tales of travel

The new year is a natural time for reflection, peace and awakening. It’s a time when many people make New Year’s resolutions to be healthier, happier, richer, smarter or more motivated. How many, though, begin the year still tethered to lingering feelings of doubt, insecurity or baggage from the past? The first step toward renewal must be a commitment to detoxing from the poisons of yesterday. Imbued with a natural aura of sacred tranquility, Asia is the perfect stage for embarking on the New Year refreshed and renewed. Whether you want to get a head start on your New Year’s resolutions, rejuvenate after the holidays or simply experience a refresher on the wonder of travel, Asia delivers like no other region of the world.

Asia Transpacific Journeys intimately understands the correlation between travel to Asia and revitalization. Asia’s ancient cultural traditions foster an innate sense of peace and offer ample opportunity for meditation and personal reflection while ancient lifestyle practices invite physical rejuvenation and healing. To usher in 2016, we offer travelers a wide variety of fully customizable, signature trips to detoxify and awaken the body and spirit, and start the year afresh.

For travelers seeking spiritual awakening and physical rejuvenation, Asia Transpacific Journeys is offering a whole new variety of exclusive experiences on Bali, Indonesia’s mystical paradise. Stretch your legs with a hike through the remote mountain villages of Muntigunung, a picturesque, seldom-visited region hugging the side of towering Mt. Batur. After descending to Ubud, make your way to a traditional Balinese home for a hand-on cooking lesson to introduce you to the sophisticated way in which Balinese cuisine marries health and flavor, using produce and herbs straight from your hosts’ garden. Then venture just outside of town for a chance to relax, detox and reset completely at the sublime Five Elements retreat. Settle into one of the nine, private, riverfront villas surrounded by tropical gardens and prepare to be pampered. Skillful practitioners introduce you to Bali’s traditional healing therapies—everything from massage and herbal facials to private yoga and martial arts lessons. Savor an innovative and delicious living-food dinner and then embrace the mind/body/spirit connection by ending the day with a private fire blessing, an ancient Balinese ritual that invites you to release negativity into the flames and invites peace, tranquility and protection for the coming year.

For travelers who find rejuvenation through immersion in natural beauty, look no further than Sri Lanka, Asia’s gently rising star of eco-tourism. Snag one of the handful of luxury bungalows at the brand new Uga Escapes property, Chena Huts (opening December 2015). Taking their inspiration from the area’s traditional chena (local farmer’s dwellings), the Uga’s chenas have been reinvented with private plunge pools, eco-chic interiors and intimate views of the unbeatable beachfront, jungle setting. At night sea turtles come to lay their eggs on the sand and elephants wander down from the trees to play in the surf. By day, take private wildlife safaris into nearby Yala National Park, the island’s best place to spot wild leopards. Then venture farther down the coast to Tangalle, home to immaculate golden-sand beaches and the singular Amanwella resort. Rise early for sunrise, beachfront yoga amid the palm trees or retreat to the spa for an abhyanga massage, a traditional Ayurvedic detoxification treatment. Round out your experience with a private cooking lesson in a beautiful local home. Your gracious hosts will let you in on the secrets of transforming Sri Lanka’s wide variety of spices, fresh seafood and tropical produce into vibrant, health-supportive cuisine.

Whether you desire a holistic retreat in the Himalayas, a tranquil Japanese spa experience or another rejuvenating vacation of your own creation, Asia Transpacific Journeys delights in using our in-depth regional knowledge to assist you in experiencing a perfectly fulfilling and rejuvenating beginning to the new year.  

For more information about a Custom Journey to Asia or the Pacific, please visit www.AsiaTranspacific.com or call (toll-free) 800-642-2742.  

About Asia Transpacific Journeys

Asia Transpacific Journeys has been crafting private Custom Journeys and Small Group Trips to Asia and the Pacific since 1987. Our highly decorated staff is committed to providing exceptional service and deeply insightful cultural interpretation based on firsthand experience. Asia Transpacific Journeys has been honored with the designation of World’s Best Tour Operator by Travel + Leisure, received a Travel + Leisure’s Global Vision Award and was highlighted in National Geographic Traveler’s Best Trips feature.