Why spend your holidays in nature?

Enjoy a summer outdoors to clear your mind

After this year and the successive lockdowns experienced by the entire world, there is a prevailing desire to escape into the great outdoors. A return to the basics is expected, and travelers are already showing their preference for getaways in nature, surrounded by their loved ones.

Travelers need a change of scenery and to find themselves in open spaces without being confined in nature. And why not by the sea since one can find tranquility there, with family or friends, to be both in nature and at the beach. People have this desire for nature, for large spaces, but they can't really go wherever they want yet. Or at least, they still have questions and do not necessarily want to book far from home.

What we have clearly seen in recent months and over the past year with Covid-19 is that all distant travels have been postponed or canceled. Therefore, we are going to suggest some natural destinations in France and Europe.

After this year and the successive lockdowns experienced by the whole world, there is a prevailing desire to escape into nature.

Where to go this summer in France?

Most of the time, travelers head south to get some sun, but also a bit towards the Nordic countries which are beautiful in the summer: this can be Lapland, on the Swedish side, Norway, Finland or places like Scotland or Ireland. However, we will start by talking about France.

Traveling to Overseas Territories

Reunion Island

For those who want to get away while staying in France, we have some very nice things to offer in the DOM-TOM. For example, you can opt for an eco-friendly stay in Reunion to go swimming with whales and dolphins with the utmost respect for biodiversity. We have a travel planner who does this very well, named Valérie Valton. She is really a specialist, and not only in Reunion. She offers animal encounters all over the world, including stays in Thailand with elephants that have been mistreated by tourist organizations, which are now in sanctuaries and are being helped to recover. There are several possibilities with Valérie, especially in France so that it's not too complicated to organize. You can go to Reunion and organize an extraordinary experience of swimming with whales and dolphins thanks to her, and in conditions that fully respect nature and the species involved.

Martinique and Guadeloupe

We have some very nice things in Martinique and in Guadeloupe as well. And so, for this summer, for nature stays, we will advise the more daring among you who are not afraid to go a bit far. We will recommend stays like the one Valerie offers with animals or purely nature stays, for example in the lands of Reunion Island. You can do a lot of trekking and hiking. There are extraordinary things. The cirques, especially the cirque of Mafate, which is very well-known. And then, there is the volcano, the Piton de la Fournaise.

Traveling to Metropolitan France

Still in France, let's return to the mainland. We have about 150 trips on the mainland to offer you. There are stays, obviously on the coast, but also some quite original, sporty getaways in nature, in the mountains or in regions that are very beautiful, like the Ardèche, which is not exactly mountainous, but which allows for doing wonderful things in nature.

Explore the Seaside

Let's start with the sea. And indeed, in France, we are spoilt for choice. We have some very nice things. In Brittany, it ranges from the classic Finistère and Morbihan in Brittany to slightly different places like Guérande. And then we go down to Charente, where, again, we have a lot of nice stays that allow one to discover the surroundings of La Rochelle and the Île de Ré, where there are rice paddies and little natural spots that are also very, very pleasant.

And then, if we go a bit further south along the Atlantic coast, we will also find quite a few nice things, starting with the Arcachon Basin, around Bordeaux and Dordogne, where there are extraordinary things both by the sea and on land, all set in absolutely beautiful natural surroundings, and from there we can go down to the Basque Country, where we will also find some very nice short stays that allow, because it is the Basque Country, to have both the sea and the mountains.

Next, we're going to spend some time on the Mediterranean side. And there, actually, there are inevitably many things to do along the coast. It's always a bit crowded, but once you go inland, for instance, in Provence, you can find beautifully preserved natural spots. We think of the Luberon, and a bit further north, the Ardèche. And indeed, we have this whole southern part, let’s say a bit north of the Mediterranean and closer to the Mediterranean, where there are incredible landscapes and still things to do in the great outdoors that are very nice.

Corsica: Between Mountains and Beach

There is also Corsica. We have several very sporty and very natural stays in Corsica, which are truly very original. Corsica is an incredible blend of nature between the mountains and the sea and will satisfy both hiking enthusiasts and beach lovers.

Heading off on a mountain adventure

If you're not a fan of seashores, we can offer you mountain getaways. Similarly, we have travel organizers and creators who can propose trips all over the place. So, we'll have the Vosges and Jura regions. We have very nice short stays in the Vosges and Jura, which can be extended by adding other circuits. We have the opportunity to take beautiful walks in nature and to enjoy large cities like Annecy or Evian in the Alps area.

You can also opt for the Massif Central, a region that has been quite rediscovered since the epidemic and subsequent lockdowns because it is very preserved. And so, in Allier, in Cantal, you have the opportunity to go on excursions, even on routes that span several days and nights beautifully, in the middle of nature, in places where there is relatively little tourism.

Sailing down the major French rivers by boat

We can also offer something a little more original like a family cruise on the Canal du Midi. This is something that our travel organizers are perfectly capable of putting together again. You can stroll through nature on boats that do not require a license and explore the area around Toulouse, Carcassonne, and the Cathar country, reaching almost to the sea, nearly to the Camargue.

In fact, one can also follow the course of the Loire with also some fantastic natural spots, very wild areas that one would not imagine on the banks of the Loire. We always think that there are mainly castles and large cities, but in fact, there are many extraordinary natural spots just along the Loire.

Where to go this summer in Europe?

We will also be able to go a bit around nearby Europe where we still have a lot of things always centered around nature. We'll first head to the sunny spots and we have a few examples of very nice experiences to enjoy with family, as a couple, or with friends, in the midst of nature. For instance, in Andorra, where our travel designers have created several short stays very close to nature and vast spaces or even a bit sporty with hiking and trekking.

A bit further down, we have Portugal, where we also have offers with quite a bit of nature, which are quite accessible. And then, we have the Mediterranean islands, the closest to us, often linked to Spain. We can already mention two well-known archipelagos, both offering absolutely fabulous natural spots, even though they are reputed to be party places.

Spain

The Balearic Islands

I will start with the Balearic Islands. We often talk about Ibiza for partying, but the Balearics also include Menorca and Mallorca, which are other islands. And whether it's in Ibiza, Menorca, or Mallorca, the seaside is preserved, there are small coves for boating, for example, and mountains or cliffs, these are very majestic places where one can either simply stroll in nature or really engage in sports.

The Canary Islands

All of this also applies to the Canary Islands, where there are already travel planners. Everyone is familiar with Tenerife, which has beautiful beaches and nice landscapes, but there is also Lanzarote with more volcanic landscapes, very different and also very accessible. We mainly talked about the Spanish islands, but there are also things to do in the south of Spain, in the heart of nature, especially around Andalusia.

Italy

We can also talk a bit about Italy. There, in terms of nature, there is a lot to see. It is somewhat less accessible, but for example, if we focus a bit like Spain on the islands, Sardinia, Sicily, in both cases, we well know that these are beautiful islands, filled with very wild nature and lots of wide-open spaces, sometimes with accommodations in agri-tourism.

Greece

In the Mediterranean, we will start with Greece. There are many possibilities in Greece, whether on the islands or on the mainland. We are more interested in the Islands because in the summer, we want to be by the sea. And if we also need large spaces or to do sports, we have the opportunity in Greece to go, for example, to Crete, where the Samaria Gorge is located, which is very famous and allows for magnificent hikes.

All the islands of Crete allow you to see wonderful things in terms of nature, to go hiking, to engage in sports in general, and also to enjoy the sea and places like that in Greece, there are others. We can mention Corfu and we can mention some islands like Rhodes, which are in other regions of Greece.

Croatia

Before leaving, we would like to talk about Croatia, which is already open and where there will undoubtedly also be nice short nature trips to organize. It can be in the form of a road trip or by boat. Both are possible.

We can mention Corfu and we can mention some islands like Rhodes, which are in other regions of Greece.

If you can't decide, check out our great Mediterranean deals, featuring both France and Italy. We have the crew of Vertigo Blue, Sarah and her fiancé, who offer fantastic sailing and climbing trips in Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia or by combining, for instance, Corsica and Sardinia. These are real stays, true journeys into nature, on a boat and sporty. So, these are original ideas to get some fresh air, to exert yourself, and finally to get out of this epidemic.