Category: Trips

  • Honeymoon Travel

    Honeymoon Travel

    By: Roz Bokoff

    When planning your wedding, there are so many details to consider! There’s the guest list, the venue, the menu, the music, the dress!, the décor and photographer. Choosing professionals who work well with you and understand what you want from your wedding make it simpler and stress-free (as much as possible). Doing it yourself is not worth the hassle if you want to enjoy your day!

    Planning your Honeymoon

    The same is true when planning your honeymoon. Whether you want to leave as soon as the reception is over or you decide to wait a while, a professional travel advisor is your best bet to a stress-free honeymoon.

    Figuring you’ll just plan your honeymoon by yourself? Do you think it’s too expensive to use a travel advisor? Most travel professionals don’t charge a fee. They earn a commission, so your cost is the same OR LESS than what you’d pay on your own, since advisors often get access to special deals! And the service, advice and additional perks available through a travel advisor are benefits you’ll want to take advantage of.

    Where to Go? What to Do?

    While there are popular honeymoon destinations, the “best place to go” depends on what you like to do as a couple and (of course) what your budget allows. A travel professional will listen to you and help you narrow down the destinations and then work on planning a honeymoon you will never forget. (BTW – there’s such a thing as a honeymoon registry to encourage assistance in making your trip special!)

    A honeymoon is about celebrating your commitment and love, so you’ll want to incorporate romantic aspects to the trip. It’s fun to add special and unique experiences that you’ll always remember, too. Popular options include couple’s massages or other pampering, creative activities (art or cooking classes) and unique dining experiences.

    Around the World, Close to Home, or Somewhere in Between

    Some newlyweds opt for honeymoons far from home…taking advantage of their time alone in an exotic destination. For these trips, couples will need enough time to get to their destination and acclimate in order to really enjoy. The Maldives, the South Pacific, safaris in East and South Africa, and New Zealand are among the far-flung destinations that provide an unforgettable vacation. Consider an over-the-water bungalow in the South Pacific for an experience you’ll talk about forever.

    Bora Bora Loveboat Lagoon Cruise

    Others look for cultural experiences, visiting Europe or Asia, and checking off bucket lists. Exploring the world together is a great option for energetic couples who love to experience the world through history, art, music or food. Paris – as the motto goes – is for lovers, but Italy and Greece and Portugal and Spain and England and Israel and Egypt and Vietnam and Thailand and Japan and…all have a lot to offer, too! Shopping with a professional chef in the Tel Aviv market, then cooking your purchases for a perfect meal is fun and unforgettable!

    Israel Spice Market

    There are plenty of beach lovers who long for R&R and fun in the sun. The Caribbean and Mexico offer countless destinations that honeymooners can choose from, each with its own charm. All-inclusive resorts offer everything a guest could want…and some hotels offer amenities catering to honeymooners. Los Cabos (Mexico) is a super-popular and trending destination, the Caribbean is home to dozens of islands along with the east coast of Mexico, and the Florida Keys are another place to consider. Sunset Monalisa Restaurant in Cabo San Lucas provides an awesome experience with delicious food, live music, and a view that’s to die for…coupled with incredible service!

    Couscous and Tofu on the Sunset Monalisa

    Even those who have limited time and budgets can find fun ways to get away close to home…wherever that happens to be! New Englanders can escape to romantic inns and resorts throughout the region for a special honeymoon that doesn’t require an airplane. Finding a small vineyard or  hidden gems – restaurants, shops or nature trails – off the beaten track in quaint, small towns is a great way to create memories! You can even try Connecticut’s Sundae Drives for a delicious way to see the state.  

    Cruises are another choice to consider. Whether on ocean or river, large ship or small, close to home or in a far-off destination, cruises allow you to visit multiple places while unpacking only once – and there’s so much to do aboard and in ports that you’ll be as busy as you want to be.

    Celebrating Your Love – Together Alone

    Your wedding is the big event and your wedding planner and other professionals are going to make it as stress-free as possible.

    Your honeymoon should be stress-free, too. You won’t regret using a professional travel advisor. You’ll get tons of advice, get peace of mind about your journey, have someone to call for help if you need it, and get more for your money. Most important of all, you’ll create amazing memories of your honeymoon! 

  • Eric’s Orlando Trip

    Eric’s Orlando Trip

    As i’ve mentioned on the blog before, fall is my favorite season. One of the highlights is definitely the annual trip to Orlando that my friends and I go on. We’ll hit our favorite spots: Disney’s Magic and Animal Kingdoms, Universal Studios (mostly for Harry Potter World), and of course Epcot for the International Food and Wine Festival! Here’s a brief overview of the trip! Check out the gallery for some highlights of the eats!

    Disney’s Magic Kingdom

    Magic Kingdom is quintessential Disney. My favorite thing to do is head straight to Space Mountain. It’s one of my favorite rides in the part. The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is also a favorite. There’s so much to do in Magic Kingdom. One must do is to have lunch or dinner at the Be Our Guest Restaurant (Beast’s Castle). You’ll need to plan ahead for this and make a reservation well in advance. You can even dine in the West Wing and there is Grey Stuff….and it is delicious. Another must-do is grab a Dole-Whip…which is pineapple soft serve and it’s amazing.

    Disney’s Animal Kingdom

    We always go back to the Animal Kingdom for three reasons. Each of which make this park worth the price of admission: The Yak & Yeti Restaurant, Avatar Flight of Passage, and Expedition Everest! Yak & Yeti is a great place to eat and features some unique pan-Asian fare. The last two are some of the best rides at Disney.

    Epcot

    Epcot is Epcot…and one of my favorite places on earth…especially for International Food and Wine Festival. The festival features great regional recipes from around the world. I haven’t had a bad bite there…and I’ve had A LOT of bites. The rides at Epcot are a lot of fun too; Test Track, Soarin’, and Mission: SPACE are a few favorites. Spaceship Earth (the ball) is also a classic with a time traveling ride narrated by Dame Judi Dench. The Land is also a great experience which brings you on a journey of agricultural history and includes a trip through the greenhouses and labs. Group tours are also offered of the greenhouses. I haven’t done the tour yet, but it’s on my to-do list!

    Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure

    Harry Potter!!!! I love Universal Studios…but since they put in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter that’s all I’ve cared about to be honest. You can pick your wand at Ollivander’s and buy sweets at Honeydukes, not to mention ride the Hogwart’s Express (with park-to-park ticket). The other reason we love Universal Studios this time of year is Halloween Horror Nights! This is an after hours event were you can walk through various scare zones, go on rides, and of course get spooked at the houses. If you’ve ever been to a haunted house you know there are jump scares and creepy decorations. This is so much more! With some houses bringing you directly into the worlds of shows and movies like Stranger Things, Halloween 4 and Poltergeist…it’s absolutely terrifying. Not to mention a lot of fun!

    Universal is also home to Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen, which is one of the best places on the planet! They have great food and drinks, a fun atmosphere, and plenty of chocolate!

     

    Have you been to Disney World or Universal Studios? What was the highlight of your trip? Tell us in the comments below!

     

     

  • Zoe & Eric Go Pumpkin Picking

    Zoe & Eric Go Pumpkin Picking

    As Halloween approaches, pumpkins begin popping up on everyone’s front porches. While some people like the itty bitty tiny ones, some have giant beautifully carved ones. In order to get into the Halloween spirit and have some fun, Eric and I went pumpkin picking!

    We decided on a farm that is close by to where I live, 4 Town Farm in Seekonk, MA. They have a really cute setup for picking your own pumpkins. A tractor takes you on a short ride through some fields, before dropping you off at the entrance to a small corn maze. After hitting a few dead ends, we emerged from the maze, to gaze upon the pumpkin field.

    4 Town Farm

    We had a huge selection of pumpkins to pick from; big, small, round, long, green, white and yellow. Basically, a pumpkin for everyone. A fair amount of time was spent choosing a pumpkin. For carving, the shape of the pumpkin is important to consider, as well as the color. Eric was specifically interested in a longer pumpkin with a nice stem and that perfect orange you just associate with pumpkins. I prefer the smaller sugar pumpkins, which is directly related to the fact that they can also be cooked and have a higher sugar content.

    If you’re in the MA or RI area, I definitely recommend the 4 Town Farm, it’s super cute and has a lot of fresh produce and products!

    **If you have jack-o-lanterns, consider composting them when they’ve started to rot, tossing them in your garden to become fertilizer, or bring them to the dump (as many have a compost section).

     

  • Zoe & Eric Go to Salem

    Zoe & Eric Go to Salem

    As so many people from New England know, Salem, Massachusetts is the place to go in October. From the 1st to the 31st of the spookiest month of the year, Salem goes into full Halloween mode. Visitors even dress up and go on tours, visit stores and buy ingredients for all the potions they could ever hope to make.

    View from the Hotel Salem Rooftop Bar

    There are so many shops, so we had to pick and choose which we went in to.

    Emporium 32- for all of your Victorian and Steampunk needs

    Eric and I both got psychic readings at Crow Haven Corner, the oldest magic shop in Salem. I have never had one before, but when in Salem, get a psychic reading. It was actually really interesting, and being surrounded by people who believe so strongly and have such a connection to that world was illuminating and comforting. We recommend trying it if you haven’t ever had a reading.

    Crow Haven Corner- The Oldest Magic Shop in Salem

    So we recommend that you go to Salem whether you live in New England or not. It’s an amazing place to visit, even in the off season. We’re definitely going to go back, not only next year, but hopefully again this year. We do however recommend that you book your hotel a year (or more!) in advance.

    Our recommendations include, but are not limited to: Hex, Emporium 32, The Salem Cheese Shop, Crow Haven Corner, Village Silversmith, and Aroma Sanctum Perfumes.

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