Travel Blog

Koalas and kangaroos, beaches and beer and ‘bugs’ (lobster-like shellfish), deserts and mountains and rivers iconic in the Southern hemisphere, and that famous Aussie lifestyle and hospitality! There are so many reasons to put a trip to Australia on your travel list – including these new, luxury hotels that make a trip anywhere in Australia just a little more exciting with anticipation.  From the first-ever Ace Hotel in the southern hemisphere, to the biggest W Hotel in the world, Australia’s...

Kick off summer on a quest. For the very first time, a statewide trail helps active travelers get off the beaten path, connecting them to over two dozen waterfalls across the most scenic parts of West Viriginia. The 29 waterfalls of the official West Virginia Waterfall Trail are just a ‘drop in the bucket’ of the more than 200 waterfalls found in picturesque places around the state.Chasing Waterfalls in America’s Newest National Park Included on the trail are six waterfalls...

2022 is a great year to be an anglophile! Queen Elizabeth II’s history-making Platinum Jubilee, marking her remarkable 70 years of service, plus a new Downton Abbey film, have brought all things British to the forefront of popular culture. Interest in travel to Britain is at an all-time high to experience Britain’s storied pomp and circumstance, English culture and quirk, and immerse yourself in one of the world’s most adored and copied lifestyles, from cricket to rowing, afternoon tea to...

With so many celebrations put on ‘hold’ over the last couple of years, we knew when people started getting together to mark life’s great milestones again, it was going to be big.How big?Well, according to a new survey conducted by an online travel company, destination weddings and honeymoons are going ‘mega.’The survey of American couples found that a whopping 97% - nearly all – honeymoon plans over the last two-plus years were affected by the pandemic.  Plans were either downsized, or canceled altogether.And...

Or… why will foodies flock to Toronto this fall? That’s when Canada’s largest city becomes only the sixth destination in North America – and the first Canadian city – to be ranked among the crème de la crème of the world’s gastronomic locations. That’s when the first MICHELIN guide for Toronto will be published. It joins just a rarefied handful of destinations on the continent in getting the seal of approval from the ‘high church’ of culinary credentials. And those of...

The breakout TV series is the stuff of travel fantasy, but you don’t have to be a fictional character to have a dream trip to France.The good life, Parisian-style, eye-catching fashion center-stage and a thread of romance against a backdrop of one stunning City of Lights setting after another, Emily in Paris on Netflix follows the French adventures of a young American woman living the dream when her luxury marketing job is relocated to Paris.The pure escapism of the streaming series,...

Global Wellness Day this year is June 11th, just as we are getting back into travel. Wellness travel has been a growing trend for several years, and the pandemic has given a whole new perspective to what we think about wellness, self-care, and good living.Travel plays a big part in a balanced lifestyle. As the Wellness Tourism Association explains, small changes and good new habits can have an impact on our health. And that’s where wellness travel can come in....

A recent survey of the most popular hashtags in travel photo posts in social media wasn’t a scientific study. But it did generate a clear winner of the title “World’s Most Photogenic Beach.” That honor went to the seven miles of shorelines and sparkling waters of South Florida’s legendary Miami Beach. If it’s been a while since you indulged in the surfside views and epic lifestyle of one of America’s most famous beaches and beach towns, here are some experiences that...

They don’t call it the “Mighty Mississippi” for nothing. From Lake Itasca’s trickling overspill in Minnesota, the Mississippi travels the length of the continental U.S., growing as it flows for 2,300 miles until it empties into the Gulf of Mexico with waters added from tributaries in 31 U.S. states. The Mississippi is at the core of American heritage, and is often also referred to as “America’s backbone.” It’s also the country’s heart and soul, and one of the most epic...

You’ve heard of wine caves - how about wine caving? WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE to learn more about this new, and one-of-a-kind experience on an Avalon Waterways river cruise on the Rhone River in the south of France that combines adventure - with the exquisite wines of the region. Lynn Elmhirst, producer and host of BestTrip TV, was one of the first guests to experience the new 'Active & Discovery' excursion that meant donning a caving suit, helmet, headlamp and...

Even if you’ve never considered taking an escorted or guided tour before, this might be the best time to see why more and more people – and even families – are signing up for an escorted vacation. There are a lot of myths about guided tours, and images of exclusively older singles and couples on buses.Read on! Not only does a multi-city guided tour give your family a ‘tasting menu’ of destinations to revisit for a longer duration another time,...

From cultural giants like George Lucas and Bob Dylan, to New York’s Broadway or America's mountain peaks, to milestones in Latino and African American heritage – not to mention spellbinding art from the country's past... and future! - across the U.S., museums are having a renaissance, with new openings that reflect some of the most fascinating themes of modern America. Don't forget to add one of these newly-opened museums to your agenda if you’re traveling to any of these U.S....

Imagine your ideal European summer escape. Chances are, one of the sounds you hear is the splashing water of a fountain in the town square on a lazy afternoon. From ancient times, communities were built up around their local source of water. Eventually, many European cities then gave their sources of water sculptural and architectural treatments. That transformed them from watering holes… to wondrous waterworks and focal points of the European lifestyle travelers love.There’s nothing quite so refreshing as the...

Why just have a drink – when you can have a story, too? That’s the premise behind the cruise ship bar menu that’s won out over competitors throughout the world of hospitality. “Best Beverage Menu” was awarded to Holland America Line for its newest bar concept onboard its newest ship at the 2022 VIBE (that’s the Very Important Beverage Executives) conference.That means this bar menu isn’t just the best at sea. The award is open to any venue in the...

Spring in the northern hemisphere is a wonderful time to visit Argentina as the southern hemisphere cools down from summer heat. From Argentina’s remote mountain ranges, to wine regions and cattle ranches, to its natural wonder of the world, there’s a world of excitement outside the one-of-a-kind atmosphere of Buenos Aires, called the ‘Paris of South America.’ BUENOS AIRESWATCH THE VIDEO to see highlights of our Monograms Tour of Buenos Aires. In the capital of Argentina, we discovered a new...

New Zealand is opening again to international visitors at the beginning of May, 2022, and for outdoor travel lovers, it couldn't come at a better time. 2022 marks the 30th year of the country’s ‘Great Walks.’‘Great Walks’ are ‘great’ three times over:  ·They aren’t afternoon strolls. These are walks of epic proportions - a network of ten, multi-day walks across the north and south islands of New Zealand.  ·They are about conservation as much as being active outdoors. The network of ‘Great...

It was three-quarters of a century ago when the founder of uber-chic, trend-setting icon of mid-century jet-setting Pan Am decided to launch a hotel chain to bring its super style to the cities the airline served. Jet setters were paying a premium for the expanding luxury of high-flying air travel, and Juan Trippe knew they wanted their destination hotels to be just as memorable as a Pan Am flight. The iconic airline is no longer – but InterContinental Hotels &...

A Spanish airline has become the first carrier to have a plane ticket ‘minted’ on the blockchain. When that first ‘NFTicket’ was auctioned off, it broke a record for the most valuable airline ticket ever sold in the history of commercial aviation – to the tune of over a million dollars!TravelX, a company building the travel world’s first blockchain-based travel distribution system, partnered with Spain-based airline Air Europa to pioneer a new way of issuing travel tickets – and smashing...

Whether or not you loved studying Shakespeare in school, chances are, to this day you regularly hear - and use – lines from his 154 sonnets and 39 plays that are still continuously being staged in theaters around the world, more than any other playwright in any language. That’s not a bad linguistic legacy for someone who was born nearly 500 years ago.Recognize any of these pearls of wisdom? All the words of Shakespeare, who was born April 26, 1564. “To be...

The return of cruise travel has looked like a bit of a jigsaw puzzle. Piece by piece, cruise lines have worked out how to resurrect itineraries within the Caribbean, from the U.S. to the Caribbean, between the U.S. and Mexico… you can see the picture. Now at last, with the final two pieces, the puzzle – or rather, the cruise map of North America - is complete. Travellers can now book cruises to the entire continent. Holland America Line’s Konigsdam 1st Ship Back...