Travel Blog

It’s an architectural wonder 101 stories high in Chicago’s Lakeshore East neighborhood that transforms the Windy City’s skyline. Eleven of those floors make up the newly-opened, ultra-luxury hotel St. Regis Chicago.  Designed by the world-renowned architecture and urban design practice led by Jeanne Gang, the tower breaks new ground as the tallest building in the world designed by a female architect.  The tower’s crystalline form was inspired by nature with its facets of a shimmering gem and its gradient of green-blue glass...

Wait, Belfast? Part of the legend of the Titanic? The most famously-doomed passenger ship tale of all time? Wasn’t she a British ship, sailing from Southampton to New York, that struck an iceberg and capsized over a century ago? How did Ireland play a part – and how could Belfast keep the ‘Ship of Dreams’ alive for us today?  Glad you asked. Belfast has an integral place in Titanic lore, and is perhaps the primary destination today – with the possible exception...

In 2023, the iconic Sydney Opera House celebrates a half-century of symbolizing not just a city, but a country and even a continent. It may even be the most famous building in the southern hemisphere.  This icon of modern design evoking giant stylized, sail-shaped shells occupies Bennelong point projecting out into Sydney Harbour. It dominates the skyline and has gripped the world’s imagination ever since its debut in 1973. Completely unprecedented when it won the contest for a design for a performing...

It's the kind of voyage books and films and history are made of - and that travel dream will be a reality for 450 curious travelers in 2024. For the first time ever, an ultra-luxury cruise line will sail around the entire continent of Africa.  It's a 90-day, 17,000-mile exotic adventure visiting 44 marquee and off-the-beaten path ports and cities throughout 26 fascinating and unique countries. Immersion into ancient and recent history, exotic and wildly different landscapes, cultures, wildlife and lifestyles...

As a thousand mile-long atoll in the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, it’s no wonder that most of the Maldives’ most coveted experiences relate to the sea: over water villas, underwater resorts…and now, tastings of wine aged in what has been voted the world’s best underwater wine cellar and restaurant.  Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas has launched a new underwater-aged wine tasting experience. Taking place 20 feet below the Indian Ocean’s surface in the resort’s incredible SEA restaurant, surrounded by near 360-degree...

Oceania Cruises has officially welcomed the 1200-guest Oceania Vista in a glittering event in Malta. She’s the cruise line’s first new ship in more than ten years, and the first of its new, Allura-class of ships.  In a ceremony that included centuries-old blessings on the ship and the souls who will sail upon her, Italian-American chef, author, restaurateur and Emmy award-winning food personality Giada De Laurentiis christened the Vista with the traditional breaking of a bottle of champagne against the ship’s...

It ranks right up there with the Statue of Liberty and the Washington monument. Not only is it a world-wide symbol of the United States. It’s also the country’s most famous sign – and visual shorthand for one of America’s most universally-consumed exports: movies, as well as the West Coast city where movie-making dreams come true.  In 2023, the Hollywood sign celebrates an entire century dominating the Los Angeles skyline. That’s almost as long as Los Angeles itself has been dominating storytelling...

An overnight rail journey through the landscapes of the legendary Scottish Highlands on the Royal Scotsman, A Belmond Train, is getting even more baronial. Two new Grand Suites will debut on the train in 2024 that mirror the atmosphere of a luxury Scottish country house and capture the magic of Highland culture and lifestyle. When you’re not with fellow guests dining in one of the two wood-paneled dining cars and enjoying live evening entertainment, or off board excursions including wild swimming, foraging,...

Airlines are making it harder and harder to deny yourself the pleasure of first-class travel, especially on long-distance, overnight flights to Europe where you want to arrive feeling well-rested and refreshed. No longer is the first-class cabin just about seats that are bigger, farther apart and lying flatter with food service on china rather than plastic - incrementally better than sitting farther back on the plane.Two European airlines are launching fully-enclosed, private suites above the clouds catering to each passenger’s...

While travel was paused during the pandemic, Hong Kong kept evolving. Three attractions give new and returning visitors fascinating insights into the city’s British era. Two reinvent an iconic Hong Kong experience, and the other provides visitors access to a part of Hong Kong that’s been closed to tourists – until now.The Renewed Peak TramHong Kong’s Peak Tram has been transporting people to the cool, greenery-covered heights of Victoria Peak since 1888. It’s one of the oldest funiculars in the...

A new, ultra-luxury resort brings St. Regis glamor and hospitality to a new, exclusive development at a 600+acre nature reserve and UNESCO World Heritage Site on one of Mexico's most popular beach destinations. The St. Regis Kanai Resort was inspired by the Sian Ka'an Reserve, from its avant-garde architecture to its upscale interiors. If you hadn't heard of Kanai yet, you're not alone. It's a new and exclusive oasis on the Riviera Maya carefully permitting only 4 top luxury hotels occupying...

What’s the real difference between a luxury, small ship cruise and a luxury expedition cruise? Many cruise travelers don't know what they’re missing. So cruise travel journalist Lynn Elmhirst sat down with Seabourn’s Jen Martin to discuss why – even if you’ve already sailed to Antarctic with Seabourn, for example, you might want to go again with one of their new expedition ships.Jen’s full title is Director, Product Development, Expeditions at Seabourn. That means she leads the team creating ultra-luxury cruise...

King Louis XIV of France called it the ‘wine of kings, the king of wines,’ but remarkably, this Hungarian wine remains under the radar for many wine lovers today. For over a thousand years, Tokaj wines were served to royalty, and now, they are a treasure for modern travelers to Hungary to discover. A perfect opportunity to immerse yourself in Hungary’s Tokaj wines may be before or after a Danube river cruise beginning or ending in Budapest. The wine region...

This ancient wonder of the world just keeps getting better – and more mysterious. Researchers have recently discovered 168 more geoglyphs carved into the ground in the Nazca region of Peru, three hours south of Lima. Like the 358 other Nazca lines already recorded to date, the new ones are believed to date back 2000 years. Most of the designs etched into the arid ground are made up of straight lines, but amazingly, others depict people, local plants and wildlife including hummingbirds,...

Early spring in Japan spells ‘sakura,’ or cherry blossom season, when the entire country is awash in the lacy, pale pink blooms on millions of cherry trees lining rivers, avenues, mountainsides and park walks. A culture obsessed with seasonality values perhaps cherry blossom season the most, and this may be the best time to immerse yourself in Japanese traditions. Sakura season has been celebrated for centuries in Japan, and the ancient ritual of 'hanami,' (literally meaning flower-viewing) parties and picnics still...

A cruise to Alaska is all about Nature. ‘Ventures by Seabourn’ let you cruise in the lap of luxury – and also get up close and personal with the dramatic scenery and spectacular wildlife of the waters of America’s Last Frontier. Cruising may be the best way to experience Alaska. Seabourn’s ultra-luxury small ships take you closer and into more remote ports that larger ships can’t access. The ultra-luxury cruise line has also developed a program to allow active cruise travelers...

The British know how to put on a show for its monarchy’s milestones, and the Coronation of King Charles III is a once-in-a-generation chance to be personally steeped in pageantry, traditions dating back a millennium and quintessentially English experiences you may never see again. Travelers to Britain during the Coronation will create a lifetime of memories and an endless collection of stories that begin: “I was there when…”Tap into the romance of British period dramatic films and TV series and...

Hong Kong’s doors are open to visitors again, and to celebrate, it’s offering travelers who come to the city in 2023 some ‘welcome back’ perks – plus, it’s unveiling a host of new and resuming cultural events and attractions. “Hello Hong Kong” is inviting new and returning friends of one of the most vibrant, eclectic, and unforgettable cities in Asia to rediscover – or learn for the first time – what puts Hong Kong on the map for savvy travelers. Hong...

2024 marks the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings of Allied troops in France to liberate Europe from Nazi occupation. For travelers with family members who served in Normandy, as well as those keen to immerse themselves in history, one river cruise line has created an itinerary to commemorate the milestone with perspectives from both sides of the Channel. I've made a river cruise pilgrimage to Normandy and visited the American, British and Canadian D-Day Landing Beaches. It was not...

Spring Break is high season for family travel, and with every member of the family more digitally connected than ever at home and away, that means posting about good times on vacation. Not so fast, warns one insurance company, which is advising travelers of the risks of ‘over-sharing.’ A new survey commissioned by the Allstate insurance company revealed that almost one-third of social media users post content about their vacation plans online. That’s before AND during, not just afterwards, and...