Almost everyone imagines travelling to different places. Some keep imaging and planning for years. Some plans remain doable and some not. However, you can skip the extensive planning and budgeting, avoid the visas and more hindrances yet still have the most of a trip in just a weekend getaway. Not every trip has to be a big one! Here’s how you can turn a weekend getaway into something more majestic for yourself.

Save time

First and foremost, it’s the weekend and the clock is ticking! You wouldn’t want to be wasting any minute when it’s two and a half or three days that you are getting. You can save plenty of precious minutes and utilize them after kicking off the getaway. When planning the weekend getaway brisbane squeeze all the minutes that you can from your everyday routine. For instance, try getting free early on Friday or perhaps even skip Friday and kick off the weekend on Thursday. Another way you wouldn’t want to be wasting time is in the car or whatever mode you pick. Plan your travel when the rush hours are over and try not opting for long routes (even if you do it doesn’t matter as long as you enjoy it). Early morning or late at night would be the best instances in terms of travelling. Try reaching your destination before time as that will save you some fretting, help you relax before all the fun unveils and perhaps even add more time to the weekend getaway. You can plan big or small, for as long as you have the heart a weekend getaway can be all that you need. Every minute counts!

Detoxification

Let this detoxification be as refreshing as it can be. Unplug your everyday life and let the getaway be your escape. You will only tire yourself if you let the strings of everyday life, like your cell phone and television etc, keep pulling you back. To make the most of your weekend getaway leave everything behind and enjoy the moment. After all, everyday life is right there for you on Monday. Any personal or work related calls, emails and all social media platforms can keep messages for you to return to when you are back so you need not give them time.

Plan a trip which speaks to your soul

There are a number of plans that we make and are waiting for the time to come so we can execute them. Our lives keep evolving, meeting highs and lows. Sure, plan prior to the date but be mindful to acknowledge the state of your soul before setting off. For instance, you wouldn’t want to set off on a sporty trip which includes hiking or surfing if you feel stressed and tired. If you feel like your soul needs some healing, meditation and relaxing, then allow yourself to enjoy a meditative weekend or maybe even a camping trip to tune in with nature with a planned trip to the spa.

If you are organizing this trip or you are just thinking about it, you are wondering which wineries to visit in the Champagne area.

The answer as always is: it depends on what interests you.

Do you want to know everything about Champagne?
If you want to know everything about Champagne we recommend you take part in a guided tour in one of the great Maison of one of the two capitals of Champagne, Reims the official one and Épernay the self-proclaimed one.

Whichever Maison you choose, from Moët & Chandon to Veuve Cliquot, you will always fall well. Each Maison offers a guided tour with one or more final tastings, I advise you to buy the cheapest tour (often includes a tasting anyway) and save money to sip more Champagne around the two cities.

Which Maison to choose?
The big Maison are all located in the Champagne area between Reims and Épernay.

Probably almost all the Maison, which organize guided tours, would deserve a visit but they are all paid and I sincerely prefer to spend the money on glasses of Champagne rather than on visits to the cellars.

We have chosen two. Partly starting from the name, partly on the suggestion of friends, we went from Taittinger to Reims and from Moët & Chandon to Épernay.

The tours take place a bit ‘all the same way: presentation of the company with stories and historical anecdotes about the family, visit the cellars with adjoining lesson about types of grapes used and the various stages of production of Champagne as the riddling , the dosage and the dégorgement .

Between the two Maison visited what we have seen is that Moët & Chandon is a step forward, not for the quality of Champagne which is already very high, but for the qualities of corporate marketing.

Unlike Taittinger who takes you to the tasting in the lobby where you wait before leaving for the visit. Moët & Chandon no, they have a dedicated room for tasting with a golden logo behind the sommeliers in order to give everyone the opportunity to take a photo in front of Moët & Chandon, the great ones! Who is it that didn’t take a picture in front of that brand? We too!

South Africa is the seventh country for wine production in the world and is predominantly appearing on the world market.

Among the things to see in Cape Town and the surrounding area , you cannot miss a day to spend in the Winelands, the beautiful valleys lined with vineyards and estates.

The centerpiece is the area around the town with the Dutch features of Stellenbosch and the nearby, and more “French”, Franschhoek .

Even for those who are not experts or wine lovers, this daily excursion from Cape Town (the distance is only 35 km) has its reason.

The estates are quite different from the wineries we are used to in Italy: they are luxury cottages or buildings, with refined and trendy details, often in positions that offer wonderful views.

In addition to the sale and traditional wine tastings, many of these offer restaurants and spas. In short, my advice is to “get lost” on the streets and stop at the sign or the estate that most inspires you: even the eye wants its part and, in these parts, it will not be dissatisfied.

Unless otherwise indicated, they can all be visited with paid tastings.

In this post I review the ones I saw. They are all quite different from one another, you go from the small mountain house among the flowers, to a large Dutch-style estate that takes you back centuries ago to a luxury villa with elegant pianist who cheers the tastings.

Tastings are cheap: 2 or 3 euros per glass . The only drawback is that, apart from a few cases, there is no custom of bringing appetizers to accompany. To prevent the blood alcohol level from rising too high, you can, however, in many of these establishments, order platters of cheese or dishes to accompany your drinks.