Tag Archives: travel tips

Airfare Deals to Europe Are Excellent Right Now

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.

Why You Should Go to Moscow in Winter

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We all learned this lesson from our parents: Just because everyone else does something doesn’t mean you should do it too. When it comes to travel, that’s especially true. Who wants to follow the masses and be herded like sheep through the most popular tourist attractions at the most popular times of the year? No one—because in travel, the converse of that old lesson is true as well: Just because most people dismiss a destination at a certain time of year, that doesn’t mean you should dismiss it too. Places you wouldn’t think about visiting in their off-seasons are sometimes the exact places you should be exploring—offering better deals and a more authentic experience.

Moscow in winter is that kind of place. “The city is hip and happening, with a vibrant food scene,” says Greg Tepper, our Trusted Travel Expert for Russia—“and you won’t be nearly as cold as you think.” As for safety, “There are no security issues—that is, beyond the pickpockets you find in other major European cities such as Paris and London,” says Greg. “The days of gang violence in Moscow are long over (1990s) and there hasn’t been a terrorist incident in Moscow in many years. There simply is no anti-American feeling on the streets of Moscow, and visitors from the U.S. are treated just as any other travelers are.”

Greg is a big fan of visiting Moscow in the winter—so much so that he’s offering a complimentary special enticement for WendyPerrin.com readers: If you reach out to Greg via his WP trip-request form for a trip to Moscow (or St. Petersburg), you get your choice of a room upgrade at one of his recommended hotels, a half-day private expert guide, or a world-class theater performance.*

Here, Greg shares his top five reasons for visiting the Russian capital during the cold season.

The value doubles

“The Russian ruble is down more than 50 percent against the U.S. dollar. In the winter and on the weekends, the hotels offer their lowest rates of the year. That compounds the savings to make Moscow more affordable than it has been in more than 20 years. Top Moscow hotels cost less than $370 a night, including 18 percent VAT and full breakfast!”

Theater is at its best

“Travelers go to Russia for world-class opera, ballet and symphony. These are all at their best in the winter, which was always the ‘social season’ there. A wonderful bonus is that Russian operas are sung in Russian with English supertitles in the theater, making them so easy for English speakers to follow. (Italian and other foreign-language operas have Russian supertitles.)”

Sites are less crowded—by far

“The summer crowds are gone by November, and Moscow’s world-class museums are empty.”

The Dr. Zhivago effect

“Honestly, who doesn’t dream about snowy sleigh rides with a mink blanket, vodka, and mittens to keep you warm? No one ever forgets an evening stroll through Red Square with snowflakes drifting atop St. Basil’s Cathedral.”

Russian hospitality means really warm buildings!

“You can stop worrying about being cold in Moscow in the winter. In fact, if you wear long underwear indoors, you’ll likely find yourself uncomfortably warm and start looking for a window to open to let in more cool air! Russians like it this way, so bring a big, warm coat (preferably fur, which is very much in fashion and not taboo there) and be prepared to take it off and check it at the coat-check the moment you walk indoors.”

What other destinations do you think are worth visiting in their off-season?

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.

*Offer valid for travel between October 1–March 31, 2017. Suites are not included in the hotel upgrade offer.

Why I Think Travel Is So Important Now

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Since the U.S. presidential election, there’s been a lot of talk about how certain groups of voters—from the “liberal elite” on the coasts to folks in the rural heartland to the tech establishment in Silicon Valley to the media that covered the election to anyone who gets their news solely from Facebook—are living in a bubble.

But isn’t it true that everyone’s always lived in a bubble? That’s the reason why we travel—to get outside the bubbles we were born and raised in or currently inhabit, see how other people live and think, and broaden our worldview. Whatever your political leanings, I think this election reinforced how important it is to experience new places (especially within our own country), connect with people who aren’t like us, listen to different perspectives, and find common ground. As Mark Twain put it, “Travel is fatal to prejudice.”

With America’s role on the international stage unclear, though, some people are wondering how they will be treated when they go abroad now. As someone who has traveled in a number of risky countries at times when U.S. government policies were not in favor, I’m here to tell you that, in my experience, 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.

I can also tell you that, in countries that depend on tourist dollars and don’t see lots of U.S. travelers, people are particularly nice to Americans because, simply put, the American visitors who do travel there spend more money and tip better than other tourists.

When I went to Istanbul during the build-up to the Iraq War—a period when people were worried about anti-American sentiment and experts were advising not to fly on U.S. airlines or stay in Western hotels—everyone I met, from waiters to carpet merchants, told me that while they might disagree with U.S. policies, they love American travelers since they are more interested in learning about Turkish culture than other tourists who go straight to the seaside on cheap package holidays.

Later, during the Iraq War, I found myself in Kurdistan in southeastern Turkey and, again, nobody I met equated me with the foreign policy of the nation I live in. I was treated as a fellow human being first.

The same happened when I traveled in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. In fact, I’ve found people in the Middle East to be among the most welcoming and friendly people I’ve met anywhere in the world. As Aldous Huxley said, “To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.”

It’s a good thing I saw the sites of Syria when I did; today it’s off-limits, as a result of a brutal and tragic war. Lord only knows what the ancient city of Palmyra looks like now. I’m always telling people: Go while you can.

That’s why I’m taking the family to Sri Lanka this winter. Yesterday I asked my husband, Tim, if he’s having any second thoughts about that. “I was in Nicaragua during a war when Reagan was in power,” he replied. “After that, anything’s easy.”

People overseas are already wondering how they will be treated if they travel to the United States in this new era. We’re already seeing foreign governments issuing warnings to their U.S.-bound citizens to exercise greater vigilance. Will State Department travel warnings for outbound travelers change? It will be interesting to see.

In the meantime, here’s how to interpret travel warnings. And, if you’re concerned about safety in a foreign country that’s perceived as risky, here are steps you can take.

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.

These Are the Most Interesting Cruises Planned for 2017

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When it comes to cruises, our readers are picky: Only the most remarkable itineraries will do—those that stop in the most interesting and charming ports, give you enough time there, and show you places that would be too logistically difficult, time-consuming, or cost-prohibitive to see any other way. So we scrutinized the 2017 cruise itineraries on offer in order to point you toward the gems. U.S. News and World Report even interviewed Wendy for its article 10 Dreamy Cruise Vacations to Cross Off Your Bucket List. Then we narrowed our picks down to the best values, the most unusual routes, and the can’t-miss bucket-list journeys. To pinpoint the best cruise-planning travel specialist for your needs—to ensure you get the best itinerary and perks for your money—feel free to write to Ask Wendy.

Cruises that explore today’s hottest destinations at a value:

Iceland, and Japan are currently very popular—and, consequently, very expensive, if you want to do them right. One way to save is via one of these under-the-radar sailings:

Iceland: A lot of cruises touch on Iceland these days, but Lindblad Expeditions is doing something different: a full circumnavigation aboard the National Geographic Orion. The ten-day trip isn’t cheap (it starts at $9,130 per person), but it’s a relatively immersive experience of the whole country.

Japan: A brand-new itinerary with off-the-beaten-path ports you don’t ordinarily see is the “In the Heart of Japan” route aboard L’Austral. It’s an 11-day itinerary from Osaka to Muroran this coming May. Alternatively, you could combine a Japan land trip with a unique cruise to nearby islands. The Silver Discoverer sails to some of the most exotic islands in the South Pacific, from Palau’s Rock Islands (a UNESCO Heritage site and a mecca for divers) to the dolphin-filled Mariana Islands to Japan’s remote and isolated island gems.

Cruises that open up remote, hard-to-access regions:

Because of changing sea ice conditions, an increasing number of ships are heading to the Arctic for one-off or unique itineraries. Rare, once-in-a-lifetime voyages include:

Wrangel Island is a federal nature preserve and a great place to spot polar bears. Photo: Katya Ovsyanikova

Northwest Passage: Crystal will be sailing the Northwest Passage a second time next summer. The route was once impassable but, because of global warming and melting sea ice, it can now be sailed by a mammoth ship carrying 1,700 passengers and crew during the summer months.

Northeast Passage: Changes in sea ice have now made it possible to take an expedition cruise through Russia’s Northern Sea Route. Aboard the research vessel Akademik Shokalskiy, travelers stop at remote settlements including Wrangel Island, a federal nature reserve and a renowned polar bear denning site, and Franz Josef Land, an archipelago of 192 islands only ten degrees from the North Pole.

Sub-Antarctic and New Zealand: If you want to explore an area few others have seen, board L’Austral or Spirit of Enderby for the sub-Antarctic islands between New Zealand and Antarctica. Nicknamed the “forgotten islands,” they don’t even appear on some maps, but they’re worth seeking out for wildlife lovers, photographers, and adventurers. One of the remote rocks is Macquarie Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site; few permits are granted to visit this nesting spot for royal penguins, but these two companies have garnered access for their guests. Expect sightings of sea lions, penguins, albatross, elephant seals, and glacial fjords.

Bucket-list ideas for cruisegoers who’ve seen it all:

National Geographic Quest cruise ship room

Nearly half the rooms on the new National Geographic Quest will have floor-to-ceiling windows. Rendering: Lindblad Expeditions

Coastal West Africa: Regent Seven Seas’ Navigator will be making a 35-night transatlantic voyage in December 2016. First the ship will hug the coast of Africa all the way from Cape Town up to Cape Verde, stopping in Namibia, Angola, Sao Tome, Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Gambia, and Senegal. Then it will spend four days crossing the Atlantic and hit five Caribbean islands—Barbados, Martinique, Guadeloupe Grenada, and Curacao—before winding up in Miami.

Belize and Guatemala: A new, state-of-the-art expedition ship scheduled to debut in June is the 100-passenger National Geographic Quest. The small ship of 50 cabins will ply the coastal waters of Alaska (in the summer) and Belize and Guatemala (February and March), seeking out wildlife havens. Guests can dive the Mesomerican reef (the largest in the Northern Hemisphere), snorkel, and paddleboard. Quest will have features you don’t usually see on an expedition ship: There will be adjoining cabins for families, and nearly half of the cabins will have balconies with floor-to-ceiling windows.

Indian Ocean: Jacques Cousteau called Aldabra Atoll “the last unprofaned sanctuary on the planet.” And with good reason: more than 150,000 giant tortoises live there. If you want to be one of the few travelers to visit, board the Silver Discoverer on its itinerary through the Indian Ocean, where you’ll stop in the Seychelles, Maldives, Zanzibar, and more.

The Canadian Arctic has some incredible views including this ice bridge. Photo: David-McEown

Canadian Arctic: Discover one jaw-dropping national park after another as you explore the remote bays and fjords of Labrador and Torngat, in the Canadian Arctic’s rarely visited wilderness. “Since many locations such as Monumental Island can only be accessed by ship, [the research vessel Akademik Sergey Vavilov] is the perfect platform for viewing wildlife such as whales and perhaps even polar bears,” says Ashton Palmer, Wendy’s Trusted Travel Expert for expedition cruises. He adds that for an even more epic exploration of the Canadian Arctic and East Coast, combine the Labrador and Torngat Explorer trip with the popular Fins & Fiddles itinerary.

South Atlantic Ocean: An expedition voyage that collectors of rare passport stamps have been waiting for is the Atlantic Odyssey aboard the research ship Plancius. This voyage out of Ushaia, Argentina, takes you to South Georgia Island, the South Orkney Islands, Tristan da Cunha, St. Helena, and Ascension Island. It’s hard enough just to get to each of these remote islands, let alone see all of them in one trip.

Barge Luciole cruising on Canal du Nivernais, Burgundy, France. Courtesy: Barge Luciole

Canals of Europe: You haven’t experienced Europe’s waterways properly until you’ve tried a barge trip. Barges are small luxury boats—some carrying just your own family and friends—that wind through Europe’s manmade canals. “It’s intimate, very authentic, very slow,” explains Ellen Sack, Wendy’s Trusted Travel Expert for barge cruises. “You see the rural countryside from the water and get into a world that a traveler wouldn’t get into ordinarily.” Barge vacations come with private chefs, private English-speaking guides, and land activities such as bicycling through fields, shopping at local markets, wine tasting at vineyards, or getting a behind-the-scenes tour of a chateau.

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

Big News From WendyPerrin.com and Town&Country

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For Town&Country’s 170th anniversary, the magazine and WendyPerrin.com have teamed up to bring you another travel fantasy: a 170-day trip around the world! Wendy’s WOW List of trip-planning experts is the exclusive source behind Town&Country’s modern-day Grand Tour, the ultimate round-the-world itinerary.

If you don’t have 170 days to spare and need an itinerary custom-tailored to your specific goals, “contact travel expert Wendy Perrin,” advises T&C. “She monitors year-round all the specialists who helped us create this extravaganza, and her counseling services are invaluable.”

The next time you want an amazing trip at an unbeatable value, go to Wendy’s list and find your perfect destination, cruise, villa, or adventure specialist. Ensure you get VIP perks and avoid pitfalls by having Wendy monitor your trip. Find out how by clicking through to the WOW List and reading more from Wendy in her FAQ on how to get 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.

Do’s and Don’ts for Your Trip to London

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Note from Wendy: I’m just back from a trip to London with teen and tween boys, and out of 12 days’ worth of family-friendly activities—including a cricket match, the Science Museum, the H.M.S. Belfast, and Kensington Gardens—these are the experiences that my 14-year-old son, Charlie, enjoyed most, as well as those he feels are overrated. Here, Charlie tells it in his words:

My mom took me to London over the summer and it ended up being an amazing experience. However, there were some times when I just wanted to leave whatever it was that we were doing. So, in this article, I will be sharing do’s and don’ts for London: where to go right away, and what to hold off on.

DO take a rib ride on the Thames.

This ride was both simply thrilling and thrillingly simple, as all it is is a high-speed boat ride. Your kids will love it, and you will probably love it too. It’s basically a tour of London, just much faster. With James Bond music playing, you feel like you’re in a movie. In addition, it isn’t too much of a bumpy ride, and I highly doubt that someone would feel sick after. I recommend getting there early so you can grab one of the front-row seats.

I recommend sitting in the front row on the London rib ride.

DON’T prioritize the London Eye.

Everyone traveling to London has this on their agenda. But this really wouldn’t be too bad a thing to miss. The views aren’t as great as you’d think, and it’s sometimes hard to see because you’re packed in a cell with 25 others. There is also a very long line to get tickets; however, there is a big playground for the kids right next to it. You should still go here, but don’t overhype it or make it a priority to the other sights you’d like to see. If you have time, go for it.

The views from the London Eye are good, but you get better views from other places in London.

DO pay a visit to the Churchill War Rooms.

This place surely exceeded my expectations. It is an exhibit about how Britain was run during the war and Winston Churchill’s life. They had a humongous interactive computer that had a timeline of world history during Churchill’s life. I spent a long time there. They only take groups of 5 or 7 at a time, so try to come when it first opens in the morning.

At the Churchill War Rooms you see the World War 2 bunker that shows how Britain was run during the war.

They have a humongous interactive computer that displays a visual timeline of world history during Churchill’s life.

DON’T randomly visit the inside of Tower Bridge.

You should only go to the exhibition inside Tower Bridge if the drawbridge is scheduled to go up. We got lucky and got there 15 minutes before the drawbridge lift. We watched the bridge draw from the glass bottom floors at the top, when it really might have been better to watch from the wings at bridge level. But I only did one, so I can’t tell you which is best. Besides that, there isn’t really too much to see inside the bridge. It’s a worthy destination, but only if you get to see it in action.

Tower Bridge as seen from the H.M.S. Belfast.

From one of the bridge’s glass-bottomed floors we watched the drawbridge lift.

DO climb St. Paul’s Cathedral.

The view from the top of St. Paul’s is phenomenal, undoubtedly better than that from the London Eye. But instead of a line to get there, there was a climb. And some climb it was. To get just to the second floor, there is what seems like a never-ending spiral to the top. But when you get to the fourth floor, you get the great payoff of going outside and feeling the breeze on your hair, the entire city of London in front of you. This is why I feel that St. Paul’s does the London Eye’s job better. There are even a lot of seniors making the climb for the top, which I thought was great. If you truly can’t make it, I would recommend just going up to the third floor, as the view isn’t that different and you aren’t forced to keep moving like you are at the top.

The view from the top of St. Paul’s Cathedral.

These are the stairs you climb to get to the top of the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral.

DO take some time at the British Museum.

The name is misleading because nothing in this museum is British. Kept here are all of the artifacts and spoils of war that the British have won, stolen, or recovered. You will find things in this museum from every country, including mainly ancient Rome, China, Greece, and Egypt, as well as Mesopotamia, Babylonia, and Assyria. You can also find things from the Americas, Japan, and Southeast Asia. Your kids would have very likely learned about some of this stuff in school, so they can tie what they’ve learned to what they’re seeing in person. No one will come out of this museum unsatisfied or unimpressed.

An Egyptian mummy in the British Museum.

DO hire a Blue Badge guide for a day or two.

Without our guide, Sean, there would be many more things I would’ve wanted to skip. Our guide had insight on nearly everything in the city, he made the Tower of London come alive, and in Stonehenge we would have been lost without him. If you asked him a random question about London, his answer would never be “I don’t know.” We only had him for two days in London, but the amount of things we were able to see with him in that span was exceptional. I recommend hiring one, even if just for a day, as you won’t need one for an entire week. Try making it on the first day because your guide will have insight on what to do for the remainder of your stay. [Note from Wendy: We hired an exceptionally kid-friendly guide—one who can’t be hired via the Blue Badge site—through Jonathan Epstein, an England specialist on my WOW List of local fixers.)

In the Tower of London our guide, Sean Moran, showed us “graffiti” carved by prisoners centuries ago.

In the Tower of London, Sean showed us “graffiti” carved by prisoners centuries ago.

DON’T wait in a crowd to see the changing of the guard.

Some people will get to Buckingham Palace two hours before the changing of the guard starts to get a prime spot. If this is truly something you want to do, I won’t stop you. However, our guide knew where to go and got us a spot just outside the gate to the Wellington Barracks about 10 minutes before the change started. What’s more is that here, the guards walk right by your face, maybe three feet away. You also get to see the band playing before they start. Make sure you snag a spot in time on the sidewalk and hold your ground. Some people will go onto the cobblestones that they force you off of when the guards start and try to stand in front of you. Kindly ask them to move.

Here’s the band marching out of Wellington Barracks toward Buckingham Palace. My mom and brother and I all videotaped it.

DO spend some time at Borough Market.

Borough Market has been in business for more than 1,000 years. Schedule lunch there for one day, whether you have a bite in one of the restaurants or sample the many booths. There is some very interesting food there. The closest stand to where we ate sold ice cream from goats. Saturday is rush hour there, so if you want something less hectic, aim for a weekday.

Our guide Sean taught me the geography of London during Roman times over lunch at Borough Market.

DON’T bring your wallet to Harrods.

Harrods was probably one of the most overrated places we visited. There’s not a lot to really see that you can’t see anywhere else. If you can drop in for a visit, go for it, but don’t prioritize it over something else. On top of that, the prices are marked up way too far. There was a toy there that in Hamley’s—which is definitely a place not to miss if you have kids—cost £3 for 2. In Harrods, the same exact toy cost £15 for 1, which is a 900% markup from Hamley’s. As for the food halls, there are 2 places within 10 minutes of our house that have better sushi than what we tried. However, if you buy anything at Harrods, the food is the way to go.

My mom and brother ordering sushi in the food halls at Harrods.

At Hamley’s, testing out the toy that ends up grossly overpriced at Harrods.

DO spend an evening at Covent Garden.

Come here with no plans but maybe a dinner reservation, and you’ll leave happy. There are lots of shops and restaurants to spend your time in, but the best part was the performances in the square. I saw this pantomime starting his act while I was waiting for my brother and mom to get out of a shop, and we all ended up watching his show until the end, laughing the whole time. Spend an evening here and it won’t go wrong.

A Charlie Chaplin impersonator at Covent Garden.

At the end of the show he gave a hug to his sidekick plucked from the audience.

Photos by Timothy Baker

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.

10 Apps That Will Improve Any Road Trip

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Old-school as it may be, we still say that a paper map is an essential on any road trip packing list, and that putting down your phone might just be the smartest thing you can do with it on a vacation. But we’re not exactly Luddites here either: A smart digital toolkit can lower stress, ease planning, and even enhance a road trip, and these days you’ll benefit greatly from stocking up on a small collection of apps before you hit the highway. The following apps were all tested by Wendy and her family on recent road trips. Add your own favorite road trip apps in the comments below—and see Wendy’s full list of recommended apps over at TripAdvisor.

Waze

This one is a no-brainer and many of you probably already have it on your phones: Waze. The real-time traffic app will clue you into the least congested routes, collisions or road blocks, even police speed traps.

Around Me

Driving through unfamiliar territory can get very stressful very quickly if someone has to use the bathroom, the gas tank is hovering on empty, or worse, one of the kids is sick. Wendy uses Around Me to discover nearby hospitals, pharmacies, ATMs, even grocery stores.

Gas Buddy

She recommends GasBuddy for info on fill-up stations and their gas prices.

Sit or Squat

For the other kind of emergency, download Sit or Squat (by Charmin) and you’ll always know where to find a clean public restroom.

Roadside America and Along the Way

The best road trips have nothing to do with your final destination. The journey is the point, and the stops you make, make the journey. In addition to Wendy’s advice on the three things you should always stop for on a road trip, she recommends the Roadside America and Along the Way apps to ensure that you don’t miss quirky fun attractions, interesting parks and landmarks, or the world’s biggest anything.

The Yellow Pages

Yup, this old standby has been updated for the mobile age. The YP app will help you find automotive repair shops, health and wellness facilities, and more—all with contact info, address, and websites—but what Wendy’s family uses it for is to punch in the type of food they’re in the mood for—say, Southern fried catfish, or peach pie—and find out the closest restaurant that’s serving it.

TVFoodMaps and LocalEats

Ever seen some delicious dish on a travel TV show and wish you could try it yourself? With TVFoodMaps, you can search for restaurants featured on food shows. You can either search by show title (Adam Richman’s Man vs. Food or Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations, for example) or even search by route: Type in your starting point and your destination and it’ll serve up a list of interesting eateries various hosts have visited. LocalEats has a similar mission: to help travelers discover insider favorites. Search by city, browse a calendar of state-by-state food events, or scour appetite-inducing lists like Best Breakfast Places in America.

Urgent.ly

Urgent.ly is an on-demand roadside assistance service. No AAA? No problem. Download the app, and if you ever get a flat, need a jump, or—d’oh!—locked your keys in the car, contact the service and they’ll send help. They’re on call 24-7, every day of the year, and you only pay for the services you use.

For more road trip intel, see Wendy’s series at TripAdvisor: How to Plan the Ultimate Road Trip Itinerary, Packing List: Essential Gear for a Road Trip, How to Make Family Road Trips Fun and Stress-Free; and 15 Simple Hacks to Make Any Road Trip Better.

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.

Watch: How to Choose the Right Cruise

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People who say they wouldn’t be caught dead on a cruise have either never tried one or chose the wrong ship. There is an enormous variety of vessels and itineraries (including expedition ships, freighters, and yacht charters), but it’s vital to choose the right one for you, the first time. In this video, shot during my latest cruise, I lay out key factors to consider, as well as the pros and cons of different ship sizes and itineraries.

If you’ve got an additional savvy tip for picking the right cruise, by all means post it in the comments below. I may include the tip in an upcoming article featuring your advice! And if you’d like me to personally recommend the right cruise for your specific travel goals and needs, click to Ask Wendy.

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.

The Best Time to Book Any Trip, By Destination

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Booking a trip at the last minute can occasionally yield an amazing travel bargain. More often than not, though, it means paying more for an inferior trip. Sure, if it’s low season in a destination that has a ton of airline service and hotel rooms, you might get your choice of flights, resorts, and rooms at the last minute. But when you want a high-caliber trip to a destination that’s very popular and has limited infrastructure (say, Iceland) or where the travel season is short (say, Alaska or the Amalfi Coast), it’s much smarter to book early.

Here, Wendy’s Trusted Travel Experts detail the benefits of booking early in assorted destinations worldwide, as well as the optimal moment to book for each destination. For the best possible trip and to be marked as a VIP traveler sent by Wendy, contact these Trusted Travel Experts via their black CONTACT buttons on The WOW List.

You get more charming accommodations and more suitable room types. A destination’s most charming hotels usually have just a handful of rooms, and larger properties will have a limited number of rooms of the type you want. When your goal is the sort of high-caliber trip that Trusted Travel Experts (TTEs) orchestrate, starting early means that the TTE can not only match you to the right accommodation but can also put in a request for a specific room number. Beware of last-minute hotel deals in Southeast Asia, warns Trusted Travel Expert Andrea Ross: “The deals tend to be for the rooms no one wants, or they are too good to be true and you’ll find yourself at an overbooked hotel, being moved to a ‘comparable’ hotel outside of town.”

The best private guides are still available. Nearly all guides are independent contractors who work for a number of different companies, so travel planners reserve the savviest English-speaking guides first, before a competitor has the chance to do so; last-minute bookers get novice or part-time guides. These less skilled guides might be able to recite important dates and events, but they likely are not as charismatic, can’t discuss the nuances of contemporary local culture, and don’t have the experience to make sure your trip runs flawlessly.

There’s time to arrange WOW experiences. All of the experts on Wendy’s WOW List can set up unique encounters with locals and access to places that are normally off-limits to the public. But they need time to pull these strings. So if you want V.I.P. access to portions of Versailles that are closed to the public, or an invite to a remote indigenous community in the Amazon, book early.

The best tables at top restaurants can be reserved. You may be coming to Thailand in November, points out Thailand travel specialist Sandy Ferguson, “but some of Bangkok’s fine dining establishments stop taking reservations in June.”

You’ll be at the top of the list for upgrades and other perks. Hotels are more likely to dangle incentives—such as a room upgrade—to those who book early, when they aren’t very full yet; as availability diminishes, they are less inclined to give extras that they don’t need to. Likewise, a last-minute trip usually takes more work for a travel planner to arrange (calling around to multiple hotels to find available rooms, scrambling to find guides and transportation), which increases the cost to you; when you book well in advance, the planner may well pass some of the savings on to you, in the form of complimentary spa services, a bottle of wine in your room, and the like.

You may save money on accommodations. Gone are the days when hotels had just two or three rates per room, depending on the season. Today, most hotels increase rates as their supply decreases, so that early bookers get the best rates. If you give Jonathan Epstein, Trusted Travel Expert for the United Kingdom, enough lead time, he can arrange the order of your itinerary so that you stay at certain hotels when they are less expensive (spending weekends in a city, for example). Most cruise lines give discounts for early booking as well.

Your itinerary will maximize your time. By planning ahead you’ll have more options for flights between destinations. If you wait until the last minute to book a Southeast Asia itinerary, says Andrea Ross, “What could be a direct flight from Luang Prabang, Laos, to Siem Reap, Cambodia, turns into a daylong excursion through the Bangkok airport, running for the only connecting flight available.”

Now, what do we mean by “book early”? In most instances, this means nailing down your itinerary at least six months in advance, but that varies depending on whether you’re traveling in the destination’s high season. Here are general rules of thumb:

North America

Alaska and Canada: Book six to nine months ahead for summer travel; the top properties sell out as early as September or October for the following summer.

Disney: Book at least seven months out.

Mexico: Book eight to 12 months ahead for Christmas/New Year’s, and at least four months ahead for other times of year.

Caribbean and the Atlantic Islands

St. Barts: Book 11 months ahead for villas; for hotels, book six months ahead for larger properties, nine months ahead for smaller ones.

Central America

Costa Rica: Book 9 to 12 months ahead for Christmas, New Years, Easter, and Spring Break. For July and August, book six months in advance. For the rest of the year, three months in advance is fine.

Nicaragua: Book six to eight months ahead for high season (November–April). For July and August, book three months ahead; for the rest of the year, two months is sufficient.

South America

Brazil: Book four to six months ahead for low season, eight to nine months ahead for Christmas/New Year’s and Carnaval. Book a year or more out for hot spots like Trancoso during those prime times.

Colombia: Book six months ahead for the high seasons (Easter and Christmas/New Year’s), three months ahead for other times of year.

The Galapagos: Book 10 to 12 months ahead during the warm air/water season (December to June), six to eight months ahead for other times of year.

Patagonia: Book six to eight months ahead for peak season (December to February).

Peru: Book six to eight months ahead for travel during the dry season (May to October).

Europe

Spain and Portugal: Book six months ahead for high season (May to September); eight to 10 months ahead for Christmas/New Year’s or Easter.

Turkey: Book four months ahead for gulet yacht charters during the prime season (May to October).

U.K. and Ireland: Book six to 10 months ahead.

Asia

Bali: Book six to 10 months ahead during high season (July to September and Christmas/New Years), four to six months ahead for other times of year.

Bhutan: Book six to 10 months ahead during high festival seasons (March, April, October, and November).

Myanmar: Book six to 10 months ahead.

Southeast Asia: Book six months ahead, even earlier for travel during Christmas/New Year’s.

Africa and Middle East

East Africa: Book six to 12 months ahead; book 18 months ahead if you want to stay at small camps.

Israel: Book six months ahead for high season (spring and fall, outside of major holidays).

Morocco: Book at least six months ahead for spring and fall travel, eight months ahead for Christmas or Easter.

Australia and Pacific

Papua New Guinea: Book 12 months ahead for the Mt. Hagen Cultural Show in August. For the rest of the year, three to six months in advance is fine.

Fiji: Book six to eight months ahead for the first three weeks in July, when Aussies and Kiwis flock to Fiji to escape their winter. For the rest of the year, three to six months in advance is fine.

New Zealand: Book 9 to 12 months ahead for Christmas and New Years, especially if you want to stay at the ultra-luxury lodges. Book nine months ahead during Chinese New Year, America’s Cup races, and All Blacks games. For the rest of the year, six months is plenty.

Australia: Book 10 to 12 months ahead for top-end luxury lodges, Kimberley cruises, Great Barrier Reef islands, and the Red Centre during high season (April–September), and for Melbourne during the Australian Open in January. Book six to nine months ahead for Tasmania during peak season (October–March), especially if you’re doing a multi-day walk. For all else, three to six months’ lead time is fine.

French Polynesia and the Cook Islands: Book 9 to 11 months in advance, particularly if you want one of the overwater bungalows with a prime view.

Cruises

Book six to 12 months ahead.

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.

Pokemon Go Is Coming on Your Trip: Here’s How to Keep Kids Safe

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Note from Wendy: When the augmented reality game Pokémon Go was released this summer, my 14-year-old, Charlie, was (like a gazillion other kids) instantly enthralled. I let him play the game during our travels—in small doses only, and in safe areas. As he used his smartphone to hunt and catch digital creatures in real-life locations everywhere from California’s Hearst Castle to England’s Stonehenge, I saw first-hand how Pokémon Go can be a double-edged sword for traveling families: On the one hand, it leads kids to explore places and discover sights that otherwise might not interest them. On the other hand, your kid could stumble into a dicey neighborhood, wander into traffic, or walk off a cliff in pursuit of a Pokémonster. So I asked Charlie if he would share a few suggestions, from a teen’s perspective, for how to achieve that balancing act of giving your kids the freedom to play the game while minimizing its drawbacks and keeping them safe. Here’s his advice:

Hi. I’m Charlie and I’m 14 years old. You might trust your kids to play Pokémon Go in the town you live in, but playing in an unfamiliar place could put them at risk. The app contains warnings not to trespass or enter dangerous areas, the loading screen warns players to be alert at all times and stay aware of their surroundings, and there is even an alert when you go too fast, noting that the game should not be played while driving (though it is easily bypassed by pressing the “I’m a passenger” button). Unsurprisingly, these have done little to make the game safer. People have fallen off cliffs while playing, have wandered too close to military bases, and have even been stabbed. Some kids have ended up in places where they shouldn’t be, and some have been lured into being robbed. And with the recent release of the game in South America, there are now even more foreign countries where your kids could be at risk.

So how can you keep your kids safe while they try to catch that elusive Pikachu at the Eiffel Tower? Here are my three tips.

1. Play it with them.

Obviously this is a lot to ask, but it’s your best bet for keeping your kid safe.

You can’t have your head in your phone, though, since you need to watch your child. What you can do is put your phone in battery saver mode. That turns the app into a black screen when it is held top down, and it rumbles when you find a Pokémon. Let your kid be the one to track down the Pokémon; then, when he finds one, catch it with him. This will make your kid want to wait up for you, so you can catch them together. If you need a break, you can pretend to take a long time to catch one, so you don’t tire out too quickly.

2. Set a curfew.

The later at night it gets, the more dangerous a place can be, especially in an unfamiliar country. Nighttime is a more likely time for drunk drivers and illegal activity. So giving your kid a time to be in by is a surefire way to be safer. A good curfew might be about 9 or 9:30 pm, but it will depend on how old your child is and what country you’re in.

3. Limit how far they can go.

To make sure that kids don’t get lost or take too long to get back, set boundaries on how far they can travel. This could be a hard rule for your kids to follow. If you tell them not to go past 7th Street but the Pokémon that they’re after is on 8th street, they’re without a doubt going to stretch the boundaries. The best way to enforce this, if you have an iOS device, is to make sure that the “Find my iPhone” app is on your child’s phone. That way you can enter your child’s iCloud information on your device and track their location. Another great way to limit their range of play is to let them play in a park that they’re not allowed to leave. Parks have little to no cars and are often great places to play, boasting frequent sightings of rare Pokémon.

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.

How and Where to Spot Supercars in London

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Spotted on Sloane Street: A Mercedes Gullwing in front of a Ferrari 458 and a modded Range Rover

The Dorchester hotel's parking lot on a Monday morning in August

The Dorchester parking lot

Right to left: a Lamborghini, a Mercedes, a Porsche, a Rolls-Royce....

A Ferrari 458 wrapped in chrome blue, at the Dorchester

Me and Stuart, the extremely nice and knowledgeable concierge at The Dorchester

Me and more new friends at The Dorchester

carbon-fiber Pagani Huayra, Lamborghini Aventador

A carbon-fiber Pagani Huayra (right) and a Lamborghini Aventador (left) outside 45 Park Lane, next to The Dorchester

3 modded Mercedes G-Wagens outside 45 Park Lane

Two Lamborghinis and three Rolls-Royces at The Dorchester

A Rolls-Royce with a stainless steel hood and modded headlights, at The Dorchester

A Lamborghini Aventador on Piccadilly Circus

Two Lamborghinis in front of Buckingham Palace

A crystal-encrusted Mercedes in Sloane Square

A McLaren P1 in Notting Hill. I was speechless.

Here's a Ferrari F12 Berlinetta Coupe with the coolest wrap job I have ever seen in real life.

That same Ferrari F12 as viewed from the front

A rare Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat with a KSA license plate

A DB9 Aston Martin on Piccadilly Street

A Maybach 62 Zeppelin just off Sloane Street

A crazy-nice Brabus Mercedes

A Ferrari F12 Berlinetta Coupe with a modded hood

A Lamborghini Gallardo with a rare type of back window

A McLaren 750LT at the McLaren dealership on Knightsbridge Road

A modded BMW M6

A Pagani Zonda, extremely rare and fast

A Porsche 918 Spyder, the only electric supercar

A rare Rolls-Royce Wraith

A very loud Ford GT in Notting Hill

British-made TVR sportscar, with super-interesting exhaust pipes

Lamborghini Aventador interior

Pagani Huayra interior

Photos by Doug Baker and Timothy Baker

Hi. I’m Doug and I’m 12 years old. My mom just took me to London, and one of my favorite activities was spotting supercars. The craziest car I saw was a rainbow-diamond-encrusted Mini Cooper inside Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, but there were other rare supercars driving around London all the time. I saw a Mercedes plated with gold and black Swarovski crystals on Sloane Street, and a gray W Motors Lykan HyperSport in Knightsbridge. It was one of four ever made! If you want to see cars like this too when you go to London, here’s my advice:

Go in summertime. That’s when all the wealthy Middle Easterners come to town for cooler weather and they ship their supercars from home.

Go to The Dorchester hotel’s parking lot. Stuart, a concierge at the Dorchester, told me that if I wanted to see the most and best cars, I should come in the morning before 11 a.m. That’s when the cars’ owners are sleeping, so their cars are parked. Don’t go after noon because that’s when they’re driving the cars. If you have questions about the cars, the concierge can answer them. (The concierges were super-nice even though we weren’t staying at the hotel.) The streets and other fancy hotels near The Dorchester can have nice cars too.

The best time to see the cars driving around is after 5 p.m. and late at night. The best places to see them are Knightsbridge, Mayfair, and Notting Hill, and especially on Sloane Street and Brompton Road. They are on the streets around fancy department stores like Harrods and Fortnum & Mason because many of the car owners shop there so you can see their cars.

Go to supercar dealerships like Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, and Lotus. The Lotus dealership in Piccadilly Circus actually has no Lotuses in it, but you’ll see Lotuses driving past it. The McLaren dealership is near the Mandarin Oriental Hotel at the Knightsbridge Tube stop. The employees were friendly and nice both times I went in.

When you photograph the cars, don’t forget to photograph their license plates. You’ll see license plates from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE. Some have both English and Arabic numbers.

Tips for photographing cars

Always have your camera ready.
Take the bus. Sit at the front row of the top of the double-decker bus.
Listen for the cars. Sometimes we heard them coming before we saw them.
Look inside to see what the interior looks like.
Never spend too much time on one car. A cooler car might come by.

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.

Three Things You Should Always Stop for on a Road Trip

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Wendy and her family are big road-trip fans and have become experts on sussing out the stops that elevate any old long drive into a memorable adventure. Here are three things they suggest always stopping for on a road trip.

Don’t miss Wendy’s full list of 15 ingenious road-trip hacks over on TripAdvisor.

Quirky attractions advertised on billboards

State fairs and world’s largest anything are the sorts of attractions you’d expect to find advertised on the highway (and those are worth stopping for as well), but keep your eyes peeled for unexpected or goofy-sounding sites too. Wendy’s kids spotted a sign for OstrichLand USA in California and are still talking about feeding the oversized birds.

Full parking lots in the middle of nowhere

If you’re driving on a lonely road and suddenly encounter a lot packed with cars, investigate! The locals are probably onto something you’d have had a hard time finding out about as a drive-through tourist: say a pancake breakfast, outdoor concert, firemen’s carnival, or wildlife spotting. Wendy’s clan saw a packed rest stop on California’s Highway 1, and when they got out to see what all the hoopla was, they found a herd of elephant seals playing on the beach.

Small-town picnic spots

Not only is it an adventure to browse unfamiliar supermarkets for regional foods and brands, but a grocery-store stop is also a smart way to save money on lunch. Pick up food for a picnic, then look for a town square, park, or scenic spot where you can refuel while you people-watch or meet other local families. Wendy always packs a soccer ball so her boys can run off energy or start pick-up games with other kids they meet. See the rest of her road trip packing essentials 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.

Watch: How to Protect Yourself From Zika Virus and Mosquito Bites

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Recently, health officials confirmed that the Zika virus is being actively transmitted by mosquitoes in Miami Beach, Florida. That’s the latest destination in a list of popular U.S. vacation spots—greater South Florida, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands—that have recently reported transmissions of the virus.

Experts are learning new information about the Zika virus every day, and the CDC is sharing that information online at cdc.gov/zika. There you can find up-to-date details on transmission, risk factors, mosquito control, as well as geographic listings and a map of where cases have been reported.

As we’ve stated here before at WendyPerrin.com, travelers who are thinking about pregnancy (along with those who are already pregnant) should not visit destinations where the virus is spreading. The illness has been reported in both men and women, and is known to be transmitted by mosquito bites, sex, blood transfusions, and from a pregnant woman to her fetus.

But as I’ve also stated, the rest of us should not let panic determine our travel decisions. The truth is that mosquitoes have been carrying nasty diseases for centuries: dengue fever, malaria, yellow fever. And nearly every country has mosquitoes. If we were to stop traveling to places with disease-carrying mosquitoes, we’d have to stop seeing most of the world and build a bubble around our own backyards. What’s more, as I explained to journalist Scott Mayerowitz in his recent article for AP News, “the rest of us should be careful not to focus so much on avoiding Zika that we choose a destination that puts our health at greater risk, whether from mosquitoes carrying other diseases or from another cause such as tainted water.”

It’s always important—not just in Zika-affected countries, but everywhere there are mosquitoes—to protect yourself. Here’s how my family and I did it in the rainforest along the Panama Canal. (While Panama is a Zika-affected country, we did not see or feel any mosquitoes during our time there.)

Wendy and her family, in mosquito-resistant clothing, in the rainforest of Panama last month.

Wendy and her family, in mosquito-resistant clothing, in the rainforest of Panama in April 2016.

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.

Family Getaway Tips for Labor Day Weekend

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I can’t believe it’s nearly Labor Day Weekend. My kids go back to school soon, as do most kids in the Northeast—though in other places around the country, school has already started. Either way, we all have one last gasp of summer left. Wherever you might be headed with your family this Labor Day weekend to savor it—even if it’s just a day trip to an award-winning aquarium—I’ve got hard-earned advice to save you money and headaches. Over at TripAdvisor, I’ve often shared such family trip tips, and I’ve gathered some for you in the links below. Happy Labor Day weekend!

Charlie and Doug at the Georgia Aquarium Photograph by Timothy Baker

Tips for Trips to Zoos and Aquariums

If a stellar zoo or aquarium is within your reach this weekend, this advice will help you make the most of your visit, including turning it into a scavenger hunt….

Tips for Trips to Amusement Parks

The cost of spending a day (or two) at these places adds up very quickly: admission, parking, food, souvenirs. Here are ways to keep costs under control, including checking the right social-media feeds for deals and making your child C.F.O. of the family trip.

Jelly Belly jellybean flavors of toothpaste rotten egg and skunk spray

Jelly Belly flavors of toothpaste, rotten egg, and skunk spray. Photograph: Timothy Baker

Tips for Family Road Trips

If you’re hitting the road this weekend, avoid traffic jams by taking America’s backroads. Here’s advice for finding quirky roadside attractions, embracing the kitsch, and keeping the kids content without having to stop at any wacky food factories.

What tips and tricks do you use on your own family vacations?

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 You Need to Know About Visiting Mongolia: All Your Questions Answered

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The allure of Mongolia is evident as soon as you start looking at pictures of it: snow-capped mountains, wide-open plains, wild horses, fairytale reindeer, modern nomads. But it also has a certain mystery to it. What do you need to know about planning a trip of a lifetime to this sprawling but sparsely populated country? We talked to Jalsa Urubshurow, Wendy’s Trusted Travel Expert for Mongolia, to answer your FAQs. Jalsa—who splits his time between Mongolia and the U.S.—has been a recognized champion of sustainable, eco-friendly travel in a country fast becoming a tourist hot spot and has served as an advisor to all seven of Mongolia’s prime ministers and two of its presidents.

For more on him and his unique approach to Mongolian travel, check out his Insider’s Guide to Mongolia or contact him through our site to be marked as a WendyPerrin.com VIP.

When to go?

I like spring, fall and middle of summer,” says Jalsa, a Mongolian-American who was among the first to offer highly customized trips here. “It’s not oppressively hot. You’ll get into the high 80s or maybe 90 in the Gobi desert.” Jalsa also recommends visiting during the Naadam, a festival of horseracing, archery, and wrestling held early every summer (noted by UNESCO as a tradition of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity), and the Golden Eagle Festival in October, when the Kazakhs, Mongolia’s largest ethnic minority, show off their centuries-old tradition of hunting with trained eagles.

Camels in Mongolia. Photo: R. Stavers.

Who can go?

Anyone. Jalsa can tailor trips to all levels of activity. Altitude isn’t an issue either.

How long do I need for a trip?

If you’ve got 11 to 12 days, you can see three ecosystems.

Three Camel Lodge. Photo: Nomadic Expeditions

What to pack?

Layers. Even though summers are mild, temperatures can drop below freezing at night in some areas, so bring a warm coat and several layers you can put on and peel off as necessary.

Trekking shoes. The terrain varies greatly, but no matter where you are, comfortable shoes are a must. If you’re horse trekking, long boots will protect your legs from chafing.

Flip-flops or shower shoes. You’ll need them at most ger camps.

For more packing tips, see Jalsa’s list.

Horse riders in Mongolia. Photo: Nomadic Expeditions

What will I do and see?

Mongolia offers a wide range of landscapes, activities, and cultural experiences (see “Why Is Everyone Talking About Mongolia and What Do You Do There?”). You can hike in the Altai Mountains; horse trek through the northern region’s forests and meadows; visit a paleontology lab to learn more about Mongolia’s famous dinosaur finds; receive a private blessing from a lama at Ulaanbaatar’s Gandan Monastery; taste huushuur, traditional fried dumplings usually filled with meat, at dinner with a Mongolian family; and much more. Read Jalsa’s Insider’s Guide to Mongolia or our “Why Is Everyone Talking About Mongolia and What Do You Do There?” for more ideas.

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.

Road Trip Hacks: 5 Things That Will Come in Surprisingly Handy

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We all know the no-brainers to pack for a road trip: Snacks, maps, phone chargers…. But there are other items you’d never think to bring along that will save you a lot of hassle. Here are a few of Wendy’s problem-solving road-trip essentials. Don’t miss her full list of 15 ingenious road-trip hacks over on TripAdvisor:

What would you add to Wendy’s list of surprising road-trip must-haves?

Small overnight bag

Pack it only with what you’ll need for one night: toiletries, pajamas, and the next day’s clothes. By keeping those essentials separate from the rest of your luggage, you won’t have to unpack the entire trunk every time you stop for the night.

Cheap beach towels

If you’re flying to your road trip, don’t take up precious space in your luggage with a towel. Buy one when you get to your destination; you can usually find them for five bucks or less. They’ll serve as picnic blankets, a cover for your valuables when you leave the car, seat protectors for messy activities or on-the-go eating, makeshift pillows and, of course, as towels if you make a pit stop at a lake or a pool.

Permanent marker

No matter how organized you start out, the car is going to get messy, and everyone’s stuff is going to get mixed up. Bring a marker to label things, especially if they look alike (say, when four passengers with iPhones have brought identical white power cords and charging blocks).

A roll of quarters

Even in this age of credit cards and pre-purchased toll passes, you still need an old-fashioned handful of change on a road trip. Throw a roll of quarters in your glove compartment for parking meters, vending machines, and laundromats.

Garbage bags

They have endless uses in addition to the usual one: storing wet bathing suits, serving as emergency rain gear, protecting cameras in the rain. You can even twist one into a rope and use it to tie things together.

For more road trip intel, see Wendy’s series at TripAdvisor: Packing List: Essential Gear for a Road Trip, How to Make Family Road Trips Fun and Stress-Free, How to Plan the Ultimate Road Trip Itinerary, and 15 Simple Hacks to Make Any Road Trip Better.

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.

Family Road Trips: How to Eliminate Stress and Bickering

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Mom, he’s on my side! She won’t stop touching my stuff! I have to go to the bathroom! I’m hungry! Are we there yet? If you think family road trips are all sing-alongs and car games, you’ve never been on a road trip. Maybe it’s the cramped car, the sitting still for hours on end, the long stretches between meal stops. Whatever the reason, road trips seem like the vacation most likely to inspire bickering and stress—but all those other moments in between are golden. Luckily, it’s easy to ensure more of those memorable family bonding times with a few simple strategies. Based on her own family’s experiences, Wendy has put together a surefire list of methods for making a road trip stress-free. Here’s a preview, but don’t miss the full list over at TripAdvisor.

And, for more road trip intel, click to Wendy’s essential packing list, and her Keys to Planning the Perfect Road Trip.

Let each kid play navigator.

Let each kid pick an attraction or two during your trip. Wendy’s son chose La Jolla Cove as a pit stop, to see the seals.

Give your kids a map of your route before you leave and let each one pick a stop or an activity each day. You’ll give them a sense of ownership over that day’s events that will keep them energized and interested all day.

Make the trip a treasure hunt.

Create a fun trip challenge or goal to make stops more interesting. Wendy’s kids collect Do Not Disturb signs.

On Wendy’s trips, the family picks something to search for at each stop, creating an easy scavenger hunt: maps, magnets, Do Not Disturb signs from hotels…. Or try giving the kids a camera (nothing fancy needed) and turn the game into a photo-taking mission.

Give each kid his/her own space.

If you are able to set up each kid in a separate row of the vehicle, great. If not, try crafting a divider between them (even if it’s just out of colorful tape).

Agree on how long you’ll drive between stops.

To prevent kids (and adults) from going stir crazy, put a time limit on how long you’ll drive between rest stops.

It’s nearly impossible to make sure everyone is on the same schedule during a road trip. Someone is going to get tired before everyone else; someone else will get hungry; someone else will get restless. And if the driver is feeling good, he or she may want to push through…stretching everyone else’s patience. To avoid arguments and meltdowns from stir-crazy kids, set a limit for how long each leg can be.

Whenever there’s a world’s biggest, longest, or quirkiest something on your route, stop and check it out.

Nighttime minigolf at Chuckster's, home of the world's longest mini-golf hole. Vestal, NY

Wendy’s family seeks out quirky roadside attractions, like Chuckster’s in Vestal, NY, home of the world’s longest mini-golf hole.

Rest stops are more than just a chance to stretch legs and burn off energy. They can be the source of fun memories and even funnier pictures.

Wendy’s family seeks out quirky roadside attractions, like the world’s biggest ball of twine in Cawker City, Kansas, or the world’s biggest yo-yo, in Chico, California—or the world’s biggest anything, really. School playgrounds and children’s museums not far from the Interstate are other kid-friendly pit stops. That said, even “boring” rest stops can be amped up: bring a tennis ball, inflatable beach ball, or a Frisbee for games. Keep a few picnic basics in the car too so that you can make a rest stop double as a food stop. (For more info on what picnic essentials to stow, see Wendy’s road trip packing list.)

Prioritize pools.

When choosing where to bed down each night, Wendy recommends finding motels with pools. The end-of-day swim will help kids work out any pent-up energy and can even serve as a reward after a long day of driving. A reinvigorating dip can be just as rewarding for tired parents.

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.

Why Is Everyone Talking About Mongolia and What Do You Do There?

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One of the most sparsely populated countries in Asia, Mongolia has an exotic, wild mystery to it. There are more horses than people, wide-open landscapes, desert, mountains, crystal clear skies, nomadic tribes, and even a modern sprawling city.

In the few short years since it was named the fastest growing economy in the world in 2013, Mongolia has attracted more and more attention, popping up on travel websites and blogs with stunning photos of reindeer, colorfully garbed tribesmen, and rustic yurts. In 2016, the National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year won that prestigious contest with an image of one of Mongolia’s horsemen galloping through the snow.

It’s a country of dichotomies, says Wendy’s Trusted Travel Expert for Mongolia, Jalsa Urubshurow, a Mongolian-American who was among the first to offer highly customized trips there and who also created one of the country’s original guide-training programs. “There’s a modern city, and then an hour outside of the capital, you see the nomadic lifestyle, where people are still living this pastoral existence,” he says.

As the country is attracting more and more sophisticated travelers—and the infrastructure to cater to them, with Shangri-La recently opening Ulaanbaatar’s first five-star luxury hotel—we asked Jalsa to explain what travelers can expect from a well-planned trip.

Discover one of the world’s oldest cultures.

Mongolia nomads. Photo: Nomadic Expeditions

“Mongolia is home to the last horse-based nomadic culture—30 percent of the population. It’s a trip back in time,” Jalsa says. By visiting them in their gers (traditional yurts or tents), you can immerse yourself in the culture of one of history’s largest empires. “People are still living and utilizing the same tools they did during Genghis Khan’s time.”

Dig up paleontological treasures.

Travelers can go back even farther in time on a paleontology dig. Mongolia has seen some of the most famous dinosaur fossil finds. In the late 1970s, the “Fighting Dinosaurs” fossil was discovered in Tugrugiin Shiree, and the first dinosaur eggs were unearthed at the Flaming Cliffs in the Gobi Desert.

See unspoiled nature.

Mongolia’s landscape with a rainbow. Photo: Nomadic Expeditions

At about 1,500 miles long (half the length of the U.S.), with only 3 million people, Mongolia is largely untouched. “I think Mongolia offers what people are seeking today: a true chance to get away from things and unplug,” says Jalsa. “It’s a place that inspires unavoidable reflection and a meditative, transformative experience for people.”

To facilitate that inspiration, Jalsa works with organizations like the World Wildlife Fund to create unique experiences that enable visitors to see Mongolia’s natural beauty at its best. For instance, the second-largest concentration of rare snow leopards in the world lives in the Gobi Desert (about 26 to 32 adults), and on Jalsa’s Snow Leopard Quest tour, travelers get to trek with WWF biologists to set up cameras and help conduct other research in the Altai Mountains. Even cooler: Jalsa’s company donates 100 percent of the proceeds from the trip back into snow leopard research.

He also has an astrophysicist on staff at his remote luxury inn, the Three Camel Lodge, to lead a 3-D presentation on the creation of the solar system. “Then you go outside with her and her telescope,” he says. “I call it our five-billion-star hotel.”

Bactrian camels in Mongolia. Photo: Nomadic Expeditions

Explore a new city balancing ancient culture with modern growth.

“When Mongolia became a democracy in 1990,” Jalsa explains, “Ulaanbaatar went from 600,000 to 1.5 million with no urban planning.” So when you visit, you’ll see the old and the new juxtaposed: an ancient Buddhist monastery from the 1700s next to a modern 26-story skyscraper, gers all around, lots of cars, and now the city’s first five-star hotel, the Shangri-La.

Ulaanbaatar is also vibrant with culture that draws from new and old: There are museums showcasing ancient tribal costumes, next to galleries featuring young Mongolian artists; you can see modern performing arts, or attend morning services with monks at the oldest monastery in the country. (One of Jalsa’s special experiences is to arrange a private dinner and performance in the Fine Arts G. Zanabazar Museum, amid the institution’s beautiful Buddhist sculptures.)

All that and stellar shopping too: Ulaanbaatar is known for its exceptional cashmere, along with traditional felt slippers and fur hats.

Participate in unique traditions.

Horse riders in Mongolia. Photo: Nomadic Expeditions

Jalsa’s travelers get to experience some of Mongolia’s most fascinating traditions and events. One of them is a festival Jalsa created himself, October’s Golden Eagle Festival, which his guests can attend. “In 1998 I rode with the golden eagle riders,” he says of the Kazakhs, Mongolia’s largest ethnic minority, who live along the western border and practice a centuries-old tradition of hunting with trained birds. “There were only 40 of them left in the world.” Jalsa explains that the riders’ activities were suppressed by Stalin during the country’s time as a Soviet satellite, but after the launch of the festival in 1999, there are now 400 families that have eagles. The festival celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2019.

Sleep under the stars without giving up creature comforts.

The inside of a luxury ger, Mongolia. Photo: Nomadic Expeditions

Mongolia’s remote nature and rugged landscapes don’t mean that travelers have to rough it to get the most out of the experience. Jalsa’s team has you covered. In an effort to introduce visitors to the beauty of the Gobi Desert and its nomadic culture, he opened the luxurious Three Camel Lodge in 2002. Since then, the solar-powered eco-lodge has won various awards. While staying there, you can explore the desert, watch the stars with an astronomer (Jalsa once counted 43 shooting stars in one night), meet nomadic families and local herders who share the property’s wells, enjoy a performance by local school kids, or head to the Flaming Cliffs for a sunset dinner.

Even if you’re not staying at the lodge, Jalsa’s team can set up mobile accommodations all over the country, and get you to them by small aircraft or helicopter. “From the high Altai Mountains to the Mongolia tiga, we can set up in the most remote places a sumptuous experience—with luxury gers, portable toilets and showers, field chefs and kitchens, and even a butler if you need it.”

For more on Jalsa and his unique approach to Mongolian travel, check out his Insider’s Guide to Mongolia or contact him through our site to be marked as a WendyPerrin.com VIP.

Children in Mongolia. Photo: M. Dunlap

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.

Summer Vacation Idea: British Columbia for Every Type of Traveler

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The skiing in British Columbia may be world-class, but if that’s all you know of the westernmost Canadian province, you’re missing out on one of the smartest summer vacation ideas for U.S. travelers right now. As Wendy discovered when she took her family there last summer, British Columbia has it all: Spectacular unspoiled scenery, first-rate farm-to-table food, one-of-a-kind activities, high culture, pristine wilderness, hip city neighborhoods, indigenous cultural communities, colorful festivals, charming inns, characterful lodges….Plus it’s nearby, it’s Zika-free, and the exchange rate is a relief. Whatever type of traveler you are, there’s more for you in B.C. than you realize. So we asked Marc Telio, who lives in Vancouver and is Wendy’s Trusted Travel Expert for Western Canada, to detail some of the lesser-known opportunities for five different types of traveler. Here’s what he recommends.

horseback riding in british columbia at clayoquot wilderness resort

British Columbia’s wilderness lodges put you right in the middle of the great outdoors. Photo: Clayoquot Resort

Outdoor Adventurers:

British Columbia is a mecca for outdoor enthusiasts. Just pick your adrenaline-boosting preference: sea kayaking, fishing, horseback riding, glacier hiking, helicopter hiking, river rafting, jet boating, rock climbing, kayaking on lakes, rivers or oceans—the possibilities are vast, like the wilderness here. And you can set your vacation right in the middle of it all at any number of wilderness lodges, inns, and resorts where Marc negotiates special benefits for his travelers. When you need a minute to rest from all the excitement, just enjoy a relaxing picnic—on a glacier, a clifftop, or an uninhabited island,

Cultural Explorers:

British Columbia is about the indigenous culture and people too. First Nations communities in B.C. have started to step up their tourism game, and an insider like Marc can arrange for visitors to experience these indigenous people’s culture and traditions in the most authentic way. For example, he can arrange for you to tour the islands and villages of the Haida Gwaii archipelago with a Haida guide, and for you to stay overnight at a locally owned and operated lodge. Or stay at the Spirit Bear Lodge in B.C.’s Great Bear Rainforest, where the lodge gives you access to a local aboriginal village and authentic culture, and you enjoy bear-viewing while learning about local conservation efforts.

grizzly bears in river in atlin british columbia

Summer is a great time for bear viewing in British Columbia: grizzlies, black bears, and more. Photo: Phil Timpany

Wildlife Junkies:

Marc shares a secret: “My favorite part of B.C. is the northern coast because that’s where you’ll find grizzlies, black bears, spirit bears, and all of the species of whales, seals, and sea otters.” You can cruise the region’s waterways looking for humpbacks in the water and grizzlies along the shores, or head into the Great Bear Rainforest to spot spirit bears—rare black bears with white fur—plus eagles, and more. August, September, and October are the best months for all of the above.

Family Trippers:

Want to sneak a few life lessons into a family vacation? Take your kids out of their comfort zone. That could mean zip-lining through the forest canopy, canoeing down a river, or hiking across a glacier. You could spend a few days enjoying Vancouver’s cultural attractions, then immerse your children in wilderness at a remote lodge. Getting them ten feet from a breaching killer whale or a wrestling match between black bears just might make you the coolest parents around. Continue to engage the kids over dinner: Marc can arrange for your family to pull up crab traps with local fishermen and then help a chef prepare the haul for lunch, or to go behind-the-scenes at the Vancouver Aquarium with one of the beluga whale trainers.

Whistler may be British Columbia’s most famous ski resort, but it’s also an ideal destination for summer activities too.

Multigenerational groups:

B.C’s ski resorts transform into ideal summer destinations for family members of all ages. As Wendy discovered when she took her family to Whistler last summer, the sheer variety of activities means there’s something for everyone. Grandparents can stroll around at their leisure, take vehicles to go bear-watching, or ride a gondola to the top of the mountain, while more active family members can try kayaking, canoeing, hiking, or mountain climbing. For family groups wanting more privacy, Marc has chartered a flotilla of seaplanes to the coast and taken over wilderness lodges. Talk to Marc to plan a trip that is guaranteed to make everyone in your wide-ranging group happy.

If you’re looking for a British Columbia specialist to design a custom-tailored once-in-a-lifetime adventure for you, read Marc’s Insider’s Guide to British Columbia, and reach out to him via this trip request form so you’re marked as a WendyPerrin.com VIP traveler.

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 Keys to Planning the Perfect Road Trip

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Road trips are the great American summer vacation: wind in your hair, rocking tunes on the radio, kids/friends smiling in the back seat. But the magic doesn’t happen, well, magically. All road trips roll a lot smoother if they’re planned well: No one wants to be driving endlessly at 3 a.m. still looking for somewhere to eat or sleep. And no one wants to be bored in the back seat.

With some easy pre-trip thinking, you can ensure that everyone in your car stays happy and even has a meaningful, memorable trip. This summer Wendy’s sharing her hard-earned road-trip wisdom, culled from countless drives across America, in a series of articles on TripAdvisor. First up: How to plan the ultimate itinerary. I’ve summarized a few of the tips, but click here to read the full article on TripAdvisor, and we’ll see you on the road!

Get everyone on the same page before you ever step foot in the car.

What are your fellow road-trippers expecting from this vacation? Ask everyone to share their trip goals—and likes and dislikes—early in the planning stages. If one person is expecting mountains and outdoor activities but another was planning on stuffing their pie hole with a different pie in every state, you could end up with some road-trip rage. If you can all agree on a few things ahead of time, you’re going to be a lot happier when you’re on Hour 15 of Day 6.

Throw a map-planning party.

Grab an old-school map and plot out where you want to go and how you want to get there. Be sure to think about how far you really want to drive each day, and how long you want to stay in various stops. College towns can be fun and affordable overnight stops, with plenty going on whether you arrive early or late.

Give everyone a day to own.

If every person in the car gets to choose one part of the trip to be in charge of, then everyone’s wish list is more likely to get met. You can set this up so that each road tripper picks something to do, see, or eat each day—or you can give over a whole day to each passenger.

Consider whether you want to go back the same way you came.

A round-trip route could be boring at the end: The home stretch could feel like your vacation has already ended. Or it could give you the opportunity to see things you couldn’t fit in on the first leg. If you’re flying to a destination and renting a car, you might want to opt for a loop route so that you can save money by flying into and out of the same airport..

If your route is one-way, decide which direction is best.

At first glance, driving from here to there might seem the same as driving from there to here—but direction can affect a lot on a road trip. One way might mean amazing sunsets every night, or better weather, or views that don’t require you gazing across a lane of oncoming traffic in order to see the ocean. Bonus tip from science: Studies show that it’s the end of the trip that leaves the most lasting impression, so pick a route that ends with a memorable grand finale.

Seek out the small stuff—and leave time for kismet.

Small towns are packed with fun events during the summer: state fairs are full of quirky competitions and food on sticks; parades and festivals pop up all season; and off-the-beaten-path spots sometimes have surprising or quirky attractions. When you do stop, be sure to ask the locals for recommendations—they may help you discover a gem that’s not on your map.

See Wendy’s Guide to Planning the Ultimate Road Trip on TripAdvisor, where she’s TripAdvisor’s Travel Advocate, and follow her on Instagram for postcards from the California road trip she’s on right now.

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 Impact of Brexit on Travel to the United Kingdom

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It’s too early to tell all the complex ways that Britain’s vote to exit the European Union, a.k.a. Brexit, will affect travelers. But those who were thinking of a trip to the U.K. this summer might be particularly motivated, now that the British pound has dropped significantly in value. The pound is at $1.32 today, which is a 31-year-low. “In the very short term, travel to the U.K. will be an incredible bargain,” says Joe Brancatelli, business travel expert and founder of JoeSentMe. “For travelers, the exchange rate translates to an immediate 10 percent discount on hotels, restaurant meals, train tickets, Uber and cab rides, or whatever you pay for in pounds.” He adds that we are likely to see bargains elsewhere in Europe in the short-term as well, since the euro has fallen too.

In case you want to seize the day and head to the U.K. this summer, here are FAQs covering what you should know.

Q: Should I buy my airline ticket now, or wait?

A: There are deals right now. “Just today I wrote about sub-$450 round-trips to Europe,” says Gary Leff of View From The Wing. “I’ve been seeing plenty of great deals recently, including frequent business-class sales of $1,500 –$2,000. Whenever you see a deal like that, jump on it—but only when your plans are firm because those sales are going to be non-refundable and carry hefty change penalties of $300 to $500 per ticket.”

Q: Should I use reward points to pay for airline tickets?

A: Probably not. “Frequent-flier awards are best used when airfares are high,” says Gary, a specialist in points and miles.

Q: Should I pay for accommodations now, or wait?

A: If that’s the way to guarantee you get the hotel, room type, or rental apartment you want, pay now. If you aren’t required to pay now, you might as well wait. “I’m not usually a fan of prepaying,” Joe points out, “because I don’t think travelers can be short-term forex experts. The pound was at $1.49 before the Brexit vote came in. It is selling at $1.31 today. You’d have to be betting on a global recession to think it’ll decline much further. You’d also have to be a cockeyed optimist to think it’ll run up a lot in the weeks ahead. So, if we are at or near the floor, I suppose it makes sense to lock in rates in advance. But I think the pound will be historically low for months and months. So I don’t see, for July-August, any need to lock in.”

Q: Should I pay in pounds or in my home currency?

A: “Always pay in pounds,” says Joe, “if for no other reason than if a hotel or an airline bills you in dollars, you get a bad currency exchange rate and, if you use the wrong credit card, you could get hit with forex fees anyway.” As always, use a credit card that does not charge foreign transaction fees; it will save you about 3% on every overseas purchase.

“If you use a credit card that doesn’t charge a foreign transaction fee,” says Gary. “then you’re going to be more or less indifferent to the currency you’re buying in, because you’re going to get a favorable rate and you won’t get a surcharge.” (Gary regularly reports on the best credit cards for travelers, along with current sign-up bonuses and offers).

Q: Should I be using hotel points to pay for my hotel?

A: Probably not. “Hotel points are best used when hotel rates are high,” says Gary. When the exchange rate is in your favor, it usually doesn’t make sense to use points. Instead, take advantage of hotel deals and save your points for destinations where rooms are expensive.

As Gary explains further, “Most hotel programs assign their properties to categories and charge a fixed number of points throughout the year (Hilton is an exception, varying the number of points a hotel costs even within its category, and making it difficult to get outsized value from their points). Hotel rates tend to be seasonal, or to vary by day of week. Use your points when prices are higher than average, and spend cash when they’re lower than average.”

Q: If I’m in the U.K., and a shop or restaurant gives me the choice of paying in pounds or dollars, which do I choose?

A: “Always pay in the local currency,” says Gary. “If you’re given the option of paying in dollars, the merchant is generally going to convert prices from the local currency to dollars at an exchange rate that’s unfavorable to you. And if your credit card charges a foreign transaction fee, they’re going to charge you the fee anyway—even if the bill is in U.S. dollars—because the transaction originated outside the U.S.”

Q: If I’m in the U.K., and I have a choice of paying by credit card or in cash, which do I use?

A: If the British pound is fluctuating every day, travelers should probably check the exchange rate every day (go to XE.com or use the XE app) because that might affect their daily decisions as to how to pay for things. On a day when the value of the pound is particularly low, it may make sense to pay in cash because credit cards may use an exchange rate that applies a day or two later, when the transaction is billed.

Even before last week’s Brexit vote, London represented a great value this August in particular. Here’s why.

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.

5 Things a WOW Travel Agent Does that You Can’t Do for Yourself

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It’s easy to book flights, hotels, and tours online. What’s not easy—usually not even possible—is to make the magic happen the way a WOW trip designer can. You already know how the right travel fixers transform a trip from average to extraordinary. But how exactly do they do it?

Take Nina Wennersten as an example. As one of our recommended Trusted Travel Experts for African safaris, she crafts itineraries that take into account every detail that could affect your trip. I’ve spent time on the road with Nina, so I can tell you how she operates in the field and how you benefit from that. She will:

Prevent you from making the mistakes everybody else makes.

A Trusted Travel Expert’s goal is not to sell you a trip; it’s to make sure you have the best possible experience of the destination. If you tell Nina that you’re set on a certain country but can only travel during its hottest time of year there, she’ll urge you to postpone the trip; she’s more interested in earning your trust than her commission, knowing that you’ll come back to book with her when the time is right. If you tell her that you want a mobile tented camp, but she senses you’re more interested in the romance of the idea than the reality (no flush toilets, carnivores just outside your canvas shelter), she’ll advise against it.

Minimize the drawbacks you’ll encounter at the destination.

A Trusted Travel Expert has already road-tested your itinerary, stayed in your hotel, and helped train your guide. Nina has been to Africa well over 100 times, visiting three to four times each and every year. That’s how she knows at which safari camps you will see the most game at the time of year you’re traveling, which lodges have the most reliable Wi-Fi for travelers who need to stay in touch with the office, and which airline has the most comfortable lie-flat business-class seats.

Introduce you to helpful and fascinating locals.

Trusted Travel Experts have friends in high places. Their relationships with many of the people whom you will meet along your chosen route mean that those people will welcome you as a friend of a friend, rather than as just another customer. Nina knows that the people in positions of power aren’t the only ones who can make or break your trip, so she makes a point of befriending not just the managers of safari camps and lodges, but the waiters, shop owners, and museum curators too.

Ensure your hotel treats you like a V.I.P.

Trusted Travel Experts are not just detail-oriented, they are detail-obsessed. The more they know about you and your likes and dislikes, the more information they can pass on to your hotels, so that the hotels can personalize your stay and deliver special treatment. By the time you’ve set off on your trip, Nina has advised each lodge about your dietary preferences, special occasions you’ll be celebrating, the type of wine you like to drink, and any other small details she’s gleaned from your conversations; if you have poor hearing, she’ll even make sure that you’re always seated closest to the guide.

Monitor and safeguard every day of your trip.

Once you start your trip, a Trusted Travel Expert’s job is far from over. A TTE monitors your trip every day, stepping in to make last-minute tweaks as circumstances warrant. Even when Nina is on a safari herself, inside the Ngorongoro Crater, she’ll be constantly checking her phone for updates about her travelers; for example, she might reschedule lunch plans for a group who’s just endured a bumpy flight and needs some time to relax before setting off on an overland journey.

The next time you’re planning a trip and you wish you had a Nina, check The WOW List to find the right trip designer for your destination.

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.

6 Sweet Spots Worth the International Plane Ticket

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This article originally ran on Luxe City Guides

You’ll need to dig out that elastic waistband for these sweet boutiques.

Sebastien Gaudard, Paris

Sebastien Gaudard, Paris

From petit fortes and eclairs to almond croissants and caramel macarons, pâtissier extraordinaire Sebastien Gaudard (aka the ‘Tom Ford of pastry’) has the most magnifique (read: calorifique) creations in his pretty pastel-hued shop. Or for something a little more swish, sashay over to his Tuileries Salon de Thé for millefeuilles and crème Chantilly creations in a truly sumptuous setting.

1 Rue des Pyramides, 1st, Paris. +33 171 182 470, sebastiengaudard.com

Café Einstein, Berlin

Kaffee und kuchen (coffee and cafe) is an afternoon institution all across Germany and in Berlin the best place to indulge is Café Einstein. Many a literary great has put in time at this historic, mahogany parquet and garden delight that served up decadent slabs of schwarzwald kuchen, strudel and sacher torte. Heavenly hot chocolate too.

Kurfürstenstr. 58, Tiergarten, Berlin. +49 30 2639 1918, cafeeinstein.com

Ciampini Gelateria, Rome

Ciampini Gelateria, Rome

When in Italy…. Gelati. This charming, retro-ish gelato bar serves up the nicest frozen flaves in all of Roma. The frutti di bosco and pistachio are both winners while the sinfully good whipped cream (panna) is only for truest of ice cream devotees.

Ciampini, Piazza di S. Lorenzo in Lucina, Rome. +39 06 687 6606, ciampini.com

Karaköy Güllüoglu, Istanbul

Karaköy Güllüoglu, Istanbul

Of all the baklava shops in Istanbul, this is the bonanza best. Güllüoğlu has been baking the sweet, flakey treats since the 1820s and have over a dozen different varieties including chocolate, walnut, pistachio, or good old plain (which is anything but). For top Turkish delight head to Aladdin in the Spice Bazaar and order the milk lokum with nutella swirls. More like loku-mmm!

Karaköy Güllüoglu, Rihtim Cad. Katli Otopark Alti 3-4, Karaköy, Istanbul. +90 212 293 0910, karakoygulluoglu.com

Kosoan, Tokyo

Kosoan, Tokyo

Mochi might not be to everyone’s taste, but if you do like a chewy ball or two you’ll love this tatami-lined garden-chic teahouse that serves up rolled rice mouthfuls with hot green tea and a side of, errr, palate-cleansing salted kelp?

Kosoan, 1-24-23 Jiyugaoka, Meguro-ku, Tokyo. +81 3 3718 4203, kosoan.co.jp

Bibelot, Melbourne

Bibelot, Melbourne

A dreamy sweet-tooth sanctuary inspired by the patisseries of Europe… but these pretty petit fortes and melt-in-your-mouth macarons get an Aussie twist with native ingredients like pepper berries, macadamias and lemon myrtle. Try the signature gourmandise platter or high tea service. Pinkies!

Bibelot, 285-287 Coventry St, South Melbourne, Melbourne. +61 3 9690 2688, bibelot.com.au

These Trips of a Lifetime Are Better if You Book Last Minute

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The most extraordinary trips usually require a fair amount of planning. But there are a few destinations where, right now, even a top-of-the-line trip can be planned on the spur of the moment—and should be. Here’s where and why.

Costa Rica

Honeymooners are steering clear of Costa Rica right now—the best resorts, which are typically full, are running at 60 to 70 percent capacity—and the Zika virus could be to blame. If you’re of a reproductive mindset, sure, it’s wise to stay away (Zika is a major concern only for women who are or hope to soon become pregnant). But if not, now is a great time to visit Costa Rica. This summer, top properties such as Finca Rosa Blanca Resort, Hacienda AltaGracia, Kura Design Villas, Arenas Del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest Resort, and Lapa Rios Eco Lodge are offering discounts to entice travelers, but Michael believes the biggest value is in the extra-special service that you’re sure to receive when a hotel’s staff has fewer guests to care for: A naturalist might take some extra time to find that elusive bird species with you, a restaurant might surprise you with a private dining experience for free, or the front desk clerk might upgrade you to a suite if one would otherwise sit empty. (These things are certainly likely to happen for WendyPerrin.com travelers who use a recommended expert off of Wendy’s WOW List.)

Ecuador’s mainland is seeing fewer visitors than usual—which means now is the perfect time to visit. Photo: Southwind Adventures

Ecuador

An April earthquake and fears of Zika virus have scared some travelers away from Ecuador. But the major tourist areas of Quito, Cuenca, and the Galapagos have seen little effect from either scourge: The quake’s area of damage was confined to the coast, and as for Zika, mosquitos don’t live in the Andean highlands and are unlikely to carry the virus in the Galapagos (due to the same strict environmental controls that have made the islands malaria-free). Tom Damon, Trusted Travel Expert for Ecuador, tells us that, while you’re unlikely to find space on a last-minute Galapagos cruise (travelers book these far in advance, and few have cancelled), the mainland is seeing fewer visitors than usual—and there’s so much there to see, from highland haciendas to rainforest ecolodges, craft villages to UNESCO World Heritage sites. Ecuador’s economy relies heavily on tourism, and the government will have to do much rebuilding along the coast. This is why Quito’s mayor, Mauricio Rodas, has said: “The best way to help Ecuador is to visit Ecuador.” Go now, and you’ll be greeted by grateful citizens eager to make yours the trip of a lifetime.

Monk and Flowers, Nepal. Photo Courtesy Toni Neubauer

Nepal

“Because of the earthquake in April 2015, tourism is still quite slow in Nepal, so if you have a last-minute desire to see or trek the Himalayas, now is definitely the time to go,” says Antonia Neubauer, Trusted Travel Expert for Nepal. Infrastructure, hotels, and trekking routes are all largely functioning as they were before the quake—and you won’t run into hordes of hikers on the most popular trails, as would have happened in the past. Surprisingly, hotel rates have gone up as concrete, food, and other supplies are having to get shipped in from other countries (many farmers missed the planting season last year). But remember that your tourist dollars are desperately needed: “A good portion of the population is still struggling to rebuild. When you come to Nepal, know that you are giving back to the country just by being there,” says Antonia. While summer is the monsoon season, fall is prime for trekking, biking, and festival-going.

Tibet

It’s not at all unheard of for China to revoke permits that have already been granted to travelers headed to Tibet. “The Chinese government can close travel to Tibet at any time,” says Sanjay Saxena, Trusted Travel Expert for Tibet, “which means that it’s difficult to plan a trip for next year. However, our ears in the tourism ministry forewarn us a few weeks in advance if a closure is expected, so with a last-minute booking I can with great certainty determine whether or not we will be able to get a permit.” The overland journey from Lhasa to Kathmandu, Nepal, is one of Sanjay’s favorite travel experiences, but after last year’s earthquake, this border crossing was closed and all such trips had to be cancelled. Sanjay has just gotten word that it will be reopened in June, making this iconic journey through two Himalayan kingdoms possible once again.

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.

Berlin’s History on Foot: A Walking Tour

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Berlin is a city of creative, laid-back people, where long conversations ensue after chance encounters with locals. It also has a long and complicated history: Once the center of a mighty empire, it grew infamous as the capital during the grim Nazi period, and then, for almost 30 years, as a city divided by a wall.

Since the 1990s, Berlin has seen social, political, and economic regeneration, and now it is a gripping city to explore, whether you survey the unique architectural complexes, walk the remnants of the Berlin Wall, or visit its vast heritage of museums and galleries. It’s also a popular one-day add-on before or after a European river cruise, and even during a Baltic Sea cruise.

But no matter how or when you visit, the flat terrain and clear grid of streets make Berlin an ideal city to explore on foot. For advice on how best to route a city stroll, we tapped Context Travel, our Trusted Travel Expert for cultural walking tours. Here are two itineraries, ideal for any urban explorers. You can choose to go it alone or hire one of Context’s “docents”—professors, art historians, chefs, and other interesting local people—to show you around.

The 20th century history walk:

2-3 hours

Brandenburg Gate, Berlin. Photo: Context Travel

Though a sprawling city, Berlin has several important sites relatively close to one another that make for a good introductory walking tour.

Start at the Brandenburg Gate, a famous symbol of Berlin modeled on the entrance to the Acropolis, and the spot where Reagan urged Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall. Then stroll around it to see the Reichstag—where Parliament meets—just in its shadow.
Then make a U-turn and head toward the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, also known as the Holocaust Memorial.
Afterward take in the sobering Topography of Terror museum, with its exhibitions documenting Nazi atrocities at the site where the headquarters of the Gestapo and SS once stood.
Finish up at Potsdamer Platz, a public square once bisected by the Berlin Wall and now a poster child of the city’s post-unification project.

The Wall walk:

4–5 hours

Berlin Wall, Germany. Photo: Context Travel

Berlin Wall. Photo: Context Travel

Berlin experienced the country’s post-World War II division like no other city in Germany, having been split by the Berlin Wall, which went up overnight on August 13, 1961 and was finally torn down in 1990.

Three key locations around Berlin will give you a comprehensive concept of the Wall: the Berlin Wall Memorial at Bernauer Strasse; Checkpoint Charlie, an old crossing point between the Soviet and American sectors of the city; and the East Side Gallery, a section of wall covered with paintings done by artists from around the world.

We suggest the following route for your mauerweg (Wall walk):

Starting from the Memorial—a still-standing section of wall and a center that explains the construction of the border partition—take a short walk to Kieler Strasse to see the old East Berlin watchtower, one of the few such remaining structures; the tower has been turned into a museum by Jurgen Litfin, whose brother was the first person to be killed trying to flee East Berlin.
From there, following Invalidenstrasse down along the canal, come out to the Brandenburg Gate at Pariser Platz—the place where a peaceful demonstration on November 9, 1989, turned into a historic event which ended with demolition of the Wall.
Head south along Ebertstrasse, stopping to look at the remnants of the Wall at Potsdamer Strasse, one of the city’s main thoroughfares.
Walking through Leipziger Platz along Mauerstrasse, and turning to Friedrichstrasse, you will get to Checkpoint Charlie, an old crossing point between the Soviet and American sectors of the city.
Splash out on lunch at Tim Raue, a two-Michelin-starred restaurant next to Checkpoint Charlie. Despite its accolades, the atmosphere remains unflappably casual, with serving staff in Converse and the now-famous chef often seen working the room, chatting to diners. Or for a quicker stop, try West Berlin, a chic cafe serving exceptional coffee and pastries. Though located just past the tourist circus that is Checkpoint Charlie, the cafe is mostly frequented by Berlin’s creatives and offers a refreshing taste of local life.
The last stop on your tour should be the East Side Gallery, a section of wall covered with paintings done by artists from around the world. The best way to reach it is by subway: Walk to U1 Station Hallesches Tor, then ride the U1 line to Warschauer Strasse.

This entire route runs about seven miles and takes four to five hours; you can, of course, cherry-pick portions of the walk for a shorter version. Or you can join Context’s Walking the Wall tour, learning from an expert in 20^th-century history about life on both sides of the Wall, and the hardships and moments of bliss that the city experienced during the Cold War.

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.

How to Avoid Long Airport Security Lines This Summer

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Airport security lines have grown absurdly long of late, thanks to more people traveling and fewer TSA workers. With the busy summer travel season upon us, the situation is likely to get worse before it gets better. Here’s how to minimize your time stuck in a TSA line on your next trip:

If You’re Flying Soon

Find out if your airport terminal has more than one security checkpoint.

Many terminals do. Before leaving home, go to the airport’s website and pull up a map showing the security checkpoints. (This map, for instance, indicates where the three checkpoints are in Newark airport’s Terminal C; this one shows where they are for all five terminals at Dallas-Fort Worth.) At the airport, ask an official which checkpoint has the shortest line.

Download the MyTSA app.

Available for free for iPhones and Android, this app gives you current security wait times at your airport, as reported by your fellow travelers. You can also view them here; just type in your airport code.

Arrive early and hit the club lounge.

The bigger and busier your airport—e.g., J.F.K., Chicago (O’Hare), or Miami International—the earlier you’ll want to arrive, especially if you’re flying at a peak time. At least two hours early for a domestic flight, and three hours early for international, may be a good rule of thumb for most airports. To keep your stress level down, you might consider arriving really early and buying a day pass to an airport lounge club (if the club is gate-side).

If You’re Flying Later

Don’t buy airline tickets for flights at peak times.

Avoid Friday late afternoon and early evening, for example, because that’s when business travelers returning from business trips are hitting the airport at the same time as leisure travelers leaving on vacation, creating security-line pile-ups. If you’re taking a long weekend, consider flying on a Saturday morning and returning Tuesday. (That’s also less expensive than a Thursday-to-Sunday long weekend.)

Enroll in TSA PreCheck or, even better, Global Entry.

TSA PreCheck admits you into a priority lane where you need not remove your shoes, liquids, or laptop. The $85 fee covers you for five years. For an extra $15, though, get Global Entry (the $100 fee also covers you for five years), which lets you skip the long customs line on your way back into the U.S. from an international trip, and which automatically gives you TSA PreCheck. Not every airport has PreCheck lanes or Global Entry kiosks, so check whether yours does.

Buy access to the priority security line.

Many travelers who have elite status with an airline can use the express lane at the security checkpoint. If you don’t have elite status, some airlines let you purchase access to the priority security lane on a one-time basis. United, for instance, lets you buy access at 68 airports worldwide (prices start at $15), and JetBlue lets you buy it at 62 airports.

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 This the Best New Cruise Perk at Sea?

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If you think there’s no way you could survive a 6,000-passenger cruise ship, listen up. When the world’s new largest cruise ship, Harmony of the Seas, debuts this month, it will introduce a first in special treatment at sea: the Royal Genie. Yes, that’s right, a genie. The kind who grants your every wish. More specifically, a shipboard fixer whose goal is to expedite you past every line and make every potential obstacle on a 227,000-ton floating megaresort vanish.

At least, that was what my Royal Genie did when my family and I put one to the test a few months ago aboard Allure of the Seas. Allure was a fitting ship for this test run because it was the world’s largest cruise ship at the time (until Harmony of the Seas overtook it) and is very similar in design to Harmony. Royal Caribbean, the cruise line to whom these ships belong and that invited me to preview the Royal Genie service, plans to roll it out across five ships this month. Only a handful of passengers—those in the top suites—get a genie.

Now, testing a Royal Genie is harder than you might think. I had trouble dreaming up things for her to do. Maybe I’m just too low-maintenance for a genie. Or maybe I’m more comfortable fending for myself. I did that too on my cruise: I split my time between being spoiled rotten and tackling the buffet line like everyone else. My goal was to be able to advise you how to have the best trip possible aboard the world’s biggest cruise ship, whether you’re in a $30,000 suite or a genie-less $4,000 stateroom.

Before I share my hard-earned advice, though, allow me to clarify what a Royal Genie actually does.

What My Royal Genie Did

My genie, Smitha Thompson, and me in the Royal Promenade aboard Allure of the Seas.

Me and my genie, Smitha Thompson, in the Royal Promenade aboard Allure of the Seas.

If you’ve ever had an airline rep meet you at an airport entrance and escort you through check-in and immigration and onto the plane, bypassing every line en route, then you can start to wrap your head around what a Royal Genie does for you. Her first order of business is to whisk you through the cruise check-in and embarkation process. My genie—the lovely Smitha Thompson, who hails from Mauritius—met me and my family inside the Fort Lauderdale cruise terminal. After we’d sailed through check-in, she escorted us onto the ship and to our room, where awaiting us was about a month’s supply of Brownie Brittle, pretzels, and red licorice (my kids’ favorite snacks, which our genie had researched beforehand). Refills flowed every day.

Smitha got us tables in the ship’s fully booked restaurants and front-row seats to the most popular shows. She had me meet with the head of the shore excursions department so I could get answers to my questions about the pros and cons of various shore tours on offer.

Smitha with the boys at our cabana. Photo: Timothy Baker

Smitha with the boys in our cabana in Labadee.

Her main goal, though, seemed to be for us never to get lost on the ship and never to wait in any line. To that end, she insisted on coming to our room (or to wherever we were on the ship) to escort us to every dinner, show, and scheduled activity. We assured her it was unnecessary, but this genie business was new to her too, and she didn’t want to mess up. Her goal in escorting us was always to take us on the shortest route from point A to point B and, upon arriving at point B, to hand us off to the person in charge there for safe keeping. When the ship docked in port, she expedited us off the ship via a labyrinth of secret passageways, normally off-limits to all but crew, so as to bypass any potential bottlenecks en route to the gangway. When we called at Labadee, the cruise line’s private port in Haiti, we were the first passengers off the ship, onto a private golf cart, into the roped-off portion of Labadee that is reserved for suite passengers, and up to a hilltop private cabana, where snorkel masks, fins, a cooler filled with drinks, and a bartender named Kesnel awaited.

Smitha even stood in line at the lobby Starbucks each morning so that she could knock on my door holding a skinny vanilla latte at 7:00 a.m. (She had asked me to specify a coffee drink and delivery time each morning.) The coffee was free of charge, of course, as were all of her services. Only Star Class passengers get a Royal Genie, and those passengers have already paid top dollar, so the cruise line is not about to nickel-and-dime them.

Smitha expedited our departure as well. Normally, on a cruise, passengers must place all suitcases and non-carry-on luggage outside their cabin doors the night before disembarkation (so that the luggage can be transported off the ship and into the cruise terminal). Smitha got this rule waived for us. On the final morning of the cruise, we got to stay in our cabin with all our luggage till everyone else had been ushered into disembarkation groups. Then she came with porters to collect us and our bags, led us on another shortcut to the gangway, escorted us off the ship, expedited us and our baggage through customs and immigration, placed us in a taxi, and sent us on our way. From cabin door to taxi door, disembarkation took 15 minutes—which, for the world’s biggest cruise ship in one of the world’s busiest cruise terminals, is pretty darned fast.

Our baggage left the ship at the same time we did. Photo: Timothy Bake

Thanks to Smitha, our luggage stayed with us in our cabin until we left the ship.

The Royal Genie concept has evolved in the months since my test run. Smitha, whose real job was in the ship’s guest services department, was enthusiastic about trying on the role but had never received any official genie training. Since that time, Royal Caribbean has hired a bevy of Royal Genies, trained and certified by the British Butler Institute, and has even designed special outfits for them that are less nautical, more purple.

How to Use a Royal Genie

As wonderful as having your own personal vacation assistant might sound, there were awkward moments and missed opportunities. Should you ever be so lucky as to have a Royal Genie at your disposal, here’s my advice:

Don’t be afraid to say No.

A Royal Genie wants so badly to be helpful that sometimes, so as not to hurt her feelings, you end up saying yes to things you really don’t want. For instance, I wish I’d said “No” when Smitha urged us to ride around Labadee in a private golf cart even though we would have preferred to walk like everyone else. I did say “No” to the hand-delivered morning lattes, once I realized I’d rather sleep in.

Ask which shipboard experiences are most special and why.

On a Royal Caribbean megaship, there are more activities, shows, and restaurants than anybody could ever try in one week, so you must choose carefully. I wish Smitha and I had sat down at the start and gone through the universe of options, as overwhelming as that might have been. Somehow I didn’t even learn until Day 6 that the ship has a zip-line or that I could dine al fresco in a garden, under the stars, listening to live music.

Request an in-depth tour of the ship on Day 2 or 3.

Smitha gave us a 45-minute introductory tour of the vessel on Day 1. The ship is the length of four football fields, with 18 decks, so she probably didn’t want to tire us out. But I wish I’d asked for an in-depth, three-hour tour. The ship has seven “neighborhoods” and surprises on every deck, from a Kate Spade boutique to a Boardwalk carousel to a running track that wraps around the entirety of the ship. Only on the last day of the cruise did I discover my favorite serene hideout: Deck 5 aft, where there are just a couple of empty wooden deck chairs and ocean panoramas forever.

Find out what behind-the-scenes tours are available.

Who are you most interested in meeting on the ship and what are you most interested in learning from him or her? The inner workings of a 6,000-passenger megaship are pretty fascinating. Your genie can probably arrange an insider’s tour with anyone from the chef to the chief engineer.

Ask about private photo ops with one of the ship’s photographers.

Your genie will likely schedule activities for you that are unique in the world. (Here, for example, is a glimpse of the first-at-sea features aboard Harmony of the Seas). And when you’re doing a one-of-a-kind activity with your family, you may want a photographer capturing the moment—such as when you’re riding the Labadee Flight Line or surfing on the Flow Rider.

Smitha checks on the boys at the Flow Rider. Photo: Timothy Baker

Smitha kept showing up to check on us around the ship. Here, she checks on the boys at the Flow Rider.

How to Get By Without a Royal Genie

The truth is, some of what a Royal Genie does you can arrange on your own, as long as you’re organized and do some advance planning.

Figure out what’s important to you ahead of time, so you board the ship with a strategy.

Study the cruise line’s website, read the forums and advice on Cruise Critic, and know the full range of options that will be available to you, so you can take action immediately upon boarding. On the ship each morning, read the list of scheduled activities in the daily newsletter; it’s a long, dense list, so bring a highlighter.

Book as much as possible before boarding.

You can make restaurant reservations and book show tickets online in advance. If it’s a free show, send a family member 30 minutes early to save seats for you.

Do the most important activities early in the cruise rather than later.

You know those one-of-a-kind activities I mentioned? On the last day of the cruise, passengers were realizing that they hadn’t tried the Flow Rider, or the Boardwalk zip-line, or what-have-you, and the result was that these things were in high demand. Try them early in the week when the line is short—or before they shut down because the weather has turned too windy.

If you’re in the Caribbean, consider staying on the ship during one of your days in port.

Nobody is a more enthusiastic shoreside sightseer than I. If you have a smart plan for exploring and getting an authentic experience of an island during your limited time in port, good for you. But if you’ve boarded with no plan, beware. The larger a ship, the longer it takes to get on and off, and the more touristy or inconvenient the port areas it calls at. If you’ve got no sightseeing plan, and your choice is between a generic group tour and walking aimlessly around tourist traps, consider just staying put on the ship and having all its features to yourself. Then return to the island and see it properly someday when you have the time to do it justice.

Ask the crew for dining recommendations.

Seriously. The crew members aboard Allure, at least, are outgoing conversationalists, and we got our best food tips from a random assortment of them. They recommended breakfast at the Park Café in Central Park (a big mid-ship outdoor garden), for instance; there we discovered New York deli-style bagels with assorted flavors of cream cheese, lox, and toppings. They also sent us to Johnny Rockets in the morning for omelettes. Who knew?

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If you are considering a cruise on a giant ship, I recommend having a savvy and extremely well-connected cruise specialist arrange and book it for you so that you get the best cabin and itinerary for your dollar. Feel free to write to Ask Wendy and I can suggest the right cruise advisor for your particular trip goals.

Full Disclosure: Royal Caribbean provided me and my family with a complimentary cruise (I paid for the airfare). In keeping with my standard practice, there was no request for or expectation of coverage on Royal Caribbean’s part, nor was anything promised on mine.

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.

12 Beautiful Bookshops Around The World

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This article originally ran on Luxe City Guides

‘A library is full of new worlds to travel’, or so the adage goes, but we believe quite the opposite – that the globe is packed with paperback pushers well worth travelling to. Book nerds and interior aficionados, get passports and specs ready for this divine dozen of biblio boltholes.

Livraria Lello, Porto. Photo: LUXE City Guides

Livraria Lello, Porto

You can certainly judge this bookstore by its cover – a neo-gothic facade featuring ornate reliefs and painted figures representing Science and Art. And the inside of 100-year-old Livraria Lello is just as magical, with a stained-glass ceiling, arched shelves and intricate curled staircase.

Livraria Lello, R. das Carmelitas 144, Porto. +35 122 200 2037

Libreria Acqua Alta, Venice

With rambling rooms, steps made from old opuses and an oh-so charming canalside locale, Libreria Acqua Alta (pictured above) is certainly one of the most enchanting book nooks to be found anywhere. But its position just inches above sea level means the vast stash of new and used English and Italian titles is at risk of being washed away as the water rises each winter. Owner Luigi Frizzo came up with an, ahem, novel solution – store the works in gondolas and bathtubs, so when the acqua really gets alta, the libros stay dry.

Libreria Acqua Alta, Castello, 5176/b, Venice. +39 041 296 0841

Maison Assouline, London

This luxury, limited edition bibliotheque on bustling Piccadilly (set in a Grade II-listed former bank, no less) boasts not only a back catalogue of 1,400+ cultural and coffee table tomes, but also a room devoted to sumptuous furnishings for your at-home library, and the suave Swan Bar, serving coffee and classic ‘tails to sip while you scan the shelves. C’est chic!

Maison Assouline, 196A Piccadilly, London. +44 20 3327 9370, assouline.com

The Last Bookstore, Los Angeles. Photo: LUXE City Guides

The Last Bookstore, Los Angeles

Situ’d in Downtown’s historic core, the last word on opus emporiums stocks best sellers and records on its stately, columned first floor… But it’s the mezzanine level that’s the true treasure, an uncategorised literary labyrinth with tunnels constructed from outdated encyclopedias, storybook sculptures and hidden alcoves. Best of all: everything up here is only one dollar.

The Last Bookstore, 453 S Spring St, Downtown, Los Angeles. +1 213 488 0599, lastbookstorela.com

L’eau et les Rêves, Paris

Sure, Shakespeare and Company is quaint and Galignani grand, but how can you skip a bookshop on a boat? Bobbing atop a serene stretch of the Seine in the Ourcq, L’eau et les Rêves (Water and Dreams) is a lovely lil’ library within a black barge; a river-reader specialising in all books nautical, plus a pirate-heavy selection for the kiddies. Barge in!

L’eau et les Rêves, Quai de l’Oise, 19th, Paris. +33 1 42 05 99 70, penichelibrairie.com

Robinson Crusoe, Istanbul

Perched above shopping strip Istiklal Caddesi is this local literary institution, lined floor-to-double-ceiling with fiction, fine art, history and travel titles. With rolling ladders, a reading table and piano, it exudes a warm library atmos, and patrons are positively encouraged to park their bots in cushy armchairs – or better yet, on the sunny rooftop terrace – and browse before buying.

Robinson Crusoe, İstiklal Cd. 195, Beyoğlu, Istanbul. +90 212 293 6968, rob389.com

Rizzoli bookstore, New York. Photo: LUXE City Guides.

Rizzoli, New York

It has been a fairytale ending for this Manhattan stalwart. Evicted from her original abode in 2014, she has now reopened in a historic NoMad building complete with molded cherrywood shelves, brass chandeliers and custom wallpaper. An upsized 5,000 sq ft space = more room for page-turner fiction, philosophy works and foodie cookbooks.

Rizzoli, 1133 Broadway, NoMad, New York. +1 212 759 2424, rizzolibookstore.com

Topics, Berlin

One for the minimalists, this white-walled, bare-bulbed Neukölln Bibliothek divides its curated collection not by genre but by – you guessed it – topic. Each of the 80+ cubes contain a separate selection on subjects ranging from time machines to transsexuality to the femme detective.

Topics, Weserstraße 166, Neukölln, Berlin. +49 176 72218939, topics-berlin.com

Livraria da Vila, São Paulo

While most of the shops on this list boast walls covered with tomes, the central store of São Paulo chain Livraria de Vila also heaps its hardcovers along ceiling cut outs and the swiveling doors of its front facade, giving the illusion that it is literally built from books.

Livraria da Vila, Alameda Lorena, 1731, Jardim Paulista, São Paulo. +55 11 3062 1063, livrariadavila.com.br

Tsutaya Books Daikanyama, Tokyo. Photo: LUXE City Guides

Tsutaya Books Daikanyama, Tokyo

The tri-level, Mid Century Mod-styled Tsutaya flagship is stocked with every kind of reading, listening and watching pleasure. Peruse for page-turners in the extensive selection of English merch, then saunter upstairs to the Anjin lounge and take an artisan brew while you fall into the first chapter.

Tsutaya Books Daikanyama, 17-5 Sarugakucho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo. +81 3 3770 2525, real.tsite.jp

Brattle Book Shop, Boston

In summer readers revel in the outdoor lot of Brattle Book Shop, one of America’s oldest and largest paperback pushers. It holds three stories of general, used and antiquarian works, plus the open air sale section sided by an urbane scene of street art and fire escapes.

Brattle Book Shop, 9 West St, Boston. +1 617 542 0210, brattlebookshop.com

BooksActually, Singapore

Nestled in the arty Tiong Bahru nabe, this curio-crammed cutie is packed with fiction, classic literature, local works and poetry. But she holds more than just books actually: the back room showcases an adorable assemblage of hand-stitched notebooks and stationery.

BooksActually, 9 Yong Siak St, Tiong Bahru, Singapore. +65 6222 9195, booksactuallyshop.com

How to Get the Best Private Guide For a Trip With Kids

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When you’re planning a vacation with young kids, you might think that hiring a private guide is an unnecessary luxury, an expense that couldn’t add much to the experience or that might get in the way of all that family bonding. You’d be wrong.

A good kid-friendly guide—as I found out on a recent trip with my husband and four-year-old to Southeast Asia—can make a huge difference in your child’s experience of a place, and in yours, too. The best ones know how to make museums come alive, where to find engaging activities, and equally important, how to steer your day so that no one has a meltdown (adults included).

The same value that outstanding guides add to grown-up trips—fascinating history and context, behind-the-scenes access, instant entry into local culture—they can bring for kids too. We travel with our children because we want to create memorable experiences as a family; how memorable is it if you’re chasing after them all day and trying to figure out the next “fun” thing to do? A private guide will not only come up with exciting activities, but will also take care of the small, annoying details—leaving you free to accomplish your main objective: spending meaningful time together.

In the end, our Southeast Asia guides ensured that our trip ran as smoothly and efficiently as possible, given that we had a four-year-old in tow. Here’s what I learned families should look for when choosing and using a private guide:

Request a guide who’s also a parent. With perhaps a few exceptions, only a fellow parent can truly understand how a young kid will impact your trip. Ask your trip planner how he/she knows that a particular guide is great with kids; have they seen the guide interact with children?

Make clearly spoken English a priority. My son, Zeke, had a hard time understanding when some of our guides spoke; in these situations, either my husband or I would have to “translate” for him. In the future, I’ll make unaccented pronunciation the second-highest priority for any guide I hire for my family.

Kid-focused activities keep kids engaged throughout long tours. Photo: Ryan Damm.

Ask in advance for a treasure hunt or other kid-focused activities. Don’t expect your kid to simply tag along while you tromp through museums and monuments. Including your children in the day’s events is key to keeping them engaged. Treasure hunts are a great way to keep them interested throughout a day-long tour.

Invite your guide to bring his/her own kids along. Our guide in Saigon had two kids close in age to our own; when he brought them along, Zeke—who had up until then been shy around our guides—immediately warmed to the whole family. It was as if he saw our guide as a dad now, a figure he could trust. And he adored playing with the girls so much that my husband and I were able to leave him under the care of the girls’ mother or uncle while we did some sightseeing. (If you’d rather not pay for another adult who can act as babysitter, you can tag-team the sightseeing while your spouse watches the kids.)

Make the most of your time with a guide, wherever you are. When Zeke hijacked the city tour that had been planned for our only day in Hanoi (thanks to a tantrum so bad it left me in tears), our guide took us to an indoor play area instead. While we didn’t get to see much of Hanoi, I still learned a lot about contemporary Vietnamese culture by chatting with our guide while my son played in a ball pit.

Be vigilant about the schedule. Adding a four-year-old to the equation makes everything take twice as long, whether it’s a trip to the grocery store or a stroll through Hoi An’s Ancient Town. When any of our guides assumed that we could keep to a typical touring timetable, the schedule would invariably slide, and my son would end up missing his afternoon nap—which made all of us cranky. If I’d estimated for our guide how long my son would last in Angkor Wat at the outset, he could have properly paced our visit so that we saw all of the ruins’ highlights. As it was, my son melted down halfway through and we had to skip half of the temple. Next time, I’ll be explicit with guides about what time we have to eat lunch or be back at the hotel for an afternoon rest, so that they can plan accordingly.

Allot your time with guides thoughtfully. I found a private guide most helpful in large cities, where logistics are particularly tricky. I recommend hiring one for your first day in a new city, then using any additional time there to explore on your own. Elsewhere, use guides only where they can provide access to things you wouldn’t see otherwise: a local village, say, or an after-hours visit to a museum that’s normally crowded.

What’s the best thing that a private guide has done for your family on a 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.

Disclosure: Journeys Within and their partners provided most elements of the writer’s trip (hotels, intra-Asia airfare, guides, ground transportation, and sightseeing entry fees) free of charge. In keeping with WendyPerrin.com standard practice, there was no request for coverage on Journeys Within’s part, nor was anything promised on ours. You can read our sponsored travel agreement with Journeys Within here.

French Islands So Pretty You’ll Be Tempted To Skip Provence

Looking to explore French countryside without the crowds of Provence and the Riviera? Consider the islands off the Atlantic coast, especially if you enjoy biking through picturesque villages, sampling succulent seafood, and relaxing on miles of sandy beaches—sandier than most you’ll find on the French Riviera. Here is your guide to choosing the right French island for you.

Best for Those Who Want it All: Île de Ré

Ile de Ré has scenic ports, whitewashed houses with colorful shutters, expansive beaches, famous oysters, even vineyards. The one drawback is that because the island is now on the tourism map, it’s attracting 160,000 vacationers per year, making it the most expensive of the islands. You can evade the worst of the crowds by coming slightly off-season, in June or September, or by spending time in one of the island’s smaller, quieter towns, such as La Flotte. “La Flotte has a great daily morning market selling local specialties like fleur de sel and homemade soaps,” points out Trusted Travel Expert Paul Bennett. “And there are excellent restaurants overlooking the port, such as L’Ecailler, where you can enjoy the best of the day’s catches with a glass of the island’s crisp white wine.”

Best for Budget Beachcombers: Île d’Yeu

Ile d’Yeu has the natural beauty of Ile de Ré without the hype. South of the city of Nantes and accessible by ferry from Fromentine, this small island has a wide variety of charming vacation rentals and is easy to get around only by bike. You can wander the narrow passageways of its main town, Port Joinville, before trekking out to the 14th-century fortress le Vieux-Château. Along the way, breeze by traditional fisherman huts and tall lighthouses perched on steep cliffs. Get digging on the beach and you can have a tasty free clambake for dinner.

Les Aiguilles de Port-Coton, Belle-Île. Photo courtesy Bathilde Chaboche, Office de Tourisme Belle-Île-en-Mer.

Best for Adventurous Romantics: Belle-Île

This beautiful island off the coast of Brittany has almost-tropical aquamarine waters, 60 pristine beaches, and quaint villages. Outdoorsy types can kayak, windsurf, scuba dive, or hike to the island’s famous rocky “needles,” Les Aiguilles de Port-Coton. Culture lovers are in for a treat too: They’ll recognize that rock formation from Claude Monet paintings. When dinnertime calls, make your way to the fishing village of Sauzon to feast on fresh-off-the-boat lobster. Then get a well-deserved good night’s sleep at the Citadelle Vauban hotel, in a 17th-century fortress (that also has a good restaurant and local museum), or pamper yourself at the Castel Clara, whose seawater spa faces the wild coast.

Best for Getting Away From It All: Île d’Ouessant

If you’re after tranquility and natural beauty, sail over to this offbeat island, the north-westernmost point of France. You can bike along the coast, through green fields dotted with sheep, and past deserted beaches beckoning you to lay down your towel. Discover what daily life was like on the island pre-WWII at the Niou Huella Eco-Museum, or wave toward North America or Great Britain at Créac’h lighthouse, marking where the Atlantic Ocean turns into the English Channel.

Best for Families: Île aux Moines

Few foreign visitors join savvy French families on the short boat ride from Vannes to l’Île aux Moines, one of the Atlantic coast’s best-kept secrets. “With no cars and amazing sandy beaches, it’s perfect for kids,” notes Trusted Travel Expert Jack Dancy. “Plus there are great hiking and biking trails, excellent sailing opportunities, and many family-friendly holiday rentals.” The streets of the main town, Port Blanc, are lined with quaint traditional stone houses, shops, and crêperies. A wander into the center of the island will take you to France’s own Stonehenge, Cromlech de Kergonan, a megalithic site featuring 24 standing stones. While you’re in the area, Jack also suggests visiting the walled city of Vannes, especially for its fish market in the 19th-century Les Halles market building. Watch as local fishmongers try to out-hawk one another with their selection of sea bass, haddock, and prawns hauled into port that very morning.

Since there’s so much to discover on these islands and along France’s Atlantic coast, consider a multi-day sailing trip—something Jack can arrange.

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.

Meet our writer

Lily Heise’s work in tourism and travel writing have seen her blossom hunting in Kyoto, tracking down hidden Angkor temples and getting lost in the Argentinian outback. Her writing has been featured in CondeNast Traveler.com, The Huffington Post, Business Insider and Frommer’s Guides, and she also share tips on France, other travel destinations and romance on her blog Je T’Aime, Me Neither. You can catch up with her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Hong Kong Is A Great Place for a Layover: Here’s What to Do

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Hong Kong’s exceptional public transportation system makes it easy to explore the city between flights; whatever else you do, taking in the skyline of this sky-scraping metropolis is a must. We asked the Hong Kong staff of Context Travel—a company on Wendy’s WOW List of Trusted Travel Experts that runs cultural walking tours in cities worldwide—for their favorite ways to get a taste of Asia’s financial hub. Keep in mind that because of immigration, getting to and from the airport, and checking back in, you’ll need at least six hours between flights.

The Basics

How to get out of the airport:

Train: The best option is the Airport Express, which takes you to Kowloon or Hong Kong island in no more than 24 minutes. The platform is located in the main terminal building, just after arrivals, and is clearly signed. Trains depart every ten minutes from 5:50 a.m. until 12:48 a.m. A round-trip ticket is 100 Hong Kong dollars (about U.S. $13); purchase tickets by the platform before boarding the train or on arrival at your destination.

Taxi: The Airport Express is the quicker and more convenient option, but you can also take a taxi to Kowloon for approximately HKD $270 (about U.S. $35) and to Central for approximately HKD $320 (about U.S. $40).

What to do with your luggage:

If you haven’t checked your baggage through to your final destination, stow it at the left luggage counter on Level 3 of Terminal 2, which is open daily from 5:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. Prices are HKD $12 (about U.S. $1.50) per hour or HKD $140 (about U.S. $18) for the day.

If you have a 6-hour layover:

Context recommends allowing three hours for immigration, exiting the airport, and traveling to and from your desired destination. So don’t bother leaving the airport unless your layover is at least six hours long.

But if you do have six hours, you’ve got enough time to explore Kowloon Island and absorb the famous Victoria Harbor skyline. The best route is to take the Airport Express to Kowloon Station (about 20 minutes); from here, you can either stretch your legs on a 15-minute stroll to the Jordan district, or jump in a taxi for the five-minute ride (HKD $22 /U.S. $3). Here you’ll find some interesting markets selling anything from fish balls to your fortune to the newest gadgets. It’s a great place to soak in the bustling atmosphere and see today’s Hong Kong firsthand. Grab a bite to eat in one of the many tasty eateries in Jordan before walking down Nathan Road toward the harbor, where you can walk along the Avenue of Stars to see the city’s iconic skyscrapers. It’s a striking view day or night, and a great place to sit with a drink or an ice cream.

Head back to Kowloon Station on foot through Kowloon Park (25 minutes) or via a ten-minute taxi ride. If you find that you are ahead of schedule and have an hour to spare, head up to Ozone, the highest bar in the world—located 118 floors above Kowloon Station inside the Ritz-Carlton—for an impressive panorama before boarding the Airport Express to get you speedily back to the airport.

If you’d like a more structured interlude, Context Travel offers a three-hour Today’s Hong Kong walking tour of Kowloon Island. This allows first-timers to understand the social, cultural, and political changes that Hong Kong has experienced (and is still experiencing) since the 1997 British handover.

If you have a 9-hour layover:

A slightly longer layover allows you to head into the Central district and go up to Victoria Peak to admire the sprawling metropolis below. Take the Airport Express to Hong Kong Station (the final stop). Once you’re in Central, signage along the walkways will help you navigate to the “Mid-Levels Escalator,” which links different parts of the hilly city, from sea level to 443 feet high; take the escalator up to admire the bustling streets below. In the Central area Context offers a two-and-a-half-hour food tour; you could sample local delicacies, from dim sum to custard egg tarts.

Continue on your way up the escalator until you see a sign for Hollywood Road. Turn right down Hollywood Road toward Sheung Wan, and you’ll find yourself on an interesting street lined with antiques shops and ancient trees growing up the stone walls. Pop into Man Mo Temple, an interesting contrast to the financial center and towers surrounding it. Now it’s time to see Central and Kowloon from an outstanding vantage point: Victoria Peak. You could catch a tram, which leaves from the Lower Peak Tram terminus; however, the queues can sometimes be long, which may be risky during a layover. A safer bet is a taxi, which should take approximately 30 minutes each way and will cost about HKD $90 ($11.60). The top of the peak is the perfect place to soak up the view, walk off your plane legs, and grab a drink or a bite. When it’s time to leave, jump in a taxi back to Hong Kong station to board the Airport Express.

If you don’t have time to leave the airport:

The Hong Kong airport is a comfortable place to spend a few hours. There are a number of V.I.P. lounges that are free for business-class ticket holders; at some travelers can pay for a day pass. Terminal 2 is home to SkyPlaza and SkyMart (large shopping and restaurant areas), and there is even an IMAX cinema. For a bit of R&R, you can grab a foot massage or a spa treatment inside Terminal 1. Free Wi-Fi is also a plus, to help you pass the time or plan for your next leg of the trip.

An airport layover doesn’t have to mean that you’re stuck in the airport. In this series, local experts in the world’s most popular hub cities recommend sightseeing itineraries for every time frame.

More Layover Solutions:

Philadelphia Airport Layovers: How to Make the Most of Them

Istanbul Airport Layovers: How to Make the Most of Them

Tokyo Airport Layovers: How to Make the Most of Them

Amsterdam Airport Layovers: How to Make the Most of Them

Beijing Airport Layovers: How to Make the Most of Them

Barcelona Airport Layovers: How to Make the Most of Them

Great Paris Hotels for an Airport Layover at Charles de Gaulle

London Heathrow Layover: Great Hotels for a Stopover at LHR

Madrid Airport Layovers: How to Make the Most of Them

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 5 Best Street Markets in London

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This article originally ran on Luxe City Guides

By Chloe Jessica Payne

The Big Smoke is big on street markets, with hundreds of stalls criss-crossing the city selling everything from blooms to burgers to faffy bric-a-brac. And sure, heavyweights like Borough, Portobello and Camden have their charms, but if you want to avoid the fanny-packed hordes, we suggest you pack an appetite and pootle along to these…

Heavens to Betsy! Is that the sun you see peeping through the perennial blanket of clouds?! Well there’s no happier way to pass a sunny Sunday morning than by wandering through the historic Columbia Road Flower Market in London’s East End. You might not think much of a posy of flowers, but Columbia Road is about much more than just bouquets, Babs. Going like spit since 1869, the now up-and-coming area is dotted with gourmet stores, indie boutiques and lovely cafes – a rarity in a city that seems to be gripped in the throes of chainstore-itis. And after that (if you’ve still got some wind in your whistle), why not give the nearby, style-packed LUXE London Shoreditch itinerary a whirl?

Columbia Road Flower Market, Columbia Rd, E2, Tower Hamlets, London

The Columbia Road Flower Market. Photo courtesy LUXE City Guides.

Let’s make this clear from the outset: we love Borough Market – and have yet to find a finer chorizo burger – but unless you want to spend a morning milling around with the world and his wife, venture one stop further on the Jubilee Line to Bermondsey, where only Londoners-in-the-know go. Here be Maltby Street Market, peddling all manner of tum-rumbling fare every Saturday and Sunday, with highlights including mead, fresh-steamed mussels, award-winning brownies, antique bits n’ bobs, handmade soaps, and take-home gourmet goodies.

Maltby Street Market, Maltby St, SE1, Bermondsey, London

Some of the best food in London can be found at street markets. Photo courtesy LUXE City Guides.

London is a vast city to navigate, however, so depending on where you’re based, it’s a smart idea to check out the umbrella farmers market website which will guide you to your nearest organic food odyssey. Our particular faves include southern belle Oval, sleb-spotter Marylebone and the darling little Pimlico (the latter two feature in the LUXE London shopping itins too, natch). And so, off to the market you go!

London Farmers Markets, lfm.org.uk

15 Problem-Solving Items for Overnight Flights

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Leave it to frequent fliers to come up with creative ways to make overnight flights comfortable. These unusual recommendations come from assorted travel experts and friends on Facebook. They’re not all what you’d expect, but they’re all very clever. What items do you take on the plane to help make you more comfortable?

Cabeau Fold ‘n Go Travel Blanket and Case

Cabeau Fold n Go-Blanket

It’s super plush and comfy and can also be used as a pillow and lumbar support. It has a loop with a snap that lets me attach it to my carry-on bag so it’s easy to access and doesn’t take up precious space in my bag. —Susan Portnoy, founder, The Insatiable Traveler

Lululemon Vinyasa scarf

I never board a flight without it. The wide, soft, cotton scarf with snaps can be worn all sorts of ways, which is great for travel. For flights though, I love that it can be a blanket, a pillow, a wrap, or even a sort of light-blocking head scarf.” —Christine Sarkis, senior editor, Smarter Travel

FitKicks

Fit Kicks

I always bring “FitKicks,” as they keep my feet comfy and clean. I also wear my L.L. Bean 850 down jacket that weighs about 2 ounces and doubles as a pillow when stuffed inside its own pocket. —Gail Rosenberg, luxury travel designer, Largay Travel

Trtl Pillow

Trtl Pillow

It’s a machine-washable, super-soft-fleece travel neck pillow that is the best thing ever. —Margaret Stevenson

4Head

It’s a natural headache relief treatment I buy in the U.K. It comes in a small container that you roll up, like a solid deodorant stick. It’s great for headaches and stuffy sinuses, and if you take a big whiff of it, it wakes you up too. Think of it as a solid Vicks Vapor Rub, only tinier and convenient. —Marie Fritz

Bach Remedy Rescue Night

Use these flower remedies and hope for a better sleep. —Paola Fiocchi van den Brande, founder of Passepartout Homes

Inflatable beach ball

If you never thought to pack an inflatable beach ball in your carry-on, you’re missing out on a great nap. Photo: Michael Frascella/Flickr

Bring one of those cheap blow-up beach balls and a hand towel. Blow up the beach ball, cover with the towel, and use as a giant pillow to lay on in your lap. It’s a refreshing change from the neck pillow for those who need a “little more” cushion. —Mark Estill, travel consultant/owner, Mark4 Vacations

White noise app

I use a white noise app on my iPad. Pop in my earbuds, turn on the waves, and the sound masks airplane and passenger noises better than noise-cancelling headphones. —Deb Arora, partner, Jacks & Stars

Rosemary oil

I bring a tiny vial of rosemary oil. My sinuses get super-dry on those long flights, and that leads to headaches and other weirdness. The smell of that oil just brightens up the inside of my head. And bonus, it banishes that weird airplane smell for a bit. —Pam Mandel, writer/editor, Nerd’s Eye View

Coconut oil

I use it as a moisturizer (face and body), hair conditioner, toothpaste, mouthwash, and deodorant (it’s anti-bacterial). —Lynn Braz, author, LynnBraz.com

Baby wipes

First, so that you can wipe off the tray table, armrests, and headrest. Second, so that when you wake up, you can wipe your face and feel refreshed. —Katie Kenner-Bohl

Emergen-C packets

I take one while flying, and I keep a few extra in my toiletries bag, for the trip. Better safe than sick! —Kelsey Ebner

Your favorite herbal tea

It’s comforting to have something familiar while traveling, and a cup of hot water is easily gotten from a flight attendant. —Scott Laird, writer, AbFabSkyLife

iPad with extra storage

Beyond all the usual stuff that experienced travelers know to do to try to sleep (much of which will work or not work with the reliability of a cheap watch), what seems to affect me best when I’m struggling to sleep is knowing I have comfort “content” handy. Most of my favorite novels—and we’re not talking Tolstoy but easier-on-the-spirit reads—are already loaded on my iPad. And if I’m too tired to read, I have episodes of favorite TV shows (“Gilmore Girls” and “Frasier” among ‘em) and movies that help me feel at home and relax (“Mamma Mia” always makes me smile). When I replaced my old iPad with a new one, I doubled up on the storage space for just this reason: I wanted to make sure there was enough room for my old pals.—Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor in chief, Cruise Critic

What do you pack in your carry-on for a more comfortable flight?

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

A Tip for Finding Cheaper Hotel Rates

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We recently heard an interesting hotel hack from a reader, about how to find cheaper rates: Sometimes if you make two separate back-to-back reservations, it’ll turn out cheaper than if you book one. Here’s what our reader Jerry Huller had to say:

I subscribe to Wendy’s newsletter and want to pass on a travel tip: If staying at a hotel over a long weekend, consider pricing individual nights to see if you can get a cheaper rate.

My wife and I are planning to stay at the Hyatt Vineyard Creek in Santa Rosa, CA, in April. On the hotel website, I priced a three-night stay arriving on a Friday and leaving on a Monday. The price was $252.10 per night (for a View King room with the AAA rate). Then I decided to price just the Sunday night and found a price of $234.10 per night for the same type of room. Then I went back and priced just the Friday night and Saturday nights, and got the cheaper rate of $234.10 per night. Then I went back and priced all three nights and again got the higher rate of $252.10 per night.

It’s cheaper to make two back-to-back reservations than one three-night reservation.

Have you ever tried this? Let us know if it worked, and share your own hotel tips 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.

The Three Most Important Things to Pack for China

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As I prepared for my trip to China—where I’ll be spending ten days with our Trusted Travel Expert Mei Zhang—Wendy had some good packing advice for me.

1. Pack cold medicine

“In China, it’s relatively easy to get clean bottled water and to get hot fresh cooked vegetables and food,” she told me. “The problem is all of the bad air and the germs and the people spitting and coughing. So bring medicines in case you get a cold. In China it’s the respiratory issues, not traveler’s diarrhea. You don’t need extra clothes, you can buy good quality things like silk pajamas for like ten bucks. You need cold medicine.”

On her list:

Vitamin C
Sudaphedrine or similar decongestant
Sore throat lozenges
Saline spray for your nose
Artificial tears for your eyes

2. Bring comfortable shoes

This sounds like an obvious one, but it’s more important than usual in China. Thanks to all the construction and uneven roads, you’ll want comfy walking shoes that you can spend the whole day in—whether you’re hiking the Great Wall or exploring hutongs.

3. Get a good data plan for your devices

This one is from my own research, as I knew I’d want to stay in close touch with WendyPerrin.com HQ, continue working, and post to our social media platforms.

Remember that the Internet doesn’t work in China like it does at home. No Google services—neither Google search, nor Gmail—are supported. Likewise, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter won’t load if you’re using the Internet (whether by Wi-Fi or a landline). However, if you use your phone or tablet’s cellular data (meaning 3G or 4G), the system recognizes your non-Chinese phone and lifts the gate. So I ended up being able to use my phone for anything (it simply switches to 4G) but can’t use my laptop. This is incredibly useful, but if you don’t have a good overseas data plan, this could also be incredibly expensive. T-Mobile offers free unlimited international data and texting included in its Simple plan, and Google Project Fi offers free texting along with international data at the same rates you’d pay at home (meaning your monthly bill is the same no matter where in the world you use your data) so those could be options if you’re a frequent traveler. (Full disclosure: I’m testing Google Project Fi while I’m in Asia, using a loaner phone from the company but paying for the service myself.)

Have you been to China? What were the most useful things you packed?

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.

Passport Photos Are Expensive, But They Don’t Have to Be

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Passport photos are some of the ugliest photos we ever take. And ironically, they are some of the most expensive too—you have to buy them in pairs that can cost as much as $15. And if you need more, you have to fork over another $15.

I was very frustrated by this recently because I’m preparing for a three-month trip in Asia and I needed to renew my passport and get photos for several visas (I also like to carry a few extra in my luggage just in case I need one at the last minute). And then I read about ePassportPhoto.com. The site offers a few solutions to the problems mentioned above.

First, take your own photo.

ePassportPhoto.com lets you take your own photo, and then sends you multiples for cheap.

There’s no reason to pay so much money to have a bad photographer take a bad picture of you in front of a white screen. Seriously, so bad. I went to a local drugstore and the employee used a fish-eye lens, arguing that it was the best way to get the right proportions. I would argue differently.

Luckily, anyone who has a phone or a digital camera can take their own photo these days (and keep taking it until they get a good one). The State Department even provides very detailed directions on its site so that you can be sure you take one that will be acceptable for passport use. Just stand against a white wall, look directly at the camera, try not to smile, and snap away. If you use ePassportPhoto.com you have even less to worry about: They’ll let you know if the one you took is acceptable and then size it for you.

Or upload an existing one you already have.

If you prefer to have your photo taken professionally, or if you have a leftover professional passport photo (and since they usually come in pairs, that’s likely), you can still use ePassportPhoto.com to save some money on multiples. Just scan in the one you have and continue with the next step.

Next, print it for cheap…or free.

Go online to ePassportPhoto.com and choose the country for which you need a passport or visa photo. Next, decide whether you want the final result mailed to you at home; printed at a CVS, Walmart, or Walgreens; or if you want to print them at home yourself. Then just upload the photo that you took (or scan in the professional one you had taken), and decide how you want to receive them.

If you choose the print-at-home option—which is free—the website has an easy-to-use cropping tool to help you tailor your photo to the passport or visa you specified. Then you’ll just click download and voila! You have a single sheet of four images, which you can print out as many times as you need.

Four of my mug shots, tiled on one easily printable sheet by ePassportPhoto.com. I could print this at home, have it mailed to me, or have it printed at a local drugstore.

If you don’t have a quality photo printer (I don’t), you can opt to have a drugstore or ePassportPhoto.com do the printing for you. In those cases, the website will take care of sizing the image, and then it will create a tiled sheet of the photo—meaning it’ll fit four passport photos on a regular-sized 4×6 photo sheet (you’ll get two sheets total).

I chose to have my order routed to a local CVS for printing. When they’d been sent on to CVS, I got an email from one of the ePassportPhoto.com staffers, who reminded me not to mention the words “passport photo” when I picked them up. As far as CVS knows, you ordered regular 4×6 prints online, and they’ll treat your order the same way as if you’d ordered pictures of your dog.

The ePassportPhoto.com order of eight pictures—eight!—cost me just $8.99, plus about 20 cents that I paid when I picked them up at CVS, for the actual printing. That’s less than I would’ve paid for two passport photos at CVS if I’d used the traditional route. And if I’d printed them out myself at home, they would’ve been completely free.

The final step: Grab a pair of scissors and cut the sheet into separate little passport photos…and use the money you saved to buy yourself a little something for your 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.

Best-Value Hotels in North America’s Hot Spots

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For the Trusted Travel Experts on Wendy’s WOW List, spending the night in a hotel is serious business: They’re constantly scouting new properties in their destination and re-inspecting their past favorites to make sure they’re still up to snuff. Here are their favorites across North America:

Disney World

Best for Pinching Pennies
The Garden Wing rooms at the Contemporary allow you to stay in the most expensive neighborhood at Disney—the coveted “monorail” line, which is the closest to the Magic Kingdom—without having the most expensive house on the block. By not paying the premium to have a lake view or a theme-park view in the main Tower building, you can enjoy staying at a deluxe resort in one of the best-priced rooms.

The Port Orleans French Quarter Resort is in Disney’s moderate category, but don’t dismiss it. This sweet Dixieland-themed property has only 1,000 rooms, so there’s less competition for space at the pool and the food court than at other mid-priced resorts, which can be twice as large. The kids will love the water slide, and the whole family will appreciate the direct buses to each of the parks and the option for a boat ride on the canals to Downtown Disney.

Families enjoy the Family Suites at the Art of Animation Resort. They can sleep up to six people, have two bathrooms, and are themed after Cars, Finding Nemo, or The Lion King. You also get a separate room from your kids! Rates start at about $270, which is a much better value than paying for two rooms. —Michelle Allen, Trusted Travel Expert for Disney

Read Michelle’s Insider’s Guide to Disney World, Orlando, and contact her through our site to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

Maui, Hawaii

Best Pool for Kids
Families headed to Maui might consider the Grand Wailea, where the enormous pool deck is a kid’s paradise, with nine interconnected pools, four waterslides, caves, waterfalls, and even a rope swing.

Best for a Special Occasion
The Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea has the best location on the island. Honeymooners appreciate the candlelit, beachfront restaurant and the adults-only Serenity Pool, while families can take advantage of the complimentary kids’ club. It’s one of the priciest hotels on the island but, at certain times of year, we can arrange for our guests who stay five nights or more to receive a $100-per-night resort credit. Unless you plan to spend a lot of time inside, don’t bother springing for a room with a full ocean view—you’ll be more than satisfied with a partial ocean-view. —Jay Johnson, Trusted Travel Expert for Hawaii

Read Jay’s Insider’s Guide to Maui,and contact him through our site to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

San Juan Islands, Washington

Best for Under $200 a Night
The Inn at Ship Bay is the best value in the San Juan Islands in summer: its water-view rooms cost just $195 a night. They are comfortable rather than swanky, but when you’re able to enjoy the view from your balcony—and then walk a few steps to the hotel restaurant, which is one of the island’s best—you won’t worry about the motel-style bathrooms. — Sheri Doyle, Trusted Travel Expert for the Pacific Northwest: Oregon, Washington, British Columbia

Read Sheri’s Insider’s Guide to the San Juan Islands, and contact her through our site to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

The Four Seasons Seattle. Photo courtesy Steve Sanacore.

Seattle

Best City Pool with a View
The Four Seasons has big rooms, great service, and a prime location one block south of the Pike Place Market. The heated pool is warm enough that you can swim outside in December, while you’re taking in the view of Elliott Bay and the Olympic Mountains. The partial bay-view rooms are a good compromise, cost-wise, between the city-view and the full deluxe bay-view rooms. My preferred rates often provide substantial savings of $100 per night or more in the summer months. — Sheri Doyle, Trusted Travel Expert for the Pacific Northwest: Oregon, Washington, British Columbia

Read Sheri’s Insider’s Guides to Seattle, and contact her through our site to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

Utah’s National Parks

The Castle, Capitol Reef National Park, Utah. Photo: National Park Service

The Castle, Capitol Reef National Park, Utah. Photo: NPS Photo

Best-value splurge hotel
Book one of the four suites at Cougar Ridge Lodge and you’ll have access to an exhibition kitchen where cooking lessons, wine tastings, and custom wine blending can be arranged; a roomy bar; a game room with a state-of-the-art simulator and a full-length bowling alley; and ATVs, horses, and bikes available for an additional cost (guests at the less expensive casitas that have recently been added to the property can’t use most of these features). The two suites on the north side of the lodge have private hot tubs; the two on the south side have access to a wrap-around deck that leads to a shared hot tub. The lodge is a half-hour drive from the entrance to Capitol Reef National Park, home to amazing rock formations, excellent hiking and road touring, fly fishing, and more.

Mexico City

Best for a Weekend Getaway
Head to the St. Regis Mexico City on a weekend, when prices are significantly lower. It has top-notch service right on Reforma, the city’s main thoroughfare, and it’s especially great for families, thanks to the kids’ program (in-room glamping!), indoor pool, and child-care services. — Zachary Rabinor, Trusted Travel Expert for Mexico

Read Zach’s Insider’s Guide to Mexico City, and contact him through our site to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Best Way to Make Lemons from Lemonade
Hacienda San Angel, a cluster of exquisitely restored villas in the hills above the historic center of Puerto Vallarta. After the triple hit of the economic crisis, swine flu, and the narco-media blitz, rooms are only a fraction of their 2008 prices. The San Jose, Vista de Santos, and Angel’s View Suites have even better views of downtown and the Pacific Ocean than do the more expensive Royal Suites. We can typically offer upgrades and special amenities, depending on season and occupancy. — Zachary Rabinor, Trusted Travel Expert for Mexico

Read Zach’s Insider’s Guide to Puerto Vallarta, and contact him through our site to be marked as a VIP and get the best possible trip.

Riviera Maya, Mexico

Best for Privacy Seekers
Hotel Esencia is one of the finest boutique hotels on the coast, with relatively uncrowded beaches, as it’s bordered by private homes to the south. Watch for third-night-free promotions, which give you a 33 percent discount over advertised rates. The super-personalized service makes you feel like royalty; you are, after all, staying in the former home of an Italian duchess. — Zachary Rabinor, Trusted Travel Expert for Mexico

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

British Columbia, Canada

Best Pool for Kids
Fairmont Chateau Whistler is an outstanding hotel with genuine hospitality and a ski-in, ski-out location at the base of British Columbia’s Blackcomb Mountain. It’s also my favorite place in Whistler to send families—the façade looks like a French castle, but it’s as-homey-as-can-be inside. My kids love swimming between the indoor and outdoor sections of the pool and sipping hot chocolate with marshmallows in one of the three outdoor hot tubs, while my wife and I appreciate the inexpensive meals we can pick up at Portobello Market, a kind of high-quality cafeteria. All of our travelers enjoy complimentary breakfast and room upgrades at the hotel.

Best Wilderness Sightings
As wilderness lodges go, it’s hard to beat the value for dollar you get at Sonora Resort, a Relais & Chateaux property in British Columbia’s Discovery Islands. Unlike other similar properties, Sonora doesn’t require a minimum stay, and its rates include the room, meals, and beverages, but you pay extra for the activities you want. And there are plenty to choose from: wildlife programs (where you can see whales, grizzlies, seals, sea lions, eagles, or dolphins), sea kayaking, fishing, snorkeling with salmon as Wendy and her family did last summer, or just hanging out at the fabulous spa. Our guests who book here get a complimentary two-hour wilderness excursion by zodiac. —Marc Telio, Trusted Travel Expert for Western Canada

Read Marc’s Insider’s Guide to British Columbia, and contact him through our site to be marked as a VIP and get 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.

How to Solve China’s Two Biggest Tourism Problems

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Hi everyone, this is Billie, coming to you from Beijing. I’ll be traveling this week and next in China and sharing with you all the cool things I’m seeing, doing, and eating—and all the ways the right travel planner can make all the difference. Especially in a challenging destination like China.

That’s right, on this trip, I’m traveling with WildChina, run by Mei Zhang, one of our Trusted Travel Experts for China. Wendy keeps constant tabs on the travel planners she puts on her WOW List to ensure that they are delivering on “wow” experiences that live up to your (and her) standards, and Mei is doing some interesting work over here that we wanted to check out and share with you.

We were inspired to set up this trip, because we were hearing from readers and from travel planners that many people think China is a hard place to visit or not worth it. They couldn’t be more wrong.

The Beijing skyline on a late-March morning, from my room at the Rosewood Hotel—and there’s no smog! Photo: Billie Cohen

Everyone talks about Beijing’s smog like it’s the monster in a horror movie. But the trick to avoiding it is simply to know when to visit. Mei knows: early spring (right about now) when the weather is mild and beautiful (high 60s, low 70s) and the seasonal winds keep the air quality nearly as low as in other international cities.

The skies were blue and the smog nonexistent on the breezy spring morning I visited the Forbidden City. Photo: Billie Cohen

As for crowds, I haven’t been part of one yet. That’s because Mei’s guides have insider knowledge and special access. The first means they know things like what time of day to hit the Great Wall so that you’re not swallowed up by tourist hordes; the second means they can whisk you past queues and ticket takers so fast you’ll feel like a VIP. And of course you are.

My guide Chris found us a completely tourist-free nook in one of the Forbidden City’s gardens. The peace and quiet was wonderful. Photo: Billie Cohen

To remind travelers that there’s more to China than traffic-clogged Beijing or crowded Shanghai, Mei likes to take them way off the beaten path. So in addition to urban touring, she encourages travelers to explore rural areas, like Yunnan Province, where I’m headed in a few days. Mei grew up in that region, and therefore has deep local connections—connections that her travelers get the benefit of.

That’s what I know to start, and that’s what I’ll be checking out on this trip. Follow me for the next two weeks as I share my experiences (on instagram too a @billietravels). Leave any questions below and I’ll try to get them answered.

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.

5 Reasons Not to Cancel a Trip to Europe

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Note: This article was originally written in 2016 to address travelers’ questions about traveling after certain terrorism incidents. It is not related to the current coronavirus situation of winter 2020 and does not reflect our opinions and advice about traveling at this time. For information about traveling during the coronavirus outbreak, please see our article, Coronavirus: How to Keep Track of What’s Important.

Following last week’s terror attacks in Brussels, the U.S. State Department issued a Europe Travel Alert—and, to my mind, some people are overreacting. Before you cancel a trip to Europe, consider:

1. The State Department has issued a Europe Alert, not a Warning.

A Travel Alert does not advise you to stay home. An Alert is for “short-term events we think you should know about when planning travel to a country.” That’s very different from a Travel Warning, which is for “when we want you to consider very carefully whether you should go to a country at all.” An Alert merely reiterates what we already knew: When you go to Europe, be vigilant.

2. If you’re a smart traveler, you’re already vigilant.

You already steer clear of big crowds, such as at major train stations, sporting events, and public gatherings—places where pickpockets and drunken hooligans are a far more likely threat than terrorists. You already avoid mobs at tourist sites—by going at optimal times of day or bypassing the lines. If you don’t, here’s how.

3. State Department advisories always err on the side of caution.

If you were running the State Department, would you want to be in a position where a terrorist incident occurs and you hadn’t warned people? No. You’d want to avoid blame. The State Department has nothing to lose by issuing an Alert. Furthermore, it has nothing to lose if the Alert is not followed by an attack. (That’s because the spin can be that the authorities’ beefed-up vigilance is working.) Remember that the probability that you’ll get caught in a terror attack is minuscule.

4. The State Department tends to paint wide swaths of the world with the same brush.

There’s an Alert for the entire continent of Europe, even though a terror attack is far more likely to occur in a big city than in country villages or coastal areas or Mediterranean islands. Even when it comes to the State Department’s country-specific advisories, don’t think that an Alert or Warning for a nation means that that country is dangerous throughout. Just because parts of Mexico near the borders are dangerous, that doesn’t mean you should avoid Cabo San Lucas. Would you avoid Orlando because a bomb went off at the Boston Marathon? Would you avoid Beverly Hills because of shootings in San Bernardino? If I still haven’t convinced you, consider that the State Department currently cautions people about traveling everywhere in the world.

5. People think they’ll be more worried at their travel destination than they actually will be.

Over the years I’ve had email correspondence and phone calls with hundreds of people who cancel trips for no good reason, lose a lot of money, and miss out on what could have been wonderful memories. I’ve also watched hundreds forge ahead with trips and tell me afterward how glad they were to have done so. 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.

Whether you’re traveling to Europe or any country that’s in the news, if you’re concerned about safety, here are smart steps you can take to protect yourself and give yourself peace of mind.

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 Ultimate Jewish Heritage Trip in Israel Includes a Stop in Europe

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Starting this spring, U.S. travelers who are passing through Europe on their way to or from Israel can take advantage of special new Jewish-heritage itineraries. “It’s actually very convenient to combine a tour of Israel with a stopover or a few days in Europe or North Africa,” says Joe Yudin of Touring Israel, Wendy’s Trusted Travel Expert for Israel. “It’s a great way to break up a long flight while keeping the theme of the journey.”

Joe has teamed up with Europe specialists on The WOW List to create the customizable multi-country itineraries, which typically include visits to historic synagogues, Jewish museums and cemeteries, and restaurants specializing in traditional Jewish food. So far, these travel experts have created seven itineraries—six in Europe and one in Morocco—that tell a seamless story. “After all, the story of the Jewish people began in Israel 4,000 years ago,” says Joe, “and with the Roman conquest of Israel the Jewish nation was dispersed throughout the known world. These tours will focus on the connection of those events and be tailored to each traveler’s specific interests.

“Of course, travelers can also visit the usual iconic sites in those countries, just as a Jewish-heritage itinerary in Israel also includes visits to Christian and Muslim and secular sites.” The tours are hosted by guides specialized in Jewish culture and history and include opportunities to meet local Jewish community leaders. Highlights include:

* Morocco: In Casablanca, the Moroccan Jewish Museum, the only Jewish history museum in the Arab world.

* Spain: The Jewish Quarter of Cordoba and the Maimonedes Synagogue, built in 1315, as well as Jewish heritage sites in Barcelona, Seville, Toledo, and Gerona/Besalu.

* Portugal: The little towns of the Serra da Estrela and one of the oldest synagogues in Europe at Tomar.

* Budapest: The Holocaust Memorial in Budapest and the Hungarian Jewish Museum and Archives in the Great Budapest Synagogue.

* Prague: The Spanish Synagogue, as well as the ancient Old-New Synagogue and Europe’s oldest surviving Jewish cemetery, founded in 1478.

The Jewish Museum at Dorotheergasse, Vienna. Photo courtesy Ouriel Morgensztern.

* Vienna: The Jewish Quarter of Leopoldstadt, the Jewish section of the Central Cemetery, and the Jewish Museum at Dorotheergasse, where a permanent exhibition gives a comprehensive insight into Jewish life and the Jewish history of Vienna.

* Italy: The Jewish Ghetto in Rome and a medieval Tuscan hill town known as La Piccola Gerusalemme, or Little Jerusalem, for the Jewish community that coexisted with the majority Christian population in the sixteenth century. In the seventeenth century, the Medici rulers confined the Jews to a ghetto, and travelers can visit the synagogue, bakery, mikvah, and other remnants of Jewish heritage.

Spotlight on Venice
A destination of particular interest this year is Venice, which established a Jewish ghetto on March 29, 1516. The city and the Jewish community of Venice are marking the quincentennial with Venice Ghetto 500, a yearlong program centered on three main events: an opening ceremony at the Fenice Opera House on March 29; the exhibition “Venice, the Jews and Europe” at the Doge’s Palace (June–November); and the refurbishment of the Jewish Museum and restoration of three historic synagogues, a $12 million project begun in 2014.

In connection with the quincentennial, Touring Israel has teamed up with Maria Gabriella Landers and Brian Dore to offer a three-day, privately guided tour that comprises both prominent landmarks and little-visited sites. The following itinerary can be customized to suit individual travelers’ interests and time constraints:

Day 1: You’ll take a private water taxi to the dock of Ca’Sagredo, one of Venice’s oldest and most esteemed five-star hotels near the major sights. Although on the Grand Canal and close to the Piazza San Marco and Rialto, the hotel is a bit apart from the tourist thoroughfare. Home to one of the Venetian Republic’s wealthiest and most powerful families, this 42-room property is housed in the palazzo that was their fifteenth-century residence. Paintings of important seventeenth-century Venetian painters adorn the common areas, and there is a restaurant on site with seating on the Grand Canal.

In the late afternoon an English-speaking Venetian will meet you in your hotel lobby to accompany you on a bacarata, stopping in at some choice spots for ombra and cicchetti (wine and Venetian appetizers) during the traditional cocktail hour. This is a great introduction to La Serenissima through a truly local custom, and you can learn about Venetian gastronomy as you become familiar with the lay of the land.

Day 2. A local expert guide will lead you through the Jewish Ghetto. The term ghetto originates from the Venetian word getto, meaning the pouring of metal. Today the word has a negative connotation, but in 1516, when an enclosed neighborhood for Jews was created in Venice, it referred to the foundry that the district replaced. The Venetian Republic segregated Jews to placate the Roman Catholic Church, which had already forced the expulsion of Jews from much of Western Europe. Nonetheless, in the span of a few decades the Venetian Jews were able to overcome obstacles and establish a tight network of trade that involved the states bordering on the Mediterranean Sea. You will visit the ghetto and learn the historical importance and contribution of the Jewish population during the Serenissima Republic, and you will see the famous hidden synagogues, which are among the oldest and most valued in Europe. Your specialized guide will accompany you privately into three stunning synagogues and explain the ghetto’s history, art, and curiosities. After the ghetto tour, you’ll explore the Cannaregio neighborhood, a very interesting but little visited section of Venice. Enjoy lunch here at one of the restaurants that feature classic Venetian kosher cuisine. After lunch you’ll explore the Jewish Cemetery on the Lido, where the tombs date from 1389. The cemetery endured a long and tumultuous history until it was abandoned in 1938.

Day 3: Your guide will get you past the lines for the Basilica in the iconic Piazza San Marco and the Doge’s Palace, where, you’ll get to see the 500th-anniversary exhibit, a multi-media celebration of Jewish art, culture, and civic society throughout the history of the lagoon.

Day 4: On your final morning, you’ll get to take a private water taxi from your hotel to your point of departure (airport, train station, port, or Piazzale Roma).

For more information or to customize your own itinerary, contact Joe Yudin of Touring Israel.

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 is a Cruise Ship That Smart Travelers Will Love

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Lunch aboard Viking Star in the port of Monte Carlo. It was December, and temps were in the 50s.

In Corsica, an empty beach—one of the rewards of low season.

Viking ships tend to stay in port till after dark. This is Ajaccio, Corsica.

Lunch al fresco on Viking Star cruise ship

Lunch al fresco again—in December, in Ajaccio.

Toulon, France on Viking Star cruise ship

Here we are in Toulon, France, just past sunset.

all onboard sign on Viking Star cruise ship

A curfew of 10 pm means you can arrange a very full day of sightseeing in southern France.

Most parts of the ship let the outdoors in—even the buffet restaurant.

the bar in the buffet restaurant on Viking Star cruise ship

Almost everywhere on the ship there’s a view. This is the bar in the buffet restaurant.

Explorers Lounge on Viking Star cruise ship

Viking Star has a ton of nooks with books and, sometimes, screens displaying ever-changing travel photos from around the world.

The biggest screen with a scene is in the atrium.

Even the bars are comfy.

rooftop infinity pool on Viking Star cruise ship

Probably the only rooftop infinity pool in Toulon.

The main pool can be enclosed or open-air, depending on the weather.

Here’s the same pool, at night.

spa thermal pool on Viking Star cruise ship

And here’s the thermal pool, in the spa.

There’s no fee to use the spa. These heated loungers are available to everyone.

spa snow room on Viking Star cruise ship

The spa’s snow room is available to everyone too. In case you feel like jumping from hot tub to snow and back again.

This was my cabin—simple and comfy.

cabin balcony on Viking Star cruise ship

This was my balcony.

putting green on Viking Star cruise ship

The ship’s putting green—which I never saw used, despite shirt-sleeve weather.

Viking Heritage Museum on Viking Star cruise ship

The atmosphere onboard is one of cultural enrichment with a Scandinavian flavor. Here’s the Viking Heritage Museum.

wool hats for sale on the Viking Star cruise ship

Homey touches include these wool hats for sale. They’re knitted by Berit Clausen, the spa manager’s 95-year-old grandmother back in Norway.

Mamsen’s, the Norwegian deli on the Viking Star cruise ship

My favorite place to eat on the ship is Mamsen’s, the Norwegian deli in the Explorers’ Lounge. It’s named after the mother of Viking president Torstein Hagen and supposedly serves her traditional recipes.

Norwegian deli food on Viking Star cruise ship

Among the delicacies on offer (for free) in the Explorers’ Lounge, as well as in The Living Room, are salmon gravlax and steak tartare.

Reke (Atlantic shrimp on white bread) for lunch.

At Mamsen’s they make these special waffles with berries and sour cream.

Voila!

Room service is free too. And the salmon gravlax melts in your mouth.

If you’re an avid independent traveler, as I am, seeing the world by ship has its pros and cons. A cruise is an easy way to see remote places that would otherwise be too expensive and logistically tricky to get to. But there’s a trade-off: Your limited time on land at each stop hampers your freedom.

That’s why I’m excited to tell you about Viking Cruises’ first ocean ship, the Viking Star. On a recent Mediterranean sailing from Barcelona to Rome, it was easier than ever to go at my own pace and do my own thing. (I say that having sailed on more than two dozen ships worldwide, ranging in size from 120 passengers to 6,000.) Viking Star’s sister ship, Viking Sea, will launch next month, and two more nearly identical ships are coming next year: Viking Sky and Viking Sun. They’re a good option for travelers who are normally too independent for a cruise. Here’s why:

1. You can avoid the tourist hordes.

In my case, I got to explore Europe minus the crowds of peak season. It was an unconventional wintertime Romantic Mediterranean itinerary that the new Viking Sea will sail next winter. The Barcelona-Rome route includes Toulon (on the French Riviera), Monte Carlo (Monaco), Ajaccio (Corsica), and Livorno (Italy). There are two traditional drawbacks to Europe in low season, of course: Chilly weather and not enough daylight hours. Normally in low season it’s smart to stick with Europe’s large cultural capitals, since they have a lot to offer even when it’s cold and dark outside. But the Viking Star keeps you warm and cheery in cold weather (see #5 below). The ship can’t rectify the second drawback: the sun setting at 5 pm. Darkness falling early, combined with the fact that the ship was docked in one port or another all day every day, meant that I almost never got to see the ship moving through water in daylight (normally one of my favorite things about a cruise). What made up for that, though, was the absence of other cruise ships in port, making it so easy to escape other tourists on shore (something that is not easily done on, say, a Caribbean cruise).

2. The ship isn’t too big or crowded.

It holds 930 passengers, but it feels more like a 500-passenger ship. It’s blissfully uncrowded, perhaps because people disappear into the dozens of nooks and hiding spots around the ship, and also because every cabin has a balcony. At no point did I encounter or spot any lines or wait for a deck chair or an empty table. There are many public spaces where you’ll find a comfy armchair, a great book, and nobody around. The ship has three pools—an outdoor infinity pool at the stern, a heated pool in the spa, and a main pool that can be either enclosed or open-air, depending on the weather—and none of them ever had more than two people in them.

3. You spend a ton of time on land.

On the “Romantic Mediterranean” itinerary, we sailed only at night. The ship was docked in port all day long, every day. You can sightsee till 8 or 10 pm, and the ship overnights in Barcelona on the first night and in Rome on the last night, so on those nights there’s no curfew at all. I ended the trip wishing we’d had a day at sea so I could have spent more time enjoying the ship itself—watching the waves pass by, soaking in the spa’s thermal pools, sampling more Scandinavian delicacies, and curling up on one of the many plush sofas with one of the many classic novels from one of the many intriguing bookshelves.

4. You don’t feel confined.

First, you’re almost always able to get off the ship and into town. Second, every chance they get (when the weather is warm enough), the crew throws open the floor-to-ceiling doors and windows to let the outdoors in. There are great views from almost every public space on the ship. Even the buffet transforms into an open-air restaurant—and it has an open kitchen, so you can actually look through the kitchen to the ocean on the other side of the ship. Every room has a veranda with a floor-to-ceiling view, and there’s a promenade deck that wraps around the entirety of the ship (something that’s increasingly rare nowadays). Windows onto the promenade deck open as well.

5. Itineraries can be unconventional because the ship is weather-proof.

I’ve never been on a comfier ship for cold-weather cruising. In addition to two indoor pools, Viking Star’s got two indoor hot tubs, a Nordic-style spa with saunas and steam rooms, an abundance of armchairs adorned with blankets and throws, and warm Scandinavian décor throughout. This means the ship can ply cool itineraries such as from Norway to Montreal, with stops in the Shetland Islands, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland, and Quebec.

6. There’s no regimented schedule.

Unlike on some larger ships, there’s nobody telling you when to do what. There are no announcements. There are no formal nights. You don’t have to report to a particular lounge or theater at a particular time in order to join a tour. Nope, if you want to join the free group tour in each port, you just get off the ship and meet your group on the pier. In fact, the only time I saw herding during the cruise was off the ship, on those free tours. Because they’re free, almost all the passengers take them, which means you could be part of a caravan of buses all pulling into the same tourist sites at the same time. Remember: Just because it’s free, you don’t have to do it. It’s very easy to do your own thing in port. Just grab a taxi, hop on public transit, rent a car, or start walking.

7. The Wi-Fi is free, fast, and reliable.

The Wi-Fi alone gives you freedom and flexibility because it costs you nothing to hop on the Internet and do a little research before arriving in each port to find out what’s happening on the day you’ll be there.

8. It’s easy to dine privately and on your own schedule.

There are four restaurants where you can have long, elaborate meals, but if you’re like me and you just want quick, easy options anytime, anywhere, the choices are excellent. You can order room service for free, 24 hours a day, and it’s delicious and arrives fast. You can also grab hefty, free gourmet snacks of melt-in-your-mouth salmon gravlax, Atlantic shrimp, and steak tartare (with all the trimmings), both at the ship’s Norwegian deli and at its Living Room bar.

9. The ambience is more boutique hotel than cruise ship.

The ship was designed by an architect who does not normally design cruise ships. Not only are the interior design and décor atypical, but very little of what you see onboard feels corporate or mass-produced. The ship feels like an independent, family-owned, Scandinavian hotel, with homey and personal touches—such as wool hats, for sale in the spa shop, that were knitted by the spa manager’s 95-year-old grandmother. The atmosphere is one of cultural enrichment, from the collections of classic books to the Viking Heritage museum to the selection of TED talks on your in-room television.

10. You can relax mentally because it’s so affordable.

Your cruise fare includes a lot. In addition to the Wi-Fi and the tour in each port, you get entry to the spa’s thermal pools, saunas, and steam rooms; beverages, beer, and wine served with meals; minibar items; cappuccinos at the bar; and the aforementioned gourmet snacks served around the ship. There were salmon gravlax (on rye bread with dill mustard sauce), Reke (Atlantic shrimp on white bread), steak tartare (with the trimmings), and assorted Norwegian pastries, including special waffles with berries and sour cream. When you consider the sky-high prices you’d pay for those things in Scandinavia, the value is striking. There’s no nickel-and-diming; in fact, it’s hard to spend money on the ship. There isn’t even a casino. My only shipboard expense was a 50-minute Swedish massage which, thanks to massage therapist Luisa who is literally from Sweden, was the best I’ve had on any ship.

If you’ve got questions about the ship, feel free to ask 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.

Disclosure: Viking Cruises provided me with a complimentary week-long cruise. In keeping with WendyPerrin.com standard practice, there was no request for or expectation of coverage on Viking Cruises’ part, nor was anything promised on mine. You can read the signed agreement between me and Viking Cruises here.*

How Not to Get Lost in the Seoul Airport

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Seoul’s Incheon International Airport is widely considered the second-best airport in the world (after Singapore’s Changi Airport); blog after blog sings its praises. Surely my family could while away a ten-hour layover in this epicenter of creature comforts, where the amenities, I read, would include leather recliners and free Wi-Fi—right? Well, I’m here to warn you that Incheon’s facilities might be impressive, but it falls down in one crucial area: signage. The chairs might be cushy, the shopping divine (for collectors of perfume, Toblerone, and other duty-free knick-knacks—I’ll get to that later). But to my mind, maps and signs that are easily understood by your jet-lagged, sleep-deprived customers should be every airport’s top priority. Let me explain:

I’d heard that Incheon had several play areas—perfect, I thought, for letting my four-year-old burn off some energy between flights. So upon arrival, I consulted a touch-screen map to find a play area near our gate. The map’s menu listed nearly 100 duty-free shops, but not a single kid space; when I searched for “play,” the single result was a playground on the Concourse, a corridor of gates separated from the terminal by a shuttle train. We boarded the train and made our way to the advertised play area, which consisted of a large cargo net hanging a foot or two off the ground like an enormous hammock, plus some small plastic balls to throw around. Somehow, after having read glowing reviews of this airport posted by fellow parents, I’d been expecting more. My son grew tired of the place within a few minutes, and so we went in search of a different—hopefully better—kids’ area.

Trying to retrace our steps, we saw not a single sign pointing our way back to the terminal, where our departure gate was located. When we finally made our way to the shuttle platform, a guard turned us around, explaining that the train takes passengers in only one direction. We finally found an airport employee who agreed to escort us back to the terminal, quietly chiding us the whole time for missing the signs that the shuttle ride was a one-way trip. (I suppose what makes Incheon world-class is that a guy in a suit showed us the way back to our gate; back home, a TSA officer probably would have kicked us out to the curb.)

Would you have known, based on the photo above, that by boarding the shuttle train you’d lose access to the entire terminal? Photo: Ryan Damm

I ask you, readers: Would you have known, based on the photo above, that by boarding the shuttle train you’d lose access to the entire terminal? I now see our mistake, but at the time—bleary-eyed after a red-eye from Saigon—I breezed past these signs, not realizing that “Concourse Only” meant we couldn’t return to the terminal.

When we finally found the Kids’ Zone on the second floor of the Terminal, I was again disappointed, this time by the wide-screen TV that was showing Jurassic Park (a PG13-rated movie) beside a climbing structure appropriate for kids under six. Way to go, Incheon: Let’s give little kids nightmares before they board a long-haul flight!

Kids area in the Terminal, Seoul Incheon Airport

The kids’ area in the Terminal at Seoul’s Incheon Airport was disappointing. Photo: Ryan Damm

As far as I can tell, Incheon is a glorified shopping mall with gates as afterthoughts, and little concern for the basic needs of travelers. In the market for a Swarovski bracelet, a Louis Vuitton suitcase (who buys luggage when they’re already on a trip, anyway), or fast-food kimchi? Incheon has you covered. A can of soda water, a bag of crackers, or a globally understood sign indicating DO NOT ENTER? In those departments, I found that Incheon was sorely lacking. Next time, I’ll be flying through Singapore.

Which airports do you think are the most kid-friendly?

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 Sure Your Private Guide Can Do These Six Things

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The more time I spend with private local English-speaking guides—and I’ve used them in countries worldwide—the more I think it’s one of the hardest professions around: part psychologist, part historian, part logistician, part fixer, and all-around charming travel companion. That is why guides vary so vastly in quality; I’ve had a few I wanted to fire, and a few I wanted to invite to my wedding.

The cream of the crop, in my experience, come via top-notch destination specialists such as the ones on Wendy’s WOW List. Our Trusted Travel Experts spend countless hours every year in their destinations vetting new guides and educating old ones. They build loyal relationships with the best guides in a region, so that those guides will go the extra mile for their clients. That’s why I’m more comfortable spending my money on a guide vetted by a Trusted Travel Expert, as opposed to a guide I find online. Here are a few examples of what makes a guide booked by a TTE different:

They whisk you past the lines. They’ll pre-buy your admission tickets so that you don’t have to wait in lines at museums and other sights. I myself have been whisked past a long line at the Taj Mahal, my guide leading us with tickets already in hand.

They get you in. Different regions, cities, and even museums or monuments require different guiding licenses; only the best guides have the licenses to chaperone you everywhere you want to go. If you’re stuck with a guide who’s not licensed to show you a site, he’ll have to hand you off to someone else, and that locally licensed guide could be terrible. On a different visit to the Taj Mahal, I was handed off to someone who did nothing but recite historical dates and attempt to restrict my photo taking to only the corniest shots. (No, I do not need to pose while seeming to pluck the top off of the dome—thanks, though.)

View of the Old City from the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem. Photo courtesy Joe Yudin.

They answer every question. Guides clamor to work for the top firms, who can feed them a steady stream of clients—so those firms hire only the most knowledgeable guides. When reader Courtney Hartness reviewed a trip booked by Trusted Travel Expert Joe Yudin, she called her guide “a walking encyclopedia.” From Montana to Mendoza, from Saigon to the Serengeti, I’ve had the same experience with TTEs’ guides.

They connect you with local influencers and other interesting people. In fact, often the guide is a local influencer or expert in a particular subject matter. In their review of Italy Trusted Travel Expert Maria Gabriella Landers, readers Bob and Linda Infelise describe their guides as “a professor at the University of Edmonton’s campus in Italy, a television personality in Bologna, and a wonderful retired librarian in Venice.”

They hold the keys to the highest level of insider access. In many cases, a guide alone can’t open doors that are closed to the public. “It takes years to cultivate relationships with museum curators, theater directors, palace management, etc.,” says Greg Tepper, Trusted Travel Expert for Russia. No single guide in St. Petersburg or Moscow can get a traveler behind all or even most closed doors. But Greg can, and so his guides can when they’re working for him.

They take you to only the most worthwhile shops and restaurants—not those that give kickbacks. The best guides command the highest rates; lesser ones are forced to supplement their wages with kickbacks from cronies at touristy stores, eateries, even museums.

We’d love to know: What do you value most in a private guide?

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.

Have You Been to One of Google’s Top Trending Countries?

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Do you search for travel information on your phone? According to Google, mobile travel inquiries increased by nearly 50% from January 2015 to January 2016. The rise makes sense, considering how much everyone seems to be looking at their phones these days. And with that increase, Google has been able to find out some interesting things about where we’re traveling lately.

Top 10 Trending Countries

Based on US searches on Google since January 2016

Top 10 Trending Cities

Myrtle Beach
Playa del Carmen
Cancun
Huntington Beach
Laguna Beach
Santa Cruz
Aspen
Newport Beach
Big Bear Lake
Park City

Based on US searches on Google since January 2016

Of course, all this interesting search information doesn’t remove the challenges of actually planning a great trip. In fact, Google says that 70% of travelers worry that they may not be finding the best price or making the best decision while booking a trip.

That’s why the search company held a press conference yesterday to introduce Destinations on Google, a new way of compiling certain kinds of travel information and displaying it to would-be globetrotters.

The tool works best as an overview of popular locations. For example, if you type in “Europe destinations,” you’ll get a list of popularly searched spots within Europe (London, Barcelona, Paris, etc). And if you tap into a city, you’ll see suggested itineraries.

The breadth of the information is decent for overview or inspiration purposes—and you can do some fun filtering by interest, like for scuba diving or hiking—but you’re not going to be able to plan a comprehensive trip from here, one with all the special experiences most people want to discover these days. The Google team says that’s fine—that’s not what they’re trying to do. They’re trying to complement the travel experts and travel planners, by offering a first stop for research.

And Destinations does work decently in that way…though to be fair, sophisticated travelers probably don’t need Google to tell them that the top sights in Paris are the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and Notre Dame.

Instead, the most useful part of the tool is the same mechanism that powers Google Flights—so that when you type in “Greece destinations” or “Europe vacation,” your search results will include a recommended vacation week, based on the lowest estimated airfare Google Flights can find from your location. Similarly, Google shows the average estimated hotel price, in your chosen star category, in the destination you’re researching. Via its tool, you can find out the average starting price for, say, a seven-day trip from New York to Paris, in any particular month. Though the true price of a trip is never just the average air and hotel (there are meals, admission tickets, transportation, and activities to think about, not to mention the difference in cost between just any old hotel and the hot new spot everyone’s talking about), it’s still a helpful way to think about where you might want to go if you have a vacation coming up at a certain time of year.

A few key things to keep in mind as you explore: Google doesn’t do any of the booking (it’ll direct you to each hotel’s or airline’s site to do that) and it can’t refine for important personalized criteria (such as finding a hotel that is in your loyalty program or has the bed configuration or connecting rooms you need). Also keep in mind that Google is basing most of its information on popular searches that other people make. As an example, Google Destinations will tell you that May is when most people go to Athens; that is helpful information, but that doesn’t mean May is the smartest time for you to visit (unexpected or off-season weeks can sometimes be the best times for travel). Google also doesn’t tell you when a special local festival is happening a few miles outside of the city, or when the curator of the Acropolis Museum is available to take you on a private evening tour.

For that, you still need humans. And Google admits that freely. As a spokesperson explained, “This is not meant to replace travel agents, or TripAdvisor, or traditional travel media.It’s meant to compliment and be used in concert with other resources.”

That’s no surprise to us here—we’ve been talking about the value of exceptional human travel planners for years. So while a smart digital tool like Destinations on Google can be a useful part of your travel toolkit, you’ll still need to put down your phone to discover the most extraordinary parts of travel.

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.

Great Deals on Kenyan Safaris Are Happening Now: Don’t Miss Out

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If you’ve been even toying with the idea of taking a safari, now is the time to book it. KLM has just announced a flash sale of airfare to Nairobi, starting today through March 14, for trips taken through May 31. Fares out of several major US cities start as low as $723. Even better news: Those aren’t the only flight deals right now. Dan Saperstein, one of our Trusted Travel Experts for East Africa and South Africa Safaris, reports that British Airways and Swissair are also offering fares right now for less than $800 (he’s even seen a few for less than $700), and that some discounted fares are extending through July and August. “These are all excellent deals,” he says, “as this airfare is usually anywhere from $1,100–$1,500 per person for these airlines (KLM can be upwards of $2,400 at times).”

In addition to the airfare deals, there are two other big discounts that travelers can take advantage of if they head to Kenya in spring:

1. Accommodations: “Pricing for the camps and lodges is also less expensive these months of the year,” Dan explains. “Rates typically go up around June 15^thin East Africa, so combined with the airfare, you can see significant savings traveling during these months.”

2. Visas and fees: In an effort to encourage more family travel, Kenya just changed its entry visa policy so that all children under the age of 16 get into the country for free, effective immediately (adults are still $50). In the same vein, President Uhuru Kenyatta announced that from July of this year, all park fees will be reduced and that VAT charges will be removed. Dan says, “It may not appear to be a huge difference on a daily basis, but it certainly adds up to a huge savings over the course of one’s safari, especially when traveling with a family.”

As for the key question of whether spring is a worthwhile time to take a safari, Dan says “absolutely it is. Rains can occur this time of year, but the ever-changing global weather patterns make it a worthwhile time to visit, as the animals are there to be seen year-round; they certainly don’t go inside if it happens to rain!”

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.

How to Keep Your Kids Happy on a Cruise

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the Flow Rider on Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas

Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas cruise ship

Allure of the Seas has a park in the middle. Photo: Timothy Baker

central park Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas cruise ship

Growing trees at sea is hard, but Royal Caribbean has managed to do it. Photo: Timothy Baker

Central Park is a mid-ship oasis of calm, at any time of the day or night. Photo: Timothy Baker

kiddie pool Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas cruise ship

The ship has pools for kids... Photo: Timothy Baker

hot tub Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas cruise ship

And the ship has pools for adults. Photo: Timothy Baker

Boardwalk on Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas cruise ship

There’s always something going on at the Boardwalk—including free donuts in the morning and free hot dogs in the afternoon. Photo: Timothy Baker

surfing the Flow Rider on Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas

The surfing staff is highly experienced at teaching beginners how to enjoy the Flow Rider. Photo: Timothy Baker

Flow Rider on Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas

Doug’s surfing lesson paid off. Photo: Timothy Baker

Flow Rider staff show on Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas

Even if you yourself don’t want to try the Flow Rider, you can enjoy the spectacle. Here, the surfing instructors put on their own show. Photo: Timothy Baker

Royal Promenade on Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas cruise ship

Among the eateries and bars on the Royal Promenade are Kate Spade, Michael Kors, and Guess boutiques. Photo: Timothy Baker

The Aqua Show features acrobats in a modern circus-like atmosphere. Photo: Timothy Baker

Aqua show on Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas cruise ship

The Aqua Show stage, as viewed during a rehearsal. The diver (at top left) is jumping off a 60-foot-high platform. Photo: Timothy Baker

Ice show on Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas cruise ship

The “How to Train Your Dragon” Ice Show Photo: Timothy Baker

friendly officers on Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas cruise ship

Officers aboard Allure of the Seas pose with King Julien, the lemur from Madagascar. Photo: Timothy Baker

Hi. I’m Doug. I’m 12 years old, and I just took my 12th cruise. It was on the Royal Caribbean ship Allure of the Seas. If your kids are 9 to 14 years old, and you want to be sure they have a great trip and don’t complain, here are the things onboard that you should do with them because they will enjoy them the most.

The Aqua Show: It will make your jaws drop. Divers dive off tiny platforms higher than the Olympics’ highest platform. They dive into a small pool that is only 11 feet deep. It will stun you.

The Flow Rider: It is a surfing and boogie-boarding simulator. Even though the lines are super-long, it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Izumi: It is a super-funny hibachi dinner. The chef started out saying, “Hi, I’m Ryan, and I will be your fake Japanese chef today.” He cooks in front of you and says things like, “These eggs came all the way from…yup, you guessed it… Kentucky.”

The Ice Show: The ice rink has many shows—like How to Train Your Dragon and Monopoly. It has many jokes for adults and kids. You will probably end up talking about it all through dinner.

Central Park: Central Park is a nice place to relax. It is always very calm there. It has great restaurants. Nobody knows that you can even go there for breakfast: The Park Café has bagels with different flavors of cream cheese and toppings, and you can get them to take out and walk around the ship with.

The pools: There are 7 pools and 12 hot tubs—and that doesn’t include the pools and hot tubs that only parents can go in. Some hot tubs have huge TVs so you can watch a sports game. Each pool has its own theme and is equipped with a soft-serve ice-cream machine. There are pools for all ages. There are no water slides, but there’s a water volleyball court.

The Boardwalk: The Boardwalk is a place to go with your family and have fun. There’s a carousel, an arcade, a ring toss, a bean bag toss, a Johnny Rockets, a hot dog stand with all different kinds of hot dogs, a candy shop, and an all-night buffet that Mom and Dad didn’t even know about. There’s a zip-line above the Boardwalk but, once you’ve done the Labadee Flight Line, it’s not very exciting.

The Royal Promenade: It’s a huge shopping mall in the middle of the ship with a floating bar that goes up and down three decks. There’s a parade there on the last night of the cruise. It has shops like Kate Spade (parents might want to know that).

The ship’s staff: The officers and crew are very nice. If you ask them to do something, they’ll do it. They’ll even play ring toss with you. They are very loyal and don’t get mad. Overall the staff is much nicer to kids than the staff on most other ships.

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.

Things to Do in Brazil Beyond the Olympics

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The Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro are almost here, and in addition to providing the chance to see Usain Bolt win another pile of gold medals, the Games are also an opportunity to explore the best of Brazil. August is technically winter in the southern hemisphere, but Brazil’s weather is mild and dry—making it a great time to add some nature to your Rio city stay.

Here is a savvy selection of places to see and things to do beyond the Olympic events.

Rio de Janeiro

With the Olympic events in Rio spread out across four hubs, traffic in the city will be a nightmare—which is one reason to book your tickets through a Trusted Travel Expert from Wendy’s WOW List, as those tickets will get you access to the V.I.P. shuttle vans operating throughout the city in their own lane. “One hub, Deo Doro, is in serious suburbs,” says Martin Frankenberg, one of Wendy’s Trusted Travel Experts for Brazil. “Unless you’re a die-hard equestrian fan, think hard. It could take one and a half to two and a half hours to get there, depending on traffic.” Martin also mentions that Deo Doro is a dodgy area after dark and therefore isn’t a great place to go wandering around. That said, he emphasizes that Rio is a safer city than people think; still, it is a city. “You just have to be smart,” he says. “Don’t leave your camera sticking out, don’t wear jewelry…..Use common sense..”

As part of the Olympics, a lot of new stuff is being built in Rio, and not all of it is specifically for the Games. Martin recommends the stunning Museum of Tomorrow, designed by famed architect Santiago Calatrava, and the Museum of Image and Sound in Copacabana.

The Amazon

The Amazon starts its dry season in August, which means river levels are lower and beaches are exposed. “People are often shocked by the beauty of the white-sand beaches that form here,” says Martin, “making a trip here unique from the experiences one can have in Ecuador or Peru’s swaths of the same river system. In fact, I know of few other places in the world where you can have a different beach entirely to yourself each evening at sunset.” Don’t expect to see wildlife here, though. If you want that, try…

The Pantanal

August is an ideal time to check out the Pantanal, the biggest hot spot for wildlife in the Americas—jaguars, alligators, capybaras, and thousands of birds and fish. If you are looking for a safari-like experience, this is the place.

Paraty

In contrast to Rio’s urban crush, Paraty is a scenic small coastal town set along the Costa Verde against a backdrop of mountains. It’s a charming beach escape with colonial buildings dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, only a three-hour drive from Rio.

Ibitipoca

“Also within driving distance of Rio, this area has incredible lodges,” says Martin. “One of my favorites is the Reserva do Ibitipoca. It’s a farm estate with amazing waterfalls, horses, beautiful country scenery.” The property is on a preserve covering 4,000 hectares of natural wilderness and is part of an effort to not only protect the current environment but to make sure that all growth here is sustainable.

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 Perfect Cruise Shore Excursion in Barcelona

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The shore excursions sold by cruise lines can be touristy, overpriced, and inefficient. In this series, local experts in the world’s most popular ports recommend sightseeing itineraries for your time off the ship, so you can get the max out of your precious time in port.

The Perfect Port Day in Barcelona

Since its cruise port sits so close to the city center, Barcelona is a natural contender for independent shore excursions. We asked the whizzes at Context Travel to dream up the best ways to spend a day in the city. You can choose to go it alone or hire one of their “docents”— professors, art historians, chefs, and other interesting local people—to show you around.

Getting into Barcelona

Most cruise ships dock extremely close to the city center at the Moll Adossat terminal (moll means pier in Catalan); even if your ship doesn’t dock there, the other piers are nearby.

By bus — The Barcelona port authority operates a shuttle bus (the T3 PORTBUS, a.k.a. the blue bus) that takes passengers between Moll Adossat and Plaça de Colom. From this plaza at the base of Las Ramblas, you can easily get around on foot or by metro; the Drassanes stop on the green L3 line is nearby. To catch the bus, look for signs upon exiting the boat; the cost is 3 euros (about U.S. $3.30) round-trip, 3 euros (about $3.30) round-trip. Your cruise company may also run its own shuttle from the Moll Adossat to the World Trade Center, which is just a few minutes’ walk from Plaça de Colom.

By taxi — There is a taxi line at Moll Adossat, though sometimes the wait is long. The ride to Plaça de Colum should take about 10 minutes at a cost of roughly 10 euros (about $11). The ride to Plaça de Catalonia, Barcelona’s more central square, is about 20 minutes and roughly 15 euros (about $16.50).

By private car — You can pre-book a private car to whisk you back and forth in style, but it comes at a price; Context Travel offers the service for $50 each way.

Walking — It’s about a 45-minute walk to Plaça de Colom; the part of the city you’ll see is neither interesting nor beautiful.

Things to do

If it’s your first time in Barcelona:

Start your exploration at Plaça de Colom, where you’ll see a large monument to Christopher Columbus. The monument sits at the base of Las Ramblas, a historic, pedestrians-only avenue that runs north to the city’s main square, Plaça de Catalunya. Stroll up Las Ramblas to see some of the street performers and activity (though watch your purse); veer off to the right at some point to get lost in the Barri Gòtic (Gothic Quarter) and El Born neighborhoods in the Ciutat Vella (old city). The Barri Gòtic does have some heavily touristed streets, but it’s still possible to find quaint ones—we especially love exploring what remains of the historic Jewish Quarter.

Stop at the Born Centre Cultural, housed in a 19th-century covered market, to learn about the history of that neighborhood as well as all of Catalonia; then head to lunch at Bar del Pla for some tapas.

Catalan flags in Gracia, Barcelona, Spain. Photo: Context Travel

In the afternoon, head up Las Ramblas (by foot or via metro line L3) to Passeig de Gràcia, the main artery of the Eixample district. It is in this newer district that you’ll find Barcelona’s famous modernista architecture, particularly works by the three most famous modernistá architects: Antoni Gaudí, Lluís Domènech i Montaner, and Josep Puig i Cadafalch. You’ll see the bulk of these on the Passeig de Gràcia itself, including Gaudí’s famous Casa Mila. Passeig de Gràcia is also home to luxury stores like Chanel. While walking the Passeig de Gràcia, look down at the paving stones beneath your feet—they are based on a design by Gaudí. The L3 line runs parallel to this avenue, so you can simply hop on the subway to the Drassanes stop and catch the next PORTBUS whenever it’s time to get back to the ship.

Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain. Photo: Context Travel

If you’ve already been to Barcelona:

Head to Gràcia, a village once well outside the city limits (now near the Lesseps stop on the metro’s L3 line). Far from the prying eyes of tourists, Gràcia is an ideal neighborhood for learning about Catalan culture and pride; for insight into the current political atmosphere and independence movement in Catalonia, Context Travel offers a three-hour walking seminar of the neighborhood. Have lunch in Gràcia at Can Xurrades, a local favorite for Catalan cuisine, particularly steaks from Iberian bulls (similar to Kobe beef); call in advance to reserve a table. Then head by metro down to Plaça Espanya for an afternoon of Catalan art: the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, a fantastic collection of Catalan visual art, is housed in the Palau Nacional; the nearby Caixa Forum has wonderful temporary exhibitions in a converted textile factory. Context arranges a three-hour walking tour of nearby Montjuïc hill that contextualizes the area.

To return to the port, make the five-minute walk from the Caixa Forum to the metro stop Plaça d’Espanya on L3. Exit at Drassanes, and return to the T3 PORTBUS stop to catch the shuttle back to the Port.

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.

How to Ace Long-Haul Flights with Young Kids

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When I decided to take my four-year-old son to Asia, the trans-Pacific flight loomed large in my mind. How would we get through 18 hours on a plane?

I needn’t have been so worried about the flight; while there were a few tough moments, we passed the time surprisingly easily. Flying that distance with a baby or toddler would have been much more trying, but by four years old, kids are better able to entertain themselves, and to adhere to expectations of good behavior. So, aside from advising fellow parents not to let a long flight derail their travel plans, here’s what I learned:

Treat the flight as a highlight of the trip, not a chore. Most of us have forgotten the romance of air travel—and for good reason. Kids, however, are primed to find the idea of soaring through clouds and landing in a new part of the world—in the middle of a new day, even—downright magical. Present the flight as a fun adventure. Tell your kids how lucky they are to get to sleep overnight on the plane; bring pajamas and any other portable parts of their bedtime routine.

For a better chance of having more space, I always book window and aisle seats at the back of the plane. Photo: Ryan Damm

Strategize for more space. I always book window and aisle seats at the back of the plane, leaving the seat between two of us open. These aft middle seats become the least desirable and often go unfilled, giving us more room to stretch out. If another passenger claims the seat, we simply trade them one of our window or aisle spots.

Get to the airport early so you can find ways to burn off your child’s energy. Photo: Ryan Damm

Burn off some energy. Before a long flight, get to the airport extra-early so that your kids will have ample time to run around before boarding. Find an empty gate and set up an obstacle course using the chairs, garbage cans, and whatever else you can find. The more ya-yas you get out on the ground, the fewer you’ll have to deal with in the air.

Establish ground rules. Explain to your kid what constitutes proper plane etiquette. Don’t expect them to automatically know not to speak loudly, rest their feet on the seat in front of them, or take off their seatbelt during turbulence. Balance this with positives: They alone can control the window shade or armrest, for instance.

Don’t act as activity director on the plane. On previous flights, I’ve lugged along a huge bag of toys and activities, most of which go unused. This time, I gave my son unlimited use of the seat-back entertainment system and an iPad (a boon for him, since screen time is very limited at home). This allowed me to be well rested for the trip ahead, and it also trained him to be a much more pleasant flying companion.

Flights don’t have to be a chore: Kids are primed to find the idea of soaring through clouds downright magical. Photo: Ryan Damm

Test before takeoff. I kept my son’s new iPad a surprise until we boarded the plane—a huge mistake, once I realized that several of the movies I thought I’d loaded onto it weren’t working, and many of his favorite apps now had new purchase requirements. Next time, I’ll road test any new devices first.

Bring lots of food. No one likes airplane food, least of all picky kids. My son refused to even uncover one “kids’ meal” that was served to him, based on the odors emanating from under the tinfoil. Bring enough food to keep your kids satiated throughout the flight; The best flight advice I got from Andrea Ross, the Trusted Travel Expert for Southeast Asia who designed my kid-friendly Asia trip, was to pack instant noodles in a cup, to which the flight attendants will happily add water for a hot meal.

What are your tricks for surviving a long flight with children?

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.

How to Compare Trains, Buses, and Flights for the Best Trip

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Train travel has a romance that few other modes of transportation do. And these days, there are so many trains to choose from, including sophisticated high-speed options in 20 countries around the world. Recognizing the continuing lure of the rails, Omnio—a website and mobile app for comparing and booking trains, buses, and flights across Europe—has just released a ranking of those 20 high-speed trains.

The rankings are based on a few criteria:

the percentage of the population that has access to high-speed trains from their home city
the ratio of high-speed to regular trains
the average ticket price by distance traveled
the maximum and daily operation speeds of the trains

Maybe you won’t be surprised to find out that the U.S. ranked 19th of the 20; only better than Finland. Or that the number 1 spot went to Japan—which was also first to this industry, constructing the original high-speed train network in 1964.

Here’s the full list of overall rankings:

Japan
South Korea
China
France
Spain
Taiwan
Germany
Italy
Austria
Turkey
Sweden
Belgium
Netherlands
Portugal
Russia
Poland
Uzbekistan
Norway
US
Finland

Even today, Japan still has the fastest trains, reaching speeds of 374 mph; France is a close second at 357 mph (though it only ranked fourth place overall). As part of its research, Omnio put together a map of the fastest rail routes in Europe.

Map of the Fastest Rail Routes in Europe

Map: Omnio

According to Omnio, 19 more countries are currently planning high-speed rail networks, so this ranking could include a lot more destinations in coming years, though it doesn’t look like the U.S. will stand a much better chance even then.

In a press release announcing Omnio’s findings, CEO and founder Naren Shaam said, “While the rail network once literally put cities on the map in the United States, trains have long since faded in Americans’ minds as a preferred way of travel, ceding to both the car and the plane. Europe has stayed with the beloved train however and also has rediscovered buses, with new luxury coaches now winning marketshare from discount airlines.”

Europe’s and Asia’s extensive ground-transportation networks are one of the reasons it’s easier to get to small towns and villages in those regions. Its search tool now covers train, air, and bus travel in 11 countries and more than 30,000 destinations all over Europe and easily allows you to compare your options.

Just go to the site and type in your starting destination and where you’d like to end up. In an easy-to-read list, it’ll spit back your options categorized by air, rail, and bus so that you can easily compare prices, schedule, travel times—and what Omnio calls the “smartest” itinerary, a combination of optimal price, duration, and time of departure. Once you click your selection, Omnio will either handle the booking itself or redirect you to the booking page on the relevant partner’s site (depending on its booking agreement with said partner).

Either way, the real joy of Omnio is that it gives travelers a one-stop shopping site for comparing different modes of transportation—and as a bonus, it might even help you discover a new and exciting way to travel.

What’s your favorite high-speed train?

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.

How to Get the Best Tickets to the Olympics

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If you’ve been thinking about experiencing the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro this summer, don’t wait any longer to plan your trip. The best hotels are nearly sold out. Luckily, one of our Trusted Travel Experts for Brazil, Martin Frankenberg—a Brazil native based in São Paulo, with an office in Rio—just dropped us a line to share some good news and useful tips.

As we explained in our how-to-plan article last summer, Olympic tickets and hotel bookings are available only through Authorized Ticket Resellers (ATRs)—and even back then nearly all of the hotel rooms were already spoken for by the International Olympic Committee and its long list of VIPs, sponsors, and staff.

The news is that Martin can now officially sell tickets and book hotels for you—and he has access to the hotels you’d actually want to stay in. At the time of this writing, he can still get travelers into the Sofitel, the Caesar Park, and the new Grand Hyatt. A few other new-for-the-Olympics luxury hotels—including the Trump and the Emiliano—are expected to open soon, too, possibly bringing a few more room options.

As for events, Martin notes that you can still buy tickets to just about everything, even the most popular events like the opening ceremony. (The only two not available at this time are the men’s tennis final and the men’s basketball final.) Of course, certain events come with big buzz and matching prices. For example, while the initial round of gymnastics will cost you only $300–$400, the finals round for sprinter Usain Bolt is more like $3,000. The most expensive tickets go up to about $7,000.

Fortunately, prices for official tickets are regulated, and if you buy through Martin you’ll pay the set price plus a transparent handling fee and be assured that your tickets are legitimate. You’ll also be buying what’s known as VIP hospitality tickets. That means they come with a few perks:

the best available Category A seats
access to the event’s hospitality lounge for food and beverages
a pass to use the VIP mini vans in Rio’s Olympic driving lane—which means you won’t be stuck in traffic as you travel between events

We recommend reaching out to Martin via this Trip Request Form because then you’ll be identified as a Wendy Perrin traveler, which brings a few additional benefits. You’ll be set to have the best possible experience in Brazil.

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 Truth About Cinque Terre’s Supposed Tourist Limits

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Lots of news outlets have been reporting that Italy will soon start limiting the number of people allowed to visit Cinque Terre this summer. The crowded seaside villages have become so clogged with tourists over the past few years that this announcement—of a plan to require tickets and cap visitors at 1.5 million—sounded realistic.

But as so often happens, the reports got most of it wrong (as they did with the scare that Venice was banning all wheeled luggage). You will not need tickets to visit the Cinque Terre this summer. We checked in with our Trusted Travel Experts for Italy to get the real details.

Turns out that the ticket idea broached by the president of Parco delle Cinque Terre was just that—an idea. As his staff clarified for Andrea Grisdale, it’s true that the national park is concerned about the high numbers of tourists to their UNESCO World Heritage Site—since 2011, the number of visitors has shot up from about 400,000 to about 2.5 million in 2015.

But officials are only brainstorming and researching options at this point—they are not limiting the number of visitors in 2016. One proposed idea is an online ticketing system called the Cinque Terre card (which would give visitors unlimited train access and admission to the park’s trails); another proposal could be a simple increase in prices. Beyond that, other ideas have been floating around—basing ticket availability on weather and trail conditions; an app that would show live information about traffic and tourist congestion in each village—but nothing is concrete.

At this stage, it’s too early to tell what will definitely happen. And you can be sure that we will keep you updated with the facts from our well-connected experts

As Brian Dore and Maria Gabriella Landers clarified, “There is nothing to this story other than it highlights something we’ve been saying to our clients for a long time: The Cinque Terre are overrun with tourists and may not be the authentic, fishing villages and peaceful hiking experience they have in mind.”

Of course, the Cinque Terre are not so popular by accident—they are beautiful, and remain on many people’s bucket lists despite the crowds. If these five towns along Italy’s Ligurian coast are on your travel list, here are some tips for making the most of your visit:

See the towns by boat.

“The five Terre towns are really tiny, so any land-based visit or hiking will be crowded, and the public ferries and local trains that go from town to town are also crowded,” notes Maria. “It is lovely to get out on the water to see the coast from that perspective—the view from the water is really what people see in dramatic photos of the area anyway.” Maria and Brian can set up a private boat excursion for you on a speedboat or sailboat; you can read more about it here.

Plan far ahead.

Andrea recommends you reserve accommodation as much in advance as possible, as the availability in the hotels is quickly booked up.

Visit during shoulder seasons.

“Consider the months of April and October ,as there are fewer tourists and a beautiful time of the year for weather and scenery,” says Andrea. “May, June, July August and September are always busy months for this area.”

Put in the leg work and you’ll be rewarded.

In a great blog post on the Cinque Terre, Maria and Brian point out that “Corniglia, the center village, is one of the least visited, as its clifftop position requires climbing 400 stairs, but because of this also has some of the most stunning views and hikes on the coast.”

Eat local

With all that walking, you’ll need sustenance. Don’t miss the local specialties: Liguria is the birthplace of pesto Genovese and is also known for focaccia bread, seafood, and Sciacchetrà, a wine produced in the hills of Cinque Terre.

Explore beyond Cinque Terre

Pro tip from Maria: Explore the area beyond the five towns. “I often suggest that visitors to the area stay in Santa Margherita Ligure or Portofino, which are also popular, but larger and a bit more expansive so you don’t feel the constant crush of your fellow travelers. The Cinque Terre is only a few minutes away, and you can visit the five towns in one day. You can also hike in the hills above Portofino. Other small coastal towns that are not strictly part of the 5 Terre but are nearby include Comogli, Moneglia and Porto Venere.”

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.

Istanbul Airport Layovers: The Best Way to Spend Them

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If you’re passing through Istanbul, don’t miss the opportunity to get a glimpse of this city of two continents. The folks at Context Travel (a company on Wendy’s WOW List that runs cultural walking tours in cities worldwide) gave us ideas for how to spend a layover there. Just one word of warning: The hypnotic views of the Bosphorus and Golden Horn from a rooftop restaurant may make you miss your connecting flight—but would that really be the end of the world?

The Basics

U.S. citizens need a visa to enter Turkey, which you can obtain online before arrival.

How to get out of the airport: There are several ways of getting to and from Ataturk airport (IST), the international hub on the European side of the city, about 12 miles from its center. The first is the M1 metro line, which connects to other metro lines at Yenikapi, a district close to Sultanahmet. The ride takes 35 to 40 minutes and costs 4 Turkish liras (about U.S $1.35). The second option is to use Havatas, a private bus line from the airport to Taksim; buses leave every half-hour and cost TL 10-13 ($3.50-$4.50); the ride is approximately an hour. By taxi, it takes 45 minutes to an hour to get to the city’s historic center, depending on traffic. If you have limited time, a taxi is a good option, and costs around TL 40 ($14) each way, assuming that the meter is on and properly set. There are always a number of liveried taxis waiting at the airport’s international arrivals exit.

What to do with your luggage: IST offers luggage storage on the arrivals floor of both the international and domestic terminals. The daily fee is TL 20 ($7) for a suitcase, TL 30 ($10.50) for oversized bags.

Check with your airline before planning a layover in Istanbul: Some offer complimentary tours, shuttles, or hotel rooms for their passengers.

Sunset over Sultanahmet, Istanbul. Photo: Context Travel

If you have a 4-hour Layover

With fewer than six hours, it’s not worth attempting to get into Istanbul itself, but there are a couple of nearby neighborhoods where you can enjoy a meal. Atakoy Marina has several cafes and restaurants with a nice view of the Marmara Sea, including outposts of local chains Big Chefs, Midpoint, and Mado. The easiest way to get there is by taxi, for TL 10-15 ($3.50-$5).

If You Have a 6-Hour Layover

Start in the Sultanahmet neighborhood to see the Hagia Sophia; Topkapi Palace, where the Ottoman sultans lived and ruled; the Blue Mosque; and Sultanahmet Meydani (Sultan Ahmet Square, once the Hippodrome of Constantinople), home to the Serpent Column, the Column of Constantine, and the Walled Obelisk. Yenikapi is the closest metro stop to Sultanahmet, or you can switch from the metro to the tram at Aksaray, and get off the tram at the Sultanahmet stop, right near the Hagia Sophia. If you’re interested in the singular atmosphere of Istanbul’s colorful markets, don’t miss the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar. All of these sights are walking distance from each other, but it takes at least two hours to explore each one—more if you really want to get a feel for the place.

If you have enough time and energy, or if you’ve been to Sultanahmet before, spend the day wandering around Galata and Karakoy, whose winding streets are home to local designers’ shops, art galleries, and an excellent museum, the Istanbul Modern. Galata not only has a rich history but, along with Karakoy, it’s the new hub of entertainment in the city, and perfect for a flavor of up-and-coming Istanbul. (The Karakoy tram stop, three past Sultanahmet, leaves you at the bottom of the hill under the Galata Tower.)

If You Don’t Have Time to Leave the Airport

The international departure floor has many cafes and restaurants with a range of cuisines. There are a number of lounges, some of which grant day-use access for around TL 100 ($35), including snacks, alcoholic and soft drinks, WiFi, and newspapers.

More Layover Solutions:

Tokyo Airport Layovers: How to Make the Most of Them

Amsterdam Airport Layovers: How to Make the Most of Them

Beijing Airport Layovers: How to Make the Most of Them

Barcelona Airport Layovers: How to Make the Most of Them

Great Paris Hotels for an Airport Layover at Charles de Gaulle

London Heathrow Layover: Great Hotels for a Stopover at LHR

Madrid Airport Layovers: How to Make the Most of Them

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.

How to Spend a Romantic Weekend in Paris: A Gentleman’s Guide

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“If St. Francis de Sales, the patron saint of writers, were to whisper in your ear, ‘Take your wife to Paris for the weekend; she works hard and she deserves a break,’ where exactly would you take me and what exactly would we do?”

This is the purely hypothetical question that I asked my husband, a native Parisian, three days before Valentine’s Day. His response was to sit right down and, drawing on his extensive knowledge of Paris and women, craft the following itinerary. I share it here in the hope that it will bring comfort, joy, and a moonlight boat ride to another hardworking girl.

I have taken the liberty of filling in a few details not supplied by my husband, whose descriptions of romantic hotels, streets, and restaurants tend to begin and end with the phrase “It’s nice.” Sometimes he adds a finer detail or two, such as, “There are cobblestones” or “It goes back 500 years.” Where the descriptions are purely those of Patrick Texier—former teenage Romeo, now devoted husband—I have put them in quotation marks. Because he was a teenager in the 1960s, he specified that the car you hire for this itinerary should be a Citroën 2CV, aka a “deux chevaux,” the car Brigitte Bardot drove in the 1961 romantic comedy Please, Not Now! directed by Roger Vadim. Patrick had one when he lived in Cameroon in the 1960s, and his eyes grow misty with nostalgia whenever he chances upon one rusting away in a patch of weeds. The car is seriously cute—a little like a Volkswagen Beetle, only French. Several companies supply them, with a driver or without.

Hôtel Particulier Montmartre is small, with only five suites, and surrounded by a pretty garden. When I, intrigued, asked my husband to tell me more, he said, “There are big photographs on the walls.” A perusal of the hotel website states that the deluxe suite has a private stairway, a panoramic view of Paris, and walls painted with “Barbie doll eyes” that make the traveler feel “spied upon.” Another suite has thickly upholstered button-tufted walls and a display cabinet containing “erotic and gourmand objects by Philippe Mayaux.”

After your night in the deluxe suite with the Barbie-doll eyes, followed by café au lait and a buttery croissant (my husband’s standard breakfast), you will head out into the morning light, arm in arm with your beloved, and stroll around Montmartre, stopping at the following places:

The “I Love You” wall mural in Montmartre, Paris. Photo: Peter Rowley/Flickr

Le mur des je t’aime, a mural composed of 612 tiles of enameled lava inscribed with declarations of love in 250 languages;

The Brancusi sculpture The Kiss, in Montmartre Cemetery, which marks the tomb of a young Russian anarchist driven to suicide by an unhappy love affair. (My husband visited her grave in 1964 with a girl named Irene, who lived below his parents’ flat in Port d’Italy);

Musée de la vie romantique, the 19th-century home of Dutch painter Ary Scheffer (his work was much admired by King Louis-Philippe), where the Friday-night salons, which went on for decades, were attended by neighbor George Sand and her lover Frédéric Chopin, as well as Delacroix, Liszt, Rossini, and later Charles Dickens and Ivan Turgenev. Today you can see the plaster casts of what the City of Paris, which runs the museum, describes as “the writer’s sensuous right arm and Chopin’s delicate left hand,” as well as other George Sand memorabilia (her jewelry, her family portraits, her rare and unique watercolors).

At this point, gentlemen, you may notice that the love of your life is wan from hunger and fatigue, so usher her into the 2CV and head for the center of Paris. Swing by Place Dauphine (“It’s nice. There are cobblestones”), pausing for a double selfie in front of No. 15, where Yves Montand and Simone Signoret used to live.

Have lunch at Le Caveau du Palais, “because the food is good and it isn’t touristy; a lot of lawyers are going there.” Romantic touches include plates of gravlax and magret de canard decorated with expressionist squiggles.

After lunch, stroll through the Square du Vert-Galant, a little triangular park that juts into the Seine at the western tip of Île de la Cité. “It’s one of the best views of the Seine. You’ve got the river on your left, the river on your right, and the river right in front of you.” The park is named for Henri IV, a renowned vert-galant, which is to say a ladies’ man who is undaunted by a few gray hairs.

Square du Vert-Galant, Paris. Photo: Oliver Hertel/Flickr

Next, guide your sweetheart around Ile Saint Louis, where “the small streets haven’t changed in 500 years.” When she begins to drag her heels across the cobblestones, return to the 2CV, which you have nimbly parked in a space that a Rolls-Royce would ignore, and head for the hills with the top down. Wind through Buttes Chaumont, “an old neighborhood, mainly Jewish, on a hill, with a very nice park and nice views of Paris”; Butte Bergeyre, a small village that “very few people know about; the houses are low because a lot of quarries are underneath”; and Rue Mouzaïa, “like a village street, with cobblestones and lots of plants” (by which, my husband says, he means trees, shrubs, and rosebushes). Stroll with your lover under the trees, pausing to pluck spring blossoms from her windblown hair.

The view from Buttes Chaumont, Paris Photo: Eric Huybrechts/Flickr

On your way to dinner, drop by Dilettantes, a champagne bar in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. If your date is famished, buy her a handful of macarons (Pierre Hermé; Arnaud Larher) or chocolate (Patrick Roger; Jacques Genin) and feed them to her one by one. Do not allow her to stuff them in her purse “for later.”

Dinner is either aboard a yacht on the Seine or in one of the private dining rooms at Lapérouse. My husband and I had a small argument about this. He claims the boat ride is the more romantic choice. The yacht, which is called the Don Juan II, is small enough to qualify as intimate; the cuisine is by Guy Krenzer, a Meilleur Ouvrier de France; and everyone gets a window seat. And of course, Paris at night, reflected in the river, is spectacular. All good arguments for the cruise. To which I countered that the private rooms at Lapérouse are also pretty darn spectacular, and more intimate, and that any restaurant that contains in its official 250-year-old history the phrases “hidden stairway,” and “criminal activity” deserves a closer look.

And that’s it. Sadly, I have not done most of these things, and I will not be doing any of them on Valentine’s Day. My husband, however, has done them all with one exception. He has never, to my knowledge, booked a room at Hôtel Particulier Montmartre, which only opened in 2007.

Romantic couple walkng through Paris France

Romance in Paris Photo: Flickr/Snaaaax

Postscript: While my husband was laboring over the above itinerary, I furtively posted a request on Facebook, where I have many Paris-loving friends, asking for their input. Joël Le Gall, an utterly charming Frenchman who leads tours of Paris, suggested Hotel des Grandes Ecoles, a “fabulous romantic hotel in Quartier Latin,” and seconded the choice of Musée de la vie romantique, pointing out that you can have a drink under an arbor on the terrace.

Jeff Tolbert, an American whose wife is French, recommended Hotel le Crillon and a visit to the hammam at the Mosque de Paris or l’Escale Orientale.

Finally, both gentlemen, like my husband, recommended a tour of Paris by Citroën 2CV. The car features in Jeff’s memory of a day-trip to Giverny with Florence, and in the story of a Le Gall daughter’s engagement, which Joël described to me in a Facebook comment thus: “When my son-in-law decided to say to my daughter that he wanted to marry her, he rented a 2CV and drived into Paris in a very old frenchy fashion. How should she be in a situation to say no?”

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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.

Adventurous, Exotic Travel with Young Kids: It Is Possible

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Having a baby changes everyone. One of the biggest adjustments for me was putting away my passport. I went from visiting three continents in my first six months of pregnancy to managing nothing more exotic than Cabo San Lucas during the first four years of my son’s life—and all-inclusives certainly weren’t going to scratch my travel itch. That’s when I called Andrea Ross and April Cole, two of Wendy’s Trusted Travel Experts for Southeast Asia. Andrea had raised her kids in Cambodia and traveled with them all over the region. I asked her: Could I have the sort of enriching trip that I longed for—but one that my four-year-old son would also enjoy, not just suffer through? Not only did she assure me that it was possible, Andrea told me she’d plan it, crafting a two-week itinerary that got us to Angkor Wat and Siem Reap, in Cambodia, plus Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hoi An, and Saigon in Vietnam.

Let me be honest: The trip wasn’t all smiles and cooperation, like the Facebook feeds of those friends you envy (appearances can often be deceiving). We probably averaged two tantrums a day, which is definitely higher than the at-home norm for our reasonably mellow kid. But am I happy we went? Absolutely. Would I do it again? Of course—now that I’ve had a few months to recuperate. Here’s my advice for those wanting to travel adventurously with small kids in tow:

A Vietnamese family played their collection of traditional instruments for us in Saigon. Photo: Khoa Nguyen

Book with a Trusted Travel Expert. I’ve done plenty of independent travel. But leaving the planning to Andrea this time meant that I could focus on my family rather than rustling up that night’s hotel confirmation or figuring out how to get from A to B. And having done it all with kids herself, Andrea could anticipate our needs, choosing hotels with truly useful perks (free laundry at Siem Reap’s Unique Boutique), kid-friendly guides, and cultural experiences that we never could have booked on our own, such as meeting a Vietnamese family who played their collection of traditional instruments for us—and then invited our son, Zeke, to bang away on them to his heart’s content.

By building anticipation about our Halong Bay boat trip before we left home, Zeke was thrilled to hop on board when the time came. Photo: Ryan Damm

Build anticipation. Andrea advised us to look at maps with Zeke, borrow books about Southeast Asia from the library, and discuss the itinerary with him. This also helped prep Zeke for the most unfamiliar moments of the trip: While he was initially reluctant to sleep on a boat in Halong Bay, I talked him into it by showing him photos of our junk online, and explaining that he’d be the only kid in his class to have spent a night on a boat. By the time we got there, he was thrilled to hop aboard.

Don’t look to your bucket list for inspiration. Since you probably won’t get to every place worth visiting (see Rule of Four, below), this isn’t the time to fulfill that lifelong dream of seeing Machu Picchu or experiencing the Australian Outback. It is, in fact, a great time to revisit a place that you already love. I’d been to Siem Reap eight years earlier—even stayed at the same hotel—and so everything felt familiar. This made it easier for me to get around with a kid, and to accept that I’d be spending my afternoons at the pool rather than poking around town.

Follow the Rule of Four (or more). At least four nights in each location, that is. Andrea set a quick pace so that we could see all the major highlights of Vietnam; the downside was that we had to spend only one or two nights in several locations in order to squeeze it all in. If I had it to do over again, I’d stick to just two or three destinations and stay in each longer. After our fourth night in Siem Reap, Zeke was finally getting comfortable with our surroundings and the hotel staff—just in time for us to move on.

Help your child create a “Things that Are Different” or “New Things I Tried” book. This brilliant advice came from Andrea, who devised it as a way to turn potential negatives into positives, and to engage kids in really seeing what’s around them. Before we left, Zeke helped pick out a blank Moleskine notebook; during the trip, he drew tuk-tuks and trees on its pages, and dictated stories about houses on stilts and shops without doors. I left pages blank so that I could add photos from each day, and I plan to use the same notebook on our next trip—thus creating a journal of Zeke’s early travels.

Don’t focus on the flights. Long-haul flights are to family travel what diapers are to early parenthood—the thing that feels like it’s going to be a huge deal, but really isn’t. Stay tuned for an upcoming article with my tips on making the best of a long flight with a young kid; in the meantime, rest assured that however distant your destination, the flying time is a small fraction of your overall trip (I say this even after spending almost 38 hours in the air over the course of our two-week trip).

Presidential Palace in Hanoi Vietnam with kids

Zeke plays outside the Presidential Palace in Hanoi. Toys can be helpful for when your kid just doesn’t want to walk through another museum. Photo: Ryan Damm

Don’t skimp on toys. Andrea cautioned me not to pack light with a kid in tow. How I wish I’d taken her advice and brought more to keep Zeke occupied during our downtime. Next trip, I’ll pack a new small toy for each day, which I can bring out for that moment when Zeke doesn’t want to walk through another museum, or when I simply need a rest. Balloons are also great: They’re small and light for packing, and a quick distraction when blown up.

local artist and kid sketching in Mekong Delta

The highlight of the trip was the day we spent in the Mekong Delta, during which Zeke got to help cook puffed rice, make rice paper for spring rolls, and sketch a truck with a local artist. Photo: Ryan Damm

Prioritize doing, not seeing. Interaction is key to a kid’s enjoyment of the trip. Anything we did that allowed Zeke to participate was a hit. The highlight of the trip was the day we spent in the Mekong Delta, during which Zeke got to help cook puffed rice, make rice paper for spring rolls, and sketch a truck with a local artist. Andrea warned me that the experiences she had planned for us there were a bit more touristy than the biking or walking tours she arranges for adults—but taking part in all the local industries was right up Zeke’s alley. Another highlight for him was the Artisans d’Angkor silk farm and workshops in Siem Reap, where he got to finger spider-web-fine threads of silk and take a crack at carving soapstone. When Zeke got bored wandering around yet another ancient temple, simply handing him our camera to take photos bought us another half-hour of happiness.

Banteay Srey Butterfly Centre, Siem Reap Cambodia

To break up temple visits, we stopped at the Banteay Srey Butterfly Centre in Siem Reap. Photo: Ryan Damm

Plan at least one thing each day for the kids. Use that activity as a motivator to get through the rest. When Andrea wanted us to see several smaller, less crowded temples outside the Angkor Wat complex, she sweetened the day for Zeke by adding a stop at the fabulous Banteay Srey Butterfly Centre.

Schedule downtime. Even kids who don’t nap at home will need to rest each afternoon, given the added stimulation of a foreign country. On the days that we failed to make this happen, we paid the price with an extra-cranky kid. Andrea also wisely planned two days at the Hoi An Beach Resort in the middle of our trip, which were essential for all of us to recharge. A bag of sand toys bought from a roadside stand for Zeke, umbrella drinks for my husband and me, and we were once again a happy family.

Gather playground intel. In cities, where your hotel room is bound to be small, you’ll need somewhere to burn off energy. Public spaces dedicated to kids are largely a luxury of the developed world; in Hanoi, when Zeke voiced his displeasure with the city tour we had planned, our guide brought us to Tini World, a play area inside a high-rise mall. Sure, we missed Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum and the Fine Arts Museum, but we still got to chat about contemporary Vietnamese culture with our guide while Zeke played in the ball pit and painted a ceramic crocodile.

Employ a private driver. The money you’ll spend is well worth it. We could have hired a tuk-tuk to drive us around steamy Angkor Wat—but taking breaks inside our air-conditioned van, with cold towels and icy drinks at the ready, kept Zeke’s energy from flagging and meant that we were able to do more touring. It also allowed us to leave a bag in the vehicle with spare clothes, water, toys, and other in-a-pinch supplies, carrying in my backpack only the essentials (which for us included sunscreen, tissues, and tangerine-scented hand sanitizer—which Zeke would sniff as we strolled through pungent Asian markets).

Don’t push unfamiliar food. So much about being in a foreign country is overwhelming to kids; let them find some comfort in their meals. English menus with a “western food” section? It’s the last thing I’d want in a restaurant when traveling alone, but my first priority with a kid. Be proactive about keeping blood sugar high—if ever there was a time for unlimited quantities of whatever you limit at home (in our case, bread and ice cream), this is it.

Manage your expectations. I went into the trip imagining that Zeke would emerge from his bubble of relative plenty and discover how much less most other kids make do with; instead, Zeke focused on his own deprivations. Let me tell you, it’s humbling to have your kid whine for sparkling water and insist on being carried when you’re surrounded by children whose parents have sent them onto the streets to sell postcards and trinkets for a living.

Bend your parenting rules. Travel with young kids is hard. Cut yourself some slack, whether this means offering unlimited screen time or resorting to bribery. (Zeke often ended up on our shoulders midway through a temple visit. With the promise of a single packet of M&Ms, I got him to walk on his own through all of Banteay Srey.) Don’t worry about setting a bad precedent; children understand that things will go back to normal once you’re home.

Splurge at the end. Through most of our trip, my husband, son, and I were fine with sharing a single room. Early on, it would have been a waste to have a suite, as jet lag was waking Zeke up at night. But by the end of the trip, my husband and I were starved enough for adult time that we tried to sneak out after putting Zeke to bed (a Skype call from laptop to smartphone serving as our baby monitor)—only to find that our hotel’s bar had been taken over by a cruise-ship group for a loud performance. As we gulped down our drinks on our room’s cramped balcony, I vowed to end our next trip in a suite.

At the Artisans d’Angkor silk farm and workshops in Siem Reap, we got to take a crack at carving soapstone. Photo: Ryan Damm

Keep your eyes on the prize. If your main goal is to relax, this isn’t the right kind of trip for your family. But if you want to foster a love of travel in your kids, and a curiosity about the world and all its differences, it’s best to start young. I had to remind myself many times that the goal of our project was to expose Zeke to new things—which doesn’t have to be enjoyable to be worth it. Zeke still talks about our “big trip,” even mentions Cambodia and Vietnam by name. They’re now his touchstone for a part of the world where things are different. And that, to me, is worth everything.

What lessons learned have you learned from traveling to exotic places with young kids? Share your own tips 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.

Disclosure: April and Andrea and their partners provided most elements of the writer’s trip (hotels, intra-Asia airfare, guides, ground transportation, and sightseeing entry fees) free of charge. In keeping with WendyPerrin.com standard practice, there was no request for coverage on their part, nor was anything promised on ours. You can read our sponsored travel agreement here.

Photo Etiquette: How to Take Pictures of People When You Travel

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Getting good pictures of people without invading their privacy can be a challenge for travelers. The etiquette is devilishly complex: For starters, it depends not only on who the subject is (a street musician, a child skipping rope, a panhandler, a policeman) but also on where he is. In France, for example, you’re breaking the law if you don’t ask permission first.

“A lot of it is situational,” says contributing photographer Tim Baker. “Some people actually like having their photo taken. Some people hate having their photo taken. And a whole bunch of us could go either way, depending on our mood.” As a photojournalist who has traveled to more than 100 countries, Tim often downsizes his equipment when photographing people in public places. “Smaller cameras are better than monster ones,” he says. “Far less intimidating.” The photograph above, made in Hanoi, is a case in point: “Even though I had all my pro photo gear, I used a point-and-shoot-style camera. The other key was taking some time. After the subjects’ initial interest in me, I just stood around for a couple minutes looking away. Their interest in me waned, allowing me to get a nice candid moment. Of course,” he adds, “when taking a little more time, you risk the scene changing.”

Here is a short list of Tim’s strategies for getting the shot while keeping things cordial in most travel situations:

* Explain what you’re doing. “If the subject and I speak the same language, I’ll tell them why I want to take their photo (‘What a beautiful scene. The background fits you perfectly’) and quickly explain my vision.”

* Don’t be pushy. “If you ask permission and it’s denied, don’t try and sneak a photo.”

* Respect your subject’s time. “Be ready to shoot if you get a go-ahead. Don’t pick that moment to change lenses and settings. Make it quick.”

* In a local market, establish a rapport with one of the sellers. “Once accepted by one, the others will often think you are okay to photograph them, too.”

* Make taking a photo of the seller part of the negotiation—as in “Okay, I’ll buy your tchotchke if you pose for a photo.” Pictures of craftspeople with your purchase add to the item anyway.

* Focus on people who are engaged in an activity. The best time to take candids of people is when they are busy—involved in something else like shopping, watching a sporting contest, and so on.

* Be willing to back down. “Sometimes you just have to walk away from what you think is a prize-winning shot because the subject won’t cooperate—unless you think it’s worth risking the subject’s wrath.”

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.

Five Destinations That Will Be Cheaper in 2016

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Want to make your money work harder for you in 2016? The U.S. dollar remains strong throughout much of the world, but here are five destinations where you’ll find especially attractive prices for hotels, souvenirs, and even flights this year:

Great Britain

The London Eye Ferris Wheel. Photo: Celebrated Experiences

While everyone knows that the dollar has been strong versus the Euro, few people noticed in January when the dollar hit a 12-year high versus the British pound; that Michelin-star dinner or bespoke suit will be almost 20% cheaper than it was just two years ago. Also, with so many new luxury hotels opening in London, competition is fierce, especially outside of high season. Jonathan Epstein, our Trusted Travel Expert for England, Ireland, and Scotland, points out that rates are lowest in August, when business travel to the city dries up—but with free museums, long days, and lovely weather, it’s the perfect time to take your family. Many properties are even upgrading his clients as soon as they book.

To get the best possible trip, use Wendy’s trip-request form to contact Jonathan.

Australia

Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Island, Queensland. Photo courtesy Tourism Australia.

Stuart Rigg, our Trusted Travel Expert for Australia, attributes the continent’s excellent value this year to a combination of factors: a favorable exchange rate (10% better than a year ago), increased competition among airlines flying there from the U.S. (with new service from Los Angeles on American Airlines, and from San Francisco on Qantas), and low-season deals: In the Whitsunday Islands, where temperatures are in the upper 70s and and scuba diving conditions are ideal during the antipodal winter, both the One&Only Hayman Island and Qualia resorts are offering savings of up to 25%.

To get the best possible trip, use Wendy’s trip-request form to contact Stuart.

South Africa

Tintswalo Safari Lodge, South Africa. Photo: Tintswalo Safari Lodge

Since the Rand has devalued by about 40% against the dollar since last year, South Africa is a steal this year, according to Julian Harrison, our Trusted Travel Expert for Southern Africa. Tintswalo Safari Lodge, one of his favorites near Kruger National Park, cost $635 per person per night in 2015. This year, in spite of a 10% increase in rates, that same room is going for $435 per person per night.

To get the best possible trip, use Wendy’s trip-request form to contact Julian.

Canada

Three years ago the Canadian loonie was equal in value to the U.S dollar. Today it’s dropped by almost one-third. Every meal you eat will cost 10% less than it did at this time last year, and savings like that add up over the course of a week. If you book an itinerary in advance through a Canadian travel firm, you’ll save on arrangements priced in Canadian dollars. For example, Jill Curran, our Trusted Travel Expert for Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, arranges a five-night exploration of Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula—with opportunities to view this spectacular, unspoiled coastline by boat, by kayak, and on foot—that costs $142 less (for two travelers) than last year.

To get the best possible trip, use Wendy’s trip-request form to contact Jill.

Indonesia

The rupiah is also down compared to the dollar. Since hotel rates in Indonesia are quoted in dollars, this won’t affect your accommodation expenses, but it does mean that intra-island fares have come down quite a bit—and the cost of all that island-hopping can really add up. For example, a round-trip ticket from Bali to Yogyakarta on Garuda Indonesia (the country’s most reliable carrier), which cost $256 a little over a month ago, is now $189. Prices for overseas flights are also at an all-time low, reports Diane Embree, our Trusted Travel Expert for Bali—in some cases, 50% less than what they cost a year ago.

To get the best possible trip, use Wendy’s trip-request form to contact Diane.

What are your tricks for finding good value abroad?

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.

How One Travel Company Creates Meaningful Travel

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Years ago, at the end of a trek through the Himalayas, an American traveler asked her Nepali guide, If you could do anything for your village, what would you do? It’s a question that regularly comes up on cultural tours, especially in a place like Nepal, where families often struggle to put food on the table but readily open their doors and hearts to passing strangers. Naturally, we wish to return their generosity and reflect their good will, but how?

The American trekker, in this case, was Antonia Neubauer, our Trusted Travel Expert for Nepal and Bhutan. Her guide responded that he would build a library for his village. Antonia, a former language teacher and education researcher, knew about libraries and about the impact they can have on entire communities—men and women, adults and children. And as the founder of a travel company specializing in Asia, she had the drive and the resources to create one in a Nepali village.

That parting conversation was the beginning of READ Global, an international organization that today serves 2.5 million people in three countries—Nepal, Bhutan, and India—and has garnered a string of prestigious awards. The latest: The 2015 Legacy in Travel Philanthropy award, sponsored by American Express, which recognizes sustained impact for more than 15 years. The award, announced in December, went jointly to Lindblad Expeditions and Myths and Mountains, the travel company Antonia founded in 1987. From the beginning, part of the mission of Myths and Mountains has been to give back to the communities that bring its customers so much joy (you can watch Toni talk about it in this video).

In October 2016, Antonia will be taking a group to Nepal to visit several of the READ libraries, which function not just as book lenders but as community centers, bringing information—how to grow better crops, how to raise healthier children—to rural villages. (The initials stand for Rural Education and Development.) On that trip, travelers will:

Have dinner in Kathmandu with the READ board, which includes key members of Nepali society, to get a unique perspective on life in the country;
Have breakfast with the Jomson Mother’s Group, a women’s organization that has established a library, a children’s center, a microcredit program, and a water-treatment plant;
Learn about the efforts of Tukche villagers to rebuild following the 2015 earthquake, and visit the furniture factory that sustains their library;
Meet the remarkable Tharu people who reached out to other communities after the quake, saving many lives.

When your travel specialist engages in the type of philanthropy exemplified by READ Global, you cannot help but share in the benefits. Over and over, travelers tell us their most memorable moments have little to do with snowcapped mountains and everything to do with the people they meet. As “Antonia’s friend,” you are welcomed with open arms, and that’s just the beginning. Throughout your trip, you have unparalleled access to people and places, and extraordinary experiences as a result. Finally, the question of how to thank your hosts becomes a no-brainer when there’s an award-winning organization to accept your check—all because of a lot of behind-the-scenes work on the part of your Trusted Travel Expert. It’s a travel experience in which everybody wins.

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.

How to Deal with Flight Delays, Cancellations, and More

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Winter storms mean all kinds of problems: delays, cancellations, long lines, and changed plans. But they don’t have to mean stress. Here are steps you can take—and tools you need in your arsenal—to prepare for anything the snow can throw at you this season. Safe travels!

Change your flight.
The simplest way to avoid the hassle of a storm is to avoid the storm altogether. So if you don’t have to travel when a blizzard is on the way—don’t. When big storms are expected, airlines will often take preemptive action and allow you to change your flight without fees. Check your airline’s website or Twitter feed to find out more. If do you have to travel, consider rerouting your flight to avoid the storm altogether. Look for hubs with good weather; this FlightStats chart tells you which airports are seeing the fewest cancellations.

Use the right technology.
Speaking of Twitter, watch your airline’s feed closely for info on flight changes or cancellations. Another option is to download the airline’s app, which will also keep you updated about last-minute things like gate changes or flight delays.

Other apps that come in handy during bad weather include FlightStats.com, which can alert to you delays or weather cancellations (sometimes more efficiently than the airline will), and LoungeBuddy, which will help you find pay-by-day airport lounges so you can relax a little while you wait for your flight. We’ve got a full list of problem-solving apps here, and more info on airport lounge day passes here.

Use the right humans.
Even with all the right apps, you might still need to talk to a real person to solve your travel snafu. A great way to avoid long hold times is to call an airline’s customer-service office in a different country (here’s more on how to never wait on hold with airline customer service again). Your credit card concierge can usually be of help as well, but you can also call in the experts and let them handle it for you: Brett Snyder of Cranky Concierge specializes in emergency air travel assistance, and his team is well prepped for messy weekends like this one.

Prep the kids.
If you have kids, and there’s a possibility you’ll be stuck in an airport (or on the tarmac) for a while, you might want to try some of these tricks for flying with toddlers shared by contributing editor Brook Wilkinson. One of her secrets is to bring a bunch of new, very cheap toys to keep her son occupied. “Scour the library book sales and Target $1 bins for inexpensive options,” she writes. “Some of my favorites: play dough, pipe cleaners, magnetic playsets, and reusable sticker pads. On one flight, a pack of small monster trucks entertained Zeke for a good 30 minutes. Just make sure that you liberate toys from their plastic clamshell packaging at home, while you still have access to scissors!”

Do what you have to do to avoid as much stress as possible.
Business travel expert Joe Brancatelli once told me his three most sanity-saving travel tips, and this was one of them: “Even if it costs you a few bucks, do whatever you have to do to fix a travel problem on the spot so you can go back to enjoying your trip. Argue with the travel company about compensation later. But, within reason, fix the problem first, worry about compensation later.”

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.

How to Avoid Food Poisoning When You Travel

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Part of the fun of travel is trying a ton of new foods. But if you eat the wrong thing…well, then the trip becomes no fun at all.

Luckily, it’s reasonably easy to avoid food poisoning in developing countries, as Wendy outlined in her recent TripAdvisor blog post.

Here are a few of the basics:

1. Keep your hands clean
Wash with soap and water right before eating, and carry antiseptic wipes.

2. Stick to bottled or sterilized water
Drink bottled water—and make sure the bottle is properly sealed. Avoid ice unless you can confirm it came from a bottle or was purified. And don’t brush your teeth with tap water (or shower water). Bring your own water purification tablets too.

3. Eat smart
Avoid seafood, buffets of food that has been out for a long time, and fruits or vegetables that might have been washed in contaminated water or touched by unwashed hands. (Instead, stick to bananas and other fruits you peel yourself). Don’t be afraid to try street food, as long as you look for dishes that are boiled or steamed in front of you and served piping hot.

What are your best tips for staying healthy while traveling?

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.

5 Cool Experiences You Didn’t Know You Could Have in Switzerland

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Think you already know Switzerland, with its snowy peaks, perfectly timed trains, and delicious cheese? Think again. We’re not saying that these famous attributes aren’t indispensable parts of the Swiss experience—but we have uncovered new ways to see a place that so many of us already know and love. Read on for our five favorite twists on quintessential Switzerland. And if you want an extraordinary trip to Switzerland, Wendy knows the right people to help plan it—ask her.

1. Fondue in a Rickshaw

In the small town of Thun, Switzerland, you can hire a “Fondükscha” to give you a tour of the town while you eat fondue. Photo: My Switzerland

Of course you’ll want to try some cheese fondue when in Switzerland—it is the national dish, after all. But how about dipping your bread while being driven around in a rickshaw? In the small town of Thun, located between Interlaken and Bern, you can hire a “Fondükscha” to take you past the main sights of this beautifully intact medieval village while enjoying fondue, wine, cherry brandy, and tea. Swiss rickshaws are designed for the elements, with a closed-cab structure, sheepskin seat covers, and warm blankets to keep you cozy throughout the excursion.

2. Ride in an Open-Top Cable Car

convertible cable car up Mt. Stanserhorn Switzerland

To reach the summit of Mt. Stanserhorn, ride the world’s only convertible cable car. Photo: My Switzerland

You don’t have to be a world-class athlete to scale many of Switzerland’s majestic peaks; cable cars and funiculars will do the hard work for you. To reach the summit of Mt. Stanserhorn, in fact, you can hop aboard the world’s only convertible cable car, which runs throughout the summer. From the open-air top deck, enjoy 360-degree views reaching into France and Germany—and no cables to impede your sightlines. At the summit you’ll find a network of hiking trails and a revolving restaurant.

3. Take a Train from Glaciers to Palm Trees

The beautiful Bernina Express train through Switzerland has the UNESCO World Heritage status. Photo: My Switzerland

The UNESCO World Heritage stamp usually brings to mind ancient ruins or historic monuments. But in the case of the Bernina Express, it’s a train route that has earned this honor. Board the Bernina in St. Moritz, and three hours later you’ll have journeyed past glaciers, over the highest Alpine pass crossed by a train without a tunnel, and down into Tirano, Italy, where the snow-capped peaks outside your panoramic windows are replaced by Mediterranean palms.

4. Listen to Traditional Folk Music

Just an hour from Zurich, the Appenzel region is quintessential Switzerland. Photo: My Switzerland

It’s a wonder that American visitors haven’t yet discovered Appenzell; though just an hour from Zurich, the region is quintessential Switzerland, loaded with gorgeous alpine vistas and a rich cultural heritage. You’d hardly be surprised to see Heidi herself come bounding across the rolling hills, dressed—as many locals today still are—in traditional attire. Come in August and you’ll get to enjoy Ländlerfest, one of Switzerland’s premier folk music gatherings, with performances by both well-established groups and talented young musicians.

5. Drive a Snow Groomer

snow grooming pisten bully machine in switzerland

In the resort region of Sattel, you can co-pilot a snow grooming machine. Photo: My Switzerland

Wishing to add some horsepower to your ski vacation? In the resort region of Sattel, you can co-pilot a snow grooming machine, with nothing but the enormous machine’s headlights to guide your way through the darkness of night as you prepare the slopes for the next day’s skiers. Finish your task by midnight and you’ll be rewarded with dinner at a mountainside restaurant.

What unexpected Switzerland experiences are we missing? Tell us in the comments below! And if you want to start planning your own Swiss getaway right now, ask Wendy for a travel specialist recommendation.

START YOUR OWN TRIP TO SWITZERLAND

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.

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