➸ Explore the Big Sur National Park, California USA

When you spend some time on Instagram or Pinterest, you have probably come across a picture with the wonderful view like the picture above. 

Did you ever wonder where that picture was taken? The answer is very simple: at the very instagramable Julia Pfeiffer Beach at the Big Sur State Park in the middle of California. The Big Sur is located right at the famous Highway No. 1 in the middle of Cali - THE road to take, when you're off to an road trip through California. 

What else can you explore at the Big Sur? 

Let's talk about the Highway No.1 at first. You're driving right next to the seaside at have the most stunning view at the breath taking colours of the ocean, the cliffs and just the nature. For all the drivers: don't be worry - you're not gonna miss something, there are plenty of lookout points with parking space, where you can enjoy the view, too. 

One gorgeous lookout is right behind the Bixby Creek Bridge. The bridge was built in 1932 and is 79m high. The bridge fits perfectly in the landscape and makes the view even more stunning. ... and of course it's a perfect spot to take breathtaking pictures. 

When you don't just want to be at the cliffs, but also down at the beach, I have a few options for you:

At the Jade Cove you can take a steep trail down to a nice bay. You wonder why the bay is called "Jade Cove"? That's because you can actually find jade down there - BUT unfortunately it is forbidden to take it home. 

At the Andrew Molera State Park you will not only find a lot of different hiking trails, but also sandy beaches which are 4 km long. 

Where to watch a good old sunset? 

Watching the sun saying goodbye is never getting boring, right? We watched a pretty one at the Pfeiffer Beach. The road down the is kind of adventures, but totally worth it. ( I have the feeling that I have a thing for beaches hidden like that :D ) It's not a big beach, but the sand is white and there are a huge rocks in the water. It's a cool vibe down there, so perfect to end the day with a pretty sunset.  

Where to sleep at the Big Sur?

This is also a very simple answer: at the Big Sur Campground & Cabins  - it's a beautiful camping side in the woods, some grounds are located right by the river. A little path will take you to the little "village" and with little I mean little. There are literally one store and a bar. 

If you want to read more about California, you will find here a post about the lovely town Carmel-by-the-Sea in Northern California. Feel free to leave any tipps for the Big Sur in the comments! 

➸ How to save money on flights

The other day I helped a friend finding a cheap flight to Los Angeles. And with a few hacks he saved about 400€ !! And today I wanna share these hacks with you guys - because saving money on flights is easier than you think! 

- Never book on the weekends -

My first rule is NEVER to book on the weekends, especially on a Sunday. The prices are higher on the weekend, because more people have the time to book their holidays. The best days to book flights are on Tuesday or Wednesday. 

- The thing about cookies -

My second tip is to delete your cookies before checking out the final price. On a lot of websites your searching history is tracked and the more you looking for something, the higher the prices are. I especially noticed that on websites for rental cars. 

- The seasons -

Know the seasons! When you can, always go right before or right after the high season. The prices are way lower and there often are special deals from several companies. And most times the weather is just fine. Or sometimes another season like spring or fall can be wonderful, too. For example, when you're heading to New England you should do it in the fall to experience the beautiful fall foliage.   

- Special Deal Websites -

There are a lot of cool websites, where you can find special deals. They collect error fares and other special prices on flights and hotels, even whole holiday packages. 
When you're from Europe or heading to it, you should definitely check these ones out: 
➸ flynder.com
➸ Urlaubspiraten.de
➸ Urlaubsguru.de

- Look around -

My next tip to save money is to look up the different low-budget airlines in the area you travel to. When you travel around in a certain area it can be cheaper to book them separately from your long-haul flight. What brings me to my next point: 

Sometimes long-haul flights departing from another country, are cheaper than departing from the nearest airport. So check the flights departing from the countries around you and book a separate flight from a budget airline to get there. Like you wanna travel to Los Angeles, you can travel with Eurowings to London and from there with Virgin Atlantic to LA. 
Of course this also apply for the other way around: the long-haul flight to one country with a separately booked connection flight is cheaper than flights booked with one airline. For example: if you wanna travel to Australia book a flight to Asia and from there with an low-budget airline like jetstar to Australia. 

"Zug-zum-Flug"

When you book directly on airline page keep your eyes peeled for "Zug-zum-Flug" tickets ("with the train to the airport") - you get your train ticket for free and don't need to drive with the car to the airport. So you can save gas and the parking fee. But I don't know if these tickets are available in other countries than Germany. Here in Germany a lot of airlines have a cooperation with the German railroad company "DeutscheBahn". 

I really hope you can use some of these tips! They are all tested in real life by me :) If you have any further tips please leave them in the comments. 

➸ Beach recommendation in PORTUGAL - Praia da Cordoama 🌊

Hey guys :) How are ya doing?? In the first time in forever i haven't booked or planned a holiday! Because I will graduate within the next months from university I have sooo much stuff to do and there are so many things I cannot plan, because I just don't know how my future will turn out - definitely terrifying, but also exciting!!! 

But just because I don't go on holiday anytime soon, it doesn't mean you will stay at home, too! And I know in many countries the summer break will began very soon - YEAH for that! So, I thought, maybe you need a little beach inspiration. Life is better at the beach, right?! Therefore, I wanna share with you one of my favourite beaches in Portugal: Praia da Cordoama. 

This beauty you will find at the Atlantic coast, 5km away from Vila do Bispo (in the south of Portugal) and only 13km away from Sagres. So when you wanna combine the beach with some culture, like the Fortaleza de Sagres - it's a perfect day trip. 

The beach is a surfers' paradise, so keep your eyes peeled for some hot surfers ;) ... or try surfing yourself, there are many surf schools around! When you're not up to surf, then bring a blanket, a picnic and some other fun stuff to have the perfect beach day (... please don't forget to bring your sunscreen!). And when you're tired of chilling in the sun, you can climb up the cliff to have a beautiful view or even watch the sunset from there! 

The only drawback: you can reach the beach only by car and be prepared, it's an adventurous road with a beautiful outlook! But totally worth it.