“If you don’t love yourself, how the hell you gonna love someone else”

Many of us have heard this RuPaul quote encouraging her “ladies” to take care of themselves. But how many of us follow that advice? I did! I just spent a few days on Zoom Maldives taking RuPaul’s advice with a half a dozen Zoomers anxious to experience its riches. Ironically all were single, which goes against the misconception that the Maldives is only for honeymooning couples. On our resort, W Maldives, there were even two adorable Italian grannies who love the W vibe.

Another misconception is that there is little to do but float around Tiffany colored waters. Actually, there was so much to do I was only able to accomplish a fraction of what there was on offer during my four day stay. My Zoom Maldives experience was about feeding my soul, and I took every opportunity to really appreciate what nature was delivering with a little help from W Maldives. The shear beauty of the island country seems unreal. The vibrantly colored sunsets, coral reef teeming with aquatic life – turtles, reef sharks, too many tropical fish to mention individually by name – a spacious overwater bungalow, spending time with my Zoomers over dinner, watching birds of all types and the many services offered at the resort I enjoyed a lot. I took every opportunity to remind myself about the beauty surrounding me. I was loving myself.

A few months ago, I wrote about complementing a major trip with an add on or stop over on the way to the final destination. I highlighted my 12 hour stop over in Abu Dhabi to visit the recently opened Louvre Museum Abu Dhabi. The stopover was an opportunity to learn about international culture though the artistic creations of humans spanning millennia from all corners of the world in a curated museum setting. I was feeding my mind. It was a gratifying experience that left me looking forward to discussing my newly learned art knowledge with friends back home at some upcoming dinner, cocktail party or gathering. I finished off my almost month-long trip on Zoom India and Zoom Sri Lanka (which I will discuss in another article) with Zoom Maldives, which was the perfect way to end a cultural trip to the Zoom Vacations destinations mentioned.