Travel Wishlist – Let’s go to Iceland

These past few days I have just gotten this urge to travel to Iceland, for some reason? I don’t know what it is, but there’s just something about this breathtaking country that is calling my name and do I seriously wish I can just book a ticket right now and go explore the beautiful “Land of Fire and Ice”. Doesn’t that sound epic?

You’d think because it’s called Iceland that there would be plenty of ice everywhere, but that’s not entirely the case, in fact, Greenland is very icy and Iceland is very green. Iceland has the most vast landscapes that just are so simplified and wild and I think that is what completely draws me in. Oh and also don’t forget how interesting this country is – you might be wondering why it’s known as “The Land of Fire and Ice” and also the land of light and darkness?

Well, Iceland has some of the world’s largest active volcanoes and also some of the largest glaciers in all of Europe. In summertime you definitely won’t have a vitamin D deficiency, cause you get to have nearly 24 hours of sunshine, but you better soak it up because when the cold, winter days come, you’ll only get a few hours of sunlight.

How stunning is this photograph of British photograher, James Appleton – the northern lights and an erupted volcano in one photo?!

I have heard a few times that Iceland is one of the happiest countries in the world! That’s probably because of their good living quality and they’re also very generous people – more reasons why I want to travel there! Did you know that the Icelandic language is actually one of the least changed languages of the Nordic countries and they try their best to keep it that way! That’s pretty awesome.

I just can’t get over how unbelievably, breathtakingly BEAUTIFUL this country is!!!

If I were ever to visit Iceland, I’d definitely want to visit and explore the capital, Reykjavík, see the classical Blue Lagoon and of course, the most magical and breathtaking of them all, the Northern Lights.

This country has sooo much more interesting facts and I wish I can type it all for you guys, but it really is a lot! But, if you want to know more about this amazing country, go to the link to read 25 facts about Iceland.

Iceland reminds me so much of the ancient times and it really is still so “ancient” if I can put it that way. The fact that they preserve their language and traditions, they have a very organic diet and way of life and I respect them for that. Despite the fact that so many countries around the world have been influenced so much by the new modern age in terms of language, traditions and just the general way of life, Iceland has developed into a country with a high quality lifestyle for entirety of the country, without having to throw away their original/ancestral language, traditions and general lifestyle. And I just love that.

Don’t you think this looks like the perfect spot to set up a camp?

 

Is anyone going to Iceland soon? Cause seriously. I NEED TO GO THERE.

 

Thank you for reading,

Have you ever been to Iceland and what was your experience? Tell me in the comments!

 

Blissful Boho

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(As per usual, all of the photographs are not mine, I found them on Google Images and do not know who the original photographers/owners of each photo are – so all credits to them. All I know is that they were super lucky to have been able to visit Iceland (: )

 

Travel Wishlist – USA road trippin

Hey guys!

Hope you are all doing good. Before I start with the post, I just quickly want to thank you every one who has clicked on that “follow Blissful Boho blog” button! I woke up this morning with a notification saying that I have 100 followers! What?! So awesome! I am so happy you guys enjoy my blog 🙂 thanks so much once again.

Okay, so today we are in the United States of America, specifically in the states of  California, Arizona and Utah. We are going on a road trip to the beautiful desert landscapes and camping in the wilderness – yes please!

So I would love to do a road trip throughout the entire USA, but that would take quite some time, but if I had to choose one area of the vast landscapes USA has to offer, I’d probably pick the desert landscapes of California, Arizona and Utah.

This road trip would be perfect with a few close friends and camping out in the wilderness.

Since there are so many breathtaking places you can visit in these different states, it’s difficult to choose, but I decided on a top 3 which would include Monument Valley, the Grand Canyon and Joshua Tree National Park. There’s so many national parks!

Oh and another thing, all the photos in this post are not my photos, obviously – I’ve never been there. I just got them off from Google Images and I don’t know who the original owners of the photos are, but they sure know how to take amazing photos! If you know who the real people were behind the lens of the photos, please tell me, so I can add it to the photos.

First we’ll start our trip at Joshua Tree National Park:

Guys, make yourself ready for some reallllyyy beautiful pictures. Joshua Tree NP is so unique and it’s called Joshua Tree, because of well, all the trees haha. Just imagine the stargazing you can do.

One word – breathtaking.

There’s so much you can do here. You can choose to have a day fun packed with so many outdoor adventures like hiking, swimming in Barker Dam, going to the famous Arch Rock, rock climbing – it may look like there’s not much to do, but there is. And at nighttime you can sit by the fire with some s’mores and watch the stars. Ahh it sounds so amazing! Of course we’ll have to pay a visit to where the Coachella Music Festival is held.

From Joshua Tree NP to the Grand Canyon NP – quite a long ride I imagine, but I think the gorgeous views makes all the back aches and pins and needles feelings worth it!

We all know the Grand Canyon is one of the biggest canyons in the world and covers an area of 4,926 km² – that is outstanding!

Just look at that view. I really wish I could be standing there now for real. So once again, this national park also has some great attractions and activities on offer. I’d love to the the Skywalk, Colorado River Rafting, go on the Bright Angel Trail and see the Havasu Falls. The Grand Canyon is huge so there is endless places you can see!

It’s like an oasis. I would not mind going for a dip in there after a nice hike.

Monument Valley is next on the list. Another very unique landscape. All of these locations are so similar, but also so unique in their own different way. The Monument Valley NP lies between the borders of Utah and Arizona and it has so many other parks and attractions around it.

The red sandstone formations in this area is out of this world. It just blows my mind how these big rocks with different shapes and sizes have been there for so long and how they formed over time. 

They look very similar to some sandstone formations we have here, except the ones in Monument Valley is a lot bigger and there’s an entire valley of them! What really interests me is that this is the home of the Navajo tribe. Each formation, or butte, has their own name and a lot of them are of course very Native American. Oh man, I so hope to visit this place one day.

It just looks like such a nice place to wind down and learn more about the history of this special place. Just like Joshua Tree NP and the Grand Canyon, you can go hiking, stargazing, helicopter rides, off road tours and you can even go horseback riding with a native Navajo. Oh and hot air ballooning is a definite must! I am a real sucker for fun outdoor/nature adventures!

UNBELIEVABLE!

I know there are millions of other places you can visit in these specific states that are part of the desert and true wilderness landscapes and I would definitely love to see all the places!

I just feel like taking a road trip through these areas with some friends and just exploring and being in nature and getting to know the history of these locations would be so fulfilling, relaxing and just plain amazing, it is definitely on my travel wishlist and has been for a very long time now. It is so so so beautiful and I don’t know why, but these locations just really speak to me and interests me so much.

So uhm if you and your friends are planning a trip like this and you need an extra person, I would make great company 🙂

♥ ♥ ♥

Thank you for taking some time to read my post – I hope you guys like it!

Have you been to these locations before? Where would you love to travel to in the USA? Tell me in the comments!

– Blissful Boho

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(feature/cover image by Albert Dros. Rest of the photos I do not know who the owners are – feel free to help me out in the comments!)

Traveling & how it feeds the soul

Hey guys!

This is my favourite topic ever and I’m sure so many of you can agree. Traveling really is the best way to feed the soul. It makes you happy and calm in a way nothing else can. I love to travel, as you can probably tell, and me and my family used to travel a lot. We would travel and explore the different landscapes our beautiful country has to offer every August of every year. I love to go camping and I find it so relaxing for the soul. Just going on simple adventures makes me so happy. It is my ultimate dream to be able to travel the world one day.

I sometimes find it really difficult to understand why some people don’t love to travel so much, because I really only see all the benefits of traveling. I have made a list of the benefits of traveling for you guys and I hope it can convince someone to go explore more:

• Improving your communication and social skills – especially in a country where your mother tongue isn’t spoken that much. This gives you the opportunity to communicate with the locals and learn more about them.
• Learning to deal with the unexpected – we all know that not everything always goes to plan when traveling. Stressful situations can happen, but such uncertainties can help you to cope better with it and to work under pressure.
• Stimulates creativity and ideas – whether you’re an artist, a photographer or a blogger, traveling to new places that are different from what you’re used to, can give you some really good inspo!

• Improving your knowledge of cultures – every country has their own people with their own unique cultures. Getting to know these people and their way of doing things can really help you understand in what circumstances they live. Tip: whenever you plan a trip to a country you’ve never been to or have little knowledge of, it’s always a good idea to learn about their culture and etiquette beforehand.
• Creates memories that will last a lifetime – always make sure to take some sort of camera with you to capture those candid moments or beautiful scenery! Having pictures will give you something to look back to whenever you want to relive those memories!
• Improves your knowledge and confidence in general – you get to know the country, it’s people and cultures better and if you’re really into it, you just might learn a new language too!

These last 3 benefits are most definitely my favourite and the most important:

• FUN, FUN, FUN! Traveling really just is so much fun, despite sometimes being in stressful situations, it makes you smile and happy for ages!
• The best way to find yourself is with traveling and traveling solo makes it even better. Like I said, you will find yourself in stressful situations and the way you handle them will teach you about yourself. I don’t really know how to explain this one, but it just aids in helping to find yourself. I think if you just do it, you will know and understand how it helps.
• The last, but definitely not the least. Calm. Content. Collected. Traveling feeds the soul. I personally think it is the best way to relieve yourself of any stress or any negativity that is going on in your life. Just traveling to a breathtakingly beautiful location or country where you can forget about all that drags you down and just stare into the horizon. Or have a book in the hand and a glass of wine in the other. No matter what way you relax, traveling to a different place that doesn’t remind you of work, school, negative people and situations, will ensure you a peaceful mind and soul. It’s about finding pure bliss in that very moment.

Of course, traveling does have some cons, but I could literally only think of one and that is that traveling can be expensive. I, for one, would travel a lot more and definitely go overseas if I could afford it (but there are ways you can travel for less and save money – maybe I’ll write about it in a different post some time). That’s the thing for many of us who love to travel, we sometimes can’t afford it and the people who can afford it, doesn’t spend it on traveling. And if you ask me, traveling is a whole lot more worth than buying expensive clothes and shoes. It feeds the soul, the body and the mind. Traveling is not materialistic, it’s not something that can get old and dirty or be taken away from you.

♥♥♥

To travel is to live, so dream to travel.

Till next time! 🙂

– Blissful Boho 

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(all images are from Pinterest)

 

 

Kiehl’s: An outstanding first impression

My night face cream is close to empty. Not because it was amazing but because I can’t really afford throwing away full, new products. So naturally I was in the hunt for a new one. The whole web has been raving for quite some time about Kiehl’s ultra facial cream. The amazing reviews in addition to a pretty reasonable price tag made me check out the Kiehl’s booth.

The girl at the booth, Maria, was overly kind. After she introduced herself she asked me if I had some time to talk and to do a test in order to create a personalized skin care routine. Since I wasn’t in some kind of hurry I said yes. At first she talked about the company. How it was established in 1851 and how they use naturally-derived products to heal the skin and help it work as it should. After she applied two strips on my forehead and cheek she told me how moist and healthy my skin was (what kind of sorcery is this). Maria then proceeded to ask me what my skin struggles were. After she wrote all the information down in my newly created electronic file she presented me with a skin care routine she believed would best suit me. Since I only needed a cream and I hadn’t tried the brand I only opted for the cream and promised myself that if I am satisfied with the products I tried I would gradually switch my skincare products to the ones Maria suggested. I also got a magic elixir for my head’s dry skin. Last thing that impressed me is that if you take empty bottles back for recycling for 3 you get a lip balm, for 5 a deluxe sample and for ten a full size product from a specific list. 

All in all I saw a brand that promotes natural products that are kind to the skin while considering the environment by using recycled packaging and rewarding people who recycle. 

What is your experience with Kiehl’s? Let me know in the comments below!

* No trees were harmed during the making of this blog post.