Argentina Here I Come!

So a year into this whole "having a grown up job" thing I'm finally taking a real vacation! I can't even remember the last time I traveled to somewhere I haven't been before... it honestly may be my study abroad program between sophomore and junior years of college! The last big I trip took was to Barcelona with my family two years ago, but I'd already visited Barcelona when I was studying in Italy a few summers prior... so while it was fun to have more time to explore the city (somehow on study abroad we did more sangria drinking and less cultural activities), I cannot wait to go somewhere completely new.

And that brings me to my trip on Friday! I'm meeting my family in Buenos Aires, Argentina where my younger brother is studying for part of the summer. Usually when I take trips I tend to let other people do the planning - whether it's the group of friends I'm traveling with or my parents or if it's a work trip, I usually just go with the flow... This trip is different.

First of all, I'll be alone for the first two days - Mom and Dad arrive on Monday, and baby bro is traveling/in class when I first get there. Since I can only take so many days off work, I figured I should take advantage of the weekend so I can soak up as much of the city as possible. Little bro tells me it's a grid/"just like New York" so I should have no trouble getting around on my own... although I have a feeling the fact that I speak not a single word of Spanish may be a tiny hindrance.

Second of all, I'm now lucky enough to have some fantastic contacts at top travel magazines and web sites (not to mention some very well traveled friends) so I've managed to compile the ultimate to-do list for my visit. I literally have a file with pages of notes, scanned articles and recommendations from some of my favorite editors so I can check everything off as I go!

Not sure how many time I'll get to check in and access the internet, planning to try to disconnect a bit but I'll be back next weekend full of fabulous stories! Until then...