A monthly dose of travel inspiration, stories, tips, and places worth adding to your list.
·Issue No. 1
1Traveler Profile: Cindy
Traveler Profile: Cindy's Favorite Adventures Around the World
If you've traveled with Your Next Adventure Travel, there's a good chance you've met Cindy — Tyler's wife, a mom of four, grandma of two, boudoir photographer, and fellow lover of seeing what's around the next corner.
For Cindy, travel has always been about more than checking destinations off a list. She loves nature, animals, people-watching, and those completely unexpected moments that you could never plan.
Her favorite destination? Costa Rica.
She loves animals so much, and there are so many all over Costa Rica. One of her favorite memories was sitting on a balcony while monkeys played nearby. A family trip to Costa Rica was especially memorable because it combined two very different experiences — time at the beach and time in the mountains. Both offered something completely different, and both left an impression.
Peru was another destination that completely surprised her. Cindy admits she didn't know much about Peru before visiting, but quickly fell in love with it. Swimming with wild sea lions was a highlight, as was exploring Cusco, with its smaller-town feel, festivals, and friendly people. She loved Peru enough to get a tattoo as a permanent reminder of the trip.
And then there's Paris. Never again. Enough said.
Some of Cindy's most unforgettable travel moments have involved wildlife. During one of our yacht trips in the Virgin Islands, a completely wild dolphin came over to play with the group. It swam around them, jumped over them, and even approached Cindy underwater, putting its nose right up to her goggles before swimming away for her to follow.
It was such an incredibly rare, unusual thing to have happen. She'll never forget it.
When she visits somewhere new, Cindy isn't necessarily looking for a checklist of attractions. She loves simply sitting somewhere and watching people — seeing how they interact, live, eat, and go about their everyday lives. And, of course, she's always looking for opportunities to experience nature.
That curiosity has also led to some pretty unexpected cultural experiences. One of her most memorable local experiences happened in Tokyo, where she visited a Japanese strip club. Beyond the experience itself, what fascinated her was seeing firsthand how different cultural attitudes and norms can be from those in the United States.
Her ultimate bucket-list experience? Seeing gorillas in the wild. It's been on her list for years, although political instability and disease-related restrictions in some destinations have made that dream more complicated.
But perhaps the best insight into how Cindy approaches travel comes from her answer to the question of what advice she'd give someone who keeps putting off traveling:
Someday is now.
And honestly, that might be the best travel advice of all.
There are hotels I stay at once and move on from, and then there are hotels I keep coming back to. Lohas Residence Sukhumvit is definitely in the second category. I've stayed here several times, and it has become one of my go-to places whenever I'm in Bangkok.
A big part of why I like it is the location. It's toward the quieter end of the street, which I really appreciate after a busy day in Bangkok. But walk outside and you're still surrounded by bars, restaurants, massage shops and street food. The elevated train is also close by, so getting around the city is incredibly easy.
I also really like the rooms. They're much bigger than you might expect, and even the basic rooms come with a king-size bed, a kitchen and an in-room washer and dryer. That last part may not sound exciting, but when you're traveling for a week or two, being able to throw some clothes in the washing machine without having to find a laundry service is fantastic.
The hotel itself has a nice range of amenities, too. There's a lobby cafe, full restaurant, gym and rooftop pool. I especially like having the rooftop pool as an option when I want a break from exploring and just want to relax for a while.
And if you stay here, there's one thing I strongly recommend: the almond croissants in the lobby cafe. They're really good. The only problem is that they sell out surprisingly fast, so don't wait until later in the day if you see them sitting there.
What I like most about Lohas, though, is that it fits the way I like to travel in Bangkok. I don't necessarily want to spend my trip sitting inside a resort. I want to walk out the door, grab some street food, find a good bar, get a massage, hop on the train and go explore.
I've stayed here multiple times for a reason. It's comfortable, spacious, convenient and feels like a place I can actually settle into for a while. That's exactly what I look for in a Bangkok hotel.
3Why You Shouldn't Always Book the Cheapest Airfare
Why You Shouldn't Always Book the Cheapest Airfare
We all like a good deal, and airfare is no exception. But when it comes to flights, the cheapest option isn't always the best value.
A $100 savings might look great when you're comparing flights online, but it's worth looking at the entire itinerary before clicking buy. Is that cheaper flight leaving at 5:30 a.m.? Does it have a long layover? Does it require changing airports? Are you paying extra for a checked bag, seat selection or other things that are included with another fare?
Then there's the biggest issue: what happens if something goes wrong?
A slightly more expensive itinerary with a better connection, a more convenient schedule or a more reliable airline can be worth far more than the money you saved. Missing a connection can turn a cheap flight into an expensive problem, particularly when you're traveling internationally.
This is one of the reasons I don't simply look for the lowest airfare when I'm booking travel. I'm looking for the best combination of price, schedule, routing and overall convenience.
Sometimes the cheapest flight really is the right choice. But before you book it, make sure you're comparing the whole trip, not just the number next to the airfare.
A good airfare isn't necessarily the cheapest ticket. It's the ticket that gives you the best overall trip for the money.
I'm heading back to London on October 8, and I'm not going to pretend I need much of an excuse to go. London is one of those cities that I can visit over and over and still find something new to do.
If you've never been, obviously you should hit the classics. Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, the Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral and the British Museum are all worth seeing. Walk along the Thames, wander through Covent Garden and spend some time just exploring the neighborhoods.
But for me, those aren't necessarily the things that keep pulling me back.
The London I Keep Coming Back To
One of my favorite things about London is that you can build your days around whatever you're into. For me, that's usually some combination of food, football, markets, pubs and just wandering around.
Chinatown is always on my list. It's right in the middle of London, but once you start wandering through the streets, checking out the restaurants and looking at all the food, it feels like you've stepped into another city for a while. I can easily spend more time there than I originally planned.
And then there's Arsenal. If you know me, you probably aren't surprised that a trip to London often involves getting to the Emirates. There's something pretty special about being there for a Premier League match rather than watching it on television. The atmosphere around the stadium, the supporters and the whole experience make it one of my favorite things to do when I'm in town.
Borough Market is another place I almost always want to visit. I'm a big fan of markets in general, and Borough is exactly the kind of place I enjoy. You can walk around looking at all the food, grab something that looks amazing, and then immediately start thinking about what you're going to eat next. It's not something you necessarily need to plan your entire day around, but it's one of those places I never get tired of visiting.
Another thing I love about London is how easy it is to get around. The Tube is fantastic. Once you figure it out, you can get almost anywhere without a car, and that completely changes how you experience the city. I can decide I want to check out a particular neighborhood, hop on the Tube and be there without worrying about traffic or parking.
And that makes it really easy to explore London's food scene. London has an incredible variety of food. You can have Indian food for lunch, wander through Chinatown in the afternoon, grab some Middle Eastern food for dinner and finish the night in an old English pub. There are great restaurants everywhere, but some of my favorite meals in London have been casual places I stumbled across while exploring.
That's probably what I like most about the city. London has all the famous attractions, but you don't have to spend your entire trip checking things off a list. Some of my favorite London experiences have been much simpler: wandering through a neighborhood, finding a great pub, eating something I've never tried, watching Arsenal at the Emirates or spending an hour wandering around Borough Market.
And that's why I'm excited to go back on October 8.
I'll definitely revisit some of my favorites, but I'm also looking forward to introducing my mom to the cities that caused me to fall in love with travel. Yes, that's right, I'm taking my mom on her first flight outside the US. It should be a great adventure to see if I got my jet lag resilience from her or somewhere else entirely.
