Planning a Solo Trip to Florida

This week I traveled to Florida, solo... It’s the first time I’ve ever been to Florida.

I booked the trip myself without consulting anyone but the inter-web. I used airbnb.com, my favorite place to book rooms on a budget!

Since I'm a crazy planner, I did all of my booking 6 months ago.

When I told friends and family I was going to Florida they asked - why? 

1. I like to go somewhere in the US that I've never been each year. 
2. I wanted to go somewhere warm in the winter, looked up the warmest places in the US in the winter and found Florida and Hawaii. I've been to Hawaii and it's more expensive, thus Florida won.
3. I like to take a vacation (if I can afford it AND get the time away) every 6 months.

It took me at least 4 hours to figure out and book my vacation, maybe a little longer. I love that part of the process but not everyone does. I knew I wanted to check out Miami and the Keys. I had frequent flyer miles on an airline that only flies in and out of Ft. Lauderdale. Research told me that's only 30 minutes from Miami. I wanted to be near the beach. I looked at the map and found Miami Beach. I didn't know the area at all but a quick search on airbnb.com and I found a private studio apartment literally across the street from thebeach for $80 a night. Loving the idea of walking out my back door and onto the beach I booked it. 

Trying to maximize my days here I decided on 3 nights in Miami Beach, 3 nights in the Keys, 2 nights in Ft. Lauderdale only to bookend my 2 nights in the Bahamas. I wrote it all out (well, I typed it all out). I had plan A and plan B after looking at the days and times I could use my frequent flyer miles and the days and times the ferry ran to and from Ft. Lauderdale to Freeport, the Bahamas. 

In order to maximize my time I had to book a car. After scouring the internet (this part of the puzzle took about an hour) I found a relatively inexpensive option but I had to pay right then and there. I chose to book a car at the airport which is always pricier. Had I spent an extra half hour to an hour and researched more I would have known that the Ft. Lauderdale airport is super close to the city of Ft. Lauderdale (unlike SFO which is far from SF) and I could have taken an Uber to an offsite car rental maybe for cheaper. As it was I found a car for $200 for 11 days (not including the ridiculous taxes they charge of $100). Still, compared to the $500 quotes I was receiving (even from Priceline) I decided this was the way to go. I picked my car up at the airport and drove to Miami Beach where I am now. I've been here for 2 days and 3 nights. In retrospect could have stayed one more day to hit the beach again but other than that I feel I’ve gotten enough of a flavor to know that this would be a great place to spend a month exploring each winter.