Tropical Travel Tips Archives | Page 3 of 5

July 19, 2015June 6, 2019

Xero Shoes – Better Than Barefoot and Perfect For Travel

Do you struggle with the type and amount of footwear to bring on your tropical vacation? We sure do. We’d rather be barefoot all the time, but out of necessity (a gash from a sharp piece of coral or a burn on the foot can put a damper on your vacation fun!) we usually end up bringing flip-flops to wear on hot sand and surfaces, some kind of water shoes to wear during water sports and boating and sturdier shoes to wear while hiking. Shoes and flip-flops end up filling valuable space in the limited amount of luggage we try to take.

Imagine our interest in learning more about Xero Shoes, a company from Broomfield, Colorado that creates Lightweight Performance Recreation Sandals – ultralight sandals originally created for barefoot running.

The weight and packability of the sandal is what first peaked our interest, but after testing them out, we’ve found so much more to like about this ultra comfortable footwear.

John ordered the Amuri Z-Trek Sport Sandal in Coal Black/Castle Rock and I selected the Amuri Cloud – Women’s Barefoot Sandal in the beautiful Aquarius color.

We received our shoes quickly – just a few days after placing our order and both pairs fit perfectly, probably due to their measuring system which takes the guesswork out of ordering your size, especially if you wear a half size.

We’ve been wearing our Xero Shoes for a couple of weeks now and have tried them out on the beach,

– gone hiking in them, and tested them out on hot surfaces. They’ve been so comfortable that I even forget I’m wearing them and coming from someone who goes barefoot whenever humanly possible, that says a lot!

Xero Shoes also offers beads and pendants to decorate and personalize your sandals. I’ve got my eyes on the dolphin pendant and some of the brass crow shoe beads – I think they’ll look amazing with the beautiful blue color of my sandals.

Other situations we have yet to test but think our Xero Shoes will be perfect for:

Sailing. The tread on the Xero Shoes, the ability to tighten the straps and the lightness of the sandal would be perfect for navigating a sea-misted deck.

Stand Up Paddleboarding and other water sports. Again, the tread and lightness of the sandal would increase stability and provide protection for the foot without added weight during all kinds of water activities.

Guess what will not be taking up tons of space in our luggage during our next tropical adventure. 4 or 5 different pairs of shoes.

Guess what will be taking up very little space.
Our new Xero Shoes Sandals.

Better than Barefoot and Perfect For Travel.

To find out more about Xero Shoes, the story behind their ultralight sandals and to find a pair that’s perfect for you, visit their website (and be sure to read about owners Steven and Lena’s presentation on Shark Tank!)

Xero Shoes Website

And keep up to date with their new products and news via their social media sites:
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
Pinterest

This is a sponsored post. Although we were compensated by the company who sponsored it, the views are solely our own and we only recommend products or services we believe our readers will enjoy.

May 24, 2015May 24, 2015

Sunday Serenity: Beach Meditation

Feeling a bit stressed today? Close your eyes for a minute and imagine this…

Warm sunshine on your skin and the only sound is waves gently lapping the shore. Ahhh…better?

copyright Rum Therapy — Manjack Cay, The Abacos

Perhaps the reason that the ocean helps us to de-stress and unwind is that there are actual health benefits to spending time in and near the ocean. You weren’t just imagining that your last beach vacation made you feel better!

But did you know that you can still harness some of that relaxing energy when you get back from vacation? Just enjoy a little beach meditation. When needed, just take a moment, close your eyes and imagine yourself on a warm, deserted beach. Even the thought of time spent on a sandy beach in the sunshine can bring our heart rate down.

Do you have a favorite beach that you think of when you have a moment of beach meditation? Where?

Find more Sunday Serenity posts here:
Tropical Tips & More

To see more island posts, check out our Island Blog Directory

Copyright©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

May 4, 2015May 10, 2021

Health Benefits of Spending Time in or Near the Ocean

If you are followers of our blog, you probably feel the same way we do; saltwater can soothe your soul. But did you know that in addition to it’s soothing qualities, spending time in or near the ocean can also provide other health benefits? Let’s explore a few reasons why we usually come home from a beach vacation feeling invigorated and renewed.

Lets start with the senses. The blues and greens of the ocean and the tropics are cool and relaxing colors. It is even said that certain hues of blue (especially light blues) can cause physical reactions such as a decrease in respiration and blood pressure.

The nose and ears can also identify and respond with a feeling of tranquility to the smell of saltwater and the gentle sound of the waves lapping the shore…

And what about the effect of saltwater on the body and its organs? I’ve seen several articles report that seawater has a similar composition to our blood plasma. Our bodies can easily assimilate the bounties of the water of the ocean such as vitamins, mineral salts, trace elements, amino acids and living microorganisms which secrete antibiotic, bacteriostatic and hormonal substances with biological balancing effects. (The Health Benefits of Sea Water)

Bathing or swimming in warm seawater activates the body’s healing mechanisms to fight conditions such as asthma, arthritis, bronchitis and inflammatory diseases, as well as common aches and pains. Magnesium-rich seawater purportedly can also relax your muscles, reduce stress and help induce sleep. (What are the Health Benefits of Swimming in Sea Water – Livestrong)

And even if you don’t get in the water, getting misted by sea spray can give your skin a dose of iodine (good for the thyroid gland) and negative ions which can strengthen the body’s immunological defense mechanisms.

We weren’t just imagining our response to our tropical escapes – there are actual benefits and physiological responses to the sea. So, next time you’re feeling your batteries running low – let the ocean be your medication and head south for some sun, warm water and a little salt water therapy!

Find more Tropical Tips here:
Tropical Tips & More

To see more island posts, check out our Island Blog Directory

Copyright©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

December 31, 2014June 6, 2019

Rum Therapy Top Posts of 2014

It’s always fun for us to look back on the year and see which posts were visited most by our wonderful readers. We always try to make out own predictions on which posts were the most popular, but there are always some surprises. This year was no different as posts on the Virgin Islands made up 8 of the top ten!

Island Posts

10. Sailing the British Virgin Islands on a Crewed Charter
9. Hog Heaven, Virgin Gorda
8. Floyd’s Pelican Bar, Jamaica
7. Rum Therapy in St. Croix
6. Sarafina’s Bakery, Marigot, St. Martin
5. Angels Rest, St. John
4. Have You Taken the Plunge at Willy T?
3. Callwood Rum Distillery
2. Barhopping on Jost Van Dyke

And the number one most visited Rum Therapy Island Post in 2015?

1. Bomba Surfside Shack

Tropical Tips & More. a category that we have a bit of fun with, made a respectable showing on our top visited list with the following posts:

Tropical Tips & More

1. The Ultimate Rum Therapy Beach Playlist
2. Top Things to See & Do in the Caribbean Before You Get Too Old to Travel
3. You Might Have a Tropical Obsession If…

And last, but certainly not least, our top rum recipe posts of the year were:

Rum Drinks & Recipes

10. Banana Daiquiri
9. The Perfect Mojito
8. Nilla Killa
7. Voodoo Juice
6. Miami Vice
5. Frozen Bushwacker
4. Jamaican Smile
3. Jamaican Smile
2. Eggnog Rum Bread with Butter Rum Glaze

And the top visited recipe on our site this year?

1. Authentic Rum Punch

Happy New Year to all of you! Looking forward to another year of beaches, islands and RUM!

Check out our:

Island Posts
Tropical Tips & More
Rum Recipes

Copyright©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

October 15, 2014October 15, 2014

The Chikungunya Virus

As we prepare for a trip to the tropics, we’re seeing alarming reports of a Chickungunya “epidemic” in some areas. Will that prevent us from taking this highly anticipated trek to the islands – even though our next destination is on the CDC list of Caribbean countries that have reported cases of Chickengunya? Heck no. But we certainly are prepared to take steps to prevent being infected with this virus transmitted by mosquitoes.

Currently there are no vaccines to prevent getting Chickungunya, so it’s extremely important to avoid mosquito bites. How? Here are a few suggestions.

1. Wear clothing that covers arms, legs and neck.

2. Use insect repellant and re-apply often. The CDC recommends using products with DEET, Picaridin, IR3535, or Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (we’ve loaded up on this product as we like to try the more natural options –
Repel 94109 Lemon Eucalyptus Natural Insect Repellent, 4-Ounce Pump Spray)
3. If possible, stay in screened and/or air conditioned rooms or use a bed net.

Find a few more “repellant” ideas here: The Fight Against The Bite

If you’re planning a trip to the tropics soon, just prepare – be safe and have fun!

Find more Tropical Tips & More

June 10, 2014June 6, 2019

Friends Foto’s – Tropical Selfies

We had SO much fun this week checking out your Tropical Selfie submissions! We received a bunch of great pics and had trouble narrowing them down, so are including as many as possible! Thank you to everyone who submitted a photo – they were all really good. Really wish we could have included them all. Be sure to check for a new Friends Foto theme on Sunday.

If you’re like us, these tropical “selfies” will truly put you in the mood for a tropical vacation!

photo: Ron and Shelly Vail

What made the experience special? Rest and relaxation for our 20th anniversary.

photo: Steve and Melissa Beaver

What made the experience special? We were celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary in the islands!

photo: Valerie Faber

What? Happy Toes Selfie
Where? Turks & Caicos Islands
Why so special? My customary 1st Bambarra Rum Punch in my ‘home away from home’ after surviving a Chicagoland winter

photo: Scott Moosbrugger

This is me, Scott Moosbrugger, taken on Renaissance Island, Aruba, and it was great having seven flamingos that you could hand feed right at the beach.

photo: Robin Bartoo

Only recently have time and money converged to allow me to travel. My long held vision of a perfect tropical beach came true when the SV Mandalay anchored off Sandy Beach Island near Grenada. The moment my toes touched the sand I was living my dream. An empty island, countless fish for snorkeling, perfectly blue water and a sigh of blissful contentment.

photo: Trish Glen

My name is Trish Glenn, aka caribbeanpanprincess. I’m a steel drum player from the not so Caribbean Chicago suburbs. This was just one fabulous day spent with some of my bandmates on the island of Cozumel! We were having a great time at a reggae bar near the south end of the island here.

Editors Note: Trish’s band is The band is called Steel Crazy. Check ’em out here: www.steelcrazyband.com and on Facebook at Steel Crazy Steelband.

photo: Kerry DeSpain

This pic was taken at Isla Pasion, Passion Island, Cozumel Mexico 2012, while on the Carnival Conquest. It was taken with my GoPro camera, I was walking the beach and snorkeling when I came across this conch shell!

photo: Natalie Trimm

My children’s first SXM vacation. They had a blast with the “jet blast” and I enjoyed watching the planes come in over beautiful Maho Bay!

photo: Sherry Whitten

My happy feet and the beautiful waves on a passage in the Leeward Islands – This was a bucket list trip that I’ve wanted to do for 30 years – St. Thomas, St. John, St. Kitts, Nevis, Montserrat, Antigua, St. Barts, Anguilla, Virgin Gorda, Tortola, and back to St. Thomas. This picture reminds me of the great time we had.

photo: Jeremy Wyman

Two of my brothers-in-law and I overlooking Soper’s Hole from a house pool (‘Limin’ House’) on the West End of Tortola.

What makes this special? Sipping rum drinks while relaxing, laughing, and enjoying good company in the Virgin Islands with family. This was a trip taken with 4 sisters and their husbands; the first and only (so far) vacation we’ve all taken together. We had the best time; the whole week was an absolute blast!!

A big thanks to everyone who submitted a photo!

To see more island posts, check out our Island Blog Directory

March 11, 2014December 18, 2019

Which Island Should I Choose for My Vacation?

We love to talk tropical travel and we love that you ask our opinion! But, the hardest question for us to answer is actually the one we get asked the most, “Which Island Should I Choose For My Vacation?”

Why is that a tough question? Although we’ve yet to meet an island we don’t like for some reason or another, everyone has such different vacation tastes. Some want the best beaches, others want shopping or luxurious accommodations or absolute solitude. The best fishing, snorkeling, rum, diving, sailing, hiking, historical sites, foliage….the list goes on and on. We’ve been trying to come up with a method to help people select destinations based on different criteria, but decided the best thing to do is what we already do – show you the islands through our photos and let you know what we’ve enjoyed – then you can see what areas you might be interested in visiting!

Below we’ve listed many of the islands we’ve recently been to and just a few key words of what we’ve really enjoyed about that island. Some are links to articles we’ve written on that destination with additional pictures. There are many additional GREAT things about each of these islands, but here are a few tips to start with.

Ready for a little tropiciation? Let’s go to the islands!

Some of the attractions/hotels/features on islands affected by Hurricanes Irma and Marie in the Fall of 2017 may have changed from when we initially wrote about them. If you have questions on their current condition, please contact us.

Shoal Bay, Anguilla

Anguilla
(see map)
Stunning, white sand beaches, Shoal Bay, Rendezvous Bay, Dune Preserve, excellent dining, great beach bars (see several in Sandy Ground), Gwen’s Reggae Grill, live music, luxurious accommodations, easy to explore on your own

Antigua
Many (365 they say!) gorgeous beaches, Half Moon Bay, Dickenson Bay, Shirley Heights, Antiguan Smile Rum Drink, English Harbour Rum

Bahamas
Find a place to get “off the grid” in one of many out islands, beautiful white and pink sand beaches, bonefishing and other fishing, snorkeling, peace and quiet, conch, variety of accommodations, swimming with the pigs, swimming with nurse sharks

Champer’s Restaurant

Barbados
Excellent dining, Superb beaches, Crane Beach, Mount Gay & other Rum Factory Tours

White Bay, Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands

British Virgin Islands
(for individual maps of the British Virgin Islands, use the drop-down on the Island Map feature on our home page)

Fantastic sailing destination, secluded and beautiful beaches, Anegada Lobster Dinner on the beach, fantastic beach bars, Jost Van Dyke, White Bay, Willy T, Virgin Gorda, The Baths, Smuggler’s Cove, roti, easy to explore on your own, Sandy Spit, sunsets, Painkillers, Bubbly Pool, snorkeling, floating, Cane Garden Bay, full moon parties, crystal clear water, driving on Tortola, North Sound Virgin Gorda

Corales Golf Course

Dominican Republic
(see map)
Excellent golf, reasonably priced all-inclusive resorts, Mamajuana, Coco Loco, long stretches of pretty beaches,
The 3 B’s – Bermudez, Brugal and Barcelo Rums

Jewel Runaway Bay Resort

Jamaica
(see map)
All-Inclusive Resorts, Jerk Seasoning, 7 mile Beach, Floyd’s Pelican Bar, Blue Mountain Coffee, Waterfalls, Appleton Rum and Rum Factory Tour, Bob Marley Nine Mile Tour, Jamaican Smile, red snapper, Dirty Banana

Gustavia Harbour

St. Barthelemy
(see map)
Great place to yacht watch, high end shopping, excellent dining, beautiful beaches, homemade vanilla infused rhums, overlook of Gustavia Harbour, watching planes land on the very short runway!

Orient Beach, St. Martin

St. Maarten/St. Martin
(see map)
Gorgeous beaches on both the Dutch and French sides, clothing optional on some French side beaches, nightlife, great beach bars, watch planes land over your head at Sunset Beach Bar, Karakter Beach Bar, Marigot Market, Sarafina’s Bakery, street festivals in Grand Case, duty free shopping, we found it easy to explore on our own, wide range of accommodations, excellent dining options – especially in Grand Case, busy cruise ship stop – but because of that, there are many activities to choose from

Saltwhistle Bay, Mayreau

St. Vincent and the Grenadines
(see map)
Excellent sailing destination, beautiful remote islands, gorgeous quiet beaches, filming location for some parts of the Pirates of the Caribbean, Sunset Very Strong Rum, Tobago Cays, excellent snorkeling, turtles, clear turquoise blue water, Happy Island, Mopion, a few exquisite resorts, not busy, Petit Tabac

Pumpkin Bluff Beach, North Caicos

Turks and Caicos
(see map)
Spectacular white sand beaches, quiet and remote, great snorkeling, variety of accommodations, long beach walks, conch shells, sand dollars, cave exploring, Bambarra Rum, da Conch Shack, bonefishing, conch stew, fried conch, exploring secluded cays

Hawksnest-1-(600) Hawksnest Bay, St. John

US Virgin Islands
No passport needed for US citizens going to St. Croix, St. John, St. Thomas – each island has it’s own personality and they’re easy to explore on your own

St. Croix (see map)
Buck Island, Cruzan Rum Factory Tour, Cruzan Rum,
Sandy Point Beach and Wildlife Preserve, Cruzan Confusion, Mt. Pellier Domino Club, seaplane from St. Croix to St. Thomas

St. John (see map)
Every beach on St. John, cheeseburgers at Skinny Legs, hiking, snorkeling, exploring the shops, restaurants and bars in Cruz Bay

St. Thomas (see map)
Megans Bay, the view and banana daiquiris at Mountain Top, Paradise Point Skyride, Bushwackers at the top, Duffy’s Love Shack, Lindquist Beach at Smith Bay, variety of accommodations, Bones Rum

Banana-Daiquiri.-Ojpg View of Magens Bay (and a Banana Daiquiri) at Mountaintop, St. Thomas

So – any ideas on where YOU would like to go next?

For even more island posts, be sure to check out our Blog Directory by Island!

December 30, 2013July 25, 2019

Rum Therapy Travel Highlights of 2013

2103 was a good Caribbean travel year for us here at Rum Therapy and we thought we’d share some of the adventures we enjoyed the most this year!

Islands visited in 2013:
Anguilla
St. Maarten/St. Martin
Dominican Republic
Jamaica

We had an excellent time exploring each of the islands and here are just a few of the highlights of our visits. We’ve already written posts on some of these adventures, but stay tuned for future posts on the rest!

Anguilla

Gwen’s Reggae Bar and Shoal Bay

Blanchard’s Beach Shack – Mead’s Bay

Dune Preserve and Rendezvous Bay

St. Maarten/St. Martin

Karakter Beach Bar – Simpson Bay

Sunset Bar & Grill – Maho Bay

Sarafina’s Bakery – Marigot, St. Martin

Le Galion, St. Martin

Dominican Republic

Golf Rounds at Corales and Punta Espada

Sampled Dominican Republic Mamajuana

Jamaica

Enjoyed the Appleton Rum Factory Tour

Walked, swam and SUP’ed the gorgeous Seven Mile Beach in Negril

Spent some time enjoying Carib and conversation at the Pelican Bar

Marveled at several absolutely spectacular Jamaican sunsets…

Where will 2014 take us? We’ve got some exciting adventures in the works – stay tuned!
Do you have any tropical adventures planned for 2014?

Check our Blog Directory by Island for more posts on island destinations!

December 27, 2013June 6, 2019

Top Rum Therapy Tropical Tips & More Posts 2013

Tropical Tips & More was a new blog series we started this year to highlight some information we thought might be helpful in planning tropical trips – and some posts, such as “You Might Have a Tropical Obsession If…” are just for fun. Many of the posts continue to attract a very high volume of readers, so today we’re featuring the 6 posts in the series that got the highest number of views in 2013. If you haven’t had a chance to read them yet – enjoy!