Florida keys

 

My fourth destination on my travels was the Florida Keys, Key West specifically. We got the bus from Miami bus station down the famous seven-mile bridge which happened to be a great drive with cool views looking out over the ocean. However we faced a crucial issue with visiting Key West and that was the tropical weather, it poured with rain for 2/3 of the days we were there meaning we were left with not much to do for the trip, hence the harsh ranking. 

 

                                                           Destination rank-5

 

Accommodation 

 

The Hampton Inn was the hotel of choice for this trip which set us back about 25 dollars each a night for the 3 nights that we stayed there which I thought was reasonable. The hotel offered a nice room as well as both a pool and a complimentary breakfast every morning which we made sure to take full advantage of. The staff were also lovely and made sure our stay was as good as it could possibly be. 

 

Activities

 

Now it must be said that when it comes to how to spend your day in Key West, your fairly limited for options unless you’re ready to spend a lot of money, activities such as jet skiing or renting a paddle boat can set you back hundreds of dollars to just rent for an hour which isn’t ideal on a travelling budget. This meant that the only other thing to do was sit on the beach but unfortunately this wasn’t an option for us due to the harsh weather meaning our trip to key west proved to be a quiet one. The strip however was packed with lovely restaurants which had great food options for all different palettes.

The one dry day we had, we managed to find a deal online for a snorkel trip which set us back 70 dollars each but meant we could snorkel through different coral for 3 hours and see loads of different types of fish, this was an even better deal for the group members over 21 as this package included free drinks for while we were on the boat itself. 

 

Washington DC, a tour through history

 Washington DC

CITY RATING- 8

 

My final destination I visited before returning to New York to fly home was Washington DC. We opted to get the bus for this journey from Miami to Washington which took us 16 hours but only cost 40 dollars instead of paying the 140 dollars for the flight. 

 

 

Accommodation

 

CitizenM was the hotel of choice for my trip to Washington DC, at this point the travel group was cut down to just me and one other boy as people had already left to fly home so this made it easier to find a place to stay for the 2 nights. The hotel itself was well situated as we found ourselves a 20-minute walk from the Capitol building as well as a 10-minute walk from a food hall which had all the best restaurants including my personal favourite, raising canes. The 2 nights staying there set us back 50 dollars each which was reasonable for the facilities offered in the hotel along with its great positioning

 

Activities

 

I had always heard that Washington DC was a city with loads to see but words cannot even describe the rich history that lines the streets of this amazing city. I’m usually not one for historical sightseeing but I was truly taken aback by the astonishing monuments that DC has to offer such as the MLK statue, the white house, the Washington monument, the capitol as well as the Abraham Lincoln statue and much, much more. 

 

 

 

Miami, beaches and ball games.

Destination number 3 for my group of travellers and I was Miami, a short flight from Nashville saw us jumping from state to state in no time. We were initially lured to Miami through its beautiful beaches and sunny weather, neither of which left us dissapointed. 

                                                                 CITY RANKING-6

 

We chose stay in south beach for the 6 days when we visited Miami and booked a 10 person air b n b that set us back about 400 dollars each which might seem steep but is in fact fairly reasonable for Miami prices. An 8-minute walk from the beach meant that we didn’t need to worry about things like paying for an Uber to get from place to place and could hot foot it back for a shower after a swim in the sea. 

 

The highlight of my trip was the brilliant sporting event I attended, the Miami Dolphins American football game, my friends and I were mesmerised by the stadium and its futuristic design, as well as the size and stature of the athletes playing in the famous turquoise blue. Due to the game being a preseason fixture, the tickets only set us back about 40 dollars each and this felt like a bargain for the full production. I was so impressed by the whole thing that I even decided to buy myself a Miami Dolphins jersey with their star players name on the back, Tyreek Hill, to remember the trip by. 

 

 

 

 

However, it must be said that for a young person travelling on a tight budget, Miami doesn’t have a whole load to do other than the sporting events or going to the beach. 

A very expensive city which can see you paying more than double what you would for food in another city. Hindsight tells me that I would have been better extending my stay in Nashville or New York and cutting my stay in Miami to around 3 days. Overall, a cool place to tick off the bucket list, but between the cost of Miami and the lack of activities and things to see, definitely not a ‘must see’ if your visiting the USA. 

 

Nashville, the cowboy adventure!

Next on the agenda for us to talk about is Nashville, the home of country music, a beautiful city which I also found to be very clean and well looked after. Nashville offers loads to do and see, such as its famous country music strip of bars as well as its differential sporting events which you don't find in many places across the world. 

We opted for an air b n b for Nashville which was a 10 minute walk from the strip and proved to be very affordable swell as comfortable. There were e scooters for hire along the strip which proved handy on days we were feeling lazy and couldn't handle the short commute. 

With live music in every bar and restaurant along the strip, Nashville offers you plenty of entertainment to enjoy during your stay. Morgan Wallen himself has a bar on the Nashville strip themed around his hit song ‘this bar. Although, be warned, it is crucial to tip well when in this city or you will be removed from the premises in a rather humiliating way. Luckily enough my friends and I knew this in advance but other out of towners were not so fortunate as they found themselves being told to leave while the band stopped the song they had been playing and instead sang telling these non tippers to ‘get the heck out of there’ until they left. 

Now if you’re a fried chicken lover like myself then nashvile is the place for you, with dozens of fried chicken shops dotted around the city, hattie bs being the best one available, with great tasting succulent chicken and great prices, you really cant go wrong. 

If your looking for the all American experience, look no further than the Nashville stampede bull riding events. Setting me back about 50 dollars, this was a once in a lifetime experience which had me on the edge of my seat for the whole duration of it with an array of fear swell as excitement. The amount of detail that goes into these events is surreal and proves to be quite the night out, this is a must do if your coming to Nashville. 

The only thing I have left to say is put on your best cowboy hat and get those flights booked!