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You are here: Home / Archives for Florida

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

Why We Said “Yes” to An Overnight Adventure Race

August 27, 2012 By Jillian

Every since we started adventure racing in Florida we’ve had two complaints: 1. the topography is flat (hello beaches) so the orienteering isn’t exactly the most challenging and 2. 6-8 hours of race running, biking and paddling in the sun are not the most enjoyable ways to spend a weekend. Needless to say when we heard about an overnight adventure race in a bioluminescent bay – meaning running, biking, and paddling around in the middle of the night on a giant scavenger hunt- we said what any adventurous soul would say- “Yes”.

 

Fast forward to 10:30 p.m. the night of the race. A half hour into the race and we were paddling along the small islands that line Florida’s Intracoastal Waterway in an area known as Mosquito Lagoon. Scouring the map with our red light, we tried to count inlets to determine where to make the correct turn instead of heading out to sea. Shrimp literally jumped into our boat as we paddled along the shoreline. By the time all was said and done we had inadvertently caught four shrimp and one fish, paddled next to a dolphin and succeeded in finding our way back to shore. It felt like a herculean achievement, even if we didn’t seen any luminescence.

Navigating at night is no small challenge, but we made it through the entire race without being too terribly lost and only meeting a few unmarked swamps. By 6 a.m., just as the sky was starting to brighten with the morning sun, we pulled into the finish line punch cards in hand. It was a night adventure we may never forget and may never choose to redo…..

IF YOU GO: The Florida Coastline is gorgeous. Besides the sandy beaches, just inland along the intracoastal there are wilderness areas filled with mangrove trees, dolphins and manatees. If you you are staying in Ocean Florida Villas you’ll have access to the water at night. Be prepared with good navigation skills, a good map and appropriate emergency gear (more than just a cell phone!).

Filed Under: Headline, photos Tagged With: adventure racing, Florida

Quirky Key West

August 20, 2012 By Jillian

Key West has a personality that almost makes you feel like you are outside of the United States. Maybe that is because you almost are. The southernmost point on the mainland United States (if an island can be called the mainland) , Key West is closer to Cuba than Miami. Although it lacks the Cuban cultural influence, it certainly has a “lost in the Islands” vibe, or maybe that is just because half of the tourists are nocturnal.

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Besides it’s infamous nightlife along Duval Street, Key West is a pretty cool place to visit during the day. Our last trip to Key West we spent a day walking the island, punctuating our tour with regular stops for drinks and ice cream.

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The island has a lot of attractions, from the Hemingway house to tourist curiosities like the Shipwreck museum, a 22 foot anaconda (stuffed!) from Brazil, a butterfly house, and things even more curious, like a sponge shop. Like it’s residents, Key West is a an eclectic mix of bohemian culture, island culture, anything goes culture all brought together under the motto that living well

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Each hour the island seems to change. When the throngs of cruise ship passengers disembark early in the morning, the bars along Duval have generally just closed up their doors and for a moment the streets are quiet. In the middle of the day, the cruise passengers mix with the just awakened night life crowd and the streets are a mix of families, eccentrics, college students and groups of friends enjoying the sunshine and the people watching. As the sun goes down the cruises leave the port and the streets are once again left to those lucky ones who get to spend the night. Mallory square bursts with entertainers and performers, from fire eaters to magicians, all putting on a show before nightfall. After dark the bars and restaurants come alive, with music, people and laughter spilling out into the streets. It’s quirky, it’s fun and seemingly there is something for everyone.

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Don’t plan to spend a lot of time on the beach, the Florida Keys are not known for the same white sand as the rest of the State, but they do have some pretty nice snorkeling and diving. The southernmost beach in the United States looks out to Cuba, although I’ve yet to see anything on the horizon besides a few cruise ships.
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Oh and the feeling of being outside the United States?  Well, the Florida Keys did indeed secede from the United States of America. In 1982, the United States Boarder Patrol set up a blockade on U.S. 1 just north of the Florida Keys, effectively blocking the only land route between the islands and the mainland. On April 23rd, the Mayor of Key West announced in Mallory Square a proclamation to secede from the United States, surrendered to the U.S. Naval forces on the island and requesting foreign aid. The only response from the federal government was to remove the road block. Every year, the Florida Keys celebrate their independence and you can even get a passport stamp!

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With all the quirky things do to in Key West, don’t buy pre-made post cards, instead go online for custom postcard printing to make some unique postcards worthy of your fridge.

Filed Under: Destinations, Headline, North America, USA Tagged With: Florida, Key West

Tips for doin’ Disney World

March 20, 2012 By Jillian

As a child I loved any ride that spun, the tilt-a-whirl at the fair or the gravitron, it hardly mattered as long as I was spinning.  What took the cake however was ALWAYS the tea cups at Disney World.  That’s right, in the heart of Orlando sits the most amazing spinning ride in the world- the Mad Hatter’s  tea cups.  Twenty years later they have not lost their charm.  Standing in line I promised Danny’s cousin I could make her lunch reappear on the tea cups…

Mad Hatter's Tea Cups at Disney World, Orlando

I didn’t go that far, but I am serious about maximizing the fun at Disney World.  Not that it is very hard mind you, but the thought of waiting in line even 20 minutes when we could be on another ride/at another show/doing something more exciting is excruciating. Some people are very serious about Disney World and plot out a full schedule.  We aren’t, we just follow a few simple tips to still have fun and fit everything in.  Here are our secrets.

Cinderella's Castle at Disney World at Night1. Stay to the left. Danny drilled this into my head when we were dating and went to the movies.  Naturally it took me a while to admit he was right.  I have no idea why, but people tend to go to the right, so when you’re faced with an option, go left.  The line is almost always shorter.

2. Start late. Disney World is busiest in the middle of the day.  Sure, you could get up early, but why?  Get to the park around 2pm and stay until close.  It will be cooler and families tend to go back to their hotels for dinner and a nap before the fireworks. Plus, if you drive you’ll get a closer parking spot.

3. Single rider line. Disney has more than one car going on the roller coaster at each time.  If the standby line is excruciatingly long, ask a cast member if there’s a single rider line.  You won’t ride next to each other, but you might save yourself 45 minutes of waiting in line.

4. Fast Pass. You can actually hold two of these at once.  The pass is good for an hour, say 1:15-2:15.  At 1:16 you can get another one – giving you a second fast pass for later.  There are also options for this if you’re in the market for Universal Studios tickets Florida.

5. Ride during the parades. We waited 10 minutes for one of Magic Kingdom’s most popular rides, Splash Mountain, during the afternoon parade.  If you really want to see the parade, catch it at the beginning and then scurry to the ride.  Immediately following the parade the line for Pirates of the Caribbean was a 15 minute wait, when we came out 15 minutes later, it was up to 45 minutes.

We may be well beyond the age where we play dress up and make believe, but we still love Disney World.  Which is your favorite tip?

Filed Under: Headline, Travel & Planning Tagged With: disney world, Florida, tips

Unseen Florida

March 12, 2012 By Jillian

Trudging through the swamp doesn’t sound like the typical Florida vacation, does it? Not exactly white sand beaches, but equally as stereotypical if you really think about it. Bookended by beaches, the interior of Florida is pretty much swamp or swamp-like land. Hence the reason we had to climb up the tree to get the checkpoint, which yes, was suspended over the swamp. To make it all the more interesting, this point we bushwacked to off the plotted course with some advanced orienteering. Imagine our surprise when we saw it suspended 10 feet out in the mud! All in the day of an adventure racer!

Adventure Racing Florida

IF YOU GO: Saying the word Florida immediatelybrings to mind beaches, nightlife and vacation.  The truth is that Florida has a beach perimeter, but a rather wild interior. Let’s start with the beach. The white sand beaches of Florida are second to none in this world.  Trust us, we’ve been to many, I mean, many gorgeous beaches around the world and it was rare to find one as gorgeous and clean as Florida’s.  The gulf coast of Florida is known for sugar sand beaches and warm water.  Not as built up as the Atlantic coast, there are still relatively untouched barrier islands that make for a great spot to relax.  Florida’s Atlantic Coast is perhaps better known for it’s joie de vivre.  Between Miami and Daytona there’s something always going on. USA Tours almost always include Florida, no wonder!

Filed Under: photos Tagged With: adventure racing, Florida

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