Choosing to travel spontaneously means that quite a bit of time goes into researching our destination - after we have already arrived! When we decided to leave London, we had a rough idea of where we wanted to go… South; out of the rainy, gloomy weather and somewhere warm. Tenerife was one of our top choices; Kyle spent a few days here for a shoot and fell in love. You can best describe the Canaries as Spain’s version of our Hawaiian Islands. Beautiful beaches, palm trees, and luscious green hills leading up to a volcanic mountain. Sign us up! After doing a little math we figured out that we could trade in our umbrellas for beach towels, and experience an entirely different culture.

Most of the English speakers (Brits) stay in Playa de Las Americas, on the south side of the island, where the majority of the major resorts are located. We decided to forego the resorts and ended up settling on Puerto de La Cruz, a seaside city on the northwestern coast. Being one of the oldest cities on the island means it’s less popular with tourists, and inhabited by true Canarians. The weather is a bit cooler compared to the parched desert to the south, and often referred to as “Eternal Spring.” El Teide, the volcanic peak, creates a giant rain shadow trapping the moisture in the north, and keeping the hillsides green with trees that blanket the volcanic soil.

We booked our apartment using Airbnb, trading in the luxuries that a hotel would provide… opting for a longer vacation. We would much rather live somewhere for a month then take a vacation that ends abruptly, a couple days after it begins. The island is large and has much to offer, four weeks seemed more appropriate for the kind of trip we had in mind. In the end, what really matters most to us is that we get the chance to experience a place very few Americans have even heard of, immersing ourselves in a culture not our own, opting for an authentic encounter versus the tourist’s experience. We've been spending about an hour everyday practicing Spanish with one another just so we can complete day-to-day tasks. It’s difficult to order the right type of coffee (Kyle likes his lattes) when no one here speaks English!

As we mentioned before, research is the name of the game and thanks to Google, anything you could ever desire to know is at your fingertips. We’ve both become experts in determining what a place has to offer, while making it fit into our budget…Proof that you don’t have to be wealthy if you’re willing to put in the time, and take advantage of opportunities as they present themselves.

Thanks to the help of resources like Tenerife Magazine, we’ve comprised a pretty solid list of things we both want to do while we’re here. Megan has decided that The July Fiestas and the Embarkation of the Virgen del Carmen is at the top of her list. Kyle wants to see the view of the island from the crater at the top of El Tiede, and hike from the village of Masca down to the ocean. We both want to spent a few days renting a car (which is really cheap to do on the island) and drive to all the places we can't get to on foot or by bus. Of course, the days in between our adventures will be spent relaxing on black sand beaches like, La Playa Jardin, sipping sangrias or ice cold Doradas (favorite local beer), and eating tapas every afternoon!

Oh, and did we mention that the famous Barrett Mitchell will be flying half way around the world from his lovely home in Los Angeles to join us for a week at the end of July?! Looks like we will have our hands full… planning activities to keep the man-child entertained. ☺

Xo,
K&M