Book Review + Giveaway – Travel Therapy: Where Do You Need to Go?

06/4/09  Print This Post Print This Post    9 Comments   Popular   Written by Julie Schwietert
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Stressed out? Travel Therapy aims to relax you by providing various trip suggestions to help you decompress.
Bermuda

Photo by Lola Akinmade

Overview

The driving assumption of Travel Therapy is that you–a stressed out female reader–need a break. You’ve got relationship, work, or health problems (or worse, all three) and you just need to get away– “change your attitude by changing your environment,” as the author says.

Realizing this, the author has put together a quiz-based approach to help you decide what type of vacation you need, and then offers a menu of options about destinations and activities that would fulfill your specific needs.

Travel Therapy: Where Do You Need to Go?

It’s an approach that isn’t likely to appeal to most Matador readers– check out our community members’ profiles and you’ll see that most don’t have any lack of ideas about where they want to go or what they want to do– but perhaps it works for some women.

Verdict

Travel Therapy is a pretty book, with glossy pages and enticing photos.

But it’s loaded with exclamation marks and cliches that might turn off the seasoned traveler.

If you’re really stymied about where to go on your next trip or what kind of getaway you need, then this book might be a useful place to start.

But you could get even more varied ideas just by hanging around Matador for a while.

Contest Giveaway

Where’s the most therapeutic place you’ve ever been? What place helped you wash your blues away?

Post a link to a photo of the place that blissed you out and a short description of its therapeutic qualities by midnight on Thursday, June 11 PST.

We’ll pick our favorite and give away a copy of Travel Therapy. We’ll also feature the photos on Matador Trips.

Community Connection

Want to know more about travel therapy? Head over to Brave New Traveler for our interview with author Karen Schaler.


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About the Author

Matador ID: collazo

Julie Schwietert is the managing editor of Matador Network. She contributed a chapter to the recently published book, The Voluntary Traveler, and is currently working on five features for Fodor's Puerto Rico, 6th Edition.

9 Comments... join the discussion!

  • Asa replied on June 4, 2009

    I would have to say this photo captures my idea of travel therapy. This was on a hike that’d I’d wanted to do for a few years but could never work out the logistics to do it. It required 20 miles of kayaking on two different lakes, a 2 mile land portage and a 5 mile hike with 4,000 feet of elevation gain. I eventually found someone crazy enough to do it with me and the weather turned out to be absolutely amazing. Ross Lake is one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen and the view from Desolation Peak is worth every sweat drop of effort getting there.

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  • Donna replied on June 4, 2009

    Never been anywhere. Stuck in Florida my entire life..BooHoo. Sent my son to Europe last year.

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  • Powered by Tofu replied on June 4, 2009

    The beaches inside Manuel Antonio National Park in Costa Rica. You have to pay to enter the park, so it stays much cleaner than the public beaches in Manuel Antonio. The day I was there, it was closed when I arrived in the morning, but by the afternoon they had opened it with free entry, but by that time people had left, so the park was really empty and it was like our own private beach!

    The pic:
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/poweredbytofu/3595579983/

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  • Keith Jenkins replied on June 4, 2009

    I find Bali very therapeutic. It can be very hectic & the traffic is sometimes horrendous (especially around the main tourist areas) but there’s something about the charm and grace of the Balinese, the enchanting scenery and temples, and the amazing spas (the concept was probably invented there!) that I find absolutely soothing. Sinking my feet into the cool sand of Jimbaran or Seminyak with a cold beer and a lobster platter while watching the sunset is my idea of bliss!

    This pic was taken in Jimbaran: http://www.twitpic.com/6mstx/full

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  • Dave and Deb replied on June 4, 2009

    After cycling 4000 km and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro there is no better place to relax than Nungwi, Zanzibar. Turquoise waters, fresh seafood and sandy beaches that reach far out to sea at low tide will wash your blues away and rejuvenate you for the road ahead. Here is my photo of zen.
    http://theplanetd.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/crw_9103.jpg

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  • Dave Bouskill replied on June 4, 2009

    While traveling South East Asia things can get pretty hectic. Touts will hassle you, the traffic will test your nerves and the noise can drive you crazy. In Thailands far south on the Malaysian border the small island of Ko Lipe will take you away from it all, where you can relax on the beach and enjoy the serenity. Here is my photo of bliss.

    http://www.picturetheplanet.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/kolipeprint.jpg

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  • Carlene replied on June 5, 2009

    My most therapeutic place to visit is the beach. We try to go to the beach in FL. each year. Please include me in your giveaway.
    Thanks
    carlene
    iluvreading(at)verizon.net

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  • MRS.MOMMYY replied on June 5, 2009

    I want to escape somewhere where there is nothing to do but look at the sky- the water and sleep- a beach is great- but being in the mountains in a cabin with a breeze and a beautiful sunset woudl be awesome too

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  • Emilie S replied on June 7, 2009

    The most perfect day I’ve ever had was in Bourgas, Bulgaria, and I spent a large portion of the day at the beach there…good food, gorgeous day, just wonderful.

    emvark at gmail dot com

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