Some of you may know that I currently only work Monday – Thursday, and whilst Friday is supposed to be a blogging day, it often ends up being a day of pinning inspirational quotes, drinking lots of peppermint tea and planning my next holiday destination.
Where I’m at a real crossroads in my life at the moment – leaving another house, single again (at 33), still feeling like I’m searching for my ‘calling’ in life and having only Bodhi dog and my parents to tie me to this area, it’s incredibly tempting to want to up sticks and go away for a few weeks, or months and have a bit of a break. I must admit that my Google history is currently featuring a lot of searches for flights, on Jet2Holidays and for yoga teacher training in Ibiza. It probably doesn’t help that we watched the movie Wild last night, and now I’m wondering whether I can walk 1000 miles and carry 20 lbs on my back in hiking boots (no, and no – but imagine).
I must admit that Jet2.com rather fuelled my wanderlust recently when they sent me a little care package of items to pack on a yoga holiday (as well as to have some relaxing time whilst planning one). Yoga is actually a pretty good hobby to take to other countries as all you really need is a mat (which are incredibly light) and lots of other items can be swapped for other things you might already be taking (a stack of books works well as an alternative for blocks, belts can be used as straps, and all hotels have blankets you can use for savasana). Having witnessed how difficult it is to bring surfboards home from Bali I can honestly say that packing for a yoga retreat seems much more stress free – which of course is exactly what a yoga retreat should be.
I’ve been reading through Yoga For Travellers by Jennifer J Ellinghaus and it’s a great resource for anyone wanting to keep to a yoga practice whilst on a trip. Not only does it have great advice for yoga sequences and postures, there’s also a really interesting section on using yoga to create space and time for reflection on a trip and to help you through tough times. It has reassured me that should I take a solo trip, you can combat the loneliness by befriending other travellers, with positive self-talk and of course with the discipline to get on your mat every day.
Whenever I’m feeling stressed and a little lost (as I definitely am now), I make it my mission to step up the self-care rather than letting it fall by the wayside. Jet2.com sent me that gorgeous Tranquility candle from St. Eval Candles (£9.46*) in the first photo and tonight my plan is to give that a burn – it has lavender, orange and ylang ylang which are three of my favourite scents – put a face mask on, run myself a long bubble bath and do some serious holiday planning. I don’t have any more trips booked this year but I really fancy a city break, especially with the weather being like it is at the moment (I’m not at all a fan of storm Brian). I’ve never been to Italy, and Tuscany and Rome in particular look utterly stunning and are top of the ‘to visit list’. (Of course the Vogue Weekend Guide to Florence is a frequently visited page in my bookmarks – though I’m not sure I could afford to hire a Ferrari to drive around in). I have a feeling my travel Pinterest board is going to have a lot more pins by the end of the evening!
Where would be your top spots for a city break or a sunny escape from this gloomy weather?
*yoga themed hamper gifted by jet2.com, all opinions my own
