by vpk® by Maharishi Ayurveda
Have you ever returned from a trip more exhausted than when you started out? This summer, instead of spending your entire vacation in a blur of travel and hustle-bustle, plan at least a day or two on a rejuvenating staycation (a vacation where you stay at home), Ayurveda style!
Click here for our friends at vpk® by Maharishi Ayurveda's Top 5 Ayurvedic Staycation ideas!
We can't wait to try these!
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.
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.
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.
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!)
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!
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 do you need to have with you while traveling? Any items you found and love? Share it in the comments!
xx
Cat
Travel Europe 2017 from Michael Sager on Vimeo.
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!
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.
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.
$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)
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.
- 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.
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.
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.
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.
- 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.
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!
We flew Ryanair from Barcelona to Venice (Treviso), Italy. Flights were $60 each - great deal! 2 hour flight.
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.
- 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!
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.
We took a 2 hour Trenitalia train from Venice to Florence. It was about $50 USD each.
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.
- 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
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!
We took a 2 hour flight from Florence to Amsterdam on Vueling Airlines. Flights were $75 each.
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.
- 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.
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!
We took a 2 hour Thalys train from Amsterdam to Brussels. It cost $55 USD each.
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.
- 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.
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!
