Would you rather have a window seat or an aisle seat on an airplane?

Would you Rather Wednesday!

Yes there is a lot to complain about when it comes to airlines and airplanes. The luggage costs are outrageous, there are no more free snacks, and the seats are tight. Oh, and did I mention you often have to pay to pick your seats?

Richard and I often splurge on seat selection so that we can get the emergency row seats. These seats give us extra leg room which is important when you are 5’10” and 6’2” respectively. Our preferences go beyond just the emergency aisle…

Richard prefers to sit in an aisle seat so he can stretch out his legs and/or get up and move. He is naturally fidgety and stays wide awake the entire flight, even if that flight is 12 hours or more. He is fairly happy with his headphones, tablet, and drink (this can be a whole post in itself!).

I on the other hand prefer a window seat. I am one of those lucky folks who can sleep anywhere, anytime, and anyhow. I tend to nod off after reading 2 pages of a magazine, and can often snooze until landing. I am most thrilled with a window seat. To be clear, a window seat where I can lean and sleep to the right. I bring my travel blanket and pillow and I am as happy as can be.

So you may already see the problem here: Richard prefers an aisle seat and Amrita prefers a window seat. Do these two even sit together on the plane? Well….yes and no. Often we compromise. He or I will suck up the middle seat if the flight is no longer than 5 hours. If it’s a long one, we have sat separately a couple of times.

*Side note: on many airlines there are rows of three that turn into rows of two as they move towards the back of the plane (on the left and right only). The downfall is you are at the back and near the washroom. However, if you just want to lay on one another and pile up all your belongings where you need them without worrying about hopping over another person to use the washroom these are great!

So what kind of seat is a must for you? An aisle or window? Because let’s face it, no one likes the middle. Let us know in the comments below.

Photo: @conciergecouple

Europe Itineraries Part 2

We promised we would post our other Europe itineraries. How might looking at our itinerary help you? Sometimes seeing what other travellers have done is a great jumping off point for planning your own trip. When we are debating how many days to spend and where, we often browse the internet; most often TripAdvisor forums, travel magazine articles, and blogs just like this one. Let other traveller’s trials and errors and tips guide you in planning your own unique vacation.

Well needless to say, we fell in love with Europe. It was very difficult to choose 2012’s itinerary. When we reflect back, we realize we saw A LOT this round.

Here was our itinerary for our 2012 trip to Europe:                          

Destination	Length of stay
Rome, Italy	2 days (return later in trip)
Florence, Italy   (by train from Rome)	3 days
Venice, Italy	3 days
Amalfi coast: Sorrento & Capri	3 days & 2 days
Rome, Italy	3 days
Mykonos, Greece	4 days
Split, Croatia	3 days
Dubrovnik, Croatia	3 days
Hvar, Croatia	2 days

What worked and what didn't:

-We loved Croatia! It had a great mix of natural beauty, culture, and affordability

-Mykonos stole our heart. The scenery is breathtaking and the night-life exciting! We want to return….but it would break our rule of trying to only see new things

-We enjoyed the Amalfi coast and beach towns of Italy…the pizza is as amazing as everybody says. Strangely it was the all cheese pizza we enjoyed most

-Venice. A city on water! It is so unique. 3 days was enough, there was limited activities to do in the evening

-We were not crazy about Rome. We saw the major tourist attractions ( Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piaza Navona, Spanish Steps, and the Vatican) and all were cool, but we felt like we were in a crowd of people constantly who were simply trying to check items off their to do lists. 

Sorrento (Amalfi Coast) Italy

Photo: @conciergecouple

Would You Rather Wednesdays!

Would you rather travel to a quiet and serene resort or a lively and active resort?

We get it. People like to get away from their busy and stressful lives when they plan a vacation. They are eager to read by the pool, get a massage, eat scrumptious dinners then retire to bed early to do it all over again. They enjoy sipping a drink here and there and can even find themselves napping by the pool. Let’s call them the “tranquil” traveller.

Then there are the other kinds of travellers. They like to get up, try new activities, socialize with many drinks by the pool and can even be found participating in the nightly shows! These individuals enjoy music as they lounge, stay up late, and may roll into dinner a little “tipsy”. Let’s call them the “energetic” traveller.

When we were away last week we saw both tranquil and energetic travellers. However, it seemed to us there were far more tranquils around.

When Richard and I travel we tend to enjoy more lively resorts/hotels. And when we vacation with my sisters and brother in laws, let’s just say we approach a fine line between energetic and wild:

- We bring our own speaker and music

- We always have a full drink or shot glass

- We interact and socialize with anyone else who looks interested in conversation

-We participate in lots of activities and/or get our own going

  

*I know what you are thinking…they sound like a bunch of spring breakers. However, my sisters have five kids between them and our ages range between 33-40.

Everyone’s idea of a getaway or escape is different. We clearly enjoy doing poolside activities we can never do at home in Canada. What kind of traveller are you? Tranquil or energetic?

Grand Fiesta Americana, Puerto Vallarta
Photo: @conciergecouple

Would You Rather Wednesdays!

Would you rather spend your time sipping cocktails and relaxing by a pool or at the beach?

The beach is a beautiful place. White sand, turquoise water, and the sound of the waves makes it a unique experience. If you are like us and live in the city, you often don’t get the chance to spend your days at the beach. Or if you live somewhere with four distinct seasons, you may not have more than a month or two to enjoy any local beach. The downfall here is:

•          You are often far from the bathrooms
•          There is no music pumping (a pro for some and a con for others)
•          You can’t just jump into the water to cool off
•          You get sand everywhere
•          Local entrepreneurs will ask you to buy just about anything

The pool on the other hand is less picturesque, but it has its benefits as well:

•                     Close to restaurants, hotel room, and bathrooms
•                     Swim up bar…need I say more?
•                   Music and activities (again, a pro for some and a con for others)
•                    When you are roasting hot, you can just jump in for a cool down.
•        No hot sand tip toeing slow beach entry 

Our choice: Richard and I are pool lovers. Maybe it’s because we have great memories of travelling with our friends in University: dancing poolside to music, participating in the silly games at resorts, and loitering at the swim up bar. Also, if you can find a resort with loungers built into the pool….you are set!

Riu Santa Fe, Cabo San Lucas
Photo: @conciergecouple

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Drinks, Drinks, Drinks

Now that I have your attention….

To be honest, Richard and I like to enjoy quite a few beverages when we are away. There is nothing quite like showering after a long day in the sun or sightseeing, then lounging around your hotel room with a drink in hand. We cherish this “pre-dinner” routine, with music playing a bucket full of ice and a night of possibilities ahead. Each city, country, island, or continent has unique drinks and many of them are now on our list of favourites.

What vacation drink do you love most?

There are so many great options from all over the world: Mojito, Blue Hawaiian, sangria, Caipirinha, Bellini, Campari, Pimm’s, margarita, etc.

Is it the fact that you cannot make them the same at home? The ingredients that are unique to the destination? Or the setting in which you enjoy them?

My fave is a mojito. Although I used to dislike the mint in a drink idea, I have grown to love the freshness and of course the rum.

Richards’s favourite drink is beer. Now wait, he isn’t that boring. He likes to drink the beer that is specific to the region in which we are visiting. For example: Beer Chang from Thailand, San Miguel from the Philippines, and BINTANG from Indonesia just to name a few.

Leave a comment of what gets your taste buds going?

Would You Rather Wednesdays!

Would you rather travel with a backpack or a suitcase through Europe/Asia?

Trust me, I see you out there. You backpackers have all of your items packed tightly and neatly into one bag…your backpack. When you get to the airport some of you don’t even check your backpack, you take it on as a carry on. Which saves you time on arrival. On arrival, you can walk from the subway, bus, or taxi stop with ease to your hotel without having to worry about the implications of a cobblestone road (Europe) on your suitcase wheels.

However, if you are someone who just knows you need more than a backpack can hold, then a suitcase may be necessary. Maybe you have crazy frizzy hair like me and you just cannot imagine travelling for almost a month without your blow dryer or straightener? Maybe you like to bring multiple shoes, outfits, and electronics?

Our choice: Richard and I haul our suitcases as well as two fully packed carry-ons wherever we travel. Yes, it can be a pain carrying them into knee deep water as you board a water taxi in Venice or Phi Phi Island, but we wouldn't have it any other way. We bring workout clothes and shoes, daytime wear, clubbing clothes, and we enjoy getting dressed up for dinners. We have so many fun and memorable pictures of us all fancy for dinner. Let’s face it: how often do you really get dressed up during your usual day to day life? So embrace it and enjoy every moment of those long and leisurely dinners. 

Venice, Italy
Photo: @conciergecouple

Choosing where to travel in Europe Part 1

Deciding which country to visit in Europe is like choosing which cocktail to have next at an all-inclusive; they are all great and available. When Richard and I decided to make our first summer trip to Europe, we had so many countries to research and ponder. Since we tend to decide on travel destinations by following our heart; we decided to make the decision easy on ourselves and just choose based on our “bucket lists”. I had my top choices: Spain, France, & Greece. Richards top choices were: Spain, Netherlands, Germany, & Greece. We narrowed them down to France and Spain. Our next step was deciding which cities we wanted to explore. We went for the obvious ones, but even added a few unique stops to the trip.

Here was our itinerary for our 2011 trip to Europe:   

                       

Destination	Length of stay
Paris, France	3 days (4 would have been better)
Mallorca, Spain	3 days
Ibiza, Spain	3 days
Madrid, Spain	4 days
Marrakech, Morocco	2 days
Barcelona, Spain	4 days
Lisbon, Portugal	3 days
Algarve, Portugal	2 days

Total vacation time: 24 days

So how did we select which cities to visit? We simply had heard some places were beautiful, we had something we were interested in exploring there, or we wanted to be a little adventurous. Location also came into play. We were only going to visit Lisbon but once we found out we could rent a car and see a great coastal town in only a few hours, we added the Algarve to our trip. We found a crazy deal on a flight to Marrakesh from Madrid, so we jumped on it, leaving our Madrid hotel (yes we were paying for it and not staying there) and most of our luggage behind for two days. The Algarve turned out to be incredible. So much so, that we've been discussing buying rental property in the region. However, then you feel obligated to vacation there more often, but that’s an entirely different debate and blog post.
* Our two other Europe itineraries will be available soon, in an upcoming post.

To make things simple, select a couple "must see" cities and then build from there. Look for deals and unique extra destinations that will give your itinerary it's own personal feel. You'll be surprised how many times it's the cities, towns, or villages that you just added on that create so many incredible memories.

What cities are your "MUSTS" when in Europe?

Algarve, Portugal
Photo: @conciergecouple

Would You Rather Wednesday!

Would You Rather Wednesdays!

Would you rather stay in a “no frills” hotel on the water or a five star hotel in a major city centre?

If you had asked Richard and I this question five years ago, we likely would have said the five star hotel. It is easy to fall in love with grand hotels in Paris, Monaco, and London. They have so many amenities, great upgrades for honeymooners, and are so close to sights and restaurants.

Today we are torn between the “no frills” and the five star. Truly torn.

Travelling some of the islands of South Asia has made us realize that scenery and nature are important to us. Some of our best memories are watching sunsets, sipping drinks on the beach, releasing baby sea turtles, and more. The colours of the ocean are breathtaking and let’s face it, very different than our usual scenery back home in Canada.

It’s settled! If we HAD to pick. It’s on the water for sure! 

What is your choice?