Would You Rather it Rain on the First or Last Day of your Vacation?

Would You Rather Wednesday! 

Rain. We've all been on vacation, had a great day ahead planned and had it ruined by rain. Richard and I are teachers so we need to do most of our travelling during the summer. Often that means that places are extremely hot and busy, but it can also mean RAIN. In Southeast Asia the summer months are often marked with monsoons. Monsoons mean intense rain, severe heat, and at times a looming hurricane or even typhoon. Since we know rain is not preventable, then let's consider when or when not we'd like to take it. 

Rain on the first day

You're excited. You want to go out and explore. You are jet lagged, but this new destination is your oyster. But guess what? It's raining. You Google indoor museums, art galleries, etc. but you cannot hide your disappointment. You had big plans and now they are ruined. You can roll with it and spend the day resting up so you can meet the following morning with energy and an extra jam packed itinerary or you can whine about it. 

When Richard and I arrived in Bali there was a torrential downpour. The streets were flooded with water up to our knees. We explored the hotel, asked the concierge for feedback on our plans for the week and then walked into the village. When you do not know a place and it's busy, flooding, and rain is slapping you in the face can make it hard to enjoy yourself. So we had to get drinks and find a restaurant where we could enjoy a delicious dinner. Everything worked out. We went to bed early and the next day we were greeted with sunshine. More rain did come that trip, but it made us realize that we needed to get out there snorkel and paddle board as soon as we saw a chance.

Rain on the last day 

It's almost time to head home. Tomorrow you will fly back to your job, chores, and regular routine. If you are like Richard you like to take in every last sight, sound, taste, and experience possible. The idea of vacation being over is like the world ending. You make a plan for a busy day out and a wild night out to top it all off. You have that bakery you want to hit up again, that store you walked by that you've been meaning to stop in, that hike you challenged yourself to do and more. But guess what? It's raining. 

You can do some of the things on your list. You can find new plans. You can hit the spa, or you can rest and relax after a jam packed week or weeks of sightseeing and adventure. This way you could be more prepared for work and those 2 kids you left at home with grandma. Maybe it's a blessing in disguise? Maybe this is where people find travelling relaxing [side note: we are always more exhausted after a "vacation", we seize every moment]. 

Our choice?

Rain on the first day. Our excitement and positivity about being somewhere new does not even give rain the time of day. We would much rather make the best of it and have better days ahead to look forward to. 

Travel FAQ

Last night Amrita and I hosted a dinner party for a few friends. The usual question, "Where are you two going next?" came up over dinner. We posted on our Instagram earlier this week that Hawaii will be our next major trip in August.

The more you travel the more friends, family, and co-workers will ask for traveling advice. Amrita and I love helping others plan weekend get aways or exotic vacations. It is part of the reason we started this blog and intentionally called it Concierge Couple.

As we ate Amrita's amazing Thai dishes, a few common travel questions came up that we seem to get from many people. We decided to share with you a few of the most popular questions we get asked:

Do you book things before you arrive?

The simple answer to this question is yes. We are not full time travel bloggers and have jobs so time is not on our side.We do have high standards and the truth is many of the great places get booked up quickly because their loyal customers are either returning or the hype of a place has made it in demand. We also do like to have a rough outline of what we want to do and when so we can purchase tickets for events, again aiming for the best seats or for hot ticket events. When we have a good picture of what we are doing and where we are going it also helps us to identify the cost of the trip and we budget for food, drinks, and shopping accordingly.

What "sites" do you use when booking?

We started off loving Travelzoo. It is still great, but we find it most useful for great hotel deals in big American cities. We often book our annual Christmas time in Chicago using Travelzoo. We booked a lot of  Southeast Asia using Expedia. Mostly because we decided not to go with rentals, because we were not sure of the standards of the accomodations. So Expedia made it easy to get a great price, especially when we booked out hotel and flight as a package. When we are looking for stand alone hotels Richard has grown to like Booking.com. If you book with them ferquently, you do get a small discount for your loyal use. During our travels to Europe, we used VRBO a decent amount when booking apartments.

Do you ever feel scared or unsafe?

We have been very fortunate and we have almost entirely felt safe throughout all of our travels. We consider ourselves fairly "travel savvy" and "street smart". Most of the people we have met all over the world have been welcoming and friendly. We likely wouldn't travel as much if they weren't. Sure there have been a few taxi drivers here and there trying to overcharge us, but not much out of the ordinary. One place we visited that made us feel unsafe and uneasy is Morrocco. For the few days we were there we did not feel like it was a relaxing vacation. We were constantly on edge and felt like we had to be alert and cautious. Without getting into too much detail, we have decided we will never personally return. There are so many other options out there.

Where is the best beach?

Is there just one best beach in the world? Doubt it. There are many. Each person has their own opinion of the best beach. We personally like white sand beaches with calmer waters. We like beaches where you can get a drink while you look out far out into the turquoise depths. Beaches that are not incredibly crowded also win in our books. We personally loved Puka beach in Boracay, Philippines.

Puka Beach, Boracay, Philippines
Photo: @conciergecouple

Where should we go?

There are so many choices! As much as we would love others to see all that we have, there is a lot to consider when choosing a destination. Cost? Season? Distance? Number of days? Romantic? Adventure filled? Whenever we talk about somewhere we have been, someone always says "I have always wanted to go there". Well there it is. That is how you pick. If you have wanted to go somewhere for a while, what are you waiting for? "Life is short", "you only live once", there are so many seize the day quotes I could go on with. If there is somewhere you want to go, you can almost always make it happen. Whether it means staying in budget hotels only, splitting accommodations with another couple, going for a shorter stay than you imagined, etc. The only excuse standing in your way is the ones you are making up. Take the kids, get an extra part time job, skip Christmas gifts, ask for that time off. I don't care. If you don't end up going in the next 2 years, than you never wanted to go that badly after all.

*Sorry for the harsh words in the above paragraph, but sometimes people need to stop finding excuses and live.

Email us conciergecouple@gmail.com if you have travel questions. Your question may even be featured in the next FAQ post.

Vacationing in St. Barts

Today we are fortunate enough to have a guest post from blogger, Anisa of www.twotravelingtexans.com

Check out all Katherine & Anisa's inspirational thoughts and pics at: 

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You always hear about celebrities vacationing in St. Barts (more formally referred to as St. Barthelemy).  The island, which is a short ferry ride away from St. Martin, is known as a playground for the rich and famous.  So of course, when Katherine and I were in St. Martin, we decided we should do a day trip to St. Barts and see what all the fuss is about.

We did some research and felt like the Great Bay Express from Bobby’s marina (on the Dutch side of St. Martin) was the best option.  It was actually a pretty rough ride but luckily it only takes 45 minutes.   Some people refer to it as the “vomit comet”.  We sat on the upper deck and tried to enjoy the views while we were being rocked up and down.  If you are worried about getting seasick, there are also flights.  The airport in St. Barts is between the sea and a mountain, so I can imagine that the landing might be a bit scary.

We rented a car so that we would be able to explore the island at our own pace.  St. Barts is beautiful, with lots of greenery and mountains.  The driving was relatively easy although we did accidentally go down a street the wrong way once!

The beautiful and quiet Saline Beach
Photo: @twotravelingtexans

Our first stop was Saline Beach, which was absolutely beautiful.  The beach is a 5 minute walk from the parking lot.   The walk is very easy – no speciality footwear is required.  We were lucky to almost have the beach to ourselves, so we were able to both be in the water while our belongings were in a bag on the sand.  We carefully monitored the bag to ensure that no one was getting near it, and we didn't go too far out in the water.  There was one guy who was totally naked that decided to sunbathe on the beach (without a towel) which seemed odd to us, but we just carried on as we had faced similar situations in St. Martin.  If you do visit Saline Beach, you should be aware that it doesn't have any facilities.

The water at Saline Beach was just perfect
Photo: @twotravelingtexans

Our next stop was lunch.  We decided to splurge and visit Sand Bar, a Jean George restaurant, which is located at the Eden Rock hotel.  The setting was stunning, we sat with a view of St. Jean Beach.  From our table we could see the planes take off and land from the airport.  The food was excellent as well, although it was expensive.  After lunch, we walked on the beach and got in the water for a little bit.  Also, close by there is a location of the internationally known beach club Nikki Beach, which is a nice place to get a drink.

Truffle pizza at The Sandbar
Photo: @twotravelingtexans

Then, it was time to continue our drive.  We headed to the northwest part of the island.  The mountains were beautiful and the views of the ocean were just stunning.  So we stopped frequently to walk around and take pictures.  Then we decided to return the car and head back towards the ferry.

View From our drive on the northwest part of St. Bart
Photo: @twotravelingtexans

Since the ferry terminal is in Gustavia, there are some nice shops and places to grab food and drinks close by.  Before looking at the shops, we stopped in at Le Select, which is known for its burgers and as a great place for casual drinks.  Some people even think Jimmy Buffet's song "Cheeseburger in Paradise" is written about this place.  Then we visited shops along Rue de Republique, but it was more expensive than in St. Martin or the US.  Most places in St. Barts do accept both Euros and Dollars.

Nice view of the sun setting on our ferry back to St. Martin
Photo: @twotravelingtexans

Then after a lovely day of exploring a beautiful island, it was time to head back.  I was a little hesitant to get back on the ferry, but luckily the ride back was smooth.  I can understand why celebrities like to come to St. Barts, it really is beautiful and sophisticated.