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Travel By Darcy

Creating Memorable Vacations Since 1996

Archives for April 2017

France for Foodies

Nowhere else in the world is food more revered than in France, which is why it rates very high on every foodie’s bucket list. In fact, when Travel + Leisure released its “World’s Best Awards” Paris and Bordeaux were listed among the “Top 10 International Cities for Food”.

PARIS

Start off by staying in the “City of Lights”, known for its tempting pastry shops. From chocolate croissants and eclairs to napoleaons and macaroons, you’ll be set. Take a 3-hour cooking class, where you will learn to make delicious macaroons.

LOIRE VALLEY

Next, visit the “Garden of France”, where castles and fairy-tale landscapes exist. Rolling hills give way to fragrant vineyards and lush lawns are peppered with chateaux. Explore many of the wineries around the valley before settling in for the night in a romantic Chateau.

BORDEAUX

End your trip in the world-renowned vineyards of Bordeaux. Begin on the right bank region for an intimate wine tasting, then take a walking tour of Old World town, where you can explore Romanesque ruins and local wineries. End with a sampling of wine in one of the village cellars.

Sample program is 10 days/ 8 nights from $1899 per person staying in charming boutique hotels.

Let us tailor an itinerary to match your individual interests and tastes! Contact me today for more information.

 

Spain for Foodies

A mix of lively nightlife, fresh seafood and endless tapas create the ultimate culinary experience in Spain. Get the best of the flavors by visiting Madrid, San Sebastian, and Barcelona.

MADRID

Start off by staying in Madrid, where the history of the city can be tasted in the casual gathering known as tapeo. From rich, local cheeses and meats to refreshing gazpacho, enjoy the city’s humble, tasty tapas. Take a half-day Authentic Tapas Walking Tour, and experience the city’s favorite local spots.

SAN SEBASTIAN

Next, travel to a small Basque town, San Sebastian, considered to be one of the world’s great food cities. Explore the culture and hospitality with a pintxos tapas tour, and taste a range of traditional rustic bites to petite servings of gourmet dishes.

BARCELONA

Finish in Barcelona and discover an ethnic enclave with its own language, traditions and flavors. Stay in a traditional country manor, where you can learn how to make cava and sample from the home’s barrel cellar. Then, take a tour of Oller del Mas Castle

 

Sample program is 8 days/ 7 nights from $1499 per person staying in charming boutique hotels.

Let us tailor an itinerary to match your individual interests and tastes! Contact me today for more information.

Italy for Foodies

Discover why Italy is one of the food capitals of the world. From mouth-watering gelato to classic Chianti wine, Italy has an array of flavors for any taste.

ROME

Begin with traditional Roman cuisine, steeped with ancient recipes. Begin with espresso and a scoop of gelato, and top it off with a walking tour, which takes you to coffee shops, gelaterias, and the most famous spot for  tiramisu in the city center.

TUSCANY

Leave the hustle and bustle for the Tuscan countryside, where you can enjoy a leisurely stay in the heart of wine country. Tour the Relais Corte dei Papi, surrounded by rolling hills and vineyards. Then, take the cooking class the villa offers, to make bruschetta, handmade pasta, bread soup, Florentine beef and dessert.

FLORENCE

Finally, wander to the birthplace of the Renaissance and savor the region’s cuisine during a night of dinner and music. Enjoy the hearty comfort food of Florence in a taverna, then walk the cobblestone streets to the Anglican Church for a concert of Neapolitan songs from the operas of great Italian composers.

Sample program is 8 days/ 7 nights from $1599 per person staying in charming boutique hotels.  Or if you prefer to travel in a group, ask us about our food & wine themed group tours and villa rentals!

Let us tailor an itinerary to match your individual interests and tastes! Contact me today for more information.

Discover Your Travel Profile for the Perfect Getaway

The truth is, there are thousands of possible trips out there. There are plenty of great trips to choose from — and then there are trips that are great for you. Being honest about what you want and need and getting to know your own personal travel profile can save you from the but-it-looked-great-on-paper trip disappointment.

Here are a few simple things that can help you better understand your unique and personal travel profile:

Make a quick list of the twenty most fun memories you have of trips you’ve taken in your lifetime.

Notice if there are any themes. While you don’t necessarily need (or even want) each vacation to be a carbon copy of things you’ve already done, you can use those larger themes to guide your planning of future trips. That way, if you decide to step out a little from your comfort zone, you’ll at least have a solid idea of what makes the most meaningful moments for you. Is it time with friends or family? A certain type of weather or geography? Certain activities? Quiet time? When you can build some of these elements into your travel, you’re more likely to come home energized and restored.

 What do you like to do to relax, unwind, have fun, or re-energize when you’re not on vacation?

Do you like to be still or active? Quiet or surrounded by crowds? Scheduled or free-form and spontaneous? Simplicity or luxury? Inside or outside? These might seem like silly questions — but you’d be surprised how often people book vacations that are filled with activities or set at a pace that they otherwise don’t really enjoy.

It’s possible that you’ll love a week of biking in Tuscany even though you’d never go cycling at home — but more likely you’ll be tired, saddle-sore, and wishing for a car. That’s not to say you shouldn’t try new activities every now and then; there’s plenty of room for new adventures on trips. Just make sure that you incorporate new activities in small bites — say, an afternoon bike tour with plenty of stops — to see if it’s something you’d really like more of.

What is the purpose of your trip? What do you want to take away?

Part of what makes travel so amazing is its capacity to broaden and deepen our cultural, relational, and emotional horizons. Are you looking to create tons of new memories with your kids? Are you hunting for the perfect gift(s)? Maybe you’d like to really immerse yourself in a new culture and language, or do a service-oriented trip that allows you to give to others while you’re getting an invaluable adventure. Plan your trip around the kind of experience and emotional takeaway you’re looking for.

Do you prefer to be in control, or are you happier when someone else is at the helm?

This can be a huge factor in overall enjoyment of a trip. Sometimes people think they’d love to be in charge of everything — but when faced with the reality of hundreds of details that need taking care of before, during, and even after a trip, the fun gets sapped right out of the vacation. When you work with me, you can create the best balance of autonomy and assistance in order to maximize the fun, adventure, and relaxation on your trip.

When you take a little time to get to know how you travel best, your vacation can be more than just fun; it can actually be fulfilling. And you can come home refreshed, energized, and brimming with great new memories.

Are you ready to start planning an incredible experience for yourself or your whole family? Contact me today and let me help you get there! Just click here.

Five easy ways to boost the joy and pleasure of every trip you take


Ever feel yourself stuck in a vacationing rut? 

Maybe you try out different places, but they all kind of seem the same.

Maybe you find the planning exhausting.

Maybe you stress out over small things so that your energy gets sapped.

Maybe you cram too many things into too little time, and you come back more tired than when you left.

Maybe you bring work with you, even when you say you’re not going to, so that you wind up giving away precious vacationing hours to your job.

I’m going to be bold and say: This is not what a vacation should feel like.

Here are 5 secrets to becoming a Zen master of vacationing. Trust me — you’ll never regret taking these on.

  1. Move a little bit every day you’re on holiday, especially if your job is the kind that has you sitting at a desk all day long.

    This isn’t about working out; it’s just  about doing what your body and brain want you to do, which is move around a little. Lounging is great — there should definitely be time for lounging — but only lounging for days on end has an ironic de-energizing effect on the body. (It’s part of why desk work can be insanely exhausting, even though you technically didn’t really do anything physical all day long.) Whatever your level of mobility or fitness, pick something to do every day that gives you a burst of activity: walking, swimming in the ocean, a bike ride, playing with your kids, morning yoga or stretching. If you have some physical limitations, plan ahead and find walker- or wheelchair-friendly spaces to explore, even if it’s just for 20 minutes each day. Your body and your brain will thank you. Activity actually helps boost your body’s ability to fully relax and soak up the restorative purpose of vacationing.

  2. Get present to real, peaceful, natural beauty.

    You might not be the camping type. Or the sporty type. Or the outdoorsy type. That’s 100% okay! You don’t have to hike the Grand Canyon to sit in total awe of it. Even the biggest, loudest city has peaceful places to just be in the presence of natural beauty. If the weather’s nice and you have the option, sit outside for your meal or pack a picnic. Just soak in your surroundings and the view; pay attention to light, sounds, sensations, and smells.

    Claudio Fernández-Aráoz, a senior adviser and business author, recently wrote in the Harvard Business Review about a CEO friend of his who swore by intentional time in nature to up his business game: “Before retiring from the CEO role, John would try to take these breaks just before his global partners’ meetings because he found that his ideas, initiatives, and even speeches would become much more focused, rich, clear and powerful as a result—even though he didn’t spend any time actively working on them!” We really can’t underestimate the power that being in nature has for bringing out the best in our thinking and seeing.

  3. Cultivate your appetite for “different.”

    This one can be challenging — but it pays huge dividends when it comes to creating vacations that are full, satisfying, and memorable. This is less about booking some extreme trip and more about being willing to approach every trip as a learning experience, to being open to the possibility that every vacation can actually make you a better person. Seek out conversations with interesting strangers. Learn some phrases in a new language and practice them and see what happens. Try new foods. Take in a performance that features local music or dance. Take the risk of not knowing and being willing to ask. As Fernández-Aráoz observes, “The world’s most productive people are deeply curious and collaborative and constantly seek out new acquaintances and allies — even when they’re on vacation.”

  4. Put your money into experiences, not things.

    Again, this one can be challenging. We’re taught in our culture that having more stuff will make us happier, even though research has proven this over and over again to not be true. Vacations in and of themselves are experiences — so that’s one step in the best direction — and getting a few small things to remember your trip is certainly not a bad thing. But keep an eye out for ways to maximize your experience of each moment within your holiday. When the moment comes to decide if you want to blow a ton of cash at the duty free shop or a souvenir shop — ask yourself what kinds of experiences you could buy that will be with you forever and that will continue to bring you happiness long after they’re over.

  5. Treat your vacation like a vocation.

    Notice there’s only one letter that separates the time you spend relaxing, re-energizing, and reconnecting and the thing you were born to do. The word “vacation” comes from the Latin vacare, which means “freedom from obligation and duty, release, to be free and at leisure.” The word “vocation” comes from the Latin vocare, which means “to call” — as in, your personal calling, your purpose, the thing that brings you deep joy and brings out the best in you and everyone around you. Think of the joyful energy you would put into your calling — the intention, the planning, the attention to detail, the gratitude. Consider the other word we frequently use for vacation — “holiday” — and note that it means “holy day.” It’s okay to approach your upcoming trip as something that can hold a bit of magic, because it just might. As Fernández-Aráoz writes, your vacation can be the thing that actually brings you back better than you were before — better for yourself, your family and friends, your work, your life.

If you’re looking for ways to maximize your traveling experiences, but you’re not quite sure how to get there, I’d love to help! If planning stresses you out, I can be your best ally. I love this work and can help connect you with the places and experiences that will stay with you for a lifetime. Let’s talk today — you can reach me by clicking here.

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About Me

I’ve come nose-to-nose with a giraffe during an African safari. I’ve strolled along the ancient pathways of Machu Picchu. I’ve honeymooned in the Australian Outback. I’ve stayed in villas, enjoyed all-inclusive vacations, and gone on cruises and escorted bus tours. Collectively, these experiences—and many, many more—add up to a pretty impressive travel resume but, more importantly, they make me a great choice for your go-to travel agent. Read More…

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