losses (the ultimate ego hit), etc. it is so refreshing to still experience their whole-hearted adoration for their homeland.

7- Outdoor Seating 

IT MAY BE WINTER, but it's not too cold to sit outside on the wide sidewalks of all of these high ceiling, chic design restaurants and thank heavens! Because there are so. many. great. spots.

8- Nightlife 

An ode to my south FL roots, I love love love that the normal time to leave the house to go out around here is around midnight, and that clubs full of high-energy dance music don't close until well after dawn. I'm a natural born night owl, and Buenos Aires just gets it.

9- Wine (and Local Wine Regions!)

Did you think we were really going to get to 10 without mentioning this one? Mas Malbec, por favor. Headed to Mendoza next week!

10- Grabr Community 

Of course, saving the best reason for last, Buenos Aires is home to one of our biggest Grabr communities!Having traveled here twice with grabs before, I already have a great network of friends on the ground, and was able to earn some extra cash on my trip en route this time, too.Argentines deal with a restricted economy, so locals rely on Grabr to get essential items such as nutrition supplements and children's goods, and everyday luxuries like electronics and American brand clothes. While I'm here, I'll be working on building out our perks for travelers, to make it even more enticing for you to head this way!If Buenos Aires is on your travel short-list, check out items that locals are asking for here to fund your trip, and feel free to use my invite link to cash out an extra $50 for your first delivery.I can't wait to show you guys more of this beautiful city over the next couple of months!

Have you traveled to Buenos Aires? Is it on your bucket list?

5 Must-Stop Spots in Nashville

It’s been just over 2 months since I touched the ground in Nashville, but not a day has gone by that I haven’t thought of the slow mornings, welcoming accents and sweet details that line the charming streets of the American south.

There’s just something about the pace and lifestyle of the south that captures my heart a little more each visit.

To kick off the summer, Brian and I set out to escape the San Francisco fog and see what local Nashville, TN had in store.

Full of music, bars, BBQ and boutiques galore, here were my fave local finds from a week in town:

1- Nights at the Hutton Hotel

After a quick pop into the Hutton during a cross-country road trip a few weeks before, there were no questions about where to call home base for our stay. Smack in the center of downtown, across the street from Nashville’s most famous hot chicken at Hattie B’s and near famed music row, the Hutton oozes with music city hospitality, in a modern way.

From the very entrance where trendy neon lights line the valet to signal the welcome of entertainment, to the contemporary southern decor in the lobby and bar, and the sleek pop art and skyline views from the rooms, closing out long days of exploring here is an absolute highlight.

The pop-up espresso bar to kick off those slow mornings doesn’t hurt, either.

2- BBQ (All of It)

Mornings run a little later around here (and we weren’t around long enough for a Sunday brunch), so BBQ tended to be our first meal of the day.

Spread across the city, Edley’s, Hattie B’s and Acme Feed + Seed are each highly recommended stops. You can’t leave the city without trying at least one.

3- Pinewood Social

This may easily be one of my favorite restaurants/bars/coffee shops/bowling alleys I’ve yet to find. In fact, I’m sure it is, because it’s the only one! Whoever came up with this hipster-trendy combination rec. center on a hillside idea with great food, coffee, cocktails, decor, bowling and a solid vantage point is genius, and every city everywhere deserves one.

The talk about the town is that Pinewood Social was seen as a peculiar concept at first, and people weren’t really sure what to expect of the “social club,” but now the the 13,000 square feet center stays packed (but not too packed) with cafe go-ers, study hall-ers, meal seekers, cocktail indulgers and bowling novices and enthusiasts, just about 7am to 1am each day.

Brilliant.

4- Boutiques Galore

If there is one thing that will bring me back to Nashville, TN, it is the shopping. Every boutique and country corner store is seeping at the brim with charm, and I really had to hold myself back to keep our explorations moving along!

Draper James, White’s Mercantile, that adorable outdoor flower shop next to The Frothy Monkey coffee shop, every other door in the 12 South neighborhood.

Dear Nashville boutiques, I'll take one of everything.

Love, Christina.

5- Music!

No trip to Music City would be complete without a taste of it’s namesake, and while country isn’t my personal indulgence at home, (as you guys know by now) I am always in search of the local flavor, so off into the crowds we went.

The city was packed on our first night in town for the close of CMA Fest, and wow does the place light up! All of downtown around Nissan Stadium was swarmed with people, not to mention the 88k fans inside. It was the largest stadium event I’d been to since a Florida State football game, and the crowd was just as pumped.

Our final venture into the local scene was a night at the Grand Ole Opry, the live music radio show that made country music famous. We missed out on a Dolly Parton appearance, but sitting in the crowd of this tradition is definitely a “visit to Nashville” rite of passage for any American.

Next time, we'll have to build in room for brunch, honky tonk bars and more boutiques!

Is Nashville, TN on your list? Where would be your first go-to spot?

currently exploring was welcomed as a guest of the TN Department of Tourist Development. All opinions and local finds are my own.

Travel for Good: Cruising the Dominican Republic with Fathom

Embarking on a mission trip has been on my bucket list for several years, so when I heard of the launch of Fathom Travel's new cruise concept: impact + travel, I was immediately intrigued!Voluntourism -- or, volunteer tourism -- is a topic that has gained a lot of air time recently, and one that I've been itching to gain some experience with.We can take so much for granted in our day-to-day, and don't often enough stop to realize how small efforts like volunteering a few hours on our part, can make a huge difference in the lives of others.A more extensive trip is something I'd love to do with my little sisters and cousins in the coming years, but for now, this seemed like a great introduction.Last week, Kristin + I set sail from Miami to the Dominican Republic for a bestie retreat and taste of impact travel with this new line, aboard the Fathom Adonia.Here's a look at our 7-day journey:

the Travel

With 4 days at sea and 3 days in port, the Fathom agenda gives you plenty of time for traditional cruisin' sun + leisure time (in our case, office hours), in addition to time to get out and about around the island.At 704 passengers max, the Adonia is smaller but spacious, with everything you need plus a touch of decor and none of the extra stuff that can make cruise ships oh-so-cheesy (casino hall, I'm looking at you).Whimsical workshops like "Curiosity Advantage" and "The Story of You," mixed in with educational breakouts on Dominican culture and the local language made up our onboard activities, and all of the traditional cruise to-do's like wine and paint parties, cocktail classes, fitness and meditation were available as well.Impact excursions for the DR cover Community, Environmental and Women's-focused activities including English tutoring, Water Filter Production, Recycled Paper Crafts, Reforestation and more.The food was above-average for cruise-cuisine, the fruit was fresh, the sun was strong and the boat was refreshingly not jam-packed with people.We had 500/704 sail on our particular voyage, which, seemed like the perfect amount. The smaller size let you get to recognize people from around the ship after a few days, and added to the community feel of the whole experience.

the Impact

Kristin and I signed up for an afternoon of laying concrete floors, and in a matter of 5 hours time we mixed, passed, laid and paved concrete floors completely throughout the 2-room home of a middle-aged man named Lorenzo, alongside 10 other "impact travelers" of all ages.Two high school girls, a few retirees, men, women and two families with young boys.With the translation of our impact guide, Lorenzo introduced himself to us, shared his gratitude, and worked by our side every step of the way.In the Javillar neighborhood where he lives, dirt floors that serve as a breeding ground for infection and disease are the norm, and it usually takes homeowners several years to save up enough to pave the floors themselves.Lorenzo makes soaps for a living to sell at the local mercado, and just a year before his home had been burned down while he was away.This made him especially grateful to have our help on this day, he explained.What took so very little effort for us in our small group travelers on one hot day, helps give Lorenzo (and everyone in the Javillar community) a safer place to come home to for life.This is the Fathom Travel mission.

the Experience

I have to admit it felt some kind of strange walking back through a multi-million dollar port and onto a cruise ship with an unlimited food supply right after this kind of experience, but with Fathom's goal being to expose as many people as possible to the idea of impact travel, the lighter introduction is a great way to "toe-dip" in if you're not ready to commit an entire vacation to service, or just want add a little feel good to your day.Personally, it left me wanting more, so they can safely say mission accomplished!Our IDDI impact leader shared that more than 100 homes have been upgraded since Fathom's initial sail in April, and at least the local community we connected with seemed absolutely thrilled about the inbound assistance. While we were working, other families and children in the neighborhood stopped by to check out progress, and one to share the cheer that their home had recently been paved as well.The impact activities fill up quick -- they were almost completely booked by the time we got on board -- so be sure to book in advance if you embark on this trip to get access to the best selection and most activities!"Voluntourism" can raise a lot of questions in the travel industry, about the actual impact brought by large scale programs and tourist foot traffic vs. the benefits on the ground, so I was happy to learn firsthand about Fathom's partnerships with IDDI and Entrena.By partnering with these two pre-existing organizations with long-standing history in the local communities, they help ensure that all of their impact experiences are truly authentic and beneficial for all.It's great to see Fathom working towards making impact travel accessible and desirable on a large scale, and I look forward to watching how they evolve into new destinations and programs in the future.To keep the good vibes flowing, Fathom is offering a $100 discount off all voyages to the DR or Cuba now through 8/31 with this link. 9/1-11/31 discount is $50.Happy sails! 

Would you spend part of your vacation on an impact trip? Have you? I'd love to hear about it!

currently exploring was welcomed onboard as a guest of Fathom Travel. As always, all opinions are my own.

4 Reasons to Fall in Love with Charming Chattanooga

Crisp, clean, walkable streets, warm southern hospitality and an unexpectedly striking scene for foodies — these are just the first few things you’ll notice exploring around small town Chattanooga, TN, and likely before you’ve even left the downtown!

I seem to find myself more of a city girl: Miami, New York, San Francisco, Tokyo, but just before Christmas, I took a long awaited trip to visit one of my college roomies Sam in Knoxville, and couldn’t help but ask her to make the short drive with me to check out what all the buzz in small town Chattanooga was really about.

Y’all, I may have been single-handedly converted. Chattanooga is just jam-packed with charm.

Here’s why:

It’s a Major Basecamp for Outdoor Adventure

Don’t let the popular spots fool you, Chattanooga has so many “tourist-y” natural destinations because the surrounds are a booming outdoor mecca of the SE, especially for climbers.

The guys at The Crash Pad (a crisp boutique hostel dedicated to outdoor enthusiasts) tipped me off that Roots Rated is the local go-to for finding trails, but Cravens House Loop trail is a good start for most trail seekers and some of the best motorcycle routes in the country stem out of TN to NC: Highway 129, Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap, 64 towards Ocoee, 30, and 165 — basically, you can take off in any which direction from Chattanooga and be in view-chasers heaven.

If the pre-paved path is more your style, dozens of popular spots like Lookout Mountain, Rock City Gardens, Ruby Falls, 7 States View or the Incline Train have you covered for natural feels.

And, you can prep for the great outdoors Spider Man style by climbing up the side of a high rise rock wall looking over the city (and the Aquarium) at High Point Rock Gym!

Leisurely Afternoon Strolls are a Serious Thing

Chattanoogan’s love to stroll, so much so that this tiny little town created the world’s largest pedestrian bridge to connect the North Shore and it’s downtown area.

On the afternoon we walked, families, photographers, and people simply taking breaks from work strolled across the Walnut Street bridge, taking in views of the Tennessee River on either side and listening to the tunes of casual street musicians (no, they weren’t asking for money).

The Glass Bottom bridge, Chattanooga Pier and Point Park are also testaments to this “afternoon recharge.” What's not to love?!

That Local Southern Hospitality

The American south is one of the friendliest places on earth, and that locally-grown hospitality just seeps through everything.

The people are kind, signage is small, food is sourced from nearby, shops are owned by families and many of the products are homegrown (not that there isn’t great shopping — Warehouse Row definitely has you covered for labels).

Each of Chattanooga’s crisply clean streets, neatly laid between the mountains and rivers around, are just oozing of charm and whimsy.

Striking Scene for Foodies

Saving the best for last — the thing that struck me most about charming Chattanooga was it’s striking scene for foodies!

From micro-breweries and whisky warehouses, dozens of delicious restaurant concepts and some seriously tempting sweet treats, Chattanooga’s food scene has got it going on.

There are so many spots it was hard to choose where to dine during our short 3-day trip, but starting with the Monen’s family’s delicious + spot-on ambiance quadruple-threats: Milk + Honey, Taco Mamacita, Urban Stack and Community Pie, to the quaint and view-full: Tony’s Italian, Back Inn Cafe and Rembrandt’s Coffee of BluffView, to cocktail and tapas crowd-drawing Flying Squirrel near the hostel, sweet-tooth savoring The Hot Chocolatier, and local southern chain (yes, I’m recommending a chain restaurant — it’s that good) Tupelo Honey Cafe, the options are endless.

Boat House on the water, Bar Louie, Lamar’s, Sitar and Canyon Grill were also all highly recommended to us, but unfortunately three days only allows for so many eats!

Here are a few more snaps from our long weekend around town:

Where to Stay:

Sam and I enjoyed our three nights in town at the Marriott Springhill Suites, Chattanooga’s only riverfront hotel, complete with slow nights by the fire pit on the outdoor patio, fresh breakfast in the mornings, spacious rooms and riverfront views.

For more information about travel to Chattanooga, visit ChattanoogaFun.com.

What about you: are you more of a city person or a small-town gal (or guy!)?

currently exploring was welcomed as a guest of Visit Chattanooga. All opinions and experiences are my own.

Finally, Itinerary Planning Made Easy

If you love big adventures but hate less love spending dozens of hours planning them, you’re going to be super excited about what’s coming next.

Plango is the newest travel itinerary planning tool out of Silicon Valley, helping you easily plan your perfect vacation by picking from hundreds of templates already created by other travelers, or simply popping in keywords for that area and dragging and dropping experiences onto your own custom agenda.

All of your maps, pictures, lists, calendar, search tools, "phoning a friend" for reviews, and even booking — i.e. everything usually spread out for weeks all over the dining room table — all combined into one clean and compact spot.

Possibly the best part is the ability to create multi-city itineraries... with friends.

Group text? BYE FELICIA.

How Do You Plango?

1. Login to Plango.us
2. Find a Plan to customize, browse Top Collections or select a New Plan to start from scratch
3. Get to Planning!

Once you’ve entered the main details for your trip: Title, Description and Dates in the Summary, a countdown automatically pops up top (genius), and you can start creating your custom Itinerary, actually process Booking, or add To-Do’s or Friends to join in.

Then, hop on over to the Itinerary — this is where the magic happens.

Have absolutely no clue what you want to do while you’re in town?

No problem.

Plango automatically populates the most popular things to do in your selected cities from Foursquare, in review-ranked order from other travelers, on the left -- and sets you up to drag and drop them directly onto your own custom Itinerary on the right.

Switch it up with any city and keyword you like: “hotel,” “ice cream,” “hiking,” “brunch,” "volunteering" — whatever floats your sunshine-lit catamaran.

And every trip you plan, is helping another traveler plan theirs!

Check things off the To-Do list leading up to the days of your trip, and then be on your way, with access to your full plan, booking info, and local reviews all at your fingertips, sans the oversized guidebook full of post-it notes.

Test Plango out for yourself at Plango.us and be sure to check out my curated travel guides for Mexico City, NorCal wine country and Sunny Isles Beach — would love to know what you think!

Love it? Pin it! 

Thanks to Plango for partnering on this post, and for creating a tool I've been waiting forever for! As always, all opinions are my own.