bhutan flags

About a year into the pandemic, I wrote a piece called ‘Travel Comebacks to Plan Right Now’—a combination of ‘safe’ socially distant ideas, as well as USA-based destinations that benefitted from atypically smaller crowds. I realized what the most important things in my life were. As it turns out, I needed fewer ‘things’ than I thought. What I need more of now are experiences.


2020 ruined vacations, postponed trips, canceled honeymoons, weddings, and family reunions. 2020 took down hotels and grounded planes. In 2020, I turned 50. Enough said.

Now it’s 2021. There is light ahead—like emerging from the Lincoln Tunnel into the bright lights of NYC. I dare to dream up international itineraries. I am eager to free my mind and my pent-up self. Travel is making a comeback, and it has a vengeance. Bring it on.

Based upon nothing aside from personal opinion, here are thoughts on travel 2021. As my daughter would text “IMO” (in my opinion) Salty tone implied, naturally.

5 / Wellness Trips

Why now? Attitudes toward wellness have shifted since 2020. We care about what we put into our bodies, and onto our bodies, more than ever. There is a heightened awareness about how to nurture our souls.

Mountain walks and mindfulness exercises are activities I now look forward to. Perhaps when one turns 50, that just happens automatically, like enjoying birdwatching, or napping. The rise of wellness experiences in travel has caught fire and is no longer considered unconventional, or as my son says, “woo-woo”.

Hiking Cascade Canyon

Wellness has become a priority for many boutique hotels and high-end resorts, as is easily discerned by the simple fact that ‘wellness’ is now often featured as the main menu link, alongside  ‘accommodations’ and ‘dining’.

Ice yoga in Sweden, or a cooking class at a Japanese ryokan, are swiftly becoming ‘must-have’ experiences. Hotels are taking note.

Window to the Blue Lagoon

Need inspiration? The Retreat at The Blue Lagoon separates its guests from the masses at their world-renowned geothermal pools. A series of mineral scrubs and warm showers in a cool, cavernous, underground setting is one particular highlight.

sky

Mii Amo, a spa in spiritual Sedona, features mindfulness experiences, vortex hikes, and past-life regression treatments, among other less conventional offerings. (Note: Mii Amo will re-open in 2022 after a complete renovation)

Sound bath

Cabin Mist

Nestled in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, Blackberry Mountain offers sound bathing, and holistic wellness activities, among its long menu of experiences. I dare any foodie to diss their vegan menu—it might make one rethink their food choices permanently.

Breakfast Breakfast

IMO Bucket List Wellness Trips: 1 / Taking on the Grizzlyman Fitness Trail at the soon-to-be opening Green O, in Montana. 2 / Foraging for local wild herbs with a culture guide at the Treehotel in Sweden. 3 / Experiencing the Japanese art of forest bathing (Shinrin-yoku) at Shou Sugi House, in the Hamptons.

Cheetah in Botswana

4 / Dream Trips

Why now? Why not now? If 2020 has taught me anything, it is that I can’t take time for granted. Especially family time.

Insert cliché: live for the moment, YOLO, make up for lost time, and seize the day. Whoever was it that said, “I really regret spending time and money on that amazing trip”? No one, ever.

Scenery

Need inspiration? The ultimate blurring of adventure and indulgence can be found at Deplar Farm, a sheep farm turned into a 13-room home away from home on the Troll Peninsula, in northern Iceland.

Relaxing on the Kadena

Plan a family reunion on a privately chartered traditional wooden gulet in Croatia. Ask your BFF to take an expedition to see the northern lights in Finland, or take your soon-to-be graduating daughter on a safari in Botswana.

Elephants in the fields

Whether one wants to spot the ‘big five’, or spot five Lilac-Breasted Rollers (my people!) a safari trip to Botswana is especially dream-worthy.

IMO Future Dream Trips: 1 / Polar Antarctica has emerged as the next hot spot in adventure travel. Expedition companies are filling berths, and setting sail for the 7th continent. I am on board, literally, with Quark Expeditions for 2022.  2 / A privately-chartered dahabiya, down the Nile River tops my list as the most alluring way to explore ancient Egypt. 3 / Photograph the salt flats of Bolivia, in the dry and rainy seasons—both equally spectacular—I can’t choose.


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Kasbah Bab Ourika exterior view

3 / Immersive, Eco-Conscious Trips

Why now? Lately, we seem to be booking travel based upon environmental awareness, and a desire to seek out deeper, more engaging, experiences, instead of ticking off the ‘Top 10’ attractions at record speed.

Kasbah Bab Ourika garden view

I’d rather walk villages and observe local life than go traditional sightseeing. It appears travelers are increasingly interested in investing time in one place, paying attention to conservation efforts, and sustainable tourism. All of this makes for a more meaningful experience and benefit the destination, simultaneously.

Mint tea ceremony in local village

Need inspiration? Experiment with an ancient hammam spa ritual in Marrakech, or hike to a traditional Berber tea ceremony in the Atlas Mountains. The ways to fully entrench oneself in the culture of Morocco are everywhere.

Sushi

In Tokyo, there is virtually no end to the food adventures one can devour. Learn to love all things tofu, try chicken sashimi (yes, I said chicken) without fear of salmonella poisoning, and learn to say omakase with conviction.

Silverbacks

Tracking the mighty silverbacks of Uganda in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest was as ethereal and life-changing as it sounds.

IMO Where To Get Immersed: 1 / Clayoquot Wilderness Resort on Vancouver Island, Canada has worked to regenerate the declining wild salmon population among other commitments to the environment. 2 / Marataba Conservation Camps is an immersive safari adventure that focuses on conservation efforts. A nearly 52,000-acre private reserve in South Africa, one can monitor cheetahs, or tag rhinos. 3 / Explore organic farms, and discover how Costa Rica produces its ingredients, at an eco-lodge in the rainforest.

2 / Travel Advisor-Assisted Trips

Why now? For decades, I have planned all of my own trips, with (mainly) positive results. Every so often, things went wrong. But even when they did, a funny story typically resulted. Some stories, I’ll admit, took longer to become funny than others.

I still love the researching, googling, and insta-scrolling of travel planning. But one of the other things that 2020 has taught me, is that travel is less predictable.

Need inspiration? As the New York Times recently reported, “Make Way for the Travel Agents. Again.”. Travel advisors are back. I can see why.

Who wants the stress of planning a post-COVID holiday, not knowing which countries are open to who, what each hotel’s safety protocols are, and what unique entry documentation is required? Not me.

Arch of San Cabos

IMO Who To Trust: After CIRE Travel bailed us out of Mexico last year when the world shut down, I will sing their praises to anyone who listens. What would have taken me four hours to get through to United Airlines, took CIRE’s COO, Amy Brueckner four minutes. I’ve known Amy since I was 18 years old. I trust anyone Amy trusts.

CIRE’s CEO and Founder, Eric Hrubant, has since become a friend, an amazing source of inspiration, and my secret weapon—my travel advisor.

Call Eric. Tell him I sent you. Eric knows everyone in the industry, no joke.

Pond reflection at night

1 / Simple Pleasure Trips

Why now? That first sip of morning coffee, a fiery sunset, sleeping when it’s raining, a local farmer’s market. My simple pleasures—none of which I need to leave home to appreciate. Yet, when I encounter them somewhere that is NOT my home, I appreciate them far more.

Whether an easy drive to an Airbnb or a long haul to a cabin in Maine, taking trips that slot into our personal comfort zones are in, and hopefully are here to stay.

Need inspiration? Stowe, Vermont is my answer to summer happiness. I am biased, having spent most of my life visiting there. Between the farmer’s market, goat farms, hiking, biking, and meandering nature-filled paths, there are enough places for me to take stock of life’s littlest luxuries.

Village Home 33 exterior

Choose a village home, or a river-view cottage, at the Montage Palmetto Bluff. This expansive, activity-filled property in South Carolina will inspire you to lay low in the low country. 

IMO Where To Lay Low: 1 / Willow House, in far west Texas, calls itself a ‘desert retreat’ near Big Bend National Park. The modern concrete casitas beg to be posted. Need proof? Check out, @willowhouse_ 2 / Hasbrouck House, in the Hudson Valley of New York, which is a historic 18th-century mansion that appeals to both my romantic and hedonistic sides. 3 / Primland is a rustic getaway tucked up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. I am keen to watch the world unfold from one of their three treehouses perched on the edge of the mountains.

Kayaking

FWIW

Soon, we will exit our bubbles, our houses, our pods, and start to board planes and trains again. I won’t take time for granted. Especially family time. I know where I’m going. Do you? LMK.


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by: Jamie Edwards

3 Comments

  1. Great read! I’m mentally planning the next trip (but you’ll do the actual planning, right? 😉

  2. Already have trips to Italy and Greece on the books for 2021! YEAH! Great article and photos, Jamie!

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