Mayercraft 2009: The Artists

Yes. It's true. I was one of those crazy people who went on John Mayer's cruise. Both years. But come on, you have to admit it - a cruise to somewhere tropical, music and comedy shows going on all the time, and copious amounts of alcohol? That spells fun!

A bunch of people have asked me what artists other than John Mayer were on this year's Mayercraft cruise. The answer? Tons of awesome ones! Here they are:

O.A.R.

Travel Photo Tuesday: Cabo San Lucas, Mexico (again!)

I loved our recent vacation so much that I figured it warranted two "Travel Photo Tuesday"s! This photo cracks me up - the pelicans are so cute... sitting on the rock covered in poop. Oh, pelicans.

Travel Photo Tuesday: Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

I got back from my cruise to Cabo San Lucas last Tuesday, and looking at this photo makes me wish I were still there. This was taken from the top deck of our boat as we were leaving the port. Such a gorgeous day!

Travel Photo Tuesday: Costa Maya, Mexico

As I get ready to go on Mayercraft 2009 to Cabo San Lucas, I find myself looking at all of the photos I have from other "tropical" vacations. This is one of my favorites - from a secluded beach in Costa Maya, Mexico. The weather could not have been more perfect that day, and the water was calm enough for all of us to go play. My only regret was that we didn't get to stay longer in this spot.

Mayercraft: Pros & Cons

Last February, I embarked on an adventure called the Mayercraft Carrier.

A three day cruise to the Bahamas, with John Mayer as host, and a whole bunch of other bands playing on a sort of music festival at sea. Other than the massive disaster that was American Airlines losing my luggage for the entire cruise (and the seven weeks that followed the cruise), it was an amazing trip. Great music, fun day trip in the Bahamas... and being stuck on a ship with John Mayer wasn't anything to shake a stick at, either.

In a possibly brilliant, possibly misguided move, my friends and I re-upped for this year's Mayercraft Carrier 2. This year, the cruise will be to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, will be longer, and most importantly, will depart from the Los Angeles, eliminating all possibilities of American Airlines losing my luggage again.

2009 Travel Plans

I was fortunate enough to travel quite a bit in 2008, and I am currently doing everything I can to continue that trend. I recently went over my previous plans for 2009, and updated them a bit... Here are my current plans for 2009.

2009 Planned And Booked Travel:

- Mayercraft 2009 to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico (girls' trip)

2009 Planned, But Not Yet Booked Travel:
- Ireland, to get back to Europe and go to a place we've never been
- Portland or Minneapolis, to visit friends

BF and I would both really love to go on a trip to Ireland, so I've been spending a lot of time looking up places to go and links online with information. Here are a few of my favorite links, so far.

Tips for planning a trip to Ireland
Discover Ireland
Irish Getaways (Has some amazing looking travel deals)
Ireland B&B Network (where I would like to stay)
Ireland Hostel Listings (where BF would like to stay)

I think we are planning on going in either May or in August/September. I still have a lot of research to do on a possible trip out there, but cost wise, we're thinking 10-13 days. We want to see a good majority of the country, but of course have limited funds and vacation time.

So here's my inquiry: If you've been to Ireland, what is something we absolutely HAVE to see?

2008 & 2009 Travel Plans

I am very ambitious with my 2008 & 2009 travel plans, after going on very few trips (by my standards) in 2007. I have resolved to spend more time traveling, since I don't currently have kids or a mortgage or a car payment. All of these things are bound to catch up with me soon, so I feel that I need to take advantage of this year and next year to get some travel fixes in! My plan? One big trip and a handful of smaller trips this year, and 1-3 big trips next year.

2008 Already Traveled:
- Mayercraft Carrier cruise to Grand Bahama, Bahamas
- Central/Northern CA road trip to Morro Bay, Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Francisco

2008 Planned And Booked Travel:
- Work conference in Dana Point
- East Coast road trip to Boston, Connecticut, Philadelphia, Virginia and Washington DC

2008 Planned, But Not Yet Booked Travel:
- "Break from CA" trip to Portland
- BF's work conference in San Francisco

2009 Planned And Booked Travel:
- Mayercraft Carrier cruise to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

2009 Planned, But Not Yet Booked Travel:
- Europe: Austria & Italy, or Ireland