Your Next Romantic Getaway

Are you ready for Valentine's Day and beyond? We don't celebrate the day, because everything is so expensive, and we try really hard to do special things all year. If a romantic getaway sounds like something you want to jump on, I'll be bringing you several posts just in time for Valentine's Day.

Some places are just more romantic than others, so if you're looking to go to one of those destinations in the U.S., Fodor's has a list of 15 small towns to check out, from the surprising Eureka Springs, Arkansas to Carmel-By-The-Sea, California.

If you're willing to go further away, there are infinite possibilities. Winni Wanderer has 11 romantic destinations both domestic and abroad, from Paris to Charleston, SC. 

Wherever we go, we try to visit botanical gardens and parks. They are always chill and beautiful and offer a ton of gorgeous photo ops, whether you want to take butterfly pics or charming couple's snaps among the blooms. They can be tiny or tons of acreage, full of flowers or cactus or herbs. Every one is so different and I love it. Afar has pulled together the 15 most beautiful to visit, though I will argue that they're all beautiful in their own way. I enjoyed Longwood Gardens more than any other, but I loved Kew Gardens as much as I loved the Botanical Building in San Diego's Balboa Park.

If the world is too far for you or you're just looking to road trip for some blooms, then Thrillist has pulled the best from the U.S. and I'm absolutely dying to visit Atlanta's with the living Mother Nature. I'd also throw in Japanese and Chinese gardens to your list of musts, because they offer a completely different vibe with lovely little nooks to discover around every corner. 

Paris is known as the City of Love (and lights), and when you visit, there's no question as to why. The buildings are beautiful, the history, the language, the river, the food. I had the best time exploring other parts of the city then I had before. One thing I missed out on seeing was the I Love You wall. If you want to see it, and take a bunch romantic photos in front of it, while absorbing the love radiating from this art piece.

Valentine's Day isn't just an American thing. In fact, there are different traditions in different countries, which can be really cool and romantic in other ways. Here are 11 of the most unique.

Buy some Valentine's travel gear

Getting ready to jetseet now? While a trip is the ultimate gift, maybe you'd like to extend the gift to useful physical things. Here are some "love"ly ideas for your travel bag:

Columbia makes some great pieces, but right now these are two of my favorites. The Holly Hideaway Flannel Shirt for women and the Rapid Rivers Shirt. 

Good walking shoes for your adventures are a must. These bright kicks from Skechers are nice looking and comfy on top of that. Check out the Uno-Stand On Air and the Uno Senior Deloney. Both come in red and other awesome colors.

A non-black hardside carry-on is the perfect travel companion. You will always know which bag is yours and you can't overpack. I'm really digging this violet set from Luggex and this Amazon Basics carry-on with Barbie vibes. Both come in other, less feminine colors if you prefer. 

I always carry a power bank with me to charge my phone while I'm out and about. Between social media, navigation, making reservations, taking tons of pictures, I really need a boost to my phone battery mid-day. This one has enough to charge two phones more than once, and fairly quickly.

Planning a picnic in the park or just having a romantic drinky drink in your hotel room? Bring your own non-breakable wine glasses. I love a good silicone cup, because they feel good in your hand and can squish down in your bag, but I am also a fan of multipurpose items, so these hot/cold tumblers can be used to keep wine cold or coffee hot. I like that they come with their own straws, too. And if you find yourself on a wine tasting, and bringing home bottles, here are some protective wine bags for your checked bag, and a wine tote bag for bringing back if you're doing a road trip.

Stay tuned for our Destination Date Night for Valentine's Day, because you don't have to spend a ton of money to go out to a fancy dinner or travel halfway around the world if it's not in your budget. I'll be sharing some tips, ideas, and recipes in time for you to plan your own, if that's more your speed or you're saving up for a big trip later in the year.

Tell me your most romantic getaway in the comments

You Have Questions, I Have Answers!

I'm coming at you mid-posts to ask you for your struggles. I want to help you all more in 2024 and to do that, I need to know where you're falling short on your travels or what could just help you more.  

photo credit

I'll be addressing these via blog posts and newsletters, and short ones may get put into compilation posts and Facebook posts. No matter what you have questions on or need a little bit of help to do better, let me know: 

• Need help learning to plan better?
• Need ideas for budget destinations?
• Still can't pack light?
• Not sure how to budget for a trip?
• Need an audio version of the blog?
• Want video tutorials?

Add your struggles in the comments here, over on the Facebook post, or send me a short email (hit that little envelope up top to do that).

Hunt For Happiness Week

Hunt For Happiness Week is almost here. January 21-27th is your time to find and do the things that make you happy. For most of us, a big contributor to that is travel. Whether you travel alone or with friends, you can really up your happiness quotient. Even just the act of planning or booking a trip is helpful to your mental health.

Traveling rewires our brains. It's a great way to gain knowledge through action instead of books. Not that reading isn't awesome, it is, and I encourage you to read anything you can get your hands on that sounds interesting, but travel is immersive education. Here are just some of the ways it gives us a mental boost:

It makes you more creative and accepting of new ideas - This includes food, culture, traditions, and history.

It challenges us - By having to deal with new circumstances and adapt to new situations, we expand our skills and mind.

It creates better bonds - If you travel with others, experiencing new things together can build better relationships, even if things don't always go as planned.

It pushes you meet new people - Meeting and connecting with new people allows you to realize that we're all people just making it in the world and we aren't all that different from each other and can promote empathy and compassion, which brings us to the next on the list:

It promotes tolerance - When we see how other people live, and we have to experience it, too, we become more tolerant and accepting of differences and other ways of living. Diversity is a great thing and people who travel learn that better than those that don't.

It creates new memories - Having wonderful memories to look back on gives us a happy. Sometimes, when I'm feeling meh, and I remember something cool that happened or look back on a particular vacation, I feel myself perk up a bit, knowing I'll have more of those moments.

It expands your palette - There are endless opportunities to try new foods and drinks when you travel. You may find some new favorites, and if you don't, at least you were adventurous enough to try it.

It releases stress - You have your day-to-day routine of work, sleep, eat, repeat. When you worry about any of those things, you hold stress in your body. Travel allows you to release that and makes you calmer by thrusting you into a new routine. Less stress means you reduce your risk of heart attack and anxiety. 

It helps you appreciate different things - If you feel like you don't love where you live, or even if you do, traveling to a different landscape can help you appreciate your home city more, but also enjoy new weather and scenery.

It prioritizes experiences over things - As we age, we find that experiences are much more important than the things we've bought along the way. The more I travel, the less I care about souvenirs, though I buy an ornament for my tree everywhere I go, so my holidays are a lot more exciting with vacation memories every time I decorate and look at my tree.

It builds self-confidence - The more you travel, the easier it gets dealing with situations that are foreign to us. We learn to navigate public transportation, we learn new words, we learn to order off different menus. I'm always proud when I find myself in a new situation and am able to handle it and persevere, especially if I am traveling solo. 

In Ecuador, Eric and I bought matching wedding bands (which we didn't have for the first 3 years we were married) with minimal Spanish from a lovely little family-owned jewelry shop. Now, I can remember that achievement every time I look at my finger.

It helps you learn more about yourself - Find out where your strengths and weaknesses are and work on them. My strengths are planning out a great day and making the most of things if something goes wrong. Eric's strengths are navigation and having fun no matter what we end up doing. I plan the things and make a schedule and he figures out how to get to those places. It helps me know that I need to focus on getting around better when I travel on my own.

It gives you something to talk about - When you travel, other people who like to travel want to hear about it and swap stories. You get ideas from them and they get ideas from you, helping you both plan better trips in the future. It also makes you a better conversationalist, I think.

Well, there you have it, a long list of why travel is important for your happiness. I hope you have some travel planned for the year or you are at least planning a future trip which you may or may not have dates for, because your mental health benefits from having something to look forward to. Go to new places, eat all the foods, do cool things, take a ton of pictures, and meet awesome people. Now, go forth and hunt for happiness this week.

What things make you happy? Tell us below. It doesn't have to be travel, though I'd love to hear your favorite destinations. Coffee and dogs make me happy.