Priyanka, Author at Champagne Flight

In Work/Travel Balance

How to Travel with a Full-Time Job

November 20, 2017 28 Comments

If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me “How do you travel so much with a full-time job?” I would be filthy rich. In fact, I would be kicking up my feet at some luxury resort and drinking a tropical drink by the poolside. People are always dumfounded that it’s possible to work full time AND travel a good amount. Lucky for you, I am about to divulge all my secrets in this post. Of course, there are a few stipulations. First of all, if you have a job that doesn’t give you any vacation days, well then I can’t help you. But you should also probably quit because no one likes working for Satan. Second of all, you have to be okay with taking shorter trips sometimes. Third of all, you have to get creative (don’t worry…not artistic levels of creative. Just basic creativity) I get…

In Europe

How to Have a Perfect Day Trip to Tallinn, Estonia

November 8, 2017 21 Comments

I’ll be honest. Tallinn was a city that wasn’t on my bucket list. Not because I didn’t have any desire to go there but rather, I just hadn’t heard much about it. But once I did hear about it, I barely had to do any research. I was hooked just by looking at the photos of the town. If you’re headed to Tallinn trust me, you’ve made the right choice and you’ll soon realize that you could spend days if not weeks exploring this enchanting city. But if time is of the essence, here is how to spend an incredible one day in Tallinn How to get to Tallinn By Ferry from Helsinki, Finland It is incredibly easy to get to Tallinn from Helsinki. You can take a high speed ferry from the Katajonakka terminal in Helsinki. This ferry will get you to Tallinn in under two hours! There is…

In United States

The Ultimate Guide to Denver in a Weekend

November 1, 2017 30 Comments

I didn’t know jack about Denver prior to booking my first trip there. But those, my friends, are always the best trips. I decided to go back less than two months later and fell even more in love with the city, if possible. Here is the ultimate guide to Denver in a weekend. It includes things to do, the best restaurants, and fantastic bars. Need this guide on the go? Click here for a map that opens up right in your google maps app Before You Go The airport is a bit outside the city. But luckily, there’s a train that’ll take you right to Union Station, the center of Denver. Plan for around 45 minutes for this journey and a $9 ticket which you can then use on any public transportation for the rest of the day. Pretty sweet deal. Denver’s weather can be a bit unpredictable. Freezing cold in the…

In Work/Travel Balance

7 Things to Know About Taking Time Off Work

October 25, 2017 25 Comments

So you have all of your vacation days left and you want to take a trip. What’s the appropriate amount of days to take off at one time? Just a few? One week? Two? Who cares because I’m not coming back? Just kidding. The question can be a difficult one to answer as every situation is different but following these general steps should help you arrive at the appropriate answer. Set expectations Every time I start a new job I am up front with my manager. When you’re having the conversation about general guidelines (ex. Can I work from home? What time does the team usually get here?, etc), work in a question regarding vacation policy. Something to the effect of, “I love to travel. It’s really important to me to maintain that balance. And generally I like to plan a few trips a year. What is your policy for requesting…

In Europe

How to Make the Most Out of Three Days in Stockholm

October 12, 2017 13 Comments

Tips Where to Stay Things to Do Food to Try Amsterdam gives you a taste of everything. You can be transported back through time with a visit to the Anne Frank House, partake in the “coffee shop” culture, eat as much cheese as you could possibly stomach, and so much more. The city is full of unexpected charm and you can’t go wrong with exploring the narrow streets and many canals. Pack your bags, grab some euros, and check out this guide to Amsterdam: Before You Go While card is accepted in a fair amount of restaurants in Amsterdam, most bars only take cash. So if you plan on tasting any of that delicious Dutch beer, have some euros ready. Be prepared to pay to use the bathroom if you aren’t dining or having a drink at an establishment. Keep coins handy for this. It rains a ton.…

In Europe

The Perfect DIY Tour of Stockholm’s Largest Art Gallery

October 4, 2017 14 Comments

Stockholm’s largest art gallery is underground. You heard me right. You can access this art gallery by just taking the subway and stopping at different stops. Of course, Stockholm’s subway system is too large for you to stop at every single stop. And time is always of the essence. Save your time because the best way to see the art is to follow this DIY subway tour, which includes three of the best stops. All you need is this post and a subway ticket and you are ready to go. All three of the subway stops are right next to each other on the blue line so it’s a breeze to do this as a DIY tour. Kungstädgården Kungsträdgarden is a stunningly dramatic installation with vibrant colored abstract designs covering the cave. This was painted by Ulrik Samuelson in 1977. T-Centralen Artist Per Olof Ultvedt used his talents to paint the caves of T-Centralen.…

In Europe

A Breathtaking Taste of Norway: Sognefjord in a Nutshell

September 20, 2017 7 Comments

A trip to Norway without seeing the Fjords is like going to Paris and not seeing the Eiffel Tower. You just don’t do that. Even if you only have a short amount of time, it’s possible to get a taste of the fjords on a day trip. If you’re just as obsessed with being on the water as I am, I highly recommend the Sognefjord in a Nutshell tour. How to Book Sognefjord in a Nutshell The word “tour” is slight overstatement here. This is less of a tour and more a bunch of different modes of transportation put together but it’s definitely worth it. It’s also a lot easier to book through the website instead of trying to purchase each leg independently. You can start your route in either Oslo or Bergen. Since we were headed to Oslo next, we started in Bergen and ended the day in Oslo. If…

In Europe

How to Make the Most Out of Three Days in Copenhagen

September 11, 2017 12 Comments

Tips Where to Stay Things to Do Food to Try Copenhagen is one of those cities that three hours into the trip, you ask yourself “can I just go ahead and move here?”. I think I’m still asking myself that. Seriously, this is one of my favorite Scandinavian cities. It’s easy to just spend hours wandering around and exploring the different districts. And don’t get me started on all the scrumptious food we ate (when am I not eating?) Not sure if you can squeeze this marvelous city into your next trip? Well, I have good news! It’s completely possible to do three days in Copenhagen. You can even do it in 2.5, if you only have a weekend in Copenhagen. Before You Go Most places accept credit card but it doesn’t hurt to have a little cash on hand Denmark isn’t on the euro – they have the Danish krone…

In Europe

Cheese Tasting in Amsterdam: One of the Best Experiences

August 17, 2017 12 Comments

Wine tasting is one of those things that I am obsessed with. Who doesn’t love trying a few different wines and pretending to be fancy? Dropping words like tannins and bouquet into a sentence when you have no idea how to actually use them appropriately. So, as you can understand, I didn’t think there could be another kind of tasting that would rival my love for wine tasting. But there is and its name is cheese tasting. That’s right. You heard me. Cheese. Tasting. I discovered this love amongst the narrowest canals of Amsterdam. In preparation for my trip (read my guide here), I did a little research on some things to do in Amsterdam. With only 2.5 days to spend in the city, I wanted to make sure I at least planned ahead for a couple of things. During my search, I stumbled across a yelp review for the…

In Europe

7 Things I Learned in Amsterdam

August 4, 2017 8 Comments

Amsterdam is a destination that had been on my bucket list forever. (Is it on yours too? Here’s a guide to the city) I’ve even been in the Amsterdam airport at least three times without every stepping foot outside of it. I mean how crazy is that? Finally, I got a chance to visit this stunning city. Although I had my pre conceived notions on what it would be like, I definitely learned some surprising things along the way. Here are 7 things I learned in Amsterdam: There are more bikes than people and you will get hit Okay okay, you may not actually get hit by a bike but you will surely fear for your life. There were moments when I was just walking, without a care in the world and then the dreaded bike bells would suddenly go off. Shrill and constant, I kind of wanted to grab their…