Lizzie Ruiz, Author at Girls Guide to The World

October 2, 2015 by Lizzie Ruiz

Tips for Being a Bridesmaid at a Destination Wedding

If one of your best friends is getting married in a far off, exotic location, and has asked you to be a bridesmaid, you are probably incredibly excited! After all, one of the only things better than being a bridesmaid is getting a fantastic vacation into the bargain! Of course, one of your duties as a bridesmaid is to help the bride cope with the stresses of the wedding and lend a hand wherever you can, and there are just as many things you can do to be a great bridesmaid when the wedding is far from home as when it is nearby! Here are some tips for being a good bridesmaid at your friend’s destination wedding:

Photo by Billtacular

Look After the Dress!

One of the scariest things for many brides getting married at an unfamiliar location is that something will happen to their dress. They have gone to a lot of trouble to choose the perfect wedding dress and so the idea of it getting lost or damaged, or even just being too creased to look right for the big day can be a real source of sleepless nights for destination brides. A big way you can help, then, is to take looking after the dress off of the bride’s hands. This also means you can help her keep the dress a secret from the groom if she wants to – something many destination brides have to forgo out of necessity. You’ll be taking care of your own carefully chosen bridesmaid dress for the wedding anyway, so why not volunteer to handle the wedding gown too?

Keep the Other Guests Occupied

A bridesmaid has a key role in the wedding party, and so it is perfectly reasonable for you to take the lead in organizing things for everybody to do at the location or resort, such as where to eat and where to go for drinks the night before the wedding! You can also try and find activities to keep the other guests busy and help them get the most out of their trips – you have time to research this kind of thing and make arrangements, but the bride doesn’t, so it could be a great way to help her ensure her guests all have a lovely time without taking up her ‘bride time’.

Give Them Some Space After the Wedding

A destination wedding can mean a lot of great things but one aspect many couples who choose this kind of wedding say with hindsight was a negative is that they never get the same amount of alone time on their vacation as couples who have a traditional wedding and honeymoon do. Another way you can help them have the best wedding possible is to give them some space after the wedding to have some romantic time together, and to encourage other guests to do the same.

A bridesmaid can be just as big a help to a bride at a destination wedding as at any other, so make sure you look for ways you

January 8, 2013 by Lizzie Ruiz

When in New York, Do as the New Yorkers Do

So my boyfriend just recently came to visit me in Manhattan, and I can now say without a doubt that I am an expert in New York City tourism.

Residents of any given city are generally the best source for inside tips, the worst for useful tourist info. And as a once and future New Yorker, I am a shining example of this rule. What the hell do I know about the Statue of Liberty? I can tell you with the utmost certainly that there is no public transport that will get you conveniently close to my old office building, but as far as the visiting hours at the Empire State building, your guess is as good as mine. [Read more…]

December 21, 2012 by Lizzie Ruiz

Paris Unplanned – Handing My Boyfriend The Map

I’m a pretty proactive traveler. And by that I mean I’m pretty used to being the one who suggests a travel adventure to a friend or family member. My family knows there’s really no need to conjure up a trip – if they wait long enough, I’ll come around with some pipe dream about island hopping in Thailand or hiking through Hawaiian valleys, practically anywhere with an affordable airfare.

So when my boyfriend told me he was taking me on a romantic weekend getaway to Paris, my reaction was decidedly split. [Read more…]

December 14, 2012 by Lizzie Ruiz

In the Buff – the Travel Accessory I Cannot Live Without

Up until about a year ago, I was the girl with the really long hair. I was also the girl with the really thick hair. My lion mane kind of identified me; it was a disproportionately big part of my identity (pun intended.) And while I could hide behind it when things got awkward or flaunt when I wanted to feel sexy, there was one time having giant hair was a consistent pain in the ass – on my travels.

Lion mane in full force – quite the head of hair.

Hiking in Panther Town, North Carolina, I was amazed by the density of the foliage and the density of the frizz ball atop my head. Summiting Wayna Picchu in Peru offered breathtaking views of Machu Picchu below and my tresses in the wind all over my face. As a lover of camping, hiking and climbing, I have left a trail of broken hair ties scattered across the globe. I love my hair – not despite its oddness but because of it – and I’d never complain. But I needed a better way to tame the mane.

Enter the travel buff. I didn’t really know what a buff was until my friend Sara lent me hers when we were camping in Canasí, Cuba. Sara’s hair makes my hair look feeble and limp; it’s the most beautiful golden head of hair I’ve ever seen. Seriously, the girl’s hair makes me want to break a few rules, and I’m pretty sure she’s got to go to Home Depot or something to find industrial-strength hair ties to manage it. To that end, she always travels with a buff.

I too now always travel with a buff.

I wish I could say I intentionally color coordinated the buff and fleece, but I’m not that good.

The buff is a genius travel accessory in its simplicity – it’s pretty much just a ring of stretchable fabric. Or maybe it’s more of a tube, as mine is a bit over a foot long. Whatever it is, it acts as a versatile headband, allowing the wearer to bunch it up, stretch it out, or tie it tight around her hair. Check out this sweet diagram outlining some of the virtually infinite ways you can employ this bad boy on your adventures. (I swear, this isn’t a shameless plug for Buffs, I just seriously love them.)

My buff comes with me on any and every manner of travel adventure – from my more rugged outdoor excursions to lazy urban exploration. At this point, that buff of mine is racking up some serious mileage and crossing off countries visited left and right. It made having a ridiculous amount of hair an afterthought to my travels, which is a huge relief. And it made me feel like I was looking good doing it (as good as a girl can look makeup-less and sweaty hauling it up over a mountain, anyway.) That may sound silly, but it matters.

I mentioned that the buff tamed my plus-sized hair until about a year ago; that’s when I cut it all off and donated it to Locks of Love, another organization I’ll push just out of sheer love. They do great stuff, and it’s an awesome cause. But the buff still travels with me. I thought it’d be less useful without all the hair, but it’s still my number one travel accessory. And while I may never get used to short hair or feel like it’s very “me,” the buff makes me feel a bit more like myself.