Tag Archives | travel

7 Questions with Landing Standing

By The Fighting Couple on July 15, 2012 in General

One of our favorite parts of hosting a couple travel blog is getting to know other like-minded couples. We posed our 7 questions to fellow couple travel bloggers Meg and Tony of LandingStanding.com. In January of this year, the brave couple left jobs, family, and friends and set off on a grand adventure to explore the world.

So what does exactly does Landing Standing mean?

Land-ing Stand-ing: The act of leaping without looking, loving without fearing, and dominating anything life throws at you while never losing balance (well almost never).

Give their blog a looksee!

www.Landingstanding.com

https://twitter.com/landingstanding

http://www.facebook.com/LandingStanding

1) We loved your post “Traveling with Women-Why every man should.” What have been the greatest lessons traveling with the opposite sex?
He Said: You run into a ton of problems when you travel, big and small. My instinct is to try and fix them or at least offer a solution… definitely NOT something that women are always looking for. After numerous attempts and failures to get this into my head, i’m proud to say that I now, almost always, actually listen to Meg and just say, “I totally understand,” instead of, “here is what you could do.” Total travel relationship saver.

She Said: The biggest lifesaver for Tony and I has been assigning roles to each other while on the trip that work to each of our strengths. I am not sure if this stereotypically follows specific gender roles, but he is much better with handling our money, passports, and important documents, while I am in charge of hotel reservations and directions to get us from point A to point B. I am more detailed oriented and like having a solid plan when traveling to a new place, whereas Tony is cool going with the flow and figuring it all out when we arrive.

2) If you had to travel with someone else besides your travel partner, who would it be? (this person can be living, historical or mythical?.) Why?

He Said: Anthony Bourdain. But not as buddies (no way I could keep up with his partying when he was younger and probably still can’t), but as a special guest on his TV show No Reservations. We watched 2-3 episodes of his show per weekend when preparing for our trip because it was at the intersection of our two giant passions… travel and food. Especially food.

She Said: Harry Potter. Broomsticks, portkeys, apparition, and Floo powder are much cooler means of transportation than coach class on an airplane!

3)What has been your favorite destination in your wanderings? Why?

He said: We’re in Berlin right now and have been totally stunned by how awesome this city is. Who knew? We are currently in the middle of a project to start our own business and Berlin has an incredibly vibrant entrepreneurial spirit. We have been to a lot of amazing places, but Berlin has skyrocketed to the top of our list of foreign cities we could live in after our travels.

She said: I hate to sound cliché, but Paris was pretty magical. We used my hotel points to stay in a fancy Hyatt Regency in the center of the city and spent 4 days pampering ourselves and eating our way around the city. Coming from Peru after just hiking Machu Picchu, this mini-vacation in the city of lights was much needed. Plus, we celebrated our two-year wedding anniversary while in Paris.. amour!

4) If you had to eat one last meal, what/ where would you eat?

He said: I’m worried about Meg with this question… her brain might literally explode trying to pick just one location, let alone one meal… For me it is super easy and simple. Some amazing prosciutto and salami, some wedges of great cheese like pecorino, bleu, and camembert, and the freshest bread I could find. Then drive out to a cliff, with Meg, overlooking some great expanse of nature and just chow down.

She said: Ahhh too many choices! Tony and I have had some AMAZING meals together, but traveling the world has also made me miss the comforts of home. For my last meal, I would have to stick to my roots and choose my mom’s famous baked mac & cheese and my dad’s succulent Korean BBQ spare ribs… And of course finish the meal off with a giant bowl of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream (Phish Food, New York Super Fudge Chunk, Half Baked… Any of those flavors would do!). As far as where I would want to eat this last meal, it would be in my ultimate dream destination, Bora Bora, looking out over the Pacific Ocean in an overwater bungalow with my man by my side.

5) How has traveling brought you together as a couple?

She said: When we were back in the States, I travelled a lot for work and only saw Tony on the weekends. We are now with each other 24/7, which has been both wonderful…. and eye-opening! Yes, we sometimes bicker more than we ever used to back home, but we also have gotten to know a great deal more about each other during the past 6 months on the road and have become a stronger couple because of it. There are some rare occasions where we want to strangle each other and put space between us, but every time I discover something new during our travels, I am so glad I have Tony there to share the experience.

He said: Still being attracted to each other after food poisoning in a Bolivian hostel = true love.

6) You guys have written a number of times about staying in hostels. We have never been that brave. What advice can you give to couples about staying in hostels? How do you pick ‘em? Seems like they cater to the single traveler crowd. How do you find “couple” time?

He said: In South America you can definitely find cheap private rooms that are sometimes only slightly more expensive than the beds in dorm room. We always look closely at the ratings on the hostel booking websites before booking to make sure they rank high on location and cleanliness.

She said: We actually haven’t stayed in a hostel for several months now. We have become spoiled in Europe with apartment rentals, staying with friends, and leveraging my hotel points. Hostels were a great option in South America – especially Patagonia where hotels were expensive (and often non-existent), but besides being a great place for meeting other backpackers, they can get old fast for a travelling couple. Unless it was significantly more expensive than staying in a mixed dorm, we opted for private rooms and we always researched reviews on Hostelbookers.com and Hostelworld.com to find the most suitable hostel in our price range.

7)You knew it was coming….What has been your greatest travel fight/disagreement?

She said: It wasn’t so much of a fight as me being a complete bee-otch. We were on the overnight bus from hell from Uyuni, Bolivia to La Paz. The journey was supposed to be 9 hours long, but due to road floods, the bus had to go off-roading to get to La Paz and it ended up taking 15 miserable hours to get there. With little to no snacks packed, a bus seat that didn’t recline, and a broken window that blew freezing air into my face all night, I was devastated. Hungry, cold, and tired was the trifecta to my perfect storm and Tony got caught in the eye of it.

He said: Very true. I think I blacked out from the sheer ferocity of it. Nail your windows shut and hide in the basement… Hurricane Meg is a once in a century storm!

1000Fights: That was a blast! As you notice quickly when you discover their blog, in most of their pictures they are in each other’s arms. You really get the impression that this is a strong couple. Thank you Meg and Tony for sharing, and we hope we meet you guys out on the road someday.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Couple Travel

By The Fighting Couple on June 12, 2012 in General, Slideshowable

Traveling as a couple is rough! We have been a couple for over 15 years, and traveled to 25 plus countries on 5 continents. One thing that we have learned traveling over this time is that traveling together can be the best and worst. We thought that we would offer you some handy tips on how to travel together.

Traveling with a man-

“Being a woman is a terribly difficult task, since it consists principally in dealing with men.” -Joseph Conrad

Traveling with a man is truly a test of patience and will power. We want to arm you with some tactics that will make your next holiday much more enjoyable. So let’s start with the basics: Hunger.

1 Hunger-One of the intriguing features of male physiology is the constant need for…..food. In the bible of understanding all men aka: The Godfather note when big decisions need to be made…food is included ie “Leave the gun bring the cannoli.” A little known fact is that 61 scenes involve food. Why? Men need Man Fuel. It makes everything go much better. Those little mini-meals they serve on long haul flights? Not gonna cut it. Ladies in order to combat this challenge plan your meals. Make time for food! A little planning goes a long way.

2 Directions-Just like the pitiful scene of Napoleon at Waterloo or Lee at Appomattox, asking a man to hand over his sword and ask for directions is just as humiliating. Admitting defeat, even in the face of insurmountable odds, is next to impossible! Instead, might we suggest that if possible you approach by using rule number one. “Hey I am starving…is there anyway we could stop by this store/café and grab a quick bite?” (see rule #1) At the same time… this will give you a chance to inconspicuously ask for some pointers on where the heck you are. The invention of GPS has quite possibly single handedly saved our marriage. It is now a travel must.

Traveling with a Woman

“The great question that has never been answered and which I have not yet been able to answer, despite my thirty years of research into the feminine soul, is ‘What does a woman want?” -Sigmund Freud

It’s all about the journey, not the destination. Men, for whatever reason have a “let’s get there attitude” when traveling and doing other things. As women, we tend to focus a little more on the path. Men: build in a little extra time into your schedules. Be flexible. Here’s an example from our recent trip to Venice which turned into another 1000 fights. We were driving from Triste, Italy to Venice. We were looking through tourist books and spotted an amazing castle cradling the bay outside of Triste. It wasn’t in our plan. Mike had an Excel spreadsheet that kept a strict schedule with everything we were to see that day and the castle wasn’t on the list. He didn’t even know about the castle. Of course Mike was like, “Gotta get on the road, got to see Venice, got to obey the spreadsheet.” After a fight that resulted in zero pictures of Mike and I together at the castle (in fact, Mike wouldn’t even take pictures of me-our friends were the photographers), we went to the castle. We ended up seeing one of the most incredible sites of our entire trip. Mike admitted he was wrong three weeks after the trip, and I have a few pictures of a fairy tale castle in Italy. Guys take the hint. Be flexible. Slow down a little and enjoy the ride!

A little more talk and a little less action

Talk. Women need to talk. We need to communicate. We need to discuss. Guys: a couple of different options for you. Some of you are talkers as well, so no problem. Some of you are good listeners, no problem. If you are neither or your name is Mike, a few ideas for you. Let your spouse known that you need some time to talk. You finally have some time together, and for women it’s all about communication. If you don’t know what to talk about, we suggest “The Book of If: Questions for the Games of Life and Love” by Evelyn McFarlane and James Saywell. On a four hour drive through Croatia, we found out a lot about each other. Like, “If you could fire someone from work, who would it be,” or “If you could relive one romantic date from high school just as it was, which would it be.” Some answers we had to plead the “fifth.” But overall, it’s a great way to get a conversation going.

Of course one of the most important part of a successful trip as a couple is the place. Why not try one of the Club Med all inclusive resorts? Sun, sand, and your sweetie what more do you need?

There they are, a few ideas to help you travel as a couple. So get out there and explore the world together!

How to Beat the Post Trip Blues

By The Fighting Couple on May 20, 2012 in General, Slideshowable

Jet Lag. We all know the feeling: you just got back from a great trip and now it’s back to “real” life.

I love the buildup leading up to our next big trip: learning the language, researching the new food, planning what to see and when. It is such a rush! But once our passport reentry is stamped, and the luggage collected, and laundry started, the blues sets in: the Post Trip Blues.

Symptoms:

Jet lag: Returning from our latest adventure to Cambodia (a 24 hour endeavor). It was Jet Lag 2 vs. Fighting Couple 0. Exhaustion sets in during the day, and we were wide awake at the unseemly morning hours. We felt like we had the flu: stomachs upset from adjusting to our native fare, dizzy, and thinking in a fog. We transformed from the fighting couple to the grumpy couple!

The Learning Let Down: For us, our trips are an academic exercise. Every waking hour is engaged in learning new things, meeting new people, eating new things, adjusting to new challenges. Then, once we get home…not so much.

The Left Overs: Both Luci and I have pretty fast paced and demanding jobs. Upon our return, we face hundreds of emails, fires to put out, and fires to start. Then we have our kids who haven’t seen us in two weeks and we have to “peel” them off of us because they missed us!

At times we even question why we do this to ourselves.

The Secret to beating the Jet Lag!

So what’s our secret to beat the post trip blues? We don’t have one. The fact is-You travel so you can get away from home and coming back home means going back to “normal life.” But we have found a few things that seem to help a little.

Let’s take on the first symptom:

The Nasty jet lag. Step one is rest at the right times. This is hard, especially when your time change is significant. Our Cambodia trip put us 13 hours at odds with our home time. Resist the temptation to get up at 2 a.m. and do work. (Luci woke up and did work.) It’s only going to make it worse. Likewise, you must avoid the 2 p.m. naps. (Luci also took naps) Take it easy on the caffeine. (Luci likes Pepsi.) Drink your water. Our secret, if there is one, is sunlight. Luci take hers via melatonin pills and vitamins, I prefer walks or some tennis. Getting some sun tells the body that it’s day now and get with the program! USA Today recently had an article supporting sunlight therapy.

The Learning Let Down: This is a tough one. The one thing that we really enjoy is to inflict our friends when we get home with a “trip report party.” We invite a bunch of friends over, and share a few of our pictures, cook up some of the local cuisine (last year we brought back Eurocream from Bosnia and made crepes) and discuss what we saw. Not sure why people keep coming back to these because we can’t think of anything worse than looking at other people’s vacation pictures, but we have some really great friends and they ask about it every year. Plus, it helps us process what we saw and tie it all together. Once we land, we start putting together pictures and share some self-reflection on how what we saw has affected us. We highly recommend a trip report party because you get to share the world with your friends and encourage them to travel!

The Left Overs: It ceases to amaze us, every time we get back; there is two weeks’ worth of work awaiting us. We call it hitting the “post trip wall.” One of our little strategies to deal with the immersion is to hit the office in the afterhours. Email is kind of like the timeline of what you missed, so start with the most recent first. You may find out that half the problems emailed to you in week one of your trip are solved by week two. You also get a synopsis of what happened while you were gone, so when you do face folks in person, you have a reference as to what they are talking about. We have great coworkers, and they all want to know if we actually ate dog or cat on our trips and all the skinny on what happened, so getting a head start lets us be much more personal when we go back. Also, don’t make any major decisions the first few days back to work. You won’t be right in the head, so don’t risk your job.

Then, there are the kids….. 1000fights’ mission is to get couples to leave their children at home and take a trip. You love your children and they love you, but you’ll love them more after the trip. Getting accumulated to the kids, takes time. Expect a few of your children to punish you. When our girls were little, I remember one of our daughters being so mad at us when we returned. At first, she ignored us and then she yelled at us over silly things. This phase will pass. To ease reentry back to the family, do some snooping. The fact is, your kids aren’t going to tell you everything that happened while you were gone. Go through every one of my children’s worksheets from school, call the piano teacher or baseball coach and ask how things went. Also do a thorough debrief with grandma or who watched your kids. You’ll find things were fine while you were gone, but it doesn’t mean your kids didn’t miss you! Most important, share what you learned from your trip. It’s therapy for you and it’s a great social studies less for your kids.

So what is your secret for dealing with the post trip blues? What works for you? Never underestimate the power of a good fight to help as well! Next time your are Glasgow, check out the Windsor Hotel. Glasgow has been called the style capital of Scotland. It plays host to 13 plus free museums! It also sports over 70 parks and gardens, great for walking that jet lag away.

The Man’s Guide to Traveling with a Woman

By The Fighting Couple on March 15, 2012 in Best of the Fighting Couple, General, Slideshowable

5 Things Every Man Should Know About Women…While Traveling.

How do you travel with a Woman? Not long ago we did a post relating little know secrets about how to travel with men. We have now turned the tables and offer you hommes a few insights on how to travel with the fairer sex. While every person has their own travel style, and we certainly don’t want to paint every woman into a box, there are a few helpful general tips, that if understood, can help couples find greater harmony on the road. So here we go:

Miramare Castle, Triste, Italy

It’s all about the journey, not the destination.

Men, for whatever reason have a “let’s get there attitude” when traveling and doing other things. As women, we tend to focus a little more on the path. Men: build in a little extra time into your schedules. Be flexible. Here’s an example from our recent trip to Venice which turned into another 1000 fights. We were driving from Triste, Italy to Venice. We were looking through tourist books and spotted an amazing castle cradling the bay outside of Triste. It wasn’t in our plan. Mike had an Excel spreadsheet that kept a strict schedule with everything we were to see that day and the castle wasn’t on the list. He didn’t even know about the castle. Of course Mike was like, “Gotta get on the road, got to see Venice, got to obey the spreadsheet.” After a fight that resulted in zero pictures of Mike and I together at the castle (in fact, Mike wouldn’t even take pictures of me-our friends were the photographers), we went to the castle. We ended up seeing one of the most incredible sites of our entire trip. Mike admitted he was wrong three weeks after the trip, and I have a few pictures of a fairy tale castle in Italy. Guys take the hint. Be flexible. Slow down a little and enjoy the ride!

Cleanliness is next to Godess-ness

I don’t know how many times I have said…for men…the world is your urinal. Traveling, as we have in third world countries, the facilities are not always ideal. No problem. But there is a clear and bright line between rustic and disgusting. Third world or first world, some truck stops are dens of disgusting. Men take this little hint, when the facilities are sub par, DON’T ARGUE. Try saying things like…”Let’s find another place” or “There is a hotel just down the road, lets go over there.” My hero! One option we highly recommend is skipping the hotel and renting a vacation apartment instead.”

Pictures are the best souvenir

Its all about the social media and the Christmas card. Deep down, women are vain. We really are. Men could care less how their outfit looks or if their makeup is smudged. OK maybe most men don’t care about their make up. For us frau-lines, we truly want our vacation pics to look really good. Why do we take vacation pics? To show them off to all our friends on Facebook! Our photo shoots might take a little long. Guys, take it from me, you want us to look hot for these pics, it will make all of your old girl friends # jealous!

The whole flowers thing

This is likely the hardest concept for men to understand. Women like cute things. Cute things can come in the shape of purring cats, daffodils, teacups and cutie-bug kids. We are going to take pictures of them, we are going to cuddle them, we may put an entire tour on hold to take pictures of a bunny. I can’t tell you how many pictures we have of the dafodills in front of Jane Austen’s house! They were incredible! Guys, this is really going to test your patience. Take a deep breath. Count to 10. Trust me, if you make a big deal about this, you will be removed from our “cute” list. This will not bode well for you later. Girls can I have an “amen?!”

A little more talk and a little less action

Women need to talk. We need to communicate. We need to discuss. Guys: a couple of different options for you. Some of you are talkers as well, so no problem. Some of you are good listeners, no problem. If you are neither or your name is Mike, a few ideas for you. Let your spouse known that you need some time to talk. You finally have some time together, and for women it’s all about communication. If you don’t know what to talk about, we suggest “The Book of If: Questions for the Games of Life and Love” by Evelyn McFarlane and James Saywell. On a four hour drive through Croatia, we found out a lot about each other. Like, “If you could fire someone from work, who would it be,” or “If you could relive one romantic date from high school just as it was, which would it be.” Some answers we had to plead the “fifth.” But overall, it’s a great way to get a conversation going.

If communicating together isn’t your thing, join friends you meet on the tourist trail for drinks before/after/during dinner. Meeting fellow travelers is one of the most dynamic experiences that can create lifelong friendships and maybe a few Facebook friend requests!

Gentlemen, these are a few little hints for keeping us gals happy whilst on the road. Every women is different, but take these ideas into consideration and know your travel partner.

Gals, did we miss anything? If you could tell you guy just one thing that would make life a little easier out there, what would you tell him?

Why Do We Do This?

By The Fighting Couple on February 6, 2012 in General, Slideshowable

“Life throws so much at you: bills, pressure, work, stress, kids, “real” life, drama, mother-in-laws, mortgage payments. The day in and day out battle of life slowly drains the love out of our relationships.”

An enlightening question from a friend this week….”So, why do you blog?” My first automatic response was something like, “To share our travel ideas, to be a part of the travel blogging community, give encouragement to others, to get out and see the world.” Yada, yada, yada. Blah, blah, blah.

But the real reason we travel blog, is YOU. Boil it all down, we want others to find happiness in their relationships. Luci and I have our struggles that’s for sure and as our “catchy” blog name reflects…our relationship is far from perfect. We fight. A lot. But it’s ok.

We count ourselves blessed to have visited some incredible places together during our 15 years of marriage. But when it comes down to it, these places don’t really matter. (We are totally serious!) What matters most to us was that we did it together as a couple. The number of stamps in our passport doesn’t matter. What matters is what is stamped on our souls.

We set out our blogging journey with a simple mission: Encourage other couples to leave the kids with the grandparents for a week and go somewhere together. If you don’t have the $$$ to do it today, set a goal. Don’t be stupid and put it all on a credit card. BAD MISTAKE! You will make things worse. Trust us, a vacation that you saved and scrimped for will be sweeter. Work together. Save. Sacrifice. Then do it. Most importantly don’t let the time together be wasted. Savor every second. Talk to each other. Renew.

Life throws so much at you: bills, pressure, work, stress, kids, “real” life, drama, mother-in-laws, mortgage payments. The day in and day out battle of life slowly drains the love out of our relationships. It happens to us. It continues to happen. A loveless relationship loses hope. You become roommates. Then bad things happen.

So why do we blog? What keeps us going? It is you. You on the other end of this Internet. We hope that there is something that we write that inspires you to make a change. If you could find one thing to work together on. Just one thing…maybe something as simple as planning a trip together.

Change is hard. Life is hard. You need a friend by your side to face it. We hope you have/find/love that special someone.

Bon voyage!

Mike and Luci

Finding the Marquis de LaFayette

By The Fighting Couple on January 25, 2012 in General, Slideshowable

Whats in a name? A lot if your name is: Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette. One of the unsung heroes of the American revolution is a young Frenchman commonly known as Maquis de LaFayette. Being a student of history, and an unashamed admirer of the founding fathers of the United States, we sought out the famed burial site of LaFayette during our recent visit to Paris. Luci calls me a LaFayette fanatic… Our quest to find the final resting spot of the Maquis was an adventure in itself.

Our quest started off back in the states, I had read a few blogs that had made mention of some of the folklore surrounding the burial place. Some of the tales are indeed true, most are not. Many of the blogs that I had read mentioned difficulty in finding the cemetery. This proved very true!

Armed with a few of the accounts on how to find the location, a metro pass, and a quarter (we will explain later), we set about our journey. The grave is located in the Picpus Cemetary in the 12 arrondissement of thecity of Paris. The first step is fairly easy. Take the sea green line and get off at the Picpus stop. The entrance to the cemetery is at 35 rue de Picpus. This is where we ran into trouble. You will be smack dab in the middle of housing developments. You will ask yourself, how can there be a cemetery here? Signage is limited. There is a large cement wall with a heavy wooden door. Once you get through the door, there is a small church, the Chapel of Our Lady of Peace. Behind the church is the small graveyard.

Our timing was poor, by the time we found the right place and figured out that we were supposed to go through the big door into the church yard, it was 12 pm. Cemetery closed. We walked up to a care taker explained our situation in limited French. He said, no, we are not open in perfect English. We open back at 3pm. We were devastated. We had come all this way to see the grave, we had such a hard time finding the place, and we were turned away! Cue fight! We went and dejectedly sat on the steps of the church to plan what to do. We couldn’t stay here for three hours. We were starving. What to do? As we sat “discussing” what to do next, the curator came over and asked us in French if we were from the states. We said “qi”. Why was he talking in French now? He went on to say a bunch of stuff that we didn’t understand, but one word we heard that we did catch was, “l’exception”. Yay!!! We thanked him in three of four different languages and headed behind the chapel.

Regardless of what country you are from, when you are in another country, and you see your homeland’s flag, it is special. From across the small graveyard we saw the stars and bars. It sent tingles down our spines. The American flag has flown over the grave since his burial. Even during the Nazi occupation! As a tribute to his service to Washington, visitors leave an American quarter dollar with George Washington’s image on his grave. In light of what the dollar is worth compared to the Euro, it is no wonder no one bothers to grab them!

One of George Washington’s wishes was to have Lafayette buried in the United States. He wanted to have a large tribute made to honor his service to the US. Lafayette refused. He wanted to be buried in his family’s plot in Picpus. In light of this desire, arrangements were made to send barrels of Virginia topsoil from George Washington’s estate at Mt. Vernon. Lafayette was buried in American soil.

A little history lesson for those of you wondering who in the world we are taking about. From our friends at Wikipedia: “In the American Revolution, Lafayette served as a major-general in the Continental Army under George Washington. Wounded during the Battle of Brandywine, he still managed to organize a successful retreat. He served with distinction in the Battle of Rhode Island. In the middle of the war he returned to France to negotiate an increase in French support. On his return, he blocked troops led by Cornwallis at Yorktown while the armies of Washington and those sent by King Louis XVI under the command of General de Rochambeau, prepared for battle against the British.”

The American people owe a debt of gratitude to the French people and particularly to the Marquis de Lafeyette. Bring a quarter and take a great side trip in Paris.

My Glen Ivy Escape

By The Fighting Couple on January 15, 2012 in General, Slideshowable

The words Glen Ivy Spa makes me go weak in the knees. Located only 60 miles southeast from Los Angeles in Corona, Glen Ivy is an oasis of spa heaven. I first discovered Glen Ivy 10 years ago when I escaped to Los Angeles for the weekend to get away from my husband and children. My friend took one look at me and said, “You need Glen Ivy.” Boy did I ever. I was a working mom in my mid-20s with two kids, a heady job, and dirty house. (Now that I think about it nothing has changed in 10 years, except my age.) I needed a break or mid-life crisis. I opted for the break.

When my friend told me we were going to a spa, I figured it would be in a strip mall with mediocre massages, shag carpet, and maybe a free glass of water if I was lucky. Not even close. As we drove up the entrance it was clear to me Glen Ivy wasn’t just a spa; it was a complex, so vast it would make a Vanderbilt or Kennedy blush.

We walked up to the admittance office and then I beheld what I was to experience. The attendant handed me a map. A spa that needs a map? Yep. It’s that big. We walked into the area and I was as doe-eyed as a five-year old’s first trip to Disneyland. There were signs to the mineral baths, Roman baths, lap pool, the hot pool followed by the cold plunge pool. Fourteen pools total. We hit the mud first.

Mud? Yes. Your admission gets you access to every pool plus Club Mud. There’s an entire area dedicated to mud. Not just any mud, but Glen Ivy mud, a red clay mixed with the natural hot springs that will tighten your skin. Plopped on giant wheels, you grab a handful and slather the special mud on your body. Let it dry in the California sun and then wash it off. Your skin will feel soft and revitalized.

I liked the Club Med, but I really liked the Grotto. For an extra fee, you can experience absolute soft skin. You walk into the Grotto area and then go down an elevator and enter a cave aka grotto. Your attendant will take a paint brush and paint you with a light green cream. It smells divine because it’s made of aloe vera, shea butter and coconut oil. Go deeper in to the grotto and sit in the “hydrating chamber.” You’ll feel like you are breathing butter, but the longer you sit the better your skin will feel. Then go rinse off. My hands felt soft and subtle days after I returned to the desert of home.

A visitor to Glen Ivy could spend all day just drifting from mud to grotto to roman bath to mineral bath to sauna, but Glen Ivy also has traditional spa treatments. On my first visit, I was treated to scrub, wrap and massage. Heavenly. Since, I have tried other Glen Ivy’s treatments including the clarifying facial. Check out their pedicures and manicures as well. A massage or facial will cost roughly $100 per treatment. On my last visit, I discovered the Glen Ivy Getaway package that included your choice of one 50 minute Swedish massage, 50 minute Glen Ivy facial, or a 50 minute body treatment, as well as grotto admission, and lunch for only $139. Admission is extra and will cost you $46 or $59 depending on whether you are there on the weekdays or weekends. If you buy a service that’s 50 minutes or longer, your admission is discounted.

Plan your day wisely. I like to get my treatments early in the visit, then eat lunch and spend the rest of the day vegging by the pools and ending the day with grotto. You’ll be wasted by the time you leave so expect to be in a fog. Don’t forget to go to the gift shop. I like to pick up a container of mud and the grotto paint. That way when I’m back home, looking at my dirty house, exhausted from my job, frustrated by my mediocre mothering, I can open up the container, breathe deeply and let Calgon, I mean, Glen Ivy take me away.

Los Angeles has so much to offer! If you are looking for a great Los Angeles accommodation to go with your spa visit. Look no further!

The Best and Worst of the Fighting Couple 2011

By The Fighting Couple on December 31, 2011 in General, Slideshowable

This year was a great one for the Fighting Couple! We traveled to some amazing places and some duds! As we bid 2011 adieu, we wanted to offer you our best and worst of the year:

Lets start with the numbers:

Nights on the road: 65

Countries visited: 7 (Italy, France, Croatia, Bosnia, Slovenia, Canada, Austria)

Pastries eaten in Paris: 15 or so!

Most expensive water: 15 euros per bottle! (Italy)

Ugly American travel moment: Mike-Ironing his Brooks Brother shirt with Evian water while staying at a hotel on the Versailles property.

Best Fight: So many to choose from! One of the best was our “Sticker” fight. As Mike drove us across the border into Slovenia, to our surprise the toll booths were unmanned. Mike took this as there was no need to pay tolls. (Don’t make this assumption.) Mike drove on throwing caution to the wind despite strongly worded objections. This decision would end up costing us big time! We had to pay a huge fine at the border leaving the country. You must buy a “sticker” when entering Slovenia. In the end, “lively” discussion followed.

Bloggers that we were able to get to know in 2011: Traveling Cannucks (Cam and Nicole), Jouneywoman (Evelyn), Bohemian Trails (Megan), Couple of Sports (Jakie and Mark), Our Tasty Travels (Erin and Brett).

Fave Location Mike: Easy. Bihac, Bosnia, hands down. Did we stay in a four star hotel? Nope. How many thought provoking tours did we take? Nada. Luci and the other couple traveling with us really humored me on going to this border town. Bihac was the nucleus of the war. The first and last shots fired were in the area. Our adventure to Bosnia began at the border. The border agent was a little surprised to see American passports. It took a little convincing to explain that we were tourists coming to his country. Bosnia, what little of what we saw of it, was lush and green. As we drove along, we saw the bullet ridden homes along the way. We stayed at charming little hotel called the Hotel Opal. We ate at the little riverside restaurant in the hotel. Food was surprising good! What made this my fave is the blatant tourist nature of Bosnia, pristine beauty, storied history, and its rough complexity.

Fave Location Luci: Lake Bled, Slovenia! Lake Bled is girls’ fantasy camp. It looks like a fairy tale and the Lake’s famous dessert is worth every calorie. Lake Bled is a mountain lake nestled in the heart of the Julian Alps. Slovenia is the cheap man’s Austria. While it’s on the Euro, prices are at least a third cheaper. What else could a fairy tale want? Goregous lake. Yummy cake. Cheap. For a perfect fairy tale moment, spend the day at the lake. In the middle of the Lake Bled, is an island topped by a church.

The Church on Lake Bled Island, Slovenia

Rent a row boat for less than 10E and make your spouse row you across the lake. Once you reach the island, make him carry you up the steps to the church. If your spouse makes the 99 steps, you’ll have a happy marriage. If you don’t, well, you’ll be like 1000 Fights. Ring the bell the church bell and a wish will come true. Guys, if you don’t want row, you can get in an oversized gondola called a plenta and someone will row you along with 10-12 other lazy tourists. After visiting the church, visit one of the many lakeside restaurants and dive into famous kremšnit. The cake has a layer of whipped cream followed by vanilla custard and topped with filo dough. As someone who loves, anything creamy, the cake is heaven in every bite. To see pictures and more see:

Leaving Rab, Isand.

Worst Location Mike: This is another easy one for me. I really dislike Rab, Croatia. Dislike perhaps is not a strong enough word. I just want to give them a benefit of a doubt…Being the crazy planner that I am, I had everything planned out. The first thing you need to know about Rab is that it is a desert island. It is not attractive. Three months prior to our arrival, we had reserved a boat to rent for the day. It was going to be a blast. We were going to hit a couple secluded remote beaches. Sounds like fun huh? Well it took an hour to find the boat dock. We approached the proprietor, made small talk and once we asked about our boat reservation, the “gentleman” forgot English, and there was no longer a reservation, regardless of the 3 emails I had in hand to the contrary. The day only got worse! We decided to drive to one of the public beaches…in route we were following three cars following a tractor. The tractor driver waved us all around. So I passed on a flat and straight patch. All of the sudden: Lights and Siren! We were pulled over and ticket for passing in no passing zone! No sign! Following other cars! I really dislike Rab!

Worst Location Luci: I hate Las Vegas. The food is expensive. The shows are pricey. The museums are over rated. There are ads of naked women everywhere. The free things to see in casinos are so buried deep inside you need a map to get out. I don’t drink or gamble so what is there for me to do? Nothing. I could never go back and be happy.

Big Winners!: This year we ran two contests. The first was our famed Hottest Travel Blogging Divas and Hunks. We highlighted 3 gals and 3 guys that are travel bloggers. It was a little tongue in cheek but it gave us a chance to highlight some incredible travel bloggers. Just in case you missed it, Keith from www.traveling-savage.com was crowned King and the lovely and talented Lillie of http://www.aroundtheworldl.com/ was crowned queen.

The Kahle's Winner of our Mistletoe Moment

Our other contest was our Mistletoe Moments during the month of December. We asked couples to submit their best magical moment together during the year. We were stunned by the response! There were so many touching stories of couples finding love at home and abroad. The response really has inspired us. The winning moment came to us from the Kahle’s at http://www.wanderlivin.com/. Congrats again!

TBEX-This year we decided to attend the annual travel blogger revival called TBEX. We are so glad we did! TBEX this year was hosted in scenic Vancouver, BC, Canada. For those of you that have not attended, it is a two-three day affair, with travel bloggers from across the globe. Luci was skeptical about attending at first, but it really turned into a funfest. Presentations were given on different travel and technical topics. It was wonderful meeting the faces behind the Facebook pages.

Waterfalls in Croatia

We want to thank each and every one of you our readers. Thanks for your comments, thanks for your interest in our crazy fights. Stay tuned we have some exciting stuff planned for you in 2012! Buckle up!

Lake Bled: Girl’s Fantasy Camp (1000fights.com)

The Best Mistletoe Moment of 2011

By The Fighting Couple on December 23, 2011 in General, Slideshowable

We have a winner!

A heartfelt thanks to each of you that submitted entries. We were totally blown away by the number and more impressivley the quality of responses! Incredible. This just goes to show that love is alive and well.

Luci and I want to thank you our readers for making this an amazing year. You have shared your travel fights, crazy adventures, and tender love stories with us. We are so grateful for each of you! We wish you all many happy miles this coming year.

While we don’t have a “prize” for them, our judges thought these two were incredible! The two runners up:

Chris Walker-Bush from Aussie on the Road

“It was seconds after the ball dropped on New Year’s and my soon to be ex girlfriend and I had fled the beach party on Robinson Crusoe in Fiji to find some privacy. With our two year relationship set to end in 24 hours when she flew back to the States, tears stood in her eyes as we listened to the distant growl of the beach and felt the warm summer air on our skin. Underneath the gaze of coconut palms and the starry skies, I kissed away her tears and thanked her for the best two years of my life.”

Mike Howard from Honey Trek

“It wasn’t in an amazing location, or under a starry night sky, and it wasn’t at the perfect time. It was in our kitchen, when we realized we wanted to quit our jobs and travel the world together. After an amazing evening with friends (two of whom told us of their recent journey and inspired us), we sat in our kitchen, staring each others eyes, realizing we were in fact going to make this a reality. That kiss, is the kiss that sealed our RTW fate, and we can not wait for more Mistletoe moments in every country we visit over the next 16 months.”

Without further ado….our 2011 Mistletoe Moment is:

The Kahle’s from Wanderlivin

“A wedding can mean many different things to different people. To the bride it’s the most important day of her life. That’s why when I was told my hairdresser canceled on me the day before the wedding I tried to shake it off. When half of my family couldn’t come because of Hurricane Irene I tried to shake it off. When my photographer didn’t show up – I couldn’t shake it off. Walking down the isle in distress I saw my husband and the way he looked at me as I walked down the isle. When I reached him I pulled his face down for a kiss before the minister could even start as the waves of Monterrey Bay crashed around us and bridesmaids giggled at the ministers disapproval.”

1000Fights: Isn’t that a tender story! Congrats on your marriage! We love it. There will be time for fighting later! Luci says that they are going to have “cute” kids…not sure what that means. We wish the Kahle’s congrats and happy travels!

Thanks again to our “Celebrity” judges!

@travelcanucks @sarahjstorer @VagabondQuest @confusedjulia

Ok…2012 is just on the horizon. Get out there and make some Mistletoe Moments!

The Whispers of Mt. Kilimanjaro

By The Fighting Couple on November 30, 2011 in General, Slideshowable

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro

Her name, so utterly foreign yet bitterly familiar, still invokes Dickens’ ostensible opposites. To reproduce it from my lips freshens my mind with rivaling sensations of joyful enthusiasm and painful failure. Kilimanjaro. This is the story of my fight with her.

We met at Machame camp in Tanzania – our first date was a steep climb through lush rainforest was complete with monkeys, vines, and the two interacting in a natural manner. Though it was challenging, I was vigorous and her beauty and charm were intriguing. As our day’s journey slowed to an end, a taste of what to was to come arrived in the form of an eerie aberration – the landscape transforming from thick and green to misty and moss-strewn. Nonetheless it still had a strange allure, and camping just below the cloud layer offered a romantic sense of vulnerability. I admired her.

The second day brought an initial victory – plunging through a dense layer of fog, any temptation to attempt a retreat changed from the prospect of a leisurely downhill path, to a seemingly impenetrable floor of clouds. It was easier to go on. She was ruthless and uncaring as the slope sharpened. Plant life was sparse and the air thin as we crossed through 12,000 feet. I found myself out of breath – not only in awe of her splendor, but also aghast of her cruelty. By the time we arrived at Shira camp, I wasn’t interested dinner – African hot dogs and semi-fresh vegetables, preferring instead to rest. If she had embittered me with her heartless grind throughout the day, I forgot it altogether when she rewarded me with the most brilliant sunset these eyes have ever beheld. I loved her.

Given the austerity of the scenery on the third day, I should have known she would eventually break my heart. I may as well have been on the moon. There was a cold, fierce wind. Vegetation went from scarce to non-existent, along with oxygen, and my aching muscles were letting me know. My heart in particular, having to beat at twice its normal rate to oxygenate my blood, literally felt like it would beat right out of my chest. I trudged in the shadow of the peak – she, staring down on me with contempt, yet I, at her in admiration. By the time we arrived at camp it was dark – a blessing. Had I seen what the next morning would bring, I would never have awakened.

Barranco wall engulfed the entire panorama – not saying “good morning,” but saying, “I’m insurmountable.” I believed her. Lines of porters, like ants, weaved their way to its crest; identifiable only by the white bags they carried on their heads. I set out, no longer greeting fellow climbers with a cheery “Jambo,” but with a disgusted sigh. At the top of Barranco I felt no joy, only the obligation to continue. If I allowed myself, I could feel satisfaction – even a thrill, but I couldn’t. I felt anguish. It was an endless cycle of descent before inevitable ascent. Torment. The climb to Barafu, the final camp, I made only with the motivation of cursing her through clenched teeth. I hated her.

With only a few hours to rest before we began the summit at midnight I had little sleep. Donning arctic winter gear and headlamps for our final encounter, I set out in conquest with a shard of hope. The altitude was taking its toll and nausea set in along with muscle cramps. I wretched. Still, I pushed along for 3 hours in the dark, each footstep barely ahead of the last, progress coming at great cost. My body was revolting. When I could push no longer, at 1700 vertical feet below the summit, I stared up at the moon and collapsed. I despised her.

And though she conquered me, stole from me all that I could offer, and left me hungry and wanting… I love her still. She respects me still. And neither of us will concede that we’ve seen the last of each other.

Guest Post by Brad from World Wanderlusting. Brad climbed Kilimanjaro in September of 2010 with friends and co-workers on the Machame Route with Zara Tours (www.climbingkilimanjaro.com). He and his brother, Sheldon, write a travel blog: www.WorldWanderlusting.com.

1000Fights: Brad is a great friend and like minded traveler. What a great post! Poetry! Please check out Brad’s blog and follow him on Twitter @worldwanderlust!

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