I mentioned in my last post [How low can you go?] that I’ve been upping my game on spontaneity – a hard feat for this Type A! I like my adventures to be well planned and long anticipated. Fortunately I have a laid-back, spontaneous husband to help mix things up a bit, and mix things up he did!
If you’ve read any of my travel posts, then you know we love to travel. We are always researching and learning and planning where to go next (and next and next and next). I have my dream trips planned out for the next several years, and I can tell you that this trip we took was not on the list! From conception to completion, the time between this trip being a thought in our heads to us being THERE on the other side of the world, was just THREE weeks! Yes, we went on a spontaneous trip to CHINA!
Who does that?!
I think I should get some sort of badge for planning and executing a successful trip in such a short amount of time 🙂
Oh, I didn’t tell you the craziest part yet – we went for the weekend.
Who does that?! Well… I guess I do!
Now, I must make the disclaimer that such a thing would not have been possible had the stars not been aligned perfectly or if we didn’t have airline hookups, but fortunately for us, they were and we do and everything went perfectly.
A whirlwind weekend like this is not for the faint of heart. It took strategic planning, expedited visas, and boundless energy. We certainly had no time for jet-lag! (Remember my tips on how to beat jet-lag?)
Here’s what 70 Hours in Beijing looks like:
Comment if you want more travel tips!
Maria says
I would say this is quite spontaneous. What great pictures too
Kara Thiot (@karathiot) says
Thank you! My husband doesn’t often get his heart set on something to do, so when he does, I try to make sure it happens! I’m much more particular about what I want, and he moves mountains to make my dreams come true. A spontaneous trip to China was really the least I could do.
Mrs. Ipockolypse says
72 hours in Beijing looks amazing! That is really spontaneous.
Kara Thiot (@karathiot) says
It was a whirlwind! Sometimes I can’t believe it actually happened
girlonthemoveblog says
I love planning trips almost as much as I love taking them but sometimes there is just something magical about a spontaneous adventure!
Kara Thiot (@karathiot) says
Same here. I love learning and researching and planning out trips.
Cynthia @craftoflaughter says
oh wow, what an amazing adventure!
Michelle Thomas says
What an adventure!!
Kids Are A Trip says
Looks like a great trip! Where did you fly from? We are hoping to go to China next year with our three kids. That will take extensive planning…
Kara Thiot (@karathiot) says
We flew nonstop from Dallas, and it was amazing. Connections kill. Good luck with the kiddos! China is a major culture shock.
Ashleigh says
Wow, great photos! It looks like you had a wonderful time! Thank you for sharing!!
Kara Thiot (@karathiot) says
Thank you, we did!
Meagan says
What an amazing experience! We really want to go to China next year so I’m hoping we can make it. My husband speaks Mandarin and we went to Taiwan a couple of years ago and absolutely love it. We really want to get to the mainland. Looks like there is so much to see! Love it!
Kara Thiot (@karathiot) says
There is definitely a lot to see which is why careful planning was very important for us with such limited time. We did a night tour the first night so we could hit up a lot of spots really fast. Then we had a timed schedule of sites the next day so we could squeeze in Summer Place, Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, and Temple of Heaven all in one day. Side note: the subways are very easy to use to get around! Don’t bother with taxis when you go. There’s even a line directly from the airport to the city.
Jaclyn says
Omgsh how fun! We would love to travel to Beijing, but I don’t think we could hand with that quick turn around! It looks like y’all had a great time! 🙂
Kara Thiot (@karathiot) says
Like I said, if the stars hadn’t aligned for us, then it would not have been worth it. Fortunately even the flight itself was like a vacation because we are spoiled rotten and immensely fortunate and were able to get first class seats for both 13 hr flights. That alone made set the tone for the rest of the weekend. It would not be worth it financially either if we hadn’t gotten great deals on all of it. I hope you’re able to find a great deal someday when you adventure to China!
Debra says
Wow! I can’t believe you went just for the weekend! That is a lot of flying!
Kara Thiot (@karathiot) says
We seriously are so lucky – we got to fly first class so the flight was actually very enjoyable. It was amazing – even the traveling aspect of it became part of the vacation. We are now ruined for international flights forever.
Anita says
Amazing! Can’t believe you pulled off a last minute international trip! Love your photos!
Kara Thiot (@karathiot) says
Sometimes I can’t believe it either!
tinsel12 says
Wow, what an amazing avenue. Thanks for sharing your photos. My dear friend has taught in Beijing and loves visiting. Your pics certainly gave me a glimpse into this wonderful city.
annabelt @ geeks diet says
What a fantastic spur of the moment trip! China looks so interesting and different
Beth@FrugalFroggie says
I would love to visit China. So cool for your spontaneous trip!!
Karissa Ancell (@KarissaAncell) says
What a fun little trip! My mom is Type A and my dad always wanted to take little road trips growing up and would spring it on my mom to leave later that day. She’d be like I can’t get three kids ready in an hour, I need more time.
Kara Thiot (@karathiot) says
lol! I try to leave room for spontaneity, but my version is called “planned spontaneity” and it pretty much only happens if I haven’t already made plans for that day or my plans fell through and I HAVE to get out of the house, so I will concoct something to do right then.
Bonnie @ Living a Fit and Full Life says
So fun! I hope to travel after I’m retired!
Ashlie Langston says
It’s beautiful! I definitely don’t think I’d be brave enough to try that food! Lol!
Kara Thiot (@karathiot) says
Confession: we ate granola bars & pringles for a few meals because I was scared of the food on the street…. I’m usually rather adventurous and ready to try new things, but there was a rather horrible smell near the restaurants I couldn’t stomach. And apparently for good reason – my husband brought home a parasite as a souvenir, so you really do need to be careful!