Tag Archives: Mexico

Reine, Lofoten, Norway. The village of Reine under a sunny, blue sky, with the typical rorbu houses. View from the top

Countries With No Covid Entry Requirements

As the pandemic lingers, countries are diverging in how they are handling the question of entry requirements. Some only require a negative test, some require full vaccination, some offer the option of a test or a vaccine, and others require both. But the following countries where WOW Listers can plan safe, smart trips don’t require any vaccination or pre-trip testing. They are:

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Americas
Asia & Pacific
Africa
Middle East
Caribbean

Europe

Austria

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Belgium

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Bosnia

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Bulgaria

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Croatia

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Czech Republic

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Denmark

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Estonia

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Finland

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France

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Georgia

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Germany

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Greece

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Hungary

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Iceland

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Ireland

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Italy

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Latvia

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Lithuania 

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Luxembourg 

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Malta

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Monaco

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Montenegro

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The Netherlands

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Norway

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Poland

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Portugal

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Romania

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Serbia

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Slovakia

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Slovenia

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Spain

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Sweden

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Switzerland 

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Turkey 

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United Kingdom

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Americas

Argentina

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Bahamas

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Belize

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Bermuda

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Bolivia

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Brazil

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Canada

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Chile

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Colombia

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Costa Rica

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Ecuador

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Mexico

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Panama

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Peru

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Uruguay

Required:

  • Medical insurance covering Covid-related expenses

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START A SAFE, SMART TRIP TO URUGUAY

 

Asia & Pacific

Australia

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Bhutan

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Bora Bora and Tahiti (French Polynesia)

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Cambodia

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China

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Cook Islands

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Fiji

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India

Required:

  • Random testing on arrival

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START A SAFE, SMART TRIP TO INDIA

Indonesia

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Japan

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Laos

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Malaysia

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The Maldives

Required:

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Mongolia

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Nepal

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New Zealand

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Papua New Guinea

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Singapore

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South Korea

Required:

  • Health questionnaire

Useful links: 

START A SAFE, SMART TRIP TO SOUTH KOREA

Sri Lanka

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Taiwan

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Thailand

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Uzbekistan

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Vietnam

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Africa

Botswana

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Kenya

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Madagascar

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Mauritius

Required:

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START A SAFE, SMART TRIP TO MAURITIUS

Morocco

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Namibia

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Rwanda

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Seychelles

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South Africa

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Tanzania

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Uganda

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Zambia

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Middle East

Egypt

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Israel

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Jordan

Required:

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START A SAFE, SMART TRIP TO JORDAN

Oman

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Qatar

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Saudi Arabia

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United Arab Emirates

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Caribbean

Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Martinique, St. Barts, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, U.S. Virgin Islands

(For details, click to the Caribbean Tourism Organization)

For more ideas on where to travel without hassles, check our list of countries open to U.S. travelers. For each country, we detail whether a test, a vaccine, or both are needed for entry. We also have a list of where vaccinated travelers can go with no pre-trip test.

We still recommend a test before international travel, of course—to ensure that you are Covid-free before you head overseas—but when you don’t need to get the test results on a strict timetable, that eliminates potential stress. The other way to eliminate stress is to use the right local fixer to safeguard and maximize your travels. That’s how you get a successful trip like those below, enjoyed by your fellow travelers whose trips we’ve been monitoring.


Be a safer, smarter traveler: Sign up for Wendy’s weekly newsletter to stay in the know. And read real travelers’ reviews of Wendy’s WOW List and use it to plan your next trip.

outdoor porch dining area of a vacation villa at Chable resort in Mexico with green trees around

A Mexico Family Vacation During Covid

 


 

This traveler got this trip by starting with this questionnaire.  For a safe, smart, extraordinary trip, go to The WOW List, find the best destination specialist for you, then click his/her CONTACT button to reach Wendy’s questionnaire.


 

Charlie Myers and his family wanted to get away. But they had a few challenges facing them: First, they live in Florida, so they were likely to run into travel bans and quarantines in some U.S. states. Second, they didn’t want to be on an airplane for too long. Because of their location, they were able to look internationally—to Mexico.

We checked in with Mr. Myers after he, his wife, and their two school-age kids returned from their week-long excursion to Merida and the Riviera Maya, where they stayed in two different resorts, planned with the help of WOW List travel specialist for Mexico, Zach Rabinor. As a frequent traveler, a veteran user of Wendy’s WOW List, and a professional who works in the fever-screening technology industry, Mr. Myers had a lot of insight into what it’s like to take a family trip now.

First, a note: While we at WendyPerrin.com do not encourage travel at this time, we believe it is possible to travel responsibly during this pandemic. We have done so ourselves—and we trust our community of global citizens to make smart choices for themselves and the people they’ll encounter. While most travelers want to wait until there is a vaccine for their next trip, some have asked us to help them travel safely and responsibly now—and we are happy to provide the intel and support they seek. We answer their questions every day at Ask Wendy. And we request their post-trip feedback as part of our effort to provide you with a realistic and useful view of the travel landscape right now. We are grateful to Mr. Myers for sharing his family’s experience with us and with you.

Why Mexico?

We were considering going on a trip internally in the U.S., but at that moment—the start of July—there were so many state regulations changing so quickly that it became unclear whether we’d have to quarantine for 14 days when we arrived in the places we were considering.

We are very well traveled, and Mexico seemed like a very simple trip from Miami, mainly based on the one-hour flight time. We didn’t want to sit in masks for many hours, so flying somewhere where you’re off the plane before you know it was appealing.

How did you narrow in on Merida and the Riviera Maya?

We were very nervous about flying and I’d recently been to the Cancun airport, and it was busy and I wanted to avoid that. Flying into Merida instead was a great recommendation from Zach. It was quiet and easy.

I’d been to the area, and I knew that it was going to be the right place for my family. If anything, it was slightly disappointing because a lot of the attractions that are fun for kids were closed. But we still managed to do day trips that felt adventurous and that the kids loved. We did quite a few excursions organized by Zach’s team that felt 100% safe.

What kind of activities did you do?

My family doesn’t really love beach trips; we live in Miami, so the beach is nothing special. My kids are really nerdy. They love museums and history and archaeology and cities. I thought the Mayan ruins would fascinate them—but, as it turns out, we weren’t able to see them. The cenotes were closed too. But Zach found us things that were open that we could go and see, like a fantastic trip into caves. Normally that would have been a touristy experience that I wouldn’t have enjoyed, but because of the restrictions, we were able to do a private trip.

How were the resorts?

Merida was a little underwhelming, if I’m honest, because everything was closed. The hotel itself, Chablé, had several experiences for the kids to enjoy, like chocolate making and a little farm with deer, and they spent some time doing local Mayan cultural immersions. They were simple and quick but still felt special, even though they were on-property. I can’t say enough good things about Chablé. We stayed in a private family villa. The staff were wonderful, the resort was beautiful, and they upgraded us. It was quiet, and there were only a handful of other people staying there.

Then we rented a car and drove to the Riviera Maya. I’m not as passionate about the Rosewood Mayakoba, but I chose it because it seemed right for the children.

In every resort, all of the staff was wearing masks. Not all of the guests were, because there was enough social distance, but the staff did. It was never an issue because Zach’s team helped select resorts that were spacious.

What were your concerns about the trip?

The concerns were obvious: Will my family be safe? Are we taking unnecessary risks by traveling? Will we be in certain situations that will be beyond our control? In terms of meeting those concerns, the recommendations that the travel specialists made helped—especially the first resort, Chablé, because it’s such a large property and the accommodations were stand-alone villas. It felt 100% safe. The safety protocols at both resorts and both airports, and even with the car rental, made me feel like they were taking it very seriously.

How did WOW List travel specialists Zach those concerns?

In non-Covid times, I probably would have done this trip without using a travel planner because it was a very simple trip. I’ve had a number of trips planned with WendyPerrin.com travel specialists, but a week in Mexico—I would normally do it myself.

But I am very glad I picked up the phone and spoke to these guys because their recommendations, especially Chablé, were not on my radar and made the trip.

In your trip review, you mentioned that they messaged with you while you were traveling?

They were super-professional, particularly during such a scary moment, and they checked in with us during the trip. We had a little bit of an issue with the car rental; it was a benefit to be able to text somebody who was immediately on the phone with the car rental agency to get it resolved very quickly.

This was one of the more simple trips that somebody could have planned for a family, but I still felt the benefit of having somebody there in case we ran into unknowns. We didn’t know what to expect. And when we were planning the trip there were some questions we had and some concerns whether the border would remain open; without their involvement, it might have led me to postpone the trip, but they were very reassuring that they had the correct information. And they were right.

What did you observe in terms of safety protocols as you traveled?

We found the safety protocols in Mexico were well in advance of anything we’d seen in Miami. They seemed much more together and on it than the U.S.

I’m in the fever-screening technology business, so I was very aware of it. At the airport they have fever-detection cameras, and they are checking temperatures everywhere you go, whenever we entered a property or the car rental place—and the car rental would only allow me to go into the building. It was more the consistency of every single place doing the same things to keep people safe. And all of that led to a layer of feeling confident that we weren’t going to get sick.

What was it like driving?

It was not the recommendation of Zach’s team to rent a car, but I wanted to do it. The health and safety precautions were present and consistent and felt appropriate.

We drove about four hours, and even at the gas stations they have the same protocols as elsewhere, so you couldn’t go into a gas station without somebody taking your temperature or asking you to sanitize. That made you feel very comfortable, and it wasn’t intrusive in any way.

What do you wish you knew beforehand (and therefore would tell other people)?

When we got to the beach at Rosewood Mayakoba, the kids’ club was actually open. There was a level of normality on vacation that caused a little bit of stress because we weren’t quite emotionally prepared for it and weren’t sure how to navigate it. Our kids made friends, and it felt fantastic to see them playing normally, but I think we were under the impression that all of these touch points were closed. So it was kind of challenging to navigate those moments on the spot, to try and understand what the appropriate thing to do was. I think everyone is facing these kinds of challenges we’re not really programmed to make. So that is something to consider: If you go to a resort, there will be situations that may not be compliant with social distancing, and they will be almost impossible to control. All that being said, I felt everyone who worked at the resorts went above and beyond to ensure that protocols were being met.

 

We can help you figure out how to safely plan your own trip and direct you to the right travel specialist for your needs. Write to us at Ask Wendy.

Be a safer, smarter traveler: Sign up for Wendy’s weekly newsletter to stay in the know. And read real travelers’ reviews of Wendy’s WOW List and use it to plan your next trip.

The Best Trips to Book in April: What to Lock in Now

UPDATE:  THE PANDEMIC IS CAUSING HUGE CHANGES IN TRAVEL, SO CLICK TO ASK WENDY BEFORE PLANNING ANYTHING.

PLEASE SEE OUR COVID-19 TRAVEL COVERAGE.

WE WILL UPDATE THIS ARTICLE AS INFORMATION DEVELOPS ON SAFE TRAVEL.


Whether you’re still trying to figure out your summer travel plans, have already turned to fall, or are starting to think about next spring (many bucket-list trips need to be booked a year in advance, after all), we’ve gathered here a handful of memorable options for your next trip. These are the trips you should be booking in April if you want to experience nature’s greatest marvels and cultural extravaganzas at their best possible moments.

(Don’t miss the rest of our series on what trips to book in each month of the year. If you prefer to know which destinations are ideal for traveling to in any given month, see our Where to Go When series, and don’t miss our comprehensive guide to the benefits of booking early.)

Belize: Lobsters and Last-Minute Deals

Belize fisherman showing off his fishing catch on a dock, giving two thumbs up

“Scuba Steve” on the opening day of lobster season. He speared all this himself! Photo: Rachael Wilson

For: June 2019

June is the start of Belize’s slower season, which means that there are often great deals to be had: four nights for the price of three, free resort credits, and the like. Furthermore, lobster season opens up on June 15 and there are countrywide celebrations that include fishing tournaments, live music, and lots of dancing. We even know how to get you a lobster-cooking master class with one of the country’s most acclaimed chefs.

Why book in April? These last-minute deals usually appear four to six weeks prior; start planning now so that you’re ready to snap them up immediately.

Ask about a trip to Belize

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Morocco: A Surprising Hot Spot for the Holidays

camel trek through the Sahara Desert, Morocco.

Wendy and family on a camel trek through the Sahara Desert, Morocco.

For: December 2019 and January 2020

Most people don’t think of Morocco as a holiday destination, but December 20 to January 5 is the tippy-top of high season there: Top hotels get sold out months in advance, rates are higher, and most properties in Marrakech have four- to six-night minimum stay requirements.

Why book in April? Last year, our Trusted Travel Expert was already having trouble finding holiday availability in May. Book now to ensure your spot.

Ask about a trip to Morocco

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Patagonia’s Beautiful but Short Summer

For: December 2019 through February 2020

Southern Patagonia combines jaw-dropping scenery, an edge-of-the-earth vibe, and luxurious lodges better than anywhere else. Luckily, this landscape isn’t just for the uber-fit: Options range from easy day hikes to multi-day backcountry treks—and unlike higher-altitude trails in the Andes and the Himalayas, the only thing taking your breath away will be the views.

Why book in April? Patagonia has a very limited weather window and relatively few beds. After April, availability at the big-name lodges and authentic Argentine estancias during these popular summer months will be hard to find. (You might also consider the shoulder seasons of November and March, which see pleasant conditions and fewer crowds.)

Ask about a trip to Patagonia

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Northern Peru’s Archaeological Wonders—with Special Access

The ruins of Kuelap, Peru

The walled settlement of Kuelap, Peru, was built in the sixth century. Photo: Aracari

For: August 2019

Explore some of northern Peru’s most interesting hidden gems—including the seat of the oldest civilization in the Americas and the highest tropical mountain range in the world—with Trusted Travel Expert Marisol Mosquera as your guide. Thanks to Marisol’s connections, you’ll be hosted by archaeologists studying significant pre-Inca ruins, witness ongoing excavations, step behind the scenes in a museum, dine in a private home, and visit artisan workshops.

Why book in April? Right now, there are seven spaces left on this special journey, and Marisol is offering a 10% discount on the land costs for WendyPerrin.com readers.

Ask about a trip to Peru

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Portugal’s and Spain’s Less Crowded Shoulder Season

Lisbon, Portugal skyline with Sao Jorge Castle

Lisbon is getting even closer, thanks to new direct flights. Photo: Shutterstock

For: October and November 2019

While the Iberian peninsula has become so popular that you’ll find foreign visitors there well into fall, the locals have returned home by then, making the crowds a bit more manageable. Plus, the summer heat has subsided but the days are still long and the sun is shining. In Portugal, smart travelers stay at one of the spectacular hotels just outside Lisbon and Porto, so that you can enjoy the cities but retreat to a place of tranquility at the end of the day. In Spain, Andalusia is absolutely idyllic in fall.

Why book in April? The most prized hotels are already nearing full occupancy for the autumn months. Moreover, the Alhambra has changed its ticketing policy, making reservations increasingly limited, and complicated to arrange; book now to ensure that you get the date and time you prefer.

Ask about a trip to Portugal and Spain

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Ireland’s Autumn Sweet Spot

landscape view of green fields in Ring of Kerry, Killarney, Ireland

Ring of Kerry, Killarney. Photo: Jonathon Epstein

For: September and October 2019

Autumn hits the sweet spot in Ireland, when the summer crowds have left favorite sites such as the Cliffs of Moher and the Ring of Kerry—but the fine weather remains. And there are fun events taking place too, such as the Galway Oyster Festival and the Cork Jazz Festival.

Why book in April?  Ireland is extremely popular among travelers right now, so you have to book early—even for travel during the shoulder season—if you want dibs on the most well-connected guides and prime rooms at the most atmospheric hotels (a lake-view room at Aghadoe Heights Hotel, say).

Ask about a trip to Ireland

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Antarctica’s Prime Season

travelers in red winter coats rowing a zodiac boat amid floating ice and glaciers of Antarctica

There is a short season when travelers can visit Antarctica. Photo: Expedition Trips

For: November through early March, for the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons

As with Patagonia, there is a short season when travelers can visit the White Continent, and a limited number of ships capable of making the journey. Whether you are hoping to experience Antarctica at its most pristine early in the season, see fluffy penguin chicks up close, or search for whales as the sea ice opens later in the summer, there are excellent options still available for both the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons.

Why book in April? Airfare to South America increases as the season approaches—and high-demand cabins sell out quickly—so April tends to be a sweet spot with moderate airfare and good availability. Some departures still have early booking incentives available, too.

Ask about a trip to Antarctica

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One of Mexico’s Most Colorful Festivals

people parading in Oaxaca street for La Guelaguetza, one of Mexico's most colorful festivals

La Guelaguetza, in Oaxaca, is one of Mexico’s most colorful festivals. Photo: Journey Mexico

For: July 2019

One of Mexico’s biggest and most colorful festivals, La Guelaguetza takes place in Oaxaca on two different dates in July (this year, it’ll be on July 22 and 29). The celebration, also known as Los Lunes del Cerro or Mondays on the Hill, includes traditional dances, music, parades, art, costumes, and folk tales from the indigenous people who make up nearly half of Oaxaca’s population.

Why book in April? Tickets for the festival go on sale in May; if you get the dates of your trip and your hotels nailed down now, you’ll be ready to snap up event tickets as soon as they’re available.

Ask about a trip to Mexico

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Norway’s Breathtaking Fjords (and Slightly Lower Prices)

The Reinefjord in Lofoten. Photo: Andrea Giubelli - Visitnorway.com

The Reinefjord in Lofoten. Photo: Andrea Giubelli – Visitnorway.com

For: mid-May to mid-September 2019

Norway’s fjords are iconic for good reason: These deep valleys, cut by glaciers along the country’s western coast, combine gorgeous landscapes with picturesque little fishing villages. You can cruise into the fjords, and go hiking and biking along their edges. The flowers and waterfalls are most impressive in the spring, while mid-June to mid-August usually sees the best weather (and nearly endless days). From mid-August to mid-September, the leaves start turning, and prices can be lower too.

Why book in April? There are only a few top-quality hotels in the fjord region, making it hard to find an available room for peak season if you wait until after Easter to book. The savviest guides get booked first as well.

Ask about a trip to Norway

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China: A Place to Hike Off the Beaten Path

Yading Nature Reserve—in Sichuan Province, China—is full of beautiful mountains, monasteries and autumn views. Photo: Raymond Ling

For: October 2019

Sichuan Province’s Yading Nature Reserve is full of turquoise lakes and holy mountain peaks that are the beautiful backdrops for invigorating hiking and camping. It has been home to Tibetan monasteries for more than 800 years, but the area wasn’t familiar to the outside world until the first Westerner to visit published his photographs in National Geographic in 1931 (which some think were the inspiration for the “Shangri-La” depicted in James Hilton’s explorer classic Lost Horizon). Today you’ll find isolated mountain temples, lamaseries, and Tibetan towns. In October, the red, yellow, and green trees form a particularly dazzling autumnal vista.

Why book in April? Although Yading Nature Reserve is still off the beaten path, it’s becoming more popular with domestic travelers. Book now to ensure you’ll have the best hotels and highest-caliber guides to help you take in your own slice of serenity.

Ask about a trip to China

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Canada: A Polar Bear Safari

polar bear reclining in Hudson Bay in Churchill, Canada,

Hudson Bay in Churchill, Canada, is one of the best places to see polar bears in the fall. Photo: Jennifer Santoyo

For: October and November 2019

Every fall, the shores of Hudson Bay in Churchill, Canada, transform into a polar bear kingdom as the mighty mammals make their annual migration to the sea ice. There is no other place on earth where humans can see so many polar bears so easily. Experience the thrill of wildlife watching from the safety of a customized polar rover.

Why book in April? The window for polar-bear viewing in Churchill is narrow and demand is high; book now to claim a spot before they sell out.

Ask about a trip to Canada

You’ll be marked as a VIP and get a trip like this.

India’s Fascinating and Famous Pushkar Camel Fair

camel wearing colorful decorations in front of a tent at Pushkar Camel Fair india

The Pushkar Camel Fair in India draws tens of thousands of camels and hundreds of thousands of pilgrims. Photo: Billie Cohen

For: October and November 2019

One of the most magical festivals in a country with a calendar full of them, the Pushkar Camel Fair is a spectacle of livestock trading and religious observance, with tens of thousands of camels and hundreds of thousands of pilgrims in attendance. The event ends on the full moon (November 12 in 2019), and villagers start arriving en masse about ten days prior. This year, our Trusted Travel Expert has a professional photographer leading a tour to the festival, ensuring that travelers will bring home shots worthy of that spot above the fireplace. The best time to visit is November 6-9, when the focus is on animal trading and you can stroll the bazaars.

Why book in April? The bottleneck for Pushkar is the limited number of good-quality hotels and tented encampments in the area. If you wait until May, you’ll likely be stuck in poor-quality accommodations that are quite far from the action.

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Zambia: The Highest Density of Leopards in All of Africa

An aerial view of Lower Zambezi National Park, Zambia. Photo: Lower Zambezi National Park

An aerial view of Lower Zambezi National Park, Zambia. Photo: Lower Zambezi National Park

For: November and December 2019

When Mfuwe Lodge’s wild mango trees ripen in November and December, entire families of elephants walk right through the lobby to snack on the fruit. Mfuwe is located in Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park, which also has the highest density of leopards in all of Africa and is home to immense populations of other wildlife, from wild dogs to lion and unique antelope species.

Why book in April?  During April only, our Trusted Travel Expert can get you five nights at Mfuwe for the price of four, and a highly discounted rate for a private guide and vehicle. It’s an offer that’s available only to WendyPerrin.com readers, so be sure to use Wendy’s trip request form.

Ask about a trip to Africa

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The Netherlands: Cruising through Tulipmania

a field purple tulips in bloom at Tulips at Keukenhof Gardens Netherlands

More than 7 million tulips bloom at Keukenhof Gardens in the Netherlands. Photo: Keukenhof Gardens

For: April and May 2020

Spring is tulip time in the Netherlands, of course, and one of the best ways to see the colorful display is via a barge slowly cruising the country’s canals. You’ll stop at Keukenhof Gardens, where seven million bulbs are in bloom, as well as in the canal-ringed city of Delft (once home to the painter Johannes Vermeer), and you’ll pass many of Holland’s iconic windmills set amid the photogenic spring landscape.

Why book in April? Only two of the barges plying the canals of Holland live up to our Trusted Travel Expert’s high standards, and the season is short—so you need to book early to reserve your cabin.

Ask about a canal cruise in the Netherlands

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If your goal is an extraordinary trip when the time is right, go to Ask Wendy. We know which trip-planning specialists have up-to-the-minute intel for your destination and can minimize your risk and maximize your experience. Check out Real Trips Right Now to see the difference that this makes.

 

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Polignano a Mare, puglia, italy, seaside village

The Next Great Places: Where to Go Instead of the Usual Suspects

Travelers, you’ve had this dream: You’re looking at a map trying to decide where to go next, wondering how to choose from all the frontiers you’ve never seen, the cultures and cuisines you’ve yet to savor, the landscapes you have yet to explore. The key, of course, is to choose those locations that are still under-the-radar, not overrun by hordes of tourists. Iceland, as just one example of a hot spot, was blissfully empty a few years ago; now that everyone’s caught on, its Golden Circle is teeming with tour buses filled with Americans.

We have the same dream as you, but we also have a way to make it a reality. To help you choose the lesser-known gems, we turned to destination specialists who live and work in these countries and have first-hand insight into which places have reached that perfect moment when there’s just enough tourism infrastructure to offer the creature comforts you want, but not too much attention that the tourist masses have arrived. Sounds nice, right? In this video, Trusted Travel Experts from Wendy’s 2018 WOW List share the next great places. Where will you go?

 

 

Be a smarter traveler: Read real travelers’ reviews of Wendy’s WOW List and use it to plan your next trip. You can also follow her on Facebook, Twitter @wendyperrin, and Instagram @wendyperrin, and sign up for her weekly newsletter to stay in the know.

Colorful empty adirondack Chairs lined up on a sunny Beach

Winter Escape: 10 Places You’d Rather Be Than in This Cold Weather

As you wait out the cold and snowy season with friends, family and a nice glass of wine, we want you to remember that there are still warm and sunny parts of the world.

These ten destinations in particular have gorgeous weather and beautiful beaches—imagine yourself in any one of them, or better yet, use the time stuck indoors to start planning your winter escape.

Caribbean Islands

There are several islands that you can reach via nonstop flights from many U.S. cities. These are the more familiar and busy ones, including Jamaica and the Dominican Republic. But to get to the really special places, you’ll have to put in a little more time and effort, which usually means at least two flights—one of them on a puddle jumper—and sometimes a ferry ride. The British Virgin Islands and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, along with St. Kitts and Nevis, are all well worth the effort it takes to reach them.

Learn more in our Insider’s Guide to Finding Your Perfect Caribbean Island Resort, and contact Wendy to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

Big Island, Hawaii

beach at Kawaihae, Big Island, Hawaii.

The beach at Kawaihae, Big Island, Hawaii. Photo: Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) / Tor Johnson

The Big Island boasts several of Hawaii’s most beautiful beaches, including the half-mile white-sand Hapuna Beach—the one often seen in advertisements and television shows touting an island paradise. For another perfect white-sand strand—but without the crowds—try Makalawena Beach near Kekaha Kai Sate Park, in Kona. You’ll have to maneuver an unpaved road for a short distance and walk a bit from the parking area, but that is part of the charm.

Learn more in our Insider’s Guide to the Big Island, Hawaii, and use Wendy’s trip request form to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

three orange beach chairs and a green umbrella facing the ocean in Puerto Vallarta Mexico

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Photo: Shutterstock

Puerto Vallarta’s historic center is home to great restaurants, galleries, shops, and nightlife, as well as plenty of photogenic charm—cobblestoned streets, whitewashed adobe walls. The Malecon, Vallarta’s oceanfront promenade, offers a great look at how local Vallartenses spend their evenings, strolling along with their children, grandparents, and friends.

Learn more in our Insider’s Guide to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and use Wendy’s trip request form to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

Costa Rica

Rio Celeste Waterfall photographed in Costa Rica

Costa Rica. Photo: Shutterstock

There are lots of gorgeous spots in Costa Rica, but don’t miss Osa Peninsula, home to Corcovado National Park. Despite a certain level of press over the years, the peninsula’s remoteness leads most travelers to substitute easier-to-reach rain forests and jungles—but whereas you’re likely to see a scarlet macaw in one of those other locations, on the Osa Peninsula you might see a tree full of them. The abundance of wildlife among majestic old-growth trees makes the payoff huge.

Learn more in our Insider’s Guide to Luxury Eco-Travel in Costa Rica, and use Wendy’s trip request form to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

Nicaragua

woman sandboarding down the Cerro Negro volcano

Try sandboarding down the Cerro Negro volcano, one of Nicaragua’s most active cone. Photo: Flickr/Beth and Anth

One of Nicaragua’s most appealing attractions is its abundant wildlife. Playa La Flor Nature Reserve, one hour from San Juan del Sur, is the perfect place to see sea turtles laying their eggs in the spring. Rather do something more adventurous? Try sandboarding down the Cerro Negro volcano, one of the country’s most active cones. It’s an hourlong hike to the top—where you’ll have a spectacular view of the sulfurous crater and also the Pacific Ocean.

Learn more in our Insider’s Guide to Nicaraguaand use Wendy’s trip request form to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

The Maldives

Beach views from Gili Lankanfushi, Maldives

Beach views from Gili Lankanfushi, Maldives. Photo: Gili Lankanfushi

We’re pretty sure you don’t need convincing that the Maldives are paradise—just look at the photos. Bliss out on the beach, laze around in an overwater bungalow, or try UV snorkeling after the sun goes down and see how the corals light up in fluorescent greens, yellows, and reds.

Learn more in our Insider’s Guide to The Maldives, and use Wendy’s trip request form to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

Sri Lanka

beach at Nilaveli, Trincomalee Sri Lanka shutterstock

Trincomalee, Sri Lanka. Photo: Shutterstock

From the urban centers of Colombo to the tropical seaside south of Galle, Sri Lanka offers both quiet retreats and thrilling adventures. For travelers who want to admire the beauty of the countryside, the Tea Country’s many miles of manicured tea plantations provide the ideal place for a hike. For thrill seekers, the Kelani River provides an unparalleled opportunity for rafting and canyoning through the Central Highlands.

Learn more in our Insider’s Guide to Sri Lanka, and use Wendy’s trip request form to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

Rajasthan

Amanbagh, Rajasthan India

Amanbagh, Rajasthan, India. Photo courtesy Amanbagh

For complete relaxation, spend a day by the pool at Amanbagh, an oasis of palm and eucalyptus trees and Mughal-inspired architecture once used by the maharajah of Alwar on tiger-hunting expeditions. For something more active, saddle up one of the Marwari horses at Mihir Garh and ride through the Thar desert, pausing to visit the Bishnoi villages.

Learn more in our Insider’s Guide to Rajasthan, India, and use Wendy’s trip request form to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

Sydney

Bondi beach panorama Sydney Australia

Sydney’s summer (December–February) brings beach weather. Photo: Southern Crossings

Sydney’s popular tourist attractions are well-known and visited by travelers from all over the world. But for some of the city’s hidden gems, jump on a ferry to Watsons Bay, and take in the views as you approach the southern entrance to Sydney Harbour. Once a tiny fishing village, Watsons Bay now offers walking tracks, beaches, and a harborside park.  Just one hour from Sydney and a favorite of locals but consistently overlooked by visitors, the Royal National Park has spectacular coastal views, abundant birdlife, indigenous culture, bushwalking, cycling, and surfing. It’s also the world’s second-oldest national park (after Yellowstone).

Learn more in our Insider’s Guide to Sydney, Australia, and use Wendy’s trip request form to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

Queenstown, New Zealand

View from Pencarrow Lodge, New Zealand

View from Pencarrow Lodge, New Zealand.

New Zealand is as an adventure mecca. Experiences for adrenaline junkies abound throughout the country, but most are concentrated in the Queenstown region. This is the place, after all, that claims to have invented bungee jumping. If you’re eager to try it (and you should!), we recommend a leap at the Kawarau Bridge. You can also go hiking on one of the area’s many unknown trails or go jet boating, rafting, skydiving, gliding, mountain biking—whatever rocks your boat.

Learn more in our Insider’s Guide to Queenstown, New Zealand, and use Wendy’s trip request form to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

 

Where would you rather be right now?

Field of Light installation by Bruce Munro; at Uluru, Australia

Where to Travel in 2018

There are so many exciting, beautiful, relaxing, delicious, educational, awe-inspiring, adrenaline-pumping, perspective-shifting places to see—and so little time. That’s why we’re here with our annual list of recommendations for where to go next. The following places are worth seeing in 2018 for reasons that range from blockbuster events and noteworthy anniversaries to the fact that they’re at that delicate tipping point between buzz-worthy and overrun. See them before the tourist hordes beat you to it. No matter where you decide to roam this year (and you’ll find additional ideas here, based on which month you can get away), we wish you safe and extraordinary travels.

Romania

Valena Zalanului, guesthouses, Romania

Valena Zalanului, guesthouses, Romania

Romania turns 100 years old in 2018, a centenary marked by cultural celebrations that will give travelers even more reasons to explore this underrated but increasingly popular country dotted with 13th-century villages and UNESCO World Heritage sites. Mark your calendars for the Transylvania Film Festival (May 25–June 6), the Full Moon Horror & Fantasy Film Festival (August 10–13), or the annual Electric Castle music festival (July 18–22). Be sure to make time for Romania’s other homegrown activities, such as hiking in Central Europe’s largest forest or watching artisans ply their craft using the same tools and techniques used for centuries.

To be marked as a VIP traveler and get the best Romania trip possible, contact Wendy here.

Puebla, Mexico

Museo Internacional del Barroco, Puebla City, Mexico

Museo Internacional del Barroco, Puebla City, Mexico. Photo: Journey Mexico

This charming colonial city has been on savvy travelers’ radar for a while now, what with its fresh crop of sophisticated hotels (including a Rosewood and a Cartesiano) and tourism improvements such as a sightseeing cable car and a train connecting Puebla City to Cholula, where you’ll find trendy new eateries and pop-up markets that give that town a Oaxaca vibe. All of this is on top of Puebla State’s historic and cultural legacy, born from its UNESCO World Heritage monuments, its internationally renowned cuisine, and its beautiful pottery. Most visible on the city’s undamaged skyline is the undulating white façade of the new Museo Internacional del Barroco, which houses exhibitions about the artistically rich (though often underrated) Baroque aesthetic of the 17th and 18th centuries—a period that had a major influence on the look of Puebla City itself. If you’re thinking that the 2017 earthquake made all of this irrelevant, we’re happy to report that you’re wrong: The museum withstood the quake, and so did this resilient city, where hotels remained open, reconstruction began immediately, and tourism rebounded quickly. Get there soon before everyone else realizes it’s ready for them.

To be marked as a VIP traveler and get the best Puebla trip possible, contact Mexico travel specialist Zach Rabinor through our site. Here’s why.

Antarctica

Adelie penguins jumping in to sea in Antarctica

Adelie penguins dive into the water in Antarctica. Photo: ExpeditionTrips

New and improved Antarctica voyages are on tap for 2018, with upgraded ships, cutting-edge itineraries, and program enhancements. The tricked-out World Explorer will debut in 2018 with classic Antarctic peninsula itineraries but with the new option to fly there directly from Chile rather than brave the choppy Drake Passage by water. The recently refurbed 114-passenger expedition vessel Hebridean Sky will offer kayaking, camping, and a citizen-science program for families. For those looking for even more unusual routes, Le Boreal and Le Soleal will venture to South Georgia Island and the Falklands, and the Silver Explorer will journey to those destinations plus the rarely visited South Sandwich Islands.

To be marked as a VIP traveler and get the Antarctica expedition cruise best suited to your specific trip goals and needs, contact Antarctica travel specialist Ashton Palmer through our site. Here’s why.

Angra dos Reis, Brazil

boat in the water Angra dos Reis, Brazil.

Angra dos Reis, Brazil. Photo: Pixabay/gabrielvannini

Many Brazilian elites own beach homes two hours from Rio in Angra dos Reis, which is known for its beautiful coastline. The bay has more than 300 islands covered in Atlantic rainforest, many of them uninhabited, with picture-perfect beach coves and very calm emerald-colored waters. The reason more travelers don’t go to Angra dos Reis is that, until now, there has not been a hotel of the same caliber as the beach homes for rent. That’s about to change, with the opening of the Fasano Angra dos Reis in early January. The resort will have 54 suites—all with sea views—plus an 18-hole golf course, two restaurants, and nightlife options. It will now be easier to combine Rio and Angra dos Reis into one quick trip that introduces you to both Brazil’s energetic urban vibe and its blissful beaches.

To be marked as a VIP traveler and get the best Brazil trip possible, Ask Wendy. Here’s why.

Parma, Italy

winding colorful street in Parma Italy with biker on it

Parma, Italy. Photo: Shutterstock

Yes, this is where the famous ham comes from. But prosciutto di Parma is not the only reason to go. Parma is in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, where you can find the best of what Italy’s pantries have to offer, including Parma’s Parmigiano Reggiano, Modena’s balsamic vinegar, and Bologna’s egg pasta. A trip to Parma is delicious anytime, but in 2018 you’ll be able to sample its culture via the Festival Verdi, an annual opera series dedicated to the maestro, who helmed several of his most famous productions in Parma. This year’s fest will showcase four rarities, including an early ‘comedy,’ the Shakespearean tragedy Macbeth, and Le Trouvere, a rewrite in French of one of his most popular works, Il Trovatore. “You can pair all of it with a plate of the finest Culatello di Zibello, torta fritta, and a glass of bubbly Lambrusco to fulfill an Italian opera-food-lover’s nirvana,” notes Italy travel specialists Maria Landers and Brian Dore, who are opera singers in addition to being Trusted Travel Experts on Wendy’s WOW List.

To be marked as a VIP traveler and get the best Emilia-Romagna trip possible, contact Maria and Brian through our site. Here’s why.

Gdansk, Poland

Gdansk, Poland. Photo: Poland Tourist Organization

Gdansk, Poland. Photo: Poland Tourist Organization

For years it was just another Baltic cruise port—one overrun with tourists and not that interesting. Thanks to recent investments, Gdansk has new hotels (the stylish Puro is already open and two four-star properties are on their way), trendy restaurants (Piwna47 and Mono Kitchen are standouts), and three new museums that have put its rich and complex history back at center stage. The Emigration Museum shares stories of Polish émigrés all over the world, especially to the U.S., while the Solidarity Center focuses on the struggle for freedom and democracy in Poland and beyond. “The collection is very interactive and not just a bunch of names and dates,” points out Gwen Kozlowski, an Eastern Europe travel specialist on Wendy’s WOW List. “Poland somehow creates super-interesting museums like this (such as the Warsaw Uprising Museum, Schindler’s Factory in Krakow, and the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews).” This curatorial talent is demonstrated particularly well at Gdansk’s third new museum, the World War II Museum—where, for example, a kids’ section shows the same Warsaw apartment on the day WWII started, one year later, and toward the end. The Museum garnered a lot of attention when it opened in March 2017, as much for its exhibits about Gdansk’s former life as Danzig, the contested “free city” where Germany invaded Poland in 1939 and started WWII, as for the current Polish government’s role in trying to dictate how that history is portrayed. “Gdansk is now much more than souvenir shops, mediocre pierogi, and amber jewelry stores,” says Gwen. “It’s a city that should be on your radar.”

To be marked as a VIP traveler and get the best Poland trip possible, contact Gwen through our site. Here’s why.

Northeastern France

WWI war cemetery in Verdun, France

Verdun, France. Photo: Pixabay

November 11, 2018, marks the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day and the end of WWI, which will be commemorated across Europe. But Northeast France is where the Armistice was signed—at the Clairière de l’Armistice in Compiegne—so that’s a good place to include in an itinerary focused on “The War To End All Wars.” Verdun is a must, so you can see where the largest and longest battle on the Western Front was fought between the German and French armies. Today, you can walk through the fort and what’s left of the trenches, comparing the beauty of present-day farm country with wartime fields that were so heavy with shells that it made the mud bounce. Other stops might include the Museum of the Great War, in Meaux, which has Europe’s largest collection of artifacts from WWI; the open-air Montsec American Monument, which features a bronze relief battle map of military operations in that area; the Thiepval Memorial, which pays tribute to the thousands of missing soldiers of the Battle of the Somme; and the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery in Romagne-Sous-Montfaucon: It’s the largest American cemetery in Europe, not far from the 200-foot granite American Memorial that commemorates the U.S. army’s victory during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.

To be marked as a VIP traveler and get the best France trip possible, contact Wendy here.

Hoh Xil, China

Wild horses in Hoh Xil, China

Wild horses in Hoh Xil, China. Photo: Wild China

Out in China’s western province of Qinghai, Hoh Xil remains one of the last untouched natural landscapes on Earth. This plateau, which is the largest and highest in the world, was just named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is a smart time to see it because foreign passport holders can now visit the edge of the national park with an exclusive permit. Be among the earliest adventurers to explore this wilderness—home to more than 230 rare species of animals.

To be marked as a VIP traveler and get the best China trip possible, contact China travel specialist Mei Zhang through our site. Here’s why.

Uluru, Australia

Field of Light installation by Bruce Munro; at Uluru, Australia

Field of Light installation by Bruce Munro at Uluru, Australia. Photo: Mark Pickthall

Iconic Uluru and its ancient outback landscapes are perennial traveler favorites, but now is a compelling time to move them to the top of your bucket list. Travelers to Australia’s Red Centre will now be treated to something special at Ayers Rock: internationally acclaimed artist Bruce Munro’s Field of Light installation. The rock and the surrounding Red Desert were the original inspirations for Munro’s sprawling outdoor artwork, after a visit in 1992, and this iteration (which was supposed to close in March 2018 but was just extended to 2020) is the most expansive in all the years since—a carpet of 50,000 solar-powered stalks illuminating the landscape.

To be marked as a VIP traveler and get the best Australia trip possible, contact Wendy here.

Monteverde, Costa Rica

Monteverde Costa Rica

Monteverde, Costa Rica. Photo: Shutterstock

The Monteverde Cloud Forest, in the mountains of northwestern Costa Rica, is a lushly biodiverse reserve that nature lovers like to spend days exploring. For years the hotel and restaurant options in the town of Monteverde were limited, making it a destination for backpackers and die-hard naturalists only. But recently a range of new places to stay and eat have opened. Monteverde now has several local craft beers, galleries where you can meet the artists, and local artisanal chocolate. Visit now before it becomes overcrowded.

To be marked as a VIP traveler and get the best Costa Rica trip possible, contact Wendy.

Tbilisi, Georgia

aerial view of Tblisi Georgia

Tbilisi, Georgia. Photo: Georgian Tourism Ministry

It’s quickly becoming Eurasia’s creative and cultural center of cool. In fact, it’s hardly under the radar anymore, what with magazines reporting on its annual Fashion Week (Vogue wrote that Georgia is where the world’s best knitwear is being woven these days) and Anthony Bourdain touting its food and drink (Georgia is one of the oldest wine regions in the world). “At the turn of the 20th century, Tbilisi was a vibrant capital city that attracted artists, musicians, writers and travelers, and it has now returned to its roots,” explains Zulya Rajabova, a travel specialist on Wendy’s WOW List for Central Asia, where she grew up. “It began with the lure of fabulous food and wine, and now this relatively untraveled city is attracting more and more visitors.” Go while you can still get tickets to the city’s annual jazz and art festivals, sample its more than 500 varieties of wine in peace, or stroll its curving cobbled streets without being overwhelmed by parades of tour groups.

To be marked as a VIP traveler and get a superlative Georgia trip, contact Zulya through our site. Here’s why.

The Northwest Passage

Arctic Ice Bridge, Canada

The Canadian Arctic has jaw-dropping views including this ice bridge. Photo: David-McEown

As climate change progresses, media attention on the Northwest Passage has increased—and so has traveler interest. First traversed in 1906 by professional explorer Roald Amundsen (also the first person to later reach the south pole), the route through the Arctic Circle above North America has become increasingly popular for cruises. “Space is filling up at a record pace,” warns Ashton Palmer, expedition-cruise specialist on The WOW List, so book now. Of what’s still available, Ashton recommends the 92-passenger Akademik Sergey Vavilov’s itinerary through the Northwest Passage and Greenland, the larger 240-passenger MS Fram’s eastbound route, or the just-renovated Ocean Adventurer, which will loop from Ottawa to Greenland following in the footsteps of early Arctic explorer Sir John Franklin. More ice-ready ships are expected to launch in 2018 and 2019, so interested adventurers should expect more availability—and more people—heading through the Passage in the near future.

To be marked as a VIP traveler and get the Northwest Passage expedition cruise best suited to your specific trip goals and needs, contact Ashton through our site. Here’s why.

Cabo Pulmo, Los Cabos, Mexico

underwater diver with fish in Los Cabos, Mexico

Diving in Los Cabos, Mexico. Photo: Los Cabos Villa Vacations

The southern tip of the Baja Peninsula will be turning heads in the coming year, thanks to the highly anticipated debut of posh new resorts such as Zadún, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve in San José del Cabo; Montage Los Cabos, on Santa Maria Bay; and a Nobu Hotel in Cabo San Lucas. But savvy travelers should look east of the tourist corridor, toward the less flashy East Cape area, home of Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park. This protected stretch of the Sea of Cortez is home to one of only three living coral reefs in North America, and its clear waters offer some of the best diving in all of Baja; the area was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2005. In 2018, a Four Seasons resort will open a little farther up the coast at Costa Palmas, a two-mile beachfront campus that will include a yacht club, a marina, private villas and residences, a hotel, a Robert Trent Jones Jr.–designed golf course, and a beach club. Cabo Pulmo is an easy day trip from Los Cabos, but now visitors will be able to stay near the park in five-star digs. “This is definitely going to change the laid-back atmosphere of this untouched area,” says Julie Byrd, Trusted Travel Expert for Cabo on Wendy’s WOW List. “It will make the park more crowded but will also offer a high-end option in the area.”

To be marked as a VIP traveler and get the best possible trip, contact Julie through our siteHere’s why.

Sri Lanka

Elephants swimming during the Gal Oya boat safari, Sri Lanka

Elephants swimming during the Gal Oya boat safari, Sri Lanka. Photo: The Fabulous Getaway

In 2018 Sri Lanka will celebrate 70 years of independence, as well as 70 years of cricket. But the main reason to go soon is that a big tourism boom is coming that will likely change the undeveloped feel of the island. For example, right now, there is one lodge with access to Gal Olya National Park, where you can take a boat safari to watch elephant herds swimming in the Senanayake Samudra. Wendy and her family visited Sri Lanka a year ago and spent part of their trip at the island’s first big five-star beach property, the Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle Resort. (That trip was her family’s best Christmas vacation abroad.) More luxe hotels have been popping up around the country—including the Wild Coast Tented Lodge, a Relais & Chateaux property near Yala National Park—and a Shangri-La beach resort is coming soon to Colombo. Wendy’s family found still-unspoiled landscapes, rich local culture and traditions, delightful people, and even opportunities to give back. Go now.

To be marked as a VIP traveler and get the best possible trip, contact Miguel through our siteHere’s why.

St. Helena

Sandy Bay, St. Helena island

Sandy Bay, St. Helena. Photo: Ed Thorpe

Given its location in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean 1,200 miles west of Africa and 1,800 miles east of Brazil, St. Helena is one of the world’s most isolated islands—which is why, back in 1851, it made an ideal place to exile Napoleon to. Today, the 47-square mile British territory has a population of 4,600—who call themselves “Saints”—and they want you to know that there’s a lot more to do on St. Helena than just visit the house where the French emperor lived and died. You can dive to shipwrecks, swim with whale sharks, go on picturesque hikes to see some of the 500 endemic species of flora and fauna, and get to know them personally. And now that South African Airlines recently launched flights from Johannesburg and Cape Town—shortening the journey from five days at sea on a mail boat to five hours by air on a 76-seat Embraer—all of that’s going to be a lot easier. Plus, the long-distance trip will make for some pretty cool stories to tell your friends when you get back home.

Be a smarter traveler: Read real travelers’ reviews of Wendy’s WOW List and use it to plan your next trip. You can also follow her on Facebook, Twitter @wendyperrin, and Instagram @wendyperrin, and sign up for her weekly newsletter to stay in the know.

Abu Dhabi Qasr al Sarab Wendy and camel

Wendy’s Best Travel Moments of 2017

The highlights of my travels this year were a combo of the most surprising discoveries, the most worthwhile experiences, and long-anticipated moments that finally came true. These are experiences I wish for you in 2018. If you’d like advice for how to arrange them, I can help you over at Ask Wendy. Wishing you and yours extraordinary travels in 2018!

Zambia Elephant Cafe Wendy feeding elephant

Did you know you can feed and pet elephants in the wild?  We did this at the Elephant Café, an unfenced wildlife sanctuary near Victoria Falls, Zambia, that has replaced elephant rides with gourmet cuisine as a way to earn revenue to support the animals. In this photo, I’ve just told an elephant “Trunk up!” so I can throw grain into his mouth. Check out the video here.

Zambia Chiawa Wendy dancing

For me an African safari isn’t just about viewing wildlife. It’s about meeting people from a totally different culture. When these kids in Zambia welcomed us to their village with songs and dances, of course I joined in and did as the locals do. Yes, I looked like a spazz, but it got a lot of laughs and helped break the ice. See videos from our village visit here.

Zambia Chiawa girl with Frisbee ring

We brought school supplies and toys—including Frisbee rings—to the folks of Chiawa, Zambia. Africa travel specialist Cherri Briggs, the Trusted Travel Expert on my WOW List who arranged our safari, has spearheaded a number of life-changing community projects there. Our time in Chiawa was a highlight of our Africa trip. Here’s why.

Victoria Falls helicopter Doug

Victoria Falls, which is arguably the world’s biggest waterfall, can’t be fully appreciated until you see it from above. It’s like looking back in time because you can see the geological history of the land unfold. Watch video from our helicopter flight here.

Victoria Falls Hotel veranda

This is one of the world’s most enchanting and iconic places to stay: The Victoria Falls Hotel, built by the British in 1904. It transports you back in time to the days of B.O.A.C. Clippers and steamer trunks. You feel like you’re just one step away from Stanley meeting Livingstone.

Victoria Falls Hotel presidential suite2

Tim and I stayed at The Victoria Falls Hotel on our first date, eighteen years ago. When we came back this year, married and with children in tow, they upgraded us to the presidential suite. Queen Elizabeth II and Oprah Winfrey slept here too.

Zambia South Luangwa National Park elephants

In our ever-more-crowded world, a safari in Africa increasingly means battling other Land Rovers to jockey for the best position to see the wildlife. But deep in Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park, we had the animals—and the landscapes—practically all to ourselves. We were certainly the only people watching these elephants cross the river. Just by looking at them, you can gauge the depth of the water, eh?

Zambia pizza lunch in the bush

Bush brunch!  It’s such a surprise when you’re on a game drive, you round a corner in the middle of nowhere, and there’s lunch waiting for you, complete with panoramic view. It’s an even bigger surprise when you get to make your own pizza!   First we rolled out the dough with a rolling pin, then we sprinkled on our choice of toppings. Bush brunch is one of the special touches you get at Bushcamp Company camps. For more on our extraordinary safari, see Where’s Wendy: Exploring the Next Great African Safari Spot.

Zambia Zambezi River tiger fish

Tim’s dream was to catch a tiger fish in the Zambezi. I’ve never seen him so happy.

Zambia Chiawa hut laptop

“What kind of drums do they play in your church?” That was one of the best questions we got in Zambia. When this man asked us that question, I pulled out my laptop to show him a video I’d shot—in Bratislava, of all places—of an historic pipe organ filling an ancient church with gorgeous music. This man had never heard a pipe organ before. If you’ve never heard Zambian music before, listen here.

Dubai Burj Khalifa view from hotel balcony

Recognize this? It’s the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa. This was the view from my hotel balcony on an overnight layover in Dubai. Of course Lindsey Wallace, the U.A.E. travel specialist on my WOW List who made our arrangements, knew exactly which hotel and room are best when you’ve got only one night to see as much of Dubai as possible.

Abu Dhabi Qasr al Sarab desert oasis

It looks like a movie set, eh? Qasr al Sarab is an oasis fit for a sheikh and dropped in the middle of nowhere in the Abu Dhabi desert, just a few miles from the Saudi border. Many people ask me how to spend a Dubai layover. My answer: Make your layover at least three nights, and spend at least two of them at Qasr al Sarab, which is only a three-hour drive from the Dubai airport. I guarantee it will transport you to another place, time, and frame of mind that you won’t want to leave. We were there in August—of all crazy times for a desert adventure—and, as much as I hate heat, we loved every minute.

Abu Dhabi Qasr al Sarab camel caravan

A sunrise camel ride at Qasr al Sarab is the Mercedes of camel rides. The camels are well groomed, and the tack is first-rate: The saddles are extra-comfortable, the handles are easy to grip, and there are step stools to help you on and off.

Abu Dhabi Qasr al Sarab Wendy and camel

Me and my new friend.

Abu Dhabi Qasr al Sarab dune bashing

Dune bashing at Qasr al Sarab is nothing less than spectacular. If you opt for the “hard drive” (as opposed to a “soft drive”), it’s more thrilling than any roller coaster.

Abu Dhabi Qasr al Sarab dune bashing sunset

This is how your off-roading adventure ends: sunset on the dunes.

Burj al Arab beach with kids

The kids went swimming in the Persian Gulf for the first time. Recognize this hotel?  It’s billed as the world’s most luxurious—and, now that I’ve stayed there, I have to agree. It’s the Burj al Arab, where the kids hit the beach with new friends they made in Dubai.

Burj al Arab room desk

Check out our room. At the Burj al Arab, this is just your typical guest room. Each room is two stories tall and comes with its own 27-inch Apple computer and printer.

Burj al Arab Nathan Outlaw at Al Mahara

To get the full Burj al Arab experience, we dined in the aquarium that is British award-winning chef Nathan Outlaw’s Al Mahara restaurant. We were in awe of both the fish and the prices.

Ski Dubai Mall of the Emirates

I’d been wanting to see this for years. It’s Dubai’s indoor ski resort, inside a massive shopping mall. This is merely the base of the mountain. I was surprised by how much Ski Dubai looks, feels, and even smells like an actual Alpine ski lodge, from its equipment-rental shops to its chalet-style bistros serving fondue.

Morocco boys making bread

Making a staple of local life with their hands is a good way for kids to learn about a country. So we were thrilled when, in Marrakech, the kids learned how to make Moroccan bread from scratch, the centuries-old way.

Morocco communal oven

After rolling and shaping the dough, we carried it down the street to the communal oven where the whole neighborhood takes their bread to be baked. It was way cool.

Morocco desert sandboarding

There’s Doug sandboarding in the Sahara. We spent a magical night at a luxe desert camp in Morocco, just a few miles from Algeria.

Morocco desert camp at night

Here’s the Sahara desert camp where we slept. We even had showers and flush toilets in our tents.

Morocco Fez carpet store aerial view

Carpet shopping has been a colorful way to experience local culture for centuries. But if you end up buying a carpet—or seven—it needs to be because you love it, not because a rug merchant persuades you it’s a wise financial investment. (It probably isn’t.) This was the kids’ first time carpet shopping—in Fez, Morocco—and the store was so theatrical about it, with men in white lab coats serving us tea and rolling out about 100 carpets in quick succession, that we had a blast.

Morocco Fez carpet store Wendy and boys

Voilà! This carpet now lies in our living room. At left is the merchant who put on such a fantastic show. (We set a price limit.)

Grand Velas Riviera Maya beach

This was the moment—at Grand Velas Riviera Maya in Mexico—when the Wendy Perrin Global Travel Summit had just ended. After many long days of conference prep and hard work, we finally got to hit the beach for a Taco and Tequila Tasting.

Grand Velas Riviera Maya bed rice

That’s colored rice! The Grand Velas Riviera Maya’s artistic staff recreated the WP logo on the bed of every Global Travel Summit participant!

Marseille Old Port from atop ferris wheel

I get excited when a formerly gritty, crime-ridden place that people used to avoid transforms itself back into a charming city and culinary magnet. Strolling the streets of Marseille—a stop on this Mediterranean cruise—I was struck by the colors everywhere, from the building façades to the seafood dishes that thousands of people were lunching on outdoors in the early April sunshine. I shot this photo from atop the ferris wheel in the old port.

Kitty Hawk Wright Brothers Memorial

This is the site of the world’s first airplane flight, in 1903. We drove to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, for the kids’ February school break—and let me just say that February was a lovely time in the Outer Banks: The weather was great, the Wright Brothers National Memorial uncrowded. Our dog, Macy, hasn’t been on a plane yet, but she comes on all our road trips.

Hong Kong Ngong Ping cable car

This kitschy souvenir photo is from New Year’s Day 2017. Thanks to time-zone changes and a flight itinerary that took us more than half-way around the world, our January 1 lasted about 40 hours. We boarded our flight home from Sri Lanka shortly after midnight and landed in New York City at about 10pm on the same day. In between was a Hong Kong layover long enough for us to take the Ngong Ping cable car up to the Big Buddha. There are better ways to spend a Hong Kong layover, but after the red-eye from Sri Lanka, the fresh air and the 360-degree views of Hong Kong’s islands and the South China Sea were what the doctor ordered.

 

Be a smarter traveler: Read real travelers’ reviews of Wendy’s WOW List and use it to plan your next trip. You can also follow her on Facebook, Twitter @wendyperrin, and Instagram @wendyperrin, and sign up for her weekly newsletter to stay in the know.

Day of the Dead celebrations in Oaxaca, Mexico

A Mexico Trip That Will Help Earthquake Victims

The destruction caused by the earthquakes in Mexico was devastating. If you want to support relief and rebuilding efforts, we have a list of relief organizations accepting donations. But if you’re looking for additional ways to make a difference, we just heard of one from Zachary Rabinor, Wendy’s Trusted Travel Expert for Mexico. Originally from New York City, Zach has lived in Puerto Vallarta for years, raising his family there and running his company Journey Mexico (which he started in 2003). He not only knows the lay of the land, but he’s part of the community there, which means that in times of crisis like this, he is very tuned in to where help is needed now and how to deliver it.

He emailed us this morning with some information and an interesting travel opportunity that will support aid workers: One of the areas hardest hit by the first earthquake and the latest aftershock was the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in the state of Oaxaca. Zach and his company have a special connection to that area, especially the village of Juchitan, because it is the family home of one of their staff members, Alejandro Gómez. Zach told us that the village suffered great damage from the quakes and that Alejandro’s own grandmother is unable to return to her home. As many travel companies and hotels have been doing, Journey Mexico jumped in to help their own, raising funds to rebuild Juchitan’s homes (so far, they have about US $2,600—and matched every dollar donated 2:1—and are hoping to raise more). “We send the funds to one of our most trusted guides in the region, who is organizing supplies and driving them from Huatulco to Juchitan,” Zach explained.

In addition, Zach told us that Journey Mexico has come up with a creative way to direct funds into the relief effort while simultaneously promoting Mexican tourism (which needs the help). They are running a small group tour in Oaxaca, which has 2 (out of 14) spaces open. Journey Mexico will donate 50% of the trip fee ($4,377/person) to relief efforts.

The trip is pegged to the Day of the Dead, an important Mexican festival in which the spirits of loved ones are welcomed back to earth. The colorful, vibrant celebration is often misunderstood by outsiders, but this tour aims to change that and open visitors’ eyes to other riches of the area: the UNESCO World Heritage city of Oaxaca, the sacred sites of Monte Alban and Mitla, lots of markets, and of course plenty of traditional food and beverages (including mezcal). “It’s an opportunity to experience one of Mexico’s most remarkable celebrations while helping the relief efforts in the Isthmus,” Zach said.

For those interested in making donations to the relief efforts, Journey Mexico has put together a list of options (and we have an additional list of aid organizations related to all the recent natural disasters). He also noted Journey Mexico is glad to receive donations toward its own work, “however, as we’re not a registered 501C3 non-profit institution, we are unable to provide documentation that will allow tax deductions for charitable giving.”

Caribbean Hurricane and Mexican Earthquake Relief: How Travelers Can Help

This month has been one natural disaster after another. First Texas was hit by Hurricane Harvey, and then Hurricane Irma arrived— a Category Five storm that tore across the Atlantic with 185mph winds and wreaked havoc on Caribbean and U.S. islands, including Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Turks and Caicos, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Cuba, the Florida Keys, Haiti, and more. The death toll was at least 37 in the Caribbean (plus 12 in the U.S.), and the storm left millions of people without homes, power, and basic necessities. Right on its heels, Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico, the strongest storm to hit the island in 80 years, leaving 100% of the residents without power and with months of clean-up. Almost simultaneously, a trio of earthquakes rocked Mexico, causing untold damage and killing at least 300.

International relief organizations are working tirelessly in the immediate aftermath, but it’s clear that the recovery efforts are going to be long ones in the Caribbean, Mexico, and in the U.S.

As travelers and global citizens, we gratefully enjoy these destinations in the good times—which is why we now feel compelled to do our part in the rough times. Readers have written in asking how they can help, and we’ve compiled a list of organizations in need of donations below. You can also check the website and Facebook page of your own favorite Caribbean and Mexican hotels and attractions. Many are launching individual funds to provide for their employees.

One such fund on our list was set up by Bruce Jakubovitz, a loyal WOW List traveler and owner of the now destroyed Summit Hotel on St. Maarten. Bruce’s parents bought the hotel in 1973. “I spent 44 years growing up there,” he told us on the phone, “from the time I was a teenager to my college years, to my wife coming down there when we were first dating, and my kids visiting since they were infants. I refer to the head of housekeeping as my second mom because she’s known me for so long.” Sadly, like many other hotels on St. Maarten, the Summit was completely destroyed by Irma. Entire floors of buildings were blown off, the pool deck was gusted away, and other structures were completely flattened. Thankfully no one was hurt, but as Bruce points out, it’s the staff that’s suffering now. “Some lost their homes entirely, some lost vehicles or property, some had family whose homes were destroyed,” he said. “There’s no one on St. Maarten who wasn’t touched by this. It’s just staggering.” And this is just one example of the devastation that hit so many islands during the storm. There are so many more.

According to the Center for International Disaster Information (part of the U.S. Agency for International Development Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance), monetary donations are the best way to help those impacted by natural disasters. So instead of trying to collect clothes or supplies to ship overseas, consider a financial donation if you truly want to help. The reason: Money enables relief organizations to buy exactly what they need, when they need it, and to purchase those supplies in the most convenient, nearby locations. Conversely, material donations end up creating additional costs and logistical complications for relief organizations, including shipping fees, additional customs fees and taxes, and the necessity that a person be on-site in the affected area to receive and then distribute the items. For more explanation, see the CIDI website. And to learn more about any organization you are considering supporting, you can research their ratings (usually based on factors such as financial and programmatic backgrounds) at GiveWellCharity NavigatorCharity Watch, and the Better Business Bureau.

All Locations

Center for Disaster Philanthropy

Whereas many relief organizations focus on the immediate challenge of rescuing survivors and supplying food, water, and shelter to those affected (and rightly so), it’s clear that the destruction caused by Hurricane Irma is going to require long-term recovery assistance. That’s the CDP’s focus. A nonprofit formed after the 2004 tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, the CDP is not an on-the-ground relief provider, but rather a group dedicated to helping donors make more informed and more effective choices. In its FAQ, CDP explains: “In response to the needs that will arise following this devastating storm, the CDP Hurricane Harvey Recovery Fund will focus on medium and long-term rebuilding needs. We expect the long-term needs to be rebuilding homes, businesses, infrastructure, meeting the needs of young children, supporting mental health needs, and boosting damaged agricultural sectors. CDP will distribute the funds 2-9 months from now to appropriate nonprofit organizations working on mid-term and long-term recovery efforts.” Read more and donate here.

Center for International Disaster Information

Although CIDI is not a relief organization itself, it is very useful as a central bank of information about relief efforts and organizations. Its website lists organizations involved in relief projects for all of this season’s natural distasters, with links to their sites, including the following:

Direct Relief

Direct Relief is a nongovernmental, nonsectarian, and not-for-profit humanitarian aid organization that offers assistance programs in the areas  of health, disease prevention and emergency preparedness and response. They are active in every U.S. state and more than 80 countries—including Mexico City when the earthquake hit. Their website provides regular reports on damage status in this season’s affected areas, as well as a donation page where you can select the fund you’d like to support. Read more here.

Global Giving

Global Giving is a fund-raising site that pools donations and distributes them among locally driven relief organizations that it vets for transparency, accountability, and adherence to relevant government regulations. Any organization that passes muster and is admitted into the Global Giving community then has to continue to submit regular reports to stay in it. More than 165 organizations are currently on that list, including ones working on relief for victims of Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Maria, the Mexico earthquake, and more. Read more and donate here.

Individual GoFundMe and KindFund Campaigns

Some individual families, organizations, hotels, and community groups have set up direct personal campaigns on the crowdsourcing donation sites GoFundMe and KindFund. The monetary goals are often pretty small, but the stories are no less moving than the ones that have made big news. For example, in the Caribbean, we’ve seen pleas to help evacuate family members, to repair a Chabad community center, and to assist employees of the aforementioned Summit Hotel, the decimated resort owned by a traveler in our WendyPerrin.com community. While GoFundMe is the better known site of this kind and has more campaigns (including convenient individual pages that round up campaigns for Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Maria, and the Mexico earthquakes), KindFund takes half the fees that GoFundMe does—which means more of your donation goes to the people who really need it.

Samaritan’s Purse

This Christian evangelical relief organization has been providing assistance in disaster areas since 1970. They are currently helping in Texas, Florida, and the Caribbean. “They were one of the first into St. Maarten and they’ve done a terrific job,” Bruce told us. “So if you don’t have a specific resort or people to give to, by all means these general purpose organizations are great.” Read more and donate here.

Caribbean and Puerto Rico

The Summit Resort Hotel in St. Maarten is just one hotel destroyed by Hurricane Irma

The Summit Resort Hotel in St. Maarten is just one hotel destroyed by Hurricane Irma.

Antigua and Barbuda Red Cross

Barbuda was one of the first tragedies of Hurricane Irma. The tiny island (one half of the dual-island nation of Antigua and Barbuda) is largely underwater, 95% of its structures are destroyed, and most of its residents have finally managed to flee. The damage is estimated at more than $100 million. Read more and donate here.

Bahamas Red Cross

The Atlantis resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas was unscathed by the hurricane, but it has rallied to the side of its neighbors by offering to match every dollar donated—one for one—to the Bahamas Red Cross and to Red Cross efforts in Florida. The campaign runs through October 31. Read more and donate here.

Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency

This inter-governmental organization coordinates relief efforts across its 18 participating states (Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Commonwealth of the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Republic of Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Republic of Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos Islands and the Virgin Islands.) So far, CDEMA is doing a great job of collecting updates from member states and compiling the info into a Situation Report PDF that details assistance efforts, damage statuses, and a list of needed items. Donate here.

Caribbean Tourism Organization

The CTO has 27 members, some of which were affected by the hurricane. The money collected by the CTO Relief Fund is funneled to the ministry of tourism for each affected country. Read more about the CTO here and donate here.

Caribbean Tourism Recovery Fund

The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association and Tourism Cares are two arms of the region’s tourism industry; they have joined forces via this fund that will focus on helping the islands rebound their tourism industry. According to the fund statement on the CHTA website, the money raised will be used for training and education initiatives for displaced and affected travel professionals; the restoration of attractions and cultural tourism nonprofits, like historical monuments, public spaces, or destroyed visitor centers; and more. The goal is to have the islands ready for visitors again by spring and summer 2018. Read more and donate here.

Facebook’s matching campaign

To support those affected by Hurricane Irma and Maria, Facebook will match donations to Save the Children up to $1 million. You can read more about the campaign on Facebook here, and donate through your own feed (informational posts are showing up in everyone’s feeds) or through Save the Children’s Facebook page.

NYC and FDNY Donation Drive for Puerto Rico

New York City has close ties to Puerto Rico, so it’s not surprising that the citizens across the city have jumped to action. In addition to notable Puerto Rican residents (Jennifer Lopez, Yankee Alex Rodriguez, ) donating large sums of money to relief efforts, the city Fire Department and Mayor Bill DeBlasio are running a collection drive for five specific, critically needed items (and those items only), which will be delivered to the ravaged island. There are collection points at 18 fire houses and EMS stations in all five boroughs. The five items are: diapers, baby food, batteries, first-aid supplies, and feminine hygiene products. Read more here.

Note: Per the website, all donated items must be non-perishable, not second-hand, nor contain any liquids of any kind. Open or unsealed donations of food or hygiene supplies will not be accepted. Wet wipes will also not be accepted. Any other items will be kindly returned.

Pixels7PuertoRico

Artist have come together to raise funds for Puerto Rico’s relief and rebuilding efforts by selling photographic prints that celebrate the island and Puerto Rican culture. 100% of the proceeds from all sales will be donated to the Hurricane Maria Community Recovery Fund. The website also has a Feet on the Ground section, where photojournalists are sharing images of the situation across the island. Read more and donate here.

United for Puerto Rico

First lady of Puerto Rico, Beatriz Rosselló, has launched this nonprofit fund-raising organization, which has backing from some big-name corporate brands (including Coca-Cola, Banco Popular, Burger King, and Bacardi). Read more and donate here.

Virgin Unite

Richard Branson spent the brunt of Hurricane Irma bunkered down in the wine cellar of his home on Necker Island. When he emerged, he started sharing reports and photos of the devastation with the outside world. He’s currently advocating for a Marshall Plan type of recovery effort by multiple countries and is doing his part by launching his Virgin Unite foundation into action. Virgin Unite plans to work with local communities and support efforts by on-the-ground organizations. If you’re wondering how your funds will be used, the website states: “Virgin Unite’s overheads are covered by Richard Branson and the Virgin Group, meaning that 100% of all donations received will go directly to helping support local BVI communities.” Read more and donate here.

Your Favorite Caribbean Hotel

You can also choose to donate to a very specific cause. For instance, to support his own staff, Bruce launched fund-raising campaigns on KindFund and GoFundMe (KindFund takes less of an administrative fee than GoFundMe) “Many of us who travel do have our favorite places,” he said. “At The Summit we have guests who have been coming back year after year for 30 or 40 years. Those guests have given to the fund we have created. So if you have a favorite place you’ve been visiting, or people you know here, chances are they have set up a fund for their employees. [Check their Facebook pages or websites.] If everyone just gave to the place they’ve been visiting for years, to the places they love, that would be the quickest way to bring relief, and you’ll know where your money is going and who you’re helping.”

Mexico

Fondo Unido – United Way México

The Mexican arm of the United Way is accepting donations to an emergency fund for earthquake and hurricane victims. Follow their Facebook page for more information.

Journey Mexico Fund-Raising Travel Opportunity

Zachary Rabinor, Wendy’s Trusted Travel Expert for Mexico, lives in Puerto Vallarta with his family (and has for decades). In addition to personally raising money to aid the village of one of his staff members, his company has collected a list of organizations in need of donations:

Zach has also come up with a creative way to direct funds into the relief effort while simultaneously promoting Mexican tourism (which needs the help). He’s running a small group tour for the Day of the Dead in Oaxaca (one of the hardest hit areas by the first earthquake and recent aftershock), and has 2 (out of 14) spaces open. Journey Mexico will donate 50% of the trip fee ($4,377/person) to relief efforts. For more information, read about the tour here or contact Zach.

Los Topos

Los Topos (or “the moles) are an all-volunteer organization that has been rescuing victims from the rubble of Mexico’s most recent earthquakes. They’ve been around a lot longer than that, though—the group came together after a huge earthquake in 1985, and continues to draw volunteers from various professions who receive specialized training to help out during earthquake disasters. You can read more and donate from the Los Topos home page (via PayPal).  (Tip: The website is in Spanish, but some browsers, like Google Chrome, automatically translate pages in foreign languages).

Mexican Red Cross

The Cruz Roja Mexicana is accepting direct donations on its Spanish-language site, and has compiled an Amazon wishlist for the specific items they need.

A note on volunteering

If you are interested in volunteering, please don’t just get on a plane and show up somewhere. Often what’s needed in the immediate aftermath of a natural disaster are specialized, trained professionals. You might be wonderfully eager and caring, but randomly arriving volunteers create more work for on-the-ground organizations. To find out how you can get trained to be a disaster-relief volunteer, read more at the National Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (an association of volunteer groups) and the Red Cross.

If you have any other relief organizations or individual campaigns to recommend to your fellow travelers, let us know in the comments.

Grace Bay, Turks and Caicos

What Not to Do in the Caribbean

Making the most of your Caribbean vacation means knowing where to find the hidden gems. It also means knowing what to skip and why. So we asked the Caribbean travel specialists on Wendy’s WOW List to share their tips for avoiding mistakes—what’s overrated, overpriced, or just not a smart move—in the Caribbean.

Hitting the beach? Don’t choose the wrong islands.

If beach bliss is your No. 1 goal, steer clear of Dominica, Saba, and Montserrat. They have plenty of charms, but are not known for their beaches.

Instead: While you can find inviting stretches of sand just about anywhere, the islands most famous for their beaches are what some call the coral islands: the Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas (Eleuthera, Harbour Island, and the Exumas are among the favorites), and Anguilla. These are all basically flat and scrubby with the quintessential powdery white sand and crystal-clear water that the Caribbean is famed for.

Read our Insider’s Guide to the Finding the Perfect Caribbean Island Resort, and reach out to Wendy to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

Planning to scuba dive? Don’t get stuck with the cruise crowds.

Cozumel and Grand Cayman can get overrun with passengers from the giant cruise ships that call there. The only way to avoid the cruise crowds is to dive at off-peak times or to go with a dive operator who knows the secret spots.

Instead: In Cozumel, Palancar Reef is about an hour’s boat ride from town, each way. If you stay at the Iberostar Cozumel you will be able to sleep in, then have a cup of coffee while others are “commuting,” saving you two hours per two tank! — Meg Austin, Wendy’s Trusted Travel Expert for Scuba Diving in the Caribbean

Read our Insider’s Guide to Scuba Diving in the Caribbean and the Bahamas, and reach out to Wendy to find the right travel planner for your next trip.

Renting on St. Barts? Don’t book a cook.

St. Barts has some of the best rental villas in the Caribbean, as well as some of the best restaurants. So don’t spend your money on a private chef the way you might if you’re renting on, say, Jamaica or Barbados.

Instead: Splurge on an in-villa massage. A number of villas have rooms or nooks designated specifically for spa treatments. In the late afternoon, getting a rubdown in a shady poolside cabana is the ultimate indulgence. —Peg Walsh, Wendy’s Trusted Travel Expert for St. Barts Villas

Read Peg’s Insider’s Guide to St. Barts Villa Vacations, and reach out to her through our site to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

Shopping in Bermuda? Don’t waste time in Hamilton’s generic shops.

Shopping in Hamilton, once a highlight, is no more. Although the storefronts nicely reflect the architecture of Bermuda, their merchandise decidedly does not; most is what you’ll find in the United States.

Instead: One exception is the Island Shop, with its colorfully hand-painted housewares. Owner Barbara Finsness has even brought back the “Bermuda bag”—a small purse with wooden handles that’s a relic of the past.

Read our Insider’s Guide to Bermuda, and reach out to Wendy to find the right travel planner for your next trip.

Looking to experience the best of the Riviera Maya? Skip the famous Xel-Ha.

Xel-Ha bills itself as a “natural aquarium” for ecotourists to swim and snorkel in, but it has nothing to do with the appreciation of nature. All of the coral in the lagoon is dead, and there are virtually no fish; it’s basically now a giant swimming pool stuffed with tourists and surrounded by tacky gift shops, restaurants, and bars.

Instead: Take the ferry to Cozumel on a day when no cruise ships are in port (have your concierge call the “Capitania de Puerto” to check: 52-987-872-2409). The boat trip—about $15 for adults, $10 for kids—gives you incredible views of the coast, the Caribbean, and the reefs around Cozumel. Once ashore, head to Pescadería San Carlos for some tasty ceviche. —Zach Rabinor, Wendy’s Trusted Travel Expert for Mexico

Read Zach’s Insider’s Guide to the Riviera Maya, and reach out to him through our site to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

Planning to do activities on a Sunday? Don’t be surprised when things are closed.

Many Caribbean islands are deeply rooted in the Christian faith, which means Sunday sees closures of attractions, shops, and even restaurants.

Instead: Pack your own pool float (because while some resorts might have a couple of floats for the pool, most don’t supply them for the ocean) and hit the beach. Depending on the island, consider venturing from your resort to a public beach to hang with the locals: On St. Barts, for instance, the public beaches (especially Gouverneur and Saline Beach) are postcard-perfect.

Read our Insider’s Guide to the Best and Worst of the Caribbean, and reach out to Wendy to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

Don’t forget to take your passport—and check it

Check the expiration date on your passport—it gets risky when you get to the six-month mark. Most countries now require you to have a passport that will be valid for at least three to six months from the time you travel or they won’t admit you—not a nice surprise at the check-in counter!

What are some of your own Caribbean travel don’ts? Leave your suggestions in the comments below.

Be a smarter traveler: Use Wendy’s WOW List to plan your next trip. You can also follow her on Facebook and Twitter @wendyperrin, and sign up for her weekly newsletter to stay in the know.

pool view at the Grand Velas RIviera Maya resort mexico

Where Was the WendyPerrin.com Team Last Week?

This year’s Wendy Perrin Global Travel Summit was held at the Grand Velas Riviera Maya resort, a beachfront all-inclusive in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. The large complex consists of three sections (Zen, Ambassador, and the adults-only Grand Class), and we got to experience all of them, along with the resort’s eight restaurants and its spa. Lest you think we were slacking off amid all these palm trees and decadent meals, rest assured that we didn’t spend more than a few minutes at the beach. Contrary to the vacation vibe of the photos below we actually spent all our time working with the Trusted Travel Experts of the newly announced 2017 WOW List to make your next trips even better. But thanks to invigorating panel discussions with our extended team, and the hospitality of the Grand Velas staff, this busy weekend was still a lot of fun.

Here’s a tour of what Wendy, Brook, Jill, and I saw, did, and ate while we were there.

A room in the Zen building of Grand Velas Riviera Maya, Mexico

A room in the Zen building of Grand Velas Riviera Maya. Photo: Billie Cohen

The first night, we all stayed in the Zen building, which has no beach access and is set amid the mangroves. Even though Zen has the smallest rooms of the resort, they are still quite large, have big bathrooms, and boast outdoor patios overlooking plenty of greenery. Tip for families: There are more connecting rooms in this building, and the kids’ club is here (a teen club is located in the Ambassador section).

Grand Velas Riviera Maya hat and basket Mexico

A big floppy sunhat and a pretty woven beach basket. Now if only I had time to lay out on the beach. Photo: Billie Cohen

The resort has plenty of the usuals when it comes to amenities: L’Occitane soaps and shampoos, loofahs, and a free mini bar (this is an all-inclusive after all). But the perks I was most surprised by were the beautiful woven sun hats and beach bags. Handmade nearby in Leon, Mexico, out of 100% cotton coated with resins and enamels, the glam hat has a super wide and wavy brim—very helpful for keeping the sun out of your eyes and any paparazzi at bay. The hats are complimentary for VIP guests and those staying in Presidential Suites; the bags are in every room and are free to use during your stay. Both are available for purchase at the resort’s boutiques.

Grand Velas Riviera Maya cenote Mexico

A real cenote was incorporated into the hotel’s grounds. It’s now fed by an irrigation system and swimming is not allowed. Photo: Billie Cohen

The rooms are accessed via a raised, covered wooden walkway that makes you feel like you’re deep in the quiet jungle. There’s even a restored ancient cenote (though you can’t swim in it).

The Zen pool at Grand Velas Riviera Maya Mexico

The Zen pool at Grand Velas Riviera Maya. Photo: Billie Cohen

You’re not too remote from the resort’s amenities, of course—a few minutes’ walk takes you to a very pretty multi-level pool, the casual restaurant Chaká, or the spa. A shuttle van zooms guests over to the beach (maybe four minutes away), and it was our experience that we never had to wait more than a minute or two for a ride.

Grand Velas Riviera Maya herb garden in Mexico

Mint, verbana, and other herbs for the resort’s restaurants are grown right here. Photo: Billie Cohen

The hotel grows its own herbs for use in its various restaurants. Stroll along a path that winds past the Zen pool and you’ll find a miniature-golf course and a greenhouse.

Trusted Travel Experts share their best practices for helping guests have extraordinary trips.

Trusted Travel Experts share their best practices for helping guests have extraordinary trips. Photo: Tim Baker

Zen is also where the conference center is located and where we spent most of our time. The resort hosts many weddings too.

grand class suite at the grand velas riviera maya mexico

Wendy’s Grand Class suite. Photo: Wendy Perrin

A Grand Class suite terrace at the Grand Velas RIviera Maya resort

A Grand Class suite terrace at the Grand Velas RIviera Maya resort. Photo: Wendy Perrin

pool view at the Grand Velas RIviera Maya resort mexico

The view beyond Wendy’s laptop, at the Grand Velas RIviera Maya resort. Photo: Wendy Perrin

Ambassador and Grand Class are the resort’s two beachfront buildings; the main difference is that Grand Class is adults-only and the rooms are slightly bigger and have private plunge pools. But the Ambassador pool is the largest pool; it has many chaise longues, some in the sun and some comfortably under palapas. White-shirted servers wander around making sure you have drinks and snacks, and the Azul restaurant (which hosts a huge breakfast buffet) is on the left in the above photo.

colored rice in shape of WendyPerrin.com logo at grand velas riviera maya hotel Mexico

I came back to my room one night to find our website’s logo, made out of rice! Photo: Billie Cohen

Knowing who we were and why were there, the resort staff went out of their way to make us happy, with surprises like this one: our logo made out of colored rice that showed up on the beds one evening, and our logo on the telephone screens. But even random staffers I passed in random hallways stopped what they were doing to say “buenos dias” or help me figure out where I was going.

Grand Velas Riviera Maya Bistro food, Mexico

Even a simple vegetarian sandwich with fries was delivered to our table like a work of art. Photo: Billie Cohen

Guests can eat at any of the eight restaurants on site, ranging from the casual buffet of Azul to the AAA four-diamond, French-influenced menu of Piaf. Tip: Wine and cocktails are included in your room rate (though some wines and liquors cost extra), and so is room service…which tastes even better when eaten on your beachfront terrace.

Grand Velas Riviera Maya Frida restaurant Mexico

Named after the artist Frida Kahlo, the Mexican-themed restaurant Frida does pretty well in the art department itself. Photo: Billie Cohen

All of the restaurants have two things in common. First, as soon as you sit down, a server will ask about any food allergies so that the chefs can customize your meal (and they did a good job of this; I am vegetarian with several food sensitivities, and I ate pretty well). Second, all of the food presentation is just beautiful. The chefs here take the “eat with your eyes first” mantra very seriously, and plates were artfully composed and then decorated with swoops, drizzles, and dots. Not that any of that beauty kept us from eating. The food was sometimes fussy (and the multi-course, molecular-gastronomy tasting menu of Cocina de Autor was hit or miss) but, for the most part, the food was very good.

taco and tequila tasting on the beach at Grand Velas Riviera Maya Mexico

Right around sunset, the hotel arranged a tequila and taco tasting on the beach. It was a nice way to end our summit. Photo: Billie Cohen

Over the course of the weekend, we had the chance to experience a few special activities that the resort can arrange for guests or groups. One was what they call “Picnic in Paradise,” a gourmet lunch on the beach—but it rained the day ours was scheduled, so all the charcuterie, sandwiches, and cakes were moved to a presidential suite. We did get to experience a taco-and-tequila tasting on the beach, however: a sprawling buffet of savory Mexican treats, including grasshoppers, and a table each of tequilas and mezcals. This was a hit.

spa at Grand Velas Riviera Maya Mexico

The spa at Grand Velas Riviera Maya is designed to look like a cenote. Photo: Brook Wilkinson

Brook tested out the spa. She reported back that the private men’s and women’s sections of the spa were designed to look like a cenote, the water-filled sinkholes that this part of Mexico is known for.

spa at Grand Velas Riviera Maya, Mexico

The spa at Grand Velas Riviera Maya, Mexico. Photo: Brook Wilkinson Photo: Brook Wilkinson

She took the spa’s signature “water journey.” Recommended as a complimentary service before any spa treatment, starts with a circuit of showers, saunas, and steam rooms.

The spa hot tubs at Grand Velas Riviera Maya, Mexico

The spa at Grand Velas Riviera Maya, Mexico. Photo: Brook Wilkinson

“The water journey ends with plunges in the side-by-side hot and cold jetted tubs,” Brook reported back. “The better to get your muscles primed for that massage.”

ocean view from a suite at the grand velas riviera maya mexico

View from Wendy’s balcony. Photo: Wendy Perrin

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Medano Beach, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Why You Should Be Heading Back to Cabo. Now.

As travelers start planning their fall and winter escapes to the sun, Mexico looms large in imaginations. It’s so close, so sunny, and works equally well as a beach-bum getaway, a family vacation, a sporty adventure destination, a romantic resort escape, or a sophisticated foodies’ hot spot.

But just one year ago Baja California, and particularly Los Cabos, was facing something much more challenging than the usual busy tourist season: rebuilding after Hurricane Odile, a category 3 storm which made landfall on September 14 and decimated the area.

Amazingly, Los Cabos has rebounded with the speed of a superhero. The video below, put together by the Los Cabos Tourism Board, shows just how extensive the damage was — and how fast the rebuild was.

We checked in with Julie Byrd, Wendy’s Trusted Travel Expert for Los Cabos, to get her insider opinion on how her favorite spot on the Baja Peninsula has recovered. Julie specializes in villa rentals, and her company can also arrange fishing and yacht charters, ground transportation, celebrations, and guided tours. A foodie at heart, Byrd has strong opinions on everything from local taquerias to fine dining, so be sure to ask her for recommendations when you get in touch.

What’s the lay of the land now: Where is it okay to travel?

I am confident in saying that it is okay to travel to any of the resort areas and private housing communities of Los Cabos. The downtown area of Cabo San Lucas, the marina and luxury developments throughout the tourist corridor and extending to Puerto Los Cabos and the East Cape, are in excellent shape.

In fact, something very cool was uncovered as a result of Odile: the sunken cargo ship Lundenberg, which went down off the coast of Cabo San Lucas in 1954. You can watch an underwater video here.

Which hotels have reopened or are reopening? Are villa rentals an option now too? If so, where is best?

We’ve actually had a lot of villas available since shortly after the hurricane. In fact, we had very high occupancy during the winter holiday season last year. Only two of our properties were not ready for the December holidays. At this time, more than 100 Los Cabos rental villas are available.

As for hotels, the bulk of Cabo’s hotel inventory is back, with a few notable exceptions with reopening dates extending into 2016. Some resorts took the opportunity not only to repair after the storm but to undertake extensive remodels. I’m happy to see that the luxury boutique Hotel El Ganzo will be reopening soon at the Puerto Los Cabos marina—it is a personal favorite.

We have been maintaining a list of hotel reopening dates on our blog. The only hotels that have not reopened are:

Casa del Mar Resort – opening October 2015
El Ganzo – opening October 2015
Dreams Los Cabos – opening October 2015
Me Cabo – opening December 2015
Melia Cabo Real – tentatively opening April 1, 2016
Westin – July 1, 2016

I personally stayed at Villa Estero, located in the private development of Fundadores (in Puerto Los Cabos, San Jose), in May and found it to be among the best Los Cabos has to offer. It is an up-and-coming area, where celebs and the like are now staying for the luxury and privacy the community offers. It has a championship golf course, close access to the PLC Marina and great restaurants, a private beach club and—best of all—brand-new, amazing villas.

Lovers Beach Cabo San Lucas Mexico

Lover’s Beach, or Play del Amor, Cabo San Lucas

Are there any places travelers should avoid?

Visitors should be cognizant of construction projects taking place in areas such as Cabo Real, where they are building two new hotels, Solaz and LeBlanc Spa Resort.

When is the best time to visit?

The winter months are, by far, the most popular time of year. The migrating whales begin arriving in Cabo around December. Peak season for our private villas is Christmas/New Year’s. The region remains busy throughout the spring, with low-season deals starting in May and lasting throughout the hot summer months. Another good time is early November, when you have similar weather and thinner crowds, plus the big-game fishing is fantastic and the water is still warm.

What else do travelers need to know?

Our palm trees had some pretty extreme haircuts.

One year ago from Hurricane Odile from vcabo on Vimeo.

My kids running to dinner at the Four Seasons Bora Bora.

5 Steps to the Best Family Vacation You’ll Ever Have

Traveling to almost 30 countries with young kids I’ve learned a little something about crafting vacations that the kids love and remember but that are also sophisticated and fun for the adults. Here are five tips for making summer travel gratifying for the entire family:

 

Our tour of The Marais with Paris Muse.

Our tour of The Marais with Paris Muse. Photo by Eric Stoen/TravelBabbo.com.

1) Book a family-oriented walking tour.

No matter where you’re going, there’s likely a company that offers walking tours through certain neighborhoods or museums. Select one that’s geared toward the kids. Good walking tours are interactive and highly educational, without the kids even realizing how much they’re learning. And given that we parents have forgotten most of the history that we learned in school, they’re great for us too! My family has now done walking tours in Paris, Florence, Athens, Ephesus (Turkey) and Valletta (Malta). I particularly like those we’ve done with Context Travel and Paris Muse. An added benefit: By arranging museum tours in advance, you can generally skip the lines. With our guide from Paris Muse we walked right past an hour-long queue at the Louvre.

 

My daughter making pici pasta at Boscarecce Cooking School.

My daughter making pici pasta at Boscarecce Cooking School. Photo by Eric Stoen/TravelBabbo.com

2) Consider a cooking class.

What better way to let the kids be creative, teach them life-long skills, and introduce them to local cuisine? Our kids always come home wanting to cook the things that they made abroad, and they’ve become better eaters as well. And how many kids prefer to make their own pasta instead of buying it at the grocery store? Ours do, after we learned to make pasta at Boscarecce Cooking School outside of Florence. We’ve already booked a pita-making class in Greece for this coming summer.

 

3) Look into day camps.

When we go on a family vacation, we generally don’t look for activities where we can drop off the kids for seven hours at a time. But there are some week-long day camps that are so cool that we’d be excited for our kids to enroll. Arte al Sole has workshops throughout Italy that incorporate art projects (think frescos and mosaics), cooking classes, walking tours, history and even movie-making for kids 6 to 12, and parents can participate in some of the activities (such as museum visits) with their kids. An added benefit is that your kids will make friends from all over the world. If a camp or workshop doesn’t fit your travel schedule, it’s worth asking if they can arrange something that does. When my nine-year-old and I were in Bali in March, we stumbled upon a three-day ceramic camp at Gaya Ceramic that looked like a lot of fun. Gaya doesn’t pre-schedule family-oriented workshops, but they can arrange group or private workshops at a very reasonable cost.

 

Eric Stoen kids at Rosewood Mayakoba

My kids feeding the fish from our dock at the Rosewood Mayakoba. Photo by Eric Stoen/TravelBabbo.com.

4) Find a hotel that’s both romantic and kid-friendly.

Impossible? Nope. Both Wendy and I have had great stays with our kids at Rosewood Mayakoba in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. The hotel has many romantic touches—including private plunge pools, outdoor showers, moonlit restaurants, and a sensuous spa—yet it’s also got a kids’ club, kid-friendly cooking classes, a children’s breakfast buffet, a kid-friendly pool and beach. There’s even a snow cone machine by the pool. Four Seasons resorts also tend to achieve that balance of sophistication and kid-friendliness. Our overwater bungalow at the Four Seasons Bora Bora is one of the most amazing places we’ve stayed, with a spectacular view and a definite honeymoon feel, yet the hotel staff also set up an entire inflatable water playground for our kids, and let us know that they would open up the kids club and plan activities just for us anytime we wanted.

 

The Torrigiani Gardens, which CIU Travel got us access to.

The Torrigiani Gardens, which CIU Travel got us access to. Photo by Eric Stoen/TravelBabbo.com.

5) Ask Wendy for the right family-friendly travel agent.

Most of the experts on Wendy’s WOW List create trips for families and can suggest (and get you into) unique places that you couldn’t access on your own. Our best vacation ever was two weeks in Florence planned by Maria Gabriella Landers of CIU Travel. We made pasta, pizza, gelato, chocolate, frescoes and books. We went through the normally off-limits Vasari Corridor. We saw a private flag-throwing demonstration in the amazing Torrigiani Gardens. We did kid-friendly visits to all of the major sites and museums. It was literally a perfect trip—and it made our kids love Florence so much that we now go back annually.

 


 

Meet our writer

Eric Stoen, the founder of Travel Babbo, travels around the world constantly with his three kids. Wendy met him when he won Condé Nast Traveler’s Dream Trip Contest a few years ago and was so impressed with his travel savvy that she invited him to contribute to WendyPerrin.com.

The view at Villa Miguel, Cabo, Mexico

How to Find the Perfect Vacation Rental: Tips for Your First Time, or any Time

I’m a villa rental convert.

I wanted to do something special for my most recent birthday. But with a three-year-old at home, a weekend jaunt to Paris was not in the cards: Long flights are exhausting, and hotel stays can be tough, forcing us all onto a toddler’s sleep schedule. Plus, I wanted some time with my girlfriends. How to make it work? I hatched a plan to rent a house so that we could all spend a few days together, somewhere a bit exotic but with all the comforts and conveniences of home. We ended up with wonderful memories from our trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico (which took place before Hurricane Odile hit the region in September; though the damage was significant, most hotels and villas have already reopened, including the place we stayed). Moreover, I came away with several valuable tips for first-time villa renters like myself:

Villa Miguel, Cabo, Mexico

My birthday dinner sunset at Villa Miguel

Know your destination’s neighborhoods—or find someone who does.
Cabo was a natural fit for our California-based group—a sunny respite for my friends mired in San Francisco’s summer fog—but I knew nothing about the area. So when I logged onto VRBO.com—a popular vacation-rental website—to start searching for a rental property, I was flummoxed by the options: VRBO’s 1,200 Cabo-area rentals are divided among Cabo San Lucas and the Los Cabos Corridor, then grouped by headings such as Costa Brava and Sirena Del Mar—all of which meant nothing to me. (I’d later discover that most of these are the names of neighborhoods or gated communities.) If I hadn’t finally thrown up my hands in defeat and called Julie Byrd, one of Wendy’s WOW List experts for villa vacations—Julie is the Cabo vacation-rental expert whom Wendy has been recommending to travelers for years—I might have booked a house in noisy, party-central Pedregal instead of in the family-friendly Cabo del Sol gated community.

Interestingly, many travelers who contact Julie Byrd with a particular villa in mind end up booking a different one based on her advice, most often because the location of the original house doesn’t fit their needs. If you plan to book a place without help from an expert like Julie—popular websites for this include VRBO, HomeAway, Craigslist, FlipKey, and TripAdvisor—make sure to familiarize yourself with the destination’s neighborhoods first. Sure, this is good advice for any trip, but it’s particularly important when renting a villa that may have been built originally as a private home without considering convenience for travelers.

Glean intel from online reviews.
These are full of essential information, especially if you read between the lines. You can figure out not just whether a villa is shabby or well-kept, but what kinds of travelers stay there and whether that beach you see in the photos is an easy stroll from the house or requires scrambling over a rocky path. (See these tips from an expert TripAdvisor reviewer on how to extract useful information from all those user reviews.)

Pool at Villa Cielito, Cabo, Mexico

The pool at Villa Cielito

Consider which hotel amenities are essential to your happiness.
Daily maid service? Wi-Fi? A full hot breakfast? Don’t skimp on what makes you happiest at a hotel. If making your bed and cooking your own breakfast each day doesn’t sound like vacation, know that there are staffed villas with every level of service—and corresponding price points. A different house we visited, Villa Cielito, had an indoor-outdoor living area with blockbuster ocean views that sparked destination-wedding fantasies among my girlfriends, but the bedrooms were generic and motel-like, without the knickknacks and local art that gave our own Villa Miguel a charming, homey atmosphere.

Dining and living room area at Villa Miguel, Cabo, Mexico

The dining and living room areas at Villa Miguel

Do some menu planning in advance.
I was initially attracted to the thought of cooking my own meals—until I realized the waste of time and ingredients involved for a trip as short as ours. Instead, I carried some granola and coffee from home, bought milk at a nearby grocery store, and spent the money we saved with our quick-and-easy breakfasts on a few splurge meals. Best of all was a catered dinner at our villa on the night of my birthday; my son never would have sat through a five-course meal at a restaurant, but here he was free to wander around with his toys while we dined at a relaxed pace.

Entry at Villa Miguel, Cabo, Mexico

Villa Miguel entryway

Stay a week.
I’d hesitate before renting a villa again for less than a week. Villas have a higher start-up cost than a hotel room but greater efficiency in the long run. It would have been more cost-effective to cook for ourselves if we could have bought and used a week’s worth of groceries. And the quirks that can make a private home so appealing—perusing the owner’s book collection, say—can take a while to discover. Similarly, don’t overextend yourself with activities. Julie Byrd advises clients to pre-book activities only in the extreme high season; travelers often discover that they want to spend most of their time relaxing at their villa, not snorkeling or mountain biking. And if you have a large group, it can take longer than you expect to get out the door, so don’t count on fitting in more than one event per day.

Choose your companions wisely…
Traveling with extended family or friends can make renting a villa cheaper than an equivalent hotel—especially if people are willing to share bedrooms, as we did—but make sure you’ll all travel well together, as there’s little privacy in a shared house. (If you’re doing the math, it’s only fair to compare a villa rental to a hotel suite because a standard room doesn’t offer space that you can share only with your fellow travelers, away from the hotel’s other guests.)

Beach entry pool at Villa Miguel, Cabo, Mexico

The beach-entry pool at Villa Miguel

…And cater to kids.
If our son’s not happy, we’re not happy; there’s nothing relaxing about a grumpy kid. An expert villa-rental agent (Wendy knows the best, so if you need a recommendation, ask her) will know which properties are best for little ones. If you’re going it alone, ask the villa owner not just whether the house is kid-friendly but what ages of kids have successfully stayed there; a two-year-old has much different needs than an eight-year-old. A property like ours, Villa Miguel, which was perfect for a toddler, would have been a death trap just a year ago (think wrought-iron railings and slippery stone staircases). Julie Byrd chose it for our group in part because of the beach-entry pool—which my son loved—and the easy access to restaurants at the two hotels in the same development.

Rent a car.
Except for city apartment rentals, in most cases you’ll need a car to explore the region around your villa. It’s a lot harder to call a taxi from your villa than it is to walk down to a hotel’s concierge and hire one. Make sure you’re comfortable driving in a foreign country.

Balcony at Villa Miguel, Cabo, Mexico

Balcony at Villa Miguel

Get a thorough walk-through of the property upon arrival.
I later regretted rushing our house manager through his 45-minute introductory tour. At the time, it felt like a waste on a 72-hour trip. Instead, we shivered through our late-night hangout sessions, not knowing how to adjust the living room air conditioner, and one of my friends was heartbroken to discover on our last morning that the glass doors to her balcony slid all the way back into the walls, opening up an entire corner of the room; had she known earlier, she would have slept with them open every night. Hotel rooms are built so that a new guest every night can intuitively find the light switch; private homes are not.

START PLANNING YOUR OWN VILLA VACATION

Disclosure: CaboVillas.com was kind enough to provide the writer’s three-night villa stay free of charge. In keeping with WendyPerrin.com standard practice, there was no request for or expectation of coverage on CaboVillas’ part, nor was anything promised on ours. You can read the signed agreement between WendyPerrin.com and CaboVillas here.

Jumby Bay Island Resort, Antigua

Where to Find Deals Between Thanksgiving and Christmas

‘Tis the season to snap up a great travel deal if you’re able to sneak away between now and December 18 or 19.  Every year, during the slow period that falls between the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays—a time when most people stay home—resorts in the Caribbean and Mexico offer significant deals in order to fill rooms. Sometimes you’ll see third, fourth, or fifth nights free, or even complimentary meals or airport transfers. The best way to find these deals is to ask an expert who has solid relationships with resorts in the area—that will translate to offers and perks that are not available to the general public.

For inspiration on resorts and hotels, check out our Insider’s Guide to Finding the Perfect Caribbean Resort. And then contact Ask Wendy for a WOW List–recommended Caribbean expert. You’ll be marked as a VIP and get a trip like this. For Mexico, reach out to WOW Lister Zachary Rabinor, who will know to treat you as a VIP when you use Wendy’s trip request form for him. You can learn more about him via the reviews of his trips written by other travelers.

If you can’t get away till Christmas/New Year’s, no worries: You’ll find availability, and a few nifty deals still, in Mexico, and here are some unexpected travel ideas for that time of year too. The next window for super deals is the second and third weeks of January.

Curtain Bluff Resort Antigua

Curtain Bluff, Antigua

Isla Mujeres Mexico

An Affordable Christmas Vacation Idea

Question:

Hi Wendy,

We are hoping to go away over the Christmas holiday. We’re willing to spend some money, but don’t want to spend $15K just for a week in Hawaii with lots of crowds, if you know what I mean. We were originally thinking of Mexico—or, someplace warm and sunny that’s a little less expensive then Hawaii but where we could still have some adventure. We are really open to any non-ski destination, as long as it’s affordable and fun. We live in San Francisco and have two young boys, 9 and 6. Any recommendations?

Thanks,
Nancy

Answer:

Nancy, if I were you I’d go back to thinking about Mexico. There’s still availability and good value to be found during the Christmas/New Year’s period in certain pockets of the country. I spoke to a few trusted Mexico travel specialists, and here are some of your options:

* Colonial Mexico. “Haciendas and resorts in the Colonial interior—like Merida, Oaxaca, Cuernavaca—offer a festive atmosphere, great food, cultural and archaeological sites, and great weather, and there is still availability,” says Ada King of Connoisseur’s Travel.

* San José del Cabo. “This year Cabo has more availability during Christmas week than over New Year’s, says Julie Byrd, one of my WOW List Trusted Travel Experts for the Caribbean. Nonetheless, there are many smaller villas available both weeks, as well as rooms available at the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos over Christmas.”

* Oaxaca, Huatulco, Puerto Escondido, Ixtapa, Zihuatanejo, Puerto Vallarta. “Both the city of Oaxaca and the coast nearby—Huatulco, Puerto Escondido, and the coast in between—have space left and are a good value,” says Zach Rabinor, one of my Trusted Travel Experts for Mexico. “Ixtapa, Zihuatanejo and Puerto Vallarta also have availability and are exceptional value for coveted coastal destinations, including hotels and villas.” Zach adds that the following resorts in Mexico still have availability, “subject to dynamically changing conditions”: Fairmont Mayakoba, Las Alamandas, Viceroy Riviera Maya, Capella Ixtapa, Qinta Real Huatulco, Rosewood San Miguel Allende, and Viceroy Zihuatenejo.

Nancy, I could suggest a few other destinations that would be affordable, relatively warm over the winter holidays, and fun for both kids and adults simultaneously—San Diego and Charleston, South Carolina, both come to mind—but Mexico will be the sunniest. Zach Rabinor, who lives in Puerto Vallarta and has two kids of his own, is one of my Trusted Travel Experts on The WOW List, and I’d strongly suggest you contact him to learn current availability and the best pricing for your time frame, as well as to get his recommendations custom-tailored to your family’s needs. As a wendyperrin.com traveler, you’ll get VIP status with Zach, as well as my trip-monitoring service, as long as you contact him via this trip-request form.

Have a happy holiday, Nancy!