lesleymurphy

Spring Travel Style Guide: What to Wear While Away

May 10, 2018 by lesleymurphy 23 Comments

My manager, Bailey, always seems to have the best advice. I don’t know if it’s the fact that she’s been in the industry for years or if it’s just that she loves country music, the great outdoors and reality TV (kindred spirits), but she just gets it. I told her about my writer’s block. She could sense the frustration from a mile away and mentioned that transitions can be tough. I told her I was currently looking at my big empty suitcase, craving a trip across the world. I wanted to fill it with pretty new dresses that lined the walls of my new closet – MY NEW CLOSET. Wow. I remember the days when I used to say things like:

Bailey simply said, “Say what’s on your mind. Be open. There’s someone out there who is going through something similar. They’ll resonate with what you have to say.” Ah, yes. The truth will set you free. And help out your writer’s block while you’re at it.

Truth be told, I’m not having the easiest time adapting to domestic life. My first week in my apartment was filled with friends, a wedding, meetings and getting a new project off the ground. All of these things took my mind off the fact that I wasn’t half way across the world exploring new lands. And just like that…

The wedding was over.

The initial stages of the new project were filed.

My friends left.

I was suddenly by myself in an apartment that didn’t feel like mine. What was I going to do now? How would this affect my business? I’m a travel blogger…so why do I have a home? So many questions and insecurities began popping up. I then remembered that change is GOOD. I’m simply giving myself permission to try on a different lifestyle. I can and will absolutely still travel. I just needed a place to unpack.

Here I am on a Wednesday afternoon wanting to morph into Dora the Explorer yet again. In an effort to try to sit in one place, create new projects and meet a new community, I’m not going to book a flight to Mexico. I’m not going to hop on American Airlines to see the cheapest award ticket I can book to Europe. I’m not going to get on Skyscanner and daydream with the ‘Everywhere’ tab. Instead, I’m putting together some outfits that I’d take with me to those faraway places as spring and summer come along! They’ll be packed in my suitcase soon enough.

Ooh, Mexico

Natalie Martin Danika Silk Wrap Dress

I love this flowy, lightweight dress. It takes up .01 pounds in my luggage and is perfect for any beach trip. Hola, Mexico! I’m also high-key obsessed with Norwegian bag designer Linjer. This Tulip bag packs a punch with its two-toned colors and leather design. I don’t wear heels a ton, but when I do, they usually make a statement like these Vince Camuto tie-up sandals. Lastly, I adore my brand new Esperanza necklace in collaboration with Humanity & Hope United Foundation made by women in the remote village of La Cuchilla in Honduras. Every sale of the Esperanza necklace provides three days of work for women 🙂 Love jewelry with a story and cause behind it!

Lesley Murphy from The Road Les Traveled reveals her spring travel style

Wrap Dress (different color) // Tassel Sandals // Linjer Tulip Bag // Esperanza Marble Necklace

California Love

Madewell Demin Midi Dress

I wore this dress to an event in LA last week and loved everything about it – the boobaliscousness, the lowered back and even the length. If and when I want it shortened, I may just have to try my hand at a lil DIY snip snip action. Everyone has been asking me where I bought the yellow necklace. I can’t take it off – it’s such a ray of sunshine 🙂 Also, the pop of red on my feet makes me so happy!

Demin Dress // Yellow Necklace // Red Sandals

Southern Charmed Savannah

Boohoo Belted Shirt Dress

This dress screams 1) southern and 2) Mother’s Day brunch. Ideally, some southern belle would wear this dress out in Savannah, Georgia this Sunday to celebrate their mom. Someone do it for me, please. PLEASE. Let me live vicariously through your super southern mommy time because mine is so far away! For everyone asking for my horn necklace, you can find it here. For my bracelets, I wrote about them here.

Shirt Dress // Horn Necklace

Oh so Sweden

Nasty Gal Pleated Skirt

I’ve been told I look like Snow White, that I’m straight out of Sweden, and that I resemble Blake Lively in this photo. I’m more than happy to accept all three! If you can’t tell I’m crushing on blue and yellow right now, get some glasses. I’ve always loved this color combo but DANG I’m obsessed this season. I think hair up in a messy pony with a hair scarf is such a fun playful touch, too. Nasty Gal is sold out of the skirt, but check below for lots of sunny hued similar ones!

Life is short. I like to make it as colorful as possible with what I wear 🙂

Photos by photographer Baby Got Bokeh. If you’re looking for a talented wedding or lifestyle photog in Southern California, she’s your girl.

Moving On & Moving In: I Have A New Home!

May 1, 2018 by lesleymurphy 88 Comments

As of May 1, 2018, I have a HOME. ROOTS…KINDA. A PLACE TO PUT MY BAJILLION SUITCASES.

That feels odd to say, and I feel a strange reverse culture shock coming on…

I’ve become comfortable telling people I’m homeless as they gaze at me with suspicious eyes. “Where do you live?” they ask. “Well, nowhere really.” So many questions. I then go down the travel blogger rabbit hole.

Of course I’ve always had my parents’ home in Arkansas or my sister’s apartment in Dallas as a retreat between trips around the globe, but I haven’t carried keys of my own since April 30th, 2015 in South America.

For 36 months I didn’t pay rent, I haven’t taken out the trash, and I might just be the worst cook in America at this point. I’ve been without a kitchen but damn did I rack up some airline miles. I can’t tell you a more freeing feeling than that.

It was time to unpack the beat up suitcase and get a home…but where was the question. It’s kind of like the age old problem of what birthday or Christmas gift do you get someone who already has everything? My version of that is where do you tell a travel blogger to live when they’ve had a taste of so many amazing places around the globe? I remember being in this same mindset around the beginning of last year and then boom. Two big surgeries happened. Oh well. That’s a year of rent money saved and a life of cancer free boobs, a win in my book. Being this location independent and this geographically noncommittal proved a bit difficult to choose where to land. Not ONE specific place jumped out. I could just as well be in LA or Dallas or Barcelona. Nothing made sense to me and to be honest, it still doesn’t. My reasoning behind LA was work (my agency is based here and so are many other projects), direct flights from LAX (score) and having already lived here in a previous life (circa 2013 with my sister). But a gypsy soul is a gypsy soul. That’s why I signed a 5 month lease in a furnished apartment. Nothing is permanent, and I like it like that.

Today it’s rainy and gray here in LA, a very odd welcome to a notoriously sunny and 70something city. Perhaps that’s not such a bad omen, though. The day I moved to D.C. years ago, my car got totaled (love you, mom!). The day I moved to Argentina, the airline lost my luggage – but look how good that adventure turned out! I started an amazing career in travel and the rest is history. I have a good feeling about planting some roots for the time being 🙂

I will absolutely continue to travel, even with a home. For three years, I said ‘yes’ to almost everything that came my way. I think it’s imperative to do this in the beginning stages of anything…and I’ll always say that it’s important to say ‘yes’ more than ‘no’ in life. The amount of stories, contacts and memories that can come from it is invaluable. After trying my hardest to get as many experiences under my belt in three years, I’m excited to take on more meaningful trips instead of jumping on a plane just to jump on a plane (and don’t get me wrong – there’s nothing bad about that!). Reinventing yourself and evolving is a necessity, and I’m happy to shift gears and start a new lifestyle. My gosh – it’s just an apartment, right? I like to look at everything as an experiment. A new city? Experiment. A new home? Same thing. A new recipe? Definitely. A new baby? Damn sure gotta be. A new reality TV show? Mmhmm. A new boyfriend? Let’s just say some experiments are better than others.

Hotel life will always be there, but this is me giving myself permission to try on a new lifestyle, new projects and a new community. If I vehemently dislike it, LAX is only 5 miles away 🙂 There’s always Paris. Or Buenos Aires. Or Cape Town. Or Vancouver. Or Shanghai. Or Sydney. The list goes on and on…but I have a feeling this sun room is going to be hard to leave! I am already low-key obsessed with this lil one bedroom paradise…

The Road Les Traveled has been beyond exciting, sometimes bumpy, a little bit scary but always a hell of a time. I simply just turned right along the scenic route for a bit 😉 From surgeries to travel to The Bachelor, I’ve always loved taking y’all along with me. This sense of community has kept me going on the road for years and hopefully always will! I hope you’ve enjoyed this new update! Thanks for sticking with me along the way. Now feel free to sign off with your favorite recipes, cleaning supplies, bedding, or anything else remotely domestic because I’m a wee bit lost when it comes to this category. Love y’all to the moon and back!

15 Ways to Bounce Back After A Break Up

April 20, 2018 by lesleymurphy 21 Comments

If you’re all “Help! I suck at dating” like some people I know, consider these practices an aid if you’re going through some hard times. And even if you don’t suck at dating, you can apply these practices to other life events. Many of you sent in message after message about going through similar pain and asking for tips on how to heal a broken heart and move on. Here’s what I’ve been up to the past couple of weeks…

(Sidenote: this photo was too good/dramatic NOT to put here. Break up talk in the rain with an umbrella ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Perfect placement if I do say so myself. Gotta love Costa Rica in rainy season.)

Nature

I’ve been very drawn to nature recently. I don’t want to be inside a gym to work out. I don’t want to watch any sort of TV (except for binging Queer Eye because it’s THAT good and makes me laugh and happy cry all at the same time). I crave being by a body of water or amongst trees for a run. It’s no secret that nature is cheaper than therapy 🙂 When I had my surgery last year, one of the first trips I took was a solo trip to Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. WHOA. Talking about healing powers. I came back healed and happy as a clam. (Are clams even happy though? Profound thoughts of the day…)

Gym

Run. Run. And run some more. I’m not saying run away from your problems at all, but get the endorphins going as they act as a natural “drug” that make people more energetic, more awake and, yes, happier 🙂 If you’re in the mood to hit something, may I suggest Title Boxing? Love that place. I was talking with a good friend last week who gave me some advice. She told me when she was going through a break up, she allowed herself to only think about her ex while on the treadmill. Don’t give him any more brain power than that.

Music

The lovely late poet John O’Donohue once said that music is what language would love to be if it could. It moves people in a way that simple words cannot. It can transport the listener and take them to another place entirely. It can bring out the greatest joy as well as the deepest sorrow, but the healing force is undeniable…whether it be fierce girl power by Beyoncé or melancholic music from Ruth B.

After loads of requests, I’ve complied some powerful songs that pack a punch to get you through hard times. It goes through the anatomy of a break up, and I call it Catching Flights Not Feelings.

Yoga

It’s been hard to be present recently. Some days I felt like I was just going through the motions and not fully aware of what was going on around me. This is something I’ve always struggled with, though, since I’m always writing about the past and planning for future travels. It’s hard to be truly mindful of where I currently am sometimes. Because of that, I’ve been able to find new meaning in yoga. I’ve been practicing for 8 years now, but it hasn’t been until the past few years that I looked at it as something more than just a workout. More on that later, but if you’re a beginner and want to get into yoga, I’d suggest finding a local studio and going to a Beginner’s class. If you aren’t near a studio, try out YogaGlo.com. I used this platform all the time while living in Argentina and fell in love 🙂 One of my favorite teachers is Katheryn Budig, but I’d suggest trying out many different instructors to see who you like.

Road trips

I went to Dallas the day of the break up. I cried. I yelled. I sang at the top of my lungs for 4 1/2 hours. It was all very therapeutic.

Friends and wine

Keep them. Love them. Cherish them. They are both good food/drink for the soul.

Dogs

They will always be excited to see you when you walk in the door. Affectionate, loving and comforting 27/4 and what’s better than that? Short answer: nothing.

Baths

Lots of them. With wine. Bubbles. Pizza. Anything can compliment a bath if you let it.

No alarm clocks

Self love is important, and proper self love is good sleep. I remember turning all of my alarms off last year while I recovered from surgery, and I did the same thing for a few days this April as well.

Writing

Oooh so therapeutic. Even if you aren’t a writer, try it. It might surprise you. If there are still loose ends you want to tie up, write him/her a letter. I was able to speak my mind and say every little last thing which was so cathartic, but I know that not everyone gets that opportunity.

Reading

Anything. Trashy romance novels. Self help books. Gossip mags. Cookbooks. Whatever floats your boat. I just started The Love Gap by Jenna Birch who was kind enough to send me a copy. She talks about millennial themes in dating and why smart women are still single…WHY JENNA? So.many.questions.

Travel

Ohhh Mexico. It sounds so simple I just got to go… James Taylor knew exactly what he was talking about with these lyrics. Visit Mexico sent me to Mazatlán for some beach time and travel conference time, but yeah, mostly beach time. Somethin’ bout the ocean ya know? Check out Skyscanner‘s ‘Everywhere’ option when typing inside the TO box. It’ll show you the cheapest tickets from your airport to anywhere in the world for whatever dates you put in.

Listen

Podcasts. Like blogs, they’ve been around for a while but they’ve recently really caught on. Lots of people have them, so it’s just about listening to finding out what sings to you.

Recommendations:

This American Life: Break-Up – Someone on Twitter suggested this episode to me, so I listened to it while on a long walk. The beginning part about Phil Collins and writing the perfect break-up song was pretty entertaining.

On Being with Krista Tippett: The Inner Landscape of Beauty with John O’Donohue – This may be my favorite episode of a podcast I’ve ever listened to. It’s pretty intense and gets super deep, so stay with it. Lots of goldmines in the last half of it!

10% Happier with Dan Harris – This is actually my favorite book, but Dan has created a podcast with the same overarching theme of the book. He talks with various people to see if there’s anything beyond that 10%.

Watch

QUEER EYE. Low key obsessed and you should probably be too. Seeing these 5 men in their element and bridging the gap in a very divided America is e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. It’s on Netflix if you haven’t yet feasted your eyes. Do it.

Unfollow

Social media is a blessing and a curse. Some days it reinstalls my faith in humanity and how beautiful it is. Some days it’s a total drag from Trolly McTollersons. Haters gunna hate. Playas gunna play. F*boys gunna f.

Like Beyoncé once said – he’s probably the best thing you never had. Onwards and upwards, y’all.

Your turn – any advice on break up activities?

Happy Birthday Foobs! Life A Year Later

April 11, 2018 by lesleymurphy 22 Comments

Exactly 365 days ago on April 11th, 2017, I remember walking into the Cancer Institute in Little Rock, Arkansas around 5:30am. It was so early, but I knew I’d be comatose on an O.R. table soon. Cameras were following me down the hallways since Inside Edition was covering the story. I was led into a changing room where I put on compression socks and a chic blue hat. A nurse stuck an IV in my arm and handed me Marinol to swallow, sort of like an FDA approved form of marijuana, if you will. I started feeling really good about the whole process here. I kissed my parents goodbye and was wheeled into the operating room. The last thing I remember is laughing with my breast surgeon who was wearing a Hello Kitty cap. Good times, good times.

Lesley Murphy talks about her one year post double mastectomy

Seven hours later, I woke up.

It’s almost impossible to describe the pain. I could show photos that would give you a better idea, but they are more than graphic. Corpse-like or losing a bear fight are accurate descriptions of what I looked like, but having my chest detach from my body is what it felt like. It’s funny to remember the feeling of getting out of that hospital bed for the first time, but it’s almost as if my mind has since gone through this weird case of amnesia. Not that I’ve gone through child birth, but I feel like women forget about the pain as time goes on. We are badasses like that, I know, but it’s as if the magic outweighs the trauma. Some people get new babies. Other people get new boobs.

Isn’t the human body the most amazing thing? A year later, I’m back doing the same workouts, just in different sports bras 🙂 I remember being so frustrated with my yoga practice towards the end of last year, but I can finally do chaturanga again among other asanas, and I’m getting more comfortable spending time on my stomach. I can’t fall asleep in this position yet, but I’m determined to go unconsciously comfortable in it one day soon.

I didn’t realize how much work chest muscles do in order to preform little tasks. Opening doors and all sorts of bottles isn’t necessarily easy anymore. Nothing pisses me off more than a child proof pill container. When I exercise or stand in a weird position, sometimes my boobs ripple, but then I remember that I have a 1% chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer in my life, and that’s pretty fucking cool. I think the two most important things to be aware of in this situation are support systems and a healthy body image/self love/acceptance. Nobody can walk through this alone, and with the help of amazing family, friends and social media strangers, I was able to bounce back quickly. I’ve also grown up with a healthy outlook on body image. My parents raised three daughters, and I never once remember a scale ever being in the house. Obsessing over numbers only drives insanity. The positive attitude I hold towards my own physical being helped me look in the mirror after the fact and continue to like what I saw. Cool scars. Battle wounds. Badges of honor. Really strange yet unique tattoos with a story 🙂

Spoiler alert – a close up of my foobs is upon you…

Now that that’s out of the way, this leads me to another important, yet awkward, realization.

Dating after a double mastectomy can be really weird. I can tell my story all day for advocacy and awareness reasons, but to tell a potential partner about what to expect is scary, no matter how confident you may be about your decision. Your partner should find you sexy because you are, not because you’re brave or because they feel an obligation to say certain words to your face. I’m low key obsessed with previvor Paige and her boyfriend Justin. It’s so important that the support and communication continue throughout a relationship, in and out of the bedroom, and on and off screen…

April seems to have morphed its way into a healing month for me. Much growth comes from pain, no matter if that pain manifests its way in the physical or emotional form.

You’re gonna be happy, said Life, but first I’ll make you strong.

Ohhhh how I love this quote. Suffering, of any kind, connects us all. It unifies humanity in a way that always gives us some kind of common ground. Every experience has the ability to shape us into powerful people if we allow it and most importantly, if we FEEL it. If we never process a change that’s trying to take place within us, we risk not being able to shift old habits and patterns. If we allow that growth and transformation to take place, beautiful things can blossom.

Going public with my preventative double mastectomy has taught me that being open and vulnerable not only aids in the healing process, but it can also save lives. I don’t mean for that to sound all Grey’s Anatomy dramatic, but I have never known the sheer power of social media and blogging until this experience. Having such a great support group is imperative in healing, and I know that sharing my story has helped other women with a similar story cope with the emotional and physical pain. To thrive. To rise. To survive. Cancer or no cancer. I believe that when we’re open, authentic, and portray the truest version of ourselves, our confidence has an opportunity to shine brighter than ever before. It’s approachable and creates a domino effect, giving other women who walk a similar path the strength they need to finish the drill. At the end of the day, we know that whatever we went through had a purpose(s). Bloom on, wild ones.

Happy bday, foobs 🙂

Puerto Rico, Past & Present

March 20, 2018 by lesleymurphy 18 Comments

Today marks six months since Hurricane Maria. Out of the seven times I visited, two were humanitarian trips. It’s crazy to think how I visited so often in the beginning, trying to highlight all the incredible things the island had to offer. From the pristine nature to the street festivals, I saw Puerto Rico at its best. After September 20th, 2017, I saw it at its worst. With destruction all over the news, I couldn’t stop thinking about the shattered island. I had to get down there. The problem with doing aid work is that you can’t just show up and say, “Hey! I’m here to help!” You must be involved with some kind of organization or non-profit. Volunteer work gets messy if structure goes out the window. I called everyone I knew with ties to Puerto Rico. I put up IG stories saying if anyone knew of anyone, PLEASE put us in contact. I even thought about trying to charter a plane there, but thankfully a friend of mine was one step ahead of me. I was way out of my league by that point.

One day in September, I received a DM from a woman in Miami saying she had just dropped off donations at a warehouse. All she gave me was an address, a name and a number. I called it that very day and in early October, I met with the founding partners of a coalition made up of Alison Thompson from Third Wave Volunteers, Michael Capponi from Global Empowerment Mission and Bethenny Frankel from B Strong (and amazing reality TV). I’m forever grateful for complete strangers and fine human beings willing to work together for the greater good. From sun up to way past sundown, this group met at a 100,000 square foot warehouse daily and managed logistics and made deals with donors and operated forklifts and packed first aid kits and wrapped palette after palette and attended fundraisers and ah. My heart swells when I think back on that crazy October. After years of traveling to unbelievable places around the globe, I fully realize how important it is to give back to those locations that have given me so much – memories, friends, work, adventure, a touch of home.

A few days before I had to depart Miami, we got a call that a someone had chartered a plane to Puerto Rico for a small group. The government had contracted all the cargo planes and commercial jets weren’t operating on normal schedules. With the money raised from his restaurant’s fundraiser in Denver, Juan Padro used the proceeds — more than $100,000 — to distribute aid on the island. We packed the plane with food, water filters and solar lights as Alison Thompson, world-renowned Humanitarian Extraordinaire, led the way. Read Juan’s raw and honest account of that period in time here.

I had never seen Puerto Rico in this state. As we pulled out of the airport, there were no swaying palm trees. Many were without palms entirely, only a bare stump to remain as a sign of calmer times. Hoards of people waited in desperation to purchase food from corner stores that began to operate again. Lines of people clogged the airport in an effort to get off the island. A maze of cars descended upon gas stations with fuel. There were far fewer locals with carefree grins along their faces, their lives having been turned upside down by Hurricane Irma and Maria.

During my first day on the island, I met a five-year-old boy named Eliam. He lived in a crippling house on Crash Boat Beach near Aguadilla, an area that experienced 215 mph winds during the hurricane. Eliam was very shy, and when I spoke to him in Spanish, he answered me in English. I kept on, asking him about his home and how he was feeling after the hurricane. He told me his family cannot cook, cannot bathe, cannot drink, and cannot turn on any lights. Nobody had been to check on them in weeks. I handed him a water filter and a solar light with a heavy heart, showing him the light’s different settings of low, high and emergency. He walked away from me that evening with a glimmer of hope and a lifted spirit. I can’t adequately explain to you how it felt when an elderly woman looked me in the eyes with pure elation after she was handed a light source and water filter. She’d seen zero aid until we showed up. Children were ecstatic because they could see through the darkness again. When the most simplistic features and basic needs become luxuries, humanity is stripped of egos, of status, of prejudice..

My very first trip of 2018 was back to Puerto Rico with my favorite human in the travel biz, Brian Kelly, affectionately known as ‘The Points Guy.’ He, alongside See Puerto Rico, organized an amazing trip full of beach clean ups, house repairs, children hospital visits and a fun Three King’s Day celebration (one of the island’s biggest holidays) in Juana Diaz.

What a time to be alive. I loved everything about this trip, and even though we hardly slept, I think we did a good job of raising morale and showing the world that San Juan and other areas of the island are absolutely ready for tourism. This island has made a HUGE comeback since September.

If you’ve skimmed through this article, at least remember this: Don’t shy away from visiting Puerto Rico. I repeat: The island is ready for tourism! Some parts of the island still have rebuilding to do, but the locals are beyond resilient and won’t be defined by any storm.

Get ready to shop in its charming streets…

Bask in the warm sand…

Stay in its stunning hotels…

And take in its beautiful views 🙂

Keeping Up With Kerala: What To Do in South India

March 19, 2018 by lesleymurphy 2 Comments

South India is such a stark contrast to the north. English is known by 99% of people down here which makes things a bit easier. All states in India speak different languages making it impossible for people to understand one another if/when they travel outside of their comfort zone. Cows aren’t considered as holy down south. A lot of beef is consumed in Kerala, and Christmas is even celebrated. Seafood is plentiful. Palms trees are in abundance, which means coconuts rule the land 🙂 Every part of the fruit is utilized such as the fibers for ropes, milk for oil/cooking and shells for iron. Sarees are even worn differently here with a tube top addition. The higher the humidity, the less clothing. I support it.

Our first activity while in the south was a cooking class in a local’s home. I was EXTREMELY out of my element here since I haven’t had a kitchen in three years, but it was great to see what actually goes into creating these masterpieces.

In terms of flavors, I noticed that the meat or fish actually do the talking. They’re spiced just right without drowning in rich sauces. Flavors tend to be smoother here, not so much a northern hit-you-in-the-face kind of spice that’ll knock your tongue off. All in all, India loves its curry, an umbrella term used to describe foods with various spices usually prepared in a sauce. That’s a commonality amongst all states.

The lovely couple who welcomed us into their kitchen pretty much finished the cooking for us (I mean I had ZERO clue what I was doing in there besides wiping my sweat every 5 seconds with a tissue), and we ate and ate and ate like Indian princesses drenched in their own dried sweat, only ready to sweat some more because they couldn’y handle the teeniest ounce of spice to their bland AF palette. Feeling 6 months pregnant and ready for an ice bath, I rolled myself out the door, thanking the local couple kindly. Aren’t we quite the modern family?

Kerala seemed like one big giant retreat the entire week we explored. Out of the 10ish beds we slept in during our two weeks in India, some of my favorite hotels resided in the south.

The Best Vibe Award goes to Coconut Lagoon Hotel. Its coconut groves and backwater canals created a romantic element and laid back atmosphere that I adored.

Kumarakom Lake Resort gets my vote for Best Experience because there’s nothing more tranquil than spending three hours cruising through the backwaters of Kerala on your very own houseboat. Ahhhhhh.

Not all houseboats are created equal. One of the best parts was seeing all the shapes and sizes these things came in 🙂

We then drove 4 hours through small villages to a beautiful waterfront Relais & Châteaux property known as Niraamaya Retreats in Kovalam. This is where I did my one and only yoga class in all of India, and I couldn’t have asked for a better setting than overlooking the Arabian Sea.

Final Thoughts

Hannah, Trip Designer Extraordinaire from Curio Trips, planned North and South India perfectly. From authentic experiences mixed with luxurious settings in the north to ending in the most tranquil environment of the south, I know I barely scratched the surface in this magical country, giving us much to explore upon our return.

lesleymurphy