We’re sharing the ultimate summer travel inspiration for 2026! From dreamy beach destinations to epic hiking adventures, we’re covering the best places to travel this summer based on your travel style. We also dive into foodie favorites, relaxing wellness escapes and so much more. We have the perfect summer romantic getaway, girls trip, national park adventure, or international vacay vacation, plus travel tips, and itinerary inspiration to help you plan your best summer yet.
Beach Destinations:
Hiking Destinations:
Foodie Destinations:
Spa/Wellness
Animal Sightings/Encounters:
Culture/History:
Summer Travel Destinations – Episode Transcript
0:35
Welcome to this week’s episode of the Travel Squad Podcast. Today, we’re sharing summer travel destination inspiration with you all. I’m really excited to dive into this episode because we have broken it down into different categories.
We’re going to talk about some great beach destinations to visit the summer hiking destinations, foodie destinations, small loves food these days, spa and Wellness and animal encounters, and some culture and history.
1:11
So I’m really excited to dive into these different themed areas that are great for summer travel.
And with summer right around the corner, hopefully this gives you guys a little bit of inspiration.
I know we are all planning or at least thinking about things that we want to do.
So yeah, I really like how we broke it down into these categories.
1:29
Give general ideas because one size is not fit.
All right?
We all like to do different things, different travel styles.
So this will help break it down for you.
All right, let’s jump into what everyone loves to do on their summer travel and that is go to the beach.
1:46
Each one of us are going to share our favorite beach destination for the summer.
And to no one’s shock and surprise, mine is Mykonos, Greece.
What do you love about Mykonos and why is it a great beach destination?
It’s a great beach destination, specifically in the summer because Greece is really a seasonal country, especially the islands, and Mykonos has a tourism season, which certainly is the summer and people come in.
2:12
I’m not one of those people that hates crowds.
I enjoy crowds.
I like when it’s the busy season because it’s more fun, especially in a place like Mykonos.
So you get a ton of people that come in.
It’s an absolutely amazing destination for a summer.
2:27
Girls trip or a romantic couples trip of them would be great for Mykonos.
The things that you can do in Mykonos, eat while you love to eat.
Oh my God, there are so many good restaurants in Mykonos, and they’re not just restaurants.
They have a vibe to them.
2:44
They’re trendy, they’re chic, they’re cool, they have a DJ playing music, they have really good food menus.
You dress up and like get really into it.
It’s not just let me throw on a pair of shorts and go get a meal now.
It’s a whole situation.
3:00
A couple of restaurants that I really love in Mykonos are of course Scorpios Beach Club and Ala Magoo, which are both both daytime beach clubs, but also restaurants that are amazing for dinner and then kind of turn into this more club vibe with the DJ and a dance floor at night.
3:16
Amazing choices right there.
Speaking of beach clubs as well, there are plenty of amazing beach clubs in Mykonos.
So Mykonos is a tiny little island.
You can’t necessarily drive around it like in a circle.
You drive on these windy roads towards the middle and, and you go from one to another and you kind of weave in and out so you don’t see all the beach clubs looking around the island.
3:38
So when you’re at each beach club, you feel very secluded.
So there are so, so many to choose from.
I can’t even name them all, but and they range in prices, right?
There’s a lot that are more on the high end side and then there’s some there are a little bit more affordable.
Wherever you go, you’re going to have an amazing time with beach beds, beachside or bedside service I should say, with cocktails.
4:01
And typically something that the beach clubs do here in Mykonos is around 5:00 PM.
They will kind of turn it into more of a dance party with the DJ and a dance floor and they have like performances and shows and they really involve the crowd and get you out of your beach bed and onto the dance sports.
4:18
It’s just such a good time.
It sounds like a great time all around.
And of course, you mentioned it’s an island, so you get the beach.
And I know when you went to Mykonos twice, Kim, because you’ve been there twice, you can go out on a boat too.
And I guess anywhere where there’s water, right, you can go on a boat.
But I feel like Mykonos is really a conducive place because then you could kind of island hop or go to these little Cove areas, do this and that.
4:40
So it’s not just lounging on the beach, the food, the nightlife.
You can really go out in a boat and have that boat and yacht life.
Definitely can get a catamaran or a yacht.
You can charter them very easily and you will see people show up to like Scorpios on their yacht.
And if you’re cool enough, you could get invited to leave Scorpios on a yacht.
5:02
To make gold, usually I think that’s only the girls who are going to be invited to go onto a yacht.
Usually the guys need to be the one showing up in the yacht, but nevertheless could be.
You may not want to go with a group of guys inviting you on their yacht, Jamal.
Well, who knows where that could lead you?
Who?
Knows.
5:18
And Squatties, before we go on to Britt’s recommendation, I do want to remind you at shoptravelsquad.com we have a one week grease itinerary which includes a few days in Mykonos and it has all of the recommendations that I just went over.
So like Kim said, I’m going to dive into my beach recommendation and I went with Kawaii.
5:36
Kawaii is my favorite Hawaiian island.
All all three of us have been.
Kauai has amazing warm, sunny weather.
It has some of the most beautiful beaches in Hawaii and we’ve been to all of the islands.
So when I say that really some of the most beautiful beaches, they have dramatic backdrops like to the Nepali coast in North Shore, there are beaches that are swimmable and you can swim in them like in Hanalei Bay.
6:02
Other parts of the island have great water for snorkeling.
We did sunset at Hanalei Bay.
It was fantastic and what I love about kawaii is it’s more laid back.
I know Kim, you said you don’t mind the crowds, you love the crowds, but I like that kawaii is more laid back and less commercial than some of the other Hawaiian islands.
6:20
I also really love kawaii because you do have access to beach, but it’s really close to adventure too.
So you could split your days by doing something adventurous in the morning and then relaxing on the beach in the afternoon, or vice versa.
And because it’s right on the water, you have great boat days or day cruises or even sunset cruises.
6:40
While we were there, we did a sunset cruise on the Nepali coast and it was so amazing.
That backdrop of the Nekpali Coast was the most gorgeous thing I’ve seen.
I really loved Kauai when we were there and I do think that is a really good choice.
If you’ve heard our previous episodes that we’ve had talking about Hawaiian Island recommendations, you know we all love Kauai.
7:01
So coming in strong with that one, Brittany.
And before we get into what I am going to give as my recommendation, as you reminded the squaddies, Kim, I want to remind the squaddies.
We do have a one week full itinerary of just the island of Kauai.
7:17
You can spend a full week there and even longer, but definitely lays everything out for you from those perfect beach days, cruising on the water on the Nepali coast, hiking.
So check it out, Shop travelsquadpodcast.com.
We have the one week itinerary there for you.
7:33
And we’ll link all the itineraries in the show notes to make it real easy for you squaddies.
And getting into my recommendation, in typical Jamal fashion, I’m going to throw out a curveball.
A little unique 1.
You know, sometimes when we have to pick one place, sometimes I’ll pick 2 because I can’t pick one.
I’m throwing out a curveball here for you guys for two reasons.
7:51
Let’s hear your curveball.
Curveball is it’s not a specific destination, it’s an experience, and I’m talking about a Caribbean cruise.
What better way to spend the summer beach themed wise than going on a Caribbean cruise?
8:06
You go to different ports of call, different islands, different beaches, different countries for that matter.
So that’s where the curveball is.
Asterisk, I’m going to throw out summer, late summer specifically is hurricane season in the Caribbean.
So when I talk about this, please take into consideration doing it late spring, early summer, do not go during hurricane season, right?
8:27
But nevertheless, cruise lines still cruise in the Caribbean during this time.
So it’s great because you could go go to multiple beach locations and destinations around the Caribbean.
You can choose what itinerary is right for you, what cruise line, etcetera.
8:43
And what I really love about it is you get a mix of boat life and beach life with that beach hopping capability because again, you’re going to different places all around.
More so even lots of cruise lines have their own private beaches and islands.
8:59
Royal Caribbean, for example, a lot of their Caribbean cruises stop at their private island called Coco Cay.
And they have built on their private island a full-fledged water park on there, right?
So you can just lounge on the beach if you want.
Or you could enjoy the beach and the amazing Caribbean views on water slides and wave pools.
9:18
I mean, it doesn’t get much better than that.
So I’m going Caribbean cruise beach destination for summer.
Can’t argue with that one.
The Caribbean is beautiful.
I had just gone to Puerto Rico in the Caribbean.
It’s an amazing place.
I’ve done the Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos.
9:37
You guys have been to Saint John and Saint Thomas, bunch of other places out there.
Jamaica, I mean, God, I love the Caribbean.
That was a good one, Jamal, I’ll give you that.
Thank you.
Brittany was a little hesitant on that one because of hurricane season, but hurricane season is late summer and really we’re talking early summer.
This is when you want to go here.
9:53
And this episode’s going out early summer, so just book it right now and go now.
Yeah, cruises also have great last minute deals, so even better for you.
You go last minute, you’re probably going to find a better fare than if you.
Squatty is before we go on to the next recommendation, I want to remind you about Thrifty Travelers Premium subscription.
10:11
We talk about this all the time because of how great of flight deals and hotel deals that you can discover through that deal alert system essentially is what it is.
We have a special deal where you can get $20 off your first year subscription by using our promo code TSP when you go to thriftytraveller.com/premium.
10:29
And even if you don’t sign up for the premium subscription, I would recommend just getting on their newsletter list which is free.
Thrifty Traveller is always the first to alert of new credit card points, offers transfer bonus perks.
They put out airline online news.
10:44
They’re truly on the pulse of what’s happening in the travel industry, especially when it comes to the points game.
So at least get on their newsletter.
All right, squatty, we’re going to dive into one of my favorite topics for summer and hiking destinations.
So I picked Iceland as my destination.
11:02
We went a few summers ago, Jamal and I, and Iceland was just so beautiful in summer.
There’s just beautiful blush green landscapes.
The waterfalls are flowing, wildflowers are in bloom, and of course it’s one of the best times of the year to go because you’re chasing the midnight sun.
11:20
While we were there, sun wasn’t setting until like 11/11/30 at night.
Sunrise is at like 4:00 AM.
So you’re getting pretty much 20 hours of sunlight and it just feels like you can spend all day hiking, exploring, going around the island.
11:36
The trails are fully accessible in summer and we just had the most fantastic time on our one week trip there.
So we do have a 7 one day summer Iceland itinerary for you guys.
So the weather is really nice, so it’s not too hot when you’re hiking around there.
11:51
That’s what I was going to say too, Kim, and I’m glad you chimed in on that because when we went to Iceland, probably one of my favorite destinations that we went to specifically for hiking, all great hikes, beautiful scenery, unique scenery for that matter.
And then most importantly, kind of what you said, great temperature.
12:10
It does get colder at night, but at the same time realistically you don’t want to hike and be overly hot like it is The perfect temperature doesn’t get overly hot or anything.
So I really appreciated that about Iceland too.
Oh, and in summer in Iceland, you can see puffins.
12:27
We saw some puffins that were on a Cliff that were diving down and hunting and coming back and nesting and it was so cool to see them up close.
Didn’t you see whales out there too?
We didn’t really see any whales, but you can do whale watching in the summer.
That is one of the things that you could do out of Reykjavik and some of the other places.
12:46
My hiking travel destination that I have chosen is Switzerland.
And I know from previous episodes maybe a lot of you thought I didn’t like Switzerland.
I was just saying I think it was a little bit overrated, but.
You didn’t think it was overrated, you thought it was overpriced?
13:01
Overpriced, yes, and then redundant in the fact that you lots of things you got to take the gondolas or the trains up to the mountaintop.
They don’t really have the roads.
So it’s kind of a little bit of a learning curve.
Yes.
Thanks for correcting me on that, Kim.
But I am putting this on here because I really did enjoy it and it’s a fantastic place to go hiking.
13:21
Amazing weather during the summer.
It’s not too hot.
I mean, you’re in the Alps, you know, so you’re going to be at a high elevation.
It’s going to be nice and cool.
You have such dramatic scenery ranging from Grindelwald to the Matterhorn and everything in between.
You can still see snow covered mountain peaks on these hikes even though you are hiking in non snowy conditions and certain places you can actually still go to the top and there will be snow and glaciers, turquoise Alpine lakes.
13:51
So you really do get a mix of everything when you’re here in Switzerland.
And most importantly, of course, during summer, all the trails are fully accessible.
I really love Switzerland, I think it’s one of the most gorgeous hiking destinations we’ve been to and.
I think Switzerland is the most beautiful country in the world.
14:10
Wow, that is a bold statement.
But I did feel like that too while we were there.
Like I felt like Switzerland was a mixture of a lot of different places.
It was like a mixture of Iceland and Canada and Alaska, just like all packaged into one beautiful, amazing place.
14:25
Stew’s Ridge Hike Oh my God, beautiful like beautiful.
Blue lakes everywhere you turn.
Lauderburn in with this.
The sheer towering cliffs all around you as you walk through the valley, like you said, Grindelwald, just vast gorgeous mountains all around you.
14:42
And then hiking amongst all that, you feel so small and cute and everything is pretty and I want to go back.
We both did Switzerland summer ish timeframe.
Yeah, and Jamal, you mentioned lakes and glaciers and mountain peaks, but you didn’t talk about waterfalls or gorges, which are great in summer as well.
14:59
The water’s flowing fantastically, Looks great.
I love Switzerland.
If you guys are interested in going to Switzerland, we have several itineraries for you on our website.
Shop Travel Squad podcast, so go check it out.
But yeah, Switzerland.
Great place for hiking during the summer.
15:16
So you want to go back, Jamal?
I would go back.
I’m not dying to go back like you are.
I would hop in for a little bit if we were in Europe doing something else and spend a couple days there.
But I don’t need to go back and do another full blown.
I’m in Switzerland.
15:32
Oh, I would.
I would do that for Iceland, Kim.
So when you went to Iceland, you went during winter.
I know you want to go during summer.
I want to go during winter too.
But like how you felt about Switzerland being like, oh, that’s just amazing.
I really appreciated that about Iceland during the summer.
Like Iceland during the summer.
15:47
Just beautiful.
Beautiful as well.
Different symrony for sure.
I should have mentioned this when we were talking about Iceland, but for summer I think it would be so cool to rent a van and take that around from hiking trailhead to hiking trailhead and just wake up in the mountains, have a coffee and it hit the trail right away.
16:06
That’s something that you can do.
They have rental vans in Iceland that instead of cars, you rent the vans and they’re like the little campers.
And you can do exactly that.
Camp, sleep at the trailhead, wake up, have your coffee, get going before most people get there.
So that is a travel style that is very popular in Iceland.
16:24
So Kim, where did you pick for your hiking destination for the summer?
Banff, Canada.
And when I say Banff, I don’t specifically just mean the city of Banff, but that region, that Banff, Jasper region.
The Canadian Rockies.
Absolutely.
The three of us did a squatty trip there.
Yeah, I was going to say Kim picked an amazing destination because this was really beautiful up here as well.
16:45
Perfect weather.
You get a mix of a lot and yeah, it’s great.
I thought this was the most beautiful natural scenery in the world until I went to Switzerland.
But Banff area, Canadian Rockies is a very, very close second.
It’s so gorgeous.
The summer is amazing.
17:01
Again, because of the weather.
It’s not too hot.
It definitely got warm.
Like we were wearing tank tops and shorts some of the days out there.
We went swimming some of the days out there, but it’s not so hot where you’re dying of heat stroke out there.
Really great temperature, not too hot, not too chilly, just absolutely gorgeous with those beautiful mountains, most beautiful blue and turquoise lakes, forests all around you, just everywhere you look.
17:27
There’s even a glacier out there that’s just amazing.
You can walk on it and it’s cool.
It’s beautiful.
A couple honorary lakes that I want to mention that were my favorite when we went on this trip where Emerald Lake.
It was just this beautiful, truly emerald green color and just absolutely amazing for walking around the lake and hiking around it, but also kayaking and then Lake Moraine, just the most beautiful blue you’ve ever seen.
17:54
We did another trail hike around the lake, and I like these kind of hikes where you’re not killing yourself or going up to chains that you have to scale and almost die for.
And these are just leisurely hikes around the lake.
You know what hike I really did like was the hike that we did near Lake Louis that went up to the Beehive and we went to Lake Agnes Tea House.
18:15
That was a really nice.
Fee I really loved that and the scenery up there is so beautiful and on this trip we also saw some wildlife.
We saw some bears, you saw one on from the train, Jamal and I saw some from the road.
But scenery is fantastic, hiking is fantastic, the trails are great, accessible at this time of year.
18:34
And I think people focus on Banff.
But like you mentioned, this is a whole region of the Canadian Rockies.
And if you go farther outside of Banff, you’re going to be in more remote places where there’s less people in crowds and you get it all to yourself and it’s amazing.
Yeah, there’s so many national parks that are in the area.
18:51
Of course, Banff, right?
It’s a National Park, it’s a town.
So then we’re not talking about just that specifically the region, right?
Because then you could go up, you could go to Jasper National Park.
They have Yoho National Park.
They have a whole cluster of them that are all congregate in that area, all with unique different things, and it’s just fantastic.
19:10
And before we move on to our next section, we do have a one week itinerary that goes over our time in Banff in Jasper and Yoho region.
It recommends the perfect route to take.
So we did it and we learned a couple things along the way.
We optimize the route for your one week vacation.
19:27
So the next summer destination topic we’re going to mention here is going to be foodie destinations.
And as both of you ladies allude to, I mean, I’ve always loved food, but really food is centered around where what I want to do now when I travel, whether it be go on food tours, go to locations that have like really good cuisine.
19:47
And one of my favorite places that I’ve been for that.
And I think it’s a really good place to go during the summer as well, minus the heat, of course, because it’s hot, but it is summer.
So you could expect that a lot of places is going to be Spain.
So Spain is home to the famous cuisine of tapas.
20:05
Yeah, yeah, It’s also one of the most affordable countries I feel in Europe that is actually like on the euro and when you’re in major cities, whether it be Barcelona, Madrid or anywhere else.
I also feel like for touristy cities, food is not overpriced at all.
20:23
If you can get wine for like €3 for a glass, tapas ranging from 3 to 8 euros depending on what you get, such dishes like patatas brabas, gambas Al Ajio, which like garlic shrimp, you’re a beer or Co ham and cheese plates, all at affordable prices.
20:41
Really good cuisine as well.
And then it’s not just eating in the restaurants.
There are lots of markets, lots of street food.
So we enjoyed many markets with amazing food.
And I cannot stress enough how again, inexpensive things are when you’re there in comparison to lots of other tourist destinations.
21:01
So just because of how good the food is and the value for your money, I’m going to put Spain up.
Good choice.
I think so, that’s why I put it.
Kim, what’d you pick?
My top summer foodie destination is the entire country of Italy.
21:16
Anywhere you go in Italy, you are going to have so much good food to choose from.
I do want to give a special spotlight to Rome because Rome is the city where Cacho Pepe is from, and I am in love with Cacho Pepe.
21:32
I had it for the first time in Rome.
It’s so good.
I’m obsessed with this pasta and Rome has a ton of really good food.
I had some of the best gorgonzola stuffed gnocchi I’ve ever eaten and ever seen in my life here in Rome.
Sounds amazing.
I had the best carbonara I’ve ever had in Rome and some of the best Gelato I’ve ever had in Rome.
21:53
I would go back to Rome and just love to eat my way across the city.
Yeah, and I’m not a tiramisu fan when we were in Rome.
Like their tiramisu just delicious, right?
Like it’s definitely different than what you get other places like here in the US or other places throughout Europe or anywhere that’s like, oh, tiramisu, it’s it’s like it’s different in Rome.
22:13
And it was just so good.
So really good choice for Italy.
Rome is also where I was first introduced to the table jug of wine.
Or you can just order a jug of house wine and it’s so delicious.
And it was very affordable too.
22:29
I tried limoncello for the first time while we were in Rome, but let me tell you, people love limoncello.
Try Meloncello, it’s even better.
So good while you’re there.
Yes, I think I need to go back to Rome.
There’s another thing that Italy does that you know, when I was at Positano, I didn’t see this as much.
22:47
Maybe it is more of a Rome thing.
I saw it in Florence as well.
But a parativo.
This is around 5 O clock in the evening, 6 O clock in the evening once you’re off work, but before dinner because Italians eat dinner a little bit later, like 9:00 PM or 10:00 PM.
This middle time is a parativo.
23:04
So you’ll go to a little Cafe Bistro bar type thing, have a drink.
Aperol Spritz, Hugo Spritz are really common and it comes with snacks like little chips, crackers, nuts.
Sometimes you’ll have a whole buffet with little like sandwiches or sliders and oh, just amazing.
23:22
It’s a beautiful time to just lounge, unwind, chat, snack, have a little drink.
When we were there, we did not really experience that, and I’m sad that we did not.
I know it’s there, but we were just doing touristy things.
But Italy is a country that you need to go back to multiple times.
23:41
And I feel like once you see it all, then you can actually enjoy the dining aspect.
Like you’re talking about it just being like, it’s time for me to have my aperitivo here before dinner and eat late and do all this.
Absolutely, and I will say too, Italy takes the cake for summer romance.
24:00
If you’re going on a girls trip or something and you want to maybe have a little summer fling, Italians are lovers.
Greece as well, so.
Apparently Kim wants to go and find her Italian stallion.
She wants to get some good food and I do.
Love Italians.
24:15
Actually just yesterday a 21 year old college student Italian man was trying to get my information.
Got to love those Italians.
Got to love those.
Well Squatty’s, before we move on to my recommendation, we do have a room itinerary and it does have some of these foodie destinations and restaurants that we’ve been to and recommend for you to go and check out.
24:37
So for my pick, I picked something kind of similar to Jamal and we did not pick this on purpose, but I picked Lisbon, Portugal and I feel it’s very similar to Jamal Spain because they are neighboring countries.
But I just loved the food and Lisbon, Portugal, everything that we ate was fresh.
24:57
They have great fresh seafood.
They have the most amazing pastel de Nathas.
I think I ate my weight in them while we were there in Lisbon, we tried so many different shops trying to figure out which shop had the best pastel de natha.
I feel like the food there is affordable compared to other Western European Food cities and it has a very strong Cafe culture.
25:18
Lots of wine bars and they have markets there too.
Jamal and I went to this one market while we were in.
It’s been probably two or three different times.
It was called Time Out Market and it was just like a big food hall with a whole bunch of different vendors on one side and then on the other side is like a farmers market with like fruits and vegetables and things that you could pick up for at home.
25:39
So we went dining here several different times, ate at several different food stalls.
Everything was fantastic.
You can get traditional food or you can get more upscale level dining.
We had some of the, and I know this sounds really weird, some of the best pizza while we were in Lisbon as well.
25:56
What was it like?
I would say that it was kind of like New York style.
It was definitely a thin crust.
It was really good.
And I didn’t want to rag on your choice because clearly I’m not ragging on Italy or Rome.
Better than that matter.
No, But I will say this though, like the one thing that when we went to Italy, I was not impressed more particularly Rome was the pizza, right?
26:18
Everyone says the pizza and I, I.
Had a good pizza in Rome right by the Coliseum too.
We had it in a couple places and maybe we you just had bad luck, right?
But the spot that we had it here in Lisbon was super good.
Off the top of my head now, I can’t remember it, but it was delicious, kind of like New York style, but definitely with a European flair as well.
26:38
But what I really appreciate about the Time Out Market too is, yeah, Britney’s mentioning that was all these like vendors, but all the vendors that are in there actually have like restaurants throughout the city.
And this is just kind of like a food hall where they sell like an abbreviated version of a few items off of their menu.
26:55
So you could really go in and try multiple different things.
And really if you just ate at Timeout Market, like you would be satisfied with your time food wise.
But of course, you need to go out, eat on the streets, eat in the restaurants.
We did a food tour, learned a lot.
Just amazing spot.
27:11
Yeah, and I was going to mention that too, so I’m glad you brought that up.
We did a food tour while we were here in Lisbon and it took us to about 5 different spots.
And what I loved about it is not only you get a lay of the land, you get to try food that you may not have tried before.
And everything that we ate was amazing.
27:27
But you get to learn about history in the sense of like the city, but also how it’s changed through their food and how there’s other cultural influences that came in as well.
And I thought it was very unique and interesting.
And so we have started to incorporate doing more food tours or cooking classes in our travels.
27:48
And we do have a Lisbon itinerary if you guys are interested in going.
And it mentioned some of the fantastic, amazing restaurants that we went to the.
Spots in that itinerary, I could assure you of that.
I know it is, but off the top of my head again I’m say we don’t remember.
Moving on to one of my favorite travel themes is Spa and Wellness and in the summer it’s really nice because a lot of spas and Wellness activities take place outdoors.
28:15
So when you have nice weather, it makes it even better.
What I’m seeing a lot of as far as a travel trend goes is retreats are on the rise.
There are retreats happening all over Mallorca, Bali, Costa Rica, even across the US.
28:31
I’m also seeing a lot, especially in the US of one day retreats.
I’ve been seeing a lot for Miami because I’m getting targeted for it now.
But like Pilates on a yacht with like a full day of drinks and DJ and matcha and I want to travel for one of those.
I’m not even kidding.
28:47
Mark my words.
I’m going to be having an episode on one of those here pretty soon, I’m sure.
But spas are amazing.
There are some really great spas in cities that you would not even expect.
And one of those cities is Quebec City in Canada.
29:04
I’m a big fan of Canada.
Put it on here a couple Times Now.
That was a great place to visit for sure.
And it’s a great place for summer travel, right, because you don’t have the snow in the summer.
Weather’s great, not too hot.
I fell in love with Quebec City last summer when we went for the T Bex conference.
29:19
We had a great time up there.
People are great, food’s amazing.
Could be on the foodie destination list as well.
It could be.
But one of the things that I love, loved, loved about Quebec was Strom Spa.
It’s an indoor outdoor Nordic spa.
And so Nordic spas, they do not allow you to speak at the spa.
29:37
There’s signs everywhere that says quiet, no using your phone.
If you are talking, it has to be in a complete whisper.
But there are places around the spa where they say no whispering at all.
It’s a place for relaxing and being in the moment and having peace and quiet.
29:53
So when you’re walking around Strom Spa in Quebec City, you’ll see people napping and cuddling.
There are loungers and beds and hammocks all around the property.
And one of the greatest things about it for summer especially is it has this big Infinity pool that looks out to the Saint Lawrence River, so you can just spend hours in the pool alone looking out.
30:16
There’s another big pool that’s hotter with a fireplace in the middle of it.
There’s other pools of different temperatures.
There’s warm pools, cold pools, hot tub, saunas, cold plunges.
And then they have indoor experience rooms like a lemon salt scrub room with showers, red night therapy lounge beds, and then of course tons of other nap rooms and relaxation rooms.
30:38
They have an entire room with like full size beds with this floor to ceiling windows out, looking into the river and the pools down below, blankets inside where you just nap.
It’s amazing.
And when you have a great weather, beautiful summer day, it is beautiful.
30:55
There’s also a restaurant on site so when you get a little hungry, you can have a bite to eat.
Because Strom Spa is a Wellness day, you want to spend as much time as you can here.
They even have massage treatments so you can really treat yourself on this summer day.
31:10
Let me tell you when I go back to Quebec City, because I will be going back, I love that city.
I fell in love just like you did.
I will be going to Strom Spa.
There is also a Strom Spa in Montreal.
Oh, I might just have to city hop, you know, do a little Quebec, do a little Montreal.
31:28
Go to both, see which one I like more.
I like it.
But like you said, Kim, you put Canada on your list twice.
Well, I put Iceland on my list twice and Iceland is where I picked for a spa Wellness destination.
Iceland has geothermal Hot Springs all over the country.
31:47
You can find free or low cost natural Hot Springs all around or they have everything ranging to luxury spas.
Kim, I know when you went, you visited the Blue Lagoon.
How was your experience there?
Amazing.
And it was winter and winter, of course, gets dark really fast.
32:05
So it was kind of as the sun was going down, it was really cool to see it with, you know, snow all around you.
You’re wearing a beanie.
But because it was winter, ice was kind of blowing in the wind and hitting my face.
And I think in the summer it would be a lot more enjoyable because it you truly see the blue of the Blue Lagoon when it’s daylight.
32:25
Jamal and I, while we were there, we went to Sky Lagoon.
Sky Live Lagoon overlooks the ocean and we signed up to do the seven step ritual, which was soaking in the Hot Springs.
We did a cold plunge, we did a sauna, we did a little scrub, a steam room, a little like Miss Shower.
32:45
It was a fantastic seven step ritual.
I would go back and do that again.
I enjoyed it so much.
It was probably one of my most enjoyable spa Wellness experiences.
What did you think of our experience there, Jamal?
I loved it.
You know, obviously I like to go to spas Hot Springs.
33:02
I don’t want to say I’m not into it because I am, but I know you ladies are more into it.
But that was an experience that we had at Sky Lagoon that I just absolutely loved when we were there.
The whole 7 step ritual, just the ambiance when you were there, the locker rooms feeling like you’re in a cave.
33:21
When you come out and step from the locker rooms into the waters, they have it set out like you’re in a cave in these natural areas.
It was just really, really nice.
I loved it a lot, but my location was also another place that I really loved and fortunate enough that we took this one as a squad trip.
33:39
And I’m going to say Hot Springs, AR.
And for those of you who do not know, Hot Springs, AR is a National Park.
It’s actually a city, but parts of the city are designated as a National Park because in the early 1900’s, the natural Hot Springs that flow in this region, lots of businesses, they captured them, made these bath houses.
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And to this day, you can still experience spa treatments, soak in the natural thermal waters here in Hot Springs, AR within the National Park.
And so I really like it because you’re in like old bath house buildings again from the 1900s.
34:20
A lot of them are in like Spanish Colonial Revival, Renaissance revival style.
So you really get this feeling of classic old world luxury when you’re here.
And it’s a unique experience in the middle of a city.
It is a National Park.
You are still enjoying the spa aspect of things, but when you’re done with that, Hot Springs is also a quaint town.
34:40
You could do wine tasting, hiking or other activities.
And this was another experience that I would say like super high up on the spa and Wellness experiences that we’ve had.
Iceland was one.
This definitely another.
You know, we went to the one spa there, the bath house where we could all get in together.
34:59
But if I were to go back, I would want to book one of those individual experiences that I saw at one of the other bath houses where they they draw a bath up for you and you get to soak for a while.
And it’s more of a relaxing personal experience versus like a more public experience.
But I would definitely go back.
35:16
I would love to do one of those personal bath experiences if they bathed you.
I feel like there is one where like they go in and scrub you.
Oh.
My God, what an experience.
Well, and see, that’s the cool thing about Hot Springs, right?
I guess you could say like, oh, at any spa, you can choose what you want from whatever menu that they have, right?
35:33
But of the many bath houses that existed in Hot Springs, a few of them are still open to the public and offer services.
But depending on which bath house you choose, some of them have different services, like you said, the one more communal, the one’s private, certain different things.
So you can mix and match or choose one that’s right for you.
35:51
So you get a good mix when you’re here at Hot Spring.
So the next section we’re going to move into is animal sightings or encounters in summer.
I love summer because animals are usually out and about and you can see them all over the place.
And my recommendation would be to go to Alaska and specifically doing a wildlife cruise.
36:12
We’ve done 2 cruises while we’ve been in Alaska, both in National Park.
We did one in Glacier Bay National Park and we were able to see from our boat coastal brown bears, mountain goats, sea otters.
There’s so many sea otters, like they have, I think the highest population of sea otters in the world because they all congregate in that Bay.
36:35
We saw a bunch of seabirds, puffins, sea lions, humpback whales, so you can see so much while you’re on one of the wildlife cruises in Glacier Bay National Park.
We also did a cruise in Kenai Fjords National Park and there we saw bald eagles, sea otters, mountain goats, dolls, porpoises.
36:54
I’d never heard of a doll’s porpoise before, but it truly looks like a mini orca and dolphin hybrid.
So they have the coloration of like an orca, but they are playful like dolphins.
We also saw humpback whales, orcas, puffins, parakeet, auklets, stellar sea lions and harbor seals.
37:15
The wildlife was abundant in Alaska and really cool when you do it on the water, as we did.
But even if you did stuff on land, you’re definitely going to see wildlife then.
I really enjoyed our time when we were in Alaska doing these National Park cruises.
37:30
So great summer destination Pick Brittany.
Absolutely.
I feel like this is a place, like, of course it’s nature, so nothing’s guaranteed, but I feel like when you’re here, you’re guaranteed you’re going to see something.
Right.
I know.
And just such amazing scenery and wildlife and hiking in Alaska.
37:48
There’s so much Alaska has to offer.
We’ve been twice now, yes, but we are going again this summer and we have have a trip planned for next summer as well.
So by the end of this, we’ll be going to Alaska like 5 times.
And we do have itineraries for both Glacier Bay and Key Knife Yards with the exact cruises that we took in both the national parks.
38:09
For my animal siding encounter destination, I chose Yellowstone National Park and I feel like when we went ladies, because this was a squad trip, we were so fortunate because we actually had this planned for June of 2020.
38:26
And this was well before COVID because Yellowstone is a place you should plan well ahead of time to go, especially if you need hotels because the rates are really expensive, etcetera, right?
But we had a great experience when we went, unfortunate reality of COVID, but they just happened to open up the national parks like a day or two before we were supposed to be there.
38:49
So we had a unique experience with an amazing National Park that had not a lot of people visiting it at that time because of COVID and other things.
So lucky in that sense.
But even when you go now, of course it’s going to be more busy, but you can experience animals anywhere within the park via hiking or even driving scenic roads that are known specifically for finding wildlife.
39:13
I mean, there’s a couple roads that it’s known that, hey, there’s wolf packs that are in this area or this is a high prone area to see bears.
Of course again they couldn’t be anywhere but certain spots known more than other for it.
Summer is busy season but this is when you will see the most animals.
39:30
You’ll see bison, bears whether they be black bears or grizzly bears, moose, fox, wolves, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, etcetera.
So amazing wildlife to be seen.
Also sprinkled in the fact that you’re in this beautiful mountain area and you have the geothermal activity and geysers too, I think makes Yellowstone a really unique experience.
39:52
Great place for sightseeing for animals during the summer.
And we do have an itinerary for Yellowstone as well.
So again, be sure to check that out.
It’s like an American safari, you know, like people go on safaris to Africa.
Like this is what you would see on an American safari.
40:08
I wholeheartedly agree with that analogy.
In comparison, absolutely.
Was pretty cool to see bison in real life up close like that.
It was, yeah.
Just don’t be a stupid tourist like you see on YouTube who’s going to get rammed by one because you want to go up and pet it or play with it or do dumb stuff.
So don’t, you know, like respect the wildlife?
40:25
I guess if we’re in the wildlife section, we’ll just say this.
Respect the wildlife, don’t be dumb, come back alive.
I feel like you 2 are more of the three of us into these wildlife experiences and encounters.
Like you’ve gone to Africa and done all these safaris and stuff and that’s hasn’t really been my travel style.
40:42
Like when I I’ve seen wild animals on trips, it’s been kind of happenstance or like I went to Yellowstone with y’all and we did see some animals.
It’s so cool when you do.
But there was one place that I went years ago, went to see some family that was living in the Cancun area.
40:58
And I’d always had a dream of swimming with dolphins.
And I know it’s cliche and it’s touristy and there’s some people who may not agree with that who are listening.
And I’m sorry you guys, but dolphins are really cool and I wanted the chance to swim with them.
41:14
And in the Riviera Maya area of Quintana Roo, Mexico, there is a place called Dolphin Discovery Riviera Maya.
And there you can swim with a dolphin.
You can touch them.
They’re beautiful dolphin skin.
You can hold on to their fins and they’ll pull you.
41:31
And again, I’m sorry if you don’t like that and you’re listening, but I had the best time and I really connected with that dolphin and I loved it.
I kissed it on the mouth, I held its little fins and we hugged and that was so cool.
And they like take your pictures for you.
41:46
And I just have the happiest smile on my face.
And it’s still one of my most cherished travel animal encounter memories.
That was in the summer too.
It was June and it’s so hot and humid in this area in the summer.
And so to be in the water swimming with dolphins feels so amazing.
But what was a surprise and what’s really cool was that they also have manatees here.
42:05
And of course I know what a manatee is.
I just never really dreamt about swimming with them or encountering them in real life at all.
So when they took me from the dolphin to the manatee section, I was like, oh, I’m getting in there with that giant prehistoric animal.
The manatees look like sea cows, right?
42:22
I mean, clearly they’re not as cute and iconic as dolphins.
I mean, we did a wild manatee swimming, so I imagine that it was just kind of like, oh, wow.
But I’m sure it was a fun experience swimming with that as well.
Yes.
So I got in and then this manatee literally hugged my body.
42:40
Yeah, they’re friendly, they’re curious, they’re cute, they’re gentle giants.
Yeah, it was so adorable.
So that was a really epic animal encounter experience in the summer in the Riviera Maya area of Mexico.
And think if you’re going to be here like Cancun, Tulum in this area, I would stop in here and pay those animals a visit.
43:00
So the last section that we’re going to talk about and share with you guys is great places to go in the summer for culture and history.
If you’ve listened to previous episodes, which I know a lot of you who are listening have, you know my love for Japan.
So clearly I’m throwing Japan on here for the culture and history.
43:19
From Tokyo to Kyoto and beyond, you experience culture and history literally everywhere in Japan.
Every city is filled with multiple temples and shrines from the Buddha and Shinto face dating back hundreds of years, and some of them even thousands.
43:36
I mean, you’re walking in these modern cities and oh, by the way, here’s a building that’s several 100 years old.
And oh, here’s that random one that’s over 1000 years old.
So you’re going to get the history, you’re going to get the culture all in one.
But one of the best ways to understand a people and a culture, I believe, of course, is through their food.
43:56
And Japan has one of the best culinary scenes in the world.
It’s delicious fresh food available in markets and restaurants.
I mean, you really can’t beat Japan.
And Japan is one of my favorite countries for their history, culture and people.
44:13
Literally everyone is so respectful and nice.
Everything is clean.
They take great pride and being polite, clean and courteous for themselves and for people that are visiting.
So I just think it makes a great cultural experience all around going to Japan.
44:29
Yeah, there’s so much to see culturally in Japan.
They have temples, they have palaces, they have castles.
There’s just so much to soak in and learn.
We went to Hiroshima, learned about that as well.
So anywhere you go, and Japan is a cultural experience and you can learn so much about the history there.
44:48
And it’s a country that we will continue to go back to.
We’ve been twice so far, but there’s so much more we want to do and see in Japan.
I still need to get to Japan.
I really want to go maybe 2728 I can get out there.
Well, I’ll tell you what, Kim, if you find a cheap flight to Japan, just whenever you can, go, let me know, because if I can go, I will go.
45:11
What would you say is like the minimum amount of time with the travel that you could do realistically, say if you’re just going to Tokyo?
Just going to Tokyo, I would say 55.
Days.
Right.
That’s going to include your travel time and then give you maybe about 3:00 to 2:00 and a half days in Tokyo, which I do think will be sufficient.
45:30
It’s going to be hit the ground running, exploring, doing things, but of course eating along the way, seeing the sights, that’s enough but also pushing it if that makes sense.
OK.
All right.
Well, I’ll let you know 2027, maybe 2028.
45:45
We’ll get out there.
My recommendation for summer travel for culture and history is Athens Grace.
If you’re going to make a nose, you might as well add Athens because you’re going to be flying in there likely anyway.
And yes, I do know that it is hot in the summer and humid in the summer in Athens, Greece.
46:04
That’s the thing about summer though, is a lot of the places are hot and humid and sometimes you can’t escape it unless you’re going to Switzerland or Banff or Iceland.
But I think Athens Grace is a great place for culture and history because you have that balance of ancient history and modern culture right here in this bustling city.
46:23
So of course you have the Acropolis, which is the gorgeous, just mind blowing Greek ruins, these amazing buildings and the statues and, and that’s really cool.
And then you have the Acropolis museum and you could see ruins intact underneath you as you’re walking around there and you can see the statues and the artifacts and all that stuff.
46:42
And it’s really cool.
You have the ancient Agora, the temple of Olympian Zeus, Audion of Herodias, which I’m sure I’m pronouncing that incorrectly, apologies.
Lots of other ruins around town.
And as you’re walking around town and going up the hills, you can see these ruin sites around the city.
47:00
It’s really cool, but I love the juxtaposition of ancient history with the modern culture.
And at night it is.
I mean, even during the day.
But at night you have the nightlife of Athens Grace and you can go to amazing rooftop bars all around the city and see the Acropolis in the distance all lit up.
47:19
Like, I swear when I was at that rooftop bar, just sipping a cocktail, gazing out to the Acropolis all lit up, it was just my heart was full of magic.
It was amazing.
And one other thing that I would recommend to really get the modern culture of the city is going up to Aeropagus Hill.
47:38
This is a hill right next to the Acropolis, so you want to go there around sunset.
It draws in locals and tourists alike, and everyone’s up there with a drink, say some wine or a beer, watching the sunset go down and just experiencing this moment together.
It’s a really, really cool thing to experience when you’re in the city, and I think it’s the perfect blend of ancient and modern culture in the city.
47:59
Kim, listening to you talk about Athens has me so excited because as you know, Jamal and I leave next week in just a few days for Athens.
And I know that this episode airs after we get back and so we won’t have an opportunity to talk about our time in Athens.
48:15
But Jamal and I are going to be doing an episode on Athens when we do come back.
But you talking about it and saying all of the cool things to do and seeing how many of these things are already on our list, I am so excited for our upcoming trip.
You’re going to have a great time.
I’m ready to sip a cocktail and see the Parthenon and the Acropolis all lit up at night with a beautiful cocktail in my hand.
48:37
I am ready for it.
The only thing I would recommend if you’re going, especially in the summer because it is the busy season, if you can get into the Acropolis as soon as it opens.
They do have time tickets now, so try to book the very first one.
You’re going to beat the crowds and you’re going to beat some of that sunshine and heat and humidity.
48:57
We have the first time slot books of.
Course you do, I would expect, but nothing less of you 2.
Well, Squatty’s I am going to round off the end of this episode with our last recommendation and my recommendation for culture and history was Cusco and the Machu Picchu area.
49:15
Cusco is an amazing city full of history and culture with really strong indigenous and Spanish cultural blend.
We saw that while we were there.
They have tons of local markets, traditional cooking experiences, amazing and unique Peruvian cuisine, and while you’re in Cusco, you have access to the Sacred Valley ruins and a bunch of different cultural sites.
49:38
From Cusco we went on to Machu Picchu and we did do the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, which was a four day, three night hike.
And so much has changed.
We actually have friends that are doing that trip this summer as well.
And they were like, we’re hiking, but we’re not camping at all.
49:56
We’re staying at hotels along the way.
And I’m like, what hotel?
Yeah, they’re like, we’re not doing any camping along the trail.
And I was like the Inca Trail because I know there are other trails that get you to Machu Picchu and they are doing the Inca Trail, but instead of camping they are staying in hotels.
So lots of different options these days.
50:13
We went quite a bit ago, but you have that ancient Incan history at Machu Pichu and in the summer it’s a great time to go because they are in the Southern hemisphere and it’s their dry season, so it’s a great time to hike the trail as well.
I would also recommend for Cusco is to do a walking tour of Cusco.
50:31
There’s a lot of fun.
You would.
Well, the free walking tours are fantastic for many reasons, but one of those is you get a lot of culture and history of the city itself.
There’s Incan history and ruins right there in the city that you wouldn’t really know about.
50:48
That’s true.
Like I remember The Walking tour that we did if we were looking at a wall, one of the walls of the old city of Cusco.
And I said, look at this wall and the Incas.
They were known to be really good stones and Craftsman people, right?
And you could see their walls.
They didn’t use mortars.
It’s almost like they had laser cut precision to fit the stones and these mismatch shapes.
51:08
And when the Spanish came, they were like, Oh no, we could build better.
So they destroyed some of the wall and tried to build up on it.
And then you can see, like, why does this wall all look so good and then bad?
The good is the Incas, the bad is the Spanish.
And it’s just like, if you didn’t go on that walking tour, have somebody tell you, you would just pass the wall and not realize.
51:28
But here was a colonial power trying to say that they are better than an indigenous people at doing something when clearly they weren’t.
And you get that little uniqueness of, like, history with it.
So yeah, like, I agree with you.
When you’re in Cusco or anywhere else that’s kind of a place like this, you really should do walking tours and the guides.
51:46
Most walking tours, they are free, so they work on tips, so they make them really good for you.
So I like walking tours for that also.
They they do a good job for you.
Yes, they do, I’m sure.
Squatty’s, I hope that you feel inspired to take a summer trip this year.
52:02
I know you do, maybe more than one.
Thank you so much for tuning into our episode this week.
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52:21
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