Gathering a group of friends to travel for your birthday is not always easy. My birthday is in the middle of summer, so growing up I didn’t get to spend many birthdays with school friends. Summer breaks are usually meant for family vacations and summer camp, so I made it a goal to travel with my family & friends for my birthday as I got older.

However, this year’s birthday trip was more special to me than the others because I launched my company, Take Off With Kie. June 29th, will forever be an extraordinary day because it’s not only the day I was born, but also the day I took the leap of faith and started my legacy.

I decided my friends and I would explore Southeast Asia and adventure through the islands of Thailand. Once I revealed the destination, we were all super excited and looking forward to the time of our lives, especially after seeing various pictures on social media of all the exciting things to do! Going to Asia was a first timer for everyone, so I had to make sure we all got the best out of it and lived with no regrets.

Planning a birthday trip is hard work especially when traveling to another country. When planning a trip with a group, one of the first tasks is making sure the travel dates will accommodate everyone's schedule. After looking at various days, we decided to go June 24th - July 1st. We chose that length of time, because when flying to Asia from the USA we would be losing two days due to the time difference and we wanted plenty of time to enjoy the country.

Our next priority was booking the flight. With research, we found that flying out of Los Angeles, CA was more cost efficient and a great meeting point for a 15 hour flight. Everyone was coming from different states, so we found this to be most convenient.

Now, we were on to finding living accommodations and I’m all about getting the bang for my buck. In Bangkok we made reservations for the, Stay Hotel. The property was pretty stylish, new and modern with very nice updated rooms. The location was great, as it wasn’t too far from downtown Bangkok and most importantly it was super affordable with rates as low as $59 per night. Our breakfast buffet was included in the price and it was absolutely delicious!

In Phuket we decided to get an Airbnb. When traveling with a large group, I believe staying in one house is always a good choice because you really get to enjoy each others company in an intimate setting. The host for our Airbnb was amazing! He pre-planned our itinerary, booked all our excursions, and offered us a personal driver throughout our stay. Transportation is very important and can cost you, so try to be proactive when traveling with a larger group.

Bangkok was the first stop on our journey. We decided to go to Bangkok for 2 days and spent the other 4 days in Phuket. Bangkok is more city like and has a lot to offer, but we wanted to spend more time on the island enjoying the beach. While in Bangkok, we toured many of the popular temples including, the Reclining Buddha, Big Buddha and Golden Buddha. If you’re thinking about visiting-- please be aware of the very strict dress code required in the temples of Bangkok.

The second day was mostly traveling, but we got to enjoy a scenic boat ride through The Floating Market. The drive to get there was a few hours outside of Bangkok, but once we arrived we rented a boat and shopped at the various tourists stores along the water. They sell everything from the unique clothing of their culture to exclusive elephant pieces and many more cool items. They are a little more pricey than mainland items, but the fun part is using your skills to bargain the best deal!

The city of Bangkok has an awesome nightlife, but it can also be a little dangerous as an American, especially for women. A cool attraction that we didn't get to visit was the bar/hotel scenes filmed during the movie, The Hangover.

Our next flight was about an hour and a half to the beautiful Thailand coast of Phuket. Our Airbnb host set up in home massages for us to enjoy a relaxing and serene filled evening. After flying for over 15 hours and walking around Bangkok for two days the massages definitely came in handy! If you can, I would recommend getting a massage everyday while in Thailand. They offer 60 minute full-body services for just $20, you can’t beat that!

Phuket is full of beautiful beaches and less city like, but it does have a lot of traffic-- just not as much as Bangkok. Our driver was very pleasant and convenient, he took us around town to do everything we wanted to do and shared great suggestions. My favorite experience by far was swimming with the elephants at Paradise Beach. The experience was truly breathtaking as we were able to feed them while they sprayed water out of their trunks on us! We were most surprised to learn they’re even trained to give body massages. We laughed as my friend Jamie daringly layed on the ground letting the elephants give her a massage. After experiencing the elephants, we took a ride to Tiger Kingdom. I was so excited to see the tigers until I walked in the cage and realized how close I actually was to the tiger! I wanted to run out and scream so many times, but I sucked it up and enjoyed a nice photo.

While swimming in the infinity pool at the Airbnb, across town we were amazed to have seen the big Buddha. The big Buddha isn’t called just called the Big Buddha, it’s actually REALLY big! We took a trip to see the Buddha but got a little bit more than what we bargained for. Along the trail, leaving out the big Buddha we ran into a cool little monkey. The interesting part about being on the island is how freely the animals run around, unlike the city. We were highly tickled by the monkey and his human like behavior as he sat on the stairs drinking a bottle of water while watching the tourists move about.

The next excursion was a boat ride that took us to other nearby islands including, Phi Phi and Monkey Island. Phi Phi was just as beautiful as the pictures you see online! The excursion allowed us to snorkel, swim and spend a couple hours on the island. Once we docked, we were offered a buffet meal and a relaxing evening. While relaxing on the beach we went jet skiing and one of the locals allowed us to take a picture with his monkey. We had an eventful day to say the least.

This trip to Asia was by far my best birthday trip. Being able to bring in another year on a beautiful island, a girl couldn’t ask for more. As I sat on the rooftop of the restaurant on my birthday, I enjoyed my dinner as I launched my company. In that moment, I was filled with so many emotions and felt as if I was on top of the world! This trip allowed me to trust and believe in myself. Three months later, I can still say it was the best decision I have made thus far.. This trip was the birth of something new. My advice, is to remain true to your purpose when taking a journey and make it last forever...