Lifestyle expert, Miss Travel Guru Francesca Page, shares her must-do vacations that are sure to fix your troubles! Follow her on social media: @misstravelguru.
TRIPS TO RECONNECT YOUR RELATIONSHIP
Are you going through relationship problems? Are they past fixing or do you just need to reconnect?
European River Cruise
Europe is known for its ability to cultivate romance. Between its rich culture, incredible food and beautiful scenery, it’s a great location to create memories together. Exploring it by cruise not only adds to the experience but also eliminates the stress of travel planning in a foreign country.
Cruise lines like Uniworld River Cruises, are uniquely designed to reflect the region they travel in and give you the ability to explore the beautiful countryside and villages while sailing. Trips include ‘The Gems of North Italy’ (a 10 day cruise between Milan and Venice) and or a ‘Majestic Portrait of France’ (a trip through beautiful towns and vineyards.) Their newest ship S.S. Joie de Vivre launches in March 2017 and will sail between Paris and Normandy on the incredibly romantic Seine River!
All-Inclusive Resort
All-inclusive resorts take a lot of the hard work & stress, which tend to cause arguments, out of travel by providing everything under one roof and one booking. It’s a good way to go for couples looking to really relax and get back to focusing on each other.
There are a ton to choose from in the Bahamas, Jamaica, and Mexico with breathtaking facilities, tropical beaches and all the food, drink and good times you could ask for!
Smart Travel Tool
If you’re not sure of where you want to go, but know you want an all-inclusive package deal, I love sites like Dunhilltraveldeals.com which allow you to browse through top deals using their Trip Ideas section, or build your own using the Search & Save tool.
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TRIPS TO INSPIRE
Do you like to relax and take it easy while on vacation? Or are you on the more adventurous side?
Looking to Relax: Tour Great Britain
Great Britain has a huge amount to offer, especially in the summer, and is extremely accessible. You can visit three countries in just one trip, all filled with rich history and surrounded by picturesque landscapes. From London’s historic palaces and tranquil gardens to Edinburgh’s rich heritage and stunning architecture, you can’t help but leave inspired!
Like to be Active but are Afraid of Heights? Try Beachside Yoga
Consider a beach side yoga retreat. And if flying isn’t your thing, you can always drive to one on a nearby coast. The west coast runs some amazing retreats year round from Malibu to San Diego. Or consider learning to paddleboard, or even to yoga-paddleboard, in Florida Keys, which is flat in the summer months and provides some of the most inspirational sea life viewing right beneath your feet!
Like to be Active and are Fearless? Go Hiking in North Carolina
Ashville, NC is both known for its vibrant art scene as well as its breathtaking mountainous scenery, which provides some incredible uphill hiking along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Hotels like the Grand Bohemian, where I recently stayed, make the experience all the more memorable. It’s a piece of artwork in itself decoratively with an inspiring art gallery located right in the hotel lobby!
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TRIPS TO BOOST SELF-ESTEEM
Do you mind working up a sweat? Or are you more laid back?
Keep it Relaxed: Take a Solo Trip Abroad
Traveling alone will give you time to rediscover yourself, but opportunity to learn something new and meet new people. Consider somewhere that you can learn something new like a language, such as Madrid, which is known to run some fantastic language courses and is full of life in the summer, rich in culture and great for meeting people.
Smart Travel Tool
Traveling alone can be scary, especially if you’re a woman. Brands like Travelsmith really do well with products made to assist the female traveler. My favorite is their Packsafe Tote ($65). It’s seriously stylish and seriously secure with features like a cyber-proof pocket to protect your personal data from cyber thieves, slash proof lining and handles and a tamper-proof zipper!
Sweat it out at a Fitness Retreat
Exercise and good health have a huge impact on our self-esteem. There’s also a great sense of accomplishment that comes from reaching positive health goals and making healthy choices in your life. Consider all-inclusive fitness resorts like Movara Fitness Resort in Utah, where they motivate their guests to become healthier through exercise and nutritional changes, and take full advantage of their location, with everything from hikes through the amazing red canyons to kayaking.
Smart Travel Tool
When booking an all-inclusive trip, the last thing you want is to miss days out of your trip. Mobile services, like Freebird, are an essential tool. Freebird automatically rebooks your flight if you experience a cancellation or a delay of more than four hours or miss your connection. It's based on a simple per-leg pricing system: for $19 one-way or $34 round-trip. Visit getfreebird.com to download.
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TRIPS TO INCREASE MOTIVATION
Are you a land, water or boat person?
Land: Go to Summer Camp for Adults
Bringing out your inner child will bring back your energy and motivation! Adult summer camps like Club Getaway in Kent, Connecticut encourage you to get outdoors, play, take up some new hobbies and make new friends. Whether traveling solo or in a group, a weekend here is sure to motivate you! Weekend rates start at just $499.
Water: Hit the Waves
Surfing has an extremely powerful impact on people physically and mentally, especially when it comes to self-motivation. You keep falling, you keep trying! Puerto Rico, which is also known as ‘mini Hawaii’ yet is much closer and easier to fly to, has friendly waves. My favorite spot is Rincon, where I recently honeymooned! Stay at The Horned Dorset Primavera directly on the water and be sure to check out martinis at the Green Thumb Grill!
Boat: Cruise with Family & Friends
Spending time with friends and family can bring you the support you need to find motivation, especially when you’re having a good time together. Consider a cruise on lines like Royal Caribbean which include group activities for every kind of traveler from ice skating, to rock climbing to mini golf - and that’s even before you reach your destination!
Smart Travel Tool
No matter where to decide to go, motivational trips like these are going to take some energy! Save it for the destination and let search engines like Skyscanner do the hard work - compiling over 1,200 travel partners under one roof so you can easily compare your options in one place to find the best deals on, airlines, travel sites, hotels and car rental.
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TRIPS TO STRENGTHEN FAMILY BONDS
When was the last time you all went away together?
It’s been a while…
Consider a vacation rental. It is cost efficient for larger families and provides all the comforts of home, including a working kitchen which saves on eating out every night. July is National Vacation Rental so visit wyndhamvacationrentals.com for deals all over the world.
We’re ready for another family vacation already…
Make the journey part of the experience! Sometimes loading everyone into the car and doing a road trip is the best solution! If everyone prefers flying to driving, you could charter a private jet for the family, which, thanks to JetSuiteX, is actually affordable to do! Being a ‘public charter’ you can still choose to rent the whole jet or just by a single seat on one of their routes.
Smart Travel Tools
Whether you’re flying or driving to your destination, a buckle stabilizer like MyBuckleMate makes doing up seat-belts much easier for kids, so parents aren’t wasting time or pulling their backs out reaching back to help them! Worth it for $14.99!
Bubblebum is the first inflatable car booster seat that weighs less than one pound, can inflate & can deflate in seconds, and can fit three boosters across the back seat, which makes it perfect for traveling and retails for $29.99.
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For more tips from Miss Travel Guru, Francesca Page, check out www.misstravelguru.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!
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