Travel Intentions I Swear By (Steal These!) ✈️

✈️ Hey Jetsetters — Happy Wednesday!

Yesterday I kissed my little Isla goodbye and hopped a plane from Puerto Rico all the way to Baja Sur, Mexico. Ten hours, three snacks, and one in-flight mini-therapy session with myself later… and wow. Total magic.

Somewhere over the Gulf, I set a few intentions — the kind I come back to every time I’m really traveling and letting a new place teach me something.

Scroll for my 5 go-tos — and seriously, send me yours.

Cheers & martinis, Frances @GalOffDuty 🍸

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5 Things I Always Do When I Travel — No Matter Where I Am ✈️🌍

There’s something magical about being in a new place — the way time stretches, your senses sharpen, and life suddenly feels full of possibility. Whether I’m landing somewhere I’ve never been or returning to a city I love (hello, Madrid), I’ve realized I always do these same five things. They keep me grounded, inspired, and fully in my travel era.

Here’s the ritual — part intentional, part instinct — that makes every trip unforgettable.

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1. I Always Start With a Walk

No agenda. No map. No pressure to “see something.” Just me, a street, and whatever unfolds. Maybe I’ll walk into a café that smells like heaven, or spot a tiny boutique run by someone with stories in their eyes. I let the city show me who it is before I decide what I want from it. Pro Tip: Do this before you unpack — it sets the tone.

2. I Choose One Spot to Become “My Place”

Every trip needs a place you go back to.A café. A wine bar. A breakfast spot. A corner where the barista already knows your order by day 3. It becomes the anchor — the familiarity inside the unfamiliar.In Formentera, it was a tiny beach club with the crispiest rosé.In Ibiza, it was a coffee shop hidden behind bougainvillea.

3. I Travel With Intent — But Not a Script

I love a plan… but I love a day that goes totally off-plan even more. So here’s the rule: I pick 1–2 things I have to do each day — something cultural, something delicious, something inspiring. Then I leave room for pure spontaneity. Some of the best moments happen because you didn’t fill every hour.

4. I Try to Go Horseback Riding Everywhere I Travel

It’s become something I love — almost a new tradition.If there’s a trail ride, a ranch, a beach ride, a vineyard tour on horseback… count me in.There’s something about seeing a place from the back of a horse that feels different — slower, deeper, more connected to nature and the land. It’s a way of traveling inside the experience, not just observing it.

5. I Let Myself Be Fully Present

I take the photo. Then I live the moment. I sit at the table for another drink. I watch the sunset without rushing. I stay in conversation even if the night runs late. Every trip reminds me that life is happening now — not when I get home.

Travel resets me. It reconnects me with beauty, curiosity, joy. It’s not about checking places off a list — it’s about taking pieces of them with me.

Whether you’re heading somewhere soon or just daydreaming about it, here’s your reminder:

Make space for wonder. Leave room for magic. And always, always choose the window seat.

 PS: Tell me — what’s your non-negotiable travel ritual? Cheers & martinis, Frances @GalOffDuty

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