The whole point of the long Spanish lunch is to spend the entire day with family or friends. To be so engrossed in one another, in the food, in the wine, and in relaxing, that you can’t think about work or whatever other stressors you have going on in your life. Years later, I see the wisdom in this Spanish tradition, and I hope you will, too.

There is something about Orcas that speaks to me. It’s the madrone trees—yes—and the quality of the light. It’s the many hikes and lakes on what is really a small swath of land—just 57.3 square miles. It’s even the journey. It takes a certain amount of determination, between the ferry and the drive, to get to Orcas. Those who put in the effort are rewarded with the secluded coves of Obstruction Pass State Park and the sweeping Salish Sea views from Turtleback Mountain.

It’s important for me to balance out my media intake, action, and worrying with some self-care, and it occurred to me that you may feel the same way. Here are some resources for mitigating stress, an emotion so many of us are enveloped in right now.

When I lived in Barcelona, we welcomed summer with the Sant Joan festival, also known as the Revetlla de Sant Joan, or simply La Verberna. This wild party always reminded me a bit of the Fourth of July because of the pyrotechnical displays put on by the city and residents.

Seattle’s natural areas are vast and gorgeous. An urban explorer could spend many weekends walking in the woods and along the water and never leave the Seattle-metro area. Here are a few parks in or near the Emerald City to visit for the first time or discover again.

My old dog knows that a walk—such a simple thing—is a gift. A chance to smell the moss growing on the nurse log. An opportunity to stroll along the Puget Sound and dip a toe into that cool, clear saltwater. She hears the spring birds. She senses the rabbits and lets them nibble in peace.

We have lots of fun events coming up in the next few months. Join us for a Virtual Visit to Rome. Deep dive into the Etruscan culture with Silvia in Italy. Grab your drink of choice and Zoom in to chat with us about travel and literature during our Women’s Travel Book Club meetings. We are ready to connect. See you at the online party!

I’ve been thinking a lot about flexibility this week. We have decided to cancel our autumn journeys to Spain and Italy. Sigh. It’s a heartbreaker. But we need to be flexible and protect our clients during the pandemic. We will be offering new tours, closer to home, right here in Washington and Oregon. These new tours are weekend escapes and day-trips.

Wanderlust? It runs in my family. I come from a long line of adventure-seekers. Then again, maybe the cause is more nurture than nature. My mother is a traveler. I have often wondered if I would be as keen to globetrot had I not grown up with a mother who exposed me to a bigger world outside the small town I come from.

Make new friends and learn about interesting destinations you’ll want to visit in the future. Join us for our Women’s Travel Book Club. We meet monthly to read and discuss books about travel written by women.

I’m Regina Winkle-Bryan, the founder of Bold Spirit Travel. Want to know more about who I am before booking your next tour with me? Understandable. Read on and find out more. Follow along on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for daily insights.

“What you focus on, you create more of,” says author and general queen of badassery Jen Sincero. I want to manifest more bold, innovative people and experiences in my life, and if you’re reading this, I bet you do, too.

Welcome to your perfect break in the Pacific Northwest, where giant trees frame snowy volcanoes and plump rivers rush to the ocean. Join us on this all women, small group weekend adventure.

Spaniards stand on their balconies each night to applaud health workers. Over 4,000 people have died from Covid-19 in Spain at the time of this writing.

Just because we aren’t traveling to Italy this spring, doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy la dolce vita in our own homes. (La Dolce Vita is not only a famous Fellini film, it’s also a way of life in Italy—the “sweet life” to be precise!)

Travel, when we do it right, puts us in contact with others who have dared to live differently. New friends and relationships are found on the road. And if nothing else, travel is a beautiful distraction from all the pain.

Can we find any light in this dark, heavy international problem? Are we even allowed to look for silver linings when so many people are ill or frightened about becoming ill?

9 reasons to get on a plane to Barcelona ASAP.