Glamping and YOU!

Photo credit: Donna Tomlinson via Flickr

The Pacific Northwest is known for it’s beautiful landscapes and avid outdoors people.  But what if you want to enjoy the beautiful landscape of the outdoors, minus the discomfort and inconvenience of truly “roughing” it?

‘Glamping’ is your answer!  ‘Glamorous camping’ is relatively new to the US, but has been a popular vacation trend in the UK for the last 40 years.  Popular shows like “Treehouse Masters” on HGTV with Pete Nelson have helped make it mainstream.  If you haven’t seen the houses Pete builds, you in for a gorgeous surprise.  (Pete is a local, btw.  His tree-top bed and breakfast called “Treehouse Point” is just a puddle-skip from our office, out in Issaquah, WA.)

With numerous sites to choose from, your only destination limitation is your imagination! Follow Travel Center’s board #travelbetter – Glamping & You on Pinterest to learn about popular locations around the world. 

Travel Terms: Pedi-pubs!

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Pedi-pubs, aka pedal pubs, aka party bikes, is a fun trend sweeping craft beer scene everywhere!  These “bars on bikes” are comprised of groups of about 6 – 15 riders who provide the pedal power and are guided by a (sober!) driver to make sure no innocent bystanders are injured during the leisurely ride.

The Thirsty Pedaler in Louisville, Kentucky has been a popular choice of wheeled pub crawl since 2011.  Each tour is about 2 hours, with one half of the tour spent pedaling and the other half spent hopping off the bike for about 20 minutes in each bar.

Travel Terms: Race-cation & Running Tours

Be honest, your eyebrow went up when your read that first term.  I know mine did.  Being (relatively) new to this industry, I’ve noticed there are LOTS of words/phrases related to the who/what/when/where/why of travel that make me do a double-take. I will endeavor to de-mystify some of these words and help YOU turn heads during your next conversation by dropping some insider knowledge about these growing trends in travel!

Race-cations, aka “Race Vacations” are vacations centered around a participating in a race.  Athletes may arrive a couple days in advance to get rested and dispel jet lag before the big day, then they marathon, triathlon, Tough Mudder, or what have you before spending the next few days relaxing, reveling and refueling in their new surroundings before heading home.

Another activity, popular among the business travel jetsetters are running tours.  You need to go to the gym after work, but it’s also your only evening to go see the sights before leaving the following morning.  Don’t stress — do both!  Runners can plan solo tours with a personal trainer or make it a social event by running with a small group.  Designated stops for photos are built in, complete with stories from each group’s tour guide/personal trainer.

Not a runner?  There are plenty of other health and wellness vacations on the rise out there.  If you need help finding a fun new destination to play your favorite sport or activity, drop us a line and we can get you there!

Travel Terms: Thalassotherapy

Thalassotherapy uses seawater as a form of therapy, popular in the most luxurious spas in Europe and Africa.  More familiar treatments of Seaweed and mud wraps are the most widely used form of thalassotherapy in the world.