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BY Nancy Mueller 7 Comments ON February 26, 2014

10 Best Boomer Women Bonding Trips

St. Chapelle Winery Idaho

Solo trips and romantic escapes have their place. But sometimes we boomer women want a little more girlfriend bonding time. The next time you’re ready for a gal pal getaway, here are 10 Best Boomer Women Bonding Trips to satisfy your wanderlust for a day, a weekend or an extended vacation:

#1 – Spa Travel

Spa Natur'Eau Quebec

Boomers have led the pack in spa travel for decades and we’re not ready to change that anytime soon, are we? Not only do spas offer pampering treatments, saunas and hot springs;  increasingly, spa travel takes a 360 approach to health and wellness in exotic locations. Whether you tend towards yoga classes by the sea, hiking through old-growth forests or weight loss boot camps, you’re bound to come home relaxed and rejuvenated.

#2 -Foodie Fun

Appetizers Spa Natur'Eau Quebec

Food and wine are meant to be shared with friends. So why not sign up for a tasting tour, 5 course progressive dinner or cooking class to discover new flavors and gastronomic traditions? Browsing local farmers’ markets will whet your appetite and inspire new culinary concoctions. Learn from master chefs as you eat and drink your way around the world, or even your own neighborhood.

#3 – Cultural Immersion

Unique, authentic experiences remain high on the boomer women’s favorite travel list. The desire to connect with a place through its people and customs leads to learning a foreign language in the country where it’s spoken. Or renting an apartment so you can mix & mingle with local residents instead of staying in a hotel.

#4 – City Slicker Escape

Take advantage of the many girlfriend getaway hotel packages, offering everything from champagne & chocolate greetings to scenic city views and tickets to special events. Go to a show in your hometown or explore a new destination together through its art and architecture. Investigate the city’s history on foot, by subway or trolley for your own urban renewal.

#5 – Bucket List Adventure

Olympics Seattle WA

What places are still on your Bucket List? Where in the world do you want to go next? Make a plan with a gal pal to start taking turns on annual getaways. This year you get to choose and cross one more destination or travel experience off your list. Next year she gets to choose. But why wait to another whole year? How about twice or even four times a year instead?

#6 – Writer’s Retreat

A writer’s retreat is just the thing for wanderboomers who want to explore self-expression through poetry, memoir or the next best novel. Pick up tips of the trade from guest speakers and enjoy dedicated time to pursuing your craft with a girlfriend. By the time you return home, you will be well on your way to achieving your writing goals.

#7 – Festival Tour

Find your inner fun at a traditional festival anywhere around the world. Dance the samba at Carnival in Brazil. Or celebrate the rites of Spring at the colorful Holi Festival in India. Enjoy the annual Songwriting Festival in Gulf Shores or listen to jazz in Montreal. Don’t forget Quebec’s Winter Festival or the Sundance Film Festival which honors the best in independent films.

#8 – Trip Down Memory Lane

Through Facebook I’ve reconnected with a childhood girlfriend. We each moved on to different parts of the country long ago. But we plan to meet up again in the place where we spent our early days as best buddies. Or maybe we’ll just skip that part and sign up for the annual Beatles cruise, basking in our shared childhood memories of the Fab Four.

#9 – Voluntourism

Want to make a difference in the lives of the people you meet in your travels? Volunteer tourism provides wanderlusters with rewarding opportunities to help with hiking trails maintenance, housing projects, tutoring or care for the elderly, often in exchange for discounted travel costs. You can see the world, help the planet and build cross-cultural relationships all on one trip.

#10 – Thelma & Louise Road Trip

Quebec Road Trip

For the ultimate boomer girlfriend escape, plan your own road trip together with or without GPS. Though you might want to visualize a different ending from the movie . . . Road trips provide just the right balance of destination discoveries, thoughtful conversation and self-reflection. Get off the beaten path and enjoy your shared adventure.

Disclosure: Some, though not all, of my travel experiences seen here were provided by Idaho and Quebec tourism hosts.

Wander on!

Nancy

What’s your favorite girlfriend bonding trip, wanderboomers?

 

Filed Under: Activities, Baby Boomers and Travel, Destinations, Festivals, Food & Dining, Idaho, Make a Difference, Québec Tagged With: bonding, boomer women travel, bucket list, city slicker, cultural immersion, festival tour, foodie, gal pal, girlfriend getaway, spa travel, Thelma & Louise, volunteer trip, writer's retreat

BY Nancy Mueller 8 Comments ON January 2, 2014

Au Revoir, 2013!

Memories of 2013 may be fading fast, but before we leap too far into 2014, here are a few snapshots of  the roads I’ve wandered over the past year  . . .

Le Baluchon

In 2013 I re-discovered the beauty of the Pacific Northwest with trips to the San Juans, Whidbey Island, Idaho,
The Dalles and Seaside, Oregon, thanks to my sponsored travel hosts . . .

Port Townsend WA

I fell in love with Quebec . . .

Quebec

and flew high, sometimes outside my comfort zone  . . .

IFly Seattle

Photo courtesy of  iFly Seattle

I sampled a multitude of culinary delights along the way, which fortunately were sprinkled throughout the year . . .

2013 Meals Collage

 I made new friends fast . . .

Quebec Group

probably because we spent most of our time lounging around in bathrobes when not in spas, saunas and hot tubs . . .

2013 Review Spas

Oh, and I learned how to take selfies . . .

Hindsight

My 2013 travels brought renewed perspective . . .

Perspective

 reminding me to step back far enough . . .

Orcas Island View

and high enough . . .

View from the air

to see the bigger picture of our life stories and how we are all interconnected . . .

Rainbow Inn at Langley

 and that even when skies seem the darkest, there’s always the promise of a new rainbow  . . .

Life is Good

Here’s wishing you another year of Happy Travel Adventures both near and far, Wanderboomers!

Wander on!

Nancy

What were your 2013 travel highlights, Wanderboomers?

 

Filed Under: Activities, Baby Boomers and Travel, Destinations, Idaho, Oregon, Pacific Northwest, Québec, San Juan Island, The Dalles, Washington State, Whidbey Island Tagged With: 2013, 2013 Review, 2014, hot tub, iFLY, rainbow, sauna, selfies, spa

BY Nancy Mueller 1 Comment ON October 23, 2013

A Conversation with Cookbook Author Tina Ruggiero

Tina Ruggiero Salads Sides

* Photo by Bill Bettencourt

A culinary conversation with cookbook author Tina Ruggiero brings her audience back to basics: cooking and eating as two timeless traditions best shared and cherished with family and friends.

Tina Ruggiero Cooking Demo

At Idaho’s Sun Valley Harvest Festival last month, I had the chance to sit down and chat with Tina following her popular cooking demo.

In both her demo and in our conversation, Tina emphasized that you don’t need to be a professional chef to prepare nutritious, flavorful meals. Instead, she spoke encouragingly to novice and seasoned cooks alike:

“You need to improvise. You need to make mistakes. You need to experiment. That’s how you become a a great cook.”

Truly Healthy Family Cookbook

With a masters degree in biochemistry, Tina Ruggiero planned to become a dentist. Ultimately she switched gears, applying her math and science background to a passion for healthy cooking and eating instead.

Her latest creation, The Truly Healthy Family Cookbook, reflects Tina’s quest to educate readers in the science of food. Why? So that you can understand and evaluate what you read to ensure a nutritious diet.

Tina Ruggiero Sandwiches

* Photo by Bill Bettencourt

What I enjoy most about her cookbook – besides the delicious recipes and appealing photography – is Tina’s fun, practical approach to cooking. The recipes showcase real, simple, everyday food that anyone can cook with minimal planning and preparation. Reading through her cookbook inspires me to play in the kitchen – and that’s a good thing.

Breakfast Tina Ruggiero

Orange Infused Whole Wheat Breakfast Couscous with Cherries – Tina Ruggiero, The Gourmet Nutritionist

Ingredients

1  1/2 cups water
1 (10-ounce) bag frozen pitted dark sweet cherries, thawed
Zest and juice of one medium orange
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 cup whole wheat couscous
Dark chocolate (optional)

Method

In a medium heavy-duty pot, add water, cherries, orange juice, orange zest and maple syrup. Bring to a boil over high heat, stir in couscous and remove from heat. Cover, and let sit for 10 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork and serve with extra maple syrup. Garnish with dark chocolate, if desired.

Tina’s Tip: You can make this the night before and store it in the refrigerator. Come breakfast time, warm up the couscous in the microwave, portion into serving bowls and top with maple syrup.

Calories: 220
Protein: 8 g
Total Fat: 1 g
Carbohydrates: 49 g
Sodium: 15 mg
Fiber: 7 g

Yield: 4 cups Time: 20 minutes

Thanks to host Idaho Tourism for the opportunity to watch Tina in action at the Sun Valley Harvest Festival.  Thanks, too, for a review copy of Truly Healthy Family Cookbook.

Wander on!

Nancy

What’s your best tip for preparing healthy, nutritious meals, wanderboomers?

 

Filed Under: Activities, Baby Boomers and Travel, Food & Dining, Idaho, Reviews Tagged With: author, cookbook, cooking demo, healthy cooking, healthy eating, Idaho Sun Valley Harvest Festival, real simple, Tina Ruggiero, Truly Healthy Family Cookbook

Hello fellow wanderboomers! I’m a Seattle-based travel journalist, specializing in fun travel adventures for the young at heart. My articles have been featured in Hemispheres, AAA Highroads Magazine and Northwest Travel & Life Magazine where I'm a frequent contributor. When this Wanderboomer isn’t traveling, I help global executives polish their personal and professional brand for long-term results.
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