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PRESS
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Layover Travel

Layover TravelElona Karafin2021-02-20T22:03:54+00:00

2011, 2015

Amsterdam

Some cities are perfect for long layovers. Amsterdam is one of them.

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elona

[Part 2]⁣ ⁣ When I came back to NY, I felt lik

[Part 2]⁣
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When I came back to NY, I felt like I was suffocating. I was struggling to make peace with my emotions (rather, the lack of them). ⁣
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It was right around this time that I stumbled upon @hubermanlab podcast on dopamine: the chemical that influences your mood, feelings of reward motivation and much more. ⁣
I knew that I was facing issues way below the surface level. I had to figure out a way to be comfortable in one place, and doing day-to-day things. Controlling your dopamine release is vital for the sake of motivation, focus, avoiding and combating addiction and depression, etc. ⁣
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Two words: Dopamine detox. ⁣
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I didn’t want to be drastic with goals I wouldn’t stick to, so I made some gradual changes. I took a month and a half off from traveling. I muted many people on social media, I set time limits for the apps that I use and I only posted when I absolutely wanted to (which wasn’t often). It turns out when you do various dopamine detoxes, you can build healthier relationships all around. ⁣
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In that period of time, I read 6 books. I signed with a manager. I wrote … a lot. I brainstormed and strategized some ideas that I am really excited to execute. I spent time with my family … I also spent a lot of time doing nothing, in peace. I have a healthier relationship with social media and that feels really nice. ⁣
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I realized how many people are struggling, taking time off, and then apologizing for it. I am not sorry 🤷🏻‍♀️⁣
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I recently went to Sweden, Finland, Estonia and Warsaw (all in one week!) and how do I know the dopamine detox worked? I was excited to explore, to create, to learn and to film. I was spending less time on my phone and more time communicating. You know, like talking with people face-to-face 😌⁣
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Did I miss out on some opportunities? Maybe. But that’s ok. ⁣
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I will leave you with these parting words:⁣
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Emotionally mature people are not stuck in the illusion that “happiness” is a sustained state of joy. They understand that happiness is a choice, but they don’t need to make it all the time. When you realize that you are in full control of your mind and body - your life will be exponentially better. ⁣

[Part 1] Stockholm photo dump - which one do you l

[Part 1] Stockholm photo dump - which one do you like most ☺️
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Travel can be a phenomenal self-development tool when you use it as a tool. I never thought that this contribution to my self-growth would also serve as a catalyst for self-destruction. ⁣
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From September until December I traveled nearly back to back. Most of the trips were extra special: my best friend got married, I rekindled with someone important to me, I hosted my first group trip, and I had three big campaigns. By the time I returned home, my dopamine was depleted.⁣
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Pinterest is plastered with quotes that say “traveling is like a drug” and I wonder if the people that wrote them realized that traveling can, in fact, induce the same effect that drugs do. ⁣
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During that period, it felt like I was marinating in a cocktail of neurological transmitters and responses. ⁣
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When I came home I wasn’t particularly feeling angry or sad. It was worse. I felt nothing. Empty and mundane with nothing exciting me, even though the holidays were right around the corner. ⁣
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Too much of anything isn’t good for you. This can mean traveling, also. I reached a point where I was constantly chasing the next destination, the next piece of content, the next experience, the next person I was going to see. This race to nowhere impacted my relationships, my relationship with myself, my relationship with money, and self-care.⁣ (to be continued).
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#visitstockholm #bestview #perfectview #amazingview #travelbloggerlife #travelblogger #fblogger

Did you know? on January 18th, a 1 KM wide asteroi

Did you know? on January 18th, a 1 KM wide asteroid is expected to pass by Earth just before 5 pm EST ☄️
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According to NASA projections, it will be the closest pass-by of Earth by an asteroid for the next two centuries 🤯⁣
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The asteroid was discovered in 1994 and it’s traveling at a speed of more than 47,000 mph!⁣
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This isn't exactly a 'Don't Look Up’ situation. The asteroid is expected to clear Earth with approx 1.2 million miles to spare 😬⁣
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Have you ever done star gazing 👀💫⁣
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📍 @avantstay Smoketree 🏠, Joshua Tree, California ⁣with @jerometraveller
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#bestview #perfectview #amazingview #travelbloggerlife #travelblogger #datenightideas #joshuatree #joshuatreehouse #avantstay #airstreamlife ⁣

Where and how are you spending the holidays this y

Where and how are you spending the holidays this year? ☃️⁣
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If you live in New York or have a trip in your plans, make sure to save this pretty ‘lil cabin 🥰🏡⁣
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I may be a bit biased, since it is owned by one of my good friends, @yevgay, but this home does booked out quickly 😉
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@zenhouseny is only about a 2 hour drive from New York City and it is the perfect getaway regardless of the season. It can sleep up to 12 people and has a hot tub, volleyball court, sauna, game room, movie theatre, fire pit and over 5.5 acres of space land 😧⁣
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The neighborhood is quite nice, too - close to popular skiing areas and full of mom and pop shops, breweries restaurants and bakeries.

Who would you bring here!
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#cabinvibes #newyorknewyork #nycskyline #amazingview #bestview #perfectview #newyorker #newyorklife #nycblogger #ilovenewyork #newyorkarea #nyclives #nycgram #newyork_bestshots #mysecretnyc #newyork_ig #picturesofnewyork #icaputure_nyc #ignyc #nycityworld ⁣

Visit Saudi, they told me 💚⁣ ⁣ So I did.⁣

Visit Saudi, they told me 💚⁣
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So I did.⁣ (swipe for more photos 👉🏼)
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From the Red Sea, where the Hejaz lies … all the way to country’s geographic heartland, the region of Najd, a vast and dry zone that until quite recently was populated by nomadic tribes.⁣
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I still have a lot of ground to cover in Saudi, which seems to have an endless diversity of landscapes and experiences. But for now, here’s a quick snippet of my favorite moments from the last week ☺️⁣
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Which one do you like the most? What questions do you have about Saudi? ⁣
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#ExperienceAlUla #VisitSaudi ⁣
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📍@ExperienceAlUla @VisitSaudi

Planning to @visit.dubai ? Save this post 😉⁣

Planning to @visit.dubai ? Save this post 😉⁣
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Here are some places I recommend visiting, especially if it is your first time 👇🏼⁣
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Activities & Places: ⁣
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- Desert safari with @platinumheritage (many different options including mornings with a hot air balloon ride, and nighttime with Emirati shows and cuisine) ⁣
- Cultural meal at @smccudubai in Al Fahidi ⁣
- Zipline in the Dubai Marina ⁣
- Skydiving or Gyrocopter Flight over the Palm ⁣
- Ain Dubai ⁣
- EXPO 2020 (open until March 2022) ⁣
- Deira + Old Dubai Souq ⁣
- Top of Burj Khalifa (level 148 +)⁣
- Yacht tour from the Dubai Marina ⁣
- Madinat Jumeirah ⁣
- Skiing in Mall of Emirates ⁣
- Alserkal Art District ⁣
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Restauraunts: ⁣
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- Al Marhabani ⁣
- Kayto ⁣
- Social House ⁣
- Carna ⁣
- Antika ⁣
- Amaseena⁣
- The Meating Room ⁣
- Al Ustad ⁣
- Forever Rose Cafe⁣
- ZouZou ⁣
- Al Muntaha ⁣
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An exhaustive list would take a lot more space so I’ll leave this here for now 🙈⁣
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Have any questions or other suggestions, put them in the comments 👇🏼⁣
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Thanks for snapping this shot @hellonabilaali … inspo from the one and only @marisa 🤍
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#platinumheritage #platinumheritagedubai #amazingview #perfectview #bestview #dubaidesertsafari #travelbloggerlife #travelblogger #dubaidesert #mydubaipics

Why didn’t the coffee bean go to the Halloween p

Why didn’t the coffee bean go to the Halloween party? It was grounded 🥲☕️ ⁣
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They say that you’re the average of the five people you interact with the most & it’s true - my dad jokes have been better and better because of @jerometraveller 😅⁣
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Jokes aside, when we met, all of us were in different parts of the social media game. But what brought us together is that we were hustling. Although sometimes we undervalued our work or even worse, did work for free 🥴⁣
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We were often barraged with comments from people who told us “social media is not a real job” 🥲 ⁣
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We’ve had severe down moments. Times where we almost quit or didn’t see a future in any of this anymore. ⁣
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I’m grateful that in many ways the four of us grew together, supported each other and tackled many different obstacles with honesty, feedback and fresh perspectives. ⁣
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We never compete & always collaborate 🥰⁣
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Years later and this is still my favorite Halloween photo - what are you going to be for Halloween this year? 👀⁣
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#fblogger #newyorkskyline #ilovenyc #newyork_ig #nycblogger #cityviews #perfectview #picturesofnewyork #newyorkstyle #newyorkcity #newyork #newyorknewyork #newyorklife #nyny #icaputure_nyc #ignyc #nycityworld #halloween2021 #halloweencostumes #halloweenforever

Can any of you relate? ⁣ ⁣ This time last year

Can any of you relate? ⁣
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This time last year I was in a lot of pain. I used my lowest emotional and mental points to do a lot of inner work. To understand my triggers and how my emotions function. ⁣
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I produced some of my most important diary entries during that time, and I wanted to re-share some parts of it again. So here goes 🙏🏼⁣
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We all have emotional blindspots and harmful behaviors that unintentionally hurt the people around us. ⁣⁣
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Be mature enough to communicate it … uncomfortable feedback will help you grow into a better version of yourself. ⁣⁣
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Your past experiences are shaping your perception of this present moment. Are you seeing things for what they are or are you viewing them through a lens of insecurity? ⁣⁣
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Other peoples pasts are shaping their perception of you, too. If what they’re projecting onto you doesn’t resonate … don’t internalize it. Don’t dwell on it. Their issues aren’t always about you. ⁣⁣
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Judge your emotions less, reflect on them more. Understanding where they stem from will allow you to observe rather than getting absorbed in them. ⁣⁣
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📸: @jerometraveller @ 📍 Mesquite 38 @avantstay ⁣
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#avantstay #palmspringslife #palmspringsstyle #palmspringshomes #coachellavalleylife #coachellavalleyrealestate #palmspringsmodern #palmspringsrealestate #palmspringsrealestate #bestview #perfectview #fblogger

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