My last hoorah in Barcelona before I departed for my late summer / fall travel was an absolute Jetsetter / Rockstar night with a slightly bittersweet ending.

This was my first time in life being invited out with a few other girlfriends by an NBA superstar, who was kind, friendly and the opposite of what the tabloids would lead you to believe of him.  However, being the only American girl in the group, I also had my guard up as towards the ways of the world, or at least the ways of his world and that of his entourage.

When we met up in the VIP section of Eclipse, still one of my favorite clubs in town, it was a relief to just have a bit of room to dance, breathe and sit if I wanted, without being bumped around by the overcrowding college student set that now seems to overtake the Barcelona late nightlife scene.  I couldn’t help but have a huge smile on my face, more from that relief of not getting a drink spilled on my Herve Leger bandage skirt, but I realized that I was probably coming across as an overeager gold digger.

The night was full of never ending Ciroc vodka and sodas as well as shot after shot of this concoction and that concoction, mixed in with a bit of dancing here and there.  The guys were actually a ton of fun and in general really decent, inquiring about my work and life and of course curious why a single American girl was living in Barcelona if her job did not demand that.  Was my guard starting to go down as these fellas were opening up about their lives back in The States and actually seeming interested about mine?  Who knows…that kind of judgment is always hazy with mass quantities of alcohol.

So as the group started to disband quite a bit and the clock had long since struck 4:00 am, I decided that it’s not in my best interest to take one of the gentlemen up in their offer to hang out in their room downstairs at The W afterwards.  I was more concerned with proving that I was not interested in being another notch on their belt or really, in my mind, having to worry about picking something unsavory up from one of their last notches on their belt.

One lovely and innocently naïve friend of mine did not see it the same way.  She felt a connection with this superstar of the athletics world and that was enough justification on her behalf.  Well, I wasn’t trying to be anyone’s mother that night so a simple “Be safe” was all that parted my lips as she left to go downstairs.

Strategically, as high profile types do, he hung around for a few more drinks to make it less obvious to the surrounding crowd of what exactly was going on.  We chatted and joked a bit more, shared a little American college style humor and then it was time for him to make his escape.

Knowing their master plan for about an hour now, yet allowing my sweet friend to go blindly downstairs in the hopes of true romance, felt just like “looking down the jaws of a shark and dropping my friend in”.

Not wanting to be “that annoying friend” or come across as a “cock block” in any way, to someone who had more or less been a super decent person and gracious host all night, someone who I could actually see myself being friends with, I still felt like I needed to say something.

As he was about to get up and head out, in the most discreet and chill way possible, I merely said, “She’s a sweet girl, and is nothing like the type of girls who’s life goals are to hook up with an NBA star, so remember that and be kind to her.”  His response, first with a bit of a smirk, then more serious, “Gypsy, This isn’t my first rodeo, but I’ll take care of her, don’t you worry.”

I had stuck my hook into his dorsal fin and got it in deep enough to actually trigger a caring response, or at least for him to act like it, and that was enough to call it a night.

*Inspired by my travels to Barcelona, I’ve teamed up with Braccialetti Cruciani to create the perfect wrist look for this destination.  Gypsy Love’s Cruciani, “Accessorizing my way around the world, one Cruciani Bracelet at a time.”  

Hope to see you rocking this look next time you’re in Barcelona!

Sometimes in life you’ve just got to learn the hard way.  Although it’s not my preferred form of education, these little lessons do pop into my life here and there every few years.

After 1 month of pouring my heart and soul, not to mention entire living budget into converting my two story Barcelona penthouse into more or less a dream home, the kind of flat you see in movies, I was thoroughly exhausted but proud when I had my first rental booking arrive a few nights later, and a few others on the horizon.

Decorating my home became a labor of love bordering obsession nearly days after my new love interest left town to return to Paris.  Of course any normal person would return to their work and day to day routine, but myself, veering on the eccentric side decided not to pay attention to conventional wisdom and go ahead and pimp out my house in preparation for the next time I have my special guest in town.

Soon my days turned into scouring estate sales, antique markets and small designer home décor stores, seeking out the unique, ideal and affordable pieces that would make my home perfect.  I started imagining myself as an interior designer like the ones on HGTV, taking on a huge challenge in a very tight time frame and even tighter budget.  With every room that I painted or every piece of furniture restored, I was envisioning my future guests loving every last detail in the same way as I had.

So at what point did it all go wrong?  Well probably at the moment that I got the permission from my contact at the building management company to allow paid guests to stay in my home and unbeknownst to me, my contact was on her way out.

The swift downward spiral began the day my first guests arrived.  Having exchanged various emails with this nice Sri Lankan – Canadian family, I was a bit frustrated that they never gave me an exact arrival time other than “late”.  After waiting around most of the afternoon for them, I left to run a few errands and pick up some necessities for their stay, and sure enough, five minutes after my leaving, they arrived.  Needless to say, my very narrow-minded door woman was not happy to have my guests camped out on the doorstep for an hour and a half until I returned, albeit they were seated downstairs at the café next door.

The fire that I thought I had extinguished by having a brief chat with the door woman upon my return, and sharing Barcelona tourism tips over a couple bottles of wine with my guests, was actually the calm before the storm.  Promptly at 10:00 am the next morning I received a call from the management company, claiming that I could be harboring terrorists and that I am prohibited to have any paid guests in the future, and I must notify them in advance of any personal guests as well as provide copies of their passports.  If I did not meet their requirements, then the police would be called for my running an “Illegal Hostel” out of my apartment and “possibly hosting terrorists”.

Whaaattttt?????  Yes, my thoughts exactly.    We’re not living in the 1950’s where this type of racism existed, it’s 2012!

So, I followed their rules about the paid guests but decided to call their bluff for my personal guests.   What followed was a month long battle of David versus Goliath proportions, where with every friend who visited me from out of town, I received threatening emails, and they even questioned the whereabouts of one local friend as well, someone who had been to my place many times over the past months.

In the end, the war turned into a cease fire, as my last house guests left and I began my exit strategy, ie…selling off a few things, packing and storing the majority and moving out completely in ¼ of the time it took me to put everything together.

This whole process was bittersweet.  On one hand I was heartbroken putting together my dream home just to break it down so soon, yet on the other hand it was good riddance to bad karma.

Either way you look at it, a tremendous lesson was learned the very, very hard way.  Lots of money and even more precious, my time spent, now down the drain, all for not having received a written permission.   Playing devils advocate, I can say that even had I received a signed document from the owner of the management company, they’re so morally poor that they would have changed their minds regardless, based on my first guests, but the true dagger through the heart, yes there is a Lesson #2, is that much of this labor of love was motivated by my new love interest and creating a better “nest” to receive him, yet in the end he never returned from Paris to see the fruits of my labor.  This Lesson #2 of balancing the good will of new love with the reliability of the partner is still one that I’m trying to grasp.

In my career I’ve been fortunate to be one of those people who does get to enjoy truly incredible, hands on experiences such as travel, although to be honest, the majority of my work life still falls under the online category.

Recently over the past few months, I’ve found that much of my personal life was heading in the direction of my career life and taking place online as well.  A good part of this was unavoidable due to my high volume of travel and the importance I place on staying connected with friends and family.  However another side of me was feeling slightly unsatisfied in my day to day routine while not traveling, noticing that there was no longer a good balance and the online life was tipping the scales.

With this revelation, I’ve decided to take a big step and in the direction of offline and offer a glimpse of the Jetsetter Gypsy Lifestyle in person, via the world of the vacation / holiday home share or exchange industry.

This was a simple conclusion that I came to after learning more of the concept at a Travel Bloggers Unite event a few months back in Umbria, Italy, while over lunch, a few other bloggers were sharing with me the benefits of this lifestyle.

You’re never too old to run away from home, or at least that’s what I believe.

Throughout adolescence, the idea never struck me as great, not so much for the overall irresponsibleness but more due to the fact that I was happily set in my day to day lifestyle and couldn’t bear to miss out on a minute of the “life changing” happenings of high school days.

Waking up a few Fridays ago at my home in Barcelona, and receiving the proposal that I join this very interesting guy who I had just been out with the night before, on a getaway, I immediately thought, No!  It would be too irresponsible, as I was drowning in work and had a seriously injured wallet due to a blowout shopping spree I had taken earlier in the week at La Roca Village.  However there was something about this guy that intrigued me enough to consider.

So as I poured my bowl of cereal that morning in my kitchen, glancing at the cap from a bottle of Honest Tea that I had saved, with the quote “Only a person who risks is free”, I decided to take this leap of faith and run away from home for a bit.

The next morning, without telling a sole, I was on a train heading north from Barcelona, along the Costa Brava to one of the northernmost beach towns before reaching the French border, Cadaques.  This artsy, picturesque town where Dali had called home was where his father lived and where he had spent many summers growing up.

Cadaques felt like a magical place from the minute we arrived.  The town seemed more like a perfectly preserved Greek Isle due to the white buildings and red tiled roofs that made up the skyline, yet, without the droves of tourists.  Around every corner was a surprising and curious detail to be found, unique stores, galleries, and beautiful sights, and of course this excitement of a new place combined with a bit of nerves made the whole trip feel surreal.

My three short days of exploring around the town, relaxing poolside, enjoying the company of my new “friend” and guide were flying by.   With every day, I discovered new treasures in Cadaques, had some adventurous moped rides throughout the surrounding countryside and up to Cap de Creus national park, getting caught in the rain more than a few times, while learning the likes and dislikes of my intriguing friend and sharing bits and pieces of myself as well.

When the time had come to check out and return to the real world, I just wasn’t ready to go.  The gypsy in me just had to remain a runaway for a few more days.  After all, the world wouldn’t come to an end just by my choosing to play hooky from work and life for a few more days, and then again, if it did, I was quite possibly in that place where I’d like to be.

So, I extended my stay to experience the full moon, I think that was the excuse I gave myself and allowed myself to be further seduced by this town and one of it’s inhabitants.

In the end of my weeklong stay, I was thoroughly rested, had eaten the most amazing and eclectic cuisine and seen the most beautiful sights but knew it was time to return to my life in Barcelona.  Somewhat heartbroken to be leaving this beautiful place, the only thing that comforted my departure, apart from the light rain that morning was the fact that my friend, my guide, “The Boy from Cadaques” was coming back to Barcelona with me.

Knowing the fact that we’d have some more time to spend together, as we boarded the train, headed south for the city, was enough to keep a smile on my face the whole ride home.

I guess it was his turn to play the role of the runaway for a bit.

*Inspired by my travels to Cadaques, I’ve teamed up with Braccialetti Cruciani to create the perfect wrist look for this destination.  Gypsy Love’s Cruciani, “Accessorizing my way around the world, one Cruciani Bracelet at a time.”  

Hope to see you rocking this look next time you’re in Cadaques!

We all know that travel can take quite the toll on your health and beauty routine so here are 10 simple ways to not let yourself go while on the road, or at least do a stellar job faking it!

1. Keep your nails short and painted with colored nail polish.  This is an instant way to add a punch of color and accessorize any outfit, and it’s the best way to disguise any dirt and grime that might get under your nails being on the go.
2. Carry mini versions of your facial cleanser and moisturizer and deodorant always in your handbag.  You never know when luggage may be lost, flights delayed or just if an amazing day of sightseeing rolls directly into a night out.  Best be prepared.
3. Have a great day to night makeup look.  Mascara, concealer, eyebrow pencil, blush and lip gloss are a must for a natural glow during the daytime.   The ace up my sleeve for makeup while traveling is highlighter.  Choosing one with a nice shimmer can instantly spice up any look, applying a small amount to the cheek and brow bones, outside of the eyes and doubling over darker as eye shadow.  Then top off the inner eyes with a sheer white eyeliner to give the illusion that they’re larger.  This dewey look is essential to concealing tired eyes.
4. Dry shampoo is your best friend.  Nobody wants to have dirty or greasy looking hair, yet we aren’t always in places where we can wash daily.  Even if you are, sometimes it’s preferred to use the dry shampoo, as it preserves your hairstyle for an extra day without slaving behind a hair dryer or curling iron.
5. Always bring along a hat or head scarf.  If your hairstyle is just unsalvageable for the dayor you want to change up your look, put on a hat.  You also get the added be
6. nefit of keeping the sun off of your face.
7. Q-tips are an amazing multitasking tool.  Yes, I know, this will make the ears bleed of any Ear, Nose and Throat Doctor, but for me, one of the “must do’s” in my hygiene process is q-tipping my ears.  Apart from that, they’re an ideal tool for the application of makeup, the removal of makeup…especially the 5 O’clock under eye shadow from mascara and they’re excellent if you ever need something dislodged from a tiny crevice.
8. Tweeze, tweeze, tweeze!  Ok, I’m not a fan of an overly tweezed brow, but an unkept brow, or even dare I say a uni-brow in the making can kill any look, not to mention your chances of meeting any fun, “leading characters” on the road.  You never know when you’ll have a hair out of place, or a splinter of some sort if you’re the outdoorsy type.
9. Attempt to get some form of exercise, even if it’s a 10 minute hotel room workout.  Sweating is great for the complexion.
10. Stay hydrated!  I’m not just talking wine here!  Carrying a water bottle on your journey will not only benefit your skin, but also your wallet.
11. Try to sleep as much as possible.  My travel schedules often take on the “burning the candle at both ends” mentality, so carrying a small inflatable neck pillow to take advantage of cat naps when on transportation or any random available time can significantly rejuvenate.

Live by these 10 simple steps when traveling and you’ll be sure to look like a million bucks even when you feel closer to bankruptcy!