Late last year I decided I wanted to take a trip to LA when I turned 21. Until about 5 months ago I assumed that trip would last a maximum of 2 weeks and that I would have beg some of my friends to come with me.
Fast forward now. I've been given a whole new lease of life, my social life has dramatically changed, (thanks festival season), I handed in my resignation at work and I now look at the world with a bit more optimism. I decided I wanted to move to LA, not for 2 weeks, but for a whole month. Yes, I decided I wanted to take the plunge into the unknown. This sound incredibly impulsive, and to some degree, I think it is, however I think I subconsciously always thought about doing it but I was just slightly apprehensive.
Thursday afternoon I was searching Skyscanner for flights to LA, like I always seem to do when I have a spare 20 minutes and to my surprise I came across a cheap flight...There and then, I whipped out my debit card and just began typing in my bank details. "Am I really doing this?!" I thought as I set up my account..."Yep, you'll never do it otherwise". Before pressing confirm I had to text my friends and just ask them if I were doing the right thing...I was, they were supportive, which made the decision even easier..."Your booking has been confirmed"...Wow, I'm actually going to LA...for a MONTH...What a time to be alive! (LOL).
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I know not everyone will have the opportunity to be able to just book a flight to LA and trust me, if I hadn't have put money away each month then I wouldn't be sitting there now writing this post. I felt motivated to put money into my savings account because I knew I wanted to do something fun and spontaneous...who would've thought a couple of years ago that I would be moving to LA by myself for a new adventure?!
I plan on renting an Airbnb while I'm out there and have already seen a couple of killer apartments I've got my eyes on, so fingers crossed I can grab one! I've had positive experiences with Airbnb before so feel confident to rent one out alone. Of course reading reviews is the best thing to do! I would never rent a place that has 0 reviews, especially as I'd be so far away from home. Don't worry Mum, I'm doing my research!
I think if I were to stay in a hotel, I wouldn't get the full LA experience, I would get the "tourist experience" and that's not something I really want to do. Don't get me wrong I want to visit some tourist attractions but I just want to do everything at my own pace. If I want to chill in my apartment for a few hours and watch American TV I will and won't have to worry about someone bursting into my room to change the bed sheets haha!
I'm not going away until next summer, which gives me plenty of time to prepare, save and create a cool wardrobe to take with me. I'm planning to take loads of photos during my stay and kind of want to film a lot of my trip too. Now, I'm not claiming to be a vlogger! But I think it would be a nice idea as it would be fun to look back and watch. Whether I share it with the world or not, I want to document this trip as much as possible.
I would love some suggestions on where I could go & what I should see while I'm out in LA, as obviously I have a lot of time to kill!
All suggestions are welcome, leave me a comment or @ me on twitter: EllieMchughx
I'm so excited for the next chapter of my life. Roll on Summer 17! LA BABY!
Ellie x
