Travel Blog

It couldn’t come at a better time. The thrills of the holidays have passed, and the bills of the gift-giving season are due.The cold weather, cabin fever, and the doldrums of winter are descending. They’ve even named the 3rd Monday in January ‘Blue Monday’ after studies showed it’s the most depressing day of the year. Everyone needs something to look forward to.Welcome, Wave Season It’s the catchy name for the cruise travel equivalent to Black Friday. But instead of just a day,...

Your next cruise vacation shouldn’t just start and stop at the ship’s gangway. Make the most of your holiday by extending your cruise before you board and even after you disembark.Here are some pre- and post-cruise extension moves for every smart cruise traveler.  1. Arrive at least one day earlyThat doesn’t even qualify as a pre-cruise extension. It’s just common sense.We recommend you arrive at minimum of a full day before your cruise is set to embark. Most cruises sail away in the late...

All eyes are on this SoCal city every New Year’s Day for two of America’s most iconic annual events. Pasadena, California plays host to the back-to-back morning Rose Parade and afternoon Rose Bowl Game. The game is one of the major bowl games in college football, but the Rose Parade that precedes it is truly one-of-a-kind. The Rose Parade dates back to 1890. Pasadena had become a popular West coast wellness resort town for the East’s elite. Town leaders wanted to show off their...

You may only listen to classical music once in a while, but we’ll bet this composer’s name rings a bell.Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Germany, but spent his professional career and passed away in the music capital of Europe. 2020 is the 250th anniversary of the birth of the composer, who in spite of becoming ill and deaf, was considered one of the greatest musical talents of all time. And Vienna is celebrating his life and works.The Austrian capital was...

It may be the most idyllic island escape you can reach without a passport – for US citizens, that is.The US Virgin Islands are a piece of American apple pie in the heavenly seas of the Caribbean, and the Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas is the most luxurious retreat in the USVI.It was the first Ritz-Carlton hotel in the Caribbean, and since it opened in the 90’s, it’s won praise and inspired generations of devoted travelers in love with the US Virgin...

Have you booked a cruise in 2020? Cruise travel continues its meteoric rise as one of the fastest-growing and most popular ways to travel. No matter your travel style – from luxury, to adventure, to remote exploration or polar escape, to romantic retreat, to tropical or cool climate family vacation – there’s a perfect cruise match out there for you. New, innovative cruise ships this year, some even the first of their kind, make booking your next (or first!) cruise even...

Following this year’s developments in Travel has really kept us moving! Hopefully, you’ve created some of your own new travel memories this year too. These are some of the most tremendous changes that have taken place in the past 12 months that will affect travelers for years to come.  What’s Opened It was over two years ago that severe hurricanes swept through some of our favorite Caribbean travel destinations. The hard-hitting storms destroyed buildings and roads, and electricity and water infrastructure, uprooting...

The sparkling waters of Puget Sound and the spectacle of the surrounding Olympic and Cascade mountains are the heroic natural features of Seattle, but its Pike Place Market is the city's standout man-made - and still its most popular - attraction that BestTrip TV just had to see during a visit to Seattle. WATCH THE VIDEO TO EXPERIENCE THE PIKE PLACE MARKET YOURSELF.It wasn't built as a tourist experience. When the market began in 1907 on Seattle's waterfront, it was...

There's now a silver lining follow-up story to the hurricanes in 2017 that took a toll on many islands in the Caribbean, including the tiny island that makes up part of the Commonwealth nation of St. Kitts & Nevis.For many years, Nevis has been synonymous with its iconic Four Seasons Resort. It put the island on the map for luxury travelers in the know, and pioneered what has become a style of luxury beach resort world wide. Nestled between majestic...

(Video: Dive and Dine Lobster and a Re-imagined Four Seasons Resort in Nevis)Following this year’s developments in Travel has really kept us moving! Hopefully, you’ve created some of your own new travel memories this year too. These are some of the most tremendous changes that have taken place in the past 12 months that will affect travelers for years to come.  What’s Opened It was over two years ago that severe hurricanes swept through some of our favorite Caribbean travel destinations. The...

You’ve probably heard by now the studies that show how experiences make us happier than things. We get a thrill when we purchase an item, but that thrill fades. After a while, the emotional boost we got from that shopping experience is gone. Hopefully we are left with a purchase that is at least useful and necessary in our lives. But all too often, unnecessary shopping just leads to the planet’s garbage problem.Experiences, on the other hand, provide an emotional high that never fades. In...

People visit Montreal for its culture as a city of nearly non-stop festivals, for its style and French lifestyle in North America, and for the culinary scene that put it on the world map long before many other cities celebrated their locally-grown talent and flavors.One of the best ways to connect with Montreal as a fashion capital, as an historic North American commercial center and as an artistic, creative and eco-innovative leader, is to go to one of Montreal’s most...

That’s before its first ship has even launched. Virgin Voyages is like all of Sir Richard Branson’s new endeavors: it’s all about making waves. Everyone is talking about Branson’s new take on what it means to cruise and the young-at-heart, hip, and stylish new cruise crowd Virgin Voyages will appeal to.WATCH VIDEO ABOVE: How Does Sir Richard Branson Do Cruising?The company’s first ship, the Scarlet Lady, is scheduled to debut in the spring of 2020, sailing fewer than 3000 ‘sailors’/guests from...

The Caribbean’s second-biggest country (behind only Cuba) may also be its most diverse. The Dominican Republic’s beaches are the headliners, but centuries of history, magnificent mountain ranges, vivid riverways and national parks, one-of-a-kind culture, cuisine and local products, all combine to provide a tropical island destination that goes well beyond the sunny coasts.You can do more than defrost on the island’s famous beaches this winter.  On your next trip to the eastern half of the Caribbean’s second-largest island, get off your...

The Force is Strong with This Plane. Just in time for the debut of the movie Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, United Airlines has unveiled an opportunity for fans young and young at heart to fly the friendly galaxy.It has re-imagined one of its planes in epic Star Wars mode, from the eye-catching livery on the outside, to the experience on board.The plane is flying across the US, Canada, the Caribbean and Central America. But you’ll think you’re in a galaxy...

India’s biggest and most important annual holiday is also one of the best times to visit the country.  Ancient civilizations the world over celebrate lunar cycles, the harvest, and the power of light. India’s version of this universal theme is Diwali, and the festival brings centuries of rich tradition alive. Every year over five days in October or November, communities and families around the entire country – and millions of Indians around the world - celebrate. Here are 12 reasons...

The ‘firsts’ just keep piling up for this pioneer in expedition cruising that has over 125 years of experience sailing in the world’s magnificent polar regions.Norwegian expedition cruise line Hurtigruten has launched the world’s first hybrid electric-powered expedition cruise ship. The MS Roald Amundsen has been aptly named after the polar explorer from Norway who led the first expedition to cross the Northwest Passage, the first expedition proven to have reached the North Pole, and at the opposite end of the...

Just as water is served automatically at a restaurant table in the West, green tea appears magically on every restaurant table in Japan. But what about a more… spirited beverage? Japan’s consumption of alcohol is legendary, and involves its own beverages and etiquette.Here’s what you need to know before you order.By: Lynn Elmhirst, Sipper-in-Chief, BestTrip TVJapan has embraced both beer and whisky from the West, and proceeded to develop excellent and well-know brands of both.But for more local flavor, the two main...

One of the biggest trends in recent years has been ‘Multi-Gen’ travel, where 3 or more generations of the family come together on vacation.‘Skip Gen’ travel leaves Mum and Dad at home for some much-needed downtime (or house reno’s or a getaway of their own!) while Grandma and Grandpa go on holiday with the grandkids for some fun times and bonding.As with any trip, everyone involved deserves to have a good time. When grandparents think about taking their grandkids on...

Some hotels help define their destinations.   Not only with an historic pedigree, but with a location that makes them central to the local lifestyle.The Belmond Copacabana Palace helped create the mystique of Rio de Janeiro that thrives even today.Imagine a time when Rio’s now-epic beaches were unused and unfashionable. In the 20’s, Brazil’s upper classes lived in the cooler elevations of the hills.So when the country’s president asked a local wealthy businessman to build a landmark hotel on Copacabana beach to...