Close your eyes and imagine this. You’re getting off the plane, luggage in hand, anticipating a 5-day vacation in a place you’ve always dreamed of exploring. The smell of local cuisine tickling your taste buds — you can’t wait to try it. The exhilarating views from your hotel window. The sound of waves waking you up in the morning. Ahh, seems like a perfect escape from “reality”.
Now open your eyes. Do you miss it? We do, too.
‘To travel’ is almost everyone’s top answer when they are asked “What are your plans when this is all over?”
We checked in with some of our frequent traveler friends about their favorite travel destinations and what they miss most about traveling, to get us all in a positive mood and look forward to what’s next.
1. Anton Diaz
My favorite destination is Palawan because of the awesome beaches, cool and chill vibe and the food is getting better and better each time we visit. Love going on island hopping and be able just to dive into the crystal blue water.
DISCOVERY TIP:
Our sister resort, Club Paradise, is located in Coron! It’s an exclusive island resort along UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. It’s perfect if you love diving!
What do you miss about travelling?
I miss discovering new food and learn new things from different culture. I miss the mis-adventures and meeting the chance encounters with people along the way.
2. Christine Cunanan
What’s your favorite destination and why is it your favorite?
I love so many places but my current favorite destination is a valley in the Pyrenees of Spain, about 17 kilometers from France. This area has beautiful mountain views, pretty little villages and great local restaurants. I love feeling like a local here as there are very few tourists and I have the mountains to myself. The perfect day here consists of a morning on the snowmobile, driving around the peaks with no one else in sight, followed by a very long and liquid lunch at a hideaway restaurant. Home here is a friend’s hotel, and this hotel has an amazing spa. So upon returning home, I would have a massage and a sauna; and then we would open a bottle of wine from the region to have with a bean stew made with octopus and chorizo for dinner by the fireplace. The chefs here make an incredible version that I never thought I would like, as I so dislike beans. But I ate this everyday there.
I love this destination called the Valle de Tena so much that I went twice in a matter of six weeks, just before the pandemic hit. These are my happiest days so far for 2020.
What do you miss about travelling?
I love being in a different place every week because this is a great way to stimulate the senses and remain out of one’s comfort zone. That said, two months of lockdown have passed very quickly for me and I’ve enjoyed staying home for once in my #Travelife.
3. Johan Aguilar
What’s your favorite destination and why is it your favorite?
Favorites would be the Italian Dolomites and Iceland. Both places have so much to offer! The Italian Dolomites with its mirror lakes, jagged mountain peaks, Italian food, and Austrian culture combined + Iceland for its out of this world landscapes and the Northern Lights. 🙂
What do you miss about travelling?
That adrenaline rush that kicks in during my 2-3 week escape from reality + all the spontaneous adventures and growth in between traveling with the special people in my life (family, fiancé, and friends)
4. Gel Bayona
What’s your favorite destination and why is it your favorite?
So hard to tell as each country/city has its own unique beauty. But maybe, for now, it would be the Czech Republic because I really felt like walking in a Disneyland with all the castles and historical sites to see all in one city which is in Prague. People are very friendly, plus the food is good and reasonable. In all the European countries I have been, I find it super enchanting in that sense.
What do you miss about travelling?
What I missed about traveling is really when I go in-depth the culture and history each city has to offer. I love people watching, going to the museums and exploring their food..:) omggggggggg I super missed traveling!!!
