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You are here: Home / 2013 / Archives for July 2013

Archives for July 2013

When a Massage Just Isn’t Enough

July 29, 2013 By Jillian

Is it possible to call yourself a weary traveler even if you haven’t been anywhere new or on a typical “adventure” in a while? I think yes.  We are all in one way or another a weary traveler on the road of life.  A bit poetic perhaps, but it’s true.  The stress, anxiety and frustration we feel at home doesn’t automatically leave us when we hit the road, instead it is somehow transformed into positive stress (what time is the train? wait, what time is it now? oh no…), anxiety and yes, even frustration.  We’ve all lived through it on the road, and when we get home we swear to our friends that those were the best moments of the trip.  And yet at home, those are the moments that cause us to scream “I can’t take it anymore!”

As a weary traditional traveler, exploring the world, I took to the spas of Tbilisi in the hopes of some relaxation.  What I got can only be called the most unorthodox way to relax…the massage and scrub.  Now, repeat that with a heavy soviet accent.

Massage and scrub. 

Read about the spas of Tbilisi before you continue. Yes, the scrub was painful, humiliating and yet afterwards I was willing to do it again, because… it was relaxing in that painful stress relieving sort of way.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago when we were waiting for our twins to make their appearance in this world.  We headed across the State of Florida to check out one of our favorite staycation options- Marco Island.  Let’s just say the differences were abundantly clear from the moment we arrived:

Hilton Marco Island Spa
Photo Credit: Hilton Marco Island Spa Website

No scary woman with a scrub brush and a hose here.  Instead, the locker room looked like the inside of a softly lit palace, complete with uniformed attendants and fluffy white towels.  Unlike the sulfurous water and back slapping, the spa massage included soothing instrumental music, soft mood lighting, aromatherapy and moisturizing massage oils.   No one approached me with a look of determination to scrub me clean or beat into submission my aching back.  The atmosphere was soothing, quiet and relaxing.

Too relaxing.

90 minutes after crawling onto the massage table I woke up.

Does a massage count if you fall asleep? 

Maybe I’m just better off handling my stress and anxiety with a trip!

 

 

Filed Under: Headline, North America, Travel & Planning, USA Tagged With: Florida, Spa

Where I Want To Take a Cruise

July 18, 2013 By Danny

Living in South Florida I’m greeted almost every day with the sights of cruise ships docked and taking on passengers.  Some of these boats have space for over 5,000 passengers with thousands more spots reserved for crew.  While these huge cruise ships have their place among those that like a little relaxation and pampering on the high seas, I’m more intrigued by the smaller vessels that can take you smaller ports of call.  Here are a few (one from each continent!) that are high on my list:

North America – The Alaskan Marine Highway

We have been trying to arrange a trip up to Alaska for a few years now, but it remains elusive for one reason or another.  This year we almost made it but as luck would have it, we found something better to do instead (we had twins!).  Our plan was to cruise along the marine highway, using public transportation, to Whittier, Alaska.  From there we would visit the rest of the Kenai Peninsula before heading north to Anchorage, Fairbanks and Denali itself.  The best part of the cruise trip, from Juneau to Whittier was that with State of Alaska’s hop on hop off ferry system, allowing us to create our trip itinerary as we went along.

South America – The Amazon River…from Peru!

Most Amazon cruises move along the ‘busy’ part of the river between Manaus and the Atlantic Ocean.  The Amazon river itself though, has its headwaters in the Andes mountains.  That being the case I don’t see why you wouldn’t want to head to Iquitos, Peru, to start the trip.  You’ll have to fly into Iquitos as it holds the ubiquitous distinction of being the largest city in the world that cannot be reached by road. From there it is 3600 km to the Atlantic Ocean.  Just don’t forget the mosquito repellant and a hammock.

Africa – A Nile River Cruise

Although I’m not so sure many people are planning on taking a Nile Cruise in 2013 with all the mixed news coming out of Egypt, I’m sure that those who do go find exceptional value everywhere they go along the river.  One of Egypt’s chief exports is tourism and much of the industry is hurting.  The city of Luxor alone could keep the budding Egyptologist busy for weeks and given how inexpensive Egypt was when it was crowded, it is a downright bargain right now.

Europe – The History of the Danube

I’m not entirely sure what it is that makes me want to take a cruise along the Danube but I think it has something to do with the amount of history those waters have seen.  Vienna, Budapest and Bratislava are all cities I’ve seen and really enjoyed but it’s downriver—Croatia, Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria—that attracts my attention.  Of all the ideas listed here this is certainly the most expensive but it also represents the crossroads of Western Civilization.

Asia – A Thai SCUBA Live-aboard

The problem with Asian rivers is that many are simply too dirty to enjoy.  Instead, I’d suggest doing a bit of Island hopping off the coasts of Thailand and Malaysia.  This is some of the best SCUBA diving in the world and the mainland has plenty of low priced creature comforts anytime you want to come ashore.

Thanks to BTerryCompton for use of the Alaska image via a Creative Commons License

adventure travel

 

Filed Under: Headline, Travel Reflections Tagged With: beach, cruise, river, scuba

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