Tracey Chadler
Travel and romance are two of the most fulfilling experiences that life has to offer and combining the two can be a dream come true, which is why it is important to choose romantic travel destinations carefully.
There are those of us who dream about lazing about by the side of a pool in a beautiful beach resort on a package deal with lover in tow. There are others who need intellectual inspiration when travelling for the romantic sparks to fly. These people need to visit cities with extensive cultural programmes, innovative art galleries and specialist museums.
However, if package deals and burning to a crisp in the summer sun is your ideal of romantic hell and city tours with an intense focus on the expansion of the mind turns your amorous urges to stone, it might be time to turn to the awesome power of the natural world to set your romantic desires on fire this year.
The following destinations are three of the most romantic places for any serious traveler, with backpack, mosquito repellent and a high sense of adventure on hand at all times, to visit. Jungle, mud, third world facilities and a lack of electricity might not scream out romantic travel for most, but there will be hardened explorers out there who fall desperately in love upon arrival (with both the destinations and the lucky someone who tags along for the ride).
Antigua, Guatemala
Beautiful cobbled streets, stunning mountain landscapes and brightly coloured fauna and flora make a trip to Antigua one of the most romantic imaginable. Even though part of Central America, Antigua reaps the benefits from years of constant tourist attention and therefore there isn’t much for the traveler to contend with when visiting.
However, Antigua still has a lot to offer to the romantic couple with an adventurous streak for active travel thanks to the surrounding mountain landscapes. There are plenty of relaxing and strenuous treks to make and everything can be easily arranged from the town centre all year round. Antigua is also a few hundred kilometres away from Tikal, a huge Mayan national park full of ancient ruins that can entertain the enthusiasts for weeks.
The hotels in Antigua are like paradises on earth and after a really long hike, which might even last a few days, it can be very romantic to treat yourself to a couple of nights of luxury living. One hotel in particular is located in a restored monastery and home to a number of wonderful ruins. Minibars and ancient civilisations; romantic travel on a stick!
Fez, Morocco
Basic is beautiful. Innovation is ugly. This should be the slogan for romantic travel breaks to Fez. A preference for street lighting with open flames, as opposed to lanterns and electricity, makes nighttime in Fez very special.
The central square is populated by street entertainers, merchants of all kinds of goodies and very few tourists just as much at night as during the day. Life in Fez is not really “fast”, when thinking about what that word means in western culture, but it definitely is vibrant.
Morocco is not an easy place to travel around in because public transportation is poor, the toilets are particularly grim sometimes (even just holes in the floor which can be very smelly and extremely uncomfortable) and you must be careful to not draw attention to yourself. It is best that women cover their heads with scarves and it is imperative if you want to enter into a religious building, so be aware of not unconsciously offending anyone by your actions.
However, Morocco has much more to offer to those people willing to look beyond the difficulties generated by the countries lack of resources. Colour is everywhere. During the day, when the sun rebounds off of the sandstone buildings, everything looks golden. As the sun starts to set, that sandstone turns to pastel shades of pink, peach and cream.
Shopping for souvenirs in the souks (small market streets that are like labyrinths and easy to get lost in) will make you feel like royalty. You will be invited to sit and take a cup of hot mint tea served from a silver tea set (probably silver plated!) whilst the shop owner tells you the stories behind the production of the carpets that he is selling and the women on the cotton farms who weave them (always without any expectation that you are going to buy of course).
Food is tasty and plentiful. Couscous, spiced meat, bread and pulses make up the staple menu, but the variations are endless. The soups with sweet biscuits to dunk are particularly good and every meal can be enjoyed whilst laying flat out on huge cushions if you so wish.
Los Llanos, Venezuela
Nighttime safaris in search of caimans (small crocodiles), anacondas, indigenous snakes and capybara (the cutest mammals on the planet) awaits you and your lover in Los Llanos, the hot, flat, open plains of Venezuela.
The mosquitos are, quite simply, insects from hell that will quite happily munch on your skin even when you use 100% deet (mosquito repellent that is so strong that you can only apply it to the edges of your clothing as it burns the skin) and cover yourself from head to toe in clothes (sweating in the process due to the extreme heat, even at night). Sounds terrible, right? Wrong!
The sky is so clear in Los Llanos. The electricity doesn’t reach this central part of Venezuela and the air is unpolluted, which means that the stars have full reign to shine, shine, shine. As Venezuela sits so close to the equator, it is also amazing to see the sky form a semi-circular shape at night. The world really isn’t flat in Los Llanos. There’s nothing quite like it. The sunsets aren’t bad either! (This is of course a complete understatement. The sunsets are perhaps some of the most beautiful in the world).
If looking for real romantic moments in the middle of complete South American beauty and lots of laughter and rum, Los Llanos is the destination to put on the top of your list.
Travel and romance form the biggest and best of adventures
If your hunky, honey-pie loves to explore, searches for the challenge in everything and wants to be able to say “Yeah, I climbed to the top of that huge mountain,” trips to destinations like those listed above are just the kind journeys that he will enjoy. The memories that you make together will stay with you for a lifetime. Take a risk, try something daring and fall head over heels in adventure-travel love.
Bio
Tracey Chandler travels the world (she is in Argentina at present) as a specialist, freelance travel writer which allows her plenty of time to muse dreamily about love and relationships. She happily shares thoughts and sage observations on couple's persoanl stories for www.eharmoney.co.uk whenever she can.