Isn’t travel grand? My wife and I have chased sunsets across the globe, haggled for silk scarves in Rhodes, Greece, and stood in silent appreciation of The Last Supper after trekking clear across Milan, Italy on foot – in the pouring rain. The experiences (and Instagram posts) are fun, sure, but sometimes, a traveler just needs a damn break AND some actual relaxation.
A few months back, we found ourselves transported to a paradise dreamscape on the shores of Maracas Bay in Trinidad. Lush rainforest foliage carpeted the hills that rolled down to meet the eye-candy turquoise water caressing the crescent-shaped beach. The air hung heavy with the scent of salt and tropical blooms, and the sound of waves lulled us into complete bliss. It was a scene straight out of a postcard, a perfect escape from the New England winter we had left behind just a few months prior.
Maracas Bay Beach, Trinidad
After an enjoyable bake and shark lunch from a beach stand that could have been painted by Gauguin himself, we were enjoying sips of ice cold Stag Lagers (CARIB Brewery), when a sophisticated young lady suddenly arrived on the perimeter of the scene clutching a tiny bag.
She walked over to the two closest palm trees, unzipped her satchel, pulled out the contents, and – within 3 minutes – she was relaxing in a portable travel hammock of her very own, reading a book, swaying weightlessly in the coastal breezes, beneath crystalline sunshine and palm frond shade, with gently breaking waves and the calls of shorebirds as her soundtrack.
My wife and I immediately looked at each other and telepathically passed the identical unspoken thought between us: “Why don’t we have one of those?”
The jealousy factor was an actual thing.
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Additional Information About Living Your Best Life With A Portable Travel Hammock
Now, obviously, my wife and I have seen hammocks before, strung up between palm trees in a hundred different beach towns. But this, this was different. This was a portable travel hammock that she brought with her. And there she was, lulling, drifting, suspended a few feet above beach sand, somewhere between cloud nine and seventh heaven, the Caribbean breeze whispering the secrets of euphoric contentment directly to her in an elemental language only she was empowered to understand. The absolute picture of pure, unadulterated serenity.
Me? I looked back at our lowly beach towels tussled in the sand and was consumed by intense hammock envy. I made a promise to join the hammock club myself, as soon as I got back home.
I also made sure to take a note on the brand I saw our fellow beachgoer using, since it seemed to look well-built and comfortable. It was an ENO DoubleNest® Hammock.
That hammock? It became a symbol. A reminder that sometimes, the most luxurious experiences are the simplest ones. That sometimes, the most important thing any of us can do is to indulge in the restorative qualities of doing absolutely nothing for awhile!
Back in Greenwich, the Caribbean beaches might be a flight away, but that doesn’t mean we can’t create our own slice of paradise right here (or on a New England road trip to Kennebunkport or Cape Cod), especially now that summer is well within reach. An ENO hammock in a quiet corner of your garden, a captivating novel, all against the backdrop of the joyous sounds of summer – that’s the kind of luxury we should all embrace a lot more often!
Find a way to just hang around for awhile, living your best life in a portable travel hammock, and trust me, your soul will thank you for it.
Writing by Eric J. Taubert (Taubert Gallery). Find him on Facebook at @taubertgallery. X at @erictaubert. Find him on Instagram at @taubertgallery.
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