Time for a Flower-filled Vacation
Provence, Holland, Japan, California, Oman, the Azores, England, the Swiss Alps – what do these places have in common? They all have a spectacular floral landscape. Provence has their lavender, Holland their tulips, Japan their cherry blossoms, Oman their roses, California their poppies, the Azores their hydrangeas, England their bluebells and the Swiss Alps their wild flowers.
When planning a vacation we normally think of which tropical beach, vibrant city, or snow-covered mountain we’ll go to. Having ‘flowers’ as the focus of your travels isn’t something many people have thought of. Let me introduce you to ‘Floral Tourism’ – planning your vacation destination based on the floral seasons.
You may be wondering why you would make flowers the focus of your trip, but consider these three reasons:
1 – When you’re visiting one of these flower-filled locations, you still experience the culture, people, food and language like any other holiday destination, but you’ve added another layer to your experience by treating your senses to local, seasonal flowers blooming en masse;
2 – Holidays are meant to be relaxing, but they can also be stressful. It’s scientifically proven that flowers decrease anxiety, so imagine the positive impact on your vacation when surrounded by fresh, gorgeous flowers;
3 – Flowers, with their vibrant colours and sweet fragrance create a warmth and beauty to the moment. The strong impressions they make will strengthen the memories of your vacation.
The place I’ve always said is the top of my list to visit is Provence. All that lavender would be heavenly and so relaxing! My goal is to get there within the next five years. But I’ve added another top destination to the list, and that’s England. I’ve been to England many times, but never when the bluebells are in bloom, and that is what I really want to see. I can just image a woodland scene carpeted in a sea of bright blue.
When traveling to see flowers in bloom there are several things you need to know to guarantee a successful trip. Most important (of course) is knowing when the flowers are in bloom. But you also want to plan where you will stay, what mode of transportation you will use when you’re there, appropriate clothing, and any special rules or regulations when you’re with the flowers.
In upcoming posts, I’ll focus on each travel destination giving you the specific information you need to visit that place. Let’s all take our vacations up a notch by visiting these spectacular floral utopias.
