The Secret Sauce that Makes Any Travel or Life Experience Magical…
Does not come in a bottle and is not sold in stores.
Welcome to this subscribers-only edition of What I’d Rather Be Talking About!
In case you’re new here, I publish a free lifestyle/travel/wellness/interview newsletter called What I’d Rather Be Talking About every Thursday.
On Saturdays, I offer a second newsletter (I call it The Saturday Sidebar, as if I’m pulling you aside to tell you top secret info) - with behind the scenes travel tips, more wellness info, and special bonus content exclusive to subscribers. (It’s about the price of two cups of coffee per month, so not a bad deal.)
I’ll give you a sneak peek of today’s newsletter below, but if you’d like to read the whole thing today (and every Saturday), consider becoming a paid subscriber.
Welcome to The Saturday Sidebar!
Today’s newsletter comes to you from 35,000 feet, as my husband and I are flying our favorite airline - Iberia - from Madrid to home sweet home. I’m writing this newsletter on the plane (Friday) because I know by the time we get home, I’ll be a jet-lagged zombie in no condition to write a newsletter.
I’m going to give you a little synopsis of the flight and our trip… but you’ll really want to read to the very end to see the magical thing I learned about energy - good energy - and how one particular thing can change your next trip (and maybe even life). Stay with me to the end!
Back to the flight…
I paused while writing to take a picture of the flight map so I could report our exact location.
And, can you believe at that precise moment I looked at the map, I saw our little cartoon plane near the word Bermuda?
For a normal person, this would be inconsequential.
But, if you know me, you know I’m a bit woo-woo and superstitious. So of course I thought of the Bermuda Triangle. And let the record note that never in the history of my checking the flight map have I noticed Bermuda on the map - I’m really hoping however big this Bermuda Triangle thing is, we’ll be safe. Fingers crossed.
(If not, you’ll know/not know why you didn’t get today’s Saturday Sidebar.)
Update, no Bermuda Triangle issues. (Shocking, I know.)
Meanwhile, I’ve been doing my best to entertain myself on this long air journey. For someone who can barely sit through a 30 second commercial, a 9 hour flight is a challenge for sure.
Here’s what I’ve been doing to get through…
Binging on Modern Family, The Office, Spain Revealed, and some random music channels.
Sampling the Vitamin Well Reload (Spain’s version of Vitamin Water) that I bought at the airport with leftover Euros.
Not only did the bottle promise Vitamins B & D, Magnesium & Zinc, it was delivered with a special message in the vending machine - see pic below. Who doesn’t want to take joy with them on a long haul flight. Right?
Finally, I decided to pretend I was an influencer and use the flight to really work on my skin game. So… I prepared by buying some sample sized products at duty free. My purchases included a cleanser I chose because it was inexpensive and had a great name, The Ritual of Namaste. (I mean, how can a yogi resist?)
And since who can stop with cleansing, you’ve also got to moisturize, I also bought some Korean “Skin Hero” Serum. I’ve heard Korean skin care is all the rage, but had no clue as to what brand was best. So, I decided to ask the nice clerk at duty free, who reminded me of Sally Field (think Gidget). Ana was super friendly and examined the tube when I asked her about it. After some thought, she told me it would completely restore my skin in 7 hours. For the record, this was written on the bottle, but since Ana was so nice and had great energy, I decided she knew her skin care. Plus, she laughed when I asked her if I’d look like I was 29 at the end of the flight, so I decided to go for it.
Ana, the friendly face of Duty Free.
I’ve also been using the flight as a bit of a get back to reality-check. I’ve organized my trip notes for future articles, made a to-do list for home (more like to-do book), and started to sort through all the pics I took over these past two weeks.
My conclusion? While our trip was just two weeks, it felt we’d been gone for two years… but in a good way.
It’s crazy how fast a trip flies by. The first days of the trip now feel like a distant memory, and going through the pics reminded me of all the delicious pintxos we sampled in Pamplona and San Sebastian, the great wine we sipped throughout all of Spain, the always delightful cafe con (o sin) leche, and our visits to amazing hotels, cathedrals, shops, and sights.
As soon as I sort out all the details, you’re going to hear more - I promise.
But for now, I want to share the one thing I realized that’s the ticket to a memorable meal, shopping experience, tour, flight, or trip in general.
It’s also the ticket to remembering and cherishing any life experience…
For a guaranteed good time… find people with great energy.
As it turns out, the most memorable parts of the past two weeks weren’t the delicious meals/pintxos, beautiful sites, or the great experiences.
All of those things were amazing, don’t get me wrong.
But, the memories I’m taking home are thanks to the beautiful people we encountered, and their positive energy and vibes.
For example…
When a meal is made by someone who genuinely cares about it, you, and providing a positive experience, that food is amazing. No matter what it is.
When a hotel breakfast comes with a server who smiles, not for the sake of smiling or because their manager is watching, but because they’re a genuinely warm person, I’ll come back to that hotel.
When you go in a shop and can literally feel how much the artist loves what she does… you buy her jewelry. I speak from experience as this happened when we walked into Rocio Jewels. (She’s been featured in Vogue Spain.) Be sure to stop in if you’re ever in Valencia!
When you’ve got friends 4100 miles away whose mantra is to enjoy life and always be happy and positive, you’ll do what it takes to visit those friends as often as you can and have them come visit you.
Great energy is magnetic. Great energy is worth seeking out.
Wishing you a weekend full of fabulous energy.
WEEKEND LINEUP:
Mel Robbins tells us how to protect our energy and create a positive life.
Travel isn’t just a good time, it has healing powers too. Find out why here.
Speaking of travel, anyone headed to Italy? If so, here are some Italy travel tips from Giada De Laurentiis and if you’re staying home, you can still enjoy the taste of Italy on Giada’s YouTube Channel or follow her on IG.
Save this one for your next long haul trip - The Washington Post tells us The Completely Correct Guide to Fighting Jet Lag. I’ll be reviewing that one.
Like positive people, music can pump you up… listen to this Rx for a Happy Morning or try these 41 upbeat summer songs to add to your bbq or day at the beach.
And, who can resist 26 Easy Summer Recipes that Will Make You Feel Better About Everything?
Finally, here’s something cool I saw on my travels in Europe. Wondering when it’ll hit the US. (See my pic above of Vitamin Water for an example.)
And… full disclosure, I stopped writing somewhere mid-flight. Currently, it’s early Friday evening back home but my body clock thinks it’s 2:30 a.m. So, I’m headed to bed before I fall over.
Wishing you a fabulous weekend!
Abbey