“Why Cuenca?”
“Do you need to be fluent in Spanish?”
“Is it affordable?”
“What’s the weather like?”
These were questions I asked my husband more than a year ago when he first suggested we try out expat living in Cuenca, Ecuador.
Now that we’re here, these are the same questions we hear from friends and family who are curious about Cuenca.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
We all have our favorite places. Maybe it’s the place we call home, or where we grew up. Perhaps it’s a vacation spot we return to often. A place we know inside and out; where to find the best cup of coffee, who to ask for information, and the businesses best avoided.
For me, one of those places is Ajijic, a quirky lakeside village in the mountains of Jalisco, Mexico, an hour’s drive from Guadalajara. For the past fifteen years, my husband, Hank, and I have called Ajijic home for extended stays in every season.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Wrap your head around this: There are 14 species of whales in Alaskan waters; residents of Fairbanks can see the Northern Lights an average of 240 nights per year; approximately 1 in 66 Alaskans is an active pilot; and Alaska is larger than all but 18 sovereign countries. This is NOT your average vacation spot. With over 650,000 square miles of mountains, rivers, and glaciers, the 49th state is open for adventure.
This year, trade the city break for the Last Frontier faster than you can say ‘former governor’ and discover Alaska beyond the cruise ports - there’s plenty of it.
Earlier this summer, my husband, Hank, and I piggy-backed a wilderness voyage with Un-Cruise Adventures in southeast Alaska with a tour of the southwest and southcentral regions. Here are our recommendations for making the most of your explorations.
photography by Ellen and Hank Barone
[before you go]
What NOT to Wear: Forget dress to impress. In Alaska, the focus is not on fashion, but rather the outdoors. Local wisdom has it that “there is no bad weather, just bad gear.” Key items should include fleece, waterproof rain gear, good walking shoes, a hat, lightweight gloves and quick-dry everything. Other items you’ll want to bring: sunglasses, sun block (yes, even in Alaska, especially on the water and ice), a swimsuit (many lodges feature hot tubs and/or saunas), camera, and lots of memory cards!
[Anchorage]
For guaranteed wildlife sightings, load up your camera and make the scenic drive south to Portage for a visit to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. With consent from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the center takes in orphaned or injured animals for treatment and rehabilitation. We could easily have spent the day there watching the resident bears romp and swim, but bring bug spray. The June day we visited the mosquitoes were fierce.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
When the winter winds blow and snow accumulates on your doorstep, there are basically two things to do: either stay inside with furry rabbit slippers and a cuppa hot chocolate, or hit the slopes. I was tempted to do the former, but I opted to do the latter, and am I glad I did.
If you are ready to ditch the slippers, then pack your ski threads and head to Utah, where life’s a slope.
The first turn… Photo courtesy Ski Utah
All Utah ski resorts are not created equally. Just like people, each area has its own unique personality and style. Alta Ski Area, for example, currently celebrating 70 years of great skiing, is legendary for its pure alpine ski experience. It’s Switzerland in the U.S.A.. Park City Mountain Resort screams “youth” and “adventure” offering high-thrills terrain parks for freestyling snowboarders and skiers.
Utah is proud of having the ‘Greatest Snow on Earth’….and for being an über-friendly destination with 13 ski areas to choose from. Seven of them are less than an hour away from the Salt Lake City International Airport. Whether you’re like me — a middle-aged skier returning to the sport after years off the boards — a beginner or seasoned slope vet, Ski Utah has something to rock your world.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
It’s day two at Red Mountain Spa in southwestern Utah, and I’m hitting the wall. My quads are exhausted from a six-mile morning hike and my abs screaming from three hours of afternoon exercise classes. I am tempted to bag tomorrow’s dawn patrol trek and afternoon mountain bike ride for downtime snuggled up with a good book in the villa’s plush furniture or deep-soaking in the oversized Jacuzzi tub, but the staff’s contagious energy and enthusiasm – and yoga bodies – inspire a change of heart.
I have come to Red Mountain with my friend Jan for a girl’s getaway weekend to jumpstart a new, healthier version of me. Nothing much, just a fifty-pound-slimmer, fitness-loving, adventure-goddess-beautiful, calmer version of me. The spa’s 4-day/3-night Girlfriends Spa Road Trip Package includes all the necessary components: welcome gift & spa treatment; accommodations in a stylish villa suite; healthy yet delicious gourmet meals; complimentary bike; daily guided morning hikes; unlimited fitness classes; cooking demonstrations and nutrition classes; healthy living lectures; and full use of the resort’s pools, whirlpools, walking trails, strength training and cardio equipment.
A new breed of adventure spa, Red Mountain focuses as much on perspiration as relaxation. Outside, it’s red rock fantasyland; a primordial landscape of crimson cliffs, black lava and big blue skies where daily guided hikes, rock climbing outings and canyon-hugging bike rides exercise my body. Inside, it is pure seduction; where fluffy bathrobes, soothing spa treatments, healthy living and self-discovery classes expand my mind and recharge my spirit.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
On the west side of the famed Teton mountains, the living is easy at Teton Springs Lodge & Spa.
Each year, more than five million visitors succumb to the scenic allure of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, cranking its tourist trade – and accommodation prices - into overdrive. Thankfully, I recently discovered, just over the mountains, on the west side of the Tetons, slower ways and budget-friendly hospitality can still be found.
But that doesn’t mean you’re in for the cheap-seat treatment. Concierge service, 300 count Italian cotton sheets, high speed wireless Internet, gas fireplaces and fully equipped kitchens come standard in the one or two bedroom suites at Teton Springs Lodge & Spa, a 52-room luxury base camp ideally situated for exploring the surrounding Teton Valley.
The friendly local staff, however, is the real amenity. They suggest the best restaurants, arrange fly fishing and horseback riding adventures, create gourmet meals and lead morning yoga sessions, custom created to limber you up for a trek in the forest or day on the slopes. And, here’s the rub, when you’ve had enough, their Stillwaters Spa therapists will rub, scrub and massage the life back into you so you can do it all again the next day.
Think Teton Valley is only a summertime destination? Think again. My October visit was perfect with its photogenic mix of autumn colors against the backdrop of freshly fallen snow. Did it stop me from casting a line or hitting the trails for horseback riding? No way. Better yet, the reward was ample wildlife sightings and a healthy dose of crisp clean air.
MUST-DOS: Take a Grand Teton National Park Wildlife Safari with resort naturalist Kurt Johnson. If there are eagles, antelope, wolves or moose to be spotted, he’ll find them. Or, try your hand at fly fishing with Worldcast Anglers for a guided adventure on the south fork of the Snake River, rated as the top cutthroat stream in the West. Book the rosemary, sage and eucalyptus Alpine Massage with Lori at Stillwaters Spa. It’s heavenly! Try the carrot ginger soup and the fish taco plate at Miso Hungry Restaurant (165 N. Main Street, Driggs, Idaho). And, OMG, don’t miss the brandy creamed local organic mushrooms with crispy polenta starter or no flour chocolate cake at the Sun Dog Deli & Café (57 S. Main Street, Victor, Idaho). Looking for the latest and greatest in adventure clothing, check out the top-name selection on tap at Yostmark Mountain Equipment (12 East Little, Driggs, Idaho).
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".