Savory travel

I believe in good food.

Of course, taste is subjective.  However, I know mine.  There are parts of the world that I would visit to witness landscape and experience culture, but, local cuisine knocks them further down the wish-to-visit list.  Other parts of the world that are more or less equally compelling in terms of physical beauty jump ahead because I know that as a vegetarian who wants everything drenched in lemon, I will be pleased.

I also believe in my clients eating well while traveling. Recently I created three possible experiences for a family that included a member who eats gluten-free & suffers from Crohn's disease.  After better assessing the client's hopes for this experience, we narrowed in parts of the world that aligned.  I did my follow-up due diligence & learned that Asheville, NC is one of the top U.S. cities for Gluten-free options.  Given this client's interests and travel style, we already knew she would have a cottage, cabin, or rental apartment with their own kitchen to cook some meals.  Thankfully, this option affords them plenty of eating out opportunities as well.

I'm also increasingly considering group travel with chefs.  I've been building several yoga retreats recently.  Some retreat destinations would present a challenge in offering students consistent vegan food, let alone gluten-free options.  Again, happily, I know several glorious plant-based chefs who are resourceful in artfully utilizing whatever ingredients meet them at a new market.  As I'm building some of these retreats and excursions, I'm bringing our own chef.

Eating locally with host chefs is a crucial part of an immersive experience, so that still has to be a part of any adventure.  However, if you're going to be somewhere for awhile, it's pretty great to have someone with you who gets it.  No big explanations on why fermented shark meat might not work for you.

Feeling bit by the travel bug?  My next group travel experience is the Salute the Sun Retreat to San Marcos, Guatemala.  A few spots remain for Week 2.  Sign up soon!