Imagine letting a complete stranger book your destination, flights, and hotel.
Does the thought of that make you nervous? Or maybe, like me, It makes you a little excited? I new adventure that you’re NOT in control of! Haha
Well, I wanted to ‘treat ma- self’. I wanted to go somewhere I didn’t have to book. I didn’t have to worry about flights, hotels, and itinerary. Worry about the hassle of researching a destination, etc. I literally wanted to take a weekend away from life to just explore!
So I partnered with Pack Up & Go and Skyscanner to let them take care of the adventure.
Pack Up & Go used Skyscanner to find the cheapest last-minute flights (with only two weeks advance).
They were able to book my flights easily and prepare my itinerary.
Who is Pack Up & Go?
Pack Up & Go is a surprise travel company that books vacations/trips for people based on their budgets and interest. For example, if you had a $1000 to spend on a trip, but didn’t have the time and energy to research where to go, a place to stay, what to do, and what to see. You would hire Pack Up & Go to do the legwork.
They do a wonderful job of picking a surprise location that would really go with how you typically travel and what you like to do.
Before they start searching for the best location they ask you to fill out a survey based on your interests. From there they pick the best place. You don’t actually find out where you’re going until a few hours before you head to the airport.
Talk about suspense!
Who is Skyscanner?
If you’re an admin follower of mine, then you know that Skyscanner is my bible for the best flight deals.
Skyscanner is a search engine for flights, hotels, and car rents. They have everything you need in one place and they do a great job of sourcing the cheapest deals.
I’ve found flights from America to Thailand for $400 round trip through Skyscanner.- I am telling you, if you aren’t using It, you SHOULD BE. (click here to download the app)
Back to my story…
Pack Up & Go and Skyscanner partnered up to send me to New Orleans!
The city of amazing food, culture, and the voodoo history of the world. How could anyone not have fun?
As a solo female traveler, I had an amazing three-day surprise weekend. I didn’t know where I was going until 2 hours before I boarded my flight. New Orleans, NOLAS, is one of American’s most vibrate cities to visit. It’s no wonder three days wasn’t enough time to explore everything NOLAS has to offer.
(to watch my daily vlogs, click here.)
With help from Pack Up & Go, I was able to maximize my time as much as possible. They really picked things that I would truly do on my own if I didn’t have their help. Typically when I travel, I visit places locals visit (non-tourist areas), and I typically try to make friends with locals.
When I arrived on a Friday morning it was snowing, (Yes, snowing! For the first time in 10 years!) I was staying at the Ace Hotel near the CBD area.
I recommend this hotel, everything about It was perfect. From the hotel bar/ restaurant to the beds, bathrobes, and mini bar in the rooms. Really loved my stay here.
Pack Up & Go recommend some afternoon indoor activities, because they knew it was going to snow/rain.
Based on my experience over the weekend and the recommendations Pack Up & Go provided, here is a list of where to eat, and what to see while visiting on New Orleans.
WHERE TO EAT IN NEW ORLEANS
- Willa Jeans – Great for brunch spot.
- Balise– Great happy hour prices.
- Ace Hotel– (bar and restaurant)
- Killer Poboys– YOU MUST TRY A POBOY WHILE VISITING NEW ORLEANS
- Stanley’s Restaurant– Best breakfast spot.
- Seaworthy– Delicious oyster and cocktail bar
- Stumptown Coffee Roast– Best coffee
- Maple Leaf Bar– jazz music and cocktails
- Cafe Du Monde– If you didn’t go here whilst you were in NOLA you didn’t actually visit NOLA.
- **Lafitte’s Black Smith Shop– oldest bar in NOLA
- **Bacchanal Wine– this is a local spot. Chances you won’t found tourist here! It’s a great place for a chill tapas dinner.
WHAT TO SEE IN NEW ORLEANS
- The National WWII Museum
- Magazine Street- Walk up and down to visit shops and little bars and restaurants
- The Voodoo Museum- This was a lot of fun. A lot of fun facts and spooky traditions.
- Creole Queen
- Walk along the river- It’s a nice walk on a sunny day. Lots of artists selling beautiful jewelry and paintings and musicians playing.
- Preservation Hall- Live music
- The Frenchman Art Market- there are two parts to this market the food part and the art part. It’s def must see on a Sunday afternoon. There is live music too!
**Don’t recommend seeing Bourbon Street unless you’re a drinker (grab a hurricane and hand grenade) and take a walk down Bourdon or Royal Street. Be aware that Bourdon street smells like garbage.
Pack Up & Go and Skyscanner did an awesome job sending me to NOLA and organizing flights, hotel, and itinerary. I can’t thank them enough for a weekend I will never forget! If you’re looking for a quick weekend getaway and don’t where to start, I would start with the Skyscanner App.
If you’re looking for someone to do all the leg work and you’re really into living on the ‘edge’ I would absolutely recommend using Pack Up & Go. They were always there to help throughout the weekend and all the information they gave was extremely helpful and organized.
Thank you so much for sharing a great information. I appreciate your time and effort in your work. Keep posting.
Thank you so much for the support! I will def keep posting! Did you sign up for my newsletters? 🙂