barbados Archives • The Bliss Movement

Barbados, Caribbean, Guides + Itineraries, Travel

Barbados Self-Guided Coastal Drive

Barbados is a small island country in the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean, surrounded by the calm clear water of the Caribbean Sea on the West and the wilder seas of the Atlantic Ocean on the East. It is home to some of the most welcoming people I have ever met, island roads fringed with palm trees, the strongest rum punch and clean, turquoise water that you won’t believe is real until it hits your toes. After having visited the island a few times in the last few years (and falling more in love with it every time), I finally had a chance to show[...]

Barbados, Caribbean, Travel

8 Reasons Barbados Should Be Your Next Winter Vacay

Recently dubbed the Caribbean Destination of the Year by Caribbean Journal, Barbados is, without a doubt, the next trip you need to book. Like, yesterday. Barbados is known for its white, sandy beaches and being the birthplace of Rihanna. It’s the place where high-profile people such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Simon Cowell, Elton John and many others jet off to for their holidays in the sun. But don’t let that fool you into thinking this destination is only for the well-to-do. That’s far from the truth. Barbados is the perfect getaway for travelers of any a[...]

Barbados, Personal Development, Self-Care, Travel

4 Lessons Learned from Living on an Island

Before living on an island I had no idea what to expect. Warm weather, the sea and days relaxing on the beach, obviously, but I had no idea just how life changing it can be to immerse yourself in island living. It has shifted my perspective on reality and I am determined to incorporate the life lessons I've learned for the rest of my life. Island time is a real and inherent thing that you will come to love if you end up living on an island. As you embrace this concept of time, the stress and anxiety begin to fade and you finally begin to take in the life that[...]

Barbados, Caribbean, Travel

Welcome To The Belly of The Dragon: How a Stigmatized Barbados Community Opened My Eyes and My Heart

Those of you who have been following me will know that from January to June of this year I was on a study abroad program in Barbados. Lucky me, right? Usually, when people think of Barbados or the Caribbean in general their immediate thoughts are beautiful white sand beaches, crystal clear turquoise waters, and the warmth that we all desperately crave for eight months a year up here in Canada. You'll probably be staying in all-inclusive resorts, living in luxury for a week or two for a reasonable price. Barbados is your island getaway where you can eat, drink and[...]

Barbados, Caribbean, Travel

On Living, Learning and Leaving

Time moves at a different pace when your senses are being stimulated by all the wonders that the world has to offer. Home feels stagnant; there is a desperation to continue living a life that is elsewhere. The mystery of the earth and all that creates it pulls me from home time and time again. This time, I was pulled when I least expected it, to a place I had never dreamed of experiencing. Uprooting in the middle of my final year of my degree, I boarded a plane and stepped out onto a Caribbean island, determined to create a life for myself during the following fo[...]

Barbados, Budget Travel, Caribbean, Tips, Planning and Packing, Travel

How To Travel To Barbados on a Budget

Barbados is known for its white sandy beaches and being the birthplace of Rihanna. What it's not known for is its affordability. The Caribbean isn't a popular place for those on a backpacker budget, as many are drawn to the extreme budget prices seen in Southeast Asia or South America, but the Caribbean is home to some of the most beautiful islands in the world and shouldn't be missed just because it seems a little pricy. Here are some traveler tips to make the most of your time in Barbados without breaking the bank: Shop Local Food prices in the supermarkets can[...]

Barbados, Caribbean, Travel

The Day I Learned to Crack Open a Coconut in Barbados

"At the beach, life is different. Time doesn't move hour to hour, but mood to moment. We live by the currents, plan by the tides and follow the sun." -Unknown The bus weaved it's way up and over the hills that make up Barbados' east coast, winding down the road until at last it came around a corner presenting the most beautiful of views, capturing us all into silence. We were high above the rugged coastline, looking down upon the many cliffs that jutted out into the Atlantic and the palm trees that dotted the shore. A very religious island, Easter in Barbados[...]

Barbados, Caribbean, Travel

Off The Beaten Track Barbados: The Hot Pot

Amidst a long stretch of the white sand beach off the shores of the Caribbean is a natural little pool that flows out into the sea. Though shallow, there is a strong undercurrent that allows the pool to shift it's shape often and will carry you out to sea if you're not careful! Situated in front of a factory, the water that cools the generator of the factory becomes warm from the machinery and flows back out into the ocean, causing this small body of water to become unusually warm. Locals flock to Brighton beach to bathe in this water, adults chatting as they lou[...]

Barbados, Caribbean

Celebrating Phagwa In Barbados: The Festival of Colors

Pure joy was in the air, you could feel it all around you as soon as we approached the Hindu Temple. Uncle Charlie quite literally met us with open arms, diving in for hugs all around as he introduced himself and welcomed us into his community. His clothes were stained purple, his face dusted in a white powder, his hair showing off streaks of pink. It was the festival of colors; The festival of love; Phagwa; or what the West more commonly knows it as, Holi. It's the Hindu festival of spring where people of all ages come out to play in an afternoon of throwing col[...]

Barbados, Caribbean, Mood and Mindset, Self-Care, Travel

The Traveler’s Shift

I zoom through. Cities, countries, museums and temples, I zoom through them all. That has been my past travel experience nearly everywhere but Thailand. It paved the way for the title of this blog, a whirlwind. A travel affair where I leave after one short, intense kiss. I land in one destination and move frantically through it, desperate to see it all in three days or a week and then I disappear, leaving a city or a country behind me without seeing but a sliver of it. I've questioned this way of travel before and yet I continued to justify it. In some places th[...]

Barbados, Caribbean, Travel

Grenade Hall, Barbados: Mahogany Forests and Coastal Views

"If you don't know history, then you don't know anything. You are a leaf that doesn't know it is part of a tree," - Michael Crichton If you took my suggestion from my previous post about visiting the wildlife reserve in Barbados you will be pleased to find that your admission into the animal kingdom also allows you a jaunt up to the Grenade Hall signal station and the mahogany forest that surrounds it. Walking to the left of the ticket booth and, if you're lucky, a monkey taking a rest on the bench, you'll find yourself walking up a trail made of brick that wi[...]

Barbados, Caribbean, Travel

Monkeying Around at Barbados Wildlife Reserve

Imagine a place where diverse wildlife are allowed to roam freely, interacting not only with one another but also with the people visiting the reserve. You walk down a brick path lined with mahogany trees and a family of monkeys come jumping out in front of you. Red brocket deer walk past close enough to touch without a care in the world, completely unafraid of your presence. Tortoises saunter slowly down the path and rest in the cool dirt, peacocks show off their beautiful colors, and a giant python sleeps the day away. These are just some of the things you[...]