Tag Archives: travel tips

The Best Trips to Book in December: 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.

Don’t have Christmas or New Year’s plans? Check out our first two recommendations for fantastic last-minute options that are still available. And if celebrating Carnival in Rio, seeing tigers in the wild, or cruising the Galapagos are on your wish list for the coming year, it’s time to snap into action: December is the optimal moment to book these trips, before the choicest accommodations and the most experienced guides are gone. Read on for our full list of the trips you’d be smart to book this month.

(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: A sailing adventure

a yacht is anchored at Sergeant's Caye off the shore in Belize with yellow kayak on sand

Sergeant’s Caye, Belize. Photo: Absolute Belize

For: March and April 2020

The Caribbean trade winds prevail in March and April, making for the best sailing conditions to charter a crewed catamaran. And the summer humidity is still a long way away, so evenings are beautifully fresh and breezy. You can choose to sail to tiny, palm-studded islands that dot the reef and see nary another soul, or hop among islands kitted out with beach bars, boutiques, restaurants.
Why book in December? Not all of Belize’s live-aboard catamarans are created equal; book now to snap up a luxury vessel at an all-inclusive rate, which includes captain and crew, private chef and meals, and a selection of water toys available for your use.

Ask about a trip to Belize

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

Brazil for Carnaval

Carnaval, Rio de Janeiro. Photo: Matuete

For: February 2020

There’s no more memorable party atmosphere than Rio de Janeiro’s Carnaval (which always falls 40 days before Lent—in 2020, that will be early Feb 21–25). After you’ve had your fill of the many-days-long festivities in Rio, leave time to recuperate on the beach in Paraty or Trancoso before returning to the wintry weather back home.

Why book in December? Hotels won’t fill up until late January, but the order of the Carnaval Competition is released in late November—most people don’t realize that the world-famous parade is in fact a fierce contest among 12 top samba schools—and the theme for the glamorous Copacabana Palace Ball is announced in December. So now is the time to decide on which day you want parade tickets (or even get in costume and march with one of the samba schools, which our Trusted Travel Expert can arrange).

Ask about a trip to Brazil

Ask Wendy to find the right travel specialist for your needs and to plan the best possible trip. You’ll be marked as a VIP and get a trip like this.

Oman’s Desert and Oases

The dunes of the Empty Quarter in Oman, the largest continuous sand desert in the world. Photo: Wild Frontiers

For: February to late April 2020

Late winter/early spring is a great time to visit this jewel of the Middle East—particularly if you are fed up with winter skies at home. Even in February you’ll be greeted by warm days and nights, and a warm sea for swimming. And as the temperatures rise the desert becomes more appealing, making a couple of nights out in the vast Empty Quarter (the largest continuous sand desert in the world) an experience that will stay with you forever.

Why book in December? For now, you can still find the right combination of comfortable accommodations and experienced guides. But before long availability will become tight—and you don’t want to put off your trip until later in the spring, as everything winds down once Ramadan starts in late April.

Ask about a trip to Oman

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

Antarctica: A Whale Safari

a whale's dorsal fin breaching the icy Antarctic water with a boat of tourists watching

Venture to Antarctica to study whales. Photo: Polar Latitudes

For: February 2020

The comfortable, 114-passenger Hebridean Sky will be setting sail for Antarctica in late February, with a group of scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution aboard. The lucky travelers who accompany this research team will not only explore Antarctica with experts, but they can also help collect data for a groundbreaking study on the feeding habits of humpback whales in the Southern Ocean.

Why book in December? Right now, our Trusted Travel Expert can get you 25% off the cabin rates for this special voyage.

Ask about a trip to Antarctica

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

India’s Prime Time for Tiger-Spotting

Royal Bengal tiger sitting in the grass looking directly at the camera, India

Royal Bengal tiger, India. Photo: Lewis Kemper/Nomadic Expeditions

For: Late March to Mid-May 2020

India is home to most of the world’s population of the rare Bengal tiger, and the window with the best chance of seeing these animals in the wild is short—just a couple of weeks in spring, when the dry season minimizes foliage and brings the animals to watering holes (after mid-May, the blazing temperatures make heat stroke a real deterrent).

Why book in December? The bottleneck in India’s premiere national parks for tiger spotting—Kanha, Bandavgarh, and Pench—is accommodations. The Taj lodges have only 10 to 14 rooms each, the Pugdundee lodges just twice that, so capacity is low. While there are other lodges near the parks, none have the high caliber of naturalist guides that these properties offer.

Ask about a trip to India

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

A Grand Canyon Rim-and-River Trip

The Colorado River flowing through the Grand Canyon. Photo courtesy O.A.R.S.

For: April to October 2020

More than five million people visit the Grand Canyon each year; make sure your experience of this natural wonder stands out from the crowd by booking with an expert. The specialists we know can get you access to roads not open to the public; a behind-the-scenes view of the Kolb Studio; and a day float on the Colorado River through nearby Glen Canyon, which mimics the vistas of the Grand Canyon without requiring a commitment of five days or more.

Why book in December? Our experts have access to hotel space that isn’t available to the general public—but if you want to be based in the park itself, you’ll still need to book early.

Ask about a trip to the Grand Canyon

Ask Wendy to find the right travel specialist for your needs and to plan the best possible trip. You’ll be marked as a VIP and get a trip like this.

An Alaska Cruise at the Best Price

Panoramic view of Glacier Bay national Park. John Hopkins Glacier with Mount Orville and Mount Wilbur in the background. Alaska

John Hopkins Glacier (with Mount Orville and Mount Wilbur in the background) in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska. Photo: Shutterstock

For: May to September 2020

Alaska is one of those places that converts even the most skeptical cruise-goer: Only by boat can you see some of its most knockout landscapes and abundant wildlife. The best itineraries encompass both the Inside Passage (an archipelago of 10,000 islands in the Alaska Panhandle near British Columbia) and the Gulf of Alaska (the coastline farther north that gives you access to Alaska’s interior, including Denali National Park).

Why book in December? In December and January, cruise lines such as Princess and Holland America offer their best promotions on these Gulf of Alaska sailings. The early-booking discounts for summer departures tend to expire in February, but in December you’ll reap the benefits while still having a wide range of ships and cabins to choose from.

Ask about an Alaskan cruise

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

The Galapagos Next Summer

blue footed booby galapagos islands ecuador

Blue-Footed Booby, Galapagos Islands. Photo: peterstuartmill/Pixabay

For: June to August 2020

The Galapagos Islands offer a wildlife-rich experience throughout the year: You can swim with sea turtles, photograph giant tortoises, and have up-close encounters with blue-footed boobies no matter the season. But given how popular the destination is with families, it’s especially important to plan ahead for summer voyages—even more so if you prefer a small yacht or catamaran where space is limited.

Why book in December? People often chat with family and friends over the holidays about an upcoming trip, and then reserve their cabins in January; get a jump on them by making your arrangements now, while there is still good availability across a variety of ships (especially among the few connected or triple cabins that families covet).

Ask about a trip to the Galapagos

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

Ireland’s Busy Summer Season

Rock of Cashel castle on a hill in Ireland

Rock of Cashel, Ireland. Photo: Shutterstock

For: June to August 2020

Ireland is enticing more and more travelers and most Americans who go choose it for their big once-a-year summer vacation that combines history, scenery, and culture with a little R&R.

Why book in December? Given Ireland’s summertime popularity, the days of booking a summer vacation there in April—and getting your top-choice hotels and experiences—are over. In December, there will still be some availability, but by January many of the best hotels will be booked up. Also, as more rooms sell, rates climb, especially in Dublin, so your trip will cost less if you book it ASAP.

Ask about a trip to Ireland

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

Bali’s Coveted Private Villas

Green rice fields on Bali island Indonesia

Green rice fields on Bali island. Photo: Shutterstock

For: July to September 2020

Summer is Bali’s dry season and brings the best all-around weather that the island sees. It’s also the most popular and heavily booked time of the year. Imagine having your own private villa with a pool and a full kitchen, plus a chef and staff who will keep the place stocked with fresh food from local markets. For families or several couples traveling together, a beautiful private villa can cost less than staying in a high-end hotel. But true beachfront villas, as well as those near the action in Ubud, are limited and therefore in high demand over the summer.

Why book in December? Starting in January, many people are making their summer travel plans; by booking in December, you get a jump on your competition for the most coveted beachfront and Ubud-area villas.

Ask about a trip to Bali

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

Africa: A Holiday Safari

Singita Grumeti reserve in the Serengeti, Tanzania. Photo: Nina Wennersten.

For: December 2020

The Christmas/New Year’s period is a popular time for safaris. It falls during the southern hemisphere’s summer and at a time when getting away from work is relatively easy. But the most in-demand African safari camps have only a few rooms each, so availability is always low.

Why book in December? The top camps and lodges in southern and East Africa often sell out by January for the following December. Book now if you want to spend next year’s holiday season in style at a place like Royal Malewane or one of the Singita properties.

Ask about a safari in East Africa

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

Is This Hotel Safe? Smart Things to Ask About Before Making Plans

Leave a reply

By this point in the coronavirus lockdown, the thought of getting out of your house for longer than the time it takes to go to the socially distanced supermarket probably sounds like pure heaven. But the prospect of checking into a hotel may not be exactly the Eden you’re dreaming of. The good news is that all over the world, hotels, resorts, and vacation rentals are starting to roll out concrete plans and procedures for making their properties as safe as possible, and we expect these efforts to set a new standard for the industry…eventually.

In the meantime, if you are starting to think about a future trip, whether it’s for this summer or next year, there are questions you’ll want to ask the hotels you’re considering so that you can make an informed decision about how comfortable you’ll feel during a stay. Here are five areas to investigate before making any hotel plans:

Rooms that open to fresh air

When Wendy had to take an essential road trip from New Jersey to Georgia (as detailed in “What a Road Trip During Coronavirus Is Really Like”), she looked for hotels where fresh air could flow freely through the rooms. “Your best bet may be older hotels that have either freestanding cottages or rooms with balconies where you can leave the balcony door open, letting in fresh air throughout the night,” she wrote. “Look in areas where you might find historic inns or sprawling old-fashioned resorts with individual bungalows.”

Contactless guest services

Check-in. Room service. Requests for more towels. During any hotel stay, there are so many points of interaction between guests and staff—so make sure the hotel you’re choosing has options for avoiding or limiting these. Some, like Marriott, are going so far as to enable all of these services via your own phone. Others, like MGM Resorts and Accor hotels, are installing partitions at the front desk.

Masks, gloves, wipes, and sanitizer

Not only should you check if the hotel staff are required to wear masks and gloves (and whether they are provided with that equipment), but also check if these items are available to guests too. Four Seasons is introducing in-room amenities kits with masks, sanitizer and wipes. Wyndham hotels are handing out wipes at check-in with your key and stashing complimentary travel-size hand sanitizers in each room. Still others will make masks available for free when guests ask for them; so find out the policy and whether that equipment is actually in stock before you arrive.

Public areas

You’re likely to see more hand sanitizer and wipe-dispensing stations in hotels’ public areas (MGM Resorts properties are even adding hand-washing stations)—and that’s what you want. It not only shows that the company is making an effort and following established public-health recommendations, but it makes it easy for guests and staff to comply—and that keeps everyone healthier. You’ll also want to find out how your hotel is handling potentially crowded areas, such as the front desk (Are there partitions? Social-distancing signs and marks on the floor?), fitness centers or spas (Are they open? If so, are guests being temperature-checked before entering? What is the disinfecting process between users?), and elevators and public washrooms (How frequently are they being cleaned, and with what materials?). Don’t forget to ask about shared cars that are being set out for airport transfers and other guest chauffeur services. Shangri-La hotels disinfects limos between each use and limits the guests who can share a ride. What is your hotel (or the third-party service they use) doing in that regard?

Guest-room cleaning

Your hotel room will truly become your sanctuary in a group environment like a hotel, so find out how it’s being safeguarded for you. How often will it be cleaned? With what type of materials and technology? Hilton has started using a CleanStay Room Seal on room doors, to reassure guests that no one has entered the room since it was cleaned. In many hotels, the whole cleaning process has been upgraded too, with a focus on sanitizing high-touch areas and items (remote controls, handles, light switches etc.); the removal of amenities like pens, paper, and guest directories; full changes of linens every day; the testing of UV sterilization wands; and possibly even electrostatic sprayers to disperse disinfectant. Ask for details about what your hotel’s cleaning staff will do in your room.

Restaurants and bars

Depending on the country and state, a hotel’s restaurants and bars may or may not be open—so that’s your first question. If they are open, how is the hotel handling food safety? Four Seasons, MGM, and many other hotels now have digital menus accessible from your own phone. If a restaurant is open, it will likely have capacity limits, and you’ll want to ask how that will work and whether they’ve rearranged furniture to keep people apart. Ask about the kitchen staff too: What protective gear are they required to wear, and what new safety procedures have been implemented to keep food safe? We’ve heard of properties offering plated meals in sealed packaging, more packaged to-go options, and expanded room service menus and timing. Keep in mind that not all hotels are closing their buffets and breakfast rooms, and that while they are likely reconfiguring how those communal dining areas work, the decisions will vary by location because of local, state, and country regulations.

Pools and beaches

Pools and beaches are two of the biggest draws for a warm-weather getaway, especially if you’re traveling with kids. And the good news is that the current CDC advice says, “There is no evidence that the virus that causes COVID-19 can be spread to people through the water in pools, hot tubs, spas, or water play areas. Proper operation and maintenance (including disinfection with chlorine and bromine) of these facilities should inactivate the virus in the water.”

So first things first: Find out if they’re even open, because some hotels are keeping those public areas off limits. If the water areas are open to guests, inquire about the safety precautions being taken. For instance, at Sandals resorts, beach and pool chairs are being placed six feet apart and sanitized every morning, and again after guest changeovers. Will the hotel you’re considering do something similar? Ask them about their plans to handle social distancing, the sanitization of chairs, and interactions with pool/beach attendants. Are they limiting the number of guests who can use pool or beach areas at one time? And if so, how will reservations work for those slots? Keep in mind that access to public beaches, and whether you can actually sunbathe or linger on them, is dictated by state, county, and local directives, so research the latest info on state and locality websites.

Be a smarter, safer traveler: Sign up for Wendy’s weekly newsletter to stay in the know.

How Frequent Travelers Are Approaching Upcoming Trips

2 Replies

Some of you have been writing in, asking whether you should change your travel plans and, if so, what is the best way to work with your Trusted Travel Expert to do so. We’re seeing that travelers who made non-refundable payments, and who either did not buy insurance or were not covered by their insurance, are being offered credits toward future travel instead of refunds. In fact, certain countries—Italy, France, and Greece among them—have been passing laws (designed to protect local businesses) that dictate credits rather than refunds. (Being offered a credit instead of a refund seems to have become standard in other sectors of the U.S. economy too, with everything from sporting-events tickets to gym memberships.) Where travelers are given a choice between a credit and a refund, often they decide to postpone their trip rather than cancelling it altogether. We asked a few of you to share how you came to your decision to postpone rather than cancel—and your decisions are a heartwarming testament to how committed you are to your place as global citizens.

“We have another trip to Italy planned for September with our best friends…”

Adam Amsterdam; New York, NY
Planned: Milan and Venice, March 7–14
Status: Postponed

“We were keeping our eye on the virus and when it started showing up in Venice and Milan it was like, uh oh. I wasn’t as worried about contracting it as I was about finding ourselves there and getting quarantined. I was thinking the one thing I know about all of these epidemics, whether it’s Zika or Ebola or the bird flu, is that whatever they tell you the first couple of days always changes because they don’t know enough. So I figured we’d monitor and make a decision when the date got closer. When they closed La Scala and the Duomo and canceled Ash Wednesday mass in Milan, I thought, That’s bad. I thought: even if we go, how much are we going to enjoy it if people are nervous and restaurants are closing early and sights are closed? We thought it’s just not worth it. Venice and Milan will be there, we’ll go back some other time. So we decided to postpone the trip. Now it seems like it was the right decision. We were scheduled to land on this past Saturday, so Sunday morning we would have been in Venice and we would now be on lockdown there until at least April 3, because they’re not letting people travel between cities without dispensation from the authorities.

Our Italy travel specialist, Maria, was, as you’d expect, phenomenal. We had a phone call, and she said these are extraordinary circumstances; notwithstanding our cancellation policy, we’re happy to give you a dollar-for-dollar credit if you plan a trip with us for the future. That was so beyond what she was required to do. So that just confirmed for me that she runs a really good business and is in it for the long term. And that was the right thing to do. And our airline also waived cancellation fees and change fees.

We have another trip to Italy planned for September with our best friends. The four of us are taking a trip to the Amalfi coast. We’re all turning 60 in 2020, and we decided we’d go to Positano and Ravello to celebrate that milestone. Hopefully we’ll still be able to do that.”

“Until this morning, we were fully prepared to go…”

Priscilla Eakeley; Chatham, NJ
Planned: Morocco, March 13–22
Status: Postponed

“My husband and I, along with our daughter and her husband, and her two kids, ages 10 and 12, were scheduled to fly on Royal Air Maroc on Friday, March 13. When you look at the charts, Morocco has only two reported coronavirus cases. I was not afraid of contracting the virus on the way over because I was equipped with all kinds of wipes and everything else. And I was not concerned about contracting the virus while we there. My husband and I have no underlying health issues, so that wasn’t a concern, even though we are both considerably north of 60. But I was very concerned about getting back. I spoke to Wendy, and she had another angle on this: God forbid I contract the coronavirus, do I want to be in isolation in a Moroccan hospital?

Until this morning, we were fully prepared to go. Everybody I know encouraged us not to; I think we were the last holdouts. I was thinking that, health-wise, we were just as well off over there as here. But the President’s announcement last night was a huge game changer for us. First, there was the advisory that Americans not travel anywhere abroad, period. Morocco is not Europe, but his speech [announcing that non-U.S. citizens are banned from flying to the U.S. from Europe]—it sent shockwaves through the travel industry as well as us. And, second, the lack of clarity means, who knows? We’ve been to Morocco before and we love it, but the point of this trip for us was about seeing it through our grandchildren’s eyes. They’re young, we’re not, so we canceled. My daughter and her family are still going.

Our travel planner, recommended by Wendy, has been absolutely fabulous throughout, and managed to get full credit for our portion of the land costs—credit we can apply to a future trip. Wish I could say the same about Royal Air Maroc—they refused to refund or even credit our seats, even in the wake of everything that’s happening. Unbelievably bad customer service.

We are supposed to fly to Milan in mid-May, and the verdict is still out about whether we’ll be going. We have until mid-April to pull the plug, and really hoping that everything is better by then.”

“You couldn’t make a decision and stick with it because things were changing every day…”

Carroll Lachnit; Long Beach, CA
Planned: Norway, March 15–30
Status: Postponed till the fall

“We really started watching things carefully maybe ten days ago. It was the increasing drumbeat of concerns about exposure, and the general fact that the virus was moving beyond China and moving closer.

My husband is perhaps a little more attuned to risk things than I am. So it’s been an interesting experience to see the variance in our risk tolerance. As we saw cases begin to crop up in Norway, we began to get concerned. We were going to do Northern Lights viewing. We would spend minimal time in Oslo and be in a fairly remote place. We were ticketed on the way in to go via Munich and on the way out through Frankfurt, so watching the numbers climb in Germany was another issue.

Catherine Hamm in the LA Times wrote a great column about the questions to ask yourself when deciding whether to go. My husband and I sat down and read the article together, and I had six “go’s” and four “no-go’s” — and his were just the opposite. Just paying the money is not a reason to go, and you can’t force someone to go if they’re going to be uncomfortable. And he has some health issues, so he placed a call to his doctor who said he should not travel. And that was it. We’re not going to do this if your physician says you shouldn’t go.

On March 5, we emailed the travel specialist whom Wendy recommended to us, to say we don’t want to cancel, we want to postpone. She sent us back a lovely note that she would try to move as many pieces as possible to a later date. And I just slept so much better. It was every day: are we, aren’t we, are we, aren’t we. You couldn’t make a decision and stick with it because things were changing every day and Norway had more cases every day. And while last week I might have felt, not exactly alarmist, but more are we being chickens here? Now I see that we were ahead of the curve and made the right decision.”

“I am not going to say that I wasn’t concerned. But I would also say that I’m not going to completely stop living my life…”

Phyllis Bossin; Cincinnati, OH
Planned: Australia, April 25–May 15
Status: Postponed till December

“We were going with another couple, and our position was: If the plane is flying, we’ll be there. Which is what I really believed until yesterday, when we decided it was time for Plan B. It’s a long flight with a lot of people on the plane, and being in a contained area for 23 hours is a lot. And the CDC is saying that people who are older shouldn’t fly.

I am not going to say that I wasn’t concerned. But I would also say that I’m not going to completely stop living my life. My husband is a physician, and he has contacts through work with the CDC, so we’re on top of it. But we didn’t even discuss not going on our trip to Honduras (we just got back from scuba diving there for a week). The plane was packed, and nobody was wearing a mask. But as each day goes by, people get more fearful because it keeps getting worse. And the only thing that seems to be stopping it is social isolation. So we all agreed there were prudent reasons to reschedule. We are postponing, not canceling. We asked Stuart to duplicate our itinerary exactly, and we are going on December 1.”

“Viking sent us a letter saying…we’ll give you a credit for two years. That was tempting, but we still wanted to go…”

Heidi Fielding, Minneapolis–St. Paul, MN
Planned: Cruise to Italy, March 25–April 6
Status: Postponed to April 2021

“We’d never gone on a Viking ocean cruise, so we were excited about that. We’re both retired from airlines, so we’ve done extensive travel, but not many cruises.

About three weeks before departure, the virus hit in Asia, and Viking sent us a letter saying that we hope you travel but if you do want to cancel, we’ll let you cancel up to 24 hours ahead and give you a credit for two years. That was tempting, but we still wanted to go. Then a few weeks later, Italy was starting to have problems and finally shut down, and that was two weeks from departure. Our cruise had four ports in Italy, and we were supposed to disembark in Venice at the end. We knew it wouldn’t be a problem to rebook the cruise, but we had also booked business-class airfare and were concerned we could lose a lot of money. Then we spoke to Delta, and they said we could rebook without any change fees. That was the key. We weren’t concerned about getting sick as much as our itinerary completely changing or being in quarantine if the U.S. decided not to allow anyone in from Italy. We’ve already been to Venice, so we weren’t concerned about missing Venice; our concern was the possibility of not even being able to get through it.

So we talked to Mary Jean’s team—they were keeping us up-to-date—and they immediately got us booked on another cruise for April 2021, with the cabin we wanted. We were happy with the decision. The only downside is being in Minnesota in March.”

PLEASE NOTE THAT AS OF MARCH 11, 2020: The U.S. State Department has advised U.S. citizens to reconsider travel abroad and to avoid travel by cruise ship. Non-U.S. citizens are banned from flying from Europe to the U.S. for at least 30 days. Public health officials advise older adults and people with underlying health conditions to abstain from travel. They also recommend “social distancing” for everyone, which means keeping about six feet of space between yourself and others. That can be hard to do on a plane, on a train, or in an airport.

An Easy Way to Improve Your Next Flight Delay: Airport Lounge Day Passes

2 Replies

You no longer have to be an elite traveler, a frequent flier, or even a passenger of a specific airline to enjoy the stress-free haven of an airport lounge. Over the past few years, several independent companies have nabbed real estate in the country’s busiest airports, bringing comfy armchairs, Wi-Fi, workspaces, snacks and drinks, and even spas and showers to anyone passing through the terminal with a few extra dollars to spare, usually between $25 and $50. And it’s not just travelers who’ve taken notice; airlines have upped their lounge game in response, with several opening their retreats to regular folks too. These lounges can be a life (and sanity) saver any time you have a long layover. And they are especially useful during the holiday season, when crowds are thick and weather delays common. Download the LoungeBuddy app (as well as other essential apps for holiday travel), and you’ll always know where to find the closest one.

Here are a few of the non-airline-affiliated lounges to look for. As for airline lounges, you can find one in most airports, and sometimes you can buy a day pass, even if you’re not flying that airline!

Lounge Pass
Fee: Starts at $19
What’s included: Lounge Pass is a booking site for day passes to more than 350 airport lounges in more than 100 countries. Prices start at $19 and the amenities vary by location.
Locations: There are too many list to here, but the website makes it easy to find the options in the airports you need.

Priority Pass
Fee: Annual membership from $99; free membership for Chase Sapphire Reserve, American Express Platinum, Citi Prestige card holders (among others).
What’s included: Priority Pass is like Lounge Pass, but it requires a membership fee up front—which then gives you free access. Amenities vary widely, but most lounges have complimentary Wi-Fi and snacks, outlets, TVs, and places to work; some have spas and private conference room. Members also receive discounts at airport restaurants and retail shops.
Locations: The Priority Pass network includes more than 1,300 lounges in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East, and North America.

Centurion Lounges
Fee: Free to AmEx Platinum and Centurion cardholders and their guests.
What’s included: Elaborate food and drink, often prepared by well-known chefs; Wi-Fi; video games; lots of couches and private nooks; assistance with dinner reservations, flight info, event tickets, and more; printers, fax machines, copiers; TVs, magazines and newspapers; conference rooms at some locations; spa services at some locations; showers at some locations; luggage lockers at some locations.
Locations: Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), Hong Kong (HKG), Houston (IAH),Las Vegas (LAS), New York LaGuardia (LGA), Philadelphia (PHL), Miami (MIA), Seattle (SEA), and San Francisco (SFO). Coming soon to Denver (DEN), New York (JFK), Los Angeles (LAX), London (LHR), Charlotte (CLT), and Phoenix (PHX).

The Club
Fee: Varies
What’s included: Wi-Fi; snacks and drinks (including wine, beer, and liquor); workstations, printers, fax machines, phones; TVs, magazines and newspapers; showers; conference rooms for an additional fee. Purchase day passes to The Club’s locations via the Lounge Pass website (see below).
Locations: Atlanta Hartsfield (ATL), Boston (BOS), Buffalo (BUF), Baltimore (BWI), Charleston (CHS), Cincinnati (CVG), Dallas-Forth Worth (DFW), Jacksonville (JAX), Las Vegas McCarran (LAS), London (LGW), London (LHR), Orlando (MCO), Pittsburgh (PIT), Seattle (SEA), and San José (SJC) airports.

Airspace Lounge
Fee: From $20 (price varies depending on time of day); free entry for AmEx Platinum and Centurion cardholders and their guests.
What’s included: Wi-Fi; computers; power outlets at every seat; a credit for a free meal or alcoholic beverage (additional snacks, soft drinks, and coffees are available for free as well); printers, scanners; showers at the San Diego airport.
Locations: Cleveland Hopkins (CLE) and San Diego (SAN).

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.

How to Get the Best Business Class or Premium Economy Flight Experience

Leave a reply

Figuring out how to get the best value on air travel is one of life’s most infuriating challenges. It’s not just about the dollar value of airfare either: The algorithm travelers have to invent in order to rank competing priorities of seat comfort, seat location, checked luggage fees, overhead bin space, boarding order, Wi-Fi access, power outlets, inflight entertainment options, and mileage rewards is more complicated than the one Google uses to return your everyday search results.

To help travelers cut through the noise, we asked air-travel booking guru Brett Snyder for insights and strategies on how to get the best flight experiences and airfare values. Snyder founded a company called Cranky Concierge, which specializes not only in ferreting out the smartest routes and fares for your specific trip, but also in monitoring your chosen flight to let you know asap if anything goes wrong and, even more crucial, provide emergency rerouting assistance if your flight is delayed or canceled, or if you miss a connection. Snyder’s deep knowledge of the air travel world is one reason we invited him to speak at our 2017 Global Travel Summit, and it’s also why we tapped him for the following tips. “The idea is that there are trade-offs in travel,” Snyder told us. “And you can pick and choose the things that matter to you to find the best options for what you want and need to do.”

At the 2017 Wendy Perrin Global Travel Summit Brett Snyder of Cranky Concierge shares tips on how to get the best flight experience for your dollar

At the 2017 Wendy Perrin Global Travel Summit, Brett Snyder, founder of air-travel-assistance company Cranky Concierge, shares tips on how to get the best flight experience for your dollar.

How to Get the Best Business Class Flight Experience

The challenges:

“Lots of airlines have ‘flat beds’ now, but not all flat beds are equal,” Snyder cautions. “[Travelers] don’t always know what the seats are like. How would you know that the Emirates 777 doesn’t have fully flat beds, or that different aircraft on the same route don’t have the same seats?” Two other critieria to consider are the cabin’s seat layout (do all seats have direct aisle access?) and whether each seat is a private cocoon. “Having a leading business class [used to mean] you had to have flatbed seats, but then the goalpost moved and became direct-aisle access,” Snyder says, before explaining why this is important: “United still has some planes without direct-aisle access, which means most of their seats are 2-2-2. So if you’re traveling with kids, you can be sitting next to them—it’s still a flatbed but at least you’re there with them. But Virgin Atlantic, across the fleet, the seats are basically individual seats. You can have your kid near you, but not right next you, and you won’t see them from your seat because they’re meant to be private.”

The solutions:

Snyder recommends three tools that help inform a clear picture of what you’ll be getting in a particular business class cabin.

One is SeatGuru, where the seat maps show the layout of the cabin. “Those seat maps won’t tell you much about how great or terrible the product is; you’ll just see a square where the seat is,” he says. “But it’ll tell you whether you’re sitting together with someone or not.” The catch is that airlines often have multiple configurations on each aircraft type, so you need to make sure to compare the airline seat map with Seatguru on your specific flight to make sure you’re looking at the right one.

Brett’s other tool recommendation is online trip reports. These are photo-heavy, often very detail-oriented reviews written by travel bloggers about their specific flight experiences. “A seat map will tell you there are flatbeds, but a trip report will say, Yeah and they’re shredded and half of them didn’t work,” Snyder says. “We send these to clients all the time if they’re trying to decide between two flights.” He names One Mile at a Time, The Designair, Travel Codex, and TravelSort as a few he regularly points his own clients to. Some trip reports span the whole flight experience: what the lounge is like, the check-in process, the boarding process, the inflight food, and more. “Typically what I do is Google, for example, ‘Emirates 777 business class trip report’: include the airline, the aircraft, the cabin, and the words ‘trip report’. Then look at the pictures,” Snyder says. “That’s what we’re really trying to show people with this: what it really looks like on the airplane.”

How to Get the Best Economy Flight Experience

The challenges:

If you can’t afford business class—or simply prefer to spend your travel dollars elsewhere—how do you nevertheless maintain some level of comfort and dignity?

The solutions:

Snyder has three suggestions for making your flight comfortable if you opt to turn right, rather than left, when you board.

To save money, but still have a better overall flight experience, consider coach or premium economy on the way home. “One example I like is if someone is going on their honeymoon,” Snyder says. “They get married, they’re going to the airport soon after, and they want to sit in business class—they want the champagne and to continue in the halo of the wedding. But after two weeks, you just want to get home, so maybe you don’t care. If you had to choose [where to delegate your funds], you could just sit in coach. Another example is if you’re going to Asia and even if it is your honeymoon, let’s say going over it’s a daytime flight, but coming back it’s an overnight flight, so you might want business class on the way back so you can sleep. Just piece it together based on the budget you have and what’s important to you.”
Get to know what “premium economy” really means. “An increasing number of airlines have premium economy, but it’s very different from what people in the United States think,” Snyder says. “It’s not just a coach seat with a little more leg room.” Real premium economy, he explains, has wider seats, more legroom, often a leg rest, upgraded food, priority boarding, a smaller cabin. “So it almost feels like domestic first class, which isn’t all that great but it’s better than coach. For some people, that’s a great upgrade over what you’re used to, and it’s a whole lot nicer and more affordable.” Snyder notes that American, Delta, and United all have a premium economy category and do a good job with it, as do foreign carriers Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, Lufthansa, Air France, Alitalia, Japan, ANA, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, and Air New Zealand.
Snyder speculates that the number of low-cost airlines flying over the Atlantic is likely to increase in the near future, so travelers should keep their eyes open for news on this front. “Norwegian is the most visible of these so far,” he says. “They are flying to a ton of places, and it’s only going to continue. They also have cheap one-way fares. Long-haul one-way flights are traditionally very expensive,” Snyder explains, so this development is valuable: Travelers can now use miles for a one-way ticket to Europe, then buy a ticket home that won’t be outrageously expensive. Snyder raises all the usual flags about low-cost airlines: You have to pay extra for food and baggage, etc., and if something goes wrong with your flight, an airline like Wow doesn’t have the same support as, say, United, where there’s a network of airline partners to help take you where you need to go. Still, Snyder says, the low-cost airlines have their benefits: “We have often found that it can be cheaper to buy two one-ways on Norwegian than a round-trip.” Interestingly, all of this is good news for every traveler, not just those trying to fly on a shoestring: Snyder expects this competition to drive down pricing on the bigger-name airlines.

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.

Holiday Travel Ideas from Sophisticated Travelers

Leave a reply

Idyllic tropical beach with white sand, turquoise ocean water and blue sky at Antigua island in Caribbean

Antigua island in the Caribbean

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Mendoza, Argentina

Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Costa Rica

kayak on turquoise water Koh Lipe island Thailand

Koh Lipe, Thailand

the red sand of Chile's Atacama desert with tall mountains in the distance

Atacama Desert, Chile

Sahara Desert, Morocco

Galapagos Islands

Leafy town square with fountain in a picturesque village in Provence, France

Saignon, Provence, France

Masada, Israel

Egypt

Udaipur, India

A lot of travelers write to us seeking suggestions for unusual Christmas-New Year’s destinations. They want to go where everybody else isn’t going. Depending on what sort of experience they’re after, Wendy might suggest anything from Malta to Abu Dhabi.

As for the holiday travel plans that WendyPerrin.com travelers have already made, among the most popular locales are Argentina, New Zealand, and Thailand. Travelers who want to explore the world closer to home are bound for Mexico, Costa Rica, the Caribbean Islands, and Belize.

If you haven’t planned your holiday trip yet, now is the time, as many flights and resorts fill up months in advance. For inspiration, browse the lists below that show where your fellow travelers are headed. We’ve also got helpful monthly articles on Where to Go When. If you have other ideas or plans for your winter travels, let us know in the comments where you’re headed!

Top 10 Countries Booked by WOW List Travelers for Christmas/New Year’s Trips

Argentina
Mexico*
Chile
Costa Rica
Morocco*
New Zealand*
Caribbean Islands
Thailand
Belize
Egypt*

* = tied with the country listed above it

Top 16 Countries Already Booked By WOW List Travelers for Winter Trips
(November through February)

Mexico
Thailand
Chile
New Zealand
Argentina
Vietnam*
Morocco
United States*
Caribbean Islands
Costa Rica*
Cambodia
The Galapagos Islands*
Australia
Belize
France*
Italy*

* = tied with the country listed above it

The Ideal Islands for Each Month of the Year

1 Reply

Figuring out the optimal time to travel to an island can be tricky. “Peak season” often does not mean the best time to go; it just means the most expensive time, based on when school’s out in the countries that send the most vacationers to that island. “Low season” might mean peaceful and lovely, with a brief and pleasantly cooling shower each afternoon, or it might mean that every restaurant and famous site shuts down entirely. In addition to seasonal changes in weather, most islands have limited lodging—which can drive rates to extortionate levels—and some island can get crowds that will overtax the small tourism infrastructure, especially when cruise ships stop there.

We’re here to help—by suggesting a few islands for each month of the year. These are the opportune moments when the destination is at its best yet, in most instances, offers shoulder-season pricing. Craving an island not listed below? Punch its name into the “Destinations” search box at top left; if we’ve got an Insider’s Guide for that island, you can read the best and worst times to go.

Seeking the right island or island-trip-planning specialist for your specific needs? You may ask us here.

January: Madeira, Portugal

This sub-tropical Portuguese island may be small, but it puts on a New Year’s Eve celebration and fireworks show that rivals the ones in Sydney, London, and Rio. (Book early!) Later in the month, the world-class hotels will be far more affordable, yet you can still enjoy virgin laurel forest, panoramic hiking, and great local gastronomy, including the island’s namesake wine.

Learn more in our Insider’s Guide to Portugal, and use our questionnaire to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

January: Mergui Archipelago, Myanmar

With a private yacht at your disposal, the Mergui archipelago is a veritable playground of diving and snorkeling sites full of rare underwater species, mangroves with crystal-clear water, and beaches where the only human footprints will be the ones you leave. In January, the weather is warm and sunny, and the seas are calm.

Ask Wendy who is the best Myanmar or yacht-charter specialist to plan your specific trip.

January: Raja Ampat, Indonesia

Located where the Pacific currents meet the Indian Ocean, this archipelago is a marine Eden with more than 1,300 species of fish and three-quarters of all the hard corals found in the world. Above the water line, the forested karst islands are home to fantastical creatures such as birds of paradise and tree kangaroos. October through April is Raja Ampat’s dry season; just after the holidays, prices drop considerably.

Ask Wendy who is the best Indonesia or cruise specialist to plan your specific trip.

February: Isla Palenque, Panama

Isla Palenque is an eco-friendly private-island resort off the Pacific coast of Panama.

A private-island resort off the Pacific coast of Panama, Isla Palenque offers both environmental sustainability and barefoot luxury. Just a 15-minute boat ride from the mainland, it’s easily combined with other parts of Panama or even Costa Rica, and you get seven different beaches, the surrounding Chiriqui National Marine Park, and a jungle full of monkeys and birds. February sees gorgeous weather—and with just eight thatch-roofed casitas and one villa on the 400-acre island, you’ll never encounter crowds.

Ask Wendy who is the best Panama specialist to plan your specific trip.

February: Venice, Italy

venice murano glass island photo by Felix Broennimann

Venice. Photo: Felix_Broennimann/Pixabay

All that is sumptuous and extravagant about Venice is kicked up several notches in February, thanks to Carnevale. A month’s worth of elaborate celebrations—marked by Baroque costumes, masked balls, sinful sweets, and general bacchanalian overindulgence—reach a fever pitch in the “Fat Days” preceding Martedì Grasso (Shrove Tuesday). Carnevale dates vary from year to year but always include at least part of February.

Learn more in our Insider’s Guide to Venice, and use our questionnaire to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

March: Crete, Greece

The island of Spinalonga, Crete, Greece. Photo: Blue Palace Resort and Spa

While many Greek islands go into hibernation in the winter, with resorts and restaurants shuttering for the season, Crete is large enough that it stays vibrant year-round. It’s also Greece’s most southern—and thus warmest—island. Not everything will be open in March, but it’s a great time to get a dose of local culture, and hotel rates are lower than you’ll find later in spring.

Use our questionnaire to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

March: Bermuda

The Reefs, Southampton, Bermuda.

April is when the cruise ships start to arrive for the summer season, letting off up to 4,000 passengers at a time. A month earlier, hotel rates are half their summer peak, temps are in the low 70s (great for golf and tennis, if not bikinis), and there are free tours, lectures, and arts demonstrations all over the island.

Learn more in our Insider’s Guide to Bermuda, and ask Wendy who is the best Bermuda specialist to plan your specific trip.

March: Malta and Gozo

gozo island green hills scenery in Maltese archipelago

Gozo is smaller and more rural than its neighbor Malta.

March sees few of the cruise-ship visitors who arrive daily in Malta come summer. With highs in the mid-60s and a lush green coating on the hills brought out by winter rains, this is a particularly great time of year for countryside walks and cycling on neighboring Gozo, which is smaller and more rural than Malta.

Learn more in our Insider’s Guide to Malta, and use our questionnaire to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

April: The Azores

green fields on Flores island The Azores Portugal

The Azores are known for breathtaking natural beauty. Photo: Visit the Azores

You won’t find ultra-luxe resorts and 24-hour concierge service in the Azores, but you will find whale- and dolphin-watching (sightings of migrating cetaceans peak in April), breathtaking natural beauty, and locals who are genuinely happy to see tourists at this time of year. For a slower-paced trip, stay just on the main island of São Miguel; if you prefer to see a bit more, base yourself on Faial and take day trips by ferry to Pico and São Jorge.

Learn more in our Insider’s Guide to Portugal, and use our questionnaire to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

April: The Maldives

person swimming in clear blue water at Cheval Blanc Randheli resort in the Maldives

The Maldives. Photo: Cheval Blanc Randheli.

April (after Easter) is when you’ll find a sweet spot of lower hotel rates and ideal weather: Temperatures are consistently in the high 80s year-round, but in April there is almost no rain or wind, so the water is calm for snorkeling and diving.

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

April: Sardinia, Italy

Sardinia is a little-known hiker’s paradise, with trails that bestow views of white-sand beaches and crystalline water on one side, and craggy mountain peaks on the other. But if you go there to walk in summer, you’ll melt. Visit in April instead, when it’s not too crowded, the temperature is pleasant, and the wildflowers are in bloom.

Ask Wendy who is the best specialist to plan your specific trip.

May: Santorini, Greece

Oia town on Santorini island, Greece. Traditional and famous houses and churches with blue domes over the Caldera, Aegean sea

Oia town, on Santorini. Photo: Shutterstock

May weather is warm but not hot, and hotel rates are lower than from mid-June through September. The crowds are less too, which has the added benefit of ensuring the service will be better. During the hectic summer months, when hordes of cruise-ship passengers invade the island, service suffers; you can barely even find an available taxi.

Use our questionnaire to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

May: Capri, Italy

Capri, Amalfi Coast, Italy. Photo: IC Bellagio

Mild spring temperatures make it pleasant to explore this legendary island, which is still in a state of tranquility before the mad crush invades in June. The orange and jasmine flowers in bloom lend wonderful scents and colors; it’s also the time of year for many sailing events, as well as the annual celebration of the island’s Patron Saint San Costanzo.

Learn more in our Insider’s Guide to the Amalfi Coast, and use our questionnaire to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

May: Corsica, France

Corsica is great for hiking in May. Photo: Philip Haslett

While summer is high season, May and June are hard to beat: The temperatures are a bit lower, the crowds fewer, and the hotels don’t impose minimum-stay requirements. It’s a great time for the hiking, cycling, and canyoning that Corsica is known for—but if you want to spend a lot of time in the water, you’re better off waiting until September.

Ask Wendy who is the best Corsica specialist to plan your specific trip.

May: Oahu, Hawaii

View from the Makapuu Point Lookout, Oahu Hawaii

View from the Makapuu Point Lookout, Oahu. Photo: Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) / Mark Kushimi

Oahu’s temps are consistently pleasant year-round (usually between 78 and 82 degrees). The reason May is ideal—except for the Japanese holiday of Golden Week, at the start of the month— is that airfare is less expensive and crowds are fewer.

Learn more in our Insider’s Guide to Oahu, and use our questionnaire to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

June: Bali

Green rice fields on Bali island. Photo: Shutterstock

June has the most reliably pleasant weather in Bali—daytime temps in the 80s and gentle breezes to keep the sun from feeling too hot—and better prices: High-season hotel rates don’t kick in until July.

Learn more in our Insider’s Guide to Bali, and use our questionnaire to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

June: Sri Lanka

eautiful Tropical Beach In Kalpitiya, Sri Lanka. These boats used to take people to watch dolphins

Kalpitiya beach, Sri Lanka. Photo: Shutterstock

Sri Lanka’s east coast, stretching from the quiet beaches of Trincomalee to the surf paradise of Arugam Bay, bursts with life this month. Compared to the better-known beaches in the south, those along this coast are more secluded, with a calmer and shallower sea—perfect for whale watching, snorkeling, diving, and fishing. After Easter and before summer vacation, visitors are fewer and the prices are easier on the wallet.

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

June: Spitsbergen, Norway

Spitsbergen, the largest island in the Svalbard Archipelago, is one of the world’s best places to see polar bears. While Arctic voyages set sail throughout the summer, going early in the season maximizes your chances of seeing these magnificent animals before the sea ice recedes.

Learn more in our Insider’s Guide to the Arctic, and use our questionnaire to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

June: Mallorca and Menorca, Spain

Beautiful traditional boathouses, apartments and beach at Playa Santanyi, located in the south east of Mallorca.

Find beautiful traditional boathouses, apartments and beaches at Playa Santanyi, located in the south east of Mallorca.Photo: Bespoke Travel Spain and Portugal

Early in the month, you’ll find great weather without the crowds of beachgoers who invade in summertime. Mallorca is a golfer’s dream, with a wide range of hotels, while Menorca is off the typical tourist circuit and ideal for those who want to relax by the sea and enjoy life as the locals do.

Ask Wendy who is the best Spain specialist to plan your specific trip.

June: Yakushima, Japan

This sub-tropical island, located in the waters just south of Kyushu, is ideal for intrepid travelers: Its mountains and vast forest of ancient cedar trees are crisscrossed by a network of hiking trails, from easy walks to challenging ascents. June signals the end of the rainy season, so you’ll find stunning waterfalls along the trails; it’s also when endangered loggerhead sea turtles return to Yakushima’s beaches to nest.

Ask Wendy who is the best Japan specialist to plan your specific trip.

July: Vanuatu

This Melanesian chain of roughly 80 islands that stretch across 800 miles is a remote and undeveloped paradise. You won’t find five-star resorts, but you will find crystal-clear waters, coral reefs, gorgeous beaches, active volcanoes, and warm and hospitable locals. July and August are a drier, cooler time of year in this tropical island nation.

Ask Wendy who is the best South Pacific or boat-charter specialist to plan your specific trip.

July: Aeolian Islands, Italy

Italy in July, you say? Isn’t it jam-packed? Not in this chain of islands—some of the most pristine left in Europe—that are just a short sail from Sicily and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in their entirety. While the mainland is mobbed, charter a yacht with a captain who was born on the islands and who can show you beautiful and lush Salina; the jet-setters’ getaway of Panarea; and magnificent Stromboli, where volcanic eruptions frequently light up the night sky.

Use our questionnaire to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

July: Tahiti

Heiva group dancing contest. Photo: Tahiti Tourism

French Polynesia’s “Heiva” festival falls during July, with the culmination of ceremonies in Papeete, Tahiti, around the 20th. Heiva is a celebration of life and all things Polynesian. The outer islands hold local contests—in everything from outrigger racing to stone carrying and spear throwing, traditional dancing and singing to tifaifai (quilt) making—and the best go to Tahiti for the main festival. It’s a great time weather-wise as well; the trade winds keep temps in the low 80s and the humidity low.

Learn more in our Insider’s Guide to Tahiti and French Polynesia, and use our questionnaire to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

July: Zanzibar

July is a perfect time to cap off a safari with a few days on Zanzibar’s gorgeous white-sand beaches. It’s one of the island’s driest and sunniest months, with daytime temperatures in the low 80s and not much humidity. Plus, the Great Migration is usually in Tanzania’s northern Serengeti in early July, with the enormous herds of wildebeest and zebra crossing the Mara River into Kenya’s Masai Mara by mid-month.

Ask Wendy who is the best Zanzibar specialist to plan your specific trip.

August: Faroe Islands, Denmark

Gásadalur on Vagar Island, Faroe Islands. Photo: Tina Thorman

There is great hiking on the Faroe Islands, and more sheep than humans. Photo: Tina Thorman

The weather in the Faroe Islands is notoriously dramatic and unpredictable—but your surest chance of warm and sunny days comes in the summer. There is great hiking on the islands, more sheep than there are humans, and a rustic charm and sense of welcome that could have you sharing a home-cooked meal with a local family. Luxury here is not in the bathroom fixtures or the thread count of the sheets, but in the time and space to clear your mind and recenter your soul.

Ask Wendy who is the best Faroe Islands specialist to plan your specific trip.

August: Great Barrier Reef Islands, Australia

Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Photo: Shutterstock

August brings warm weather, good visibility for divers and snorkelers, and calm seas (the wind dies down at the end of July). It’s also the best time to view whales—dwarf minke whales visiting the northern reefs and humpbacks on their annual migration to Antarctica. Every August, Hamilton Island also hosts Race Week, a sailing regatta with festivities on and off the water.

Learn more in our Insider’s Guide to the Great Barrier Reef, and use our questionnaire to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

August: Madagascar

Ring-tailed lemur looks directly at the camera in Madagascar

Ring-tailed lemur, Madagascar

August is deep enough into the dry season that the wildlife viewing is very good (the lush foliage of rainy season makes it hard to see the animals) yet it also precedes the peak season of September and October, when the parks are more crowded (and the weather hotter).

Learn more in our Insider’s Guide to Madagascar, and use our questionnaire to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

August: Ionian Islands, Greece

If August is your only time to travel to Greece and you don’t love crowds, charter a yacht in the Ionians. Many of the smaller islands in this group are accessible only by boat, so you’ll be free of the swarms that plague Santorini and Mykonos this month. Instead, you’ll find a temperate climate, spectacular beaches, lush vegetation, beautiful mountains, and the true flavor of Greece when you disembark from your boat and head into a tiny town for a meal at a local taverna.

Use our questionnaire to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

September: Ibiza

Bay with sailboats in Cala d Hort IBIZA Spain

In September, it’s not nearly as crowded at Ibiza’s beach clubs, restaurants, and nightclubs

Come September, it’s not nearly as crowded at the beach clubs, restaurants, and nightclubs (or on the roads). Rates for hotels and private boating excursions drop, but the weather is still lovely, and it’s warm enough to swim (with ideal air temperatures for hiking and biking as well) right up until the hot spots’ closing parties in early October.

Use our questionnaire to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

September: Hvar, Croatia

aerial view of Hvar island and surrounding sea Croatia

On Hvar in September, it’s still swimsuit season but the party crowds have gone. Photo: Exeter International

It’s still swimsuit season, but the atmosphere is much more laid-back than in July and August, and the travelers are more sophisticated than the summer party crowds. Croatia is known for its excellent wine, and September also coincides with the grape harvest. Later in the month, hotel rates drop.

Ask Wendy who is the best Croatia specialist to plan your specific trip.

September: San Juan Islands

Lime Kiln Point Lighthouse, Haro Straight, San Juan Islands, Washington. Photo: Shutterstock

The weather in the San Juans (and the Olympic Peninsula) is usually still very nice in September, and there are fewer tourists than you’ll find in July and August. (The best time to see the resident orca whales, though, is June.)

Learn more in our Insider’s Guide to the San Juan Islands, and use our questionnaire to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

September: Lofoten Islands, Norway

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

The village of Reine in Lofoten, Norway. Photo: Shutterstock

In September and October, the crowds are gone, the weather is still pleasant, and the days are long enough to enjoy hiking, kayaking, fishing, and other activities—but with enough darkness that you stand a good chance of seeing the Northern Lights.

Ask Wendy who is the best Norway specialist to plan your specific trip.

October: Sicily

The coast of Cefalu, Palermo, in Sicily. Photo: Shutterstock

October is one of the most colorful and flavorful months in Sicily. It is the season of the harvest, which means fresh olives, almonds, chestnuts, wild mushrooms, prickly pears, and carob complement the usual variety of culinary offerings. Air and sea temperatures are still warm and inviting, the ancient cultural sites are bathed in a crisp autumn light, and flights and hotels are less expensive than during the summer..

Learn more in our Insider’s Guide to Sicily, and use our questionnaire to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

October: The Seychelles

Anse Louis, Seychelles. Photo: Maia Luxury Resort.

October brings calm winds and beautiful temperatures, but it’s not a popular time for Europeans to travel—so rates are lower than usual. It’s also the best month for spotting whale sharks.

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

October: Hawaii’s Big Island

Wai’pio Valley Lookout, Big Island, Hawaii.

October is one of the Big Island’s driest months, with daytime temps hovering around 85 degrees. It’s also a month for deals, given that so few families are traveling.

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

October: Newfoundland

Berry picking on Fogo Island, Newfoundland.

This month brings out the island’s culinary delights: You’ll find locals foraging for wild berries, delicious food festivals, and restaurants blessed with abundant harvests and the freshest seafood.

Learn more in our Insider’s Guide to Newfoundland, and use our questionnaire to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

November: Ambergris Caye, Belize

Ambergris Caye. Photo: Absolute Belize

Before Thanksgiving, hotel rates are at their lowest. The days are hot, but the humidity is dropping, and the evenings are cool and breezy. November 19 is Garifuna Settlement Day and is best spent on mainland Belize in either Dangriga or Hopkins, where the Garifuna people celebrate—with drumming, dancing, and parades—the arrival of their Afro-indigenous ancestors more than 200 years ago.

Learn more in our Insider’s Guide to Belize, and use our questionnaire to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

November: The Galapagos Islands

Blue-footed booby, Galapagos Islands. Photo: Pixabay/Peter Stuart Miller

The Galapagos is a magnet for families with kids during summer and other school vacations; if you’re looking for a quieter time, think November (except Thanksgiving). Blue whales, humpback whales, and whale sharks—the largest fish in the sea, growing up to 40 feet in length and weighing as much as 40,000 pounds—are most likely to be spotted in the Galapagos from June through November.

Learn more in our Insider’s Guide to the Galapagos, and use our questionnaire to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

November: Papua New Guinea

Milne Bay is home to the most varied scuba diving in Papua New Guinea: Here you’ll find coral structures, exotic creatures hiding in the sandy bottom, and WWII wrecks to explore. The diving in Milne Bay is at its best from November through January, which is the dry season for this part of the country.

Learn more in our Insider’s Guide to Papua New Guinea, and ask Wendy who is the best Papua New Guinea specialist to plan your specific trip.

November: South Georgia Island

King penguins, South Georgia Island. Photo: ExpeditionTrips

A jewel in the Southern Ocean, South Georgia Island will appeal to anyone interested in wildlife, wild places, or the history of Antarctic exploration. The season here runs roughly from late October through early March, but what makes November special—in addition to the king penguins stretching as far as the eye can see—is the plethora of elephant seals and fur seals on shore.

Learn more in our Insider’s Guide to Antarctica Cruises, and use our questionnaire to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

November: St. Barts

Hotel Christopher, St. Barts. Photo: Hotel Christopher

Come November, many resorts, boutiques, and restaurants that closed during the height of hurricane season have reopened, and everything feels fresh and new. The Saint Barth Gourmet Festival also takes place this month, attracting star chefs from France and elsewhere. Plus, hotel and villa rates don’t jump up until mid-December.

Learn more in our Insider’s Guides to St. Barts Beach Vacations and St. Barts Villa Vacations, and use our questionnaire to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

December: The Caribbean

Antigua island in the Caribbean. Photo: Shutterstock

From just after Thanksgiving until just before Christmas, you have lovely weather and can enjoy savings of up to 40% off peak-season rates. (Peak season starts just before Christmas and lasts till just after Easter).

Ask Wendy who is the best Caribbean specialist to plan your specific trip.

December: Fiji

A villa overlooking the ocean at the Taveuni Palms Resort in Fiji. Photo: Taveuni Palms

At the start of cyclone season, you’ll find tropical afternoon showers but also great resort deals: free nights, free massages, even free domestic airfares. The Yasawa and Mamanuca islands are your best bet for dry days at this time of year.

Learn more in our Insider’s Guide to Fiji, and ask Wendy who is the best Fiji specialist to plan your specific trip.

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.

Why You Should Travel Between Thanksgiving and Christmas

4 Replies

The window between Thanksgiving and Christmas is one of the smartest times of the year to travel. From the Tuesday after Thanksgiving weekend until approximately the Thursday before Christmas week, tourists are scarce, hotel rates are low, free upgrades abound, and in much of the world the favorable prices coincide with either lovely post-rainy-season weather or festive-winter-wonderland holiday charm. True, you may miss holiday parties back home, but you’ll also get away from all that holiday traffic and lines at the mall. Personally, I’d rather do my holiday shopping in Europe’s Christmas markets or in the cellars of Argentina’s wine country.

One year my own between-the-holidays trip was a cruise from Barcelona to Rome to put Viking Cruises’ new Viking Star to the test. I’ve sailed in the Mediterranean in December before, and it has its pros and cons: It can be chilly on deck or on your balcony, and the sun sets at about 4 p.m., so there are fewer hours for sightseeing than in summertime. But onshore you get pleasant sightseeing temps in the 50s and 60s—especially along the French Riviera and on islands like Malta and Sicily—and it’s a relief not to have to battle the peak-season tourist crush.

While the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas is not the optimal time for a Mediterranean cruise, it is an optimal time for the following seven places. If you’re headed to any and want to book your trip so as to get the maximum experience for your money, you may ask our advice here.

Hawaii

Four Seasons Maui. Photo: Four Seasons

With the exception of Thanksgiving, all of November through December 18th or so is uncrowded, with hotels offering deals of the pay-for-three-nights-get-four and pay-for-five-nights-get-seven variety. Look for values on Maui, Oahu, and the Big Island in particular.

The Caribbean

Ocean views at the Hermitage Bay Resort in Antigua. Photo: Hermitage Bay Resort

Hurricane season is over, the weather is sunny and clear, and upgrades abound at blissfully empty five-star resorts in the Caribbean islands.

Mexico

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Photo: Shutterstock

‘Tis the season for fourth-night-free and fifth-night-free deals in Mexico up until December 18th or so.

Europe’s Christmas Markets

A Christmas market in Vienna, Austria. Photo: AmaWaterways

One year, my between-the-holidays trip was a European river cruise focused on the magical Christmas markets of Central Europe. I’ve traveled in Austria and Germany in practically every month of the year, and the holidays is my favorite time, thanks to the homespun festive decorations everywhere, the mouthwatering holiday foods, and the concerts and other celebratory activities in towns large and small, not to mention the stomach-warming glühwein and the ease of meeting and chatting with locals at the outdoor markets. It’s not very cold; if there’s any snow, it only adds to the atmosphere. Darkness falls at 4:30, but it’s not a disadvantage because the towns are gorgeously lit up at night and there’s plenty to see and do after dark. Here’s how to plan the perfect trip to Europe’s Christmas markets.

New Zealand

View of the Hauraki Gulf sea, taken from the Owhanake Coastal Track on Waiheke Island, New Zealand. Photo: Shutterstock

I chose early December for my honeymoon in New Zealand. We had perfect late-spring weather and blossoms from the tip of the North Island to the toe of the South (remember, summer starts circa December 21 in the southern hemisphere), and conditions were great for the crazy adventure activities we did, from jetboating in Queenstown to blackwater rafting in Waitomo.

The Maldives

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

Early December brings lovely weather, optimal conditions for snorkeling and diving, and extraordinary values at the over-the-top private island resorts you find only in the Maldives.

Argentina/Chile/Patagonia

Mendoza, Argentina. Photo: Shutterstock

Late spring is one of the most beautiful moments in Argentina’s wine country, and it’s when you’ll find the best wildlife spotting in Patagonia.

What other destinations are at their best between Thanksgiving and Christmas? Share your own recommendations with us!

Be a smarter traveler: Follow Wendy Perrin on Facebook and Twitter @wendyperrin and sign up for her weekly newsletter to stay in the know.

How to Avoid the Worst Crowds at the Country’s Best Fireworks Displays

2 Replies

Nothing says 4th of July like a fireworks spectacular, and there are plenty to choose from across the country every Independence Day weekend. It’s no surprise that the best displays draw the biggest crowds, but there’s usually a lesser-known viewing spot away from the crush where you can spread out a little more and enjoy the pops of color without the press of people. To celebrate freedom from crowds this holiday week, I’ve shared my picks for the country’s top fireworks shows and the best places to watch them. Of course, these are just a few of the great fireworks festivals held around the country, so please share your own favorites in the comments so that we can all start making plans for next year!

Boston

The show: The Boston Pops kick off the celebration with a free concert at 8pm (this year starring Queen Latifah, the Texas Tenors, and Arlo Guthrie); the real party begins when they launch into Tchaikovsky’s 1812 overture and sparklers start lighting up the Back.

The spot: Hotel rooftops are ideal spots to watch the display, since they put you above the fray; check Boston Discovery Guide for recommendations. On the ground, try Memorial Drive in Cambridge or board a boat on the Charles River.

New Orleans

The show: Dueling fireworks barges will take turns trying to outdo each other as they explode color and shapes over the Mississippi River.

The spot: A riverboat paddlewheeler will take you closest to the action, but landlubbers can stake out a view from across the river, on the levee at Algiers Point.

Philadelphia

The show: It’s fitting that Philly would have an impressive Independence Day celebration. It’s starts with one of the largest free concerts in America (this year Jennifer Hudson and Meghan Trainor and the Philly Pops are performing) and ends with fireworks against the backdrop of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The spot: The crowds start to thin out along the Schuylkill River Trail, Drexel Park, Lemon Hill, and along Kelly Drive.

Washington, D.C.

The show: At some point you’ve probably watched “A Capitol Fourth” broadcast live on PBS from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. This year the show features Carole King, Vanessa Williams, John Stamos, the cast of Sesame Street, the National Symphony Orchestra, the United States Army Band, and more—and ends with fireworks exploding over the city’s monuments.

The spot: It’s certainly fun to be on the National Mall, close to the Lincoln Memorial where the fireworks are based, but it’s incredibly crowded. Your best bet for escaping the masses is to head across the river to the Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington.

What’s your favorite place for Fourth of July fireworks?

Be a smarter traveler: Follow Wendy Perrin on Facebook and Twitter @wendyperrin and sign up for her weekly newsletter to stay in the know.

How to Find Affordable Business-Class Airfare to Europe, South America, and Asia

5 Replies

Question:

Wendy, we’d like your help finding a reliable airline ticket consolidator for a July trip for five of us. We need two business-class and three economy tickets on the same plane. Thank you for any guidance you can give us. —Bonnie

Answer:

Bonnie, for business-class consolidator airline tickets, you might try Blake Fleetwood of Cook Travel, a boutique consolidator with 35 years of experience and a high level of personalized service. Blake negotiates low fares with all the major airlines to just about every international destination, mostly in business or first class; his best deals are to Europe, South America, and Asia. Look to him when you have some flexibility in your travel dates, so that his team can peruse the options to find you the best deal.

Blake’s business-class fares save you between 10% and 40%, depending on how far ahead you’re buying them (three to four months is ideal, though you can sometimes find great deals at the last minute) and the time of year you’re flying. Business-class fares are relatively low during holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, and Easter. They’re relatively high from September through November and March through May, since those are the two peak times of year for business travel.

Blake’s team is available 24 hours a day, and they have an emergency hotline if your flights go awry en route. Beware of less reputable consolidators that may be reselling frequent-flier tickets; if you can’t earn miles on a ticket, that’s a likely sign that it’s fraudulent. Another bonus: Blake’s business- and first-class fares are almost always refundable, though sometimes minus a penalty of about $500 per ticket.

UPDATE: The company mentioned above, Cook Travel Inc (based in New York City), is not affiliated with Thomas Cook Group Plc (based in Britain), which went bankrupt on September 23, 2019. The company mentioned in this article is not affected by that bankruptcy.

The August Vacation Value You’ve Been Looking For

1 Reply

Summer has a way of sneaking up on you. Suddenly it’s the end of June. If you haven’t made your summer vacation plans yet, we can suggest a world-class trip that won’t require traveling too far or spending too much. August is an ideal time of year to visit one of our favorite cities: London. It’s a short flight (relatively speaking), it’s not too hot or crowded in August, you’ll find reduced prices for airfare and hotels (and many museums are free), and of course there’s so much to see and do, not only in the city itself but in the plethora of historic villages and sights in the countryside that you can make easy day trips to (which we recommend doing either independently by train or with a private driver-guide). London in August is such a smart move that that’s when Wendy took her own family there—and you can read what each of her young sons had to say about it in Do’s and Don’ts For Your Trip To London and How and Where to Spot Supercars in London (late summer is the optimal time for that). Here’s more from Jonathan Epstein, Trusted Travel Expert for Britain, as to why London in August makes so much sense:

Business travel to London dries up in August, which means more room and better deals in hotels, like The Marylebone. (Photo: The Marylebone)

Hotels are less expensive.

That’s because business travel to London dries up in August. “Corporate travel is the bedrock of higher rates in major cities,” says Jonathan. “In late summer, these bookings vanish in London.” What does this mean for you? Deals. Jonathan negotiates exclusive August offers for his travelers at top four- and five-star hotels. Depending on the location, he might secure discounts on stays over three or four nights, upgrades, complimentary meals, or free cocktails. Ask him about his connections at prime hotels such as One Aldwych, Rosewood London, the Corinthia, the Marylebone, the Milestone and the Egerton. An apartment rental is another way to maximize value, especially if you’re a family or large group; learn more about that option in our London Vacation Rentals: Insider’s Guide.

The weather is better.

Unlike in many cities in Europe, August temperatures are mild in London. Highs are between 68 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit—and who doesn’t want weather like that for sightseeing?

Everything is open, but the crowds are much smaller.

“In many cities like Paris and Rome, attractions and restaurants close in August,” Jonathan says, “but in London everything is still open!” Because August is one of the slowest months of the year in London—with fewer tourists and fewer locals—you’re less likely to have to wait in lines or battle big crowds as you explore.

Buckingham Palace opens to visitors only a few months each year—during the late summer. Photo: Pawel Libera/London and Partners

Late summer brings special events.

Buckingham Palace is only open to visitors for a short time each year. Guess when? During the late summer. This year, admission includes entry to “Royal Gifts,” an exhibition of official gifts presented to the Queen over the past 65 years.

Old Vic theatre exterior at night London

The Old Vic is one of London’s most famous theaters. Photo: Pawel Libera/London and Partners

It is easier to get great seats to London’s plays and musicals.

When tourists numbers go down—as they do in late summer—opportunities to see some of the West End’s famous theater productions open up. (You can see what’s playing at LondonTheatre.co.uk and find last-minute deals at TKTS.co.uk.)

This article has been updated; it was originally published in 2016.

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.

Portugal: Plan Your Trip!

Leave a reply

Anantara Vilamoura Algarve Resort in the Algarve. Photo: Billie Cohen

Pastéis de nata (custard tarts) from Manteigaria bakery at the Time Out Market in Lisbon.

Cabrita Wines vineyard in the Algarve

Sardines from a market in Portugal

The seaside village of Azenhas do Mar, near Sintra

Sintra's Park and Palace of Monserrate

Sintra's Park and Palace of Monserrate

Lisbon, Portugal. Photo: cristinamacia/Pixabay

Lisbon tram

Lisbon street art

The Pena Palace in Sintra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Park Eduardo VII, Lisbon, Portugal. Photo: Lisbon Tourism Board

Praca do Comercio, Lisbon, Portugal. Photo: Lisbon Tourism Board

Praca do Comercio at night, Lisbon, Portugal. Photo: Lisbon Tourism Board

Your Trip to Portugal Begins Here

This Mediterranean country has seen change in recent years—namely, an influx of new hotels, restaurants, and river ships on the Douro—yet much of the country’s allure is how, in so many ways, it hasn’t changed a bit. You don’t come for world-class museums or enormous palaces but, rather, for the tiny villages in the middle of nowhere—and the old lady there who will check to make sure you’re not lost. But Portugal’s surging popularity can mean crowds, lines, and a tourist infrastructure stretched thin. You’ll need a local fixer to score a room with a view in Lisbon’s hottest hotel, or enjoy crowd-free iconic landmarks after-hours when they are closed to the public, or (rather than being trapped on a boring cruise with 160 strangers) sail up the Douro on a small eco-yacht, sleeping in boutique waterfront wineries and seeing the most scenic parts of the river in just two days rather than seven.

We can point you to a Portugal specialist who delivers private, custom, WOW trips that take you away from the crowds and connect you to insider experiences you could never find or access on your own. But be prepared to spend a minimum of $500 per day for two travelers. If that’s doable, click below and complete the questionnaire. Your information is kept private.

Pricing tip: For a WOW Portugal trip, expect to spend $500 to $1,000 per day for two travelers, depending on level of accommodations, degree of special access, caliber of private guides, and whether you prefer to rent a car or hire a driver.

Start your Portugal trip here

How to Avoid the Crowds at Paris Museums and Cultural Sites

2 Replies

The following tips from Jennifer Virgilio, one of Wendy’s Trusted Travel Experts for Paris, will help you make the most of your time in the City of Light, even at the height of tourist season. Learn more in our Insider’s Guide to Paris with Perks, and use Wendy’s trip request form to contact Jennifer in order to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

Tips for visiting the major sites

• The best time to visit a Paris museum is on Monday, Wednesday, or Thursday. Two notable exceptions to this general rule are the Louvre and Versailles. The Louvre is closed on Tuesday, and thus the days on either side tend to be very busy, so it’s better to go on a Thursday morning from 9 to 11 or for one of the late-night openings on Wednesdays and Fridays. Versailles is closed on Monday—another reason to avoid the Louvre on that day, as people tend to go there instead.

• Most museums are calmer after five o’clock.

• Avoid the first Sunday of the month, when the entrance fee to most museums is waived but the tradeoff is unbearable crowds.

• A new development: Some guides are not allowed to guide in museums on Sundays, specifically the Orsay. Ask ahead of time.

• Reduce wait time at the Louvre, the Catacombs, and other popular attractions by buying time-entry tickets three to six months ahead of your visit. Jennifer does this for her clients, and she knows the best times to avoid the crowds, but you can do it yourself via the museum’s website or by purchasing a Paris Pass.

• Consider skipping the Eiffel Tower this year. Because of renovations and because there are no more Behind the Scenes tours, the Eiffel Tower is especially crowded, time-consuming, and frustrating. “There are some times they don’t allow Summit (3rd floor) access, and people have to queue again or buy new tickets when upstairs,” says Jennifer. “And there were some occasions last summer when people had 2nd floor tickets but had to walk up and were not allowed on the lift.”

• If your heart is set on going to the top of the Eiffel Tower, it’s still best to buy tickets in advance. But Jennifer notes that even if you buy skip-the line group tickets, you are going up at a set time and must arrive 15 minutes in advance of the slot on the ticket—and must still pass security checks, which, she says, could take a very long time. “Then you go up to the 2nd floor in the lift with your group and you can have the tour or leave and go off on your own, then you queue again for the 3rd floor (if you have tickets you don’t need to re-purchase but if you do not have tickets then you must buy them and queue for this and the lift). The line to get into the lift is very long here too, as everyone wants to go up to the top.” Jennifer cautions that some travelers find the experience to be disappointing and not what they expected. Jennifer adds that she often suggests the Montparnasse Tower Panoramic Observation Deck as an alternative, as well as restaurants looking at the Eiffel tower, rather than the ones in the Tower.

• The new Atelier des Lumières, a digital art museum in a repurposed 19th-century foundry, is one of the hottest tickets in Paris right now. Be sure to buy advance tickets if you want to check out its multimedia exhibitions, which currently include immersive creations about Van Gogh and Japanese art.

• 2019 is the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death, and many museums around Europe are planning events in his honor. Paris is no exception. The Louvre will host an exhibit dedicated to the Italian master from October 24, 2019 through February 24, 2020. Jennifer advises travelers to take note that advance tickets are mandatory and that the museum is requiring that everyone—including those under 18, who are normally free—have a ticket to this special show in addition to the museum’s usual entry ticket. “Under 18’s are still free,” she explains, “but need to register for their ticket and show ID on arrival.” She also cautions that even with advance tickets or a Paris Pass, lines at many museums will be long for these special events.

Excellent alternatives to the major museums

These lesser-known museums and historic sites in or near Paris are fabulous and uncrowded all year round:

Chateau Chantilly

Instead of Versailles, Jennifer recommends Chateau Chantilly. “It’s the biggest horse stable in Europe and so much less visited,” she says. “Our guides are recommending it more and more as they have recently opened up new apartments following restoration, and Versailles is just overrun with tourists and crowds.”
Driving time from Paris: 1hour and 30minutes each way
Best time to go: Any day
Don’t miss: The apartments of the Duke and Duchess of Aumale recently reopened to visits after massive renovations to their furniture and decorations. Created between 1845 and 1847, these eight rooms were the princely domaine of Henri d’Orléans (a.k.a. Duke of Aumale), fifth son of the last king of France, King Louis-Philippe. A visit to the chateau, and to these rooms in particular, gives travelers a connection to life during the Monarchie de Juillet. The estate is also home to the largest horse stables in Europe. Called the Great Stables, they are set in an 18th-century building and host equestrian shows throughout the year.

Auvers-sur-Oise

Auvers-sur-Oise is the final resting place of Van Gogh and was a favorite village for other painters of the 1800s. In the last 70 days of his life Van Gogh painted 70 paintings in and around Auvers-sur-Oise. He came here to be near his brother Theo, who lived in Paris. Sights include the cemetery where the two brothers lie side by side; the Romanesque/Gothic church immortalized by Van Gogh; Daubigny’s studio, with its wonderfully restored decor painted by the Daubigny family and friends Corot and Daumier; the house of Dr. Gachet and its beautifully planted garden, painted by so many artists; the Absinthe Museum, a superb tribute to the notorious “green fairy”; the nearby château (Château d’Auvers); and the Auberge Ravoux, known as the House of Van Gogh.
Driving time from Paris: 45 minutes
Best time to go: Arrive by 10:30am and spend the day visiting the different sites, with a lunch break at Auberge Ravoux. Note: Some sights in Auvers-sur-Oise are closed during certain months of the year.
Don’t miss: The charming garden of Dr. Gachet, a specialist in mental illness who became the doctor and friend of many painters who stayed in Auvers—Corot, Cezanne, Pissarro—and took care of Van Gogh during his stay there.

Basilica of Saint Denis

Final resting place of the kings of France, the former abbey of Saint Denis was for centuries a spiritual, political, and artistic center. The cathedral basilica is a masterpiece of Gothic art, and the royal necropolis houses the archaeological crypt and burial site of Saint Denis, eight recumbent effigies commissioned by Saint Louis, the tomb of King Dagobert, and 60 other sculpted tombs.
Driving time from the center of Paris: 45 minutes
Best time to go: Monday–Saturday 11am–1pm or 4–6pm
Don’t miss: The heart of the youngest son of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette was taken secretly by the chief surgeon of the Hotel-Dieu after the child’s death, preserved in alcohol, and is displayed here in a glass egg. The boy died in prison of tuberculosis at age 10, two years after his father was beheaded.

Château de Malmaison

Malmaison was the private residence of Napoleon Bonaparte and Josephine from 1799 to 1814. Bought by Josephine as a retreat from the formality of the emperor’s residences at the Tuileries and Fontainebleau, it has charming rural grounds. While Josephine loved the country manor, Napoleon scorned its entrance as fit only for servants. Instead, he had a curious drawbridge built at the back of the chateau. The finest rooms are the frescoed and vaulted library, the canopied campaign room, and the sunny Salon de Musique, hung with paintings from Josephine’s private collection. Many of the rooms overlook the romantic gardens and the famous rose garden that was cultivated by Josephine after her divorce.
Driving time: 30 minutes
Best time to go: 10am–12:30pm. Closed Tuesday.
Don’t miss: Josephine’s bedchamber, a magnificent indulgence bedecked in red

Musée Marmottan Monet

The Marmottan houses the largest collection of Monets in the world—more than 150 works. Jennifer recommends a visit before or after Monet’s house and gardens at Giverny. (Note: Giverny, though well worth seeing, is one of those places where you should be sure to book a timed-entry ticket to shorten your wait.)

Best time to go: Tuesday–Sunday 1–3pm
Don’t miss: Monet’s Impression, Soleil Levant, which gave its name to the Impressionist movement, and the Berthe Morisot collection

Musée Nissim de Camondo

Just a stone’s throw from Parc Monceau, this museum houses a magnificent collection of decorative art from the second half of the 18th century. Aubusson tapestries, paintings by Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, and furniture by cabinetmakers Riesener and Oeben are on display here.
Best time to go: 11am–3pm. Closed Monday and Tuesday
Don’t miss: The porcelain collection by Sèvres, and Marie-Antoinette’s sewing table

Museum of Romantics

The Paris residence of the painter Ary Scheffer, now a house museum, entertained many a famous guest back in its day. Among the visitors: Delacroix, Rossini, Sand, Chopin, Turgenev, and Dickens.
Best time to go: 11am–3pm. Closed Monday.
Don’t miss: The quiet garden, which exudes greenery and tranquility. Come here for a drink after a stroll around Montmartre

Rungis Market

Rungis International Market is the principal market of Paris and the largest wholesale market in the world. It’s located in the southern suburbs, near Orly Airport. Jennifer can arrange a guided tour, or you can contact Rungis directly.
Driving time from Paris: 30 minutes
Best time to go: Your only option is 4am.

Winemaking Workshop at Les Caves du Louvre

The wine cellars where this workshop takes place were built by the sommelier of Louis XV for his private mansion, and were used to store wines for the king and his court. They’re located a five-minute walk from the Louvre. The wine-tasting experience is perfect for those who don’t know anything about wine except drinking it and want to learn the basics. You can also create your own wine here in a workshop. The winemaking workshops are at 11:30am, and the tastings are from 2:30pm.

It’s Not Too Late to Book An Awesome Summer Vacation

Leave a reply

Did summer catch you by surprise? In case you have no awesome summer vacation lined up yet, we’ve scoured the globe and found 14 places where it’s not too late to find availability of the best experiences. You can still travel in these locales without any compromises, as long as you reach out to the right destination travel specialist to mastermind the tricky peak-season logistics. Not sure who that is? Click to Ask Wendy.

Los Cabos

Villa Stella, Los Cabos. Photo: Cabovillas.com

Did you know that the dry season in Los Cabos lasts longer than in the Mexican Caribbean and on the Pacific? All the way through July. What’s more, villa prices drop at this time of year (as much as 70% lower than peak-season prices), and you’re likely to get clued into smart locations and last-minute discounts if you know the right travel planner. For example, houses in the Palmilla community are a short walk or golf-cart ride from one of the few beaches in the area that’s safe for swimming, and the luxurious Resort at Pedregal has a tranquil atmosphere while sitting just minutes from the heart of Cabo’s marina, downtown, and main beach. As for deals, one of our specialists has a line on a fully staffed ten-bedroom villa with only a three-night minimum, making it a good value for long weekends with the family or milestone birthday or anniversary celebrations.

Learn more in our Insider’s Guide to Cabo Villa Vacations, and use Wendy’s trip request form to plan the best trip possible. You’ll be marked as a VIP and get a trip like this.

England

The Italian Garden at Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire. Park land designed by Capability Brown.

The Italian Garden at Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire. Photo: Visit Britain

Business travelers fill London’s hotels for most of the year—and drive rates up accordingly. But come August, there’s little work being done, so accommodations are easier to come by—and cheaper too; many hotels even offer additional discounts if you stay three or more nights. (Add to that the weaker pound courtesy of Brexit, and prices look even better.) It’s also easier to get theater tickets and reservations at Michelin-starred restaurants—and remember, most museums have free admission. August is also a wonderful time to see the countryside in bloom and meander through scenic villages on a side trip into the Cotswolds, where some hotels still have space and you can visit stately homes such as Blenheim Palace.

Read more in our Insider’s Guides to London, London Vacation Rentals, and the Cotswolds, and use Wendy’s trip request form to plan the best trip possible. You’ll be marked as a VIP and get a trip like this.

Spain

Cathedral in Seville, Spain. Photo courtesy Casa1800.

While Granada and the Alhambra are overflowing with visitors this summer, head west to visit the less-trafficked spots around Seville and Cadiz. Enjoy the top Spanish wine regions of Ribera del Duero and La Rioja before harvest (when they’ll be filled with tourists). And there’s still time to reserve hotels and special guides in Madrid, where an art expert can give you a curator’s experience of the Prado and a flamenco insider will introduce you to the intricacies of this art form.

Read more in our Insider’s Guides to Andalusia and Madrid. Ask Wendy for the right local expert to design your trip and ensure you get VIP treatment.

Northern California

Looking up at the top of the gigantic Redwood trees at Redwood National Park in Northern California is almost impossible from the ground. Photo: Visit California/Carol Highsmith

The Pacific Coast Highway from San Francisco to Los Angeles may be California’s iconic road trip, but Highway 1 heading north from S.F. is less well known—and therefore less trafficked—and arguably just as gorgeous. Base yourself in the charming town of Mendocino while you explore secluded groves of majestic redwoods and the family-run wineries of the bucolic Anderson Valley.

Contact Wendy for the right local expert to design your trip and ensure you get VIP treatment.

Belize

aerial photo of Tobacco Caye with sailboat and blue green ocean

Tobacco Caye. Photo: Absolute Belize

Home to the world’s second-largest coral reef, Belize is a snorkeler’s and diver’s mecca. Explore the tiny nation’s cayes by private, live-aboard catamaran. Swim, snorkel, dive, kayak, fish (the personal chef can prepare your catch for dinner), spot dolphins, or simply relax—each day’s pace is yours to set. You’ll drop anchor at various spots along the archipelago, from villages that abide by the motto of “no shirt, no shoes, no problem” to postcard-perfect desert islands.

Read more in our Insider’s Guide to Belize, and use Wendy’s trip request form to plan the best trip possible. You’ll be marked as a VIP and get a trip like this.

Norway

The village of Reine in Lofoten, Norway. Photo: Shutterstock

If sea kayaking around dramatic fjords, hiking to cascading waterfalls, and strolling through fishing villages sounds like your kind of summer vacation, there’s still time to make all of it happen in Norway—where it never gets dark in June and July. The right Norway travel specialists know which under-the-radar boutique lodges still have availability—and can even work their magic to get you into the supposedly sold-out properties. Read more in our Insider’s Guide to Norway.

Ask Wendy for the right local expert to design your trip and ensure you get VIP treatment.

Romania’s Danube Delta

Pelicans in Romania’s Danube Delta. Photo: Beyond Dracula

While much of Europe will be chock-a-block with tourists this summer, Romania remains relatively undiscovered and blissfully empty. Even many Romanians haven’t been to the Danube Delta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the best-preserved natural areas on the continent, rich in bird and marine life. It’s not too late to book a trip that combines a stay at a local guesthouse in the Delta with time in Bucharest, Transylvania (where brown bears still roam wild), and the country’s best wine region.

Read more in our Insider’s Guide to Romania, and use Wendy’s trip request form to plan the best trip possible. You’ll be marked as a VIP and get a trip like this.

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef

aerial view of the Great Barrier Reef from an airplane

The Great Barrier Reef, seen from above. Photo: Tourism Whitsundays

June, July, and August are three of the best months to visit the reef, thanks to lower humidity and rainfall, as well as excellent visibility for snorkeling and diving. It’s also a great time for wildlife encounters: You can swim with minke whales near the reef’s northern reaches, glimpse migrating humpbacks, and dive with manta rays. There are plenty of romantic adults-only resorts, as well as many kid-friendly resorts for families. This July also sees the reopening of the InterContinental Hayman Island Resort, a family favorite that suffered major damage during Cyclone Debbie two years ago.

Read more in our Insider’s Guide to the Great Barrier Reef. Ask Wendy for the right local expert to design your trip and ensure you get VIP treatment.

New Mexico

The Apache Mountain Spirit Dancer statue in front of the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Photo: Tourism Santa Fe

If you think the Southwest is too hot to visit in summertime, think again. Where the elevation increases north of Albuquerque, you’ll find pleasantly warm days and crisp nights, with the occasional cooling afternoon rain shower. Santa Fe comes to life in summer with the opera season, the International Folk Art Market, and the Indian Market all in full swing. Near Taos, the southern tip of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains are a summertime playground with plenty of great options for hiking, fishing, and biking.

Contact Wendy to find the right local expert to design your trip and ensure you get VIP treatment.

Brazil and the Amazon

sunset over the trees in the brazilian rainforest of Amazonas

Sunset over the Brazilian Amazon. Photo: Shutterstock

August is the start of the best season to visit the Amazon—when it stops raining and the white-sand beaches begin to emerge from the river—and there’s still time to charter a yacht to explore the region that month. You won’t have trouble finding luxury hotel digs in Rio either, thanks to the numerous properties that opened in anticipation of the 2016 Olympics. That glut of rooms also means that rates are lower than they have been in years past.

Read more in our Insider’s Guides to Five-Star Brazil and the Brazilian Amazon, and use Wendy’s trip request form to plan the best trip possible. You’ll be marked as a VIP and get a trip like this.

Tibet and Ladakh

Ruins at Leh Palace, Ladakh, India, in the Himalayas. Photo: Sanjay Saxena

A last-minute trip to Tibet? Can’t be done, you say, given the hoops one must jump through for the necessary permits. Not always: Much of the Tibetan Plateau falls outside the Tibetan Autonomous Region, meaning you can visit permit-free. Summer is the perfect time, too: You’ll find clear blue skies across the plateau and warm days for hiking through the region’s mystical scenery. Whether you travel by foot or on horseback, you’ll overnight in boutique hotels or luxury tents outfitted with yak-wool blankets. Parts of the plateau have been heavily influenced by China, but Kham and Amdo retain the traditional Tibetan way of life—as does Ladakh, today a region of India but once a major Tibetan stronghold. Ladakh is particularly well suited for families, as there’s hiking, river-rafting, and camel trekking to keep the kids entertained.

Contact Wendy to find the right local expert to design your trip and ensure you get VIP treatment.

Nepal’s Upper Mustang Region

Monks in the medieval Kingdom of Mustang, Nepal. Photo: Myths & Mountains

Imagine hiking a rock-lined trail across the Himalayas onto the Tibetan Plateau and up to the medieval Kingdom of Mustang, just south of the Tibetan border. Mustang, where locals live as they have for centuries, is shielded by snow-capped mountains and escapes Nepal’s summer monsoon rains. Here you’ll find isolated, picture-perfect villages surrounded by fruit trees and barley fields, arid hills bathed in pastel hues, ancient caves with Buddhist paintings, and medieval forts and palaces. For most, the destination is the magical walled town of Lo Manthang, host to a rip-roaring horse festival in late July/early August. Those who prefer not to walk can take a helicopter up to Lo Manthang or drive the dusty road that crosses from Tibet down into Nepal.

Read more in our Insider’s Guide to Nepal, and use Wendy’s trip request form to plan the best trip possible. You’ll be marked as a VIP and get a trip like this.

Laos

Plain of Jars, Laos. Photo: Journeys Within

Though less well-known than neighboring Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, Laos packs a similar combination of rich culture, long history, and a delicious culinary legacy. Plus, Laos is incredibly beautiful during the summer green season: The countryside is lush and vibrant, there are fewer travelers, and many of the top hotels offer discounts of 20% to 40% off peak-season rates.

Read more in our Insider’s Guide to Laos, and use Wendy’s trip request form to plan the best trip possible. You’ll be marked as a VIP and get a trip like this.

Be a smarter traveler: Use Wendy’s WOW List 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.

7 Keys to Traveling Without Fear Despite Terror Attacks

15 Replies

The past few years have underscored that we’re living in a world where anything can happen anywhere at any time—at hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, at a country music festival in Las Vegas, on a bridge in London, at a celebration on the French Riviera, at a Christmas market in Berlin, in a theater in Paris, at the airport in Istanbul, at a shrine in Bangkok, in a hotel in Mumbai, at a nightclub in Orlando, at a marathon in Boston, in a skyscraper in Manhattan….

The answer is not to stop traveling, or to avoid huge swaths of the globe out of a misperception that your risk is greater there than anyplace else. The answer is to keep traveling, to make friends around the world, and to be a thoughtful ambassador for your country.

Of course, while your head may agree with me, your gut may be apprehensive. You may be making travel plans—or trying to—and you can’t help but wonder: If I go, what is the risk that I will get caught in a terror incident? How do I minimize that risk? If I can’t minimize it, how do I get over my fear?

I believe the solution is to put your risk in perspective. Here’s how:

1. Grasp how minuscule the statistical probability is of getting caught in a terror attack abroad.

According to the U.S. State Department, the number of U.S. citizens killed overseas by incidents of terrorism from 2001 to 2014 was 369; compare that number with the 3,043 killed inside the U.S. by terrorism during the same period. In terms of street crime and gun violence, most of the U.S. cities we live in are statistically more dangerous than the places we visit abroad. Your risk of being killed in a car crash (one in 19,000), drowning in your bathtub (one in 800,000), or being killed by lightning (one in 10 million) far exceed your risk of dying from terrorism (one in 20 million).

2. Don’t confuse the probability of a terrorist attack with the probability of becoming the victim of a terrorist attack.

Is it virtually certain that there will be another terrorist attack in Europe in the next 12 months? Yes. Does that translate into a high degree of risk for the individual traveler to Europe? No.

3. Know where the real dangers lie.

When planning a vacation, we tend to worry more about spectacular risks—whether a terrorist attack or an epidemic of norovirus on a cruise ship—than about boring risks like, say, overexposure to the sun, even though one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in the course of a lifetime. Remember that the single biggest cause of death for Americans traveling overseas is motor vehicle accidents. (Terrorism is #7, after incidents such as suicide and drowning.)

4. Understand the reasons why your fear of a terrorist attack is out of proportion to the risk.

There are psychological reasons why we are more afraid of terrorist attacks than logic would dictate. We’re more afraid of risks that are new and unfamiliar than of those we’ve lived with for a long time (e.g., heart disease, which accounts for one in every four deaths in America each year). We’re more afraid of risks that kill us in particularly gruesome ways—say, a plane crash, a shark attack, or the Ebola virus—than in mundane ways. We’re less afraid of risks we feel we have some control over, such as skiing and driving, even if it’s only the illusion of control. (Most people think their driving is safer than it actually is. We’re all one text message away from death on the road.) We’re more afraid of human-made dangers than of those with natural causes, such as solar radiation or earthquakes. We’re more afraid of risks that are highly publicized, especially on television, and those that involve spectacular events. One incident with multiple deaths has a much greater impact than many incidents each involving a single death. That is one reason why we fear plane crashes more than car crashes (even though the latter are far more likely).

5. Don’t focus so much on unlikely risks that you ignore common risks that are far more likely to hurt you.

Frightened people make dangerous choices. As an example, after 9-11, people chose to drive rather than to fly. As another example, cruisegoers may be so focused on washing their hands frequently in order to avoid norovirus that they forget to reapply their sunscreen. Or, here’s a personal example: When I was in Istanbul shortly after 9-11, I opted for a small, locally owned hotel in a quiet part of town far from the U.S. Consulate. I figured a Western chain near the main square, or a hotel next to the Consulate, was more likely to be a terrorist target. But every night I kept having to hail a taxi to that small hotel, and the drivers kept getting lost en route–one even got a flat tire and left me on the side of the road—and it was dark on that inconspicuous street in a quiet part of town. My point is: The miles it took to reach my hotel every night raised my risk more than the likelihood of a terrorist attack at a Western chain near the Consulate would have.

6. Appreciate that what’s bothering you is not risk itself but your uncertainty as to the degree of it.

The problem you face as you try to plan a vacation is that you don’t know what your risk is or how safe one country (or concert venue) is versus another. We try to weigh the risk of one destination over another by looking at the historical record of violent incidents there. What’s tricky right now is that we don’t know how relevant the historical record is. Will the future be different than the past? We don’t know. Even when you can’t know the degree of risk, though, you can…

7. Lessen those risks you do have some control over.

You can say to yourself: “What is the likelihood of the situation affecting my trip? Pretty tiny.” And you can lessen those risks you do have some control over. You can drive very carefully on your way to the airport.

Be a smarter traveler: Follow Wendy Perrin on Facebook and Twitter @wendyperrin and sign up for her weekly newsletter to stay in the know.

Next Great Places for 2019: Under-the-Radar Travel Ideas

Leave a reply

When we announced The 2019 WOW List, we asked the expert trip designers who earned a spot to think about the next great places to travel—places that are under the radar for most of the traveling public but that sophisticated travelers would appreciate knowing about. Often these locales are at that perfect moment when there’s just enough infrastructure that you get the creature comforts you want, but not too much infrastructure that the tourist masses have arrived.

Here are a few of their recommendations for the next great places to travel. For even more ideas, take a look at our Where to Travel in 2019, Before Everyone Else Gets There.

Remember, if you want an extraordinary trip, use Wendy’s trip request form so you are marked as a VIP traveler, so you get Wendy’s trip monitoring, and so your trip counts toward a WOW Moment. For more details, see The WOW List: How To Benefit Most.

View this post on Instagram

Today’s #WOWWeek theme is The Next Great Places. Here’s my advice: when you really want to unplug, stay at hidden boutique lodges and hotels on private islands. One of my favorites is Isla Palenque, Panama. With private beaches, lush trails, delicious menus and an array of chill activities, you may just have the trip of a lifetime. It’s such a beautiful way to explore the Panama wilderness while taking the comforts of home up a notch. • #TravelBetter #WOW #WOWList #ecotourism #ecoluxe #nature #beachviews #visitpanama #sunsets #travelexperts #panamaexperts #slowtravel #rainforest #beach #ocean #wowmoments #iamatraveler #panama #panamazing #panama🇵🇦 #panamatravel #sustainabletravel #greentravel #BeInTheMoment #FindYourGreenSpot

A post shared by GreenSpotTravel🍃 (@greenspottravel) on Jan 29, 2019 at 12:17pm PST

View this post on Instagram

Want to experience something exotic but no place your friends have been? You should visit #Bucovina, the European Far East, with its #paintedmonasteries, the curvy landscapes dotted with haystacks, delicious food and gurgling wine. Extend with an adventurous visit into #Moldova, a sort of geographic purgatory between the EU and the previous USSR. Be wowed by the minutious designs of the #paintedeggs or the vastness of the wine cellars. #WOWWeek #Wownextgreatplaces

A post shared by Beyond Dracula Travel (@beyonddracula) on Jan 29, 2019 at 1:38am PST

View this post on Instagram

In 2019, venture to the south-east of the island to hidden away Gal Oya National Park, before newcomers and their crowds catch on to its abundant beauty and wild nature. For the chance to witness a rare sighting of swimming elephants, visit between August and December, whilst birdwatchers may most enjoy the months from January to May. Embark on a boat safari from Gal Oya Lodge, a beautifully-designed eco-hotel and the “gateway” to this lesser-explored part of Sri Lanka. #WOWWeek #WOWList @wendyperrin #srilanka #travel #wanderlust #wanderlustsrilanka #galoya #galoyanationalpark #sosrilanka #visitsrilanka #srilankatrip #srilankatravel #holiday #exploresrilanka #wildlife #nature #animals #luxurytravel #luxurytraveller #srilankainstyle

A post shared by SriLankaInStyle (@srilankainstyle) on Jan 28, 2019 at 10:03pm PST

View this post on Instagram

With its lush nature, centuries old culture, delicious cuisine and an eclectic mix of travel experiences, the Dolomites is our top travel destination for 2019. @wendyperrin #icbellagio #WOWWeek #WOWlist #italyexperts #luxurytravelexperience #travelexperience #travelblog #instagood #instatravel #travelgram #luxurytravel #travel #instago #travelblogger #wanderlust #mytravelgram #travelpics

A post shared by IC_Bellagio (@ic_bellagio) on Jan 29, 2019 at 4:01am PST

View this post on Instagram

The lighthouse at #JoseIgnacio no doubt built to warn folk away from this rocky peninsula, now a most welcoming sight to the lucky few who every year long for the summer season on Uruguay’s wonderful Riviera. Forget about Punta del Este it’s Jose Ignacio that is the next great place! #WOWWeek #WOWList @wendyperrin

A post shared by Dehouche – Art Of Travel (@dehouche) on Jan 29, 2019 at 8:17am PST

View this post on Instagram

Explore Costa Careyes, one of the lesser-known, yet most beautiful, beach destinations in Mexico. With exclusive resorts and villas plus stunning natural beauty, this gorgeous destination is perfect for travelers looking for a unique luxury experience in Mexico.⠀ ⠀ #WowWeek #WookList #CostaCareyes #Mexico #PrivateVillas #LuxuryTravel #Careyes #LuxuryResort #PacificCoast #BeachVacation #TravelPhotos #Luxury #ExploreMexico #luxurymexicovillas #luxurymexicotravel #luxurymexicohotels #luxurytraveladvisor #luxurytravelplanner

A post shared by Journey Mexico (@journeymexico) on Jan 29, 2019 at 1:43pm PST

View this post on Instagram

With the tallest palm trees on earth towering above, get lost in the mystique of the lush green cloud forest. The stunning beauty of the Cocora Valley is a thing of dreams and a must-see here in Colombia! #Colombia @wendyperrin #wendyperrin #wowlist #wowweek #trustedtravelexpert #cocoravalley #thenextgreatplaces #valley #nature #holidays #vacations #trekking #hiking #coffeeregion #coffeecountry #discovercolombia

A post shared by Amakuna Travel (@amakunatravel) on Jan 29, 2019 at 7:40am PST

View this post on Instagram

‘The Next Great Places’ The island less travelled that will capture your heart in 2019! #part2 Ischia is real Italy and known for its thermal spas and striking Aragonese castle. Spoilt for choice with their golden sandy beaches and twinkling bays and of course delicious Italian food. Instead of boarding the ferry from Naples to Capri, go to Ischia!! – *Take a look at WOW in stories for more * – @wendyperrin #wowweek #queenofclubsitaly #ischia #italy #islands #thespots #moments #welltravelled #isleofbeauty #wowlist

A post shared by Queen of Clubs (@qofclubslifestyle) on Jan 29, 2019 at 6:57am PST

View this post on Instagram

Add a stop in Chefchaouen to your next Morocco trip! In northern Morocco’s Rif Mountains, the blue washed buildings of Chefchaouen’s medina are stunning, and the souks brim with distinctive woven textiles. #Morocco #thenextgreatplaces #WOWWeek #WOWList

A post shared by Cobblestone Private Travel (@cobblestonemorocco) on Jan 29, 2019 at 9:01am PST

View this post on Instagram

Today’s dispatch from our #WowList experts is all about getting off the beaten path. For the next great places in India & Mongolia look no further than their frontier regions. India sees thousands of traveler a year, all headed to see the iconic Taj, bustling Mumbai, and the chill Goa. In 2019, Sanjay encourages travelers to explore beyond the Golden Triangle and head further east to the other side of Bangladesh. On the Brahmaputra River in Assam, river cruising is immensely rewarding. Where else can one see the snow caps Himalaya peaks, meet tribal villagers, see the royal Bengal tiger pace the banks of the river? At the confluence of China, Russia, and Mongolia (with Kazakhstan just 23 miles away) lies the Altai region. The area is characterized by dramatic mountain scenery perfect for trekkers, millennia-old petroglyphs, and unique Kazakh culture. This year Nomadic Expeditions will be setting up a temporary expedition camp for our travelers to explore the region in comfort and style. And with the 20th anniversary of the Golden Eagle Festival (co-founded by Jalsa himself) 2019 is a great time to explore this region. Check back in for more #WOWWeek insights.

A post shared by Nomadic Expeditions (@nomadicexpeditions) on Jan 29, 2019 at 12:20pm PST

View this post on Instagram

It’s the second day of @wendyperrin’s #WOWWeek and today we’d love to share one of our favorite under-the-radar destinations in China: Dunhuang in northwestern Gansu Province. This city bordering the harsh Gobi Desert is a literal oasis and was once a main stop on the Great Silk Road, a crossroads between the northern and southern routes. Today, with the traces of ancient Han Dynasty-era Great Wall, towering Mingsha sand dunes, and grand Buddhist carvings of the Mogao Caves within easy reach, and a remoteness that keeps the town relatively off the beaten path, 2019 is the perfect time to visit before the rest of the world catches on. Plus, booking with us will get you behind-the-scenes access to painstaking research and restoration that is happening now at the Mogao Caves, with a WildChina expert to guide the way. ⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ #wildchina #WOWList #WOWNextGreatPlaces #gansu #dunhuang #china #travelasia #travelchina #traveltheworld #bucketlist #wanderlust #explorechina #experiencechinap

A post shared by WildChina (@wildchinatravel) on Jan 29, 2019 at 6:35am PST

View this post on Instagram

The Maldives as a destination has never been hotter! 2019 will see more new luxury resorts opening in the Maldives than ever before. Some of our favorite new resorts include JOALI Maldives, Raffles Maldives, Waldorf Astoria Maldives, Kudadoo Private Island, The Nautilus Island Maldives , LUX* North Male Atoll, and Baglioni Resort Maldives to name a few! #wowweek #wowlist [📷: @joalimaldives ]

A post shared by Linara Travel (@linaratravel) on Jan 29, 2019 at 3:03pm PST

Follow us for more #WOWWeek intel and inspiration. Here’s how.

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.

Countries Where the U.S. Dollar Stretches Far in 2019

1 Reply

As we all start thinking about trips for the months ahead, one factor to consider is: Where is the U.S. dollar strongest? Exchange rate isn’t the only element that determines the cost of a trip (a short tourist season, for instance, will drive up prices, while a large number of hotels increases competition and tends to lower rates). Moreover, the cost of traveling in a destination can be very different from the cost of living in that destination. Still, exchange rates are helpful indicators of how much to budget for the things you’ll be doing alongside locals—eating where they eat, shopping where they shop, taking public transit, and so on.

So where in the world is the U.S. dollar relatively strong right now? Here are 10 appealing travel ideas for you:

Egypt

Giza Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt. Photo: Shutterstock

Egypt unpegged its pound to the dollar back in 2016, and since then it has bought you more than twice as much as it once did. Read our Insider’s Guide to Egypt, and learn what a WOW Moment inside Nefertari’s Tomb looks like.

Jan 2016: US $1 = 7.83 pounds
Jan 2019: US $1 = 17.90 pounds

Uzbekistan

View over the mausoleums and domes of the historical cemetery of Shahi Zinda through an arched gate, Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Photo: Shutterstock

Similarly, Uzbekistan allowed its som to float in 2017, and it has since lost more than half its value against the dollar. Find out what you can see and do along the Silk Road in our Insider’s Guide to Uzbekistan, and learn why it’s great for kids and teens in Uzbekistan is the Family Vacation Idea You’ve Been Missing.

Jan 2017: US $1 = 3,245 som
Jan 2019: US $1 = 8,381 som

Turkey

Galata Tower and the street in the Old Town of Istanbul, Turkey. Photo: Shutterstock

Turkey’s economy suffered in 2018, and the value of the lira has plunged. Hear why we think Turkey should be on your list this year in Where to Travel in 2019, Before Everyone Else Gets There, then check out our Insider’s Guides to Istanbul, Cappadocia, and the Aegean Coast.

Jan 2017: US $1 = 3.53 lira
Jan 2019: US $1 = 5.52 lira

Argentina

Gaucho on horseback, Argentina. Photo by Aldo Sessa

Argentina has been a fabulous value ever since the peso slid a whopping 30% back in 2015, and the last year has seen its currency weaken even further. Besides bargains, what else awaits you there? Read our Insider’s Guides to Buenos Aires and Mendoza wine country to find out.

Jan 2018: US $1 = 18.62 pesos
Jan 2019: US $1 = 37.62 pesos

Mexico

Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City. Photo: Billie Cohen

The U.S. dollar is near a ten-year high against the Mexican peso. Learn what’s unspoiled and up-and-coming in our Insider’s Guides to Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta, the Riviera Maya, and Los Cabos.

Jan 2015: US $1 = 14.60 pesos
Jan 2019: US $1 = 19.23 pesos

Brazil

Beautiful Trancoso beach near Porto Seguro in the state of Bahia, Brazil. Photo: Shutterstock

Time was when travel to and in Brazil was prohibitively expensive for most travelers; today it’s a whole other story. Learn what you’ll find there in our Insider’s Guides to the glamorous side of Rio de Janeiro, the charming seaside village of Trancoso, the otherworldly Brazilian Amazon, and, for the ultimate extravaganza, Five-Star Brazil: Best Things to See and Do.

Jan 2015: US $1 = 2.58 real
Jan 2019: US $1 = 3.88 real

United Kingdom

Hidcote Gardens in Chipping Campden, Cotswolds, England. Photo: Jonathan Epstein/Celebrated Experiences

The pound hit a 31-year-low against the U.S. dollar right after the Brexit vote in 2016, and it remains not far off that nadir today. Make no mistake, London is always an expensive city—but the U.K. is a better deal now than it was for decades. Read our Insider’s Guides to London, Scotland, and the Cotswolds, as well as Do’s and Don’ts for Your Trip to London, which Wendy’s then-14-year-old son wrote in 2016 right after Wendy took advantage of the post-Brexit values and booked a family vacation there.

Jan 2016: $1 = .68 pounds
Jan 2019: $1 = .79 pounds

South Africa

A penguin at Boulders Beach penguin colony, outside Cape Town, South Africa. Photo: Shutterstock

The rand has fluctuated quite a bit against the dollar in the last five years, looking strong as recently as a year ago. It’s weakened since then, so carpe diem. Here’s what awaits you in Cape Town and the Winelands, and here’s our Insider’s Guide to South African Safaris.

Jan 2018: $1 = 11.89 rand
Jan 2019: $1 = 14.38 rand

Canada

Gros Morne Western Brook Pond fjord, Newfoundland. Photo: Maxxim Vacations

Canada may not be quite the steal it was three years ago—when one U.S. dollar equated to 1.45 Canadian—but the greenback still goes far, especially if you remember the days when it was at parity with the loonie. To better appreciate the range of delights in Canada, read our Insider’s Guides to British Colombia and Newfoundland. Wendy jumped on the amazing exchange rate and rushed her family to British Columbia for their summer vacation a few years ago. You can read about their adventures in We Had the Best Family Trip in Whistler and We Never Put on Skis and I Can’t Believe We Did This: Mountain Climbing in Whistler.

Sept 2017: $1 = 1.21 Canadian dollars
Jan 2019: $1 = 1.36 Canadian dollars

Extraordinary Experiences the Right Travel Specialist Can Make Happen

Leave a reply

Did you know it’s possible to get into the Tower of London alone after-hours? Tour Italy’s closed-to-the-public castle wineries with the nobility that owns them?

Such magic can happen when you book your trip through the right insider—such as the Trusted Travel Experts on my WOW List. They’re the people you contact when you realize that life is too short not to make your next trip extraordinary. They can get you into places that are normally off-limits, introduce you to fascinating locals and otherwise-impossible-to-meet VIPS, and guarantee you return home with profound insights and priceless memories.

Here are examples of what they can pull off in Europe. They typically arrange such experiences as part of a larger itinerary, so they can guarantee a magical trip from start to finish. Reach out to them by clicking on their name in each entry: That way they’ll know I sent you and you’ll get priority status.

Lake Como, Italy. Photo by Andrea Grisdale

See Lake Como’s hidden treasures on a classic Riva Aquarama speedboat.
Lake District, Italy

Your English-speaking captain will pick you up in one of these mahogany beauties favored by the locals and take you on a lakeside tour that will reveal the many magnificent villas and gardens that are hidden from view on land.

—Andrea Grisdale, Trusted Travel Expert for Italy. Read Andrea’s Insider’s Guide to Italy’s Lakes Region.

Have high tea with the Duke of Argyll in his legendary castle.
Argyll, Scotland

Love history? Downton Abbey? Scottish clansmen? If the Duke (who’s the chief of the Highlands’ Campbell clan) is in residence, we’ll arrange for you to tour his home, iconic Inveraray Castle, and chat over tea in one of its formal entertainment rooms. The property stood in for Downton Abbey’s Duneagle Castle, where the Crawleys celebrated Christmas.

—Jonathan Epstein, Trusted Travel Expert for Scotland, Ireland, and England. Read Jonathan’s Insider’s Guide to Scotland.

Get into the Tower of London after-hours.
London, England

A Yeoman warder will show you the secrets of the ancient fortress that is the Tower of London. You’ll enjoy a private viewing of England’s crown jewels in all their splendor and get to see things the public never does. Jane can also find ways for you to hobnob with royalty—an experience we road-tested ourselves.

—Philip McCrum, Trusted Travel Expert for England. Read Jane’s Insider’s Guide to London.

Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia. Courtesy Greg Tepper

Gain entry to the Hermitage’s secret storage rooms.
St. Petersburg

With 1,000-plus rooms, The Hermitage is Europe’s largest museum. A deeply knowledgeable curator can get you past the lines and crowds, help you navigate to the best artwork, and make it come alive. You’ll get to see pieces from Catherine the Great’s original collection (she opened the museum in 1765, in what was then the royal residence of the world’s wealthiest family) and even visit the storage rooms, 40 minutes away and stuffed with rarely seen treasures. There are only a handful of curators at the Hermitage who can do this, and you have to know someone who knows someone to arrange it, but the experience is unforgettable.

—Greg Tepper, Trusted Travel Expert for Russia. Read Greg’s Insider’s Guide to St. Petersburg.

Puesta de sol, Alhambra, Spain. Photo courtesy Ignacio M. Irurita.

Be alone in the Alhambra at sunset.
Granada, Spain

Free of the tourist mobs that pack this medieval Moorish complex during the day, you’ll experience the true magic and majesty of its palaces, courtyards, and fountains—and feel like you’ve been transported to another world and time. The private tour is expensive, but well worth it, especially for an extended family or other large group.

—Virginia Irurita, Trusted Travel Expert for Spain. Read Virginia’s Insider’s Guides to Andalusia’s Cities and Seaside.

Take part in a traditional Turkish wedding.
Cappadocia, Turkey

Summer is prime wedding season in Turkey, and we love to arrange for travelers to attend akina gecesi (henna night), which kicks off the three-day celebration. The evening starts when the bride is brought in, her face covered with a red sheer cloth. Women apply henna to her hands and wrap them to give her palms the desired ornamental color. Then there’s music and dancing (men with men and women with women, in traditional Turkish fashion), and a more-the-merrier atmosphere in which everyone is welcome. Travelers who’ve participated in these festivities always come away having made new friends.

—Earl Starkey, Trusted Travel Expert for Turkey. Read Earl’s Insider’s Guide to Cappadocia, Turkey.

Tour closed-to-the-public Tuscan castle wineries with the nobility that owns them.
Tuscany, Italy

Italy is a land of wine, but no region has wineries more storied and revered than Tuscany. Many of these historic estates have been owned for centuries by successive generations of a single noble family, and they are set around private castles or villas open only to a select number of guests for private visits. Our connections can gain you access to certain exclusive estates, where you’ll spend the day touring the property with the (invariably charming) owner, sampling their prestigious wines, and joining the family for a lavish lunch that shows home cooking at its finest.

—Maria Gabriella Landers and Brian Dore, Trusted Travel Experts for Italy. Read Maria and Brian’s Insider’s Guide to Tuscany.

Make three types of traditional Habsburg strudel at Gundel restaurant in Budapest.

Stretch strudel with a master.
Budapest, Hungary

Make authentic Habsburg-style strudel from scratch with a chef at Gundel, the century-old restaurant in Budapest that Hungarian-born restaurateur George Lang (of New York’s Café des Artistes) helped restore to its former glory in the 1990s. Tradition says you should be able to read a newspaper—or a love letter—through the thin, hand-stretched dough that is the basis of Hungarian strudel. You may not be able to perfect your technique in a single lesson, but there’s no harm in trying. After class you get to eat your creation.

—Gwen Kozlowski, Trusted Travel Expert for Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic and Poland. Read Gwen’s Insider’s Guide to Budapest and the Danube.

Grand Kremlin Palace, Moscow. Photograph courtesy by Robert Polidori

Grand Kremlin Palace, Moscow. Photograph courtesy Robert Polidori

Gain access to the Kremlin—the opulent part normally reserved for heads of state.
Moscow, Russia

The glittering Grand Kremlin Palace, the no-go section of the Kremlin, is used by Russia’s president to sign treaties and entertain foreign heads of state. Built for the tsars, it’s the Versailles of Russia. Access is allowed only with permission of the commandant of the Kremlin—in other words, you need connections and financial power. Expect to pay approximately $4,500 for one to 18 people to enter, but it will be your most memorable experience in Moscow.

—Greg Tepper, Trusted Travel Expert for Russia. Read Greg’s Insider’s Guide to Moscow.

Gain entry into Venice’s most opulent private palazzi
Venice, Italy

Explore two private palazzi along the Grand Canal. The palace owners themselves, descendants of Venetian nobility, will show you the frescoed ceilings, rare artwork, lavish furnishings, and hidden gardens. You’ll arrive and leave by boat, of course.

—Maria Gabriella Landers and Brian Dore, Trusted Travel Experts for Italy. Read Maria and Brian’s Insider’s Guide to Venice.

The harbor in Hvar, Croatia. Photo courtesy Dan Weisburg Photography

Sail to Dubrovnik’s hidden islands on your own yacht.
Dubrovnik, Croatia

Dubrovnik’s Old Town can be jam-packed with tourists, especially when cruise ships are in town, but you can escape on a yacht to the Elafite Archipelago—a lovely scattering of quiet islands hiding in plain sight, just 30 minutes from the busy city. Your first stop will be the former residence of Vice Stjepovic-Skocibuha, a sixteenth-century maritime entrepreneur, now owned by a local family that has spent years returning it to its regal state. (The mansion is normally off-limits, but we can arrange for you to visit.) After that you’ll hop to another island for a private piano concert at St. Nicholas Church, one of many medieval stone churches—dating from Dubrovnik’s heyday as a leading city-state of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries—that fell into disrepair during communist times. St. Nicholas is one of the best preserved. Afterward, stroll through the town of Lopud; its stone pathways winding through olive groves and vineyards are a breath of fresh air after the bustle of Dubrovnik.

—Ala Osmond, Trusted Travel Expert for Croatia. Read our Insider’s Guide to Croatia.

Dine with the Guilera family in their home, Gaudí-designed Torre Bellesguard.
Barcelona, Spain

Bellesguard is like no other Antoni Gaudí creation—a modernist-Gothic take on the medieval castle that once stood here (its ruins are in the garden). After a leisurely aperitivo and a home-cooked meal, the Guilera family will lead you on a private tour of this hillside perch drenched in Barcelona history.

—Virginia Irurita, Trusted Travel Expert for Spain. Read Virginia’s Insider’s Guide to Barcelona.

Giardini Torrigiani, Florence. Photo courtesy Brian Dore.

Discover Europe’s largest private urban garden.
Florence, Italy

We can arrange to get you inside Europe’s largest private urban garden, the nearly 17-acre Giardino Torrigiani, with the Florentine nobleman who owns it as your guide. It’s a sixteenth-century botanical garden with an extraordinary wealth of tree and plant species from all over the world, not to mention historic greenhouses and lemon houses. You’ll end your visit with a casual aperitivo al fresco in the garden with your host, a charming thirtysomething marquis who’s much cooler than what you might expect from ancient Italian nobility.

—Maria Gabriella Landers and Brian Dore, Trusted Travel Experts for Italy. Read Maria and Brian’s Insider’s Guide to Florence.

Bodrum Castle, Turkey.

Explore Bodrum’s Museum of Underwater Archaeology with an archeologist who helped excavate its shipwrecks.
Bodrum, Turkey

A local archeologist will lead you through Bodrum’s castle and its Museum of Underwater Archeology, showing you the remains of the shipwrecks that he helped excavate. Hearing firsthand about the underwater dig and the backstory behind some of the Museum’s holdings—like a Syrian shipwreck comprised of pieced-together glass found under the sea—turns what could have been a run-of-the-mill museum visit into one of the most thrilling experiences of your trip.

—Karen Fedorko Sefer, Trusted Travel Expert for Turkey. Read Karen’s Insider’s Guide to Turkey’s Aegean Coast.

Get wined and dined at the Louvre, after hours.
Paris

Go behind the scenes at the Louvre with one of the museum’s art curators, visiting rooms not open to the public and learning in depth about the collection’s most famous works and undiscovered gems. Or take a “wine tour” through the Louvre: A curator will show you the role that wine plays in various works on display, followed by a wine tasting and dinner inside the museum when it is closed.

—Jennifer Virgilio, Trusted Travel Expert for France and Monaco. Read Jennifer’s Insider’s Guide to Paris with Perks.

Visit the workshop of a master craftsman of Irish crystal.
Dingle, Ireland

Sean Daly is a second-generation master craftsman who left his job at Waterford Crystal 15 years ago to create his own boutique company: Dingle Crystal. He has a small store in Dingle, where he sells objects including bowls, glasses, and chandeliers, but the real magic takes place just outside of town in his personal workshop. We can arrange a private meeting there with Sean, who will demonstrate the painstaking process of cutting the glass and share his strong and unedited opinions on the crystal industry in general.

—Jonathan Epstein, Trusted Travel Experts for Ireland, England, and Scotland. Read Jonathan’s Insider’s Guide to Killarney and County Kerry, Ireland.

See the fjords on your own private yacht—and on your own schedule.
Norway

Explore the Norwegian fjords onboard a luxurious yacht for either a few hours or over several days. The best-of-the-best itinerary takes at least seven days—you set out from Bergen and sail up the coast, exploring one dramatic fjord after another, stopping to hike or bike around the glaciers, and calling on picturesque little fishing villages along the way. This is the most expensive, exclusive, and enjoyable way of seeing the fjords.

—Jan Sortland, Trusted Travel Expert for Norway. Read Jan’s Insider’s Guide to Norway.

Start friendships with Switzerland’s most interesting artisans
Switzerland

Appenzellerland is a region that’s as Swiss as Swiss can be, and you can get up close and personal with its best examples of artisan workshops and traditional culture. Want to see how a bell is made the old-fashioned way? Visit Peter’s bell-smith workshop so you can feel the heat as he molds the metal. Fancy a trip to a Swiss farm? Meet Sepp, the passionate farmer who has gourmet chefs queuing up for the exquisite meat he produces by giving his beloved cows a special beer treatment. Have you ever heard a Hackbrett being played? You will when we drop in on Brigitte at her family home, where she’ll enchant you with the beauty of this stringed instrument that’s an essential part of Appenzeller folk music. By the end of a day spent sharing the real lives of local people, you’ll see that there’s more to rural Switzerland than cheese and chalets.

—Nina Müller, Trusted Travel Expert for Switzerland. Read Nina’s Insider’s Guide to Switzerland’s Secrets.

Linger over a private sunset dinner inside a Portuguese lighthouse that’s usually off-limits to the public
Portugal

Normally, Portuguese lighthouses are closed to the public—they are considered part of the navy—but I can get you inside several of them for a private meal at sunset, with the dramatic scenery of the rocky cliffs and the Atlantic ocean laid out before you, and nothing but the sound of the crashing waves to interrupt your dinner.

—Gonçalo Correia, Trusted Travel Expert for Portugal. Read Gonçalo’s Insider Secrets of Portugal.

Be a smarter traveler: Follow Wendy Perrin on Facebook and Twitter @wendyperrin, and sign up for her weekly newsletter to stay in the know.

Cruise Trends 2019: Cruise Like a Traveler, Not a Tourist

Leave a reply

It’s been true for years that you can visit the world’s most remote places in absolute comfort—on a small, luxury ship. What’s new this year is that many cruise lines are not just delivering you to off-the-grid places but are also enabling you to have truly immersive experiences there. The most innovative cruise lines are exploring new concepts such as country-intensive itineraries and extraordinary shore excursions, and many travelers are planning truly unusual pre- and post-cruise adventures. As my colleague at Cruise Critic, Chris Gray Faust, reminds me, these new trends “give passengers more control over their experience—and feel much less like an organized tour. It’s hard to go back to typical group shore excursions after you’ve had more freedom.”

How can you make my favorite three travel trends work for your next vacation? I’m sharing my take with you below. And one more thing: Once you’ve done your own travel homework, my best recommendation is to hand it all over to a top cruise-planning specialist and let the expert make it happen—especially if you’re a first-timer or need multiple travel arrangements booked.

Country-Intensive Itineraries

What’s new: If you want to delve into a single country rather than a skip-hop-and-a-jump itinerary through a vast region of the world, country-specific itineraries are a hot commodity. This year, cruisegoers can explore places such as Iceland, Japan, Indonesia, \Thailand, and Norway in greater depth. Even Alaska (which is only a state) is offering itineraries that get you much farther below the surface than the typical seven-day Inside Passage route.

If you’re planning to go: For the most part, it’s small-ship expedition and luxury cruise lines that are offering these itineraries—lines such as Azamara (whose ships carry about 700 passengers), Ponant (whose vessels carry up to 264 passengers), and Windstar (148 to 312 passengers). But even big-ship fans have options: Princess Cruises’ 2,670-passenger Diamond Princess is sailing many cruises focused on Japan only.

Luxury Land Adventure Add-Ons

What’s new: Cruise ships typically sail from the world’s most compelling cities, where travelers frequently want pre- or post-cruise exploration. Cruise lines are starting to use those cities as jumping-off points for grandiose adventures. On my upcoming cruise around South Africa on Viking Ocean Cruises, you can, for instance, add a multi-day safari to the voyage. And it’s not alone; what may surprise travelers is that they can combine a cruise along Africa’s coast with the very different style of safari experience. AmaWaterways, a river cruise line, has a dedicated inland cruise on the Chobe River that covers Botswana and Namibia.

Even more ambitious is Silversea Cruises’ new “Couture Collection,” which connects cruises to super-small-group land tours of places such as Mongolia, Australia’s Outback, Tibet, and India’s Rajasthan.

If you’re planning to go: Adhering to the old “if you have to ask, you can’t afford it” cliché, Silversea’s aforementioned trips, which run from 5 to 11 days, aren’t cheap: They range in price from $34,000 to $78,000 per traveler. Another option: Plan your own private pre- and post-cruise adventures via the best trip-planning specialist for your destination.

More Destination-Focused Theme Cruises

two cruise guests in snorkel gear standing in the water in Moorea with fish swimming around in French Polynesia

Paul Gauguin Cruises offers hands-on, conservation-focused learning in French Polynesia. Photo: Pacific Beachcomber/Paul Gauguin Cruises

What’s new: Theme cruises that typically make headlines revolve around boy bands, food and wine, and television icons like Star Trek. Where we’re seeing a sea change is that travelers are demanding—and cruise lines are delivering—themes related to the destination. One of my most satisfying cruise experiences ever was a Lindblad Expeditions soft-adventure trip to the Nordic countries, where National Geographic photographers taught us how to better capture stories on film. No fewer than three photographers taught daily workshops onboard, and you could also go exploring on shore with them. I took the best pics of my life on that trip.

If you’re planning to go: It’s the small-ship cruise lines that are most likely to offer the most compelling destination-themed programs. Not only do they tie the itinerary into the educational component, but their small size means they can nip into ports that larger vessels can’t—and where you won’t be competing with thousands of other passengers. On Aqua Expeditions’ Aria Amazon riverboat, for instance, you can sail the Amazon and explore its jungles with noted explorer Jean-Michel Cousteau.

For families, I love the Stewards of Nature program aboard the Paul Gauguin. In partnership with the Wildlife Conservation Society, it offers hands-on learning in the ports of French Polynesia. Kids hike through forests with naturalists, create Polynesian-inspired jewelry, participate in scientific experiments using local flora and fauna, and even design their own Polynesian tattoos.

One fabulous outlier is Cunard, which on its transatlantic crossings occasionally offers themed weeks that hone in on particular interests yet have nothing to do with the itinerary itself. On my list to experience is its Fashion Week, complete with designers, runway shows, and red carpets.

Carolyn Spencer Brown is Editor at Large for Cruise Critic, the leading site for cruise reviews and information, as well as the largest forum for cruise fans. She’s been taking cruises for decades and has amassed an extensive and impressive knowledge of the specifics of ships, lines, itineraries, policies, and ports. You can follow Cruise Critic on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and also follow Carolyn herself on Instagram (@carolynspencerbrown) and Twitter (@CruiseEditor).

Exciting New Flight Routes That Will Improve Your 2019 Travel Plans

Leave a reply

Brett Snyder is President at Cranky Concierge, a service that Wendy recommends to WOW List travelers seeking the savviest help with international airline travel. Brett’s service ferrets out the smartest routes and fares, monitors your flights, and provides emergency rerouting assistance if your flight is delayed or cancelled. We asked him to pick the new 2019 routes that should be on our radar:

The economy is still doing well (for now), and airlines are bullish for next year. For that reason, a slew of new flight routes are coming to an airport near you. Many will make your travels easier, and some popular vacation spots will become more accessible. Here are the domestic and international flight routes that will change travel in 2019.

The Most Notable New Flights Within the U.S.

To/from Seattle

If you’re headed to Seattle, especially to the north of town, consider flying into Paine Field—home to Boeing’s mighty widebody manufacturing plant—which will be opening for commercial service in February. Paine Field is 25 miles north of the city (as opposed to Sea-Tac, which is 15 miles south). Alaska Airlines has the biggest presence here, with flights to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orange County, Phoenix, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose. Those start between February 11 and March 12. The only other airline in the market will be United, with flights to both Denver and San Francisco starting March 31.

To/from Hawaii

Once Southwest gets FAA approval, expect its flights to Hawaii to start quickly. Initial routes will launch from Sacramento, San Diego, San Jose, and Oakland. There will be flights to all four major Hawaiian islands and even some inter-island flying. In the meantime, those in the eastern half of the country can celebrate more nonstop service to the Hawaiian islands. Delta will start flying to Honolulu from Detroit. And Hawaiian Airlines will make Boston its second destination east of the Rockies after New York–JFK.

New International Flights

Now let’s get to the really fun stuff. Portugal remains a hot spot, with several new routes from the U.S. to Lisbon this year. Los Cabos got a few new direct flights from Chicago (which started in November on Southwest) and Las Vegas (on Frontier). Morocco is now easier to visit, thanks to a new nonstop from Miami. Meanwhile, we’ve seen a couple of “firsts”: The good people of Charleston, South Carolina, snagged their first nonstop to Europe, while those in Los Angeles can now fly nonstop to Africa. And in late 2018 Singapore Airlines re-launched its longest flight in the world, between Newark and Singapore, and Kenya Airways introduced the first-ever nonstop between New York–JFK and Nairobi.

These are some of the more interesting route launches. (All start dates are 2019, except where noted.)

Boston to Lisbon, on Delta, starting May 23
Boston to Edinburgh, on Delta, starting May 23
Boston to Madrid, on Norwegian, starts May 2
Boston to Seoul/Incheon, on Korean, starts April 12

Charleston (SC) to London/Heathrow, on British Airways, from April 4 to October 24

Charlotte to Munich, on American, starts March 31

Chicago/O’Hare to Athens, on American, from May 3 to September 28
Chicago/O’Hare to Lisbon, on TAP Air Portugal, starts June 1
Chicago/O’Hare to Quebec City, on American, from June 6 to September 3

Dallas/Ft Worth to Dublin, on American, from June 6 to September 28
Dallas/Ft Worth to Munich, on American, from June 6 to October 26

Denver to Frankfurt, on United, starting May 2
Denver to Grand Cayman, on Cayman Airways, starting March 13

Ft Lauderdale to Guayaquil (Ecuador), on JetBlue, starting February 28
Ft Lauderdale to St. Maarten, on JetBlue, starting February 14

Las Vegas to Cancun (Mexico), on Frontier, starts December 21, 2018
Las Vegas to San Jose del Cabo (Mexico), on Frontier, starts December 15, 2018
Las Vegas to Tel Aviv, on El Al, starts June 14

Los Angeles to Lome (Togo), on Ethiopian, starting December 17, 2018
Los Angeles to Manchester (U.K.), on Virgin Atlantic, starting May 26
Los Angeles to Milan/Malpensa, on Air Italy, starting April 3

Miami to Casablanca, on Royal Air Maroc, starting April 3
Miami to Santa Marta (Colombia), on Via Air, starting December 18 (2018)

Minneapolis/St Paul to Dublin, on Aer Lingus, starting July 1
Minneapolis/St Paul to Seoul/Incheon, on Delta, starting April 1

Newark to Naples, on United, from May 22 to October 4
Newark to Nice, on La Compagnie, from May 6 to October 26
Newark to Prague, on United, from June 6 to October 4
Newark to Singapore, on Singapore Airlines, started late 2018

New York/JFK to Barcelona, on LEVEL, starting July 27
New York/JFK to Nairobi, started late 2018

Philadelphia to Edinburgh, on American, from April 2 to October 26
Philadelphia to Bologna (Italy), on American, from June 6 to September 28
Philadelphia to Berlin/Tegel, on American, from June 7 to September 28
Philadelphia to Dubrovnik (Croatia), on American, from June 7 to September 27

Phoenix to London/Heathrow, on American, from March 31 to October 26

San Francisco to Delhi, on United, starts December 5
San Francisco to Amsterdam, on United, starts March 30
San Francisco to Lisbon, on TAP Air Portugal, starts June 10
San Francisco to Melbourne, on United, starts October 29
San Francisco to Milan/Malpensa, on Air Italy, starting April 10
San Francisco to Tel Aviv, on El Al, starts May 13

Seattle to Hong Kong, on Cathay Pacific, starting March 31
Seattle to Osaka/Kansai, on Delta, starts April 1
Seattle to Singapore, on Singapore Airlines, starting September 3
Seattle to Tokyo/Narita, on Japan Airlines, starting March 31

Tampa to Amsterdam, on Delta, starts May 23

Washington/Dulles to Lisbon, on TAP Air Portugal, starts June 16
Washington/Dulles to Rome, on Alitalia, starting May 2
Washington/Dulles to Tel Aviv, on United, starts May 22

Unexpected Holiday Travel Ideas For Christmas and New Year’s

Leave a reply

UPDATE (September 6, 2023): Click here to find out where there’s still availability of WOW travel experiences for the 2023-24 holidays.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year … unless you’re looking for a travel deal. The Christmas/New Year’s holiday is the most crowded and expensive time to vacation almost anywhere. Airfares and hotel rates shoot up, beach resorts and ski lodges impose minimum-stay restrictions, and if you don’t plan far enough ahead, you’ll find everything decent is sold out.

What to do? If your goal is a sunny beach vacation, your smartest move is to travel right before the Christmas rush (the first two weeks of December) or right afterward (the first week of January), since that’s when you’ll find much fewer people and much lower prices. Most of us don’t have that kind of schedule flexibility, though, so here are other strategies for beating holiday prices, crowds, and sell-out conditions, as well as destinations to consider that are alternatives to the typical Caribbean, Hawaii, and Mexico fare.

If you’re not sure how to book these trips so that you’re marked as a VIP traveler and get the best trip possible, I’ve made it really easy for you. And if you’re not sure what I mean by “the best trip possible,” read these trip reviews.

General Strategies

•Travel during the first half of the holiday rather than the second half.
For many people the festive-season period lasts two weeks, with Christmas Day falling during the first week and New Year’s Day falling during the second week. In most vacation spots, and especially at ski resorts, that first week typically has more availability and is more affordable than the second week.

•Choose destinations that are in their shoulder or low season.
Most cities and islands in non-tropical climates qualify, as do countries that don’t celebrate Christmas.

•Fly on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, or New Year’s Day.
Airfares tend to be lower at these times.

•Consider cities that draw a lot of business travelers.
Business travel stops during the holidays, so you’ll find low airfares to—and empty hotel rooms in—business-travel hubs. In the U.S. consider cities such as Dallas, Atlanta, Cleveland, and Phoenix. If you prefer New York City or San Francisco (which draw a ton of both business and leisure travelers), look for discounts at business-traveler-oriented hotels (extended-stay suite hotels work well for families too). In Europe consider business capitals such as London, Paris, and Rome. Holiday business-class airfare sales to these European hubs come out every year.

•Look for introductory airfares and hotel rates.
When airlines introduce new routes, and when new hotels open, they typically publicize the news with special offers. My family’s best Christmas abroad was at a just-opened hotel.

•Consider redeeming hotel points for free nights.
It’s tough to redeem airline miles for free flights during the holidays, but it can be easy to redeem hotel points because hotel loyalty programs are for hotel chains that cater to business travelers. During three Christmas/New Year’s school breaks I treated my family to ski vacations by redeeming Starwood points at The Equinox in Manchester, Vermont. (Make sure you also know the best credit cards for travelers and other tips for nabbing the best reward flights for your points.)

•When flying internationally, rather than buying one expensive non-stop ticket, combine two inexpensive tickets and get a stopover.
As an example, when I went to Marrakech last year, the best flights I could find for my travel dates were via Switzerland (Zurich on the outbound, Geneva on the return). I did a stopover in Zurich en route to Morocco and a stopover in Geneva en route back. Both are cities where it’s easy, fast, and cheap to take the train from the airport to the center of town. I saw two countries in one trip and topped off the adventure with prosecco fondue, panoramic views of Lake Geneva, and a free ride to the airport. Some airlines even have full-fledged, free stopover programs that enable travelers to easily take a few extra days in an additional destination. Billie used TAP Air Portugal to spend two days in Porto on the way home from a trip in Italy; IcelandAir has a popular program, and SWISS just introduced one as well.

North America and the Caribbean

people shopping on Rue de Petit Champlain Quebec City during Christmas

Quebec City is so close, and so charming. Photo: Ville de Quebec

Charleston, South Carolina
It’s got culture and history, antebellum architecture, award-winning cuisine, southern charm—and, during the holiday season, a Festival of Lights, a Parade of Boats, Gullah spirituals concerts, the clip-clop of horses and carriages, and poinsettias everywhere (they were first imported to America by a Charlestonian named Dr. Poinsett). Temperatures are mild, in the high 50s and low 60s. You’ll find more info here.

New Orleans
The Crescent City gets gussied up for the holidays and abounds with historic traditions such as Reveillon dinners in top French Quarter restaurants, caroling by candlelight in Jackson Square, Cathedral concerts, and bonfires on the levees on Christmas Eve. Temps are in the low 60s. For an insider experience of New Orleans, request your trip here.

San Diego and southern California
Airfares to San Diego may be high, but there are almost always low fares into LAX (since it’s a business-travel hub), where you can rent a car and drive down the coast. There are plenty of seaside resorts in the corridor between Los Angeles and San Diego (e.g., in La Jolla, Del Mar, Laguna Beach), and there are also resorts, ranches, and awesome adventures to be had inland (e.g., in the gorgeous Anza-Borrego Desert—here’s an itinerary for you—or in Joshua Tree National Park, which is only an hour from Palm Springs). December temps are in the 60s. For the best possible California holiday, request your trip here.

Salt Lake City for skiing
When there’s no availability in Aspen or Vail, remember that there are seven ski resorts within an hour’s drive of Utah’s capital. The airport is a Delta hub that business travelers don’t use over the holidays, which means there are low airfares and plenty of empty hotel rooms. So, if the ski resorts are sold out, you might even stay in the city, rent a car, and try a different mountain every day.

Texas
Flights to Dallas are less than four hours from anywhere in the U.S., and temps are in the 50s and 60s. You’ll find plenty of free museums and walkable neighborhoods, plus a Public ArtWalk that is a free, self-guided art trail through downtown Dallas and the Arts District. Three hours away is Austin, a 24-hour town with a legendary live-music scene, hip neighborhoods to shop and stroll in, and awesome barbecue. From there it’s only 90 minutes to San Antonio, known for its River Walk lined with cafes and shops, not to mention the Alamo.

Colonial Mexico
There will still be values on Mexico’s Pacific Coast between Puerto Vallarta and Huatulco (think Ixtapa, Zihuatanejo, Costa Alegre, Costa Careyes) because so many charming boutique beach properties are popping up that few travelers know about. But the biggest values will likely be inland. In the Colonial interior that was not affected by last year’s earthquakes—think Merida, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Queretaro—exquisitely restored haciendas offer a festive atmosphere, nearby cultural and archaeological sites, and award-winning gourmet cuisine. Even though the March 2018 earthquake hit Puebla, the Rosewood Puebla was not affected, nor was Puebla’s airport. For a seamless vacation focused on the sophisticated delights of Mexico that you’ve been missing, request your trip here.

Quebec City
Yes, it’s freezing in December, but it’s also charming and cozy, with plenty of warm and toasty places to eat, drink, shop, and stay. Quebec City feels like a little slice of romantic Europe, especially if you’re in a room in a turret at the Château Frontenac. The exchange rate is favorable, and as for the frigid temps, I always remember what an Eskimo in the Arctic once told me: “There’s no such thing as bad weather—only bad clothes.”

Whistler, British Columbia
During the holidays, this Olympic ski resort just 90 minutes from Vancouver transforms into a vividly illuminated winter wonderland complete with sleigh rides, dog sledding, winter zip-lining, ice fishing, eagle viewing, heli-skiing, and assorted backcountry adventures. Not a snowbird? Then spend all day in the spa or on gourmet tasting tours. You’ll pay peak-season prices, but a Whistler vacation is relatively affordable, thanks to the good exchange rate, and relatively available, thanks to the huge number of hotel rooms. For the ultimate Whistler adventure, request your trip here.

Caribbean Yacht Charter
If you’re dead set on the Caribbean and dismayed that the best resorts are fully booked, you might consider a Caribbean yacht or catamaran charter. That way, you can explore not just one island but several—including tiny ones where you’re the only tourists. And, instead of the same sea view every day, you get an ever-changing one. The best holiday sailing adventures are not inexpensive—they start at about $17,500 for the week—but that covers six people in three cabins (including all meals, water toys, etc.). Request your trip here.

Overseas but Won’t Break the Bank

rocky coastline of Madeira, an island 90 minutes from Lisbon in Portugal

Just a 90-minute flight from Lisbon, Madeira is easy to add on to a trip to mainland Portugal. Photo: Pixabay

Europe’s cultural capitals
Parts of Europe can be dark and dreary in wintertime. But many of the biggest cities are festively decorated, beautifully illuminated, and don’t shut down on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day—and it’s okay if it’s chilly and gets dark at 4 p.m. because there’s so much on offer indoors (in museums, theaters, restaurants), as well as outdoors, at Christmas markets, where it’s easy to grab a beer with the locals. And, because business travelers are absent, there are airfare sales and hotel discounts. London offers New Year’s Eve fireworks over Tower Bridge and awesome Boxing Day sales. In Paris you’ve got old-world-style Christmas markets, ice skating at the Hotel de Ville, and food markets filled with holiday specialties such as foie gras and marrons glacés. Rome has iconic Christmas markets and Nativity exhibitions, as well as a Christmas Eve midnight mass delivered by the Pope at the Vatican. Edinburgh celebrates New Year’s Eve with Hogmanay festivities that include a torchlight procession, bagpipe performances, street parties, and fireworks above the Castle.

Europe’s southerly islands
Rising out of the Atlantic, off the coast of Africa (a 90-minute flight from Lisbon), is the semi-tropical Portuguese island of Madeira. Known for its great hiking, namesake wine, and yummy cuisine (thanks to fresh seafood and exotic fruits), the mountainous island has temps in the high 60s in late December. There’s also a traditional gala New Year’s Eve celebration at Madeira’s historic grande-dame property, Reid’s Palace. In the Mediterranean, Malta, Sicily, and Crete have enough of a low-season infrastructure, and are culturally important enough, to make a sightseeing trip during the holidays well worth your while. You won’t find bikini weather, but you’ll find ancient monuments blissfully free of the crowds that diminish their majesty the rest of the year.

Christmas markets in Central and Eastern Europe
Europe’s Christmas markets tend to end on December 24, but in some cities they last longer. In Berlin, for instance, the Berliner Weihnachtszeit continues through December 30, and the Christmas market at Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church goes until January 6. Prague’s Christmas market in Wenceslas Square also lasts through January 6. I’ve been to a lot of Christmas markets, and if I had a week to hit some of Europe’s best, I’d probably arrange an itinerary that starts in Germany with Nuremberg and Rothenburg, hops over the Rhine to Strasbourg in France, then jumps back to Germany, winds from village to village en route to Munich, and swings through Salzburg en route to a grand finale in Vienna. Here’s more on Europe’s Christmas markets: How to plan the perfect trip.

Exotic and Unusual

Camel rides are just one of the desert excursions on offer at Qasr al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara, in Abu Dhabi. That’s me on the second camel.

Northern lights in Arctic Norway
Alta, Norway, offers that rare combo of relatively mild temps (the daily high in late December is about 25 degrees F), thrilling winter activities, and the closest thing to a guarantee that you’ll see the Northern Lights. If your goal is the highest-caliber private trip possible—including private transportation, the best accommodations and food, and activities such as snowmobiling, ice fishing, and/or visiting Sami reindeer herders—request your trip here.

Colorful culture in Colombia
In Cartagena the holidays bring music and parties everywhere. Lights are hung from the brightly colored colonial houses, café tables are pulled into the streets for celebratory dinners, and the Sofitel Santa Clara throws a spectacular New Year’s Eve party. Combine such city festivities with quiet time at plantations in coffee country, in the rainforest, or on the beach. For an in-depth experience of Colombia, request your trip here.

Beach-and-desert fun in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Oman
I recently spent five nights in Dubai and Abu Dhabi (only a 90-minute drive from Dubai). You can have a ton of fun there if you want to combine beach time and desert adventures (think sunset camel rides, dune bashing, desert safaris) with eye-popping luxury (read about my trip, which included many of my favorite travel moments of 2017). The U.A.E. can deliver great value during the Christmas/New Year’s period because the weather is lovely (high 70s and low 80s), there are many new glam hotels offering deals to fill their rooms, and Emirates airline—whose economy class offers particularly roomy seats and elaborate in-flight entertainment—operates frequent flights to its enormous Dubai hub. If the beaches and desert aren’t enough for you, you can throw in skiing too—at Dubai’s 22,500-square-meter indoor ski resort inside a shopping mall. I didn’t manage to get to Oman on this trip—we were having way too spectacular a time at Qasr al Sarab in the Abu Dhabi desert (that’s my family on the camels in the photo above)—but Muscat is only a five-hour drive from Dubai and, like Abu Dhabi, Oman offers otherworldly scenery, resorts fit for a sheikh, and desert activities galore. For an insider’s experience of the U.A.E. and the local clout and connections you’ll want, request your trip here.

Lush landscapes in Sri Lanka
I took my family to Sri Lanka for the kids’ Christmas school break in 2016, and not only was it a feast for all the senses—with a rich culture, delectable food, and friendly people—but it was also less crowded and pricey than the Caribbean. In fact, it was my family’s best Christmas abroad. (On Christmas Day itself, here’s what we did.) Since Sri Lanka hasn’t been “discovered” yet by the tourist masses, but big-hotel construction is coming soon, now is the time to go. Read about my family’s experience in Tangalle exploring everything from jungle temples to tea plantations, and for the best possible experience of Sri Lanka with VIP treatment throughout, request your trip here.

Summer thrills in New Zealand
This is where I spent the month of December on my honeymoon (18 years ago). December is the start of summer Down Under, so you’ll find temps in the 70s and daylight lasting past 9 p.m., for maximum sightseeing. Conditions are lovely for everything from wine tasting and caving on the North Island to jet-boating and heli-hiking on the South Island. Read our Insider’s Guides to The Best of New Zealand, Insider’s New Zealand, Queenstown, and the Bay of Islands.

One-of-a-kind New Year’s in Rio
Rio de Janeiro has one of the world’s most spectacular New Year’s Eve celebrations: Two million people dressed in white gather on Copacabana Beach to light candles and throw flowers into the sea, as an offering to the ocean goddess. There’s live Brazilian samba music and fireworks over the beach too. As for other Brazil locales you might combine with Rio, get ideas from our Insider’s Guides to Trancoso, the Amazon, and Five-Star Brazil: Best Things to See and Do.

And, for all you country collectors, St. Helena!
Yes, I’m talking about the isolated island in the South Atlantic that until recently you could reach only by mailboat from Cape Town. That necessitated spending five or six days at sea—each way. But SA Airlink now offers weekly five-hour flights on a 76-seat Embraer from Johannesburg, South Africa. One of the world’s most remote settled islands, St. Helena is best known for being the place that Napoleon was exiled to, but there’s a lot to do besides seeing Napoleonic artifacts. 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 meet the local people—called “Saints”—who are known for their hospitality. The island was discovered by the Dutch in 1504 but colonized by the British—so, if you rent a car, you’ll need to drive on the left. They’ve built a 30-room luxury hotel to welcome all the new travelers who’ll be coming. Here’s more info about St. Helena.

If you’re wondering how to book a holiday trip so as to get the best possible experience and be marked as a VIP traveler, I’ve made it really easy for you.

And if you’ve got other great holiday travel ideas, share them below!

Wendy’s Family Trip to Belize: Photos from the Beach and Sea

Leave a reply

The best vacations are those where you try something new you’ve never done before. When you learn a new skill or master a challenge or achieve a long-held goal during a trip, it leaves you with intense memories of that trip and a sense of accomplishment that can linger forever.

That’s one reason why I chose Belize for my family vacation: I wanted my younger son, Doug (14), to learn how to dive. Doug is starting high school next month and is fascinated by marine biology, so it seemed like a good moment to get him his scuba certification.

The diving and snorkeling in Belize is world-class, thanks to the country’s position alongside the world’s second largest barrier reef. Belize also has the typical advantages afforded by a location on the Caribbean Sea, yet it’s easier to fly to, more affordable than, and less built-up than, many Caribbean islands.

Doug wasn’t the only one with a goal to achieve. The other reason I chose Belize was so I could road-test Belize trip-planning specialists. Belize has been catching on in popularity among sophisticated travelers. For the past year I’ve received a steadily increasing number of Belize trip requests. So, of course, I wanted to investigate and find a Belize travel specialist worthy of The WOW List.

Here’s a sneak peek at our adventures. Stay tuned for more on the best things to do and see in Belize, where to stay, where to eat… and how to learn to scuba dive in just three days (that’s how long it took Doug). And if you’re looking for the best Belize trip-planning specialist, here’s who I recommend.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BmcVcS4Bv2_/?taken-by=wendyperrin

https://www.instagram.com/p/BmjkWJFBhsp/?taken-by=wendyperrin

https://www.instagram.com/p/BmhmTseBxOF/?taken-by=wendyperrin

https://www.instagram.com/p/BmmP7AmBe2_/?taken-by=wendyperrin

https://www.instagram.com/p/BmhNK9YBlw5/?taken-by=wendyperrin

https://www.instagram.com/p/BmmAbUWBWhV/?taken-by=wendyperrin

https://www.instagram.com/p/BmoJe95BNFK/?taken-by=wendyperrin

https://www.instagram.com/p/BmvxsKIBshm/?taken-by=wendyperrin

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bmr055VhuvC/?taken-by=wendyperrin

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bmtg4AaB_Te/?taken-by=wendyperrin

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bmqj4OOh1sy/?taken-by=wendyperrin

https://www.instagram.com/p/BmrPz9Ah_1Y/?taken-by=wendyperrin

https://www.instagram.com/p/BmwADKvhR_K/?taken-by=wendyperrin

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bmj2w6HhVLE/?taken-by=wendyperrin

https://www.instagram.com/p/BmkDOEFh_UH/?taken-by=wendyperrin

https://www.instagram.com/p/BmwaJagh35o/?taken-by=wendyperrin

https://www.instagram.com/p/BmyVcO_hi4Z/?taken-by=wendyperrin

5 Ways the Right Cruise Beats a Resort Vacation

4 Replies

I’ve been to 41 countries on six continents, but until recently, the only cruise I’d taken was an overnight ferry from Maine to Nova Scotia. (I was eight at the time and spent my casino winnings on a fish tank.) So when Seabourn invited me on the first sailing of their new small luxury ship, the Ovation, I quickly booked flights. As a travel journalist, I’ve interviewed cruise experts and studied itineraries and deck plans for years. But it wasn’t until I stepped on board the Ovation that I realized how similar a cruise is to a resort vacation—but also how much better it can be, if done right. Here’s why:

You get a different place to explore each day.

coast of Kotor Montenegro village with boats water and mountains

Kotor, Montenegro. Photo: Pixabay/Falco

A smart cruise itinerary drops you in a new and interesting place daily, mixing must-see and hidden-gem ports and cutting out the tedium of long drives between them. My cruise stopped in Montenegro, for instance—a pocket-sized country that, frankly, I was unlikely to see any other way. Given the Ovation’s relatively small size (it carries about 600 passengers), we were able to anchor close to land and had just a three-minute tender ride to shore. In the ancient walled town of Budva, I wandered into a tiny, homespun-feeling archaeological museum that displayed delicate, Roman-era glass vessels that have miraculously survived for nearly 2,000 years. In Kotor I left the crowds behind to follow stray cats in the maze of alleyways around the main square. Adriatic cruises on a luxury small-ship line like Seabourn often combine a day in Montenegro with days in Croatia, Italy, and Greece too, with a schedule that allows time to eat dinner in port, after the day-trippers and other cruise passengers have gone home.

The view from your room keeps changing.

Veranda Suite Seabourn Ovation cruise ship

The Veranda Suite on the Seabourn Ovation. Photo: Seabourn

Think back to your all-time favorite views out the window of a resort. Now imagine getting them all on a single trip. On a cruise, your view isn’t static—and you don’t have to crane your neck to find the sliver of ocean that was promised to you in the room description. If you book through a cruise specialist on The WOW List, they’ll know which side of the ship will have the most interesting panoramas and can advise whether a balcony is worth the additional cost. Every cabin on the Ovation has a balcony; my 300-square-foot Veranda Suite (the smallest category on the ship) was also large enough to allow for two separate sleeping areas, separated by a curtain.

So many logistical hassles of travel are eliminated.

The Retreat lounge area on the Seabourn Ovation cruise ship

The Retreat. Photo: Seabourn

It’s been said many times that taking a cruise means you only have to unpack once. But the removal of travel stressors goes far beyond that: No checking in and out of hotels, memorizing a new room number every day, familiarizing yourself with each hotel’s layout, guessing at the right choice from yet another breakfast buffet, or jockeying wheeled suitcases over cobblestoned streets and through train stations. On the right ship, you can also avoid the annoyance of crowds: I only had to line up once, when boarding the tenders to Kotor; and while deck chairs never became a precious commodity, I found a particularly quiet spot to the aft of the ship’s Sun Deck.

Dining options abound and room service is free.

The Colonnade dining area on the Seabourn Ovation cruise ship

The Colonnade dining area. Photo: Seabourn

Many boutique resorts have just one or two dining rooms. On the Ovation, I had five varied and excellent restaurants to choose from; I never had to eat from a buffet if I didn’t want to, and the only restaurant requiring a reservation was the Thomas Keller-helmed Grill. There was no charge for room service, which the wait staff was happy to bring in courses, and complimentary Champagne and caviar were available 24 hours a day. Seabourn’s all-inclusive pricing includes a wide selection of complimentary wines, and I learned that if I wanted something different from what they were pouring that night, all I had to do was ask.

You can eat al fresco in your bathrobe.

Meal on cruise ship balcony Seabourn Ovation

Eating on our balcony. Photo: Brook Wilkinson

It was over breakfast on our balcony that my travel companion fell hard for the boating life (see I Thought I Was Too Cool for Cruising). Remember that ever-changing view? It can be the backdrop for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And while the dress code on Seabourn rarely goes beyond a collared shirt or a blouse, terrycloth will do just fine on your private veranda.

Next time you’re looking for a restorative getaway but you’d rather see more of the world than the confines of a single resort, you might consider a cruise. I know I will.

Sunrise balcony view Seabourn Ovation cruise ship

Sunrise from our balcony.

Disclosure: Our writer was offered a complimentary cruise on the new Seabourn Ovation’s very first voyage. In keeping with WendyPerrin.com standard practice, coverage was not guaranteed and remains at our editorial discretion. You can read the signed agreement between WendyPerrin.com and Seabourn here.

How and Where to Avoid the Crowds in Spain

Leave a reply

A whopping 8 percent jump in international visitors in 2017 made Spain the second most visited country in the world (after France; the U.S. has been bumped to third place), and yet, much of the country remains relatively unexplored. Here, we help you zero in on the less-touristed areas that are most colorful and charming—along with the best way to experience them:

The Basque Coast

Beach and colorful houses of San Sebastian, Spain

San Sebastian, Spain, is a good base for exploring the Basque Coast. Photo: Shutterstock

The flysch of the Basque Country and the cliffs overlooking the Atlantic in Galicia are coastal areas known for their natural beauty rather than large beach resorts. The seaside town of San Sebastián is a good base for exploring the Basque Coast. The city itself is walkable, and it’s known for its food scene—there are so many Michelin-star restaurants that it’s hard to have a bad meal. Many visitors stay put except for a side trip to the Guggenheim in Bilbao, but it’s a good idea to hire a guide or rent a car and explore the coast; you’ll find lots of charming seaside villages where you can stop for lunch or a hike. The 100-million-year-old rock formations along the Flysch Route can be seen at Itzurun Beach, near the Algorri Visitor Center in Zumaia.

Asturias

This province in northwest Spain is a wonderful stop for nature lovers, with a beautiful landscape, rolling mountains, hiking routes, and a scenic coastline. Highlights include Picos de Europa National Park and numerous pre-Romanesque monuments, particularly in Oviedo. There are lots of tiny rural villages and seaside towns, and the beaches are less crowded and touristy than in other parts of Spain, because they’re the beaches where people who live in the town go. The best hotels are not right on the beach but slightly inland; check out the Parador de Cangas de Onís, a former monastery in Picos de Europa National Park, and La Posada de Babel in the seaside village of Llanos.

León

León is a vibrant city with great museums, restaurants, and—somewhat unusual in a smaller city—a thriving nightlife scene, especially in the Barrio Húmedo, where you’ll find bars specializing in gin, cider, beer, and, of course, wine. One of the few tourist venues that get crowded is the Gothic cathedral, an architectural gem— León is on the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage route. Other cultural highlights of a tour of León: Gaudí’s Casa Bontines, the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo, Museo León, and the Convento de San Marcos.

A gastronomy capital, León is known for the heavier cuisine of the north—cured meats, cheeses—and is close to some good wineries. A good day-trip is to rent a car and drive 90 minutes to an area called Toro, known for its full-bodied red wines. About 45 minutes from León is the restaurant and farm of El Capricho de Jimenez, world-famous for its ox.

A good place to stay is the Hostal de San Marcos (aka the Parador de León), a converted 16th-century stone monastery that is one of most beautiful historic hotels in Europe.

Menorca

For a dip in the Mediterranean, head to Menorca, the least crowded of the Balearic Islands, and the most relaxed. As a result it’s great for families—or anyone who prefers to avoid the beach parties and all-night discos found on Menorca’s sister islands Ibiza and Mallorca. Many of the most charming hotels are slightly inland—although not right on the sea, they have a pool. Two good choices are the whitewashed converted farm buildings of Torralbenc, a luxury property with a spa and pretty views, and Alcaufar Vell, a stone farmhouse that dates to the fourteenth century.

Many of the most charming hotels are slightly inland—although not right on the sea, they have a pool. Two good choices are the whitewashed converted farm buildings of Torralbenc, a luxury property with a spa and pretty views, and Alcaufar Vell, a stone farmhouse that dates to the fourteenth century.

To ensure that you experience some of the local culture beyond your resort, rent a car or hire a guide and see what the island’s small towns and small beaches have to offer. Two beaches beloved by locals are Macarela and Mitjana.

Tips for Negotiating Packed Venues

• Don’t sleep in. In Spain, things tend to run later, so you’ll avoid the crowds if you start your day early.

• Don’t wait in line to buy a ticket. Either hire an expert guide or purchase your tickets in advance, for a time slot at the beginning of the day.

• Take a tip from the Spanish playbook and eat a late dinner, when it’s much cooler. Or take advantage of the late hours and get up early and enjoy watching as the town or city around you comes to life.

• Many museums, like the Alhambra in Granada and La Pedrera in Barcelona, have nighttime visiting hours. It’s a way to visit when it’s less crowded, and not as hot.

• It’s worth hiring a guide for the big museums, like the Alhambra and La Pedrera. The guides know what’s important and what’s worth skipping, and they can get you past a big crowd because they know the museum staff.

• The last few hours of the day are free entry at the Museo Reina Sofía and the Prado in Madrid, and those are terrible times to go. You’ll see lines forming hours before they start letting people in.

• Once inside the museum, you’ll be happier with a human guide than an audioguide, which will send you on the same crowded path with everyone else wearing headphones. So either study up on the museums before you enter, or hire a guide to show you the most interesting spots using a different route than the ones most people will be taking.

How to Avoid the Crowds in Europe

5 Replies

If you’re planning a trip to Europe this summer, you’ll want to arm yourself with a few strategies to avoid the kinds of bottlenecks—long lines, traffic jams, sold-out venues—that can hamper a European vacation. We asked Wendy’s Trusted Travel Experts to give us a few strategies for navigating tourist hot spots and to steer us toward some of their favorite lesser-known finds—seaside villages, scenic drives, urban centers, island getaways, and historic sites that attract smaller crowds but are every bit as lovely as their more popular rivals. Here are a few of their insider tips for Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, and the UK.

France

Visit the Louvre at night. Photo: EdiNugraha/Pixabay

Instead of visiting Versailles, consider Vaux Le Vicomte. This château was actually the inspiration for Versailles, so why not see the first one? It has a lot of history, and it’s amazing to visit and definitely less crowded.

Instead of visiting the Louvre first thing in the morning when everyone tries to arrive early to avoid the crowds, it’s a much better option to go during the late-night hours (Wednesday and Friday nights).

Don’t wait to buy tickets to key monuments. Prebooking tickets is always the best idea for popular attractions such as the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, and the Catacombs. These lines can all be hours long if tickets are not prebooked.

—Jennifer Virgilio, one of Wendy’s Trusted Travel Experts for France. Read more of Jennifer’s tips in her Insider’s Guide to Paris with Perks, and use Wendy’s trip request form to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

the hilltop village of Gordes, Provence, France

Provence and its pretty villages, like Gordes, are incredibly popular so try to visit in shoulder season. Photo: Pixabay

Visit Provence in the off-season. Provence and the French Riviera together comprise the second-most-popular destination in France and one of Europe’s leading vacation hot spots. To avoid the crowds at the iconic sights, go out of season (May, June, and September). However, in every region there are yet-to-be discovered areas, and here is no exception.

Explore La Provence Verte, an area off the beaten tourist track. La Provence Verte, or the Haut Var, is an area situated between Provence and the Riviera and just to the north of St-Tropez. It is a perfect stop when traveling from one to the other and also where you can spend several blissful days. It has some exceptional vineyards and is truffled with beautiful villages, such as Tourtour, Cotignac, Sillans-la-Cascade, Bagnols en Foret, Seillans, Fayence—to name but a few. There are also some wonderful craftsmen, notably in Salernes, where ceramic artists have moved on from making tiles to some of the most wonderful artistic creations for every taste.

Arrange a private chateau visit. The 12th-century Cistercian abbey of Le Thoronet is also on the Haut Var bucket list, as is the privately owned Chateau d’Entrecasteau, where visits with the owner can be organized. To crown it all, a lunch at Bruno’s truffle restaurant will leave one of the most lasting memories of all of the incredible meals you have ever had in your life!

—Philip Haslett, one of Wendy’s Trusted Travel Experts for France. Read more of Philip’s tips in his Insider’s Guide to Provence and the French Riviera, and use Wendy’s trip request form to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

Italy

Don’t overlook Puglia, Italy. Photo: Pixabay/newneo47

Instead of Tuscany, savvy travelers should consider Umbria, a region right next door dotted with beautiful towns like Perugia and Assisi.

Think Puglia. In the Gargano area of Puglia, you find inexpensive osterias and trattorias that offer great food, and the sea is amazing, with hundreds of sandy beaches.

And Bergamo. Bergamo is one of the most important cities in Northern Italy, both historically and artistically. Bergamo Alta is by far the most beautiful and interesting part of the city.

And Maratea. The small town of Maratea in the region of Basilicata is a hidden gem with a beautiful coastline, great food, and lovely people.

Purchase advance tickets online for the Accademia Gallery, the Uffizi Gallery, the Vatican Museums, the Colosseum, the Doge’s Palace, and other major attractions. That way, you won’t have to wait in line when you get there.

—Andrea Grisdale, one of Wendy’s Trusted Travel Experts for Italy. Read more of Andrea’s tips in her Insider’s Guides to the Amalfi Coast and Italy’s Lakes Region, and use Wendy’s trip request form to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

Portugal

Stay outside Lisbon; Estoril, home of the Queluz Palace, is a good choice. Photo: Estoril Tourism Board

In the Lisbon area, base yourself in Estoril. The resort town of Estoril, 20 miles west of Lisbon, is a good base for tours of the capital and surrounding area. Another good choice is Arrabida.

In the eastern Alentejo, base yourself in Monsaraz. Everyone stays in the Evora area, but Monsaraz is incredibly beautiful, with great boutique properties from which you can explore Spain and Portugal.

In the Douro Valley, base yourself in the Côa Valley. Everyone stays in the area where the Six Senses Spa is located, but all the best quintas for wine are in the Côa Valley, the area of the Douro that is closer to Spain.

—Virginia Irurita, one of Wendy’s Trusted Travel Experts for Portugal. Read more of Virginia’s tips in her Insider’s Guides to the Algarve and the Alentejo, Portugal, and use Wendy’s trip request form to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

the colorful yellow and red turrets of Pena Palace, Sintra, Portugal

Know when to go to Pena Palace, in Sintra. Photo: Pixabay

Know when to go to Sintra’s Pena Palace. The most popular day-trip from Lisbon is Sintra, a castle-studded small town set above a rocky coastline in the forested hills of Parque Natural de Sintra-Cascais, and the most popular attraction in Sintra is the Pena Palace, an outstanding example of the Romanticism style of architecture. The Pena Palace is the last stop on most tours of Sintra, so your best bet is to arrive at its entrance at 9 a.m., when the ticket office opens, and to be among the first visitors to enter at 9:30 a.m. Weekdays are generally less crowded than weekends, but the only sure way to sidestep the crowd is to spring for a private (and pricey) after-hours tour.

Or skip Pena Palace for a less crowded but just-as-beautiful alternative. Also in Sintra, the Quinta da Regaleira is not nearly as crowded as the Pena Palace, but it is stunning, with beautiful gardens and manmade hidden tunnels (there are fascinating tales related to the beautiful Portuguese masonry). The small Convent of Capuchos and the Monserrate Palace are also a lot less crowded than the Pena Palace.

Some lines are worth the wait; others aren’t. The 16th-century Jerónimos Monastery is Lisbon’s most impressive monument. There are always two lines: one line to buy tickets to visit the cloisters, chapter house, etc., which is normally huge; and a different line to visit the actual church (the most impressive part of the building), which normally isn’t that long. You can easily skip the cloisters and visit the church with hardly any waiting time.

Don’t stand in line to see Porto’s famous bookstore. Livraria Lello, in Porto, is one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world, and the lines are just hard to believe. Purchasing a ticket from the Lello website in advance will spare you the long wait to get in.

Another popular day-trip from Lisbon is the town of Óbidos, but don’t go on weekends. It will be full of Portuguese families and huge excursions from the senior day-care centers. Go there during the week.

Go medieval. The medieval castle and walled village of Marvão, lost in the middle of the Alentejo landscape, is a place where you really feel you are in very deep Portugal. You will certainly have no crowds here.

Arrange an after-hours tour of Porto’s most visited site. Palácio da Bolsa, the magnificent Neoclassical palace in Porto, is deservedly the most visited monument in northern Portugal. Go after hours, when you can have the entire museum to yourself.

—Gonçalo Correia, one of Wendy’s Trusted Travel Experts for Portugal. Read more of Gonçalo’s tips in his Insider’s Secrets to Portugal, and use Wendy’s trip request form to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

Spain

Montserrat is a great day excursion outside Barcelona, but avoid visiting in the morning if you want to beat the crowds. Photo: Pixabay

The time of day can make all the difference in the quality of your visit to Spain. Montserrat is a great day excursion outside Barcelona, but avoid visiting in the morning. Go after lunch. The place has half the visitors, and the Boys’ Choir sings on most evenings. Likewise, tour the cities of Toledo, Córdoba, and Ronda after lunch. Most of the crowd will be gone.

In high season, stay in hotels outside the city you are visiting, or in a non-touristy neighborhood: If you’re visiting Seville, stay in Carmona, a beautiful city with a great food market and an incredible parador housed in a castle. If you’re visiting Barcelona, stay in the Gracia Quarter. And if you’re visiting Madrid, stay in Toledo, Segovia, or Alcalá de Henares, a beautiful small city declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its university. Alcalá has a great parador, a great street full of tapas bars, and it’s very close to Madrid.

For a quiet getaway, go to La Granja, a beautiful town built around a great royal palace with an incredible garden, or Cáceres, in the Extremadura region, which has a great hotel with a three-Michelin-star restaurant called Atrio.

—Virginia Irurita, one of Wendy’s Trusted Travel Experts for Spain. Read more of Virginia’s tips in her Insider’s Guides to Madrid, Barcelona, and Andalusia, and use Wendy’s trip request form to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

sailboats moored in turquoise water off a rocky shore in Menorca Spain

Menorca is the least crowded of Spain’s Balearic Islands. Photo: Pixabay

Instead of Ibiza and Mallorca, find peace and quiet on Menorca. If it just isn’t summer vacation without lying by the pool or taking a dip in the Mediterranean, head to Menorca, the least crowded of the Balearic Islands. The locals are friendly, and the vibe is relaxed. It’s great for families, or really anyone who would rather skip the beach parties and all-night discos found on Menorca’s sister islands, Ibiza and Mallorca.

Trade large beach resorts for coastal areas known for their natural beauty. The flysch in the Basque Country and the cliffs overlooking the Atlantic in Galicia are two of my favorite spots.

Architecture buffs will love the grand monuments of Leon, such as the Gothic Cathedral and Gaudi’s Casa Botines. It’s also got vibrant nightlife (check out Barrio Húmedo) and delicious local cuisine.

Asturias, in northern Spain, is a wonderful stop for nature lovers, with a beautiful landscape, rolling mountains, hiking routes, and scenic coastline. Highlights of Asturias include the Picos de Europa, an incredible natural park, and numerous pre-Romanesque monuments, particularly in Oviedo.

For big museums, like the Alhambra, hire a guide. A guide knows what’s important and what’s worth skipping; they’ll take you on a different circuit from the audio guides; and they know the people who work there, so they can sometimes slip you in ahead of a big group.

Ask Wendy if you’re seeking the best Spain expert to plan your trip.

United Kingdom and Ireland

Ireland

Ireland’s Beara Peninsula is just as gorgeous as the Ring of Kerry, and has much less traffic. Photo: Celebrated Experiences

The Ring of Kerry isn’t the only gorgeous drive. While the Ring of Kerry is so well known and often crowded in high season, there are many other gorgeous coastal drives in the southwest of Ireland, such as West Cork and the Beara Peninsula.

When you fly into Dublin, instead of heading south or west, go north. Belfast is an incredible city—so popular with Europeans yet still fairly off the beaten path for Americans. It is only two hours north of Dublin, and you can use it as a base to discover the great coastal drives of Northern Ireland, such as the Causeway Coast. It is also central to many Game of Thrones sites; world-class golf, such as Royal County Down and Portrush; the Giants Causeway; and so much more. Also, when you choose to go north, you can then make a second stop in County Donegal, which has some of Ireland’s best scenery and outdoor activities, such as horseback riding, hiking, rock climbing, surfing, and golf.

Take advantage of timed entries, a feature offered by more and more sites in Ireland. You purchase your tickets in advance and it limits the number of people at each time. The Guinness Storehouse, Kilmainham Gaol, Trinity College, and now Newgrange all have timed entries, which is great.

Scotland

Explore the Glencoe Highlands. Photo: Jonathan Epstein

Let the crowds have the Isle of Skye, and explore the Northern Highlands instead. The Isle of Skye has become so crowded, and there are so many other parts of Scotland with truly majestic scenery that you can visit without the crowds. Some favorites are along the NC500, a great coastal road in the Northern Highlands. You can also take wonderful day trips by ferry from Oban, such as Mull. Ayrshire is a beautiful coastal area overlooking the Irish Sea, and a fun day trip from there is the isle of Ailsa Craig, where most of the word’s curling stones are made.

England

The south front of Chartwell, the home of Sir Winston Churchill between 1922 and 1964, Kent.

Chartwell, the home of Sir Winston Churchill between 1922 and 1964, is in Kent. Photo: National Trust

Some of England’s best off-the-beaten-path areas are on the southern coast. In the Sussex area there are beautiful historic properties such as Gravetye Manor and Amberley Castle, fascinating historic towns such as Arundel, fantastic gardens like Sissinghurst, historic homes like Chartwell (Churchill’s house) and castles like Hever (Anne Boleyn’s family). A bit further west you come to the New Forest and Dorset. Two of England’s best hotels are in the area: Chewton Glen and Lympstone Manor. A great day out is a visit to the Jurassic Coast.

—Jonathan Epstein, one of Wendy’s Trusted Travel Experts for the UK and Ireland. Read more of Jonathan’s tips in his Insider’s Guides to the Cotswolds, and use Wendy’s trip request form to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

A Chartered Yacht Trip:
Start with our Questionnaire

Leave a reply

This pandemic has unleashed unprecedented travel hurdles, as well as opportunities, and we’re monitoring them all. Are you seeking a private, easy, custom-tailored, top-quality trip that minimizes the risk to you and others? We’ll recommend your smartest options and the best trip-planning fixer for your specific situation, and we’ll ensure you get VIP service. Here’s how it works:

1. Answer the questions below. Your information is kept private.
2. Press Submit.
3. Expect a reply within 24 hours (or 48 hours on weekends).

Tell us about the trip you want

The more detail, the better we can help you.

•Do you have an itinerary in mind? Where do you want to go, or are you looking for ideas?

•Who are you traveling with? (If kids, what are their ages?)

•What are your biggest concerns or things you want to avoid?

•What’s your biggest goal for this trip? What would make it most memorable?
Tell us about yourself, your travel companions, and your goals and needs for this trip.*
Where are you starting from, and how long a flight are you comfortable with? How do you envision navigating around the destination—e.g., private vehicle with driver? Rental car you drive yourself? Public transportation?
Tell us what transportation you prefer and how long a flight or drive you’re comfortable with.*
Staying there:

Do you have a type of accommodations in mind (e.g., 4-star, 5-star, historic inn, state-of-the-art resort, family villa. private yacht, small expedition ship)? Is there a past hotel experience you’re seeking something similar to? If you have already booked accommodations, let us know.
Tell us about the places you’ve stayed in that you’ve liked, and what you would like now.*
Estimated Departure Date*
Estimated Trip Length (in Days)*
Total Trip Budget (in U.S. dollars, excluding airfare):*

How much do you want to spend for a WOW-caliber trip (incl. rooms, vehicles, excursions, meals, unique experiences, and the savviest drivers/guides/expediters to spare you headaches and wasted time)? Your answer will dictate the locations, trip dates, and experiences we will suggest.
Tell us about your travel budget*
Where should we send your personalized recommendation?
First Name*
Last Name*
For this trip to count toward a WOW Moment, use the same email address you’ve used to submit trip requests to WendyPerrin.com in the past.*
Enter Email Confirm Email

For this trip to count toward a WOW Moment, use the same email address you’ve used to submit trip requests to WendyPerrin.com in the past.
Phone
How did you hear about Wendy?
Have you used a WOW List travel specialist before? If so, who?*
- Yes
- No
Name of travel specialist(s) you've used before
Do you have a WOW Moment certificate you’d like to use? If so, please enter the first four digits of the certificate number. Qualifying rules apply for certificate redemption.
First 4 digits only
If you are submitting via an iPad or mobile device and do not receive an email confirmation from WendyPerrin.com within 1 hour, please email questions@wendyperrin.com, and let us know.

6 Otherworldly Escapes That Feel More Remote Than They Are

Leave a reply

If you’re like me, you crave that feeling of being cut off from the world, and you’ll travel far to get it, whether that means trekking to the Arctic Circle to see the northern lights or sailing to secret atolls in French Polynesia. The good news: There are places I’ve found that give you that remote feeling but don’t require venturing to the ends of the earth via five inconvenient flights, two ferries, and a dogsled. These places let you lose yourself in vast landscapes and give you the space, scenery, seclusion—and sometimes even silence—that, to my mind, make a trip extraordinary.

East Brother Light Station, San Francisco Bay

East Brother Light Station is on an island in San Francisco Bay, only 12 miles from downtown. Photo: Tim Baker

Tens of thousands of cars drive past it every day on a bridge a couple of miles away, yet nobody knows it’s there. It’s an historic-landmark lighthouse inn known as East Brother Light Station, on a tiny island in the northern reaches of San Francisco Bay. It’s just a 30-minute drive from downtown San Francisco, plus a short boat ride, yet it feels like a world away. There’s little on the island besides the 144-year-old active lighthouse, the bed-and-breakfast inn, and a historic foghorn. And, besides the baby seagulls nesting on the rocky islet next door, the occasional yacht or fishing boat passing by, and the San Francisco skyline in the distance, there’s not all that much to see. But there’s also almost nobody to see you—and that makes it a rare escape.

Fogo Island Inn, Newfoundland

Fogo Island Inn, Newfoundland. Photo: Tim Baker

Fogo Island, off the north coast of Newfoundland, feels like the edge of the world. When you wake up at the Fogo Island Inn, look out your window, and see nothing but immense ocean—sometimes with icebergs floating past like sculptures on the sea—you realize that the closest landfall in that direction is probably Greenland. Then you remember that you’re really just in Canada, about a two-hour drive and ferry ride from Gander (or you can fly your own plane from Gander, as we did. There are flights to Gander from many U.S. hubs via Toronto or Halifax.)

a hotel room at Fogo Island Inn Newfoundland

At Fogo Island Inn, rooms face the North Atlantic. You can see forever, but nobody can see you. Photo: Tim Baker

Fogo Island is unlike any place you’ve ever been because the people have a unique, soulful culture and a deep-rooted sense of hospitality, and because the Inn connects you with both. It captures the soul of its community, quite literally: The structure was built by the locals, as was nearly everything inside it—from the furniture handcrafted by the island’s traditional boat builders to the bedding woven by local quiltmakers to the hook mats whose images tell the story of the island and its people. Guests are welcomed into people’s homes and art studios and woven into the fabric of the community as if they were long lost relatives. Three nights on Fogo Island may well restore your soul more than three nights just about anywhere else. It will certainly leave you with more new friends.

Transparency disclosure: Yes, the Fogo Island Inn is an advertiser. But I visited and fell in love with the Inn and its people, community, and concept long before this website was conceived.

Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, France (in North America)

Saint-Pierre et Miquelon L'Ile Aux Marins

Saint-Pierre and Miquelon’s Ile Aux Marins (Sailor’s Island). Photo: Tim Baker

Did you know there’s a piece of France in North America? Saint-Pierre and Miquelon is the last remaining part of the French colonial empire in North America that remains under French control. It’s a windswept archipelago of eight islands that lies off Canada’s east coast, about 16 miles south of Newfoundland. So, when we were en route to Fogo Island (see above), we couldn’t resist making a little detour and checking out SPM.

Saint-Pierre and Miquelon’s Ile Aux Marins (Sailor’s Island). Photo: Tim Baker

Long story short, don’t go expecting fabulous French food, shopping, or culture. Go to discover an isolated oddity with a unique heritage, a guillotine, and a Basque festival. The easiest way to get there is to fly from Montreal, Halifax, or St. John’s (Newfoundland’s fun and charming capital city that is worth an even longer detour).

Sonora Resort, British Columbia

aerial view of Sonora Resort in the Discovery Islands, British Columbia

Sonora Resort in the Discovery Islands, British Columbia. Photo: Tim Baker

A fishing lodge set on its own island in western Canada’s Discovery Islands, Sonora Resort feels much farther away than just a 50-minute helicopter or sea plane flight from Vancouver International Airport. Or you can take a 2.5-hour sea plane flight from Seattle. The air and water are crystal clear, the scenery magnificent, the wildlife abundant, and the fishing opportunities world-class. You can even take a day trip, as we did, to go snorkeling with salmon. For more photos, see My Extreme Week in Canada.

Qasr al Sarab, Abu Dhabi

Qasr al Sarab, Abu Dhabi. Photo: Tim Baker

It may be all the way in Abu Dhabi, but logistically it’s much easier to get to than the similarly spectacular desert landscapes I’ve seen elsewhere in the world—say, in Morocco or Jordan. Qasr al Sarab is just a three-hour drive, on great roads, from Dubai International Airport (a huge hub that is easy to reach via non-stop flights). But it feels like another planet. Sand dunes stretch as far as your eye can see in every direction—and the way those dunes change color, as the light shifts throughout the day, is mesmerizing.

Qasr al Sarab camel caravan, Abu Dhabi. Photo: Tim Baker

If getting lost in the dunes isn’t adventure enough for you, there’s always camel riding, sandboarding, dune bashing…. So, the next time you’ve got a layover in Dubai, make it three or four nights and head to the desert for something completely different than wherever you just came from.

Dune bashing at Qasr al Sarab, Abu Dhabi. Photo: Tim Baker

Your private balcony on a cruise ship

Wendy Perrin on Allure of the Seas cruise ship balcony

Yours truly aboard Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas in the Caribbean. Photo: Tim Baker

In some ways, a cruise ship is like an island, only one that floats past new scenery every day. As long as you have your own private veranda where you can see forever but nobody can see you, you can enjoy that remote feeling as you ply the water toward a new port every day. Not only do you get vast landscape all to yourself, but you get ever-changing views. Even if you don’t have a balcony, you can get that remote feeling by staking out a secluded spot on deck. It’s true: No matter how crowded a ship, you can always find a hiding place on deck where nobody else is. Even on Royal Caribbean’s 6,500-passenger Allure of the Seas—the world’s second largest cruise ship—I found this public hiding place. Here’s what else I did on that ship.

How to Never Wait in Line at a Tourist Attraction Again

Leave a reply

Why waste your precious vacation time battling crowds and waiting in lines? Popular tourist sites the world over grow more congested every year and, sadly, the typical fixes—reserving an entry time, booking a “skip-the-line tour”—are not always a good solution. So I thought I’d share the best fixes I’ve found.

Reserving a time slot might make sense at an indoor museum (I wouldn’t show up at Rome’s Borghese Gallery or Florence’s Uffizi without one), but not necessarily at an outdoor monument. When I go to Paris, for instance, I want to hit the Eiffel Tower on a sunny, clear day; what if my entry time, reserved weeks in advance, coincides with rain and fog? Furthermore, I want to take my kids to the Louvre on a rainy day; what if I book skip-the-line tickets for what turns out to be a gorgeous day that we’d rather spend in the Jardin du Luxembourg? As for “skip-the-line tours,” aside from the fact that you can end up herded around in a big group with an annoying guide, they’re often not what they claim to be. A skip-the-line tour of the Vatican might get you past the ticket-buying line but not the security line. I’d rather be one of the handful of travelers who gets to eat breakfast at the Vatican and see it before it opens to the public.

By far the best way I’ve found to avoid crowds and bypass lines is to book your trip through the right travel fixer—someone who knows every insider trick at your destination and can leverage his/her superlative relationships there on your behalf. Such destination specialists can get you into sites at off-hours when they are empty and even into places that are off-limits to the public. The right person can get you past the mobs at Angkor Wat or ensure a crowd-free sunset at the Taj Mahal. You can even have Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia all to yourself. These Trusted Travel Experts can, in fact, arrange an entire trip that spares you from every line. And all you need to do is show up.

But if you prefer to D.I.Y. your trip, here are strategies that have worked well for me:

Find out if there’s a side or back entrance.

To avoid long lines, try an alternative entrance, like through the Rose Center for Earth and Science at the American Museum of Natural History. Photo: ©AMNH/D

Sometimes there is an alternate entrance with a shorter line or none at all. In Paris, my family entered the Louvre via the Porte des Lions and saved ourselves from an hour-long line at the Pyramid entrance. At the Museum of Natural History in New York City, if there’s a line at the Central Park West entrance, you can enter via the Rose Center for Earth and Space or via the 81st Street subway station.

Go at sunrise.

A lot of people assume sunset is best, but at many outdoor iconic monuments—Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Mount Sinai in Egypt, Petra in Jordan—sunrise is better. You get equally great light for photos but fewer crowds to spoil them. Sunrise is better for seeing neighborhoods too. In popular destinations that are touristy from 9 am till midnight, it’s from 6 to 9 am that you can see the locals living their everyday lives—green grocers opening their stalls, kids going to school, fishermen delivering their catch to the fish market, etc.

crowd in front of the Mona Lisa at the Louvre Paris France

Visit museums on a night they’re open late and you’ll likely avoid mobs like this one, in front of the Mona Lisa at the Louvre. Photo: Wendy Perrin

Go at night.

Not all landmarks are accessible at night, but those that are are usually worth seeing at that time. The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., for instance, is beautifully lit and especially poignant at night. Park rangers are actually there to answer your questions until 10 pm. Remember that world-class museums are usually open on at least one night of the week. London’s Tate Modern, as just one example, stays open till 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The Eiffel Tower admits visitors until midnight in summertime—and sparkles at night too.

night skyline of Washington DC with Lincoln Memorial Washington Monument and Capitol building

Some famous attractions, like the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. are more beautiful at night—and less crowded. Photo: Pixabay

Take the stairs.

A two-hour line at the Eiffel Tower. Photo courtesy Tim Baker.

A two-hour line at the Eiffel Tower elevators—which we skipped by taking the stairs. Photo: Tim Baker.

I’m no athlete, but I’ve climbed to the tops of dozens of bell towers, fortresses, palaces, and cathedrals, and I am here to tell you that the effort has always been well worth it, not just because of the views but because the great majority of visitors don’t make it there. Sometimes the journey itself is a highlight. If you’ve ever followed the circuitous, increasingly narrow route into the cupola of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, you know what I mean. My family saved at least two hours at the Eiffel Tower by climbing the 670 steps to the second floor and taking the elevator from there to the top, rather than waiting in the scary elevator line at the base.

Buy the right pass.

aerial view of Venice Italy and surrounding water

Venice, Italy. Photo: Pixabay

Some cities sell city museum passes that let you bypass the line. For instance, the Paris Museum Pass and the Vienna Pass let you skip the line at dozens of museums and monuments in those cities. If you don’t need a multi-day museum pass because there’s really only one museum you want to see, sometimes you can buy a combination ticket for just three or four related museums (the world-famous one you want to see, plus other lesser museums you’re not interested in). Buy the combo ticket at one of the lesser museums with no line, then use it to skip the line at the museum you want. For example, in Venice, a ticket to the four Museums of St. Mark’s Square allowed me to skip the line at the Doge’s Palace.

Arrive at the visitor center before it opens.

World-famous sites with visitor centers tend to attract a lot of tour buses. You want to arrive long before they do. At Gettysburg, for instance, be the first inside the Museum and Visitor Center when it opens at 8:00 am (April 1 – Oct 31). If you have no reservation for the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, get there before it opens at 7:00 am because that’s when tickets for that day are available on a first-come first-served basis.

30 Ways to Feel Like a Local When You Travel

2 Replies

My aunt Ruth, a wise woman, once popped into a city hall and asked to speak with the mayor. The mayor was produced, and Aunt Ruth said, “I bring you greetings from Ringwood, New Jersey!” The mayor, whose town was also called Ringwood, responded with a guided tour. It was one of the highlights of Aunt Ruth’s only trip to England.

It took me years to learn how to do this sort of thing. Meanwhile, I wasted some unique opportunities. I once moved to a town where the local beauty shop was called the Bull Cheka Hair Salon and Tire Repair, and guess what: I never even went inside! Instead, I drove by the Bull Cheka approximately 5,000 times, burning with curiosity. I didn’t need my hair braided or my tires repaired, but I did need female company. I should have invented any excuse—a sudden need for a manicure or a henna rinse—to get myself through that door.

Since then, I’ve become a lot more like Aunt Ruth. You can only learn so much about a place without getting to know the people. It does no good to hang back. You must get out there and meet people. Make friends. Here’s how.

1) Rent a home. Do not stay in a hotel. This is elementary. Hotels are for people from out of town. Rent a house or an apartment in a neighborhood where people buy vegetables, do laundry, and get their hair done.

2) Start your day at a coffee bar. Make small talk with the barista. Do this every day. Same bar, same time, same drink, same barista. Be part of a neighborhood’s morning commute.

3) Go to a community event—a church supper, a croquet tournament, a trade show for farm equipment—and learn as much as you can. Pick something outside your comfort zone and don’t be afraid to sound stupid. There are actually people who come to life when you ask them what a driveshaft is.

4) Carry a sketchbook. Discover the contemplative magic of sitting in a public place and sketching rooftops and telephone wires. Why should you do this? To avoid taking hundreds of photos with your smartphone, and to practice paying attention.

5) Likewise, lose the earbuds. Life is a sensory experience. Stop, look, and listen. My first-grade teacher taught me that.

6) Volunteer. Trash Removal Day at the local playground? Grab a plastic bag and go.

When Wendy’s family visited Sri Lanka, they spent the day volunteering at a local school, where her sons made fast friends with the students. Photo: Tim Baker.

7) Let your passions guide you. There are people all over the world who love knitting, dachshunds, backgammon, vintage motorcycles, Italian hand puppets, you name it. Go to your Web browser and find them. Be creative with your use of search words. Try typing the name of your destination plus “chat english” or “community events.” To find the places where local people gather, you’ll need to make Google your friend.

8) Find a local chapter of your 12-step group. A New York stage actor told me about attending an AA meeting in Colombia; he was the only one in the room who didn’t speak Spanish. Top that for nerve.

9) Register at Meetup.com. The site lists all kinds of local events, many of them free. It has led me to Zumba classes, French lessons, woodland hikes, and a Scottish lady who taught me to darn socks.

10) Follow the students. University neighborhoods are magnets for the young, the intellectually curious, and the frugal. Poetry bars and kimchi pancakes are found here.

11) Patronize local markets and shopping malls, and don’t just stroll around taking pictures of the wares. Vendors hate that. Instead, learn how to prepare a local dish and buy all the necessary ingredients, including the spices. Now prepare the dish.

12) Brave the supermarket. If you really want to sample local life, you’ve got to shop at a grocery store. I can promise you an adventure. I once found a rack of leopard-print bras next to a refrigerator advertising “live bait.”

13) Talk to strangers. If the stranger is wearing a frog costume and carrying a blowtorch, disregard this rule.

14) Take public transportation. Every time you ride the bus you become part of the human pageant. It’s like stepping into a Bruegel painting. There is comedy, romance, and drama. This doesn’t happen in a cab.

15) Go for a run. If you don’t want to run alone, find a running club. In Tanzania, I ran with the Hash House Harriers; in Togo, my companions were the local gendarmes. There is always someone to run with.

Find a running group to join; you’ll meet people and see more of the place you’re visiting.

16) Visit a church, a synagogue, a mosque, or a temple. Every major religion has a tradition of welcoming the stranger. You’re a stranger, so be welcomed.

17) Be sporty. Ride a bicycle, fly a kite, join a game of pickup basketball, climb a rock. If you don’t know how to climb a rock, find someone to teach you.

Anantara Peace Haven Resort in Tangalle, Sri Lanka

Bath time at the lake, on Wendy’s family trip to Sri Lanka.

18) Go to a communal bathhouse. I have not done this. I am too chicken. But I’m told by experts that it is the best way to immerse yourself in local culture.

19) Visit the local swimming hole. This one I can handle. Bring a towel and don’t expect the water to be even close to body temperature.

20) Go to the port and ask a fisherman to take you fishing. Be prepared to get up early.

21) From a musician friend: “If you hear music or singing, follow it, and maybe join in, if they’ll let you.” I wish I had thought of this one. I once heard somebody whistling Handel’s Messiah from an upper storey as I walked through a village in France. I wonder what would have happened if I had whistled back.

22) Go to an art gallery at lunchtime and take the owner out for a sandwich.

23) Join the club. Rotarians, Rastafarians, and writers of romance novels all belong to organizations. Reach out to them and say hi.

24) Visit an ESL classroom and let the students interview you.

25) Look for an anglophone society. That’s how I made friends when I moved to France. I googled “anglophone club” and the name of my town, et voila! Lectures, classes, and activities galore.

26) Go to a park. Not the kind that birders like, with quiet woodland trails. You want dogs and balls and kids and ponies and rowboats and ice skates for rent. Couples walking hand in hand. Furtive adolescents. A hurdy-gurdy man.

27) Never choose a restaurant because it’s safe. Dining out should be an adventure. If you can’t read the menu and have to order with your hands, you’re off to a good start.

Dali Yunnan China local lunch woman cooking

At this very local lunch spot near Dali, China, there is no menu. Diners choose to their ingredients and the cook stir-fries them up with whatever sauce she thinks best. Photo: Billie Cohen

28) Chat with bartenders. A good barman is full of wisdom.

29) Visit a barbershop or a hair salon. There are a dozen variations on this theme. My 18-year-old went to Bali and came home with a tattoo that took many hours to execute. He got to know the tattoo artist very well.

30) Buy your gifts in a hardware store. You know those dish sponges with the clear plastic handles that dispense soap? My Parisian mother-in-law fell in love with one on a trip to America. If you want a good gift, think tools.

Strategies for Flying Smarter in 2018

Leave a reply

When George Hobica founded Airfarewatchdog.com, he solved one of the most frustrating challenges for fliers: how to tell if you’re getting the best price on a flight. But suddenly, by signing up for the website’s customizable low-fare alerts, fliers were receiving key fare information and assurance right in their inboxes. Over the years, the website has continued to come up with solutions for travelers, including a hotel-deal finder and one-sheets for domestic airlines that detail fees, contact numbers, and user reviews all in one place. So when we started wondering what 2018 is likely to have in store for airline passengers and how to make the best of any changes, we went right to George. These are his top five strategies for flying smarter in 2018.

1. Economy class seating will get tighter, so it’s never been more necessary to research before you book.

Those flying in economy class will see seats spaced closer together. Visit SeatGuru to see which airlines have added extra seats to rows in economy and which have added more rows per plane. JetBlue will remain the only U.S. airline with at least 34 inches of space between rows in economy (the others may space them 30 or 31 inches apart). On the plus side, airlines are expanding their premium economy cabins on international routes, with United being the latest to announce they are adding premium cabins this year.

2. Business class will feel more private and get upgrades, so this could be a good year to consider splurging (or spending miles).

Singapore Airline's new first class suites are like mini apartments

Singapore Airline’s new first class suites feature a real bed. Photo: Singapore Airlines

Some airlines will be adding more privacy to their business class cabins, offering all-aisle access in a 1-2-1 configuration. Singapore Airlines’ new first class “Suites” will feature a real bed and a seat, not just a seat that turns into a bed (two people traveling together can turn them into a cozy double bed). British Airways is rolling out an enhanced business class cabin with quilted mattress pads and a fancier meal service.

3. You’ll fly more comfortably if you choose the right planes.

We’ll see newer planes on many more routes, but be sure to opt for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus A350, if available, on ultra-long-haul flights. These aircraft lower the equivalent altitude inside the cabin by about 2,000 feet compared to other planes, meaning you’ll breathe easier and generally feel better on long flights. They also keep more passenger-generated humidity inside the plane; your mucous membranes will thank you for choosing one of these aircraft. Boeing shows where the Dreamliner flies and on which airlines. There are many similar sources for the A350 (just do a search for “A350 routes”). Or ask a travel agent.

4. Watch for new technology that will speed and simplify boarding.

britishairways biometric boarding gates LAX

British Airways has introduced biometric boarding at LAX. Photo: British Airways

We will see more airlines automate the boarding procedure by using self-boarding via facial-recognition technology. British Airways tested this on international flights from LAX in January and eventually all airlines will use self-boarding turnstiles to speed the process and make it more secure. (Scans of U.S. passport holders are compared to their photos stored by Customs and Border Protection; scans of foreign visitors are compared to photos captured by cameras at immigration.) I recently witnessed 180 passengers self-boarding a Dreamliner in less than 20 minutes. No need to show passports or boarding passes, just look into the camera and pass through the turnstile.

5. Spend more time in airport lounges—they’re improving.

Air Canada’s business class lounge at Pearson Airport in Toronto. Photo: Air Canada

Passengers with access to airport lounges will find vastly improved pre-flight dining options. Air Canada, for example, has launched a new business class lounge at Toronto’s Pearson Airport, available only to paid business class passengers, that combines the traditional amenities found in airport lounges with a restaurant helmed by Vancouver-based celebrity chef David Hawksworth. Those operated by United, American and Delta, many of which were showing their age, are getting upgrades: new furniture, décor, and lighting, with places to charge your electronics at every seat, and a wider choice of edibles (Delta now serves a full hot breakfast in some of its Skyclubs). Most U.S. airlines will sell you a day pass for about $50 (think of it as three airport martinis plus free Wi-Fi and nibbles and it won’t sound so pricey).

9 Countries Where the U.S. Dollar Stretches Far in 2018

Leave a reply

At the start of each year, as we ponder where to go next, a good question to ask is: Where is the U.S. dollar currently strongest?

Exchange rate is, of course, only one factor that determines the cost of a trip. Other factors include airfare, the length of the tourist season at your destination (the shorter the season, the higher the prices), whether the destination attracts more business travelers or vacationers (business-travel hubs are more expensive), how many hotels your destination has (since that determines the amount of hotel competition, which determines rates), and so on. The cost of traveling in a destination (and doing what travelers do there) can be very different from the cost of living in that destination (and doing what residents do there). Still, exchange rates are helpful indicators of how much you’ll spend when you are indeed doing those things that locals do—eating where they eat, shopping where they shop, taking public transit, and so on.

All you Europhiles should know that, at this moment, one U.S. dollar is worth .84 euros —the same exchange rate as three years ago. Sadly, the days of the U.S. dollar equating to .93 euros (2016 and 2017) seem to be gone for now. So where in the world is the U.S. dollar stronger than it was three years ago? Here are nine appealing travel ideas for you:

Argentina

Argentina has been a fabulous value ever since the peso slid a whopping 30% back in 2015. Besides bargains, what else awaits you there? Read our Insider’s Guides to Buenos Aires and Mendoza wine country to find out.

Jan 2015: US $1 = 8.57 pesos
Jan 2018: US $1 = 18.66 pesos

Azerbaijan

The U.S. dollar and the Azerbaijani manat were at parity until December 2015, when the manat took a huge hit. Since then the U.S. dollar has bought twice as much as before. If you’re interested in an Azerbaijani adventure—and you should be—contact me because I’m interested too and have been investigating Azerbaijan trip-planning specialists to see who deserves a spot on The WOW List.

Jan 2015: US $1 = .78 manat
Jan 2018: US $1 = 1.70 manat

Mexico

The U.S. dollar is near a 10-year high against the Mexican peso. Learn what’s unspoiled and up-and-coming in our Insider’s Guides to Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta, and the Riviera Maya.

Jan 2015: US $1 = 14.58 pesos
Jan 2018: US $1 = 19.10 pesos

Brazil

Five to ten years ago, travel to and in Brazil was prohibitively expensive for most travelers; today it’s a whole other story. Learn what you’ll find there in our Insider’s Guides to the glamorous side of Rio de Janeiro, the charming seaside village of Trancoso, the otherworldly Brazilian Amazon, and, for the ultimate extravaganza, Five-Star Brazil: Best Things to See and Do.

Jan 2015: US $1 = 2.62 real
Jan 2018: US $1 = 3.21 real

Colombia

Now is the moment to explore Colombia—while it’s still relatively under-the-radar and undeveloped. Here are reasons to go to Colombia pronto.

Jan 2015: $1 = 2,434 pesos
Jan 2018: $1 = 2,941 pesos

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom isn’t the bargain it was right after Brexit in 2016, when the pound hit a 31-year-old against the U.S. dollar—and, make no mistake, London is always an expensive city—but the U.K. is still a better deal now than it was for decades. Read our Insider’s Guide to London, as well as my son Charlie’s Do’s and Don’t for Your Trip to London, which he wrote in 2016 right after I jumped on the post-Brexit values and booked our family vacation there.

Jan 2015: $1 = .66 pounds
Jan 2018: $1 = .74 pounds

Malaysia

Malaysia was a better deal last year (when one U.S. dollar was worth 4.46 ringgit), but your dollar can still stretch far. Here’s what awaits you in Malaysia (and islands nearby).

Jan 2015: $1 = 3.57 ringgit
Jan 2018: $1 = 3.97 ringgit

South Africa

The rand lost 25% of its value three years ago. It still hasn’t fully recovered, so carpe diem. Here’s what awaits you in Cape Town and the Winelands, and here’s our Insider’s Guide to South African safaris.

Jan 2015: $1 = 11.44 rand
Jan 2018: $1 = 12.37 rand

Canada

Canada may not be the steal it was two years ago—when one U.S. dollar equated to 1.44 Canadian—but the greenback still goes far, especially if you remember the days when it was at parity with the loonie. To better appreciate the range of delights in Canada, read our Insider’s Guides to British Colombia and Newfoundland. In 2015 I jumped on the amazing exchange rate and rushed my family to British Columbia for our summer vacation. You can read about a few of our adventures in We Had the Best Family Trip in Whistler and We Never Put on Skis and I Can’t Believe We Did This: Mountain Climbing in Whistler.

Jan 2015: $1 = 1.20 Canadian dollars
Jan 2018: $1 = 1.25 Canadian dollars

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.

New Flight Routes That Could Improve Your 2018 Travels

Leave a reply

At the start of each new year, as I plot out my travels for the year ahead, I like to look at the new routes and flights being launched. That’s not just because airlines sometimes offer special fares on introductory routes. It’s because these added flights indicate which places are growing in popularity and thus are best visited sooner rather than later (when they could get overrun).

It’s not at all surprising to see airlines adding routes in 2018 to destinations that have skyrocketed in popularity, such as Iceland (which in the past few years has gone from blissfully empty to teeming with tour buses), Portugal (a hot spot, thanks to a buzzing architecture-and-design scene, stylish new hotels, and exciting new food and wine experiences) and Hawaii (which is currently so in-demand that top hotels are already almost sold out for the 2018 Christmas-New Year holiday). Personally, I’m most excited about the new non-stop from New York to the Azores, the sunny Atlantic islands off Portugal that will soon be reachable from JFK in only six hours.

These are the new flights, all from major U.S. hubs, that excite me the most:

Atlanta to Lisbon, Portugal, on Delta, starting May 24.

Chicago (O’Hare) to Venice, Italy, on American Airlines, starting May 4.
Chicago (O’Hare) to Vancouver, Canada, on American Airlines, starting May 4.
Chicago (O’Hare) to Calgary, Canada, on American Airlines, starting June 7.

Dallas to Reykjavik, Iceland, on American Airlines, starting June 7.

Houston to Sydney, Australia, on United, starting January 18.

Los Angeles (LAX) to Kona, on Hawaiian Airlines, starting March 12.
Los Angeles (Long Beach) to Honolulu, on Hawaiian Airlines, starting June 1.
Los Angeles (LAX) to Paris (CDG), on Delta, starting June 16.
Los Angeles (LAX) to Amsterdam, on Delta, starting June 16.
Los Angeles (LAX) to Shanghai, on Delta, starting July 2.

New York (Newark) to Porto, Portugal, on United, starting May 4.
New York (Newark) to Reykjavik, Iceland, on United, starting May 23.
New York (JFK) to the Azores (Ponta Delgada), Portugal, on Delta, starting May 24.
New York (JFK) to Nairobi, Kenya, on Kenya Airways, starting October 28.

Philadelphia to Dublin, on Aer Lingus, starting March 25.
Philadelphia to Budapest, on American Airlines, starting May 4.
Philadelphia to Prague, on American Airlines, starting May 4.

San Francisco (Oakland) to Kauai, on Hawaiian Airlines, starting April 12.
San Francisco (SFO) to Madrid, on Iberia Airlines, starting April 25.
San Francisco (SFO to Zurich, Switzerland, on United, starting June 7.
San Francisco (SFO) to Tahiti, on United, starting October 30.

Seattle to Paris (CDG), on Air France, starting March 25.
Seattle to Dublin, on Aer Lingus, starting May 18.

Washington, D.C. (Dulles) to Edinburgh, Scotland, on United, starting May 23.
Washington, D.C. (Dulles) to Hong Kong, on Cathay Pacific, starting September 15.

ALSO: Southwest Airlines has promised to start flying to Hawaii in 2018 from multiple U.S. hubs, but has not yet revealed where or when. Hurry up, Southwest. Travelers need those extra flights!

Hiking and Walking Trips: Should You Go Private or With a Group?

Leave a reply

If I had to choose just one way to see the world, it’d be from a hiking trail. But I’m no hearty Appalachian Trail thru-hiker—in fact, I’ve never carried more than a day’s worth of gear on my back, and I haven’t the faintest idea how to splint a broken ankle. And yet, I’ve seen some of the world’s most stunning wilderness areas on foot, from New Zealand’s Milford Track to Europe’s Tour du Mont Blanc, and from Peru’s Sacred Valley to Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro. The one thing these trips all had in common? A great guide. Sometimes I’ve joined a group, other times I’ve hired a private guide to take me where I wanted to go. Here’s my advice (based on hundreds of miles’ worth of trail data) on the pros and cons of each:

Many of Patagonia’s upscale hotels are all-inclusive, which means you have to hike on their activity schedule as part of a small group—that is, unless you bring your own private guide. Photo: Brook Wilkinson

You should hire a private guide if:

You prize ultimate flexibility in each day’s plan. When I traveled in Patagonia with a private guide earlier this year (see Is Patagonia Right for You?), I opted to hike the very same route two days in a row. Why? Because on the first day a trail closure just short of the summit had prevented us from reaching the climax. No group hiking trip would have made that decision, but it was exactly how I wanted to spend my time.
You want to set your own pace. If you deviate far from the typical hiking speed in either direction, you’ll appreciate the ability to walk as slowly or as fast as you desire. It’s the smart choice too: Forcing yourself to slow down can be almost as tiring as hiking beyond your means, since it doesn’t allow your body to drop into its normal rhythm. This is also an important factor to consider if you want to stop frequently to take photos, or to search for wildlife.
You want to choose exactly which hikes you do. Group trips follow a predetermined route (sometimes with last-minute adjustments, of course, due to weather or other factors). If you book a private guide, you can work with him or her to select the trails that most precisely line up with your ability level and interests.
You care a great deal about your accommodations and where you eat. Group hiking trips frequent neither the smallest, most atmospheric hotels, nor the most luxurious, five-star properties. If you want to have control over where you sleep, book a private trip. Similarly, meals on group trips are typically taken together at restaurants predetermined by the guide or tour operator; if you want to eat alone and choose where you dine, you’re also better off going private.

Crossing a stream on the Tour de Mont Blanc hiking trail

A guide carried a blistered hiker piggyback over a stream crossing on our group trip along the Tour de Mont Blanc trail. Photo: Brook Wilkinson

You should join a group hiking trip if:

You’re working within a constrained budget. Simply put, private guides are expensive. Amortize that guide’s cost over half a dozen travelers, and the same trip becomes a lot more affordable.
You enjoy meeting other travelers. Hiking trips tend to attract groups of friendly people who share a love for the outdoors but arrive there via a variety of backgrounds. I’ve met some fascinating characters on the trail, from the Chinese immigrant who now owns a successful teashop in Washington, D.C., to the Vietnam vet on his first trip to Europe.
You need a little motivation. The camaraderie of a band of strangers chugging up a mountain can also help you tackle a challenging hike; if you thrive in the setting of a group exercise class, you’ll also probably perform better on the trail when there are others encouraging you along.
You need to please a variety of ability levels. If you hire one private guide, it forces your companions to hike together. Say you’re bringing along your marathoner sister and your slightly-out-of-shape dad: a group trip that operates with two guides, who can spread out along the trail and keep everyone headed in the right direction, is more likely to leave everybody satisfied.

If You’re Renting a Car in Italy, You Need to Know This

Leave a reply

Italy is a perennial favorite destination among our travelers, who generally prefer to get around by road (instead of train), so they can explore the charming villages in between the big cities. They then find themselves weighing the pros and cons of renting a car vs. hiring a driver. The rules and logistics of driving in Italy can be unfamiliar, even to the most seasoned traveler. So, if you’re planning to rent a car and set out on the autostrada, make sure to heed this advice,

Tolls

Italy has a system called Telepass, which allows drivers to pay tolls electronically via a transponder placed on their windshield (similar to the E-ZPass and FasTrak systems used in parts of the U.S.). Until recently, you had to have an Italian bank account to sign up for Telepass, but Europcar is now offering the option of renting a transponder along with your vehicle. This saves you from waiting in long lines at the tollbooths, and the tolls are automatically charged to your credit card; the rental fee is 35 euros, or about U.S. $40.

Traffic

Traffic has gotten extremely heavy in many parts of Italy—particularly the Amalfi Coast, where there is only one road and it may take two hours to accomplish what should be a 25- to 30-minute drive. You can avoid the headaches on the road by taking a ferry (check here for schedules), though even then it’s wise to book online in advance. When you must drive, try to do so at lunchtime, when the traffic might be lighter.

City Rules

Many Italian cities now limit the vehicles allowed into their historic centers; these areas are known as the ZTL, or zona a traffico limitato. Only those with resident permits or official licenses are allowed inside; all others risk being fined. The signs are small, inconspicuous and in Italian of course. Sometimes there is also a traffic light near the sign. If it’s red, the ZTL is in effect; green means you’re free to drive into the city center. If you are stopped by the carabinieri, politely explain the situation (perhaps you’re trying to get to your hotel) and they might let you pass—or they might send you back to park outside the ZTL. If your rental car is caught on camera illegally inside the ZTL, the fine can show up on your credit card bill even 12 to 18 months after the fact.

Parking

Italy’s beautiful hill towns weren’t designed with automobile parking in mind. Most of these towns—and certainly the ones that do any kind of tourist trade—have a parking area outside their walls. Be prepared to walk a moderate distance (usually uphill) from this lot to the town itself. Don’t expect to drive right up and park in front of the clock tower in Montepulciano. These lots, and most parking spots in urban areas, are not free. Find the kiosk or ticket booth where you can insert coins or bills—rarely credit cards—and purchase your time, then leave the receipt on your dashboard.

Overseas Credit Card Purchases: Which Currency Should I Pay With?

7 Replies

Keeping track of currency exchange rates is a necessity when traveling. Thankfully, there are many apps for that task, so we don’t have to spend too much of our time doing the research (I like Easy Currency Converter; leave your favorite in the comments below). But while it’s helpful to know the rough exchange for your home currency, the actual conversion rate varies from bank to bank, credit card to credit card, and even local merchant to local merchant.

As a result, when you’re overseas and you use a credit card, you’ll often see that the payment machine asks whether you want to pay with U.S. dollars or the local currency. Which one should you choose, and why?

Overseas credit card machines offer currency options. Which should you choose? Photo: Lindsay Lambert Day

First: Use the right credit card.

Having a credit card that’s ideal for travelers is your first line of defense against currency pitfalls: The good ones waive all foreign-purchase fees. “When you make purchases abroad, you should be using a card that doesn’t add foreign transaction fees to your bill (which can be as much as 3%),” says credit card expert Gary Leff, of View From the Wing. “All cards are going to convert foreign currency to your home currency, and you’ll get the prevailing rate. Some cards, though, will charge you a fee on top of the conversion rate to do it.”

Second: Pay in local currency.

“When a merchant outside the U.S. asks whether you want to be charged in U.S. dollars or your local currency, always say local currency,” advises Gary. “That’s because [the merchant is] going to hit you with their own conversion rate (likely unfavorable, but certainly not as good as the one you will get from your card company). And then, if your credit card hits you with foreign transaction fees, they’re going to charge those fees anyway, even if you paid in U.S. dollars, because it’s a foreign-made transaction.”

The final word:

“There is almost never any benefit to being charged by a merchant in your home currency,” Gary says. “You are best off having your credit-card-issuing bank do it at their rate. And you want to make sure you’re paying with a card that doesn’t charge you for the privilege of making purchases abroad.”

Be a smarter traveler: Read real travelers’s 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.

Best Credit Cards for Canadian Travelers

2 Replies

Using the right credit card is a smart way to maximize your travel booking power, and there are several that we recommend every traveler have in his or her arsenal. Some cards come with sign-up bonuses, others offer the potential to earn valuable points you can trade for hotel stays and flights, and others reward you with cash back.

We regularly update our Best Credit Cards for Travelers list, and every time we do, we are gently reminded by our Canadian readers that our advice is very useful…unless you live in Canada. That’s because Canadians can’t apply for a U.S. credit card unless they have a U.S. bank account and a U.S. address. In the interest of serving all of you globetrotters who reside in Canada, we reached out to our old friend and miles-and-points expert Gary Leff, who writes View from the Wing and founded BookYourAward.com.

“The Canadian card market isn’t quite as lucrative or competitive as the U.S. market,” Gary explained. “And it’s also somewhat in flux, because Air Canada is going to be ending its relationship with Aeroplan (the frequent-flier program that it spun off) and starting its own new program. As a result the value of accumulated unused Aeroplan miles is likely to fall. As a result my three favorite Canadian cards are American Express products.”

Here are Gary’s picks for the best credit cards for Canadian travelers:

• Starwood American Express: This has been a go-to in the U.S. for me for 16 years and is pretty similar in Canada.

• Gold Rewards: This one earns Membership Rewards points, which transfer to a variety of airline mileage programs (different programs than the U.S. cards have access to).

• Simply Cash Preferred: For cash back, this one gets you 2% rebates.

If you have any questions (for us or Gary), let us know in the comments below. And be sure to follow Gary on ViewFromtheWing.com for the latest insider info and explanations of the world of miles and points.

Photo credit: Plant Hide

Watch: This Is How to Interpret Travel Warnings

2 Replies

One of the biggest mistakes I see travelers make, over and over, is to unnecessarily cancel a trip or rule out a country because they’ve misconstrued a U.S. State Department travel advisory. A Travel Alert does not mean don’t go. And sometimes that’s true for Travel Warnings too. Right now there are Travel Warnings for 45 countries, ranging from war zones that should be avoided (e.g., Syria) to places that millions of people travel to safely every year for blissful relaxation (e.g., Mexico).

Last week, the U.S. State Department updated its Travel Warning for Mexico. According to State Department officials, this was a routine update. Still, the info that crime has increased in 2017 in areas including the states of Quintana Roo (where Cancun, Tulum, and Playa del Carmen are) and Baja California Sur (where Los Cabos is) is making the travel news rounds.

The reality is that most of the conflicts have been between rival criminal organizations and have not involved travelers. The Travel Warning acknowledges this, stating: “There is no evidence that criminal organizations have targeted U.S. citizens based on their nationality. Resort areas and tourist destinations in Mexico generally do not see the level of drug-related violence and crime that are reported in the border region or in areas along major trafficking routes.”

At Journey Mexico, the trip-planning company run by Zach Rabinor, the Trusted Travel Expert for Mexico on my WOW List, the staff has offered an in-depth explanation based on their first-hand, on-the-ground experience. They write, “It is important to note that, again, these conflicts and any related violence have not and are not targeting holiday travelers. There has been no violence against tourists within hotels or resorts or traveling to or from any of the main tourist attractions in the area.” They also remind travelers that “Many areas of Mexico, such as the popular state of Yucatan and city of Merida, and throughout the Central Highlands in destinations such as San Miguel de Allende and Mexico City, have no travel warnings at all.”

Yes, you should be careful, but you should also keep these warnings in perspective.

Most countries are a lot like the one where you live: safer in some parts, unsafe in others. Just because Mexico has dangerous parts (e.g., border areas), it doesn’t mean you should avoid others that are hundreds of miles away. I took my own staff to Playa del Carmen in January of this year to host a summit with my WOW List travel specialists from all over the world, and we all felt safe the entire time. Would you avoid Beverly Hills because of terrorist shootings in San Bernardino (which is only an hour away)?

This video will help you quickly understand and act upon travel advisories. I shot it last year when I was in another country for which there is a Travel Warning but which tens of thousands of tourists visit safely each year. Can you guess where? Here’s a clue:

Wendy and a new friend.

Transparency disclosure: Our sponsor, MedjetAssist, provided the financial support that made it possible to bring you these travel tips.

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.

Is Patagonia Right for You? The Distances, the Costs, and the Fitness Required

2 Replies

A forest of lenga trees in the foreground, Argentina's Mount Fitz Roy peeking out from the background.

A view of Mount Fitz Roy from the trail.

The Laguna de los Tres is fed by glaciers on the slopes of Mount Fitz Roy.

An iceberg dwarfs a sightseeing boat on Lago Argentino.

The approach to Estancia Cristina, via Lago Argentino.

The view of the mountains from Estancia Cristina's dining room Patagonia

The view of the mountains from Estancia Cristina's dining room, in Argentine Patagonia.

lunch dishes at Estancia Cristina in Argentine Patagonia

A bevy of delicious salads are just a taste of the daily lunch spread at Estancia Cristina.

The main entrance to Hotel Las Torres Patagonia, inside Chile's Torres del Paine National Park

The Patagonia picnic that was hauled ten miles up a trail in a backpack for us to enjoy. Unfortunately, the viewpoint to the Paine Towers was closed—but the other hikers sure looked enviously at our spread.

room at hotel Rio Serrano, just outside Torres del Paine National Park Patagonia

Room with a view at Hotel Rio Serrano, just outside Torres del Paine National Park.

A view of Torres del Paine's lakes from the French Valley

A view of Torres del Paine's crystalline lakes from the French Valley.

I’ve hiked all over the world, from New Zealand’s Milford Track to Kilimanjaro to the Tour de Mont Blanc. When it comes to traversing dirt paths on foot, you might even call me a connoisseur. And so it was no small thing when, on my first day in Patagonia and between forkfuls from a heaping salad, I declared the hike I’d just completed to be the best I’d ever seen.

Twenty-four hours later, I found myself reconsidering. Chowing down on tourist town-quality pizza, I had to admit that that day’s hike now topped my list. Such are the delightful difficulties you’ll suffer through in Patagonia: deciding which trail—each with its own collection of showstopper views toward the sharp granite peaks that are Patagonia’s trademark—is your favorite. There’s a reason that Patagonia ends up on so many greatest-hits travel lists: Rising up from an otherwise scrubby wasteland, these mountains are as beautiful, and as captivating, as any others on the planet.

Putting together the perfect trip to Patagonia on your own can feel overwhelming, though, given the vastness of the region. That’s why I called on Trusted Travel Expert Tom Damon, who crafted an itinerary that included stunning hikes, gaucho-chic lodges, and an introduction to the glaciers that carved this incomparable landscape.

We receive at least a dozen Patagonia trip inquiries at Ask Wendy every month. For those of you considering such an adventure, here are answers and advice:

How much it will cost:

Patagonia, like many far-flung corners of the world, can be surprisingly expensive, particularly when compared with other parts of South America. There are a few reasons for this: First, the region is extremely remote, making it costly to bring in provisions—everything from fuel to food to cleaning supplies. Our picnic lunches, for instance, traveled 75 miles from the town nearest Chile’s national park (many ingredients surely traveled much farther than that, though the caterer made smart use of plums from her own trees, wild-growing rhubarb, and other local produce). Second, the season is short, so businesses that cater to tourists—which are most of them—have to earn a year’s income in just a few months. Third, the population is sparse, so there is high demand for the relatively few local guides who combine the hiking prowess, charisma, and knowledge of local history and geology that are all required to do the job right. There are some certifiably luxurious lodges in Chilean Patagonia, but most command high prices not for their expertly trained staff or high-design rooms (many, in fact, feel downright generic). A five-star hotel in Argentine Patagonia probably wouldn’t earn that rating in the Pyrenees. What you’re paying for is proximity to awe-inspiring mountains. Be prepared to spend $1,000 to $1,250 per day (for two travelers) for a WOW trip.

How many days you’ll need:

Patagonia ignores political boundaries, encompassing the southern portions of both Argentina and Chile. (According to my Chilean guide, he and many of his neighbors feel more kinship toward Argentine Patagonians than they do toward the citizens of northern Chile.) And while the tourist centers of southern Patagonia are just over 100 miles apart as the condor flies, that condor would be swooping over mountains and ice fields; driving between Argentina’s Los Glaciares National Park and Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park takes at least five hours, with an additional 30 minutes or more allotted for the border-crossing rigmarole. Transit time to Patagonia from the east coast of the U.S. is a day and a half—two full days from the west coast—and that assumes you don’t want to explore Buenos Aires or Santiago (which you should, if you haven’t been to those cities before). So a two-week trip leaves you just enough time to knock off all of Patagonia’s marquee hikes, with a few days’ cushion should the notoriously fickle weather force you to rejigger your itinerary on the fly.

How fit you’ll need to be:

The most famous trails in southern Patagonia are 8- to 12-mile round-trips that climb gradually at first, then with a short, steep ascent to the base of a granite peak, where a milky turquoise or jade green lake is fed by glacial runoff. I saw everyone from teens in cutoffs and Converse to trekkers with 30-pound packs complete these hikes. Since the peaks above are smooth and nearly vertical, only technical climbers can go any farther. All trails start close to sea level, so you never have to deal with the effects of altitude—unlike famous routes through the Andes, Alps, and Himalayas that leave you gasping for oxygen. Make no mistake, you’ll have wanted to do some training at home, but you needn’t have the lungs of a marathoner or the legs of a power lifter to achieve hiking nirvana.

Why you might want your own mountain guide:

Many of the fanciest hotels in and around Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park operate on an all-inclusive basis, bundling accommodations, meals, and daily activities led by their in-house guides. This means you’re beholden to their schedule, and that you’ll be hiking as part of a small group. (The one exception is the Awasi, which gives each party of travelers its own private guide). If it’s important to you to hike at your own speed, to choose which trail you want to do on any given day, or simply to have privacy, you’ll need to stay somewhere that allows you to bring your own guide. That’s the tack I chose: I divided my time in Chile between the Hotel Las Torres Patagonia, where you can hike straight from your door, and the Rio Serrano, which offers a gobsmacking, panoramic view of the mountains from just outside the park’s boundaries. Having my own guide allowed me to move faster than a group could, and to repeat a hike when we hadn’t been able to reach the top due to a trail closure. Economically, it’s a toss-up: Hiring a private guide and staying in four-star properties is roughly equivalent in price to booking an all-inclusive experience at a five-star place.

What else there is to do:

On the Argentine side of southern Patagonia, the town of El Chalten was incorporated just over 30 years ago and has the feel of a place still not sure of its measurements and without a sense of permanence; the streets are wide, but most are dirt and gravel. I came across one house in town made from a shipping container, another from the trailer of a big rig. The most interesting regional history you’ll find on the Argentine side is out at the remote Estancia Cristina—now within the national park and accessible only by boat—where a pair of English pioneers set up a sheep farm in 1914. In their old shearing shed, you can browse their hand-built farming equipment and the ham radio they used to stay connected to the outside world. Hotel Las Torres Patagonia, on the Chilean side, does have a small but good information center with a few panels that talk about the indigenous people who once called this harsh landscape home. Our guide also brought us to some little-known rock art in Torres del Paine National Park, at the end of a trail so seldom used that grass has grown over it. So don’t come to Patagonia looking for culture.

How to pack:

While it’s technically summer when the vast majority of visitors arrive in Patagonia, temperatures rarely crack the 70s, and the weather can turn on a dime, bringing rain (or snow) at just about any time of year. So you’ll need to pack for several seasons’ worth of weather. The region’s wind is infamous; I didn’t fully believe the stories I’d heard until I had to hold a staggered, wide-legged stance just to stay upright through one major gale. (Locals track the weather via a website called Windguru, which shows hour-by-hour changes in wind speed, gusts, and direction.) I chose to travel in March, when the wind is less troublesome than during the height of summer—and the crowds thinner.

Got other questions about Patagonia? Ask me in the comments below.

Disclosure: Tom Damon provided a press rate for this writer’s trip to Patagonia. In keeping with WendyPerrin.com standard practice, there was no request for coverage, nor was anything promised. You can read our sponsored travel agreement with Tom here.

Great American Road Trips:
Start with our Questionnaire

Leave a reply

1. Answer the questions below. Your information is kept private.
2. Press Submit.
3. Expect a reply within 24 hours (or 48 hours on weekends).

Tell us about the trip you want

The more detail, the better we can help you.

•Do you have an itinerary in mind? Where do you want to go, or are you looking for ideas?

•Who are you traveling with? (If kids, what are their ages?)

•What are your biggest concerns or things you want to avoid?

•What’s your biggest goal for this trip? What would make it most memorable?
Tell us about yourself, your travel companions, and your goals and needs for this trip.*
Where are you starting from, and how long a flight are you comfortable with? How do you envision navigating around the destination—e.g., private vehicle with driver? Rental car you drive yourself? Public transportation?
Tell us what transportation you prefer and how long a flight or drive you’re comfortable with.*
Staying there:

Do you have a type of accommodations in mind (e.g., 4-star, 5-star, historic inn, state-of-the-art resort, family villa. private yacht, small expedition ship)? Is there a past hotel experience you’re seeking something similar to? If you have already booked accommodations, let us know.
Tell us about the places you’ve stayed in that you’ve liked, and what you would like now.*
Estimated Departure Date*
Estimated Trip Length (in Days)*
Total Trip Budget (in U.S. dollars, excluding airfare):*

How much do you want to spend for a WOW-caliber trip (incl. rooms, vehicles, excursions, meals, unique experiences, and the savviest drivers/guides/expediters to spare you headaches and wasted time)? Your answer will dictate the locations, trip dates, and experiences we will suggest.
Tell us about your travel budget*
Where should we send your personalized recommendation?
First Name*
Last Name*
For this trip to count toward a WOW Moment, use the same email address you’ve used to submit trip requests to WendyPerrin.com in the past.*
Enter Email Confirm Email

For this trip to count toward a WOW Moment, use the same email address you’ve used to submit trip requests to WendyPerrin.com in the past.
Phone
How did you hear about Wendy?
Have you used a WOW List travel specialist before? If so, who?*
- Yes
- No
Name of travel specialist(s) you've used before
Do you have a WOW Moment certificate you’d like to use? If so, please enter the first four digits of the certificate number. Qualifying rules apply for certificate redemption.
First 4 digits only
If you are submitting via an iPad or mobile device and do not receive an email confirmation from WendyPerrin.com within 1 hour, please email questions@wendyperrin.com, and let us know.

This Traveler Has Used The WOW List to Plan 15 Trips: How and Why

Leave a reply

What sort of traveler uses The WOW List? You might assume it’s travelers who can’t plan their own trips, but you’d be wrong. It’s people who have planned so many trips so well that they have an exhaustive grasp of just how much you miss out on when you don’t utilize the best local expertise and connections—and a deep appreciation of just how much time and effort such meticulous planning takes.

Jeff Bernfield, for instance. He’s a physician from the Chicago area who has used Wendy’s recommended Trusted Travel Experts (TTEs) more than anyone else—a whopping 15 times. With his wife, and sometimes with the rest of his family, he’s been all over the globe on trips arranged by these destination specialists, including Italy, Africa, England, Japan, Costa Rica, the Galapagos Islands, Norway, even Disney World. As you’d expect, he’s got a lot of tips to share when it comes to collaborating with travel specialists. So, in a phone call after a trip to Florence, Italy (where Wendy surprised him with a WOW Moment loyalty reward), we asked Dr. Bernfield to share his advice for how to get the best trip possible.

You’re more than capable of arranging your own travel. Why do you use The WOW List?

I could plan each trip myself—I’m a voracious researcher—but it’s so much easier to let one of these experts plan the whole thing for you and not worry about what could go wrong and what you’d do if something went wrong. I never ever have to worry because, even if something might go wrong, they fix it. They always fix it. It doesn’t happen very often, but it’s like having an insurance policy.

How do you choose which travel specialist to use for each trip?

What I usually do, I email Wendy. Wendy knows me by now, so I tell her where we’re going, and she’ll recommend the right one for me.

Do you read the reviews posted about each travel specialist on WendyPerrin.com?

I read all of the TTE’s reviews on Wendy’s site before contacting that TTE. I want to find out what that travel expert has planned and whether they’ve done something special—like, say, getting a traveler into Downton Abbey. I’ve never been able to get that; my wife is an obsessed Downtown Abbey fan but I couldn’t pull it off. My point is: If I read something in a review, that might tip my hand.

What’s most important to you in a travel planner?

I’m pretty big on communication and being accessible. Some Trusted Travel Experts are just incredible and if you shoot them an email, you get a response in ten minutes.

Do you prefer email or phone?

I definitely like the phone call. I always like to talk to somebody and know who I’m dealing with before I do business with them. And I like to have a back-and-forth discussion. I’m not the kind of person who says give me an itinerary for Southeast Asia and then I just do that itinerary. That’s not my nature. I like to pick people’s brains. I ask them: Why are you recommending this over this? I do a lot of reading, so maybe I’m on somebody’s dartboard somewhere [Laughs], but I like to have discussions about the itinerary.

In that first phone call, what should a traveler tell the Trusted Travel Expert?

I’ll tell them from the start what I’m looking for, and I’ll ask what are some of the things you offer, and then I’ll listen. I also ask about private experiences, since we like to dig into the culture and history. I always tell the TTEs: Let’s do something different, something that other people won’t do, don’t know to do. When we planned our trip to Japan, the Trusted Travel Expert sent us a list of 20 private experiences and told me to pick from them. I picked them all. I’m not saying everyone can or should do that, but I think if you like doing things different, that’s one of the advantages of having these experts plan your itinerary. So you’re not just going to the Louvre, not just doing the things any travelers can do; you’re going to someone’s home, taking a cooking lesson, taking a samurai sword lesson, meeting a priest at a high temple. In Italy we got to go to a dairy farm and see how they make Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. If you like doing different cultural experiences, there are a lot of assets that people on Wendy’s list have that I would try to find out about.

What are some of the questions travelers should ask?

I start with: What do you offer that’s different from the average tourist things? What cultural experiences can you access? Example: My wife is a picky eater. It so happens that she loves pizza, but in northern Italy pizza is not as common as in southern Italy. I told our Italy travel specialist, Maria, that my wife loves pizza, and would it be possible to take a pizza-making lesson? At first she said, “Huh, I don’t know, pizza’s not that popular in northern Italy.” But she called me back a couple hours later and she said, “I got it!” She had arranged for us to meet a chef who would give us a pizza lesson. I asked the question, I didn’t know what kind of answer I would get, but if you have something specific in mind, ask for it—because even if they don’t normally do it, unless you ask for something impossible, they’re going to try really hard to accommodate your request. That’s important.

What else is important to communicate to your Trusted Travel Expert?

You have to know what you are and what you want. We don’t like beaches. We don’t like to sit around and do nothing. Some travel specialists will schedule you starting at 11am, but we get up at 7am. So you need to know what you want and ask the questions. Then we can figure out if they can handle my needs. It’s like anything else: You talk to somebody. Some are easier to talk to, more communicative, have an easy-going personality—but you figure that out quickly. That’s why a phone call is so important.

Thinking about reaching out to a WOW List travel specialist? Wendy’s got key advice for you too: How To Get The Best Possible Trip.

A Trip to Australia:
Start with our Questionnaire

Leave a reply

1. Answer the questions below. Your information is kept private.
2. Press Submit.
3. Expect a reply within 24 hours (or 48 hours on weekends).

Tell us about the trip you want

The more detail, the better we can help you.

•Do you have an itinerary in mind? Where do you want to go, or are you looking for ideas?

•Who are you traveling with? (If kids, what are their ages?)

•What are your biggest concerns or things you want to avoid?

•What’s your biggest goal for this trip? What would make it most memorable?
Tell us about yourself, your travel companions, and your goals and needs for this trip.*
Where are you starting from, and how long a flight are you comfortable with? How do you envision navigating around the destination—e.g., private vehicle with driver? Rental car you drive yourself? Public transportation?
Tell us what transportation you prefer and how long a flight or drive you’re comfortable with.*
Staying there:

Do you have a type of accommodations in mind (e.g., 4-star, 5-star, historic inn, state-of-the-art resort, family villa. private yacht, small expedition ship)? Is there a past hotel experience you’re seeking something similar to? If you have already booked accommodations, let us know.
Tell us about the places you’ve stayed in that you’ve liked, and what you would like now.*
Estimated Departure Date*
Estimated Trip Length (in Days)*
Total Trip Budget (in U.S. dollars, excluding airfare):*

How much do you want to spend for a WOW-caliber trip (incl. rooms, vehicles, excursions, meals, unique experiences, and the savviest drivers/guides/expediters to spare you headaches and wasted time)? Your answer will dictate the locations, trip dates, and experiences we will suggest.
Tell us about your travel budget*
Where should we send your personalized recommendation?
First Name*
Last Name*
For this trip to count toward a WOW Moment, use the same email address you’ve used to submit trip requests to WendyPerrin.com in the past.*
Enter Email Confirm Email

For this trip to count toward a WOW Moment, use the same email address you’ve used to submit trip requests to WendyPerrin.com in the past.
Phone
How did you hear about Wendy?
Have you used a WOW List travel specialist before? If so, who?*
- Yes
- No
Name of travel specialist(s) you've used before
Do you have a WOW Moment certificate you’d like to use? If so, please enter the first four digits of the certificate number. Qualifying rules apply for certificate redemption.
First 4 digits only
If you are submitting via an iPad or mobile device and do not receive an email confirmation from WendyPerrin.com within 1 hour, please email questions@wendyperrin.com, and let us know.

Don’t Make These 5 Mistakes When Deciding Where It’s Safe to Travel

2 Replies

Given the past few years’ string of terror attacks from London Bridge to the French Riviera to New York City, you may be wondering where it’s safe to travel. You’re ready to go somewhere—you know the 7 Keys to Traveling Without Fear Despite Terrorist Attacks and the 5 Reasons Not to Panic About the Worldwide Travel Alert—but where? As you weigh your options, here are 5 common misperceptions not to fall prey to:

Mistake #1: Assuming you’re safer in the United States

By staying home, you don’t eliminate risk. You simply exchange one set of risks for another. Most of the cities we live in are statistically more dangerous than most of the places we visit overseas. If you think Europe is dicey, consider that from 2000 to 2014, there were 23 mass shootings in Europe, with 203 deaths; compare that with 133 mass shootings in the U.S., leaving 487 dead, during that same period. In fact, the United States leads the world in mass shootings. As for terrorism, from 2001 to 2013, the number of people killed in the U.S. because of domestic acts of terrorism was 3,030; the number of U.S. citizens killed overseas by terrorism during that same time period was 350.

Mistake #2: Thinking the most dangerous places to go are where the most recent terrorist attacks have occurred

In 2015 people cancelled trips to Paris the same way they canceled trips to Bali after the bombings there in 2002, and to New York City after the September 11 attacks. Historically, though, high-profile terror attacks tend not to recur soon afterward in the same spot. That’s because places that have been attacked beef up security measures to such a degree that, for at least a year or two, they are unlikely to be attacked again. Also, terrorists want to surprise us by attacking new, unexpected places.

Mistake #3: Anticipating you’ll be worried throughout a trip

I’ve noticed that people expect to worry during a trip more than they actually end up worrying. As it turns out, that’s human nature. Psychologists will tell you that people typically overestimate how emotional they will be. Once they’re in the actual situation, there are dozens of interesting and demanding immediate circumstances that occupy their attention—circumstances that they didn’t factor in ahead of time. Similarly, once travelers get to their destination, they become so preoccupied with sightseeing, shopping, and other activities that they forget they were supposed to be worried.

Mistake #4: Painting an entire country with the same brush

State Department country-specific advisories single out certain locations within countries as trouble spots. That doesn’t mean the whole country is dangerous. Just because parts of Mexico near the borders are dangerous, that doesn’t mean you should avoid the Riviera Maya or Cabo San Lucas. Would you avoid Beverly Hills because of shootings in San Bernardino? Foreigners considering a trip to the U.S. would, but you probably wouldn’t.

Mistake #5: Not seizing the moment

Many Americans often respond to terror attacks in Europe by sticking to resort locales in the United States, Hawaii, and the Caribbean. (Which only drives prices up in those places.) But many’s the time I’ve been in a destination shortly after a crisis (Egypt, Istanbul, Lebanon, Mumbai, Syria, Fiji, New York City…)—and I’ve found a heady combination of few tourists and locals very happy to see travelers and in an unusually hospitable frame of mind. These trips count among the most rewarding of my life; it would have been a real shame to have missed them.

But if you’re looking for other ideas, right now might be a good moment for much of Latin America. If you’re seeking a vacation spot that’s warm, affordable, and relatively near the U.S., and for which there are no country-specific State Department Travel Warnings or Alerts, you might consider Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Panama, or Peru.

As for Europe, even if you’re nervous about big cities such as Paris and London, don’t rule out smaller ones such as Dublin, Edinburgh, Florence, Lisbon, Salzburg, Ljubliana, Prague … or islands such as Malta and Sicily.

Be a smarter traveler: Follow Wendy Perrin on Facebook and Twitter @wendyperrin, and sign up for her weekly newsletter to stay in the know.

Every Tourism Board Should Be Doing This

Leave a reply

Figuring out how to stay connected while you’re traveling abroad is always kind of stressful. Will there be Wi-Fi? Will it be safe? If I have to rely on roaming data, how much will I use and what will it cost? Sure, you can arrange for some sort of international plan with your home carrier before you leave, but it’s never cheap and it’s never simple.

To alleviate that problem, Switzerland Tourism has partnered with Travelers Wifi to offer a very handy little solution, the Travelers Wifi hot spot, which provides 4G/LTE service for up to ten devices at a time with no data limits. The hot spot is small, thin and light; I’d compare it to a stack of ten credit cards and weighs 75g, which is less than a deck of cards.

travelers wifi portable wifi hot spot device for switzerland

The Travelers Wifi hot spot fits in your hand and weighs 2.6 ounces. Photo: Billie Cohen

For me, it was a no brainer to rent one and test it out. I work while I travel, so having uninterrupted Internet access for both my phone and my laptop was invaluable. Plus, with this, I never have to be on shared public Wi-Fi. I’m able to pull out my laptop on any train, at any coffee shop, in any hotel room or Airbnb, and work not only with a strong Wi-Fi connection, but on a private, secure one for which only I have the password.

You can rent the hot spot for however long you’re going to be in the country (it works only in Switzerland), and the cost is between $6 to $8 per day (the per diem cost gets cheaper as the rental period increases). If this sounds like a lot, consider two things:

First, you can connect up to ten devices on your network and it will not slow down the signal. If you’re a family or a couple traveling together, that alone makes it a good deal. For business travelers or remote workers, the value is even more obvious.

Second, you will be surprised how much you will use your devices, particularly a phone or tablet, once you don’t have to worry about racking up data charges. I found a million productive uses for my phone that both enhanced and eased my travel experience and that I know I wouldn’t have dared to use if data charges were an issue. I downloaded local train and bus apps to check schedules and buy tickets; I streamed audio guides for scenic drives and museums; I looked up unfamiliar foods on menus and in markets; I learned how to say “gluten-free” in three languages; I was able to use Google Maps discreetly instead of unfolding giant paper maps in the middle of the street; I was able to use Google Translate to hold quality conversations with my German-speaking Airbnb host (about her family, her camping vacation, and our mutual appreciation of Swiss architects); I was able to pull up videos of a Ticino-based artist as my B&B owner offered an impromptu local art lesson; I streamed Netflix shows in French and German to get a feel for the language (and, okay, I also watched reruns of Gilmore Girls); I edited stories, emailed with Wendy, and did other WendyPerrin.com work on my laptop a few hours every day; I used Wi-Fi calling to conduct interviews, hold meetings, and talk to my mom on Mother’s Day; and, of course, I posted a ton of photos on social media and a few stories on my blog.

I checked with the Travelers Wifi service, and I’ve been using about 1.4G per day, across my phone and my laptop. See how much you can eat up when you’re not careful? And I definitely wasn’t—which was incredibly freeing. So how much would I be paying for this without Travelers Wifi?

My regular phone service is Google Project Fi, which has a pretty good international coverage plan to begin with. It’s $10 per gigabyte no matter where in the world I am; there’s no additional fee (or throttling of speed) if I use that gig of data in Cambodia or at home in New York. I’m happy with the service, but even with that decent rate, if I’d been using all that data here in Switzerland, I would still be paying a little more than $10 per day. I’m here for 29 days, so that would’ve been $290. The Travelers Wifi for 29 days cost me $209. The savings are comparable for shorter trips, and the value goes up the more people you’re traveling with.

In efficient Swiss fashion, pick-up and drop-off of the Travelers Wifi is simple: You can book it ahead of time online and then pick it up at convenient spots including Zurich airport, your hotel, one of 1,500 post offices, or any Swiss address. Or you can rent one once you arrive, like I did, at Zurich airport, or at the tourism offices located in the Zurich, Bern, and Geneva main train stations. To return it, just drop it in any Swiss mailbox with the provided packaging, or bring it to a post office or one of the rental locations.

I don’t know why every tourism board isn’t partnering with a local provider to do something like this. But maybe some will be soon. In June, Travelers Wifi will launch a European product that will cover 40 countries and can be ordered and returned to anywhere in Europe. There’s no info available on the pricing or locations for that one yet, but I’m looking forward to taking a long European vacation to test it out.

Switzerland Is More Than Chocolate, Cheese, and Mountains

1 Reply

Switzerland is an increasingly popular destination for our readers—so much so that I’m spending a few weeks traveling the country to get to know it better and to test different Switzerland travel specialists for potential inclusion on The WOW List in the future. Each Switzerland specialist has different strengths and offers different insider experiences, so if you’re looking for a WOW trip to Switzerland, click over to Ask Wendy to get her recommendation for the right trip designer for your needs. In the meantime, to whet your appetite, here are key things you need to see, taste, and know about traveling in Switzerland—beyond the usual and expected draws (though those are pretty good too).

Follow more of my trip on Instagram @billietravels and at billietravels.com.

Don’t call them macarons.

A post shared by Billie Cohen (@billietravels) on May 9, 2017 at 4:58am PDT

Zurich confectionary Sprüngli has its own branded version of the colorful almond-flour sandwich cookies. They’re called Luxemburgerli, and they are a little smaller and lighter than classic macarons. Sample the always-available flavors including raspberry, hazelnut, champagne, caramel, and chocolate, but don’t miss the seasonal Luxemburgerli. May’s specials were mango and strawberry-rhubarb.

Wear thick-soled shoes even if you don’t plan on hiking.

Old Town Piazza Grande Locarno Ticino Switzerland

The old town areas of Swiss cities, like this one in Locarno, are charming—but the uneven stone surfaces can be tough on your feet. Photo: Billie Cohen

You might think you only need solid footwear if you’re going to be trekking in the mountains, but the cobblestone streets of an old town (and every Swiss city has one) will quickly lead to tired, painful feet if you’re wearing thin sneakers or sandals.

The hype is true: The trains are spectacular.

A post shared by Billie Cohen (@billietravels) on May 19, 2017 at 8:13am PDT

The famed panoramic Glacier Express and Bernina Express live up to their reputation as gorgeous scenic experiences but, honestly, a lot of the regular train rides throughout the country offer equally stunning views. Switzerland Tourism sells a few varieties of train passes to make system-wide travel easier and more economical (you can purchase consecutive-day or flex passes for 3, 4, 8, or 15 days). Since I’m here for about a month, I chose the half-fare travel card; it gave me discounted tickets on long-distance, panoramic trains and local transportation, including buses, trams, and many scenic cable cars and even some local taxi services. I also tested an eight-consecutive-day, first-class Swiss Travel pass, courtesy of Switzerland Tourism, to see what that kind of freedom feels like and to experience first class. The Travel Pass covers all of the above, plus gives you free admission to more than 500 museums and attractions. There is plenty of info on myswitzerland.com to find the right one for your trip.

Second class is really nice.

comparison of first and second class seats on Glacier Express train in Switzerland

On the Glacier Express, first-class seats (the red) are a bit roomier than the blue second-class section, and there are fewer seats in each car. But second class is still quite comfortable, even on regular trains. Photo: Billie Cohen

When traveling on trains or buying your Travel Pass, you’ll have a choice between first and second class. As you’d expect, first class is more spacious, the seats are bigger, the tables are bigger, and there are fewer people in each car, but second class is really nice too. This is no coach vs. business class dichotomy here—second class is very comfortable and the seats are roomy. In many cars, if I was sitting in a foursome (two seats facing another two seats with a little table between), I had enough room to keep my roller bag at my feet without crowding the person opposite me. I also found outlets in several second-class cars during my travels. Where I really appreciated first class was on my seven-hour Glacier Express trip. Since I was on that train for so long, it felt luxurious to have room to stretch out, a big table so I could spread out my maps and my laptop, and a less-crowded car.

But trains are not the most scenic way to travel.

That is not to say Switzerland’s trains are not spectacular. They absolutely are. I’ve criss-crossed the country on long-distance routes, inter-city expresses, regional connections, the famed panoramic Glacier Express, and even a 125-year-old cog railway that chugged to the summit of Monte Generoso at 1,704 meters. And I loved every second of every ride. Whether you travel first or second class, trains are comfortable, roomy, clean, and even the most basic local carriages have big windows. So I am not saying you should skip train travel. If you don’t travel by train in Switzerland, you are missing out. But I really shocked myself to find that after a month in this country, my personal favorite way to see it is by bus. Granted, it is slower, but that’s why I prefer it. Buses can also go where trains can’t. (Renting a car and driving introduces complications such as navigating scary roads, not being able to gawk at the scenery and drive at the same time, and not being able to have a local beer or glass of wine with your meal.) I rode the most amazing route in the Ticino region to see the famed Church of San Giovanni Battista in Mogno, by Swiss architect Mario Botta. We started out winding through charming tiny villages (where our driver knew everyone who waved to him from the streets because he’s been driving this route for 28 years) and then graduated to a series of steep hairpin turns that led up a mountain with sheer cliffs on one side and eye-popping views of the valley. I also really enjoyed the fact that we drove through many towns and villages. Yes, this meant a slower ride with more stops, but it also meant I had the chance to see where people lived and get a better sense of how the various villages are connected.

Long-distance routes like this one are run by the PostBus company, which, as its name implies, got its start as a service for delivering mail. It’s still part of the Swiss postal system, but it’s grown into a far-reaching, easy-to-use, and affordable public transportation network that’s also covered by the Swiss Travel Passes. You’ll recognize it by its bright yellow buses. The app even offers downloadable audio guides that point out sights and history along some of the routes.

Don’t miss the toilets on the trains.

funny design wallpaper in a bathroom on a Swiss train

The bathrooms on Swiss trains are much cleaner and more whimsical than you’d expect. Most of them have some kind of funny wallpaper to make you feel like you’re anywhere but in a train toilet. Photo: Billie Cohen

For one thing, this is practical advice, since bathrooms at train stations often cost a franc, while the toilets on the trains themselves are free. For another, the train toilets (look for the WC sign) are not only clean, they’re adorable. Yeah, I know, that’s not a word anyone would normally use to describe a bathroom, but just look at this picture! Most of the WCs on inter-city routes have whimsical wallpaper that’ll make you feel like you’re somewhere else: a homey powder room, in an under-the-sea submarine looking out a fake porthole, in an airplane flying through the clouds— and I never saw the same design twice. When the bathrooms are this nice, you know trains are a valued, respected, and well-maintained mode of transportation.

Don’t be a hero; take your Dramamine.

Hairpin turn on road in Ticino Switzerland

One unfortunate consequence of all those beautiful Swiss mountains: very, very, very sharp turns to get up them. Photo: Billie Cohen

The roads in the mountains can be very sinuous—ideal for causing discomfort to those of us who suffer from motion sickness. Even some of the trains rock side to side and may take some windy routes. And then there’s the buses, which can navigate even more serpentine roads and do a lot more stopping and starting. Also keep in mind that all modes of transportation here have front- and back-facing seats, and you may not always get your first choice, so you’ll have that additional trigger to worry about. So do yourself a favor and don’t try to tough it out. You’ll end up feeling too sick to look out the window; take whatever aid helps you feel better. If it makes you tired, you can always pep up with a coffee and a piece of chocolate!

There are gems of modern architecture, but some of them are hidden.

A post shared by Billie Cohen (@billietravels) on May 8, 2017 at 2:46am PDT

Mario Botta has several structures around Switzerland that are worth visiting. In addition to the San Giovanni Battista church, there’s La Chiesa Santa Maria degli Angeli at Monte Teramo and the Fiore di Pietra at the top of Monte Generoso (both in the Ticino region). Pritzker Prize-winning Peter Zumthor is another Swiss architect worth seeking out. In addition to the Therme Vals (in Vals), he designed a shelter for Roman archeological finds in Chur, Switzerland’s oldest city. That one is way off the main streets; although it’s not widely publicized, you can ask for a key at the tourist information center to access it. If you make the effort, you’ll be rewarded. I had the place entirely to myself when I visited, and I loved the contrast between the way the open-air structure incorporates light and shadow, which are always changing from minute to minute, and the ancient artifacts, which haven’t changed in 2,000 years. Another architectural gem that’s not obvious from the street is in Zurich: Santiago Calatrava’s law library at the University of Zurich is inside another building, so unless you know it’s there, you won’t notice it. The library is free and open to the public and worth the trip. There are so many other gems of modern architecture throughout Switzerland, so be sure to seek them out: the last building Le Corbusier ever designed is in Zurich; creations by Zaha Hadid, Frank Gehry and other starchitects are gathered at the Vitra Campus outside Basel; and Renzo Piano designed the undulating Zentrum Paul Klee in Bern.

It’s very easy to accommodate food allergies and preferences here.

I’m a vegetarian with many food issues, none of which were a problem here. Not only does everyone understand “vegetarian” and “vegan,” but I saw many menus that noted those options as well as gluten-free offerings. In grocery stores, packages mark these things too. Some stores have separate gluten-free sections. And I love to visit grocery stores. The two main ones you’ll see around Switzerland are Coop and Migros; the larger locations have inexpensive buffet-style restaurants and sections of housewares and even clothing.

Try all the Swiss cheese. There’s more than you think.

Variety of Appenzeller cheeses in switzerland

There a so many kinds of cheeses to taste in Switzerland, try them all. This selection is from the Appenzeller dairy. Photo: Billie Cohen

There are myriad varieties of cheese here beyond the familiar hole-pocked slices we picture when someone says Swiss cheese: There’s Emmental, Gruyère, Appenzeller, and many that are local to each region. Be sure to try them all and seek out opportunities to see it made. In Appenzell, I visited the Appenzeller show dairy and tasted several varieties. You can also visit the Gruyère factory and Emmentaler show dairy, and a well-connected Switzerland travel specialist can arrange more personal cheese experiences

There’s a rosti for every region and you should taste them all.

A post shared by Billie Cohen (@billietravels) on May 11, 2017 at 12:15pm PDT

If you want to get very basic about it, rosti is just a big hash brown. But that’s really oversimplifying it. When done well, a big fat plate of browned and crispy rosti is exactly what your belly needs after a day of touring or hiking or shopping or whatever it is you did that day. What’s cool is that different regions in German Switzerland have their signature versions: In Appenzell, the rosti is served with a fried egg and Appenzeller cheese. The Bern version has bacon. Ask about it and try them all.

There are also regional desserts. Try those too.

biberli cookie dessert from Appenzell Switzerland

Every region of Switzerland has specialty desserts. This biberli, a gingerbread cookie filled with nut cream, is popular in Appenzell. Photo: Billie Cohen

Keep your eye open for cakes, cookies, and treats in each area you visit. In Zurich and Appenzell, you’ll see a lot of small round mini cakes called biberli, which are soft gingerbread on the outside and filled with a nut cream. In Chur, I was introduced to Bündner Nusstorte (Bündner indicates it’s from the Canton of Graubünden, of which Chur is the capital), which is more like a walnut pie. Birnenbrot, also from Graubünden translates to pear bread. It’s a log of pear filling wrapped in a thin pastry.

Even the grocery stores sell good chocolate.

Swiss chocolate bars in grocery store in Switzerland

Every grocery store sells a large selection of chocolate at very affordable prices—and it’s good. Photo: Billie Cohen

You will likely want to try the fancy and famous chocolatiers of Switzerland, including Sprüngli in Zurich, Merz in Chur, and my favorite, Chocolat Stella in Bellinzona. And, of course, you should—they’re famous for a reason. But the quality of Swiss chocolate is so high that, as a rule, even the bars you buy in regular grocery stores are delicious. You’ll find large selections including Lindt aplenty, as well as Maison Callier and in-house lines. And whereas bite-size pralines from an upscale shop can cost 1.50 francs, standard chocolate bars are 100g (about twice the size of an American bar) and usually not more than two to three Swiss francs. The Migros grocery store’s house-brand milk chocolate bar is at the inexpensive end, and even that is creamier and more indulgent than any 80-cent chocolate bar has a right to be. Ask a local for his or her favorite brand, and you’ll get a different recommendation every time.

There are villages in the Ticino region where people still live without electricity—by choice.

Valle Bavona stone village Ticino Switzerland

The valleys of Switzerland’s southern Ticino region are dotted with ancient stone villages still in use today. Photo: Billie Cohen

The Ticino region of southern Switzerland is a varied landscape of steep cliffs and verdant valleys. And in those valleys, you can drive right up to—and walk respectfully through—miniscule villages of stone houses that date back hundreds of years. In the Valle Bavona outside the city of Locarno, for example, some families spend their summers in rustic homes, eschewing electricity and modern plumbing in exchange for being surrounded by nature. You can visit these on your own, but a local guide who knows the area, the history, the context, and some of the residents, will make a big difference since there are no signs to give you info on what you’re looking at, how the houses were built, or what daily life here is like. For example, my guide Anna, who still spends summer weekends in a mountain home in the area, shared anecdotes about residents she knew personally and how they handle basic tasks like laundry and gardening, as well as insider stories such as why the locals here chose to refuse electricity (it had to do with taxes in the 1970s), and how those who live in high-up mountain crevices get their supplies (hint: look for ground-level posts topped with orange balls, they mark the beginning of pulley wires that ascend to the heights). Anna also led me through an off-road trail dotted with ancient cave grottos still in use by today’s residents—I never would have found that on my own, or even known to look.

Quick and Easy Weekend Getaways for the Summer

Leave a reply

How is it that summer sneaks up on us every year? It was just winter, and then all of a sudden the warm weather is upon us and we’re scrambling to plan some quick-and-easy summer getaways. The good news is it’s never too late. Here are eight ideas for short, fun road trips and big-city escapes that work just as well for families as for solo travelers.

Find Your Inner Writer

You’ll have plenty of time this summer to spend reading on the beach (we hope!) but for now, get your book fix by road tripping through our nation’s literary past in New England. Wendy, who majored in History and Literature at Harvard, has designed this two-day itinerary, starting and ending in Boston, that takes you through Louisa May Alcott, Emily Dickinson, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Henry David Thoreau, and Edith Wharton country.

Find Your Inner Food Critic

Put your GPS and your stomach to good use on a road trip focused on your favorite regional foods. For a Southern barbecue and soul food feast, for example, you could start with hickory-smoked ribs in Blue Ridge, Georgia, and continue sampling the country’s best barbecue on this itinerary through Nashville all the way to Kansas City. Or rate lobster rolls along the Northeastern coast, from Captain Scott’s Lobster Dock in New London, Connecticut, to Red’s Eats in Wiscasset, Maine. Find a few lauded spots with the TripAdvisor or LocalEats apps and you’re good to go. Of course, you could also just eat your way through the nearest State Fair.

See Spectacular Coastline

Drive Route 1 to Black Sands Beach on the Lost Coast in Humboldt, CA. Photo: Visit California

“One of my all-time favorite adventures along the northern California coast is to drive the one-lane, unpaved road off Route 1, just west of Leggett, to Sinkyone Wilderness State Park,” says Sheri Doyle, an expert planner of California road trips. “It’s a white-knuckle trip that will have you praying you won’t meet anyone coming the other way, and you’ll need a four-wheel-drive vehicle to do it, but the reward at the end—a black-sand beach out in the middle of nowhere—is fantastic. If that’s too daunting, the drive to the ‘Lost Coast’—the stretch of coastline from Ferndale to the Avenue of the Giants, just south of Eureka—is paved and not quite as difficult, but also leads to fantastic beach views that you’ll share with more cows than people.”

Discover Geological Wonders

Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument in Utah

Utah’s Highway 12, which runs alongside the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, is a spectacular drive, but few take the time to do it.

Make one of Utah’s gorgeous national parks your goal for the weekend, and turn the drive into part of the experience by driving Highway 12, which runs between the Utah towns of Tropic and Torrey alongside the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. It’s one of the world’s most spectacular drives, yet few people know about it. Learn more about Highway 12 in The American West You Don’t Know About, But Should and bookmark our calendar guide to the best national parks for every month of the year.

Delve Into the Heartland

Mississippi River runs through Minneapolis Minnesota

Mississippi River runs through Minneapolis. Photo: Billie Cohen

America’s Great River Road runs along the Mississippi, all the way from Canada to the Gulf Coast, passing through country dotted with historic villages, wineries, wildlife, and sweeping vistas. Wendy recommends this two- to three-day itinerary that takes you along the Minnesota/Wisconsin border, starting in Minneapolis and ending in Madison, Wisconsin.

Pursue Your Passion

world's largest pumpkin roadside attraction

Pumpkins, petrified trees, yo-yos, balls of twine—the world’s largest anything is worth a stop, just for the sheer goofiness of it. Photo: Flickr/Loozrboy

Remember that you don’t need a bucket-list destination to make a road trip memorable. Just think of something you love and string together a few spots related to it. Are your kids die-hard baseball fans? Plan a route that connects minor-league stadiums. Do you swoon over lighthouses? Maine and North Carolina are just two states for you. If botanical gardens are more your thing, set your course for the Southwest and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Or go all-out quirky and seek out three of the world’s largest anything—apps such as Roadside America and Along the Way will help you track them down.

See How It’s Made

The Jelly Belly factory has a free sampling station where you can try three choices of jellybeans. Photo: Tim Baker

Many candy, ice cream, and food companies offer kid-friendly tours of their facilities—but you definitely don’t need to be a kid to enjoy them. In most cases you’ll get to see some behind-the-scenes manufacturing, learn about the company and the product, and (best part) get to taste the final product. Hershey’s Chocolate World in Pennsylvania and Ben & Jerry’s in Vermont are pretty well-known, but you can find more unusual ones like Tabasco Pepper Sauce in Louisiana and the Celestial Seasonings Tea factory in Colorado. Wendy’s husband, Tim, took the boys to the Jelly Belly jellybeans factory in California one year.

Find Peace in a Big City

little red lighthouse in fort washington park new york city

Try something different in New York City: a picnic near the city’s only remaining light house, known as the Little Red Lighthouse, at the foot of the George Washington Bridge. Photo: Malcolm Pinckney, NYC Parks

You won’t be the only person thinking about hitting a big city on a summer weekend, but that doesn’t mean you can’t avoid the crowds. Washington, D.C. is beautiful in the spring, before the summer heat and humidity roll in. While everyone else is piling into the various Smithsonian museums, head away from the Mall to Dumbarton Oaks, an eclectic museum with gardens tucked away in a residential neighborhood, a mile and a half from the closest Metro stop. Owned by Harvard, the former mansion features world-class pre-Columbian and Byzantine art and artifacts, impressive architecture designed by Philip Johnson, and a beautiful 27-acre garden and park. It’s rarely crowded, and as a bonus, it’s a short stroll away from an outstanding small museum, Tudor Place, as well as the Georgetown commercial district. In New York, leave the sunbathing hordes of Central Park behind and instead spend the weekend exploring the city’s other parks. Plan a picnic in Fort Washington Park, near the city’s only remaining beacon Jeffrey’s Hook Light House (also known as the Little Red Lighthouse) at the foot of the George Washington Bridge. Or head to Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, to climb Lookout Hill, the highest point in Brooklyn with views of the second park designed by Olmsted & Vaux (famous for creating Manhattan’s Central Park; legend has it they said Prospect was the design they liked better).

Avoiding Crowds in National Parks—Even at the Busiest Times

2 Replies

The U.S. park system is a national treasure that many parents want to share with their kids. But when you’re beholden to the school calendar, you’re forced to visit these parks at their busiest times of year: summer, spring break, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and other school holidays. Thus there are crowds. But there are also strategies for avoiding them. I’ve tested out many of these tricks at numerous national parks over the years, most recently when I took my son to Yosemite for spring break. Here’s what I’ve found works best:

family resting at Mirror Lake in Yosemite national park

A quiet moment of reflection on busy Mirror Lake. Photo: Ryan Damm

Use the right park entrance.

Many parks have entrances that are less busy than others. In Yosemite, for instance, far fewer people approach from the east (a route that is open only in summer) than from the west. Be strategic about which entrance you use.

Choose inside-the-park accommodations.

The entry gates are often the worst choke points in a national park; we spent an hour in the car inching our way toward Yosemite’s Arch Rock entrance on a Sunday afternoon in April. You’ll pay a premium for accommodations inside any national park—and you’ll have to plan far in advance, as many hotels and campsites book up as soon as space becomes available—but you’ll save a ton of time by only having to enter the park once.

child at a mosaic workshop at yosemite national park

Zeke focuses at a mosaic workshop put on by the Yosemite Conservancy. Photo: Ryan Damm

Hit the iconic sights well before 9 am.

Time after time, I’ve found that even the most popular spots are nearly empty if you arrive before 9am—and ideally earlier. I know it’s difficult to get kids out the door at the crack of dawn, but prep as much as you can the night before, and consider offering an incentive if everyone’s ready on time (an afternoon ice cream?). If there are iconic sights on your hit list—Bridalveil Falls in Yosemite, Old Faithful in Yellowstone, Inspiration Point in Bryce Canyon—make a beeline to those first. By the time the crowds have descended later in the morning, you’ll be off exploring less trodden trails.

Explore in the evenings too.

Evening is less crowded than midday and can be transcendent. I once took a stroll into Bryce Canyon’s amphitheater by the light of the full moon, and it was magical. Moreover, I saw only two other people on what’s usually a busy trail in daytime.

Avoid mealtime mobs by having picnics far from commercial areas.

After the entrance gate, the largest crowd we dealt with in Yosemite was at the Village Store, a grocery and souvenir shop in Yosemite Village. I’m glad my son has a memento to remember the trip—and he loved the mosaic-making workshop that he took at the Yosemite Art Center next door. But I’m even happier that we were able to avoid Yosemite Village’s mealtime crowds by packing a picnic each day—something we were able to do because we’d booked a vacation home rental in Yosemite West, a community that is technically outside Yosemite but on the park side of the fee gates.

child hiking through a narrow rock crevice in yosemite national park

The guide dangled the promise of “a rock we can walk through” to push my five-year-old along the trail. Here, we make the tight squeeze. Photo: Ryan Damm

Hire a naturalist guide to get you truly off the beaten path.

Our guide took us on quieter trails that were alternatives to the ones we would have chosen on our own, and he made suggestions for how to spend the rest of our time in the park. He also opened my son’s eyes to this new place in a way I couldn’t have, explaining everything from the strange phenomenon of frazil ice to the culinary techniques of the Ahwahneechee people who once populated the region. If you’re seeking a superlative national-parks itinerary and travel arrangements, complete with the most knowledgeable and engaging guides, we know who to recommend: Just write to Ask Wendy.

Choose dirt over pavement.

Many park visitors barely leave their vehicles, doing so only long enough to snap a photo and move on to the next marquee sight. When the roads are jammed, find a place—any place—to leave your car and hit the trails. No matter where you are, the farther you walk, the fewer people you’ll see. And it’s a national park, after all, so it’s virtually guaranteed to be scenic.

child learning about native americans in Yosemite national park

Our Yosemite guide shows Zeke the bedrock mortars made by Native Americans to prepare acorns and other foods perhaps 1,000 years ago. Photo: Ryan Damm

Interview park rangers.

When there are multiple ways to get to a popular spot, ask a park ranger which option is the least crowded. For instance, there are several different routes to Mirror Lake in Yosemite Valley. Our guide took us on a trail where we passed only a few other hikers, plus two school groups gathered in a glade; by contrast, the paved path that we returned on felt like a double-wide city sidewalk on a busy afternoon.

How You Can Prepare for the Laptop Travel Ban

6 Replies

UPDATED 5/14/2017:

Very soon, the Department of Homeland Security is expected to expand the laptop ban to include flights coming into the U.S. from Europe. Less than two months after the first ban required that fliers arriving from several Middle East countries pack their laptops, tablets, game consoles, digital cameras, and other devices in their checked lugged, there’s now news that planes arriving from the European Union will be subject to similar rules. As Skift pointed out, this extension “would affect trans-Atlantic routes that carry as many as 65 million people a year on over 400 daily flights”—and we know that includes many of our own readers, who are planning trips to Europe right now.

Unfortunately, any ban on carrying laptops and tablets into the passenger cabin impacts not only business travelers like me, whose work productivity will be affected, but also professional photographers like my husband; families with children who use tablets, game devices, or laptops as part of their long-haul-flight toolkit; and countless other fliers who rely on their tech devices in various ways.

Apart from being inconvenient, the current ban—which affects flights from Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Morocco, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey—is confusing, and a lot has been left undefined. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS)’s wording is that nothing “larger than a smartphone” can be carried onboard, but the agency is vague about what that exact size is. A FAQ on its website says, “Smartphones are commonly available around the world and their size is well understood by most passengers who fly internationally. Please check with your airline if you are not sure whether your smartphone is impacted.”

So far, it seems that the ban is being implemented inconsistently in foreign airports. When my husband flew home from Morocco with our two boys, one son’s Nintendo DS game console was confiscate out of his backpack, while the other son got to keep his. As expected, though, in the weeks after the first ban was implemented, a few of the affected airlines started to test out solutions: Qatar is providing complimentary laptops to premium-class passengers, Emirates introduced a laptop-handling service, and Etihad is offering free Wi-Fi (which you can access with your phone).

So in the interest of helping all travelers prepare (not just those flying from airports or on airlines listed in the original ban, and not just those planning trips to Europe), we’ll keep updating this FAQ as we learn more about how airlines and airports will be handling the changes. In the meantime, here are some answers and solutions.

What devices have to be checked now?

While it’s safe to expect that laptops, tablets, game units, and digital cameras must be packed in checked luggage, it seems that you could easily be at the whim of an individual security officer or your airline’s interpretation of what devices are acceptable for carry-on. The DHS FAQ says only: “Generally, passengers will be instructed to place large electronic devices in their checked bags when traveling from one of the last point of departure airports. We provided guidance to the airlines who will determine how to implement and inform their passengers.” How the airlines are choosing to implement and inform is inconsistent. “The manner of a Security Directive/Emergency Amendment is to tell an airline the end result required (no electronic devices larger than a cell phone allowed in the cabin) and allow them the flexibility to implement within their business model.”

What airports does the ban affect?

If you are flying through or from any of the following airports, the current ban applies to you: Queen Alia International Airport (AMM), Cairo International Airport (CAI), Ataturk International Airport (IST), King Abdul-Aziz International Airport (JED), King Khalid International Airport (RUH), Kuwait International Airport (KWI), Mohammed V Airport (CMN), Hamad International Airport (DOH), Dubai International Airport (DXB), and Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH). The specifics of a European-flight ban are still being worked out.

Am I exempt if I’m part of a trusted traveler program?

No. Membership in Global Entry, TSA Precheck, Clear, or any trusted traveler program does not exempt you from the ban. You still have to comply with the new luggage rules.

What can I do to prepare for the inconveniences of the ban?

•Turn your smartphone into a laptop.
Most of us think of portable keyboards as accessories for tablets, but they can be used with smartphones too. The screen may be smaller than you’d like, but at least it’ll let you get through some emails while you’re in the air. (If you’re accustomed to using more than one electronic device in-flight, you might consider getting a second phone. After all, airlines are not limiting the number of smartphones you can bring onboard. You could use one phone as a tablet or computer while you’re listening to music on the other. Get a cheap burner phone that you need not activate with a mobile carrier; you can just use it with Wi-Fi.)

•Read offline.
E-readers are part of the ban, so if that leaves you without something to peruse on the plane, you still have options. Add the Kindle app to your phone and do your reading there; the app will maintain your library, with bookmarks and notes, across all your devices. If you’re a periodicals reader, check out an app such as Instapaper, which lets you save any article or video from the web and read it later offline. And of course, you could always go back to old-school books. Now that there aren’t any tech devices in your carry-on, you may have room for the latest bestsellers.

•Travel with an inexpensive “travel laptop.”
If you’re like me, you cannot possibly travel without your laptop, and you’re loath to check it. After all, even with TSA locks, most checked luggage is easy to open and subject to sticky fingers. That’s why I plan to buy a cheap laptop for trips on which my flights will be affected. I’ll probably buy a ChromeBook, which costs as little as $165. I’ll copy the files I need from my “real laptop” onto USB drives and carry these in my carry-on, and I’ll relegate the ChromeBook to my checked bag when necessary, leaving my “real laptop” safely at home. Should the ChromeBook get lost or stolen, it won’t be a big deal.

•Insure your checked luggage.
If you’re willing to entrust your laptop to your checked luggage, know that airlines reimburse very little if your baggage is lost, stolen, or damaged; and they don’t cover valuables (such as laptops) in checked luggage. A few credit cards do provide loss and damage coverage for valuables in checked bags. The American Express Platinum Card provides up to $2,000 for checked-bag losses, although it caps electronics at $250. Travel insurance company TravelGuard reimburses up to $500 for electronic devices in lost luggage.

•Take the time to install anti-theft software and features on your devices.
In case you’re forced to check your laptop, install or activate theft-protection apps on it. Apps such as Prey or Find My Mac allow you not only to track where your laptop is, but also to lock it and erase it completely—and, depending on the software, even enable you to take a photo of the thief.

For an additional bit of tracking service, consider attaching a Tile to your various devices. These little squares use Bluetooth to keep tabs on keys, wallets, anything you can think of; use a Tile (or your phone) to set off a sounding beacon on your lost item. This isn’t so helpful if your laptop, camera, or game unit is thousands of miles away, but the app has a cool secondary feature: Activate the “Notify when found” option, and if anyone who has a Tile comes within range of your tiled item, you’ll get a notification of its location.

Stay tuned because we expect to see a burgeoning industry of travel-specific anti-theft gadgets to fill this heightened need. For example, the new PetaPixel is a remote shutter button for digital cameras that comes with the added bonus of geotagging for theft protection.

•Choose your airlines carefully.
Some of the impacted airlines are innovating to make life easier for premium-class passengers. Qatar Airways has begun offering first- and business-class passengers a complimentary laptop loan service; passengers can download their work onto a USB before stepping onboard and collecting their loaner laptop. Etihad Airways is lending premium-class passengers iPads and free Wi-Fi. Some airlines are offering a service at its gates where they say they will collect and securely pack passengers’ electronic items, for pick-up at the destination airport.

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.

This article was originally published April 3, 2017. It has been updated with new information.

This Beach Resort Figured Out How to Connect with Local Culture

Leave a reply

The beach is only a small slice of the experience at Anantara Peace Haven Resort in Tangalle, Sri Lanka.

fishing boat at Anantara Peace Haven Resort in Tangalle, Sri Lanka

Local fishermen deliver fresh-caught fish to the beach daily. Hotel guests help pull in the boat.

The hotel has a “coconut guru” whose job is to climb to the tops of 100-foot-tall swaying palms, prune them, and cut the coconuts down. It’s like watching a circus act. He does it daily. He’s the most physically fit 57-year-old I’ve ever seen.

The “coconut guru” brings his haul to the pool, where the coconuts are chopped open and served with straws as poolside drinks.

The zoo comes to you. Monkeys roam freely—and they’re very entertaining. One night we left our balcony door open while we were out, and a monkey broke in and filched the bananas from our fruit basket. (The other fruit was left strewn all over the floor.)

The hotel has a fleet of tuk-tuks for taking guests wherever they want to go in and around Tangalle.

One of the resort’s chefs took us to the pier in Tangalle to show us the fish market where he shops for seafood.

The boats here are extremely heavy. My sons were drafted into helping the fishermen at the pier haul their boat ashore.

On the roads it’s not unusual to encounter a herd of water buffalo, or a flock of ducks, or sleeping dogs, or an entire family on a motorcycle.

The chef took us to rice paddies and vegetable markets so we could pick up supplies for a cooking class. He picked fruit off roadside trees so I could taste it and try to guess what it was. This was tamarind (which I never would have guessed). It was pretty tart.

Back at the hotel, with the ingredients we’d bought at the markets, we had our cooking class and learned how to whip up lunch Sri Lankan-style. The number of spices they use in each dish is impressive.

Coconuts are a big part of Sri Lankan cuisine, and this is how you grind one.

We loved Kanishka, our resort’s resident “experience guru.” He’s thoughtful, caring, and very proud of his country. He knows everyone in the area, so he was able to introduce us to the variety of people we asked to meet.

Kanishka took us to temples so Doug could get info for a school project on Buddhism that was due about a week after our trip.

This is how you get to the 3rd-century temple that sits atop a 670-foot-tall rock.

Atop the sacred rock temple, Doug received a blessing.

In one village, Kanishka introduced us to a family who invited us into their home so we could see how they live. We left them with a few dollars (enough, it turns out, for rice for their family for a month) and a couple of Luci Lights—inflatable, solar-powered, re-usable lights that last a long time and never need batteries.

Bath time at the lake.

When we were curious to see how the local ceramic pots are made, Kanishka took us to visit a family of pottery makers. These women demonstrated how to throw a pot and showed us their kiln. We asked to buy this pot with a broken lid. They begged us to take one with a perfect lid, but we preferred this one with character.

There were a lot of kids in the pottery makers’ family compound. Charlie brought smiles when he picked up their hula hoop.

After long days of adventuring, it was nice to come back to our hotel beach for things like this private candlelit dinner.

All too often, big beach resorts wall travelers off from their country’s culture. That’s why many of us opt for small inns and guest houses, assuming they’ll make it easier to dive into the local scene.

When I was headed to Sri Lanka, though, small inns were not going to cut it. Not with teens in tow and Wi-Fi for work a necessity. We needed a pool, a beach, easy food options, and other conveniences and facilities that are hard to find in a developing country—unless you’re at a big luxury resort. At the same time, we refused to be trapped in a bubble; we planned to spend most of each day adventuring around Sri Lanka and immersing ourselves in the culture.

Luckily, we ended up with the best of both worlds—on Sri Lanka’s southern coast, at the Anantara Peace Haven Resort, built on a former coconut plantation in Tangalle. It was such an unusual blend of comfort and authenticity, in fact, that I’m writing this article in hopes that other beach resorts will take note and get inspired.

Opened in December 2015, the Anantara in Tangalle is one of the first big beach hotels ever to be built in Sri Lanka, a still-unspoiled tropical-island nation that has suddenly become hot and, consequently, suddenly has plans for a wave of hotel construction over the next few years. That’s why I wanted to go now—before the country gets overbuilt. Our goal was to see lush landscapes, taste exotic flavors, get close to wildlife, visit villages and temples, and meet as many interesting people as possible—all during my children’s one-week school break.

Anantara made all of this happen and more—because it’s on a mission to serve as a gateway to the local culture. To see how, click through the slide show above and on the videos below. And if you’re thinking about a trip to Sri Lanka yourself and looking for advice, click to Ask Wendy.

Every morning local fishermen arrive on the beach at the Anantara Peace Haven Resort to deliver their catch. Guests help pull in the boat and choose the fish they’d like the chef to prepare for them later that day.

Since the kids love wildlife, the resort arranged an excursion to an elephant orphanage and to Udawalawa National Park. Check out this elephant who gave himself a bath mere feet from us.

This colorful vegetable market sits on the road between Tangalle and Udawalawa National Park. Note the absence of other tourists—something we experienced a lot in Sri Lanka. I’m glad we went when we did!

Test

A Primer on Stress-Free Family Travel

Leave a reply

Thanks to years of traveling with her husband and two sons—on all kinds of trips, from affordable East Coast road trips to unconventional far-away spring breaks—Wendy has developed some worthwhile sanity-saving advice. Browse through her best tips below, along with some from her kids, and bookmark what you need for your next family vacation.

Decide on a destination

Wendy Perrin at the Eiffel Tower, france

Wendy has taken her boys all over the world.

Wendy and staff writer Brook Wilkinson, mom to a 5-year-old, wrote some of these stories after returning from specific holidays, but the ideas are applicable to many times of the year. Don’t forget that most destinations can be family-friendly if you work with the right travel planner to make it work for your specific group. So get someone to bring you a mimosa and spend some time dreaming your way through The WOW List for more ideas. If you’re torn between destinations, Ask Wendy.

How to Make Sophisticated Travel Destinations Fun for the Whole Family

Wendy’s Trip Photos from Morocco: An Unusual Spring Break Idea

Unexpected Spring Break Vacation Ideas

Unexpected Holiday Travel Ideas For Christmas and New Year’s

Rent A Villa In Italy For the Whole Family

Avoiding Crowds in National Parks—Even at the Busiest Times

Summer Vacation at a Ski Resort? Yes, and Here’s Why

This Beach Resort Figured Out How to Connect with Local Culture

Adventurous, Exotic Travel with Young Kids: It Is Possible

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

Five Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do with Kids in Vietnam

Uzbekistan Is the Family Vacation Idea You’ve Been Missing

5 European Cities that are Surprisingly Kid-Friendly

Best Activities for Children in Costa Rica

We Had the Best Family Trip in Whistler and We Never Put on Skis

Italy Vacation Ideas for Every Age

How to Transform a Disney Trip from Average to Extraordinary

4 Great Ideas for Graduation Trips

Remove the stress factors

Flying with the kids, especially small ones, doesn’t have to be torture. Photo: Brook Wilkinson

It’s true that every family is different, but it’s also true that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time you plan a family vacation. The following advice will see you through some of the most challenging travel moments.

Watch: How to Make Family Trips Fun

10 Keys to a Peaceful Family Vacation

10 Easy Ways to Prevent Travel Headaches Just by Snapping Photos

What to Know Before Booking Your Family Cruise

How to Get Your Child to Try New Foods When Traveling

How to Save Time and Tantrums in Amusement Parks

How to Keep Your Kids Happy on a Cruise

Why You Should Sleep In a Museum

How to Have a Kid-Friendly River Cruise

Why My Most Relaxing Vacation Was a Disney Cruise

8 Secrets to a Stress-Free Flight With Toddlers

How to Ace Long-Haul Flights with Young Kids

How to Get the Best Private Guide For a Trip With Kids

What if it’s a road trip?

Nothing says summer vacation like a road trip. Photo: Unsplash/Pixabay

We’ve got a series of tips for how to minimize the backseat spats and maximize the fun:

The Keys to Planning the Perfect Road Trip

10 Apps That Will Improve Any Road Trip

Family Road Trips: How to Eliminate Stress and Bickering

Don’t Take a Road Trip Without Packing These

Three Things You Should Always Stop For

Be prepared

red case with red cross photo by peggy marco pixabay

When you prepare for a trip, it’s smart to prepare for an emergency too. Photo: Peggy Marco/Pixabay

Don’t let fear (of anything) stop you from getting the vacation you deserve. Wendy has written extensively about the importance of traveling at all ages, and how to arm yourself with the information and resources you need, whether you’re concerned about Zika, terrorism, health emergencies, or just losing your luggage. And don’t forget: the most essential tools you can have in your prep kit are a good travel planner who knows the terrain and an insurance plan. All of the Trusted Travel Experts on The WOW List have extensive networks on the ground and reliable staff watching out for you throughout your trip.

How to Buy Travel Insurance: What It Covers, When You Need It

How to Be Prepared for an Emergency When You Travel: 15 Simple Steps

The Real Things You Should Be Wary Of When Traveling Abroad (Hint: It’s Not Terrorism)

Watch: This Is How to Interpret Travel Warnings

7 Keys to Traveling Without Fear Despite Terrorist Attacks

Watch: How to Protect Yourself From Zika Virus and Mosquito Bites

How to Avoid Food Poisoning When You Travel

This Is the Day in Bali You’ll Never Forget: A WOW Experience

Leave a reply

The small rural village of Pacut is about an hour and a half outside Ubud.

The drive into Pacut, the hometown of my guide Agung.

The central pavilion, or bale gede, of the traditional home where I spent the first part of the tour. It's surrounding by small enclosed buildings, including a kitchen and bedrooms.

Bright floral temple offerings are placed on sidewalks and in front of businesses and homes all over Bali. Now I got to make my own.

Ta da!

Lunch is served on a beautiful bamboo pedestal…

…and looks even more beautiful inside.

My own custom bamboo sunhat!

Agung goofing around with my hat on. That double basket he's carrying is incredibly heavy. I couldn't lift it at all!

You'll see these stepped rice fields all over Bali—and the view never gets old.

This is the real daily work for the farmers who live in Pacut, and I got to see it up close.

Guests are welcome to wade into the paddy and help push the oxen.

On the porch of his home, Agung plays the rindik for me.

Then I tried my hand with the village's gamelan orchestra.

The village's town hall/community center is also an outdoor pavilion. This one is called a bale banjar and it's where the orchestra performs.

The cymbals were the instrument I excelled at…because I only had to clang them together when my percussion team members nodded at me. The rindik was a lot more difficult.

These multitalented men played flute-like instruments for some songs, and then switched to percussion on others. They were my cymbal buddies.

We travelers are always looking for that holy grail of an “authentic” experience. We want to feel like we’re really connecting with a place we visit, not just looking through the glass at it. We want to experience those spark-filled moments when our eyes widen and we realize the person we’re talking to (or smiling and gesticulating wildly at) has just made that magical transformation from stranger to friend. Most of the time, those moments are random, impromptu; they can’t be planned or orchestrated. But the truth is, they can be nudged. That’s where the right travel planner comes in. Moreso than their connections at hotels, restaurants, and special events, it’s their connections to people that will end up making your trip memorable. And in Bali, where there’s no lack of natural beauty to gawk at and cultural activities to experience, seasoned travelers want to find a way beneath the surface, to get out of the lovely-but-touristy towns and connect to whatever it is that makes Bali so special. Spoiler: It’s the people. And Diane Embree’s village day tour is how you meet them.

In this series of articles on “WOW Experiences,” we spotlight the special-access opportunities you can look forward to when you book a trip via a WOW List expert. If you’ve taken a trip arranged by Diane, please add your review to help other travelers.

The What:

A personalized and personal-feeling day in a Balinese village, meeting the residents, learning about the culture, and trying your hand at the crafts, work, and traditions that fill their daily lives. If you’re interested, Diane can also arrange for a charitable opportunity like a visit to a school. “I never pressure people to donate,” she says, “but the information is on my website if people are interested.”

The Where and When:

The small rural village of Pacut, about an hour and a half outside Ubud. This experience is available any time of year, except during some holidays when the villagers will be busy with preparations.

The WOW:

Diane has cultivated an exclusive arrangement with the village of Pacut, which, she told me, “is so small it’s not even on the maps of Bali. I can guarantee that no other tourists will be in the village on the day you go there.” What makes it even more special is that Diane has a personal connection to Pacut. “My longtime colleague who runs the ground operation in Bali is originally from the village and still has very strong ties there. In fact, he is currently the head of the village (an elected position),” she says. “In addition, one of the guides [Agung] and all the drivers that I use are from the village.”

Throughout the day you’ll meet several of the town’s residents, who prepare you a homemade lunch of typical Balinese foods and give you hands-on lessons in two Balinese crafts: constructing the ubiquitous flower-filled temple offerings that are strewn on sidewalks all over Bali every day, and weaving a bamboo-leaf hat. You’ll appreciate the headgear even more later when you’re in the sun-drenched rice fields and have the chance to meet a local farmer and pull his oxen through a paddy. (Interestingly, on our walk through the rice field, I was surprised and delighted to see a man biking down the road wearing a bamboo hat like the one I’d just made. His was browned and worn with age, so I got the feeling he hadn’t made it that morning for my benefit.)

Lunch and crafts take place in the courtyard of one of Pacut’s traditional Balinese homes, which are not the single houses that we’re used to in the west but rather compounds of small buildings and outdoor pavilions called bale. Sitting in the shade of the central bale gede, you start to understand the shape and rhythms of real Balinese lives, without a tourist in sight. While the flower-offering and hat-making craft sessions are cute fun—and probably even better for families traveling with kids—the real highlights come after lunch.

First, since Pacut is where my guide Agung grew up and still lives, he personally knows everyone you’ll meet—and he’ll also invite you into his own home. I was welcomed like an old friend and got to sit with him and his wife as they showed me pictures of their teenage daughter, toured me around their home, offered some first-hand insight into the increasingly complex issues surrounding Balinese land ownership and farming, and then relaxed with me on the porch as Agung gave us an informal concert on his rindik, a kind of xylophone made from bamboo. Sitting on his porch, listening to his music, and talking about our different lives, I had one of those moments when you know you’re experiencing something incredibly special. This was the quote-unquote authentic experience we travelers are always searching for, and the reason it happens is because Diane and her colleagues have built friendships and working partnerships with real people who live in the real Bali.

Second, I got to sit in with the band. During your drive to Pacut and throughout the day, you’ll learn a ton about the way communities are set up in Bali, and their family and village traditions. For instance, some communities have a gamelan orchestra, which is called upon to provide the soundtrack to all kinds of community events: weddings, holidays…and in this case, a visit by one of Diane’s guests. The Pacut orchestra has an unusual backstory: Years ago, one of the locals found a discarded instrument. As Diane tells it in a blog post she wrote, “No one in the village—not even the oldest resident (who was in his 80s)—could remember the instrument ever being played, or even how it got there.” But determined to start their own orchestra, the men scraped together the money to fix it and to take lessons after they finished their workdays in the fields. Over the years, Diane has helped support the band, and your visit includes a donation so that the players can maintain their instruments and continue with their lessons.

Unbeknownst to me, while I’d been out in the fields, this amazing group of musicians had gathered at the al fresco town hall (called the bale banjar) with all their instruments and prepared to give me a private concert. The music is beautiful, rhythmic, and surprisingly easy to pick up. I know that for a fact because I was invited (as you will be) to try my hand at a few of the instruments: drums, a rindik, gongs, and cymbals. With the help of smiling musicians and the encouragement of other parents and children who’ll be drawn to the show, you will feel like part of the band in no time. Fair warning, you’ll probably be invited to dance too. Just go with it, though—this is exactly what you came to Bali for.

How to Make it Happen:

This experience can be tailored to your specific interests and is available through Diane Embree, our Trusted Travel Expert for Bali and Indonesia. See Diane’s Insider’s Guide to Bali and read reviews of Diane to understand the caliber of trips she arranges. To be marked as a WendyPerrin.com VIP traveler and get priority attention and special benefits, request your trip here.

The Ultimate Walking Guide to New York City

Leave a reply

Justin Davidson has X-ray vision. As the architecture critic for New York magazine, he is trained to examine and evaluate the design of the city’s ever-changing skyline. But it’s his interest in the stories inside those buildings that makes his work so compelling: who lived there, what kind of lives did they lead, and what ripple effect did those lives have on the city around them? These are the details that bring a place to life for Justin, and when he started sharing them in informal walking tours for the parents of children at his son’s school (as part of a benefit auction), he found that others were fascinated too. After a guest on one of those walks turned out to be a book publisher, an idea emerged to transform his strolls into a book. Hitting bookshelves this week, Magnetic City: A Walking Companion to New York is a collection of narrative walking tours that uncover exciting new views about the city and the secrets its architecture holds.

“I didn’t think of it as a tour book,” Justin told us over the phone. “I thought of it as a composite portrait of New York through the things that interest me: walking, history, art, and architecture. And I’ve spent a lot of time looking at its architecture. For me, the architecture is always so enmeshed with other aspects of the city.”

Justin himself is an interesting story: Born and raised in Rome, he moved to New York (where his parents were from) in 1988 to earn his doctorate in musical composition at Columbia, then went on to have a Pulitzer Prize-winning career as a cultural critic, covering both architecture and classical music.

We talked to Justin in advance of Magnetic City’s release this week, to learn more about how an architect sees beyond exteriors and structure—and how that perspective can help travelers get more out of their next trip to the Big Apple. He ended up not only giving us insight into the way his book stands apart from typical do-this-look-at-that guidebooks, but also revealing some of the hidden stories told by the architecture of NYC.

Are you a big fan of walking tours yourself?

I love walking tours, and when I visit a city I try to find the best books that offer them. The best to me are the kind that say something you wouldn’t have otherwise noticed.

There are a lot of walking-tour books out there. What is different about Magnetic City?

For one thing, the book is light on the big sights and monuments. There are a lot of things I don’t hit because you can get those easily in other places. What I try to do is give people a sense of how the past and the present of the city are constantly intertwined, how wherever you’re standing you have a sense of everything that came before you and how it’s changing. Looking back and looking forward is such an intrinsic aspect of living in New York, and I wanted the book to get that across. It’s a partial biography of the city.

How did you decide what areas to include?

I picked neighborhoods where I felt I could tell the richest stories and where they had a fairly long chronological arc. That meant neighborhoods that have developed over time; I felt myself less interested in neighborhoods that popped up all at once because they were built by developers. But I wanted each one to say something about each part of the city.

What do you hope travelers get out of Magnetic City?

All I can offer is my way of understanding it and my way of presenting it and to do it with some depth. The tours are long—they take a while to do—and hopefully at the end of them you have a richer sense of why the city is the way it is in all its beauty and ugliness and excitement.

Four ways to see NYC in a new light

The Story of the Eccentric Upper West Side Intellectuals

I start the chapter about the Upper West Side at the corner of 89th Street and Riverside Drive. It’s a place you almost don’t notice, up stairs and behind trees, but to me it’s a tremendously evocative place in what it says about the Upper West Side in that moment in history and New York. It was built in 1905 and it’s one of the last surviving mansions on Riverside Drive; most were demolished and turned into apartment buildings. This one was built and lived in by Julia and Isaac Rice, who were an affluent Jewish couple. He had made money in various ventures including defense contracts and railroads. She had a medical degree. They were hyper-educated, cultivated, affluent, and had this unusual outlook on life. She was sensitive to what was then a tremendously noisy neighborhood from all the river traffic, so she founded the Society for the Suppression of Unnecessary Noises, which sounds like a crank’s weekend project but which was actually fairly influential on what we would today call noise pollution. As a medical professional she felt noise had an ill effect on convalescing; she related that to the mental health of patients. He was really into chess. So he built himself a private chess room in the basement and retreated there. He became a chess celebrity and sponsored a competition to use the Rice Gambit, an opening gambit he invented. They lived in that house for several years before it became too expensive and they sold it and moved to the Ansonia [on Broadway and 73rd Street]. They had six kids and one of the daughters was an aviatrix and one sailed around the world. To me that house represents a number of different things: one is the Jewish bourgeoisie on the Upper West Side, which was developed as a largely Jewish neighborhood. The other is that they took this education and used their own interests to change the world in their own idiosyncratic ways. The third is their idiosyncratic approach to parenting and their kids’ education. That’s how much you can get out of one house, just walking by.

Joyce Kilmer Park on the Grand Concourse in the South Bronx, New York. Photo: Kate Glicksberg/NYC & Company

The Story of Two Neighborhoods with the Same Dream

New York is a place where different groups of people have hitched their dreams to different places in the city. I linked Sugar Hill [in Manhattan’s Harlem] to the South Bronx because the High Bridge had just opened when I started to work on the book. You never think those neighborhoods are close, but you can now walk from one to the other. Each of those neighborhoods, for different groups of people, was an area that embodies their collective aspirations. For Sugar Hill, it was the apex of the Harlem Renaissance and it was this vision of African-Americans being able to truly fulfill their potential in wider American society and achieve social justice through talent. Right across the Harlem River on the Grand Concourse [in the South Bronx], that’s where Jews from the Lower East Side went to become truly American, truly middle class. Both of those dreams kind of died but there’s something moving about those neighborhoods.

The New York Public Library.

A Very Different 42nd Street Story

One of the other chapters is about 42nd Street, starting at Bryant Park and going east. The theme of the chapter is idealism. It’s about building things that represent some really grand noble theme about how to make the world a better place in all these different spheres: The New York Public Library represents this great monument to literacy. Grand Central Terminal is the apex of the idea of speed and moving and knitting the whole country together and travel from one end to the other. We think of it as a commuter rail now, but it was the end point of a national rail network. The UN is a symbol of healing the world through diplomacy. So there are these institutions representing these high ideals and that’s not how we think of 42nd Street, but it is really the most noble vision of how to root these world problems in the city.

The Story of the Hudson River Waterfront

This is not an itinerary in the book, but if you were to walk, jog, or bike from the Battery up to about 57th Street, or even beyond, you would be going along Hudson River Park and along West Street, which is wide and trafficky and distracting. But if you look at the row of buildings along that whole way, you can basically trace almost the entire history of the city from the 19th century up to the present. There are amazing industrial buildings, new apartment buildings, basic useful buildings, and each step of the way there’s some really dramatic moment in New York. And to think about how cut off from that most New Yorkers were for so many years—because walking along the water was not something people could do. It was a dead zone. It’s now something people gravitate to, and they are richly rewarded. Think about what you see as you go up from Battery Park City: the World Trade Center, the Richard Meier glass-façade buildings at Charles and Perry Streets, the Superior Ink set of apartment buildings by Robert AM Stern [on West Street], the Spring Street Salt Shed for the Department of Sanitation, Frank Gehry’s IAC Building at 19th Street, the ventilation structure for the Lincoln Tunnel, right up to the new pyramidal building by Bjarke Ingels at West 57th Street.

A Pro Photographer’s Solutions to the Airline Electronics Ban

Leave a reply

Travel bans of any kind never come at a good time. But this latest one is coming at a particularly bad time for me. As a photojournalist, it’s my very job description to carry my cameras with me. Sure, iPhone cameras are fine for snapshots, but I make my living using professional-grade cameras that I am now forced to place in checked luggage if I’m flying to the U.S. or U.K. from certain airports. So this ban is going to hurt. I have an assignment in Morocco next week and another in Dubai this summer, and I’ll be flying through and from airports that are on the new watch list.

I always arrive at the security gate well before scheduled departure so that my gear can be scrutinized. In fact, I fly with so much gear, electronics, and cords that I get very suspicious if the security agency doesn’t check my bag with a fine-tooth comb. But this ban will seriously change how I work.

My biggest complaint with the ban is the vagaries of it. Okay, I understand laptops won’t be allowed, or iPads, or my kids’ DS. But what about battery chargers or the cell-phone-sized hard drives I use to back up all the photos I shoot on assignment? What are you supposed to do with a key piece of equipment you thought was okay to carry onboard when a security guard says you can’t take that onboard because…well…he says so. Your checked bags are already down the chute. Now what?

My other concern is theft. You might as well put a “Steal Me” sticker on the outside of a bag with your camera in it. Security staff and luggage handlers X-ray bags well out of sight from the public, so the theft rate could increase exponentially. I remember going through Heathrow years ago when a similar ban was in effect. I had placed my underwater video camera in a checked bag (because my carry-on was already maxed out with other— more important—equipment), and they brought it to the gate where I was waiting, and I had to show the security agents what it was and prove that it was operational. That was the last time I saw it. Those little TSA-approved travel locks? Sure. Why not? But they and your ballistic-material luggage can be breached in mere seconds. Or just stolen completely, little locks and all.

So what am I going to do about it?

I live in fear of a camera getting lost or stolen on a trip, but now I will be changing how I work.

•For starters, I will leave my top-of-the-line camera bodies (the part of the camera minus the lens) at home. Instead, I will use cameras that are a few years or models old. Though not the latest and greatest, they are still usable and more expendable than my best—which I will need back at home.

•I will never put more than one camera body into each piece of checked luggage. That will give me a better chance of arriving at my destination with at least one of them.

•I will carry more media cards on which to store the photos I shoot. Let me explain: Until now I’ve always carried my laptop on my trips, downloaded each day’s photos to it each night, and backed them up on a portable hard drive (if not two). This is so as not to lose the images I’ve shot during the trip. The system allowed me to reuse media cards once I’d transferred the images to my laptop. Since I’ll now be leaving the laptop at home (since I won’t entrust my laptop to checked baggage), I’ll buy more media cards on which to store my photos. I’ll simply save the photos on the cards and wait till I’m home to download them to my laptop. SD cards are actually cheap enough now to do this, but keep in mind that they are small, notoriously slippery, and easy to lose!

•On some trips I might bring an older laptop (from which I’ve erased my personal data) to use as storage and for transferring photos to a portable, cell-phone-size hard drive. Will I be allowed to carry the hard drive into airline cabins? I don’t know.

•I will probably invest in a product such as Western Digital’s My Passport Wireless Pro. You can plug your SD cards right into it (its USB slot handles other format card readers) and copy photos or data right to a 2 or 3 TB drive.

•If you place your cameras in checked baggage, make sure to remove the media cards from the cameras. My video camera was stolen at Heathrow, but at least I had the sense to take the tape out and hand-carry it.

You will also have to remove the batteries from your camera, as most cameras use lithium batteries. However, the FAA specifically says that lithium batteries can’t be in checked bags, so we’ll just have to wait and see how that catch-22 gets solved.

•So what about chargers? I’m going to have to carry extra spare batteries in addition to what I carry now, in case my battery chargers are banned from carry-on luggage and get stolen. I’ll get a second charger too—so I can put each into two separate checked bags, again hoping that both of my bags won’t be taken or violated.

•With the camera bodies in the belly of the plane, that will leave more room in my carry-on for lenses. But this worries me too. A security agent once probed his finger into my telephoto lens and not only made it unusable but did several hundred dollars’ worth of damage to it.

On a personal level, one of my favorite things to do is to take photos while I’m flying. That’s gone now. I will miss shooting sights from a 33,000+-foot vantage point.

I’ve lived with previous bans and increases in airport security since the days of D.B. Cooper and almost daily hijackings to Cuba. And I’ve dealt with higher-speed films being ruined by third-world x-ray machines. So this ban is nothing new. I just wish it weren’t so vague. I’m looking forward to hard-and-fast rules.

Stay tuned.

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.

The Real Things You Should Be Wary Of When Traveling Abroad (Hint: It’s Not Terrorism)

3 Replies

Don’t spend so much time focusing on avoiding risks that are highly unlikely—such as a terror attack—that you neglect to take sufficient steps to avoid those risks that are far more likely to ruin a trip abroad—such as a traffic accident, theft, or food poisoning. The following do’s and don’ts that I shared with U.S. News & World Report will take care of most potential problems. A reliable (and reachable) travel planner will take care of the rest.

Drive carefully on your way to the airport.
Renting a car? Remember that motor vehicle accidents are the most common cause of death of Americans overseas.

Traffic rules are different in other countries, and car accidents kill more tourists than terrorist attacks. Be careful crossing the street. Photo: Timothy Baker

Look both ways before crossing the street.
Motor vehicle “rules” in many countries are not what you’re used to back home.

Leave valuables at home.
Most of us have learned to leave fancy jewelry at home, but we now bring all manner of fancy electronics. Consider leaving your larger and more expensive electronics at home. Whatever devices you do pack, be sure that the information in them is password-protected and that you have a copy of that information somewhere safe.

Use your in-room safe.
Store your passport in it. Leave the Do Not Disturb sign on your hotel room door when you’re not in the room.

Use trustworthy Wi-Fi.
I carry my own portable Wi-Fi hotspot rather than logging into free Wi-Fi on the street.

Watch out for scam artists.
In big cities, pickpockets may prey on tourists, especially in crowded transportation hubs. Clothing with internal zippered pockets, or a neck pouch, are a good way to keep cash and credit cards safe as you walk around and sightsee. If you’ll be carrying a handbag, use a cross-body one. A few examples of scam artists:

I was walking in Buenos Aires once—in a good neighborhood, in broad daylight—when suddenly some inky, foul-smelling liquid landed on me and my husband. Two young women sympathetically showed us an outdoor faucet where we could clean it off. Suspicious, we opted to remain a mess and started to walk away—at which point the duo offered Kleenex. They seemed a little too eager to help, so we quickly left the area. Back at our hotel, the concierge immediately guessed which street corner we’d been standing on and confirmed that we had nearly fallen for a common con: Had we put down our bags to clean up, they would have made off with them.

Other traditional scams in certain countries include the handbag snatch (you’re sitting at an outdoor café, you place your handbag on the ground or hang it on your chair, and somebody grabs it and runs off), the fake street fight (boys pretend to beat each other up, one approaches you in tears, pleading for money so he can get home to safety, you pull out your wallet and the kids grab it and race off), the crowded subway car (a group of women and children waltz into your subway car in a distracting whirl of colorful scarves and skirts, remove your wallet from inside your pocket, and exit before the doors close), and even the baby toss (a woman tries to hurriedly hand you an infant—some actually toss you a doll, in hopes that you will instantly drop your bags to catch it. An accomplice then swipes your belongings).

Dress smart.
I wear jackets with internal zippered pockets that nobody else’s hands can reach. Rather than keeping my wallet in a handbag that could be stolen, I keep small bills and credit cards in various pockets, so that I never have to take out my whole wallet. If you must carry your wallet in your outside pants pocket, wrapping rubber bands around it makes it more difficult for a pickpocket to extract it. Don’t wear brand new white sneakers. They’re a dead giveaway that you’re a tourist.

Don’t pull out a map and scrutinize it in a public place.
Step inside a restaurant or shop if you want to check your map.

Think before you photograph someone.
Don’t photograph policemen or anyone who does not want his/her photo taken. Here are some more tips on photo etiquette when you travel.

Program local emergency numbers into your cell phone.
I ask my hotel concierge for those numbers.

Carry your hotel’s business card in the local language.
Have at least one of these so you can show it to non-English-speaking locals (e.g., a taxi driver) and get back to your hotel quickly in an emergency.

Carry a mini-flashlight (so you’re never caught in the dark).
I once made the mistake of not packing one and learned my lesson the hard way. You can read all about my best travel mistake here.

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.

Vacation Idea: Travel to the Happiest Countries on Earth

Leave a reply

Norway is the happiest place on earth, according to this year’s World Happiness Report by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network. The report is shared annually to mark World Happiness Day on March 20. It determines “life satisfaction” among 155 nations by using Gallup poll data to rank, as its overview explains, “the factors found to support happiness: caring, freedom, generosity, honesty, health, income and good governance.”

We’d add that happy locals create a welcoming environment for visitors, too, so one idea for your next vacation is to get to know the residents in one of the world’s happiest countries. Norway tops the list, jumping up from the number four spot last year. It’s followed by Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, and Finland; the U.S. is number 14. Here are the top 20. For insider info on planning your trip to many of these cheery destinations, click through to our Insider’s Guides or Ask Wendy.

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.

What Not to Do in the Caribbean

1 Reply

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.

Traveling in an Uncertain World: Essential Tips for Smart Travelers

Leave a reply

Some Americans tell me they’re nervous about traveling right now. Given the recent ban blocking travel to the U.S. from seven Muslim-majority countries, and whatever unpredictable new rules might suddenly get implemented tomorrow, they’re worried that if they leave the U.S., they could have trouble getting back in. Some people are concerned about possible hassles with immigration officials in foreign airports. And, given the new administration’s “America First” attitude, some people fear anti-American sentiment at their destination.

I don’t. That’s because I’ve traveled in many countries at times when the U.S. government was disliked—and, time after time, I’ve found that, as long as you don’t behave like an “ugly American,” people don’t judge you based on your government. That’s because they don’t want you to judge them based on their government. Many people are accustomed to living under a regime that curtails their freedom and the press. If you’re sensitive and sympathetic, and as intrigued by them as they are by you, what you get is not hostility but a bonding experience.

Even in the Middle East during the Persian Gulf War and the Iraq War, I never encountered any hostility from the locals I met. In fact, I always got a warm welcome because people were so intrigued and curious to talk to an American. In the Middle East, I’ve always found people to be astonishingly friendly, warm, and hospitable. As just one example, I remember a policeman in Damascus, Syria, approaching me with a look of concern and an outreached arm, only to pick up my suitcase like a true gentleman and carry it across the street for me.

It’s my firm belief that, right now, travel is more important than ever. That’s not just because travel is fatal to ignorance about other cultures and peoples. It’s because we frequent travelers can help rectify misperceptions that the world may have right now about the United States. It’s important that other countries see that Americans are open to different cultures. It’s important that they meet Americans who don’t necessarily subscribe to the motto “America First” but are, instead, global citizens first.

Here are a few things travelers can do to convey this message and avoid the “ugly American” stereotype. These are easy ways to blend in, avoid offense, bond with locals, and stay safe. These rules of etiquette have long been the case; they’re not new to this or any presidential administration.

Avoid logos and labels.
Don’t wear T-shirts, hats, or anything with words or symbols on them. Don’t wave a U.S. flag. Don’t wear religious jewelry (no Christian cross or Star of David.) Don’t wear a red baseball cap that says “USA” or “Make America Great Again.”

Wear simple, plain, neutral clothing.
Forgo bold colors in favor of earth tones. Wear old black or brown shoes, not shiny new white sneakers (they scream “tourist”). Instead of shopping for new clothes before a trip, leave space in your suitcase to buy clothes once you arrive. That way, you gain the experience of shopping like a local, you blend in, and you come away with great souvenirs.

Speak softly and respectfully.
“Ugly Americans” speak loudly and draw attention to themselves. Remember that, when you travel, you’re like a guest in someone else’s house. Speak to the people of your host country with respect.

Steer clear of crowds.
This is not just for your safety but because crowds usually make both travelers and locals cranky, and crowds in different countries have different etiquette. Bypass political demonstrations and rallies. When practical, avoid rush hour on public transportation. Go against the normal flow of tourist traffic.

If there’s someone you’d like to photograph, establish a rapport first.
Here’s Photo Etiquette: How to Take Pictures of People When You Travel. Remember that it’s often against the law to photograph government buildings, military installations, policemen, guards, and parts of airports and train stations.

Know the country’s rules and customs.
Here are 25 Fascinating Rules of Etiquette From Around the World.

Ask questions that show that you care and can relate.
Good conversation topics—to ask locals you meet—include: How has technology changed your life? (Has it made it better? How has it impacted your work and your family? Do you feel more connected to the world at large?) What are your biggest stresses and challenges? (The cost of medical care? housing? schooling?) What happens when there’s a new baby in the family? If the mother works, how is this dealt with in the workplace? (Different cultures have very different maternity customs and laws.) How do you care for the oldest members of your family? (Many countries worldwide have more and more elderly people and not enough young people to care for them.) If you were to plan a trip to America, where would you go? What are the things you would most like to see? Such questions will establish similarities, as well as interesting differences, between your life and that of the people you meet.

Hire a stellar local guide.
A private English-speaking guide, arranged via your hotel concierge or a reputable tour company, can keep you out of trouble and introduce you to receptive local people. Remember, it’s in a guide’s best interest to keep you safe and happy. When a trip is arranged by one of my Trusted Travel Experts, you automatically tap into a network of guides and insiders at your destination who will watch out for you and can arrange for you to exchange ideas with the right local people without fear. These TTEs have their ears to the ground and know how to keep you safe and solve any problem that arises.

Get a new passport if that will give you peace of mind.
If your current passport has a stamp from Iran or another country that’s named in a ban, consider getting a new one, to avoid potential hassles coming and going.

Stay calm and relaxed, knowing you have a safety net.
Being on edge won’t win you any friends. A MedjetAssist Horizon membership can take the edge off because it provides help in an emergency, should a crisis—a political threat, a terrorist attack, violent crime, or the like—strike. It gives you access to a 24/7 Crisis Response Center, a veteran security expert to advise you, and response services to come to the rescue if necessary. Even if no major security incident has been declared yet and you’re just feeling uncomfortable and want to get out of a place, MedjetAssist will help. Full disclosure: Medjet is a sponsor of this site—but they’re a sponsor specifically because I believe in and use their service. Here are 15 other simple steps you can take to be prepared for an emergency when you travel.

Do you have tips to add? Share your thoughts 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.

What We Learned from our Global Travel Summit

Leave a reply

The WendyPerrin.com team is just back from our second annual Global Travel Summit, where we spent the weekend picking the brains of the Trusted Travel Experts on Wendy’s WOW List and, equally important, letting them swap information about how best to serve you.

We know that WendyPerrin.com travelers are not just any travelers: You’re sophisticated, smart, and thoughtful about the way you see the world, you’ve likely already seen a large part of it, and you define value differently than most people—as true, authentic, eye-opening experiences, not just as dollars and run-of-the-mill tourist photo ops. With all that in mind, we mined our collected group of trip designers and journalists for travel trends, travel business trends, and news about various destinations around the world. Here’s a short list of what we learned this past weekend, with much more to come over the next few months as we dig deeper into the most useful information you’ll need to make 2017 a year of extraordinary travel.

There’s a new trend in cruising, and small-ship company Windstar Cruises is leading the way on it: small-group, highly customized shore excursions. New president John Delaney, who came over to the company earlier this year from Seabourn, tells us that his personal main focus in 2017 will be to create bespoke shore excursions not seen elsewhere in the cruise industry. Stay tuned to learn more about what that means.

If you want to see Turkey this year, Trusted Travel Expert Karen Fedorko Sefer says gulets are the way do it. These traditional two-masted wooden sailboats allow exclusive touring of the Aegean Coast’s most beautiful spots. “Imagine sailing into beautiful, empty coves,” she says. “It’s a private, exclusive, and peaceful experience.”

New low-cost airlines are going to make nonstop travel over the Atlantic cheaper and easier this year, says Brett Snyder, president and self-titled Chief Airline Dork of Cranky Concierge, an airline assistance company that provides booking, flight monitoring, award-travel help, and emergency assistance if your flight gets canceled or rerouted.

Joe Yudin standing at the Wendy Perrin Global Travel Summit

Joe Yudin shares ideas based on his own experience running Touring Israel. Photo: Tim Baker

Our Trusted Travel Experts have been busy creating new experiences for travelers. We’ll be covering more of these throughout the year, but here are a few as an appetizer:
- Joe Yudin recently launched a program that lets adventurous types test their mental and physical strength during a survival-training challenge in the desert, led by former Israeli military types. “It’s like a Bear Grylls experience,” Joe says with a laugh. “It’s not easy, but people are loving it.”
- Julie Byrd is turning travelers on to Baja California’s less-frequented spots, such as La Paz, where she now offers Zodiac tours to nearby small islands for private snorkeling, diving, and overnight camping.
- Some TTEs start immersing you in another culture even before you leave home—for example, Jill Curran creates playlists for her clients so they can get to know Newfoundland before they step foot on the plane.

Apart from their ability to deliver extraordinary experiences, our TTEs earn a spot on The WOW List only when they’ve proven their customer-service skills (based on reviews from real travelers). So we enjoyed hearing from them about new methods they’re using to stay personally connected to their travelers:
- Maita Barrenechea visits guests in their hotel before they leave, to say a friendly good-bye.
- Andrea Ross calls every client after their trip to get feedback first-hand.
- Cherri Briggs is making sure her travelers have (and know how to use) a variety of digital tools, such as WhatsApp, so that they can stay in touch more easily if they need anything while they are on the road.

Andrea Ross helped launch a campaign to eliminate the millions of plastic water bottles that wind up in Siem Reap landfills each year. Instead, her coalition’s goal is to provide travelers with reusable aluminum bottles that can be refilled at clean-water stations (hotels, restaurants, cafes, and other spots) across the city, all of which are helpfully listed right on the bottles. She estimates these efforts will remove one million bottles from landfills in Cambodia this year.

andrea ross speaks at wendy perrin global travel summit

Andrea Ross, a WOW List travel specialist for Cambodia, talks about her organization’s work on reducing plastic bottle waste.

Be a smarter traveler: Follow Wendy Perrin on Facebook and Twitter @wendyperrin, and sign up for her weekly newsletter to stay in the know.

The 2017 WOW List Is Here: The Best Travel Planners in the World

2 Replies

We’re thrilled to announce the 2017 WOW List of Wendy Perrin’s Trusted Travel Experts. This list of the world’s top trip designers, compiled annually by Wendy based on real travelers’ experiences and her own stringent review process, is the pinnacle—and the original. You may find similar designations in other magazines, but it was Wendy who created the first list of this kind 17 years ago, and it’s still used as the source of those other directories. The list is informed by Wendy’s long career as a travel journalist, and no one can schmooze or pay their way onto it—in fact, the running joke is that it’s easier to get into Harvard than onto Wendy’s WOW List.

More important, her roundup of the best travel agents, tour operators, and travel-planning firms is the first stop for thousands of sophisticated travelers. And based on reviews they submit after their trips, we know that they’re satisfied:

“Joe Yudin was excellent. He and his team tailor-made our itinerary going back and forth to meet our specific needs.”

“China is a fabulous destination on its own, but we have little doubt our trip was greatly enhanced by the detailed, personal service rendered by Mei and her team.”

“Cherri Briggs was fantastic. We would use her again in a heartbeat and highly recommend her to anyone (and we have, to our friends) considering such a trip.”

Not only does Wendy recommend these Trusted Travel Experts, she stands by her recommendations—through a unique Trip Support System. That means that when travelers contact one of her Trusted Travel Experts through WendyPerrin.com, she stays in touch with both the traveler and the TTE to make sure the process, and the results, live up to everyone’s expectations. She also organizes the annual Wendy Perrin Global Travel Summit so that she can connect—face-to-face—with the Trusted Travel Experts on her WOW List, in order to reinforce the high standards of quality our readers expect from them.

This year’s list is bigger and better than ever, featuring 86 trip designers whose areas of expertise range from safaris to sun-soaked islands, from expedition sailings to family cruises, and from once-in-a-lifetime splurges to affordable family vacations.

Before you start planning your next big trip, browse Wendy’s WOW List and reach out to the appropriate Trusted Travel Expert. If you can’t find the person you need on the list, contact Wendy directly at Ask Wendy. She’s continually testing new candidates for up-and-coming destinations as well as those who have niche insight on a classic. So stay tuned and stay in touch.

Wendy revealed travel trends and predictions, along with her WOW List of Trusted Travel Experts, at the first Wendy Perrin Global Travel Summit, held at the Dream Downtown hotel in New York, in 2016. Photo: Tim Baker

Be a smarter traveler: Follow Wendy Perrin on Facebook and Twitter @wendyperrin, and sign up for her weekly newsletter to stay in the know.

Why Xenophobia Makes Me Want to Travel More

Leave a reply

Did you see that Dictionary.com named “xenophobia” its 2016 Word of the Year? Defined as “fear or hatred of foreigners, people from different cultures, or strangers,” xenophobia has been resonating deeply in the cultural consciousness lately.

How sad. As you can imagine, I’m a strong believer in the enlightenment that comes from traveling to foreign countries, meeting different peoples, and learning first-hand about their culture. I also believe xenophobia can be more harmful than the people it makes you afraid of. There’s danger in not leaving your comfort zone. To quote Paulo Coelho, “If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine—it’s lethal.” And you can argue that certain risks are greater where we live: I’m more afraid of people wielding guns at home than in the places I travel to (the U.S. has more guns per capita than any other nation).

So this Word-of-the-Year news had me down…until I realized there’s a silver lining: If xenophobia actually leads to a wider reluctance to travel, it will be the stereotypical “ugly Americans” who stay home. And that’s not so bad for us diehard travelers. It’s always been my experience that the fewer tourists in a destination, the more welcoming the locals are, the easier it is to talk to them, and the more goodwill they show you. I’m more than happy to travel without running into crowds of Americans in fanny packs and shiny white sneakers. I’m thrilled to have iconic sights to myself and not have my photos marred by busloads of cruisegoers from megaships. And the fewer Americans filling flights and hotels, the better the deals for the rest of us.

When I’m in remote locales, I don’t want to hear Americans saying how much better something is at home. I don’t want to hear, “I had to haggle with a guy to buy this” (do the math, and you’ll see that you were bargaining in increments less than a dollar). I don’t want to hear complaints that there’s not enough ice or air conditioning or whatever drink you’re used to at home. I remember once when I was in Egypt—on the terrace of the Old Cataract Hotel in Aswan overlooking the Nile—my husband ordered a Coke and I ordered a Diet Coke. The waiter brought a 16-ounce Coke for my husband and an 8-ounce Coke for me. It took us a minute to understand the logic, but we’ve been laughing about it ever since. That was a beautiful travel moment.

So, my dear xenophobes, if you prefer to stay in your bubble, I’m more than happy to do your traveling for you and serve as an ambassador for our country. I’m happy to drink tea in a bedouin tent while my children play soccer with the local kids. I’m happy to travel to rural Asia armed with pencils and postcards from home. Give a child a postcard of the place where you live and, before you know it, his mom is inviting you inside the place where they live—no fear of strangers involved.

The number of truly different places to travel to in this world is shrinking. The influences of global commerce, Hollywood, and the Internet are quickly making foreign countries more similar to ours than some of us want to admit. That’s why I think it’s important to see these places soon. I’m thrilled that countries still exist where we can say—to quote John Cleese as he sat behind his Monty Python news anchor desk—“And now for something completely different.”

So that’s how I came to terms with xenophobia. Now I just need to get past “post-truth.” That’s another 2016 Word of the Year—the one chosen by Oxford English Dictionaries. I’m a journalist who has always stood for truth (first as a columnist at Condé Nast Traveler, where “Truth in Travel” was our credo, and now at WendyPerrin.com, where I continue that mantra). So imagine how concerned I am that murky facts and fake news have grown so prevalent that a word had to be invented to describe them. We may be living in a post-truth era, but I, for one, feel more obligated than ever to share accurate portrayals of the world we travel in and bring truth home to our fellow citizens. How about you?

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.

Where to Travel in 2017, Before the Rest of the World Catches On

Leave a reply

Deciding where to travel can be overwhelming: There are so many amazing places—and so many factors to consider: the best timing for your trip, the optimal moment to book it, the stress of finding the right expert to plan it so you maximize your precious vacation time…. That’s where we come in: Our goal is to eliminate these uncertainties and cut to the chase about where to travel, why, and how to get the best experience for your dollar. We’ve already shared the most popular destinations of 2017—the places that our readers have submitted the most trip requests for. Now, we’re offering a list of places that might not be on your radar but should be.

Canada: British Columbia, Alberta, Newfoundland, the Arctic

Newfoundland scenery. Photo credit: Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism

This is the year when U.S. travelers will take a closer look at our neighbor to the north—and not just because there are no Canada travel alerts or Zika virus and the exchange rate is great. 2017 is also the 150th anniversary of Canada’s confederation—a reminder that this sweeping nation was once a lot more difficult to traverse than it is now. A solid train system and the possibility of low-cost domestic airlines finally joining the competition should make it even easier to hop around in the coming year. Not that you need to. Pick a spot, any spot—British Columbia for adventure activities, Alberta for the Rocky Mountains, Montreal for all that delicious food, Newfoundland for its dramatic coastline and unique lodges, the Artic region for polar bears and northern lights, or any of the country’s famous national parks (all free to visit this year).

If you’re seeking the right travel specialist to design the best Canada trip possible, Ask Wendy for her recommendation. Also read our Insider’s Guides to British Columbia, Newfoundland, and the Arctic.

China: Jiuzhaigou National Park

turquoise lake in China's Jiuzhaigou national park

China’s Jiuzhaigou national park has earned its stripes as a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its serene, crystalline turquoise pools. Photo: WildChina

After nearly 30 years on the brink of extinction, panda will be released back into the wild in China’s Jiuzhaigou national park and nature reserve next year. The chance to see these much-loved bears in their natural habitat is only half the draw, though. “Apart from panda tracking, Jiuzhaigou is by far one of the most beautiful landscapes in all of China,” says China travel specialist Mei Zhang. “Mandarin for ‘Nine Villages Valley,’ Jiuzhaigou has earned its stripes as a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its serene, crystalline turquoise pools surrounded by hills of crisp yellow flowers.” Hike primeval forests to the brilliant blue-and-green Five-Color Pond, then check in to the new Ritz-Carlton, propped right up against the mountains so that you won’t miss any views even when you’re inside.

Read Mei Zhang’s Insider’s Guides to China’s Big Cities and Small Villages, Yunnan Province, and Beijing, and reach out to her to plan the best possible trip.

Colombia: Bogotá

Historic colorful buildings in Bogota, Colombia

Historic colorful buildings in Bogotá, Colombia. Photo: Four Seasons/Thinkstock

This South American capital city has a lot going for it these days. Already cool in the books of culinary and cultural travelers for its thriving Nuevo Colombiana food scene, vibrant street art, and impressive art and architecture, Bogotá is adding big-name luxury hotels to its tourism offerings. At the end of 2015, Four Seasons took over the historic Hotel Casa Medina Bogotá, improving on the notable building’s old-world charm; and this year it unveiled a second property, the more modern Four Seasons Hotel Bogotá in Zona T, an area known for shopping and nightlife. Both boast destination restaurants (Spanish in the former, Japanese in the latter) and are likely to catch the eyes of trend-watching travelers. What’s more, thanks to its high altitude, Bogotá is not a friendly environment for Zika-carrying mosquitoes. Visit now before everyone else does.

Reach out to Eric Sheets to plan the best possible trip to Colombia, and read his Insider’s Guide to Cartagena for other ideas.

England’s Cotswolds

Buckland Manor, Cotswolds, England. Photo: Jonathan Epstein/Celebrated Experiences

“For years the English countryside fell off many travelers’ radar screens, as it was not good value compared to other destinations,” says United Kingdom travel specialist Jonathan Epstein. Then along came Brexit. Now, “the British pound is the weakest it has been since the early ’80s” says Jonathan. “Hotels in the Cotswolds that were $500 per night five years ago can be had for 25% to 35% less.” What’s particularly interesting is that while country manor hotels are improving, they still attract a mostly British audience, so you’re not likely to find yourself running into a ton of Americans. Add to that the lure of gardens, castles, charming villages, woodland walks, and award-winning cuisine, and the Cotswolds get even more attractive.

Read Jonathan Epstein’s Insider’s Guide to The Cotswolds, and reach out to him to plan the best possible trip.

Japan’s Cuisine and Off-the-Beaten-Path Culture

Tsukiji market, Tokyo. Photo: Context Travel

Japan has grown increasingly popular with our readers over the past two years. Maybe it’s the cuisine: Japan has the second-highest number of Michelin stars in the world (second only to France). Maybe it’s the atmospheric ryokans, or the hiking routes, or both: Aman recently opened its Amanemu resort, inside Ise-Shima National Park on the Kii Peninsula, where guests can cap off a walking trip along the famed Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage Trail. Maybe it’s the diverse landscapes: the coastal scenery of the Noto Peninsula, the spiritual Buddhist mountain region of Koyasan, the fun art islands of the Seto Inland Sea, the hot-spring-rich areas and pottery villages of Kyushu, Matsumoto, and Takayama in the Japanese Alps. Whatever it is, go now while the number of flights to Tokyo are increasing and new hotels are going up (like 2016’s Four Seasons Kyoto) in preparation for the Summer Olympics of 2020.

Read Scott Gilman’s Insider’s Guides to Classic Japan and Off-the-Beaten-Path Japan, and reach out to him to plan the best possible trip.

Mexico: Mexico City, Merida, Loreto

Traditional dancers in Merida, Mexico. Photo: Jouney Mexico

Mexico City (The New York Times’ choice of #1 destination to visit in 2016), Merida (the capital of Yucatan state), and Loreto (on the Baja peninsula) are each having a moment. What makes Mexico City special is the sheer diversity of culture you can experience there—world-class museums, cutting-edge architecture, emerging fashion designers, up-and-coming artists, plus all that delicious food (from taco stands to Pujol)—and the juxtaposition of ancient and modern: You can sleep in buzzy new hotels designed by world-class architects and in the morning go hot-air ballooning over the pre-Columbian city of Teotihuacan. (Plus Mexico City sits at an altitude too high for mosquitoes, so it’s Zika-free.)

A similar old-new combo can be found in the charming city of Merida. “The narrow streets and shady plazas create a feeling of the old world, as horses traverse the cobblestone streets lined with centuries-old mansions,” says Zach Rabinor, one of Wendy’s recommended Mexico experts. Many of those old buildings have been turned into boutique hotels and gourmet restaurants, so travelers seeking luxury and culture will easily be able to find both. In fact, Merida has been designated the American Capital of Culture for 2017, which means lots of events and celebrations throughout the year.

As for Loreto, it’s the counterpoint to Baja’s bustling Cabo region. The laid-back, old-world charm and coastal location attract adventure seekers, history buffs, sun seekers, and golf aficionados. Next fall the 7,400-yard Danzante Bay Golf Course will open, and Alaska Airlines is set to increase flights to Loreto to six days per week from LAX. “While there are breathtaking new resorts in Loreto, the vibe is refreshingly relaxed,” says Baja travel specialist Julie Byrd. “It’s still so untouched.” (If you’re concerned about Zika virus, know that fewer cases of Zika have been reported in the state of Baja California Sur than in Florida.)

Read Zach Rabinor’s Insider’s Guides to Mexico City and the Riviera Maya, and reach out to him to plan the best possible trip.

For Cabo, read Julie Byrd’s Insider’s Guides to Los Cabos Beach Vacations and Los Cabos Villa Vacations, and reach out to her to plan the best possible trip.

Mongolia

Horse riders in Mongolia. Photo: Nomadic Expeditions

The 2015 opening of a Shangri-La hotel in Ulaanbaatar put Mongolia’s fascinating capital into the travel spotlight—and it’s still there. This year, a new airport will expand the country’s tourism infrastructure, making trips from a number of international cities easier than ever before. “The city is a place where modern high-rises are lined up next to traditional nomadic gers,” says Mongolia travel specialist Jalsa Urubshurow. “Don’t let the bustling energy of UB fool you, though, since Mongolia remains largely untouched—a place where a horse-based nomadic culture continues to thrive.” That culture got a little bit of the spotlight itself recently, Hollywood style, when Star Wars’ Daisy Ridley narrated the film The Eagle Huntress, about a young Kazakh girl living in western Mongolia’s Altai Mountains who wins the Golden Eagle Festival, a prize historically awarded to men. ((The festival was actually created by Jalsa in 1999; you can read more about it here.) Now is the time to explore this country’s deep traditions, diverse landscapes, and burgeoning modernization, before the rest of the travel world catches on.

Read Jalsa Urubshurow’s Insider’s Guide to Mongolia, and reach out to him to plan the best possible trip.

Myanmar: Yangon, Rakhine, and More

Mt. Popa, Myanmar. Photo: Antonia Neubauer.

This jewel of Southeast Asia is expecting an influx of visitors in 2017 and thus is investing in infrastructure development under the government of Aung San Suu Kyi. In the capital city of Yangon, a new airport is being built and, by 2018, the capital city will even have a Peninsula hotel. For more intrepid travelers, Suu Kyi has pushed to open routes in Rakhine, Shan, Chin, and other tribal states, including areas where no foreign travelers were ever allowed in the past.

If you’re seeking the right travel specialist to design the best Myanmar trip possible, Ask Wendy for her recommendation. Also read our Insider’s Guide to Myanmar.

Nepal

A young monk in Nepal. Photo: Toni Neubauer

Tourism is still down after Nepal’s devastating earthquake in 2015, but that’s why Nepal travel specialist Toni Neubauer feels it’s so important for travelers to show their support for this magical country. “Without doubt, if you want to see a still-beautiful, less-touristed Nepal; appreciate the resilience of a people recovering from a disaster with little government aid; and appreciate some of the huge changes in the country, now is the time to go,” she says. For instance, roads that were previously only accessible to trekkers are now much more accessible to all travelers, and more comfortable resorts are opening such as the luxury-level Barahi Jungle Resort in the Chitwan. While it’s true that fewer tourists translates to better deals and more availability at top hotels and restaurants, the real reason to visit now is that it’s a boon to the locals and their economy—and gives travelers an insider’s glimpse into how its homes, monuments, and centuries-old art are being restored.

Read Toni Neubauer’s Insider’s Guide to Nepal, and reach out to her to plan the best possible trip.

New Zealand: Before It’s Overrun

Mount Nicholas Station, Queenstown, New Zealand

New Zealand has been a popular adventure spot for years, but we’re including it on our 2017 must-visit list for two reasons. First, it has grown so popular, and many of its most atmospheric inns and lodges are so intimate, that you’d be smart to book a year in advance, so if you’re thinking about it at all, start planning asap. Second, the busy season used to be limited to December 15 through January 15, but now it stretches all the way from November to March. “The country is literally full,” says New Zealand travel specialist Jean-Michel Jefferson. “Even locals are having trouble finding hotel rooms.” That’s not to say you should cross New Zealand off your list—rather, you should go as soon as possible, before it gets thoroughly overrun. A savvy and well-connected travel specialist like Jean-Michel, who is based in New Zealand, can ensure that you don’t get caught in the crowds and that you uncover unique experiences such as spending a day with a top orca researcher, helicoptering into undiscovered southern Fiordland, meeting a Maori chief, and dining on freshly caught wild seafood on the beach.

Read Jean-Michel Jefferson’s Insider’s Guides to New Zealand and Queenstown, and reach out to him to plan the best possible trip.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s Cinnamon Country. Photo: Sri Lanka In Style

If it seems like everyone is talking about Sri Lanka, it’s because they are. It’s one of the buzziest destinations of 2017—which is why Wendy’s headed there herself later this month. With its civil-war troubles behind it, Sri Lanka can now show off its 2,000-year-old history and eight UNESCO heritage sites, its national parks (packed with wildlife including leopards, elephants, and sloth bears), and its hotel boom that includes several new exquisite coastal resorts. “While this sharp rise in tourism may signal an end for the simple untouched beauty of the country,” says Sri Lanka travel specialist Miguel Cunat, who has lived there for more than a decade, “there are still plenty of off-the-beaten-track places to explore and myriad opportunities to experience authentic Lankan culture. The previously off-limits North and East Coast are now safe and open to travelers, and the Southern Coast has been benefiting from the opening of many new charming hotels and restaurants.” What’s more, 2017 is the 150th anniversary of Sri Lanka’s tea industry, and the celebrations will include an expo, seminars, workshops, and a convention.

Read Miguel Cunat’s Insider’s Guide to Sri Lanka, and reach out to him to plan the best possible trip.

Zambia

Amanzi Camp on the Zambezi River, Zambia. Photo: Amanzi Camp

If all you know about Zambia is Victoria Falls, you’re missing out. The country’s wildlife-viewing opportunities are top-notch: elephant, hippo, zebra, wildebeest, buffalo, lions, leopards…. Zambia offers remote luxe camps in off-the-beaten-path parks often overlooked by mainstream travelers. The exclusive Amanzi Camp opened in the Lower Zambezi in 2016, and another high-end property is slated for 2017: The five-star Mambeti Camp will make Zambia’s Liuwa Plains more accessible (and more comfortable) for safari lovers eager to spot the area famed for its lions, the second largest wildebeest migration in Africa (in November), a recovering cheetah population, and more.

Read Cherri Briggs’s Insider’s Guide to Zambia, and reach out to her to plan the best possible trip.

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.

Airfare Deals to Europe Are Excellent Right Now

Leave a reply

If you’re even toying with the idea of traveling to Europe next year, talk to your family or travel companions this holiday weekend and purchase your plane tickets right away. Airfare to Europe is currently at a remarkable low; cheap flights and airfare sales are popping up left and right.

“We are seeing some epic airfare sales to Europe,” says George Hobica, president and founder of Airfarewatchdog.com. “[Flights are] 66% or less than usual, and many were good for summer travel, which is highly unusual.”

Joe Brancatelli of Joe Sent Me agrees. “These are the lowest fares I’ve seen in a generation, since about 1985, give or take for inflation,” he says. “Even when you factor in seat charges and other ancillaries, the coach fares are insanely low. I mean, under $400 on major airlines to Europe. That is serious stuff. Record-breaking low stuff.”

George is seeing great deals to Paris, London, Italy, Germany, Brussels, and more, while Joe adds that Spain and Portugal are among the best deals right now. “Some of that is due to the fact that TAP Air Portugal has charged back into the market,” Joe says. “Some of it is that all three U.S. carriers serve Lisbon, Madrid, and Barcelona, and Spain itself has two carriers (Iberia and Air Europa).” Joe suggests keeping an eye out for super-cheap prices to Iceland (thanks to low-cost carrier WOW), and for business travelers, specialty carriers such as LaCompagnie for France and Emirates for Milan are making the New York–Paris and New York–Milan routes a great deal.

What’s the catch?

Well, according to Joe, who’s been covering the airline industry and consumer travel for decades, there isn’t one. “The dollar is very strong in Europe and is nearing parity with the euro—something we haven’t seen since the euro was introduced in 2002. The dollar is also at 30-year highs against the British pound. You also want to watch for cheaper room rates in specific countries (France, Belgium, Turkey) because of the terrorist incidents.”

In fact, the negatives he cited don’t actually have to do with airfare. Joe cautions travelers to watch out for “credit cards that still impose a currency-exchange fee and airport ATMs operated by currency traders (because they offer lousy rates, just like their cash booths).” And, of course, the weather. “So that means watch out for snow storms in your U.S. departure cities that can mess with your schedule. And watch the weather because some European destinations (looking at you, Paris and London) get messed up if they get snow. I mean, an inch of snow at Heathrow creates nightmares.”

If you do find yourself stranded or snowed in, Wendy recommends contacting Brett Snyder of Cranky Concierge. He and his team specialize in emergency air travel solutions, and if anyone can find a way to get you where you need to be, it’s Brett.

How to find the deals:

To find the deals, you can sign up for fare alerts at Airfarewatchdog.com or use the site’s helpful “fares from a city” feature. Just type in your departure city, and it’ll spit back great deals to locations all over the world. Two other useful tools are Google Flights (type in your departure city and it’ll show you several low-price options; shift the date to see more) and Kayak.com (when you click on the calendar icon in your initial search, small green dots below certain dates indicate days when airfare is cheaper).

So what are you waiting for? As Joe put it, “Honestly, this is one of the greatest times for Europe travel I have ever seen. Cheap fares. Cheaper hotel rates. Fabulous currency exchange rates. And because it is winter, the culture of Europe is in full swing—you’ll not only get good theater, you’ll actually meet locals in their own cities and towns. That doesn’t happen when Americans go in August!”

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.

Make Your Next Trip Extraordinary

Tell us about the trip you want

The more detail, the better we can help you.

Where should we send your personalized recommendation?

Tell us about the trip you want

The more detail, the better we can help you.

Where should we send your personalized recommendation?

Tell us about the trip you want

The more detail, the better we can help you.

Where should we send your personalized recommendation?

Our Latest Newsletters

Be a Smarter Traveler

We may receive a referral fee from trip planners for trips designed for and purchased by travelers referred through us.