"Was that a Black Cat???"

My first travel experience that I'm going share is by no means exotic, but the story behind it is great, so it had to be the first I share. 

It was our Junior year in college at Niagara University, and like every other March it was still snowing in Western New York. One of my best friends was on the basketball team so we could never make Spring Break plans because the team's season may extend into Spring Break.  I left Niagara and headed home thinking my big excitement of that break was going to be a day my father had planned for us to go ice fishing.  While standing at our stove in the living room thawing myself out and watching the snow continue to fall I got a brilliant idea - let's go to Florida!

I called up Jessie and asked her if she had any interest in heading to Florida for the week.  It didn't take her long to say yes.  Within our five minute long conversation she already had her bag packed.  We then dialed Jackie and asked if she wanted to join.  She wasn't as quick as Jessie in her decision, but said if we didn't mind waiting until she got done with her Dr's appointment the next day then she was game.  We left Syracuse the next day at noon, with one small bag each some snacks, and a map; our desitnation - Clearwater, Florida.

I was so excited I slept for about 30 minutes between the Georgia and Florida border.  Twenty hours after leaving NY we arrived in Florida and headed straight to the beach.  Now we didn't have the best weather that week, but for not having any plans just days earlier we certainly had the time of our lives.  We shivered on the beach (but it was much better then shivering in Buffalo), got kicked out of a club, went on a dolphin watching cruise (during a red tide, which for those of you who don't know that means there is no marine life to be seen), and stopped at Universal Studio on the way home. 

There were so many inside stories, funny jokes, and most importanly memories made that week.  I will forever look back and think about how we made the best of a very spontaneous trip.  We spent very little money by staying with a family member.  Although we didn't come home with much of a tan, we came home with great stories.  I even received a call from Jackie just a few months ago recalling one of our inside jokes.  That voicemail put a smile on my face for the rest of the day.

While so many of us get caught up on googling the best places to visit while in this city, or the must dine in restaurants for the destination you are heading to it's important to remember sometimes the best times are had when you have no plan at all!