While you can celebrate love anywhere in the world (especially if you are with your loved one!), there are some places that just exude LOVE. It might be a romantic setting, a historical setting that exemplifies love, or a location that changed the way we think about romantic love.

Planning a romantic trip can sometimes prove hard to do - especially if your finances are a little low and you can’t take your partner to a Michelin-starred restaurant or fly somewhere tropical. But what you should always try and remember is that it’s not about where you go, but the effort you put into making that getaway into something extra special for you and your other half.

Here are a few handy tips that will help you transform any destination into a romantic getaway. 

Planning a holiday in Florida? Then be sure to include these top four destinations on your travels: 

1. Miami marvels

Magic city - that’s what Miami’s called, and not without good reason. You’ll discover a tantalising mix of vibrant city life cheek by jowl with a landscape of unsurpassed natural beauty.

I’ll never forget stepping off the airplane for the first time at the Beijing airport and thinking to myself “What the *#@&$ did I just get myself into?” I didn’t know a lick of Mandarin other than ni hao, and prior to leaving I probably couldn’t have found Xinjiang, the province that was to become my new home, on a ma

Maria Castello is a recent graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, where she studied English writing and literature. During her time in college, she spent a semester studying in London, where she interned with a small publishing company. She loved her study abroad experience so much she is now planning to attend graduate school and pursue a career in international education. She loves classic novels, tortoiseshell cats, and green tea, and is currently learning to speak Italian.  

An introvert is a shy, reticent person. I did not readily accept my fate as an introvert until I went abroad. I knew I often needed time away from the crowd to recharge, but I thought everyone did that. My freshman year of college, I was explaining this to a friend (an extrovert, oy) and she said “Oh. You’re an introvert, Steph.”

What?

Is that bad? Is there medication for it?

“It’s all goood,” she said loudly, a typical extrovert answer.

There are numerous ways to travel across Thailand, some cheaper than others. The train is my favorite. It is cheap, much faster than a car, and fun. For no more than a few dollars, you can travel across hundreds of kilometers and arrive at your destination - Phuket, Chiang Mai, Bangkok, or whatever city you wish to explore. 

With Christmas preparations under control and every bedroom in our house filled with company, I’m basking in the joys of the season. I’m also letting my mind drift ahead to January, February and March when the San Francisco Bay Area can be downright chilly.