VernetteOutLoud

Travel Movies To Watch When Those Vacation Blues Hit Hard

aaron-burden-travel-hot-air-balloon

Photo By: Aaron Burden, Unsplash

I love to travel. It’s when I am happiest. I almost wrote, most happiest…because yes it is a superlative feeling. However, my next vacation is long way from now, and that can be downright depressing if I don’t manage those feelings.

On top of that, my Instagram feed is not making me feel any better. Since it seems like everybody and their mother is travelling to some exotic destination, trying IG perfect food and of course posting about it. Then there is me. Scrolling through my feed, unhappily double-tapping on each photo…because while I am in serious need of a jet fuel fix, I cannot look away.

Travel Via A Movie Night

Until better can be done, how do I handle my vacation envy? By travelling as far as Netflix and the ‘Movie’ folder on my laptop can take me. Here are some of my favourite feel-good  travel movies.

Under the Tuscan Sun: Though not on Netflix, this is one of my all time favourite travel movies. What would my life be like, if I packed up and moved to Tuscany? Fancussingtastic is what! Diane Lane is healing up from a broken-heart, in one of the most beautiful places I daydream of visiting. Plus, she buys a white dress, that makes me want to buy a white dress and make a big romantic gesture as well!

Wild: Because this is extreme hiking in along the Pacific Crest Trail and it ends at one of my travel bucket list destinations – The Bridge of Gods.

Me Before You: Though not a very happy ending and not your typical ‘travel’ movie, the visuals are pretty and the theme of living your best life while you can, makes this a winner for me. Plus, by the end of the movie, I wanted to visit Paris too!

The 100-Foot Journey: This movie set in southern France makes me hungry every.single.time. And it is a reminder, that my second favourite thing about visiting a new place…it trying the food.

The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty: This is no Eat, Pray, Love. And I could stop here and that should be enough. But Walter hates his job and daydreams about a happier, more adventurous life. Something I can relate to…not so much the hating my job part. Anyways, Walters goes on a trek that involves some stunning locations around the world.

Up: Because no matter your age, adventure is out there!

Now it’s your turn, help me travel even further and share your own favourites below!

Wordless Wednesday

When In Mexico…Part 2

When In Mexico…

I am still very much vacation dreaming and what better way to satisfy this need for a jet fuel fix, than to revisit my most recent vacation memories. My sister and I went to Mexico in April for our cousin’s wedding. And we had the best time!

A standout feature of the resort was the statement pool that ran the length of the it. My camera was not seeing what my eyes were, but the colours were so vibrant. The turquoise water from the pool, framed by the lush green of the coconut trees (they were everywhere on the resort) and blue sky with the little sprays of bright pink bougainvillea in between. This made for a great first impression.

Yes! We did this. We tried six different types of Tequila and learnt a whole lot about the process of making it.

Walking around the resort, not only provided much needed exercise and way to counteract the amount of booze and yummy food we were eating, but it also kept my step count up. I saw some guests running around the resort and kudos to them because there is gym and they also have these little golf cart shuttles the take you around. Walking around the resort, revealed all the little spaces for solitude (or potential wedding locations) and great photo ops.

My cousins organized a catamaran tour as a “break-the-ice” mixer for the wedding guests the day before the wedding. This was supposed to be a fun and casual way to meet and greet each other as all of the guests had arrived by then. But some of us went to a club/cirque du soleil type show the night before and had even more Tequila. So you could well imagine that while the vibe on the boat was nice…it was also very mellow.

This sign welcomes you to the spa! The sauna is free for guests of the resort, so I made sure to make use of the facility. We also had 24-hour room service available to us, this definitely came in handy after our late night shananigans and tummies that demanded to be fed in the wee hours of the morning.

And because I promised you a burro…check out this guy. He served us Tequila shots on the beach at the cocktail hour for the wedding. Our little burro was not very impressed with all our gaiety. But he did make for some interesting photos and puns.

 This was Part 2 of my When In Mexico…shenanigans. You can read Part 1 here.

Have you ever been to Mexico? What was the experience like?

When In Mexico…Part 1

 

When In Mexico…

We finally made it to Mexico! This was a trip more than a year in the planning and it was oh, so worth it. It wasn’t quite the quintessential Spring Break trip, but we were there for my cousin’s wedding. And it was kinda the same in some ways. Let’s just say, I have had enough Tequila to last me a decade.

My sister and I was so excited for this trip. It was the first one together, since my cousin, the wedding we were there for, got engaged. We both were pretty burnt out at work, so this 5-day respite was super needed. Our trips together are always so much fun, we are actually planning our next getaway already.

Our journey started at 10:00 p.m. on a Tuesday night in April. We took the red-eye to NYC – yes there are much shorter routes but this vacation was a multi-city trip and NYC was the last city we planned to visit. Anyways, 5 hours to NYC then another 5 hours to Mexico. To say we needed a drink when we finally got to our hotel, is putting it mildly.

The hotel did not disappoint, they had welcome drinks on hand to quell the thirsty touristas. My first impressions of Mexico, or rather Playa Del Carmen, is that it is a lot like Trinidad. Sunny, bright, bougainvillea and hibiscus everywhere. I immediately felt at home.

The view at the end of this walkway was absolutely breathtaking.

Calories? What Calories…

When in Mexico, you have to try the food. We had some local favourites: Chilaquiles, a mouth-watering combination of crispy tortillas, spicy roasted tomatoes and shredded chicken and Mexican Ranch-style eggs. Oh so good.

My travel buddy – my sister, the she to my nanigans!

The sun shone the entire time we were there and so we had many a frosty drink in tall glasses with little umbrellas to keep us refreshed. But none was as pretty as the coconut cocktail below. I found out that nothing beats a cool coconut rum cocktail on a sunny day.

 Our first couple days were spent catching up with my aunt and cousins and bonding with our new family. We stayed at an all-inclusive resort. This meant not having to worry about finding food or things to do, since the resort had a plethora of things to do. We were able to focus on quality time with each other, as we prepared for the wedding.

Aaaah this was the start of the perfect getaway, with the very best company if I do say so myself!

Have you ever been to Mexico? What was the experience like?

Stay tuned for the wedding shenanigans in Part 2, I say a poem, there was a donkey and we had more Tequila…

Wordless Wednesday