Luxury is having choices. The art is knowing what to do with them

I am at Heritance Aarah in the Maldives, standing at the breakfast buffet, when someone asks if I would like an omelette.

An entirely reasonable question.

But I am looking at the Maldivian and Sri Lankan breakfast choices. That is what I want to try.

I can have an omelette at home.

That small exchange got me thinking about why we travel and how much of the experience depends on the choices we make once we arrive.

We put considerable thought into choosing a destination, a hotel, a ship, a room. We study photographs, compare options and anticipate how wonderful it will all be.

But arriving is only the beginning. What we do with the opportunity matters just as much.

A little curiosity at breakfast

Food has always been one of my favorite ways to get to know a place.

What people eat, how they prepare it and what they serve together can tell us something about their everyday lives. Breakfast is especially interesting because it is often so different from our own.

This morning, my choices included Sri Lankan fish curry in a golden sauce, kiribath, or rice cooked in coconut milk, and dhal, with sambols alongside. There was also the Maldivian combination of mas huni, a mixture of flaked tuna and coconut, and roshi, a thin flatbread.

A rather different breakfast from my usual one. And exactly what I had hoped to find.

You do not need to become an expert in a country’s cuisine. You can simply ask, “What is this?” Or, “How would you eat it?”

Those questions can turn a trip to the buffet into a conversation. Suddenly, you are learning something from a person who knows the food and has a connection to it.

That is cultural immersion, too. It can happen before you have finished your morning coffee.

Or, in my case this morning, tea. I swapped my usual very strong coffee for a Sri Lankan black tea with cardamom, cinnamon, ginger and a little condensed milk for creaminess. It was wonderful, and something I plan to enjoy many more mornings.

Of course, there are mornings when an omelette is exactly what you want. Familiar food has its place, and dietary restrictions can shape what is possible. But when there is an opportunity to try something different, I think it deserves a little consideration before we reach for what we already know.

The freedom of an all-inclusive

An all-inclusive stay offers a particularly good opportunity to be curious.

You have already paid for your meals. You can try something unfamiliar without wondering whether you are spending money on a dish you might not enjoy.

Yet having so much included can make it surprisingly easy to settle into a routine. The same breakfast. The same lunch. The same drink at the same time every afternoon.

If that brings you pleasure, enjoy it. But take a look around occasionally. Ask what else is available. Ask which local dish you should try.

There may be something wonderful just beyond your usual order.

For me, part of the value of an all-inclusive is that freedom to explore.

Ask for a small portion

I often ask for small portions when I travel. I want to taste several things, but I also know I am unlikely to finish several full plates.

There is something about an abundant buffet that makes it easy to take more than we need. Asking for a little lets me explore without leaving good food behind. I can always go back for more.

It is a small choice, but it reflects something I appreciate in the places where I stay: thoughtfulness about what we use and what we waste.

As I wrote about after my stay at ME Lisbon, hotels are finding ways to make that thinking part of how they operate. As guests, we have a part in that, too.

For me, a smaller portion means enjoying the choice while being mindful of what goes uneaten. And often, a few bites are all I need to discover something wonderful.

Leave room for people

Some of the moments that stay with us begin with a question.

What would you recommend? What do you eat at home? How is this made?

We are surrounded by people whose knowledge can add so much to our travels, if we take an interest and they have a moment to talk.

Remember why you came

Sometimes we travel because we want to see and do everything. Sometimes we need to rest.

At this resort, sitting quietly and enjoying the surroundings is a perfectly worthwhile choice. There is no requirement to turn every day into a project or every meal into a lesson.

But I do think it helps to ask ourselves what we want from the time we have.

A little peace? A new experience? A better understanding of somewhere unfamiliar? Perhaps a bit of each.

We can spend so much energy arranging a trip that we forget to pay attention once we are living it.

For me, traveling well means remaining interested. Looking around. Asking questions. Allowing a small, unexpected encounter to become part of the day.

This morning, that begins with breakfast.

The omelette can wait.

#TravelingGlamma #TheArtOfTravel #HeritanceAarah #Maldives #FoodAndCulture