Small Luxuries on My Travels

All these pictures are from my Instagram account. You can follow me @paulagaston.

When travelling it is nice to spoil yourself a little. We usually don’t travel in business class or stay at five star resorts, even though we have tried both of them. The luxury on our trips comes from small things. We usually like to explore our surroundings and be in nature, so staying in a resort sometimes feels like a waste.

At least the following things bring us joy and feel like a luxury on our trips:

LUXURY IS…

…PAMPERING YOURSELF WITH GOOD FOOD.

We love to try local foods and we especially love seafood. When travelling we eat out a lot which definitely feels like a luxury to me, since I don’t have to cook all the time. All the moms know what I mean! You don’t have to think “when do I have time” or “what ingredients do we have”. You can just sit down and enjoy.

…TRYING SOME LOCAL DRINKS.

Every country or state seem to have their own drink. It is always nice to try something new and different. When traveling on wine regions we always choose a local wine, and my husband likes to try local beers as well. We sometimes also get a cocktail for an aperitif. 

…CULTURAL EXPERIENCE IN A THEATRE OR MUSEUM.

You can’t ever go to the theatre too much. I feel like we don’t do that often enough, but most trips we end up going to a museum at least. There are however, some cities or countries that you can’t leave without seeing a show or a musical first. Also, some seasons require an occasional visit to the opera or ballet. 

…A CUP OF REFRESHING COFFEE.

We are huge coffee snobs. When home we always grind our coffee from fresh beans. Finding a good cafe while traveling feels like luxury since most coffees served in hotels are like poison. I am not a big friend of Starbucks or other chains; the best coffees are served at small, independent cafes. 

…A MOMENT OF SILENCE IN NATURE.

Best ever! I love it when I get to escape the city somewhere where I can only hear the sound of nature. There is nothing better than that.

…THE MOMENT WITHOUT A RUSH!

And then there are moments when you really are not in a rush and you can totally relax. Very often this happens on a vacation when you are travelling.

…A FIRE PLACE AND A CUP OF HOT CHOCOLATE ON A COLD WINTER NIGHT.

Here in California, I am sometimes missing a real winter. My childhood Christmases were always white, so I miss that. Especially when the evenings are dark and Christmas lights are already up, it would be such a luxury to have some snow. It really brings the Holiday feeling!

…SWEETER IN SMALL DOSES.

OK, fine. I can’t lie that I wouldn’t enjoy if I sometimes got the first class treatment, that “real” luxury. Sometimes it is nice to stay in a better room, fly with more room for yourself or eat in a fine dining restaurant. Especially the last one is familiar to me due to my old job, and I still like to find great restaurants. But when you don’t get these things every day, you will appreciate them more.

What is your luxury when you travel?