So what s a girl to do when she s asked to speak at a conference in Orlando? (In this case, The Trav

Beth Whitman wears many hats as the founder of Wanderlust and Lipstick and WanderTours. She leads small group adventures to off-the-beaten-path destinations, she's the author of the Wanderlust and Lipstick guides for women travelers and the publisher of the Wanderlust and Lipstick website. She draws upon her nearly 25 years of travel experience to write about travel-related issues as well as to share her favorite gear, music, photos and stories. Read more...
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Growing up in New Jersey I admit to having visited Great Adventure numerous times. These visits usually book last minute hotel deals involved cutting classes in high school, piling into a beat up car with friends and heading down the Garden State Parkway to hang out for the day, eat ice cream and elephant ears and stand in long lines for a thrill ride.
Somehow, rather than getting hooked on short bursts of excitement, I became addicted to longer thrill book last minute hotel deals rides. Namely, sitting on a plane for hours in order to be transported to some foreign destination.
So what s a girl to do when she s asked to speak at a conference book last minute hotel deals in Orlando? (In this case, The Travel Bloggers Show .) Well, she says yes first of all because she rarely turns down the opportunity to spread the Wanderlust Love. But then she does everything she can to avoid the parks and to make the trip her own.
I know. There are millions (I believe the number is 48 million) of people who visit Orlando every year so I m pretty book last minute hotel deals sure I m in the minority. But if you find yourself traveling to Orlando (or some other destination that may not quite suite your style), all is not lost
Choose interesting accommodations like the Hard Rock Hotel I m big into music and this seemed like the natural choice for a place to stay. I didn t realize that I d literally book last minute hotel deals find myself singing in the elevator and lobby so often, book last minute hotel deals but the tunes piped everywhere, including throughout the pool area really made me happy. I mean HAPPY! And the staff is funkier than the flight attendants book last minute hotel deals on Virgin America!
Walk early Orlando is freakin hot. And humid. And I hear that September (when I visited) is the rainiest month. I would get up early and take walks before the steam really started to rise off of the sidewalks. By mid-day, it was way too hot to wander and afternoons brought the most amazing book last minute hotel deals of thunder storms.
Rent a car Orlando is sprawling and even though every parking lot gouges you with their parking rates, it s worthwhile to have a car. The folks at Thrifty provided me with a rental during my few days there. My experience was day and night from my next car rental in Denver (let s just say, I will never rent from Payless ever again). The Thrifty clerk was funny as all get out I had the feeling he was an entertainer and that I d likely see him on stage somewhere in Orlando. Thank you Thrifty !
Eat healthy Rather than eat out for every meal and/or be tempted by the fast food restaurants that are located everywhere book last minute hotel deals (including Universal s CityWalk near the Hard Rock where popcorn, candy and elephant ears are at the ready), I shopped at Whole Foods and filled my basket with fresh fruit and Odwalla juices.
I did have a couple of yummy meals out including a buffet at the Rosen Centre Hotel hosted by the Orlando Convention and Visitors Bureau and dinner at the Islands Dining Restaurant where I had a salmon bento box (check my WanderFood blog where I ll be posting that meal shortly).
If avoiding the theme parks is a must-do, then check out Rainbow River springs for inner tubing in 72 degree, crystal clear water. It s old Florida at it s best. You may also enjoy road trips to the Atlantic or Gulf coasts or shop downtown in Winter Park. But a trip to the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World is worth the visit to bring out that inner child.