4 Stretches to do on an Airplane

by Molly Black, EAT STRETCH NAP™ Contributor // Founder of Wellness by Molly

When you travel a lot, your practice may dwindle while you’re on the go. A great way to stay on track is to do some yoga on the airplane. Your body will thank you.

Enjoy!

Seated Twists 

While seated with both feet flat on the floor, bring the back of your left hand to your outer right thigh and gently twist your upper body so that you are facing the right. Do the same on the other side. Keep your neck and spine long and breath in as you lift your ribcage and exhale as you twist.

Neck Rolls 

While seated or standing, bring your chin to your chest and then move your chin to the left and right side. If it's comfortable, bring your neck into full circles covering your full range of motion.

Thigh Lifts 

While standing bring one thigh into your chest and wrap your arms around your leg. Repeat on the other side. You can hold on to the airplane chair or wall for balance.

Wrist Stretches

While seated or standing, interlace your hands and then bring them overhead with your palms facing up. Lean from one side to the other if you have room for an extra stretch!

Do you want to learn more easy stretches you can do while on the go? Watch @eatstretchnap’s story every Thursday for #ESNStretchBreak! We share one simple pose you can do anytime and teach you its amazing benefits! We want to see you stretch in the wild! Take a pic of yourself stretching on an airplane or public space and tag #ESNStretchBreak + @eatstretchnap to be featured.

Molly Black [@wellnesswithmolly]

Mindfulness Guide, Meditation + Yoga Teacher + lover of vegan cooking and chai

For more by Molly, visit wellnesswithmolly.me or follow @wellnesswithmolly on Instagram!

5 items every solo traveler should have

Are you planning a trip by yourself? Are you nervous? Don't be! You should definitely do it. Newsflash: Chances are you won't be alone most of the time. You'll meet people who are also traveling solo and will want to combine adventures! That's what happened to me! So there's always that...if you want :) (or if you really wanna go completely solo and off in your own head for a while, consider going on a 10 Day Silent Meditation Retreat. Now that's a trip!)

After leading my last EAT STRETCH NAP Retreat to Costa Rica, I decided to go on a month of solo travel in the jungles and beaches of Costa Rica. Here's a list of the top 5 things I packed that I think every solo traveler, or any traveler, should have. I got lots of requests to post a full packing list of what I packed for a month, so I'll do that too! Keep an eye out for my next post.

TORTUGA SETBACK BACKPACK // tortuga.com $199

I love this backpack! This is the only piece of luggage I brought with me other than a tote bag. I have an older model of this backpack and desperately want to order this newer version (pictured here). The key to packing well is organization. The little compartments within this backpack help you do that seamlessly. When you're traveling alone and hopping from hotel room to hostel to bed and breakfast etc - organization is key! Also, if you're traveling between places and need to use the restroom, it's easier if you can bring your bag in with you!  Also, imagine pushing around a big suitcase in the middle of the jungle -- rough. Speaking of jungle - often in Costa Rica the roads and ground were just dirt - so often you have to pick up your bags anyway.

ALEADER Water Shoes // amazon.com $29

I used to have these old Merrell water shoes that I loved, but I left them on a bus in Israel..never to be seen again. These are a great alternative! On my trip, I actually only packed 3 pairs of shoes: Teva hiking boots, Rainbow flip flops and these water shoes. I wore these shoes on the plane on my trip to and from Chicago. It was super comfortable, airy and lightweight. 

DR. BRONNER'S SOAP // drbronners.com $17.99

When traveling, I use this soap for everything - my face, my body, my laundry. It's amazing. There's a reason it's called Dr. Bronner's All-One Magic Soap. My personal favorite scents are lavender, eucalyptus and peppermint. (FYI: I didn't check in any luggage so I bought a 3 ounce travel size bottle from Walgreens and filled it with this!)

AMAZON KINDLE PAPERWHITE // amazon.com $99

This is my first time owning a Kindle and I love it! I was anti-Kindle for a while because I am such a book lover, but for traveling it's so nice to have several books on you without the physical weight of them. Also, an awesome perk I didn't expect was being able to read in the dark while others were sleeping. Huge gamechanger! 

Fllajraven Totepack No. 2 // Fllajraven.com $175

Now I do wish this totebag/backback was a little more stylish - but it is extremely practical and the best one I found so far in terms of durability. I loved being able to use this as a backpack when hiking and a totebag whenever I had my Tortuga backpack on. I also loved being able to use this bag on the beach and on hikes in the rain without worrying about my stuff getting wet (it's water-resistant). Throwing it under the seat of a plane and in the back of dirty cars was totally fine too. It kept it's shape and the more "dirty" it got, the better it looked!

WHAT ABOUT YOU??

What do you need to have with you while traveling? Any items you found and love? Share it in the comments!

xx
Cat

Best Way to Travel Europe in 2 Weeks

Travel Europe 2017 from Michael Sager on Vimeo.

Travel Europe in 2 Weeks

Madrid, Barcelona, Venice, Florence, Amsterdam, Brussels + Bruges

Whenever I read blogs about traveling, I wish bloggers would just get straight to the point of what they did, where they stayed and what they ate. I don't like having to read through all the nuances of their lives - I just want to know the facts! So here’s a quick recap of my most recent 2 week vacation in Europe to help you plan your next visit. If there's anything more you want to know, just ask!

THERE ARE 3 WAYS I LIKE TO TRAVEL:

1.) For fun with friends and/or family

2.) For personal development, reflection + meditation

3.)  To lead life-changing Yoga, Meditation + Ayurveda Retreats of course!

This post is about my most recent trip to Europe (for fun!) for my friends' Ariel and Josh's wedding. Their wedding was at Delirium Cafe in Brussels, Belgium. I planned a 2 week Europe Trip for my husband and I around their wedding. We spent 1 week traveling on our own and 1 week with friends. We traveled to 4 countries in 2 weeks. 

VISION FOR THE TRIP:

Overall vision - 

Travel “college-style” or as people from Europe like to say, “like an American.” Hop around from city to city and country to country constantly. Be tired + happy.

Week 1 Vision - Lots of romance, sight-seeing and unique food experiences in Spain + Italy.

Week 2 Vision - Go with the flow and do whatever seems like the most fun with friends from college while in Amsterdam, Brussels + Bruges.

TRAVEL BOOKS + BLOGS:

Lonely Planet Spain

Lonely Planet Italy

Thrillist Amsterdam

NY Times “36 Hours” Articles

FLIGHTS:

$900 each on Iberia Airlines -

Outbound 1
Chicago - Madrid

Outbound 2
Brussels - Madrid
Madrid - Chicago

I’m upset about the price of our tickets. At first, I found an amazing deal for $600 round trip from Chicago to Madrid, but for whatever reason I didn’t book it right away. So our flights ended up being $900 each - which is expensive for flights to Europe. If you have time and date flexibility, you could find round trip tickets from Chicago to Paris, Denmark, or Madrid for $400 - so definitely do your research.

To search for flights I use a combination of -

Google Flights

Hipmunk

Southwest Airlines

Hopper (app)

3 DAYS 2 NIGHTS IN MADRID

WHERE to stay:

AC HOTEL ATOCHA

Average rate per night $114 USD.

AC Hotels are a line of Marriott hotels. I get a discount at the Marriott because I teach yoga at JW Marriott Chicago. The friends and family rate is hit or miss though. This was the only Marriott hotel we stayed at - the rest were too expensive, even with a discount.

WHAT to do:

- Sightseeing - 

Plazas -

Plaza Mayor - this is the biggest, most iconic Plaza. We went very early and it wasn't crowded which was great. 

Palacio Real (The Royal Palace)

Plaza de Oriente

Plaza de Oriente

Plaza de la Villa

Plaza de Santa Ana

Plaza de la Puerta del Sol

Parks - 

El Retiro Park - highly recommend renting bikes and biking around this park, it's huge!

- Museums -

Museo del Prado

- Shopping -

El Rastro Market - total wash and not worth going. After seeing such great markets in Thailand, this one didn't have anything cool and was annoyingly busy. 

- Late night drinks - 

in Malasana, Madrid - very Brooklyn hipster vibes

in Chueca, Madrid - chic gay neighborhood with fancy high end bars

in La Latina - River North Chicago vibes, lots of drunk people

Bar Cock -  ridiculous name, great cocktails!

Tempernillo - intimate wine bar, older crowd

El Viaje - cool roofdeck bar

- Nap - 

or "siesta" of course.

WHERE to eat:

Chocolateria de San Gines

For hot chocolate + churros! So good we went twice.

Mercado de San Miguel

Oldest market in Madrid. Felt like The Publican meets Eataly - very chic. We got ham iberico with manchego cheese, cup of octopus in an edible cup, squid with paprika oil and vinegar, and Mike of course had to try something weird - goose barnacle, a type of shellfish.

Casa Julio

Tiny and known for their croquettes

The Good Burger

Drunk late night burgers at Good Burger are a way better option than McDonald's and it's one of the few places that's open 24 hours.

3 DAYS 2 NIGHTS IN BARCELONA

TRAVEL: 

We took a 3 hour Renfe train from Madrid to Barcelona. Tickets were about $150 each. Totally worth it. The trains are comfortable, fast and easy to figure out. You don't have to deal with airport security which saves you so much time.

WHERE to stay: 

 Chic + Basic Born

Average rate per night is $135.

This hotel is super cute and affordable considering the location and the modern amenities. With your booking, you also get a free 2 hour bike rental.

WHAT to do:

- Biking -

We biked to Park Guell,  Arc de Triomf + La Sagrada Familia. Barcelona has such great bike lanes. Take advantage and explore!

- Sightseeing -

Gothic Quarter - beautiful history + shopping

La Rambla - like Michigan Ave in Chicago, but way more beautiful because of the greenery

El Raval - the other side of La Rambla, a little sketchy, but interesting

Soho House Barcelona - as a member, I had to check it out! It wasn't very crowded, and gorgeous as usual. 

 

WHERE to eat:

El Glop

Bormuth

Awesome food. We got tomato toast, sardines + vinegar, Russian salad + patatas bravas.

Casa Delfin

So good but expensive.

Bonita

Cute and by the beach (not beachfront, just nearby)

El Glop

BEST PAELLA EVER. Family restaurant vibes.

Tantaranta

Mike and I became obsessed with Spanish Broken Eggs - fried eggs + chips. Try it here or anywhere it's on the menu!

3 DAYS 2 NIGHTS IN VENICE

TRAVEL: 

We flew Ryanair from Barcelona to Venice (Treviso), Italy. Flights were $60 each - great deal! 2 hour flight.

WHERE to stay: 

Airbnb - Ca Bea Venezia

I unknowingly booked us flights to Venice during the Biennale Arte - I had no idea what this was at the time and every hotel and Airbnb I looked at was sold out except for this one. It turned out being okay. It's not somewhere I would recommend because it's so awesome - it was just practical and available. Average rate per night is $200 - expensive for this tiny room. 

WHAT to do:

- Cafe Hopping - 

We walked into random cafes that looked appealing and had the best looking people. Seriously! Because we were there during this art festival, there were the most incredibly dressed humans I've ever seen - we wanted to be around them for all the great fashion and people watching!

St. Mark's Square - for drinking expensive expressos and fancy wine while listening to live classical music with an incredible view and a bunch of pigeons

Order a "Spritz" anywhere and everywhere (Aperol, Prosecco and sparkling water)

- Gondala ride - 

Worth the $100. #justdoit

- Food + Wine tour -

We booked a tour through Urban Adventures. Our tour guide was amazing and this is a great way to meet people! You could easily hop around and visit all the stops on the tour by yourself, but if you want to meet new people - try out this tour!

WHAT to eat:

Mike and I went to random restaurants that we thought looked good - again based on the people we saw there. I didn't write any of the names down, because I was wine drunk and in the moment, but we did order the following types of dishes which are on almost every menu and really good!

Squid Ink Pasta - it's black and stains your mouth a little bit, but so delicious

Pizza, Gnocchi, Tortellini, any pasta - can't go wrong!

Bread + olive oil + olives on repeat. Constantly.

Also, I'd just like to note that on this leg of the trip Mike + I found out that his 99 year old grandmother passed away. We were devastated and almost booked a flight back home to go to her funeral, but we knew that she would have wanted us to stay, travel and enjoy life. I thought this was worth mentioning because sometimes traveling seems like every aspect of it is so fun and inspiring all the time, but sometimes sad, uncontrollable things happen and you just gotta go with the flow. Mike and I gave ourselves plenty of time to reflect, rest and honor his grandma's life while we traveled the rest of our trip - even if that involved staying in a hotel room, on our phones, being sad. 

3 DAYS 2 NIGHTS IN Florence

TRAVEL:

We took a 2 hour Trenitalia train from Venice to Florence. It was about $50 USD each. 

WHERE to stay:

Hotel Scoti 

Average rate is $70 USD a night. 

Hotel Scoti is a super cute bed and breakfast in a great location. The photo above is of their common area- its so cozy. The owners are a couple and are very accommodating. The only downside is that sound travels a lot so we often woke up to voices chatting in the common area. Other than that it, it was great.

WHAT to do:

- Museums -

The Uffizi - you could spend all day here. My personal fav was seeing The Birth of Venus painting by Sandro Botticelli.

Galleria dell'Accademia - To see the David by Michelangelo of course. It's the only thing to see in this whole museum - the rest is whatever. 

I've went to Italy in high school on a school trip - it was cool to see the David again after so many years. I have a new found appreciation for it that I definitely did not possess at 17 years old. Maybe the third time I go back I'll be able to appreciate the rest of the museum haha. #doubtit

- Sightseeing - 

The Duomo - can't miss it. 

Piazzale Michelangelo - A famous lookout point, amazing view of the city

WHAT to eat:

All'Antico Vinaio - for the best panini you'll ever have in your life. Honestly, the best sandwich I've ever had. Long line, worth the wait. 

Mike and I played it by ear when it came to food a lot in Florence because every menu was very similar and all the food was good. You can't really go wrong - paninis, pasta, pizza. Done!

4 DAYS 3 NIGHTS IN AMSTERDAM

Travel:

We took a 2 hour flight from Florence to Amsterdam on Vueling Airlines. Flights were $75 each.

WHERE TO STAY:

Sir Albert Hotel Amsterdam

This is a high end hotel and we decided to splurge - kind of. 1.) Because of its location - it was right by where all our friends were staying 2.) Because we planned to split a 2 person room between 3 people to save money. Average rate per night is $300. The amenities, design and outstanding customer service make it worth this price point. This hotel is very well designed and very expensive. They treat you like royalty and it's in one of the best neighborhoods in Amsterdam.

WHAT to do:

- Biking -

Bike EVERYWHERE. Rent bikes for $12 a day anywhere and just ride ride ride! Best way to see the city - hands down.

- Window Shopping -

Amsterdam as the cutest stores and shops everywhere. I didn't end up buying any thing because I get so overwhelmed by all the choices. If you bike around, you can take breaks and walk around all the cute shops, they're everywhere!

- Sightseeing -

Keukenhof - Tulip Festival - Mike + I rented bikes in Leiden and rode an hour bike ride to see the tulips. Unfortunately, when we got there the tulip fields were already cut down, but we still hung out with our friends and took fun pics. 

Red Light District - I mean, you have to at least see it? We walked down the main street as a group of 20+ people. It was a little obnoxious, but made me feel more comfortable. I think it's interesting to observe people's reactions + thoughts around the Red Light District. Its existence definitely brings up important conversations that I think are worth having. 

WHERE to EAT:

Amsterdam Roest

Cool warehouse vibes, eclectic decor and unique crowd. There's hammocks and a beach-themed patio that creates a very chill vibe. We had coffee here but they also have food and drinks. 

Brouwerij't ij

This brewery is the place to go for flights of beer, lots of cheese + meat. There's a comfortable outdoor seating area with an awesome looking windmill - great for pics ;)

Gebr. Hartering (jk go to Daalder instead)

This was one of the more high end dining experiences we had. I thought the wine was great but the food wasn't that exciting or worth the price. The staff and atmosphere were awesome though, which definitely plays a part in what you are paying for. My friends went to Daalder earlier in the day and said it was the best meal of their lives - so go there instead! 

5 DAYS 4 NIGHTS IN brussels

Travel:

We took a 2 hour Thalys train from Amsterdam to Brussels. It cost $55 USD each.

WHERE TO STAY:

Airbnb - Zen + Art Flat

There were a ton of Airbnb options in Brussels. Highly recommend going that route since Brussels is such a small city. Staying at an Airbnb makes it feel like you live there and since it's so small - it's easy to figure out how to get around. You'll feel less like a tourist and more like a local in no time. 

WHAT to do

- Sightseeing/Photoshoots -

Grand Palace - do all the photoshoots. Take all the pics. This is the most beautiful plaza of all. This is where my friends' Ariel + Josh took their wedding party photos and they ended up looking so epic! Although, pretty much every little street in Brussels is a picturesque moment. 

Manneken Pis - Small tiny statue, huge let down. But fun to check out anyway!

- Day trip -

Visit Bruges - Brussels is so small, you can see and do everything in 2 days. If you have more time, visit Bruges and explore. You can take a quick train ride over. 

WHERE to eat:

Since my intention was to go with the flow as much as possible, I didn't keep track of any bars or restaurants we went to (other than Delirum Cafe, where my friends got married. You definitely should go there!).

If I had to list the top three types of food you need to eat while in Brussels it'd be:

Mussels + Frites (fries)

Waffles - get them everywhere and anywhere. Try all different kinds.

Fries - eat all the fries!!!

I hope this post helps you plan your next European adventure. If you plan to travel Europe in 2 weeks and visit 6 cities - you can! Just plan for travel delays, random things to come up and to sleep when needed. You can do it! I am not someone who typically makes a budget and sticks to it, but if I want to go somewhere and do something, I can motivate myself enough to save money and make it happen. I have no idea exactly how much this trip cost us, but if I had to estimate, I'd say save about $3000 of fun European vacation money for yourself! And then go make it happen. 

Was this post helpful? Is there anything more specific you want to know? If the thought of traveling + planning your own adventure intimidates you - don't worry! You can always come on a retreat with me and I'll plan out alllll the things :) Check out the details of my next yoga retreat to Costa Rica!

Things to do in Thailand

Travel Thailand from Michael Sager on Vimeo.

My husband Mike and I recently went on a trip to Thailand for two weeks. Mike made this awesome highlight reel (above! ^) of our trip. The video makes it seem like I was there by myself because he filmed most of it and decided to edit himself out completely, ugh. Below is a short compilation of where we stayed, what we did, and where we ate. When I was planning this trip, I wished there was a blog out there with exactly two weeks in Thailand planned out with everything I wanted to do, needless to say I didn't find it, but hopefully this helps one of you out there who is planning a visit one day. 

My vision for the trip:

Hop around from place to place for the first week and see as much of Thailand as possible.

Spend the second week at a fancy resort and just chill/beach, sleep, eat, repeat. 

And of course, check out the yoga + wellness scene!

Travel Books + Blogs I followed:

Lonely Planet's Thailand Travel Guide, I buy a Lonely Planet book for all my travels. It's my most trusted guide! I keep them as a little memento of the places I've been. 

NY Times 36 Hours in Bangkok, a yoga client told me to Google "New York Times 36 Hours in Bangkok" for travel recommendations. I'm totally going to do that for every city I visit now.

Design Sponge Chiang Mai City Guide , Design Sponge is an awesome design blog so I knew they'd have some fun hipster-y stuff to do in there.

The Travallure, I met the beautiful babe behind this blog, Amanda, while studying abroad in London in 2011. She recently lived in Thailand for a couple years. 

Nomadic Matt, stumbled upon this blog. I like that it has a lot of practical advice and includes price points. 

Flights:

We bought rounds trip flights from Chicago to Bangkok. My go-to search engines for flights are Google Flights, Hipmunk and the app, Hopper. Our tickets cost about $800 each. There were some for around $600 each but there were more than 1 stop involved and the layovers were really long. I decided the extra $200 was worth it to get to there and back in the shortest amount of time. We flew Korean Air from Chicago (ORD) to Seoul (ICN) to Bangkok (BKK) and took the reverse back, obvi. Highly recommend Korean Air, they served soo much food + red wine and gave out plane slippers. Who doesn't love plane slippers??

In the interest of time, we flew to all our other destinations: Chiang Mai, Koh Samui and Phuket. We booked all our flights the day before we wanted to leave. They varied in cost, anywhere from $36-$200. To me, this was worth it because if I liked a city a lot, we had the option of staying in it a little longer, on the other hand, if we got through everything we wanted to do quickly, we could book an earlier flight.

Day 1 - 3: Bangkok

WHERE WE STAYED: 

The beautiful, AriyasomVilla.

Everyone I know who’s visited Bangkok told me that it’s an amazing place, but like all major cities, it’s busy, loud and always on. So when I read that this hotel was in the heart of Bangkok, but quiet, zen and had an authentic Thai feeling, I knew this was the place the be. Upon arrival, the staff gave us a free room upgrade and a bottle of champagne! Breakfast was included and the food was extremely fresh and flavorful. Staying there was an absolute joy, I highly recommend this hotel! 

WHAT WE DID:

Shopping:

Chatuchak Market aka “JJ Market” - The largest market in Thailand.

This was one of my favorite experiences, I’ve never seen so much stuff in one place! You could easily spend all day here and buy all the things.

Thai Massage:

The Touch

We loved this place so much we went twice. I had the best Thai massage of my entire trip here. Mike preferred the foot massages, which if you ask me is totally underrated when people talk about Thailand. They go on and on about Thai massages -- but the foot massages are phenomenal! Especially if you don't like people touching you all over. Thai massages are intense and can definitely be hit or miss. 

Nightlife:

Khao San Road

The "Wrigleyville of Bangkok," in my opinion. You can go out anywhere on Khao San Road, there’s so much going on and it's the wildest bar street I've ever seen. We sat down at some tables, technically not even a bar, right outside of Brick Bar. People were drinking mystery alcohol out of sand buckets. We stuck to Chang. 

Patpong

The Red Light District/Go-go bars etc. This is not something I would necessarily recommend, but after a few drinks my curiosity got the best of me and next thing I know I'm in bars called "The Pink Panther" and "Super Pussy." Most people probably know this already, but it’s actually more depressing than fun to be here, but some of it is really circusy and crazy to see. This article sums up the experience pretty well.

Moon Bar

Very chic rooftop bar. We got one drink, enjoyed the view and took selfies. It was an expensive cocktail, but you're paying for the Instagrams.

Sightseeing:

We took a boat ride from Sathon Central Pier to the Old City to see these famous temples:

Wat Phra Kaew + Grand Palace

Wat Pho (Reclining Buddha)

Wat Traimit (Golden Buddha)

WHERE WE ATE:

PadThai PraTuPee

If you go anywhere to eat in Bangkok, this is the place. It’s not in any blog or travel guide I’ve read. It was recommended to us by my cousin’s friend from Bangkok, Um (yes, Um is his name!). It was the best pad thai I’ve had in my entire life, and I eat A LOT of pad thai. Here's the restaurant name in Thai in case you need it! ผัดไทประตูผี

Street Food, always.

We ate food off street stalls everyday. We were told it's best to eat street food in areas that are busy because food gets turned over a lot faster so we stuck to that rule and neither of us got sick so that's good! A lot of people I know said they got stomachaches from street food, but we were fine. 

Or Kor Tor Market
Right by JJ Market. This is a fresh food market with lots of options. In the back area by the parking lot, there's a really good and cheap Thai restaurant we ate at, it doesn't have a sign, but maybe you'll see it!

Nahm
This is the fanciest dining experience we had, unfortunately the food was underwhelming. We found it to be overly salted and the flavors didn't really come through. But if you're in the mood for a sit down dinner this place is poppin and lots of people were there. We wanted to go to Gaggan, but it was fully booked for months. 

Royal India
Not the prettiest spot but very, very good Indian food in Chinatown. 

Nguan Lang Wang

Um took us to this restaurant (at 2 o'clock in the morning!) which felt very cool, local and authentic. I recommend getting any of the fish ball soups! And Thai Iced tea!

DAY 3 - 5: Chiang Mai

WHERE WE STAYED: 

Villa Duang Champa

This boutique guesthouse was super cute! It's one of those places that looks really great in photographs, but in real life you notice the little oddities and inconveniences. However, none of the little things (like a slow AC unit + weird bathtubs) are bad at all. The staff was so friendly and the cocktails were really good too! The location is also convenient. Above is a photo of the actual room we stayed in.

WHAT WE DID:

One thing I will say about Chiang Mai is that everything was further away than any guidebook or blog led on. We took a cab pretty much everywhere and most major sights like temples and national parks were at least an hour away by car. There were some attractions within the city walls by our hotel, but most required a drive.

Thai Massage:
Lila Massage
This place was very popular and had high ratings, but I didn't like the group massage setting. Everyone is getting a thai massage in a big open room and the ladies who work there are chatting with one another. It wasn't the most relaxing atmosphere. 

C&R Massage

Mike and I both got herbal balm foot massages here, so great!

Sightseeing:

Doi Suthep National Park

San Kamphaeng Hot Springs

Random Waterfalls along the road leading up to Doi Suthep

Cooking Class:

Asia Scenic Cooking School

This was by far one of my favorite experiences in Thailand. It was such a great way to meet people from all over the world. Mike and I were the only Americans in our class and everyone else was from a different country, not one of them being the same. Our instructor was also really fun and engaging. She did an amazing job teaching us how to cook a variety of dishes. 

Shopping:
Night Bazaar

It was fun to explore this market at night, it definitely has a different vibe when it's dark. Mike and I bought most of our souvenirs here. 

Warorot Market

Another great market to check out. This one had a lot of produce and meat for sale. We went here during our cooking class to shop for ingredients.

HQ Paper Maker

For some reason I wanted to go to this paper store I read about in my Lonely Planet book. It was cute, small and nothing special, but I liked it! I bought a bookmark and some blank stationary and envelopes. 

Save the Elephants:

Elephant Nature Park

There's some shady businesses out there who claim to be saving elephants like Elephant Nature Park does, but it's rumored that some of them are only pretending to in order to attract tourists. So do your research! Or just go to this one. 

WHERE WE ATE:

Kow Soy

This is more like "what we ate." Kow Soy is a curry soup dish that is really popular in Northern Thailand. I'm not a fan of curry, but Mike enjoyed it a lot and wished he had more.

AUM Restaurant

I wanted to check out this vegetarian restaurant because it's called AUM and that's the proper way to spell "Om." That's really the only reason I wanted to go, luckily the food was proper as well!

Talat Pratu Chang Pheuak

A nightly food market. Mike and I were overwhelmed by all the food choices here. Everything looked so good!

Good Morning Chiang Mai

We went here for breakfast on our last day in Chiang Mai. This was a very westernized restaurant. It felt like I was in a hipster cafe in Logan Square. After 6 days of eating Thai food, we welcomed their good ol' American style brunch. 

DAY 5 - 7: Koh Samui

WHERE WE STAYED: 

My birthday happened to be during our trip and Mike said we could do whatever I wanted so I obviously decided to fit in a mini yoga retreat in the middle of our trip. We bought tickets to Koh Samui because I heard it's the ultimate wellness destination and we booked 2 nights at Absolute Sanctuary. We didn't end up booking our hotel until we landed at Koh Samui's airport because I couldn't decide where to stay until last minute! Thankfully, this place was a gem. One thing we didn't find out until we got there was that Absolute didn't serve alcohol because it's a detox center. (Boooo!) But we had green juices and healthy smoothies galore!

WHAT WE DID:

Pilates Reformer Class

I made Mike do a Pilates Reformer class with me. They had old school machines which was fun! The instructor also had great cues and amazing form. 

Private Beaches

Absolute is up in the mountains, about a 20 minute walk from any major beach. If you walk along the roads near Absolute, there are a few secret passageways that lead to smaller, unnamed beaches. These beaches are rocky and good for photographs and morning runs vs. swimming and lounging around. It was really fun to explore these seemingly uncharted lands :)

Pool time

Their pool has an amazing view. Mike and I spent most of our time swimming in the rain drinking mocktails. 

Sala Hotel

Absolute had a shuttle service to the Sala Hotel which has more of a standard "beach front hotel." We spent some beach time there and had some real cocktails. 

Fisherman’s Village

This was my favorite market of the entire trip. It had all the same cheap and interesting stuff, but a really fun, chill beach vibe. There was also a lot of space which made it more enjoyable. 

WHERE WE ATE:

Absolute Sanctuary

We ate most of our food at our hotel because it was pretty secluded. The food was very tasty and it was all fresh and organic. 

Fisherman’s Village

There was plenty of street food at Fisherman's Village. I had some of the best spring rolls there. 

Dawn Korean

Mike and I happened to walk by a Korean Restaurant called Dawn. It looked crowded and we were hungry so we tried it. It ended up being amazing! One of our best meals. 

DAY 7 - 14: phuket

WHERE WE STAYED: 

Our time in Phuket was essentially our second honeymoon. For our wedding present, our Aunt and Uncle let us use their international timeshare at the JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa. Mike and I felt like Queens as this resort. (I'm assuming Mike felt like a queen too.) This place was magical. It was everything I wanted my last week in Thailand to be and more. It was secluded, private and had one of the most stunning beaches I have ever seen. 

WHAT WE DID:

Beach. Pool. Read. Nap.

We spent our days lounging by the beach and the pool drinking cocktails and reading. I finished the book A Man Called Ov and loved it. If I was reading alone in my room I would have cried. It's an easy read and a moving story.

Phuket Vegetarian Festival

This yearly October festival happened to be going on while we were there. After Googling images and freaking out a bit, we realized we HAD to go. We witnessed some of the most insane looking things I've ever seen. Definitely check it out if you're there this time of the year. 

WHERE WE ATE:

The downside at staying at a fancy chic resort is fancy chic prices. The food was expensive and average at best. But since we had spent a week being adventurous and trying new foods, settling for westernized Thai food and straight up American food like burgers and pizza was an ok trade-off for the beautiful atmosphere. The JW had an array of different restaurants with all different types of food. Nearby was a shopping mall called "Turtle Mart" with other restaurant options, like an Irish pub and a fast food chain called Thai Express. There was also a little grocery store where we bought snacks and breakfast food like eggs and oatmeal to save a little money and not pay hotel prices for every meal. This is a life hack I learned from my parents while traveling. Thank you, Filipino parents! 

I realize this isn't a typical travel review or blog post. I wanted to list out everything I did and explain the reasoning behind the choices I made. When it comes to travel, there is a lot of decision making involved that can be overwhelming. I hope it helps make planning a trip to Thailand a little bit easier for you! Please message me or email me with any questions. I love hearing from you!