Get up and go: quick-fix travel refreshes body & soul

Travel can be sublimely refreshing for the busy professional, and it needn't come in the form of long, expensive or international trips. Discovering a new place - even if it happens to be in your own back yard - is a sure-fire way to recharge both body and soul. During a recent short trip to Ananda Spa (rated the world's best) in the Indian Himalayas, I spent a blissful few days experiencing the serene majesty of the mountains, which compelled me to look inwards in quiet reflection. Even a hectic string of work meetings right after couldn't steal the peace I'd found.

I make it a point to fit regular "quick fix" travel refreshers into my packed schedule. A two-day getaway to London's countryside, a side trip to Marseilles or Belgium, a long weekend in the French Riviera are instant recipes for an inner recharge. Even touristy activities are energizing: whale watching in Boston, visiting the Statue of Liberty in New York, meandering through the Louvre in Paris. And to combine a little business with pleasure, I check out current trends in the retail industry wherever I go (Selfridges has the most amazing store window displays). On my wish-list of places to visit next: Vietnam, Australia and South America, particularly Machu Picchu.

Solo travel is a must-try for anyone, at least once. I'm addicted (one fine day my husband's going to up and leave me!) - it allows me the personal space and time so vital to my well-being. Travelling light allows me to get up and go at a moment's notice, and, though strictly vegetarian, I'm not fussy about food - a simple sandwich while exploring rural Britain, fresh croissants in France, a Margherita pizza almost anywhere if uncertain about the cuisine or language.

I don't hoard souvenirs (except for the occasional fridge magnet) or even take many photos - after a major hard-drive crash a few years ago, I realized how transient life is and became peacefully detached from collecting memorabilia. So what stays with me at the end of a trip? The memory of an experience that's all my own, the feeling of getting to know myself better through a new place.

1) Blackberry. I no longer carry a laptop, iPad, or anything else. But friends have to remind
    me to leave the BB behind when we go out, or I'll be on it non-stop.

2) iPod. Instrumental lounge music for the mornings, soft melodies in any language through
    the day. 

3) Books. At least two, ranging from business biographies to new-age spirituality. 

4) Wet wipes & hand sanitizer to stay healthy & clean wherever I go.