Checking In...
I wanted to take a moment to check-in and let you know I am thinking of you. I hope you and your loved ones have been able to find a new level of health, balance, and gratitude during these trying times.
Hello friends,
It’s been a bit of a roller coaster lately, are you feeling it, too? I wanted to take a moment to check-in and let you know I am thinking of you. I hope you and your loved ones have been able to find a new level of health, balance, and gratitude during these complicated times. It was encouraging to hear they are making progress on a possible vaccine this morning and our travel dreams grew a bit brighter.
With that in mind, what are you dreaming of? They say that "To travel is to dream," but the dreaming is what comes first. It’s been wonderful to hear from so many of you, friends and clients, who are ready to place some travel on your horizon. Please think of me - and forward this message to your friends - whenever you are ready to travel or simply ready to dream. And with the holidays around the corner, there are so many wonderful promotions and gifting options for future use! I am at your service and would be delighted to bring your travel dreams to life.
Stay well and please keep in touch!
Heather
Creating a Milestone Anniversary Celebration When Bora Bora is Postponed to 2021
As I shared on Instagram, my husband and I made the difficult decision to postpone our long-awaited ‘wanderlist’ trip to French Polynesia for our 20th wedding anniversary. We had plans to arrive today to enjoy the beauty of Moorea and Bora Bora, experience those aqua waters in overwater bungalows for the first time as we toasted our anniversary. As you can probably relate, the delayed gratification is not easy, especially when you are looking forward to the change of pace, ease of stress, a new adventure, and reconnecting with nature, yourself, or someone you love.
Early in the pandemic, when I missed out on a trip to Italy, I called it ‘delayed grativacation’. At that point, I could not have imagined we would be at home every day and every night for seven long months and it’s still mind-blowing when I think about it. I took 5 international trips in 2019 so all this home time would not have seemed possible. Are you feeling it too? Like so many of you-clients, friends, and blog readers- who have had to postpone your travel plans, we feel for you and have recently done the same.
As I shared on Instagram, my husband and I made the difficult decision to postpone our long-awaited ‘wanderlist’ trip to French Polynesia for our 20th wedding anniversary. We had plans to arrive today to enjoy the beauty of Moorea and Bora Bora, experience those aqua waters in overwater bungalows for the first time as we toasted our anniversary. As you can probably relate, the delayed gratification is not easy, especially when you are looking forward to the change of pace, ease of stress, a new adventure, and reconnecting with nature, yourself, or someone you love.
But for now, it feels safer to postpone, so we pivot. We feel the disappointment and move those plans further back on our ‘wanderlist’ calendar. Bora Bora will have to wait until July 2021. And then we make some new plans. For us, it needed to be something meaningful, something worthy of our 20th celebration and it needed to feel safe in these COVID times. By sheer coincidence, and a webinar I joined with preferred travel partners, the perfect destination fell right into place. The answer, it seems, was hanging on the wall in my husband’s home office all along.
My dress for our anniversary dinner is more coral than red, but Scott and I will lounging on this very balcony, and enjoying a stay at this residential-style boutique hotel in the Napa Valley later this week. Auberge Du Soleil, “Inspired by the south of France. Infused with California soul'“ will be perfect for our celebration. With a bit of planning and creativity, we have another ‘wanderlist’ stay on the horizon for this milestone and I hope you do for yours.
Stay safe and cheers! Heather
Follow along with us on Instagram Curated Travel + StyleMindChic (behind the scenes)
View Auberge Du Soleil and contact us at Curated Travel for more information and to book this or any of the Auberge Collection Resorts.
Painting by California Artist: Michael Flohr
Hello From Our Home to Yours in the Age of 'Physical Distancing'
Hello Friends,
Who could’ve known, just a few short months ago, what our current ‘normal’ would look like? Though our world feels like it’s turned upside right now I do hope you are finding moments of comfort, connection and even humor as our lives have slowed down.
Hello Friends,
Who could’ve known, just a few short months ago, what our current ‘normal’ would look like? Though our world feels like it’s turned upside right now I do hope you are finding moments of comfort, connection and even humor as our lives have slowed down.
I’m on day 19 of my ‘physical distancing’ and am hunkered down with my husband here in Chico in Northern California. We are healthy, comfortable and yet concerned about the state of our world right now. It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster, truth be told. How are you coping? How has this new chapter impacted your life?
I shared a few thoughts on Instagram earlier this week:
A glimpse of our world in the ‘slow life’ era.
We’ve been busy in the kitchen. Destination themed dinners have been a hit (think paella, sangria and fried plantains from Spain with the Gipsy Kings playing in the background). We’ve been trying to keep our meals fresh with lots of veggies and salads but I also broke down and baked chocolate chip cookies for the first time in years.
WOW! Hello cookies, we’ve missed you!
With all the home cooking we are now doing I must confess to missing some of the dishes at our local restaurants. We’ve ordered take out once or twice and plan to do it again soon to support the local businesses.
You will find the recipe to these soft and yummy chocolate chip cookies on my Pinterest board here. By the way, I used a light whole wheat flour and they turned out perfectly.
This made us laugh today. Does your home cooking weeks on end leave you feeling like this?
Humor from my wise mom.:)
This video popped up in the images on my phone today. We were in Provence this week last year and it is a good reminder of the beauty of that trip and to have hope that we will be traveling again someday soon.
I’ve had a number of friends and clients reach out to see how my world in the travel business is faring during Covid-19. Though I’ve had a number of changes, including my two biggest groups (one to Paris and a Med cruise) cancel within two hours of each other, many of the other trips I’ve worked on for clients are being postponed rather than cancelled. This is hugely helpful for the travel industry as well as our own peace of mind. Those of us who are energized and motivated by travel are feeling like our wings have been clipped about now. Don’t dispair! Look towards the future, plot your travels for next fall, 2021 and beyond. I share more tips in this post on How to Keep Your Wanderlust Spirit Alive.
Thank you for reading today. Stay healthy and please reach out if you are so inclined. Let me know if there is specific content I can share - Travel inspiration? Travel tips? Travel Updates? Health and Wellness? - that would be helpful. Let’s keep the conversation going in the comments below or by email. We will get through this chapter by supporting each other.
Be well,
Heather
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More from the Curated Travel Blog:
How to Preserve Your Wanderlust Spirit In Uncertain Times
It’s been a challenging couple of weeks for travelers as well as the travel industry. With news of the expanding outbreaks of Coronavirus making an impact abroad, and now in the USA, it’s a concerning time. How are you dealing with it? Is it impacting your life and travels at this point? Are you stocking up, scrubbing down and washing your hands constantly? Personally, I had a much-anticipated trip to Northern Italy in late March postponed by the host. It is disappointing and yet understandable.
High above the French Riviera
It’s been a challenging couple of weeks for travelers as well as the travel industry. With news of the expanding outbreaks of Coronavirus making an impact abroad, and now in the USA, it’s definitely a concerning time.
How are you dealing with it? Is it impacting your life and travels at this point? Are you stocking up, scrubbing down and washing your hands constantly? Personally, I had a much-anticipated trip to Northern Italy in late March postponed by the host. It is disappointing and yet understandable.
As I connect with so many of my wonderful travel clients about this turn of events, I’m relieved that most all of them are staying the course for upcoming travels. They are choosing to travel smart, have the necessary insurances in place and stick with their plans.
How do you preserve your wanderlust spirit in challenging times?
One of my favorite things about travel is the anticipation. It's natural for us to want to look forward to something to keep us engaged, energized and (on occasion) daydreaming about the future. In my mind, there is almost nothing better than to have a travel adventure on the horizon.
This current epidemic will calm down and then the opportunities for travel will be huge. What to do for now? Take a breath and be ready to jump on the next wave of opportunity. During this uncertain time, we don’t have to stop dreaming of and planning for future travel adventures.
Here are a few tips to keep your wanderlust spirit alive:
1- Look further ahead on your travel calendar. Rather than focus on a postponed spring break trip turn your focus to summer travel dreams.
2- Rather than a rapid-fire booking, take the time to thoroughly research a destination: scroll through Instagram and bookmark favorite views, points of interest, hotels, restaurants, and excursions. Use Pinterest boards to collect your favorite tips on a destination and refine your travel and packing style in anticipation of upcoming travels. Savor your travel planning experience.
2- Read books set in specific destinations to fuel your wanderlust. Imagining the sensory experience, sights, sounds, tastes, and scents, of a destination, only serves to enhance the anticipation. Best Travel Books from Town and Country Magazine
3 - Refine your long-term travel calendar. Where do you want to travel in 2021? Where does that bucket list trip fit in? Consult your travel advisor (us!) to help create your long-range travel plan.
In the meantime, if you are like us, you are stocking up, ordering groceries online, door dashing dinners on occasion, and eliminating unnecessary running around. It’s a good time to tackle those projects around the house, spring cleaning, and experiment with some new recipes. We find ourselves spending more time reading and watching films about travel and gearing up for our upcoming travel adventures on the horizon for a bit later in 2020. Stay healthy!
Fresh songs to sing while washing your hands for 20 seconds
What Your Travel Advisor Wants You to Know
A Handy Shopping Guide for Stocking Up During the Coronavirus
If you are refocusing your travel horizon contact us to start planning your next dream getaway.
French Riviera from Chateau Eza in Eze
More Travel Inspiration from Curated Travel:
Valentine's Day Eye-Candy Plus Our Favorite Kind of Surprise
With the cold, damp, often drab days of February upon us, I thought it would be fun to share a little Valentine’s Day themed eye-candy to warm us up.
With the cold, damp, often drab days of February upon us, I thought it would be fun to share a little Valentine’s Day themed eye-candy to warm us up.
Anything strike your fancy?
Ready for Valentine’s Day? Hearts, roses, chocolates, bling, a spa day (this has my vote), a movie night, a walk in the park, homemade chocolate chip cookies or a takeout dinner for two at home?
Romantic, kitchy, chill, skip it…..whatever strikes your fancy is what Valentine’s Day should be about.
Valentine’s Day View From Home
For the last several years Mr. C.T. and I have skipped the crowds and celebrated at home with a gourmet take-out dinner from our favorite Bacio Catering here in Chico. Dinner is always delicious and the weather sometimes cooperates for an usually warm al fresco dinner on the terrace.
A fabulous sunset was an extra bonus! More at Valentine’s Evening at Home.
As it turns out we will be changing it up this year. My husband thoughtfully tucked a Valentine’s Day weekend getaway to wine country under the Christmas tree for me. It must be challenging to surprise a travel advisor with a trip, but Mr. C.T. nailed it!
The Kenwood Inn is a charming old-world style spa hotel in the Sonoma Valley wine country and it’s been on my list to experience for many years. We are looking forward to spa treatments, wine tasting, world-class dining plus an ‘aphrodite dinner’ event during our 2-night-stay.
Follow along with us in wine country on Curated Travel Instagram.
By the way, if you are considering a romantic movie or two here are some ideas. Roman Holiday is one of my favorites for obvious Italy based reasons. :)
Do you have any fun plans for Valentine’s Day?
xx
If you are considering giving the gift of travel (or a gift certificate!) contact us at Curated Travel to help make your travel dreams come true.
More from the Curated Travel Blog
A Quick Weekend Getaway to Wine Country
We were initially on the fence as to whether we should book a weekend getaway to celebrate our 19th wedding anniversary. With our Mediterranean Cruise on the horizon we thought it might be a bit decadent, or at the very least, travel overkill.
Wine Country Getaway
We were initially on the fence as to whether we should book a weekend getaway to celebrate our 19th wedding anniversary. With our Mediterranean Cruise on the horizon we thought it might be a bit decadent, or at the very least, travel overkill. The stresses of life be what they may, we decided a break from the routine would be the perfect antidote.
Once we decided to make the short trip to Sonoma Valley, we booked a hotel (more on that later), and made the difficult decision of where to dine for lunch. Pro Tip: Wine country is very busy on the weekends and restaurants book up so plan ahead. I booked on Open Table and we scored a lovely patio seat at one of our favorites, El Dorado Kitchen, on Sonoma Square. It was a picture perfect wine country day. Wasn’t it nice that they even personalized our menus? The food at El Dorado Kitchen is super fresh and the service was friendly and impeccable.
Though it’s difficult to find an available reservation in wine country for a late summer weekend we discovered a new boutique hotel, Hotel e, right in the heart of downtown Santa Rosa. The hotel is brand spanking new, sparkling clean and colorful with an energetic, accomodating staff. They have specialized touches like luxury linens and clothes steamers in each room. Hotel e is in the perfect location for exploring the up and coming downtown area.
For our anniversary dinner we chose Willi’s Wine Bar. We had dined at the original location previously but it burned down in the wine country fire two years ago. The new location is fresh and modern in the Town & Country Shopping Center. They had me at sparkling rosé, goat cheese balls and a decadent chocolate with candle.
This was a quick trip so we enjoyed a hearty breakfast, a leisurely walk and a stop at a beautiful winery on the way home. Matanzas Creek is a verdant spot with lavender fields, classic wine country landscaping and sweeping views. We enjoyed their prize winning sauvignon blancs and lush reds.
In the end, we were glad we made the decision to book a getaway, enjoy a change of pace, and explore some new views and flavors. Even a quick getaway can be stress relieving and restorative. Plus, a wedding anniversary is always worth celebrating!
For more on travel to wine country and travel ideas contact me at Curated Travel. I’d love to put a dream trip together for you.