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Lions, Tigers, and VIDEOS OH MY!

I recently acquired a skill that I have been wanting to learn for the past 2 years, video editing! I'm excited be able to share our travels in a new form with you.

Check out one of my first edited pieces on Spain. All the pictures, video's and even music are original recored, and edited by Zeal Travel. Journey with me as we celebrated NYE in Spain.......

Hotel's Oh My!

I grew up in a home I considered to be about twenty years behind the stylistic timeline, including Linda Blair puke green patterned carpet, psychedelic colored wall paper in the bathroom, and kitchen appliances older than GE itself. I’m not kidding you! As an adult I grew to appreciate my home, but as a kid hotels were a good break away from my everyday design-challenged surroundings. Although rare, when I was a child whenever we were able to stay in a hotel my pulse would race with excitement, and I would break out for a five second happy dance.

For me, staying in a hotel was a whole experience of the senses, and even as a child it was a complete immersion into a world where these senses piqued at every corner. First there was a feast for the eyes, hotel lobbies filled with restaurants where it seemed you were be able to order anything your heart could desire.  Up the elevator to the room, textured filled, neat, and tidy with heavenly beds that felt like clouds to the touch. I always felt like I slept better in the “cloud beds”. Listening to music or watching TV on top-of-the-line electronics was always a treat I was able to, play and marvel at shiny toys. Depending on who was paying some of the hotels were pretty swanky for my pre-teen taste. One of my favorite things about hotels as a child (and I have to admit still as an adult) is that wonderful guilty pleasure of room service -feast for the taste buds! Who doesn’t like being able to pick up the phone with an abundance of appetizing morsels at your fingertips to choose from, and have them delivered in a moment’s notice? I felt like a Jetson as a kid in a futuristic world, where possibilities seemed endless.   The kicker of course as a youngster was not having to do chores, dishes, laundry, you didn’t even have to make up the bed if you didn’t feel up to it. Awe hotels always seems heavenly!

Now hotels still make my heart race with excitement. For me a part of the traveling experience is not only going to a place that I wonder at the sights to be had, but staying at a place that makes me feel like I’m not at home. From the moment I start searching on the net, to second we pull up to the entrance, the anticipation of being in my temporary living quarters is thrilling. I love to travel, but for me unlike a lot of travelers I know, where I stay is a big part of my overall experience. To me the world looks like one big menu of diverse locals to smooth your fingers on and land where you will. My tastes vary from modern hotels with cool gadgets; like the ones you would find in Japan, or a charming spot with a cheap and chic feel; like some beach spots you would find in Costa Rica.
All in all I’m a fan of the variety that is offered all over the world, and I’m more than happy to be your personal guinea pig, helping you pick a great spot for your next vacation. Look out for Sherpa Girl’s TIPS & TRICKS for all budgets. First stop on the Hotel spotlight PARIS, just thinking about the city makes me want to say ooh la la!

Hello, Howdy, Hola, Sherpa Girl here!

I was intrigued by travel the moment I realized what power a “buddy pass” had. My curiosity for traveling probably started long before I even realized it, as I first traveled across the U.S. from LA to DC at 3 months old! Now that I think about it I’m sure the travel bug is neatly ingrained in my DNA! Mama Lucy, my great-grandmother was said to always have a bag packed by her bed ready to go on an adventure at a moment’s notice.

And although I did not seriously start travel until I was an adult, I was lucky enough to always be surrounded by people from all over the world this helped peak my curiosity of this big ol’ world even more. I learned how to make Goat, and Shrimp Rotis from a native of Trinidad, spoke my first Spanish words from a grandfather type friend of the family from the Dominican Republic. I danced to Cuban and Nigerian rhythms since before I could even remember, and always, always ate any new item I could try including Ethiopian and Japanese cuisines, which were some of my early favorites as a child.

My mom traveled throughout my childhood dancing, and acting in plays, being around four when someone would ask “where is your mother in this world”, I would answer “herami” for Miami, or “hergeria” for Nigeria. It was through my mom that my real love of Reggae began. When she returned from living in Jamaica for a couple of months she came back with a bag full of classic hits from legends like Peter Tosh and Bob Marley. The rhythms of the music along with the stories she brought back with her have been with me till this day.

Two of my aunts were flight attendants in what I consider the hay day of flying. As a child I would revel in the idea of one day being able to be a flight attendant. For me I thought “what was not to like”. I thought the perks were amazing, being able to travel the world for nada and received money doing it too. The biggest bonus I considered was the fact that they were able to share the wealth with their immediate families. Here is where I learned the true power of a buddy pass. My great-aunt, to whom I affectionately called “grandma”, took full advantage of her daughters buddy pass privileges traveling the globe to visit family and an occasional vacation too. Grandma Toots once said: “If you don’t believe in God, go to Hawaii and stand on top of a mountain and speak with me then”. The imageries that those words provoked are still vivid in my head today. Can you imagine that mountain?

My brother has a serious passion for seeing the world as well. He loved to travel so much that he became a jet and helicopter pilot in the Navy, and has since lived in 4 continents including South America, Europe, Asia, and North America. I loved when he came back from living in Italy and brought me my first bottle of Limón cello and a saying that translated to mean the son of a pig a funny joke between him and his new Italian buddies. He taught me about the drink of choice in Russia, Vodka and till this day Stolichnaya is my go-to brand. Ronaldo, as we affectionately call him, has sent me pictures and post cards from Australia, Singapore, Brazil, and many, many beautiful locations from around the world. I just kept thinking “I can’t wait until it’s my turn; I’m going to travel the world”. Well now it is definitely my turn! As my grandpa would say to me “you got it honest” and there Sherpa Girl was born.

Follow me and my friends (the Destination Aficionados) around the world as we soak up all the adventure, all the good, the not so great, and the truly amazing. We like to help you on your journeys, and will share our tips and tricks to ensure a successful experience during your travels. Don’t be shy… tell us about your travel journeys too!