According to Dr. Pepper Schwartz, co-author of Frommer’s Places for Passion, and AARP’s ambassador for Love & Relationships: “Long-term relationships are strongest when romantic trips are part of their history, present, and future.” (Hear that L, that’s my boyfriend L I’m referring to. We need to plan more romantic vacations. When are you retiring?)
I spoke to Dr. Schwartz to learn more about her new book.
Dr. Pepper Schwartz is co-author of “Frommer’s Places For Passion.”
“I’ve been a relationship expert for a long time and travel is a passion. I wanted to pair the two together with my writing so couples could have a book to depend on to plan accessible and reliable escapes — it can get sparks flying and create lasting memories,” said Dr. Schwartz.
Romantic Destinations
While 75-destinations are featured in Frommer’s Places For Passion, I asked Dr. Schwartz to name a few of her favorites. She categorized the destinations into four groupings:
♥ Cities: In the USA, Dr. Schwartz likes New York City; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Charleston, South Carolina; and New Orleans, Louisiana. For international cities she noted Paris, France; Barcelona, Spain; Lisbon, Portugal; Capetown, South Africa; and Sydney, Australia. (I’ve been to quite a few of these cities with more to see. Hear that L? I’ve yet to go to Santa Fe, Lisbon, or Capetown. And I’d love to go back to Paris with you. What’s that you say? You might take a romantic trip with me this year? Where are we going? Stay tuned.)
Paris has beautiful parks, like the Jardin du Luxembourg.
♥ Beaches: In the USA, Dr. Schwartz recommends the Florida Keys or any place in Florida; Carmel-By-The Sea, California; and Maui, Kauai & Oahu in Hawaii. Bermuda and St. Lucia are romantic Carribean islands. “I like the Amalfi-coast in Italy and the Greek islands but they have rocky beaches,” said Dr. Schwartz. “The Maldives in the Indian Ocean republic of islands is one of my favorite places in the world,” she added, “yet getting there can be hard work – it’s more than 30 hours from the U.S. East Coast.” (Okay L, I’ll let you pass on the Maldives. A trip like that might put an end to our relationship if we spent that many hours in the air. Let’s keep Florida and maybe try the Florida Keys sometime instead of Miami. What about Hawaii? Please, pretty please — I’ve never been and it’s on my bucket list.)
Florida has many romantic beaches.
♥ Natural Wonders: “You may need to be in good shape to go to some of these wonders,” said Dr. Schwartz. She listed National Parks such as Zion and Bryce in Utah, and Glacier in Montana, as well as winelands in Napa Valley, California; Walla Walla, Washington; and Willamette Valley, Oregon. (I’ve been to Napa Valley and would love to return. L is not a big wine drinker. May have to squeeze in some other natural wonders if we take a trip to the west coast – maybe Lake Tahoe which is very romantic with its beautiful lake and mountains. What do you say L? Are you ready for romance? Just say the word and my bag is packed.)
♥ Adventure: Dr. Schwartz suggests dude ranches in Montana or an Alaskan cruise. If you want to go further away, she likes The Red Centre, a mostly empty red desert in the center of Australia; winelands in Africa; sites in Thailand or Cambodia; and The Taj Mahal and Agra Fort in India. (Ooh, ooh, ooh, L might swing for an Alaskan cruise. As for Thailand, Cambodia, or The Taj Mahal — I may have to go with my yoga buddies.)
Surprise & Delight Your Partner
Dr. Schwartz offered a variety of tips when planning a romantic trip: “Don’t over program. Spend time with each other doing what you both love. Don’t go to convention or family hotels. Don’t scrimp on hotels – pay a little extra for your romantic relationship. Call the concierge in advance to suggest ways to do something special to surprise and delight your partner.” (Did you hear that L? When are we going away? This year our relationship will be going on seven years – you know what that means…itch, itch, itch.)
I like Frommer’s Places For Passion. Most of all, I agree with the authors’ wise advice that while it’s good to plan a romantic rendezvous, “the most important destination is each other.”
Judi
What great advise we seem to forget as we get older to still keep that spark going. PS If you are looking to add a nice beach destination Essaouira in Morocco has it all nice beaches, nice restaurants, stunning sunsets and camels (if you are feeling adventurous lol)
Michel, thanks for sharing your thoughts on Morocco. Will have to add it to my bucket list.
Romantic getaways are great for a relationship. I agree with the suggestions I’ve been to, and have more destinations to add to my list.
Glad you enjoyed the post. Sounds like you have a full bucket list like me.
One of the advantages of being “older” is that you can concentrate on what you want to do, rather than having to entertain children on holiday. For my husband and me it means that we can sit in bars, eat strange food and go for long walks. It works for us!
Karen, sounds like you know how to enjoy your vacations.
What a timely post! I think nice hotels are always romantic~
Irene, glad you found the post helpful. I agree on staying at nice hotels.
We are finally getting to travel as empty nesters! This would be a fun book to have on hand.
Sharon, glad you are able to do more traveling. This is a useful resource for any kind of traveling, US or abroad.