September 2024
Just my husband and me!

Miami was only a stopover on the way to South America—giving me time to adjust to the time zone, avoid flying 14 hours in one day, and to spend a few days in the US since it’s an amazing place to travel to (politically, there’s a hell of a lot wrong, a lot I extremely disagree with - but that is for another time). So to sum it up, we didn’t have much planned.

Table of Contents - Costa Rica Trip

Disclamer
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*If you’re someone who gets cold easily, pack clothing like you're an onion—the blankets offered on airplanes are relatively thin and not very big (in case you didn’t notice on the picture).*
Flying is extremely exhausting for me (so you will never get glorious looking pictures of that), and worst of all, I absolutely never get any sleep. I’m also tall, so if I have the chance to get an empty row, I’ll definitely go for it. Honestly, I don’t want to complain about going on holidays—I know I’m very privileged. But when you’re dealing with mental health issues that affect your body significantly, those amazing experiences, privileges and things you actually really wanna do, can feel like burdens.

1. Flight details

Details	Information
Airline	British Airways (Oneworld Alliance)
Route	Stuttgart (STR) ✈ to London Heathrow (LHR) ✈ to Miami International (MIA)
Flight Time	1 hour 45 minutes ✈ 9 hours 50 minutes
Price per Person	528 euros (return, including carry-on and checked baggage)

This was one of those flights where almost everything that could go wrong, did. I definitely should write a separate blog post to share all the mistakes you should 100% avoid when flying. We were lucky that everything turned out fine in the end.

We originally booked a late evening flight from Stuttgart to London with a long layover (15 hours) to stay at an airport hotel over night, which would have helped break up the journey and allowed for some much-needed rest before flying to Miami (I will also share more about so called "day-hotels" in a future post which for me are life-safers). The airport will hold your luggage, so you can head out with just your hand luggage (accordingly make sure to pack what you need for the night seperately). Depending on which terminal you arrive at/leave from, I recommend specific hotels nearby. We booked the ?????????? via booking.com for €XX for the night for two people as we would have needed to head to terminal ???? in the morning. This extra cost and "delay" of our holiday is absolutely worth it for a less stressful journey. Plus, there’s a pub nearby for British food and drinks (I highly recommend Kopparberg's Strawberry and Lime Cider, alcohol free versions available!).

2. Driving in the U.S.

What we did —and this is kind of a must when going to the US—was rent a car. It was a Ram, so the first pick-up truck I ever drove. Even though it wasn’t our intention to get this beast of a car, we absolutely did not need that (- but it was just so much fun), but somehow it turned out to be the cheapest option for the duration of our trip. Someone explain that to me?!

Rental place: ??????
Cost Rental Car: ???????

If you’ve never been to the US, you basically can’t get anywhere without a car—public transport doesn’t really exist. To be fair, Miami might be the only exception where public transportation technically exists. If you’re curious and want to try it out, go ahead. However, I wouldn’t recommend it. Everything is designed for people to commute by car - and by that I mean big cars: the roads, the parking spaces, even the drive-throughs. This does make it very easy to drive even when you're not used to driving trucks around.

This is where the U.S. is better than Germany—they’ve come up with the practical idea of placing traffic lights on the opposite side of the intersection, so you can actually see them without breaking your neck. Also, the “right before left” rule doesn’t exist. Whoever arrives first at the intersection goes first. If you arrive at the same time, it’s the more confident driver with the better car who gets to go first (based on experience—I’m not sure what the actual rule is, so please be safe). And, of course, petrol is cheap.

3. Uber and Lyft

If you don’t want to - or you cannot (for whatever reason....hust) - drive by car yourself, there’s something else I’m gutted isn’t available in Germany: Uber (or Lyft - it's basically the same thing). Think of Uber as a way to grab (sidenote: the asian version of Uber is called “Grab” haha) a ride using your phone - you just open their app, tell it where you want to go, and it finds someone nearby who's willing to drive you there in their own car. Pretty much like calling a taxi, but instead of hailing one on the street, you do everything through your phone.The best part, you know how much the ride will cost before you book it (and it’s usually affordable), you can pay with a credit card, and it can pick you up at your current location—even if you don’t know where you are (so perfect if you ever get lost, haha). To be fair, I’m pretty sure Sam got lost once and only realised, after getting into the Uber, that the ride was going to last just about a minute. He was literally a block away from his Airbnb! I have no idea how that could happen to anyone—but hey, he made it back safe, and that’s all that matters. Sorry, Sam—this story was too good not to share, haha! Plus, Uber also has a food delivery service. Back home, I get five different restaurants that somehow all offer Indian, Italian, Chinese, German, and a mix of 15 other countries’ national dishes at the same time —none of which can be great quality. In the U.S., it’s like hundreds of different restaurants, each specialising in one type of food. There is always a few of them still open, no matter what time a day. Annnnnnnddddd it actually makes breakfast in bed possible! Life is just easier that way! Back home most restaurants for example close on Sundays between 2 and 5pm, nothing is open after 10pm anyways any day a week and a lot of places have 1-2 days a week closed for the full day. So yeah, I think you get my point.

Glad you’re asking ☺️ yes they also deliver milkshakes 🥤 By the way, this was their smallest size 😂😅

4. Accommodation

Our stay at the Radisson Red near the airport (which we booked via booking.com) was primarily about location—it’s just a 10-minute drive from the car rental area (which is at the airport). While expensive for my taste, it was relatively affordable by US standards at around ???? euros per night. Breakfast wasn’t included, but the hotel had comfortable rooms, good Wi-Fi, air conditioning, parking, and even a pool (though we didn’t use it). There were plugs by the bed (don’t forget your travel adapter!), and the room had a fridge (?????). Overall, I’d stay there again!

5. Everglades

As I said, it was meant to be just a stopover, not an actual trip. But since I was awake and had some energy, we decided to visit the Everglades National Park. The nature was definitely nice, but not a single animal in sight—oh wait, wrong! Mosquitos— we literally got bitten to bits. It felt like a scene from a zombie invasion movie. Or—have you ever played Animal Crossing? When you shake the trees and bees come swarming at you, leaving you with nowhere to escape? This is exactly how it was. At least in Animal Crossing, the bees can’t follow you into the house. The mosquitoes, however, didn't play by those rules. They followed us right into the car. Just opening the car door for five seconds was all it took for them to invade our space and joining us on the ride...I ended up with multiple bits in my face, including on my eyelid!!! Okay, enough about the mosquitoes and back to the Everglades. It was a nice day trip, but are there better national parks in the U.S.? Definitely. What we didn’t do—and the only reason I’d go back for—is take one of those airboat rides. I think that would be really cool! If you end up going, please book it via my Getyourguide-Link to support my little travel blog!

6. Sam's Hideaway Tavern

Miami is expensive—it’s basically the party town for the rich. We walked along Miami Beach and quickly decided it was too pricey, even just for a coffee. But, by a local’s suggestion, we ended up finding a very cool (and affordable) dive bar. Side note: beer and pubs are Sam’s favourite activities—at home and on holiday.

We went to Sam’s Hideaway Tavern, and it’s one of those run-down, old-looking bars that’s so authentic and special it feels like a really nice place to be (that is why it's called a dive bar...). Apparently, it’s the oldest southernmost tavern on the US mainland. We got into a conversation with the bartender (give Jessica a visit if you’re over there!) and a lovely guest. Absolutely recommend going there if you’re in Miami (and since a lot of cruise ships leave from Miami, there’s a chance you might end up there on a stopover, even though I tell you not to go there…). The older guy from the photo even gifted us a drawing of the pub, which is now hanging on the wall of our office and in the background of every work call Sam takes. Absolutely lovely people, interesting stories, and just a great time spent there! It definitely made our day—and the whole trip—worth it!

7. So why not go to Miami?

I still wouldn’t recommend going to Miami. It’s a big, expensive city that, in my opinion, doesn’t have much to offer. It’s just not a very nice place—I’d rather visit San Diego if you want the same vibe or go to New York if it's about the east coast. There’s not much more to share in my blog about Miami, but I’d say that’s not because of the limited time we spent there; it’s simply that there wasn’t much to talk about. We actually got so bored that we ended up going to IKEA just to compare it to German stores. I mean, we still had fun—had some typical American food (oh my god, I love bagels—sorry Sam, but I had to have one every morning), enjoyed the driving and taking in the countryside, and watched some TV (I always do that when visiting other countries). But honestly, it’s just not worth the extra money you’d pay. I should mention that I avoid zoos as I believe they represent animal cruelty for human entertainment. I’m also not a big fan of museums—though I’ll visit if something genuinely interests me (London has plenty I enjoy, and I might write a blog about it if I get the time). During our visit, there weren’t any events to attend, and some activities just didn’t seem worth the money. If you’re into partying, though, this place might be right up your alley!

This is what GetYourGuide suggests doing—maybe there’s something in it for you. Let me know what activities or tours you’re considering, and I can help you pick or offer more tailored recommendations!

You disagree? What would you do in Miami? Let me know in the comments!

Stopover in Miami