Gone are the days of regular, boring old travel, the millennials of today want to travel in new and interesting ways. Everyone, including us wants to try out a curated vacation that showcases the best of particular theme. This article covers the best of different types of curated vacations that you must try out at least once in your life.
Health and Fitness Travel
Health and fitness travel is a worldwide trend, with luxury wellness retreats offering tailor made treatments from spa, detox, yoga and weight loss to Ayurveda. The good news is that getting fit doesn’t have to happen in a gym, it can happen whilst you are travelling. Whether you’re looking for beaches or mountains, the physical or the spiritual for your next yoga wellness vacation, there’s a retreat out there for you. Not only do you get to chill in a zen location for a few days or perhaps even a few weeks, but the retreat package typically includes organic meals, meditation and yoga classes, personal growth workshops, excursions and even the occasional spa treatment. A good example of this was when we headed out to the Kairali Spa Resort in Kerala, India last year and came back absolutely refreshed and relaxed. With daily Ayurveda sessions and a strictly cooked meal, we were totally detoxed and ready for our upcoming adventures.
Luxury Travel
The ultimate goal for any luxury holiday junkie is booking yourself a private yacht and heading out onto the pristine blue sea. Our favourite is definitely the Mediterranean Sea, which has quite balmy weather while not being too choppy. This makes for a very pleasant experience at sea. We usually hire a yacht charter before heading off to the numerous islands dotting the area. Each one is just waiting to be explored, so you just need to set course and get on your way. The super relaxed atmosphere of lazy days filled with glasses of wine, really scrumptious food, swimming and heading somewhere new to hit the party scene is definitely our kind of holiday.
Another type of luxury holiday is checking yourself into a historic Fort Hotel that you can find quite commonly all over the Northern and Central part of India in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. These forts have typically been the houses of royalty which have now been converted into luxurious places to enjoy a stay. They offer the most royal of stays allowing you to relax like a king. We have headed to quite a few fort hotels in Rajasthan including the Tijara Fort in Alwar to the Barli Fort near Ajmer. These palatial palaces not only offer a relaxing holiday, but also gives you an insight into the rich history and the culinary culture of India.
Located in the sleepy hamlet of Barli, this 17th century fort is a throwback to the might of the Rajputana royalty. Built in 1675 by Raja Moti Singh from the royal family of Jodhpur, Fort Barli is now in the hands of the 16th generation of the Rathod family. The fort and the village stand frozen in time as the world speeds by on it’s own merry way. The eight room Barli fort is a relief to overused senses. Be it listening to the chirping of the birds or straining to identify a constellation during clear nights, this place offers you a disconnect from the world not easily available in other places.
Let’s talk about Tijara now. The Tijara Fort, started in the early 19th century by Maharaja Balwant Singh wasn’t completed until 13 years after the Maharaja passed away in 1845. Unsuccessful attempts by his descendants and the stifling rule of the Britishers meant that the fort fell into ruins The fort was never restored and lived in until recent times. After the government auctioned the property, the Tijara Fort was discovered to have three standing structures. The Massive Hawa Mahal which was a common meeting place, the bold Mardana Mahal with thick walls and a combination of Afghan and Rajput architecture, while the Rani Mahal lay unfinished. After a decade of work, the dilapidated ruins had been transformed into something majestic.
Nature and Wildlife Travel
Some of the most amazing adventure travel experiences include interactions with wildlife in their natural habitats. There is nothing quite like spotting wild creatures in exotic locations around the globe. One of the most thrilling, heart-pounding, and visceral wildlife encounters takes place when divers come face-to-face with a great white sharks, tiger sharks, or other massive sea creatures. While it is true that these fearsome predators can be dangerous and intimidating at times, adventurous travelers can observe them safely from the safe confines of a reinforced shark cage. The result is the opportunity to observe these legendary animals as they roam the open ocean. When it comes to spotting animals in the wild, few experiences can compare with the classic African safari. Travelers can visit the Serengeti to watch a million wildebeests roaming across the endless grasslands of Africa or explore the Bandhavgarh National Park in Central India for a different kind of safari experience. In both cases, you’ll have the opportunity to see lions, leopards, tigers, antelopes, elephants, rhinos and perhaps even cheetahs. Overnight stays can be in simple camping grounds or luxury lodges.
One of our best Wildlife travels was through the Bali Safari which takes us through the wild while being protected. The Bali Safari introduced us to a plethora of animals living in their natural habitat including a regal looking lion along with his lioness.
Adventure Travel
Imagine jumping off a mountain and actually flying for over 20 minutes. An adventure holiday gives you an adrenaline rush to wake up the sense and leaves you feeling refreshed when you head back to your daily routine. I decided to get my dose of adventure at Kuala Kubu Bharu. Bordered with hills in the countryside, it is one of the best places to go paragliding on the entire planet. Besides the amazing views from your paraglider, the rivers that flow through the mountains here offer the perfect chance for some river rafting, which is an exhilarating experience that should not be missed. For those wishing to stay on land, trekking and cycling through the mountains combines all the best things into one, with air, water and land all coming into play.
One of our most adventurous trips was talking the Bungee Jumping at Adventure Island in Malaysia. After quite a few assurances, I decided to get on the Bungee Jump. While my friends took off immediately, I took some more time as the team prepared me for the jump. After fastening the harnesses, I stood on the edge of the platform waiting for the inevitable to happen. As soon as I was pushed off, there was a sense of weightlessness before a sudden tug to stop. The adrenaline rush is something that I will never forget after that bungee jump.
Beverage based Travel
Travelling for food and beverage is one of the newest travel options that tourists are seeking out. With companies conducting food trails across cities and vineyards opening up their production facilities in view of seeking new markets, more and more people are drawn to these kinds of holidays. We have travelled quite extensively to the vineyards of India, including the ones in Maharashtra and Karnataka. The Fratelli vineyards at Solapur offer endless rows of grapevines and some stunning locales for you to click some photographs. The round, full grapes are the perfect accompaniment to your travels and produce amazing wine. The vineyards at the Motewadi offer undulating views of the valleys while you can head over to the winery to learn about the many secrets that go into making wine. The other vineyard at Akluj is situated at the base of the mountain and offers some of the best views that we have seen in recent times.
These are few of the holidays that the millennials are trying out. Do let me know about your favourite types of holiday.
