Why Pinterest Is Your Travel Best Friend

As I begin my senior year, I've started thinking about what I want to do with my last Summer before I start my job in July. Over and over again, people have told me to go travel and see the world because I won't have another opportunity to do so for a while. They have said that this is a unique opportunity and that i need to take advantage of it while I have time.

This leaves me with a dilemma, though. I know that I want to go out and see the world like everyone has been telling me, but the world is a pretty big place with unlimited cool things to see and do. I am now tasked with the job of planning a trip. This entails deciding where I want to go in the first place. After I know where I want to go, I have to find fun things to do in those specific places. After I have planned my trip, I will have to know what to wear and things I will need. Lastly, I need to figure out how to bring all the necessities with me, while still packing light. Since I've started planning my post-grad trip, Pinterest has been my best friend.

And here is why....

First, Pinterest helps you decide where to go: There are way too many places in the world to be able to decide by yourself. Pinterest has a host of articles and list of great places to visit with highlights from each. This allows you to get a taste of what each trip might be like and what sort of activities it might entail.

Pinterest is very easy to search on, so if you know what area of the world you'd like to go to or what type of vacation you'd like to take, it is easy to narrow down your travel results. For example, you could search "Caribbean vacation" or "adventure travel vacation", and come up with hits tailored to the type of trip you are interested in. Essentially, Pinterest is a specialized Google search with pictures representing each hit, that give you an idea of what that article might share.

After you decide where to go, you have to decide what to do in those destinations: It is essential to have some activities lined up for your travel destinations or you could end up in a strange city with nothing to do (or worse, nowhere to stay). Pinterest is a great resource for finding the coolest activities to do for almost any city you could think of. Next time you are planning a trip, search fun things to do in your destination, and can you will be surprised by the amazing things you can find, Many times, you can also find articles about activities that are free if you are on a budget!

After you decide where you're going and what you're doing, you have to decide what to wear, and more importantly, how to pack it: It can be difficult to decide what to wear to somewhere you have never been before. For example, when I went to Alaska in July, temperatures were sometimes in the 80s, while other times they were in the 30s. It would have been nice to know that while packing. Luckily, Pinterst has an article to tell you how to dress for just about anywhere you can think of. Once you know what to wear, Pinterest can also help you jam it all into a tiny suitcase with all the packing tips and tricks they have to offer. Pinterst will teach you what to bring and what to leave to conserve space and how to roll your clothes so they can fit into smaller spaces than you could imagine. Pinterest is a great resource for all things travel, and is always a great place to look to for ideas, and tips for traveling better.

Is Social Media Really Making Better Personal Relationships?

 We live in a world where social media is so inter-woven in to our daily lives and relationships, that we wouldn't know how to function without it. Throughout a typical day, we will contact our friends, significant others, parents, and colleagues through various social media platforms. One day I might talk to one friend through a stream of Snap chats, while posting a funny video on another friend's Facebook wall, and then later that day post a picture on Instagram celebrating a friend's birthday. This goes without mention of the numerous texts that will no doubt be sent throughout the day. While it may seem like we are more connected to one another than ever before, have we lost the meaningfulness of connecting in person? And when we do spend face to face time with someone, is this time hindered by all the relationships we feel the need to keep up with on social media through our mobile devices? So the real question is: Is social media really making better personal relationships? Or is the constant need to be in contact, and to publicize our relationships hurting us in the end?

I once had a conversation with one of my friends, about someone we knew from high school. We were wondering if she was still dating the guy she had been dating in high school and we took to social media to find out. We stalked her pictures, and since she had not posted any pictures of them together in a few months, we came to the conclusion that they must have broken up. We later found out that they were still happily dating. This goes to show the stereotypes that have become such commonplace rules for relationship today. If you don't post on social media, people assume your relationships don't exist. There is so much pressure to post on social media, and show others how fabulous of a life we have, that it could be squelching the actual relationships we have. We can be so wrapped up in making it LOOK like we're having a great time that we miss the opportunity to live in the moment and ACTUALLY have a great time.

This pressure to keep up a good appearance on social media stretches into more than just everyday relationships, but into monumental life moments, like proposals. People (mainly women) are becoming more and more obsessed with catching these life moments of camera, and looking good whiled doing it. Pinterest has also added pressure because people can now compare their proposals to other peoples' proposals. Now everyone wants to have the most romantic proposal, and will not be satisfied if it is not perfect. It seems that some people are more worried about if their nails are done, and if the lighting is good that what their husband has to say when he is down on one knee.

Yes, social media is helping us communicate with more people, more frequently than ever before, but we have to remember to live in the moment and not give into the pressures that stems from keeping up an appearance on social media.

Swift's Summer Drama

If you keep up with celebrity news at all, you will know that Taylor Swift has been in the spotlight when it comes to social media this summer. Its not anything that any other celebrity hasn't already endured, but we aren't used to our golden girl, Taylor Swift being the center of the drama. She's been making a splash on Instagram and Snapchat especially, but of course it's nothing she can't shake off.  Let's take a look at some of the drama that has gone down.

In early June, the world found out that Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris had officially split after 15 months of dating. While may fans were heartbroken that the steady couple had called it quits, Taylor and Calvin seemed to be handling it well. Calvin tweeted that he still had a huge amount of respect for Taylor and both celebrities seemed like they were going to be mature about the whole ordeal. Who know, maybe Taylor will spare Calvin from having a song written about their relationship. Probably not though. We will look forward to hearing all about the breakup in Swift's next album.

We thought this breakup might pass with no drama, but that was before Taylor Swift was spotted making out with Tom Hiddleston, not two weeks after Taylor and Calvin split, and Hiddleswift was born. Many fans said they felt Taylor moved on too quickly, while other fans were happy that Taylor had found another man. This wasn't just some fling, though. Taylor and Tom have been inseparable ever since they were first spotted together, and seem to be very much in love. They have traveled the world together already, being spotted in England, Rome, Italy, and even Australia. Fans are enthusiastic about Hiddleswift and are hoping for an engagement. Hopefully this relationship will go better than Taylor's previous ones. 

It seems to be smooth sailing for Taylor, until Taylor was caught in an unfortunate lie by Kanye West and Kim Kardashian. Kayne released a song, "Famous" back in February that had the lyric "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex/ Why? I made that b**** famous". After its release, Taylor posted on Instagram saying that she was hurt by the lyric and that she had not approved the lyric. Kanye claimed that he had spoken on the phone with Swift and gotten approval for the lyric from her personally. We didn't hear much more about the issue after their brief spat on Twitter, until it resurfaced in July, when Kim Kardashian released Snapchats of Taylor and Kanye's phone conversation, in which Taylor gave her blessing for the lyric. Taylor clearly says that she approves the lyric and even says "I mean it's a compliment kind of". Swifties everywhere were shocked that Taylor would lie so blatantly about something like this, and were confused why she didn't own up and tell the truth. Swift fell from the pedestal she was held on, and lost her reputation as the "good girl". Many fans lost respect for her, and many people showed their support for Kanye. Moral of the story: don;t mess with Kim Kardashian and her man.

Just to top of Taylor's summer of drama, there have been rumors of Taylor Swift getting a boob job. These speculations are based on the drastic change of Taylor's size recently. Taylor is known for being a very flat-chested, thin girl, and recently she has made a dramatic switch. Maybe its natural, but more than likely she went under the knife. We may never know the truth.

As Taylor ends the summer, hopefully she can gain back some of her fans respect and support. It has been a roller coaster of emotions for Taylor Swift fans, but if nothing else, Taylor keeps it exciting. 

Tiny Houses Make a Big Impact

Tiny houses have been getting more an more attention these days. People are talking about them on social media, watching TV shows and documentaries, and even attending festivals all revolving around these tiny houses. 



So, why are people so 
obsessed?

First off, these houses offer their owners financial freedom. These houses are much cheaper than a typical house, with an average cost of $20,000. Of course, these houses can cost more depending on how many square feet they are and how luxurious the interior is, but you're bound to spend less on a tiny home than your average size home. This could be the perfect home for someone juggling student loans, debt, or just doesn't want to be weighed down by a mortgage.

Owning a tiny house also offers its owner a simpler lifestyle. Because of the small living space and minimal storage, living in a tiny home causes its owner to get rid of the things that don't fit in their home. Studies show that a uncluttered home can lead to a uncluttered mind, and actually raise the level of happiness in people.

And for the environmentally friendly people out there, tiny homes allow their owners to limit one's environmental footprint. The amount of water and energy used to power a tiny home is exponentially smaller than that of a normal sized home.

How can you follow the movement?

Follow one of many tiny house Instagram accounts: 

Luckily for us, even if you aren't ready to leave the big world and move in to your very own tiny home, you can follow the tiny house movement on social media through Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. There are many accounts to choose from, each with their own unique spin on the movement. 



Watch the TV shows and documentaries:

Nothing makes us feel more connected to a topic than binge watching a TV show about it. There are plenty of TV shows that revolve around the tiny house fetish. If you love HGTV, you can watch "Tiny House Hunters", where you can follow people searching to buy a tiny home. "Tiny House Nation" is also a great choice. If you are looking for a more intensive look at what it takes to build a tiny home, try watching "Tiny" on Netflix.

Go To the Festivals:

If you want a move hands on, in person experience with a tiny home, attend one of the festivals near you. Just recently, there was a tiny house festival in Decatur, Georgia where you could tour up to 12 tiny homes. This is a great chance to see inside a real tiny home and see exactly how much space is inside. 



Tiny homes are on the rise. There's plenty of ways to get in on the movement. Most of us will fulfill out tiny house fetish with watching the TV shows, and maybe touring one in real life, but there are a few brave people who will go out and get their own tiny home!

10 Things You Should Know Before Going to a Trampoline Park as an Adult:

The first thing my roommates and I decided to cross off our Senior Year Bucket List was going to a trampoline park. One of my roommates ran into one of their posts on Facebook and was convinced that we needed to go. After hoping on Facebook and taking a look at the pictures on their page, we were sold. Their Facebook easily directed us to the site to buy tickets, and before we knew it, we had set the date. Just goes to show how social media can convince us to do crazy things.

We all remembered spending hours on our own trampolines at home when we were younger, so it seemed like it should be just as much fun as adults. (If you don't know what a trampoline park is, think a huge room with trampolines covering the floor and walls, trampoline dodge ball, and foam pits for flipping.) What could go wrong right?

1)Don't do any physical activity before you go. I may have spent hours out on the trampoline as a kid, but times have changed. I was super winded about five minutes in, so you can go ahead and count this as your workout for the day. Otherwise, you won't stand a chance.

2)Wear the right clothes. This seems like a carefree activity but you may want to rethink your outfit before heading out to the trampoline park. You want to wear tight clothing like a workout tank and leggings to make sure everything stays in place while you are jumping and flipping around. The last thing you want is to have to keep adjusting your clothes while jumping.

3)Prepare to wear dorky socks. This may seem like a barefoot activity, but little do you know, they will force you to buy these dorky, neon colored socks to wear while bouncing. They aren't cute but the grips on the bottom of the socks will help you stick to the trampoline making it a safer experience. Be sure to hold on to your socks if you plan on jumping again in the future so you don't have to buy them again!

4)Don't pay for more than an hour. An hour may not seem like a long time, but I can guarantee, you will be completely exhausted after one hour of jumping. Paying for more than one hour will be a waste of money because you will either leave before you get to use it or you will spend it panting on the floor.

5) Prepare to hang out with kids who are maybe 8 plus years younger than yourself.  Just like I loved to jump on my trampoline as a child, so do kids today. So don't be surprised to find yourself jumping side by side with someone half your size. Even if you go to the extended "Rush Prime" hours where only kids 13 and up can jump, there can still be quite the age difference. So try not to squash any one else.

6)Remember that you probably shouldn't throw all your old tricks. I use to throw some pretty crazy stuff on my trampoline as a kid. But after I did three back flips in a row, I had to lay on my back for a few minutes before the room stopped spinning. Yes we're young, but were also not 10 anymore.

7)Prepare to drown in the foam pit. It seems like the tiring part of this whole activity would be the jumping. But the real battle begins when you throw yourself head first into a deep foam pit.  The long journey out of foam pit, that seems to suck you deeper every time you make an effort to get out, is a long and tiring one. You'll think twice before jumping in again.

8)It's not a matter of IF but WHEN you get hit in the face with a dodge ball. If you are daring enough to get in on a game of trampoline dodge ball, you will 100% get nailed by a speeding dodge ball. Those thirteen year-olds are ruthless and are stronger than they look.

9)You will be SORE afterwards. You probably get the point by now, but these trampoline parks are no joke. Don't expect to do any vigorous physical activity the day after you go trampolining because you will be too sore to do so.

10)You'll want to go back for more (after you recover of course). There's nothing quite like a trampoline park to make you feel like a kid again. Though we left sweaty and with aching muscles, we also left with happy hearts and full of new, hilarious memories. Needless to say, we will be back!