After weeks of anticipation it finally happened: my sister got married.  I couldn’t be prouder of her and her new husband Rob.  They are great together and I’m sure that they will be very happy together for the rest of their lives.

I was the wedding photographer which, if I’m being honest, made me a little bit nervous.  For one, I’m not a wedding photographer and two, it’s my own sister.  I can’t mess this up.  However, it turned out to be a whole lot of fun and a challenge that I’m very glad I accepted.  It made me feel a little closer to the wedding than I would have been otherwise.  All-in-all, it was a great experience and I was given a new appreciation for how much work it is being a wedding photographer.

So here’s the deal.  My sister is a wedding photographer herself and wants to edit the images herself.  She also didn’t want me showing any of the finished images off before she had a chance to edit them and send them off to her friends and family.  However, she did agree to allow me to do one thing.  I have attached a time lapse video I have put together which is simply all 1600 or so photos I took from the start of the bachelor party through the wedding to the end of the reception dinner.  The photos flicker through at light speed and they aren’t edited, but I personally like the way it turned out.

At some point in the next couple of weeks I will be posting a photo essay from the wedding of my edited version of the images, but for now this is the only teaser I’m allowed to provide.  In the few shots that I turn up in myself (I’m the crazy guy wearing suspenders) my brother or the Maid-of-Honour took the photos, otherwise they were all shot by myself.

Enjoy:

Jen van Son & Rob Bell’s wedding in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic in time lapse.

Music: “La Curita” by Aventura

Jen and Rob's Wedding

After going back and forth on how I was going to make the most of the AIR MILES that American Express provided me with to test drive their AIR MILES Platinum Credit Card, I decided that I was going to get the best value using it for a car rental on my road trip across the US.

I’m currently driving from Phoenix to Miami over a two week span, and I saved a small fortune using my AIR MILES to cover the cost of the car rental. It wouldn’t take long to save up enough AIR MILES for this trip earning one mile every $10 I spent at AIR MILES sponsors and on spending at gas, grocery and drugstores. I also earn one mile every $15 spent everywhere else. By using just over 2,000 AIR MILES, I managed to save about $1,000.

Obviously, renting a car is only one of the many things that you spend your AIR MILES on. But personally, I think that it is one of the best value choices and you can rent from a number of different rental car agencies through AIR MILES. All I needed to do to book this trip was call AIR MILES, give them the details of my trip, and they then searched out the best option for me. I only had to book the car a couple days in advance as well so it wasn’t like I needed to do an extensive amount of planning. When I arrived at the rental car agency, there were no hassles or confusion — I signed the papers, jumped in my little Mazda, and started driving east.

This road trip is one I’ve always wanted to give a shot, but I have never had the funds to do it on my own. With the help of a card like the American Express AIR MILES Platinum Credit Card, you can earn rewards on your everyday spending and use them to make your dream travel adventure a reality.

So far, I’ve crossed from Phoenix through New Mexico and into Texas. The roads have been smooth, but the hours have been very long. I’ve seen the great Saguaro Cactus of the southern deserts, the amazing white sands of New Mexico, the aliens at Roswell, and the great windmills of West Texas, and I’m sure that there’s much more to come. I’ve seen America as can only be seen through the eyes of a road tripper. What a rewarding experience.

In many ways backpackers pride themselves on their ability to live horribly. We chose to eat food that might make us sick, we sleep on beds that might be home to bugs that bite, and we travel, well, any way possible to get to the next destination all in the name of saving money. However, when a backpacker is dropped into the lap of luxury, it does funny things to them.

luxury Jamaica

I suppose you can describe my trip to the resorts in Jamaica a couple months back like a kid who has lived under an overbearing thumb of parental control and then been given a free day in a candy and toy store. Normally restricted to self imposed tight budgets and bragging rights, the backpacker can hardly control him/herself from over-indulging and yelling things out to strangers staying at the resort like “you can have as much of this as you want!” and “I’ll see you at the bar, drinks are on me today!!!”

But there really is a bit of a love hate relationship between many backpackers and all-inclusive resorts isn’t it? Call it resent or call it pride but many backpackers would never set foot in a luxury resort, and if they did they would likely act as if they hated every minute of it. Personally, I believe it is what you make of it. You can have fun with a cardboard box if you cut a hole in the top, draw doors on it and act like your driving around.

Jamaica

However, why would anyone want to have to make their own fun in a cardboard box when the lap of luxury and fun is set in front of you in the form of the Caribbean. Truthfully, I would be very hard pressed to think of a place in the world I’d rather spend more time. The Caribbean really is one of the lost destinations to backpackers. It offers as much as nearly anywhere on the planet. While in Jamaica I cliff jumped in Negril, I snorkeled with massive sting rays, I raced a dune buggy through the jungle and so much more. If you’re not looking for an adventure there is more than enough sun, rum and relaxation to leave you wondering how you’ll ever go back to backpacking.

So to my dearest backpackers, if you find your self in a luxury resort, put that bathrobe on, wrap a towel around the top of your head, wear your cheapest pair of flip flops, pour a glass of the included scotch and enjoy yourself. Instead of being bummed about staying in a potentially “boring” resort, bring the backpacker adventure to the hotel. Just because you’re in a five-star hotel doesn’t mean there aren’t people that want to play beer pong, swim with sharks and make some poor decisions.

This post has been sponsored by The Turquoise Holiday Company, so please contact them now for a handpicked selection of luxury escapes to the Caribbean and other luxurious and exotic locations around the world.