Sleeper trains can be many things — comfortable, cramped, bumpy, awe-inspiring, isolating, social, luxurious, and unbearable.
31.01.2025 - 15:37 / insider.com
In many ways, my partner and I are proof that opposites attract.
For starters, he adores mountains and hikes, while I prefer a big city and spas. Although we both love to travel, our preferred itineraries, activities, and destinations can be pretty different.
Over time, though, we've figured out how to plan couples trips that we can both enjoy together.
Whenever possible, we try to find activities and excursions that feature something we're both passionate about, like cycling.
I love a spin class, and he adores mountain biking. So, when we travel, we look for bike tours. One of our favorite trips featured a bike tour through the French countryside that included a picnic.
We also combined our interests on a day trip to Tolantongo, just a few hours north of Mexico City.
Since we both enjoy being in and around water, we relaxed in hillside hot-spring pools, ziplined, explored caves hidden behind waterfalls, and lounged by a thermal river to end the day.
The experience combined the relaxing vibes of a spa day (my favorite) with a stunning outdoor landscape (his favorite) that blew us both away.
Plus, we try to combine our priorities and preferences when booking accommodations.
Last summer, he wanted to go horseback riding and camping in Montana's Big Sky. So, I found an Airbnb close enough to the wilderness (for him) with a massive bathtub (for me) to relax in after a day in the great outdoors.
Sometimes, the best gift you can give your partner is letting them introduce you to an activity that makes them light up inside.
This helps us lean into our individual interests while still making memories together. For example, I love spending a day vintage shopping for the perfect pair of boots or a jacket that I definitely don't need.
My partner is wonderful and patient as I rummage through racks of secondhand goodies — and I'm the same way when he takes me on a three-hour hike.
Plus, while trying activities my partner is excited about, I've learned more about myself and what I enjoy.
I'll never forget the rush of endorphins I felt while whitewater rafting in Colorado or how special it was to see a moose and her baby while hiking in Wyoming.
If we're struggling to find common ground, we'll take turns choosing destinations and activities.
Usually, if I pick one trip, he'll choose the next. If neither of us really has a preference, we'll draw a destination out of a hat.
Doing so is easy because we prioritize each other's happiness and know each other's limits — he knows I'm open to camping, but only if there's electricity nearby.
Sleeper trains can be many things — comfortable, cramped, bumpy, awe-inspiring, isolating, social, luxurious, and unbearable.
Once a bohemian enclave popular among surfers and backpackers, the Oaxacan town of Brisas de Zicatela (or “La Punta,” as locals call it), just south of Puerto Escondido, has evolved into a buzzing tourist spot, its big waves and boisterous mezcal bars now attracting a still young but decidedly less countercultural crowd. Hotel Humano, the latest offering from Mexico City-based Grupo Habita, both embraces the area’s lively ambience and offers a refined respite from it. The 39-room, three-level property opened in late December on a busy street that becomes a party strip every evening, but its striking design creates an elegant barrier between the action outside and the considered details within (while an enforced municipal ordinance also requires loud music to stop at 11 p.m.). The building, designed by Jorge Hernández de la Garza, follows the current fad, in local architecture, of disguising heavy concrete structures with earthy textures meant to evoke vernacular constructions; here, breeze walls made of pale clay bricks provide privacy and shade, allowing air to sweep through. Linen lampshades, toffee-hued glazed tiles and big stainless steel sinks by Madrid-based Plantea Estudio add a lighter, contemporary touch, most effectively in eight suites featuring terraces with soaking pools. Guests and visitors alike can enjoy Humano’s casual cafe and juice bar in the double-height lobby, French fare by the self-taught chef Marion Chateau served in the palapa-covered poolside restaurant and the rooftop bar’s concrete bleachers — La Punta’s best spot to take in the sky at dusk.
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