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"New Year's Day now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual." —Mark Twain
Well, today's the day, famous (or infamous) for making resolutions. It's a double-edged sword: the unflagging appeal of a fresh start against the litter of our past flops. Is it worth the effort?
We may be especially sensitive to the risks of resolutions after the derailed plans and pivots of 2020 & 2021. Maybe it's time to revamp the tradition of making resolutions? What if, instead of (or in addition to) seeking a particular outcome (like losing 10 pounds), we resolve to set out on a path to follow our curiosity?
I was reading about Betty White's remarkable life after the news of her death yesterday. While she said and did so much, so hilariously, she was also thoughtful and insightful in interviews and her writings (she authored a few books).
She once said, "everybody needs a passion. That's what keeps life interesting. If you live without passion, you can go through life without leaving any footprints."
If exploring the world through travel is one of your passions, here are some ideas for resolutions and footprint-making that you can look forward to keeping:
1. Break Out the High Heels
Cast the joggers and Zoom shirt aside and step out where style matters: Buenos Aires. The city's late-night culture of dining and dancing – milongas, or tango clubs, which typically don't get going until midnight - demands you dress the part.
Start at Comme Il Faut, an unassuming second-floor boutique specializing in strappy tango shoes, followed by the intimate Rojo Tango show at the 88-room Faena Hotel Buenos Aires. Red meat rules the parrilla at El Desnivel in the city's San Telmo neighborhood, a prime stop before a night at Salón Canning's popular Milonga Parakultural in Palermo.
If you have no tango experience, take a private lesson with an expert instructor, who will escort you to a práctica, or practice session, before the main dance.
2. Raise Your Sourdough Skills
The home bread-baking trend spiked so fast during the pandemic that it created a yeast shortage. Whether it's a hobby or a calling, why not level up?
Learn the art of making baguettes in Paris or master farm-to-table cooking at an Irish country house. Cooking classes at the 92-room Hotel d'Angleterre in Copenhagen span savory smørrebrød (open-faced sandwiches) and classic Danish pastries.
Another favorite: The Cookery School at northern England's 207-room The Grand, York, which hosts everything from chocolate soufflé intensives to "bakes" focused on teatime fruit scones, mince pies, or sweet and savory tarts.
3. Check Out for a Month
Work-from-anywhere policies enticed travelers to try out new lifestyles, and the urge has only grown stronger.
Extended-stay options range from Cuvée's sprawling eight-bedroom estate on 35 acres in Aspen to a three-story, two-bedroom contemporary London home in Notting Hill.
Uplevel the immersiveness of your stay by engaging museum tours with art experts, dining experiences with local chefs, and activities such as a day with a local genealogist to dive into ancestry and get the most out of your home-away-from-home.
4. Make Up for Missed Vacations
Postponed trips and untapped vacation budgets have many travelers thinking big with itineraries that go farther and deeper, such as Abercrombie & Kent's private jet tours.
These trips – both around the world and regionally focused – have proved so popular that the company has doubled departures on its wildlife safaris and cultural-treasures trips in 2022 and added two new journeys in New Zealand and Mexico.
5. Gather the Family (Without Holiday Baggage)
Cast off for a tropical oasis reunion without ritual and relax in an oceanfront four-bedroom vacation home with a private pool on Saint Bart's or a nine-bedroom manse on Saint John.
With swimming and sunning steps away, a beach stay takes some of the pressure off day-trip activities everyone will enjoy.
6. Check Off Your Seventh Continent
With a lineup of new ships and options to fly over (rather than cruise) the infamously wild Drake Passage, it's easier and more comfortable than ever to explore Antarctica.
Last July, Lindblad Expeditions launched the 126-passenger National Geographic Endurance with infinity Jacuzzis and an X-Bow design that rides smoother on rough seas.
Ponant recently launched the 245-passenger Commandant Charcot, a hybrid-electric ship with a restaurant from Michelin-starred chef Alain Ducasse. And this year, Seabourn will debut the 264-passenger Venture with two six-passenger submarines for excursions.
7. Shape Up
Not everyone gained weight during the pandemic, but a recent study found that nearly 40 percent of Americans packed on the pounds. Experts say shedding them requires a holistic approach – healthy eating, exercise, sleep, and stress management, among other lifestyle changes.
Kick-start your progress at the 104-room SHA Wellness Clinic in coastal Alicante, Spain. Eight-day custom programs focus on physical, mental, and spiritual well-being, beginning with a medical exam followed by underwater massages, personal training sessions, and cryotherapy (plus free time for beachcombing and lounging at the pool).
Are you thinking about setting some travel resolutions for 2022? Contact me HERE to get started!
Produced by Virtuoso, Specialists in the Art of Travel and Grand Journeys Travel
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