If Rome, Paris and London have delighted you in the past and it’s time for a more unusual destination, we’d like to propose Tbilisi, Georgia for your consideration. Over 1500 years old but spiked with soviet influences and ultra modern industrial architecture, there’s plenty that meets the eye.
Ideally, Tbilisi is the base for a much more extended journey through all of Georgia, but with just 3 Days* to spare this time, the focus was solely on the Georgian capital.
Before the Russians came the Turks, the Persians, the Arabs, the Mongols and a few more left their marks on this stunning city in the Caucasus, but since 1783 when the country became part of Russia, more European/Western influences came to be.
If you find yourself in Europe during summer and it’s nature’s spectacle you’re after, the Dolomites in the northeast of Italy beg for a visit. Vast, majestic, imposing and picturesque, the Dolomite mountain range, a subrange of the Italian Alps, straddles the three northern Italian regions Trentino-Alto Adige/South Tyrol, Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The names alone sound like Italian operas and so do their most spectacular and well-known peaks… Catinaccio (Rosengarten), Latemar and Puez-Odle (Geisler) Group. Our 3 Days* recommendation will include three unforgettable hikes, one in each of these areas.
A few weeks ago we shared Aaron Medeiros' tips on staying fit and active during your vacation with you and learned more about his spectacular trip to Havasu Falls in Arizona. Here the athlete and trainer shares his experience in Zion National Park, Utah with us...
If you want to follow Aaron's adventures on Instagram, follow him and his fiancé Juliana Salles here.
3 Days*
On your IG account I spotted some images from Zion, Utah and they looked fantastic. Could you share a little bit about that trip with us? It’s one we’ve also been wanting to do ourselves for a while.
AM
Absolutely. My fiancé Juliana and I spent three days there during springtime last year.
I was excited to sit down with Aaron Kapahe’e Medeiros - athlete, avid traveler, nature lover and overall awesome human to hear more about how he and his equally shredded and gorgeous fiancé stay fit and active while on the road while the majority of us comes back from vacay with love handles. Or is that just me?
Aaron has Hawaiian and Portuguese roots but grew up locally, meaning LA’s South Bay were I (Kirstin) have also pitched my tent for the past nine years. As a top-tier trainer he is responsible for whipping me, and many others, into shape in his intense yet fun kickboxing classes. Once we realized we shared a passion for fitness AND travel, it was time to sit down and talk adventure.
3 Days*
Ana and I often complain that our workout routines completely fall to the wayside when we travel. How to you manage to stay active while you’re away?
Searching for flights? You’d better clear your cookies if you don’t want to be overcharged. I was recently searching for flights from New York to the Caribbean in an attempt to escape the bomb cyclone that descended on the Northeast like a bad dream.
I happened to be sitting in between two coworkers who were also casually searching flights using exactly the same criteria. To my amazement, the flights I was seeing were $100-$200 more than my colleagues’ results. What was happening? Clear your browser history! I was informed. When I did, the prices went down significantly. W.T.F.
For nearly two years we’ve been sharing our 3 Days* travel tips and photos with readers. In order to decorate our scribbles with visually enticing images we occasionally have jumped through a few hoops to create photos that are intended to inspire, induce wanderlust and maybe a little envy. All this to say, we are not naïve when it comes to common photo trickery. However:
Browsing for inspiration for a European road trip last summer, I came across an image on IG that tugged at my heart strings like the viral video of howling Husky puppies.
A turquoise Alpine lake surrounded by some of the Dolomites’ most majestic peaks and a single wooden rowboat causing ripples on the surface. Lago di Braies in Italy’s South Tyrol region is truly a splendid beauty and couldn’t be more suitable for Instagram.
A few months ago we shared some of Barbara Huber's favorite photos from her recent India trip on our Instagram and the response was so positive that we decided to give her vibrant images a permanent home here on our site.
Barbara's ability to capture the dynamic colors, expressive portraits and moments of everyday life in India will transport you and likely leave you googling India flights... And if you're so inclined, you can find more of Barbara's work on her Instagram account (@barbinchen) and order prints from her directly.
The tray of sad room service leftovers, discarded on the psychedelic rug of a hotel corridor. The plate covered by a smeared napkin like the latest CSI MIAMI victim. As unappetizing as these trays of culinary decline might be, I do recall a time (long long ago) when a dare ended with me kneeling next to one of these discarded trays, polishing off the remaining pommes frittes and a half eaten bread roll. Dare accomplished, still not one of my proudest moments and a different story altogether.
As much as I love to travel, (un-)packing ranks very high on my procrastination list which means I usually pack in a frenzy about 2 hours before departure and unpack 7-13 days after my return. And despite endless trips to all climate zones I’m still far from a pro-packer even though I know the basic rules of a smart packing. In theory.
Not too long ago I ended up with a boxy 55 lb suitcase full of un-necessities on a roadtrip through parts of South America with a potential love interest. He wasn’t at all impressed with my floral summer dress collection designed for afternoons at the Beverly Hills Hotel pool.
Being on the road so much makes a Sunday at home feel very luxurious. It’s rare for me to have a lazy Sunday at our home in Brooklyn. My husband, daughter and I have basically been nomads for the last two years, bouncing between Jerusalem, Connecticut and Brooklyn. When I do find myself at home, I try to max out what I love about our neighborhood and savor the little things I miss so much when we are out of town.
Hallie Applebaum is a human connector whose impressive resume includes nearly a decade at the World Bank, the London School of Economics and Political Science, the New Museum, RE.WORK, IBMSmarter Cities, Samasource, and Wells Fargo Advisors. At the World Bank, she dedicated her time and energy toward accelerating creative communities in the US, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.
Recently she launched her latest project, “Future of Women”, a platform that features and connects adventurous and accomplished women from around the world with the goal of creating a community of female talent to support and inspire each other. Recently we caught up with this globetrotter to learn more about FUTURE OF WOMEN and hear about her time in Barcelona (insider tips included).
Hint: girlfriends make great girlfriends
Writer, photographer, lifestyle expert and all around bad-ass lady Larkin Clark has explored some of Europe’s most luxe, stylish and, yes, romantic destinations and hotels.
The catch? She did it sans romantic partner. She embarked on her epic sojourn alone and devised to meet up with lady pals almost every step of the way. Here’s how she maxed out her travels and took advantage of honeymoon spots without the ball and chain.
Christina Moses is a fierce actress, practicing Tibetan Buddhist and soulful adventuress with a huge heart and a ridiculously cute dog. She’s home-based in Los Angeles but relocates when she’s shooting (i.e. Atlanta for CW’s Containment).
When she’s on vacation, though, you’ll likely find her on a sunny island. We caught up with this vampire vixen to get the low down on scuba diving in the Caymans. Here’s what she had to tell us:
3 Days*: What made you pick the Caymans, and when did you go?
Our recent lengthy, multi-layover trip to South America reminded us how much fellow travelers can amuse, irritate or entertain us. Lack of forethought and inconsiderate habits can annoy fellow passengers but are easily avoidable. Here are some of the classics:
The pocket hoarder: the passenger who takes one thing at a time out of his pocket, attempting to walk through the metal detector and appearing shocked each time he is sent back to discover yet another coin, ball of kleenexes, safety pin. Then remembers he has a metal hip.
The fashionista: the gal with high, lace-up boots that require the wearer to discard all of her belongings, sit down and commence de-lacing for 20 minutes before she can proceed through security. Process to be repeated on the other side...
Turmeric, cousin of the ginger root is having a moment. The new It-Girl of the spice rack is now considered a ‘super food’ in the West after having celebrated over a thousand years of popularity in the East already (we’re always a little slow on the uptake).
Initially used for medicinal purposes, later as a dye and flavorful cooking spice, the golden herb has cemented its place in the aisles of overpriced health food stores and is here to stay. Go on, have a google...
I first came across turmeric years ago during my travels through the Indian provinces Kerala and Tamil Nadu, where most dishes are infused with the versatile ingredient. Years later in Mexico we were re-acquainted at a local market where a seller recommended turmeric paste as an antiseptic for a cut. I started juicing the root and stained everything orange in the process, so I eventually I bought the powder and liquid herbal supplement instead.
Acclaimed film director, design enthusiast, globetrotter (understatement of the century), Roland Emmerich knows a thing or two about luxury – read our last interview with him as he describes his yacht-bound adventures through the Mediterranean (jealous, much?). So, naturally, we begged him to tell us about his 3 Day* stay at the Amangiri, Utah (which happens to be #1 on our own destination wish list). Here were his impressions:
I Want This Dude’s Life:
Roland Emmerich is an acclaimed film director (Independence Day, The Patriot, The Day After Tomorrow, 2012) design guru, passionate traveler, foodie and wine connoisseur and my (Kirstin’s) former boss/mentor!
When it comes to style, service and generally luxe travel, this globetrotter is the ultimate expert. That's why I’m so excited to sit down with him and hear all about his most recent drool-worthy jaunts. Read on to be consumed, thoroughly, with jealousy:
In some ways, traveling with a newborn is much easier than traveling with – say – a toddler, which is like trying to ride an angry bull. That’s on fire. And was just kicked in the balls. Sure: the delicacy of the age can make it feel just as nerve-wracking, but most headaches and anxieties can be avoided with the right logistical preparation.
My husband works abroad, in Jerusalem, and we spend about half of our time there. Which is why I found myself needing to tote my brand new baby on a 12-hour international flight when she was only 7-weeks old. I learned some things… The upshot? It wasn’t half as bad as I feared it would be. And a few newborn travel hacks helped ease the stress of the journey.
Andrea Emmerich is the ultimate jack of all trades: former stewardess, restaurant manager, yoga instructor, Ayurvedic practitioner, repurposed cashmere intimates mogul (check out our piece on her venture Afterlife). Her free spirit and curious nature make her one of the most well-travelled women we know and she's brilliant at uncovering hotspots long before they're on anyone else's radar. Who better to tell us about Tulum and how it's changed over the years than one of our favorite Germans.
They say misery loves company and if you’ve ever had a broken heart you probably agree. Licking my emotional wounds after the demise of longterm together-ness, it was time to face on-my-own-ness again. Fuck! My shredded heart was begging for a haircut, the kind you regret minutes after your last lock hits the ground and a trip somewhere far, far away.
Julia Etzelmueller is a film producer from Berlin and a seasoned traveler with a new-found love of surfing. This German adventuress recently relocated to Los Angeles but her gypsy soul isn’t ready to settle in one place yet. Julia has spent some time on Oahu and in Byron Bay, Australia (loved both), but Bali holds a special place in her heart. Here’s what she had to say about the ‘Island of the Gods’:
We sat down with Gaul Porat, cinematographer and fearless eater, to give us the skinny on Singapore’s slamming food scene. Born in Israel, raised in New England, he now splits his time between New York and LA (but will always feel most at home in Israel with its great beaches and yummy cuisine).
Airline seats seem to get more cramped each year. I am a relatively small 5’4’’ and have precious few inches between my knees and the seat in front of me (which is reliably filled with a giant eating a fragrant cheese plate). Living in two cities that are 9,000 miles away from each other (literally) means I have become something of a pro when it comes to working out the stiffness and knots caused by long plane rides. I’m also a yoga instructor with a restorative specialty, so that helps.
Often credited wrongly to my beloved poet Pablo Neruda, this poem by Martha Medeiros reminds us not to die slowly. To never stop exploring, taking risks and adventuring into the unknown, which breathes new life into every vein. As if you needed another reason to go buy that ticket.
Tequila may be the only beverage that has a song named after it. One I sang back when I was young, stupid and hangovers didn’t wield the same crushing power as they do today. This Mexican spirit has lured me into bars, on top of bars, underneath bars and channels my fearless alter ego – with varying results.
‘Courage is contagious’ is the motto of NYC-based jewelry designer Jessica Hendricks. An explorer at heart, her travels brought Hendricks to Cambodia, a country still haunted by its violent past and horrific genocide. After learning about the prevalent problem of human trafficking in the small Buddhist nation, Jessica set out to create a jewelry line to raise awareness about slavery in the region and beyond. She uses her social media as a platform to educate on the issue and provide a forum for further discussion.
I’m a sucker for a hybrid. Two influences are almost always more interesting than one, especially when the intermingling is naturally complimentary. And, although you may be sick of the word ‘fusion’, mashing up global cuisines often yields delicious results. French-Vietnamese, Chino-Spanish, Mongolian Braai? (Okay, I made the last one up).
It’s taken years of therapy but I can admit it now: I have a pouch problem. Buttery leather sacks of all sizes make my heart race. I think about all of the handy things I will store in my pouches and how organized I will look and feel. I am convinced the right pouch/ sack/ case combination will change my life.
#Blessed, #Love, #Liveauthentic have become the hashtag pillars of most popular Instragram accounts. Beautiful people posing on the foggy Pacific shore, sipping coffee on mountain tops and sporting Warby Parker glasses and Filson bags rake in likes like a viral cat video.
Amy Quackenbush is even cooler than her name. The Seattle entrepreneur and owner of Adele Salon has travelled extensively around the world, mostly solo.
Her infectious spirit and fearless curiosity makes us want to squish into her suitcase and join her on her next adventure. Like her upcoming visit to a Bar W Guest ranch in Montana. Recently we sat down with Quackenbush to hear about her stay in Marfa, TX - a town that seems half cattle ranch, half fine arts school.
3 Days*: As a solo adventure queen, you're on the road a lot. What destinations have you hit this year, so far?