Alexis Travels to Myrtle Beach

In 2015, I spent a lot of time traveling and trekking through hiking trails. This year I was not so lucky. My last out-of-state trip took me to Illinois and that was all the way back in May. So needless to say, I was really excited when I got the offer to accompany a client and his family to Myrtle Beach.

Despite the choice of company, this was supposed to be a vacation. I needed one after surviving a 90-hour work week (yes, you read that right!). My client would go to his business seminar with his wife, and I would lounge by the beach with my laptop and maybe work on a novel.

Mixing Business with Pleasure

While I did get some of that done, of course he found a way to put me to work anyway. How? Well, he came back from the seminar to tell me they just bought time share in the travel industry; and wanted me to be their brand ambassador and a business partner.

What that essentially means is that in a few months, I’ll be paid to travel and blog about it. I can go anywhere in the world (except Zimbabwe – for some odd reason) and I’m welcome to accompany them on their travels as well. They currently have their eyes set on Hawaii and Dubai.

This also means I’ll be able to extend cheap travel deals to all my readers eyeing Jamaica and other locations, but believe they can’t afford it. If you’re interested, shoot me an email and I’ll keep you in the loop as things develop.

A Fiery Start

But before I get into the trip itself, let’s roll our way back to the beginning. My client got me from work at 7AM Monday morning, when I clocked out from a 16-hour shift (yes, you also read that right).

We took the train to the airport, only to discover our rental wasn’t even ready. We were on a strict schedule, so eventually that meant canceling our reservations and booking a rental last minute with another agency for way more money.

While we complained about the morning we were having, we passed a reminder on the side of the road that we should be grateful a bad reservation was all we had to deal with.

This car was literally on fire. The guy stood in shock watching his minivan burn, while the state patrol kept a safe distance. We made our turn and drove away as fast as we could, before an explosion made our situation as bad as his was.

Wintery Beach Town

It was a long six-hour drive to Myrtle Beach and most of it was a blur for me. By the time we made it to the hotel, I had officially been up for 28 hours. As it often happens with me, my body then decided it was fine with not sleeping and exhaustion evaporated like dew after sunrise.

Good Food & Calming Seas

That gave us plenty of time to go out to eat. During our stay, we tried a bunch of restaurants – both local and chains. Our favourites were definitely Fiesta Mexicana and Lucky Panda, though both were also a little pricey.

After dinner, we decided to walk the beach.

There’s something about the ocean that always calms me. And though by my Caribbean standards Myrtle Beach is a poor excuse for a beach town, I was nonetheless soothed by the crash of wave against shore, and the crackling and fizzing of water rolling over sand and stones.

Rising with the Dawn

The following morning, I got up early to watch the sunrise and was not disappointed.

Going for a Swim

My client was more impressed with the guy surfing in the freezing water. Once I spotted him, so was I. We had tried the water earlier that night. It wasn’t exactly the kind of temperature someone sane willingly goes swimming in.

Thankfully, there was an indoor pool and we made the best of that before leaving. I also bought my new favourite bathing suit for a steal on the Boardwalk and was pretty excited to test it out.

Roaming the Beach

Of course, after eating great food, going for a swim, and visiting some of Myrtle Beach’s best attractions, the only thing left to do was make good use of the beach itself. Though nothing could convince me to go further than ankle deep in the freezing water, there was plenty to see on-shore.

And since, no beach trip is complete without sea-shell hunting, I finished up with that as well. I always leave the beach with souvenirs, but this time I took pictures of the ones that caught my eye and brought only one of them home. I’ll let you guess which one that is.

This is hands down the best trip I’ve taken all year, but I’m sure 2017 will trump all of this. After all, what’s Myrtle Beach compared to Hawaii, Dubai, or Greece?

~ ALEX