Monthly Archives: September 2015

What’s your travel style?

WHAT’S YOUR TRAVEL STYLE?
by Debbie Ross,   Womens Travel Network

With so many places to see and so many styles of travel it’s often difficult to know where to begin.

The first question you must ask yourself is “what’s my travel style?”  Before deciding on where you want to go on your trip you need to determine your travel personality, that is how you determine your travelling style.  Which personality are you?

  1. ROMANTIC
    Finding that perfect hideaway on a secluded beach
    Some of the popular romantic destinations in the Caribbean are St Lucia, Jamaica, Antigua and Dominican Republic
    Staying at an upscale resort where they offer butler service and fine dining.
    Sandals has been providing this exceptional service for years as well as Karisma resorts in Mexico and Jamaica.
    Taking a luxury cruise through French Polynesia
    Paul Gaugin and Silver Sea cruise lines are 2 of the top cruise lines that offer an intimate cruise experience.
    Viewing the perfect sunset over the Caldera in Santorini Greece
    There are many intimate hotels offering great views of the deep blue sea as well as fabulous restaurants offering the perfect ambiance for watching the sun set over the Caldera.
    Blog romantic
  2. ADVENTUROUS
    Bungee jumping in New Zealand
    Boating down the Amazon
    Heli-skiing from the top of a mountain in Banff
    Hiking Mt Kilimanjaro
    Trekking in Nepal
    Biking through Vietnam and Cambodia
    There are many companies that offer adventure travel, Worldwide Quest offers adventure and nature tours, Gap Adventures offer a wide variety of adventure tours as well as Pergrine Adventures. If you want Luxury adventure I recommend Kensington tours and Butterfield and Robinson and Backroads offers excellent biking Holidays.
    Bucket list Mt Kiliminjaro
  3. INTELLECTUAL
    Broadening your travel encyclopedia with Art, Culture and History. There are destinations all over the world that will cater to the student inside of you.
    Days filled with museums and Art Galleries
    Some of the top destinations for this type of travel are International cities such as Paris, New York, Barcelona and the famous art cities of Italy: Rome, Florence, Venice.
    Visiting archeological sites
    Top destinations for this type of travel are Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Peru, Mexico
    Exploring different cultures and religions
    One of my favourite destinations for this type of travel is India, specifically Varanasi.
    Israel is one of the top destinations for religious tours to learn about Christianity and Judaism, as well as various countries in Asia to learn about Buddhism.  China, Tibet, Myanmar.
    Bucket list Varansi
  4. European Coach Tours
    They will offer a wide variety of intellectual experiences. You can visit one region or take a whirlwind tour visiting many countries. Some of the top European coach tour companies are Insight Vacations, Collette tours, Trafalgar and Globus & Cosmos.
    Blog coach tour
  5. FAMILY TRAVEL
    The most popular family travel is “Multigenerational Travel”, where the parents take their children and their grandchildren away for an adventure. Family members will talk about these memorable experiences for years to come.
    Cruises in the Caribbean, Alaska, Mediterranean and European River cruises.
    Some of the more popular cruise lines that cater to the interests of all ages are Disney Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean and Princess.  Disney cruises are one of the first to offer family focused River cruises in Europe.
    All inclusive resorts in the Caribbean or Mexico
    It’s important to choose one that offers activities that are geared towards your families ages and interests.  If travelling with small children it’s wise to choose a resort that offers kids clubs. This way the parents will get a break and they won’t expect gramma and grandpa to babysit.
    Adventure travel is becoming more popular with families
    Most of us have done the beach vacation with our families, now it’s time to take the children exploring.
    Tanzania Wildlife Safari
    Costa Rica: Volcanoes Beaches and Eco Tourism
    Ecquador and Galapagos,
    exploring the uninhabited islands that inspired Darwin to create the Theory of Evolution.
    Bucket list Family Safari
  6. ALL OF THE ABOVE
    Many people want to include elements of every different type of travel in their adventures. The best way to do this is to be completely honest with yourself about what you want to accomplish and how you want to experience the world. Most travelers have some of these elements in their Ideal Travel Experience. It’s important to think about this aspect of your trip, not just the places you want to visit but how you want to experience it.

Before planning your next vacation, consider which travel style you are looking for.

A recent psychological study by Dr. Thomas Gilovich from Cornell University has confirmed that The key to happiness is through experiences rather than things.
Happiness stems from things we’ve done as those experiences become a part of us and shape our identity.  Gilovich suggest that instead of saving for that plasma screen TV, a much sounder path to happiness is through spending your money on experiences like travel, outdoor activities, new skills or visiting exhibitions. Gilovcih says
“Your experiences really are a part of you. We are the sum total of our experiences’

For help in planning your next vacation or adventure contact the professionals at:
Womens Travel Network.ca
Phone: 905-771-8338 or toll free 1-888-419-0118
Email: info@womenstravelnetwork.ca 

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Day 9 – Depart Florence

For those in the group heading home, they traveled to the airport for flights heading for home. Arrivederci, Florence!   A bittersweet goodbye to a memorable tour of Tuscany!

For those of us in the group heading to Rome, we traveled to the train station and boarded the train for a 3 hour trip to Rome.

Tuscany day 7 10

 

 

 

Day 8 – Tuscany Tour – Florence

Friday, September 18:  Florence at its finest!  Today our group had its choice of the many things to do and see in Florence – the Uffizi Gallery (?), markets and piazzas.  This evening, together we enjoyed a memorable farewell dinner.
On our second day in Florence, our guide, Giulia, took the group to the famous Uffizzi Gallery, where we saw works by Leonardo di Vinci, Michelangelo and Botticelli. What a stunning array of art in this beautiful gallery!

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Day 7 – Tuscany Tour – Florence

Thursday, September 17: Our group discovered FLorence by beginning the day with a walking tour of this beautiful city’s most famous landmarks – the Ponte Vecchio, the Piazza Della Signoria, the Duomo, and Santo Croce Church. And to top it all off, power shopping was at its best in the many streets of shopping!
After checking out of our hotel in Radda in Chianti, we headed for Florence, arriving at Hotel Balestri about noon. Our local guide, Giulia, took us on a walking tour of Firenze and showed us the highlights of this beautiful city. Following the tour, we had a wonderful Italian dinner of various Italian meats, cheeses and, of course, pizza! For dessert, we enjoyed traditional tiramisu.

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Day 6 – Tuscany Tour

Wednesday, September 16: Today our group of ladies marvelled at the incredibly beautiful stretch of roadway as w traveled south to the Val D’Orcia.  We visited the seree Abbey of Sant’Antimo, the fortress town of Montalcino and the gastronomic centre of Pienza.  We sampled the region’s famous Pecorino cheese (delicious!) a a local cheesemaker’s shop (?). At the end of a wonderful.   Today we visited the town of Montalcino and stopped at Fattoria Caparzo wine estate for wine tasting and lunch. From there, we travelled to Pienza where we visited Podere 11 Casale where we learned abou how they make sheep cheese, after which we sampled some of their cheeses and a glass of wine.

Tuscany day 5  1 Tuscany day 5 2 Tuscany day 5 3l day, we enjoyed a fabulous dinner in a countryside trattoria.

Day 4 – Tuscany Tour – San Gimignano and Siena

Monday, September 14:  We toured San Gimignano, which has one of the most  extraordinary streetscapes in Europe – unchanged in 600 years.

Then we traveled on to Siena, visiting the green and white marble cathedral and enjoying a walking tour of the famous shell-shaped Piazza del Campo.  We had ample time for sightseeing and shopping in exquisite Siena before enjoying a delicious dinner of.

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Day 5 – Tuscany Tour – Calling All Chefs!

Tuesday, September 15:  Today our group of ladies enjoyed the culinary delights of Italy!  After visiting the market in the morning to choose the freshest of ingredients, we attended a cooking class and enjoyed the fruits of  our labour at a delicious luncheon at a beautiful estate.  Following our lunch, we indulged in more wine-tasting at the prestigious Marchesi di Antinori wine estate, a fabulous venue with amazing wine cellars.

We travelled to Castellina in Chianti and met Chef Laura, who took us to several shops to buyfresh meat, cheese and vegetables for the cooking class. All the ladies participated in the cooking process by chopping vegetables and learning about Italian cooking. Once finished, we sat outside on the terrace overlooking her vineyards and ate a wonderful meal of bruschetta, beef with garlic, spinach with pine nuts and dessert made with ricotta cheese. Everything was delicioso!

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Day 3 – Tuscany Tour


Wine Tasting and more wine tasting (hiccup)!  Off we went for a tour of Brolio Castle with a lovely walk through the beautiful gardens surrounding the castle.  The highlight of the day was the wine-tasting, after which we toured the castle at Volpaia and did some more wine-tasting!  We staggered home with smiles on our faces and wine in our bellies!

Tuscany day 3 brolioimageimageimage