By the time you read this, it will be almost February 14 and hopefully you will find a place to celebrate the occasion in a way that it deserves. Valentine’s Day is an excellent time to consider a romantic getaway with your significant other.
To me, Valentine’s Day is a kind of a second Thanksgiving Day. For those who are fortunate enough to have a significant other in their lives, it seems fitting and proper to set aside at least one day of the year devoted to gratitude for the good fortune of having somebody to love, and to honor the person with whom you share that special kind of relationship.
I can hear someone now saying, “Why should any vacation NOT be romantic?” And why not, indeed? But certainly the great gift of romantic love, whether brand new or enduring, is worthy of its own special day of thanksgiving. And that is Valentine’s Day. But it should not be limited to February 14.
For my own personal biases, there could be no better way to celebrate, or enliven, romance than to travel. It goes without saying, and I’m sure millions of others feel the same. What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than to take a trip together?
It doesn’t really matter what day. It’s the feeling and the intention that count. February 14 is only a date on the calendar. Love endures throughout the seasons, changing form with them. As to “romantic travel,” the more often the better, right? Why not? Life is short.
The Romance of Travel
When I hear the word “romance,” one of the first things that comes to mind is travel. Romance is not only about love between two people. Historically, it has a larger meaning that encompasses romantic love, but also includes adventure and mystery.
The Oxford English Dictionary gives two meanings for “romance.” The first is “a feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love.” Pretty much what you’d expect. But the second definition refers to a way the word was used in the past more than now: “a quality or feeling of mystery, excitement, and remoteness from everyday life.” Ah! Precisely what you go off in search of when you travel.
The word originated as a description of stories written in the languages that grew out of Latin in the Roman provinces, and became French, Spanish and Italian, the romance languages. Since those stories were customarily about love and adventure, those qualities became associated with the word “romantic.”
The concept of romance is not only about…
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