mancation

Condensed Mancations

[trip style = mancation + active & adventure]

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Mancations are on my mind. My husband, who is fast becoming Mr. Trip Styler with a travel schedule that's outpacing mine, has two on his roster, plus my friend is organizing a 14-guy bachelor break to San Francisco.

{Trip Styler Tip :: See Mancation tips, resources and definition here.}

Occasionally, I wish I were a man, so I could take a man trip; there's no drama, virtually no budget, and a sport-filled schedule. Man time is maximized, nay a spa week in sight; they're in, they're out, and back to normal life. Done.

The more I think about it, Mr. breaks are just like men {at least on the surface}; direct and not too complicated. Maybe one day I'll get invited on a mancation, or take a girls getaway moonlighting as a mancation, but for now, I'll live vicariously through the men in my life.

Curious about what makes a mancation tick, here's a peek into two bro furloughs my husband is taking over the next few weeks:

The 30-Hour Cat Ski Destination :: Cascade Mountains, WA - Friday afternoon: leave {by car} - Eat a meaty take-out dinner on the road - Drive to a small hotel near the cat ski base camp - Saturday: ski brains out with Cascade Powder Cats - Late afternoon, drive home

The 48-Hour Sport 'n Sun Destination :: Scottsdale, AZ - Monday afternoon: leave {by plane} - Evening of bbq'ing, tequila, cigars and hot tubbing at a vacation rental - Tuesday: brunch, golf, hockey {watch The Phoenix Coyotes play the Vancouver Canucks in a suite at the arena} - Wednesday: morning breakfast, afternoon flight home.

[photos via cascade powder cats & grayhawk]

Mancations

mancation for father's day[trip style = adventure]

In honour of Father's Day this Sunday, I'm dedicating this post to men. And since this is a travel blog, let's talk about mancations, one of the fastest-growing segments in the luxury travel market, according to the CNBC video referenced below. There's even a facebook group devoted to it. Sadly, only 12 people "like" this.

Definition Mancation: When 3+ guys who've know each other for years take a trip involving beer, steak dinners, hiking & biking, several rounds of golf and never reading a map or asking for directions [pulled together by a mish-mash of the cleanest mancation entries into the urban dictionary].

The Prep

  • find a like-minded group of guys who understand the gentlemen of leisure [GOL] concept
  • go for an activity that's drenched in masculinity like skiing/boarding, bbq'ing, golfing, surfing, kite-boarding or fishing
  • take the mancation to the next level by
    • indulging in beer, pretzels and lederhosen at Oktoberfest in Germany
    • visiting the Ferrari factory and test driving Enzo's latest in Maranello, Italy
    • taking in sporting events like UFC, World Cup, Stanley Cup, NBA playoffs or Superbowl
    • traversing the serengeti in a Land Rover on safari in Africa
    • dude ranch-ing [enough said]
    • manning-up at a guy-centric spa like Scandinave (featuring a Scandinavian bathing ritual)
  • choose a manly trip style that will foster "a bonding experience," which according to spike.com is "the nature of a mancation"

Mancation Resources

  • yep, there's an entire site dedicated to man-tripping and there are even articles about man-friendly B+Bs
  • get inspired by movies like: city slickers, sideways, a river runs through it and ironman 2 (your lady will love the river runs through it idea...)

Video

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[photo by mil8]