Travel Blog

By 2039, there will be three new ships in the Princess Cruises fleet, the largest, most advanced ships ever for the cruise line, carrying over 4700 guests each, and dual-fuel, powered primarily by the sustainability-conscious LNG (liquified natural gas). The new class of ships is called the Voyager class, with the first ship scheduled for delivery in 2035. The new class of ships is another step forward for the cruise line, and its most recent, Sphere class of ships (Sun Princess...

In Alaska, everyone can feel like they’re in a fairy tale. Even the one with the three bears! Wildlife watching opportunities – especially bear sightings – rank among the top reasons to take an Alaska cruise. And I’ve never known anyone to leave disappointed! WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE OF SOME OF OUR FAVORITE WILDLIFE ENCOUNTERS ON A REGENT SEVEN SEAS CRUISE TO ALASKA But how many different types of bears can you hope to see? 1. The American Black BearThe most common, the smallest—...

Fans of the Grand Dutch Cafés onboard Holland America Line’s newest ships can look forward to finding this little piece of Netherlands culture and design onboard many more ships soon. At the Seatrade industry cruise conference in Miami in April, Holland America Line’s president warned the media conference that the event was not a new ship announcement. But fans of the line still have plenty to celebrate.As part of a half-billion-dollar, fleet-wide ‘Evolution,’ HAL is expanding the best of its newest,...

Earth Day is April 22, and it’s a wonderful time to share stories of travel companies that are making the world we love to travel a better place. For G Adventures, the focus is on trees. In the last 18 months, the tour operator has expanded its global Trees for Days initiative with seven new community partners. Its network now stands at 22 communities across multiple continents and benefits more than 200,000 local people. And within the next month, the project will...

It’s spring at last, and our thoughts turn to the outdoors and our gardens. What better inspiration for a trip than some of the most breathtaking flower shows on earth - that take nature’s horticultural gifts and maximalize the colors, the spectacle and the drama! 1. Keukenhof Gardens — NetherlandsKeukenhof’s claim to fame is scale and control. More than seven million bulbs are planted by hand each year in layered sequences—early, mid, and late bloomers—so the park continuously evolves across its...

Two very different new ships—one an intimate, design-forward superyacht, the other a high-energy floating resort—are sending a strong message. Whether you’re a cruise lover or a cruise newbie, there’s a cruise style and ship that’s perfect for you. The recent, back-to-back debut of Emerald Cruises’ newest intimate, modern yacht and Norwegian Cruise Line’s latest Caribbean mega-ship shows just how wide that spectrum has become—and why first-time cruisers, in particular, have never had more options to ‘dip your toes’ into cruising waters.Emerald...

Do you travel for the food? Festivals? Or maybe family? Over a quarter of travelers these days are interested in heritage or ancestry-based trips. The surge in DNA testing has been accompanied by a corresponding rise in the popularity of genealogy-focused trips. People are putting their traveling ‘genes’ on. And not going sightseeing, but searching for their roots. Motivations vary from family heritage to the story of migration from their ancestral homes.Do any of these ideas strike a chord in you...

If you love river cruising and you love ocean cruising… then there’s a new cruise style on the horizon for you. Beginning December 2026, Windstar’s newest ship, Star Explorer, will offer new river-to-ocean cruises combining the best of both experiences. No changing ships. Your floating boutique hotel seamlessly transitions from a river cruise to an ocean voyage, and your trip continues from an intimate river experience into equally compelling coastlines. Purpose-built for river-to-ocean travel, the 224-guest, all-suite yacht can navigate waterways that...

World travel is easier than ever. But it seems world geography is not! Some destinations remain stubbornly — and even hilariously — confused by travelers, media, and even governments. The result is a mix of comedy, branding opportunity, and unsuspecting travelers finding themselves in the wrong place. In some cases, people simply don’t know the difference, and it’s a case of mistaken identity and some embarrassing social media posts. Others are tiny spelling errors that have landed travelers on the opposite...

The hotly anticipated new river cruise line has shared how it’s planning to offer its guests a new way to experience the river communities of Europe when it debuts in 2027. Four curated categories of exclusive and included shore excursions reveal how guests will river cruise, Celebrity-style. Local insiders lead the Storyteller Series and Skillmaster Series, while the Keys to the City Series gives guests the tech-driven power to explore on their own with insights curated to their own interests and passions. Available once per sailing, the Celebrity Takeover Series delivers...

You likely already know that’s a trick question.  This tiny dot in the eastern South Pacific Ocean, but technically a territory of Chile, is actually properly called Rapa Nui. The world over, Easter Island has been synonymous with exotic mysteries of an impossibly distant, long-lost civilization and mind-boggling human endeavor. It may be the most remote inhabited island on the planet.  Only a few thousand people live on this remnant of oceanic volcanoes sticking out of the sea, and that's the first...

Recently in Sweden, I experienced ancient wellness practices intertwined with new science and artistic sensibilities. In many ways, Sweden wrote the book on wellness as a way of life and a travel destination. And my stays at two sister hotels in Stockholm proved the country is in the vanguard of redefining wellness travel again. In case you missed it, in 2025, Sweden became the first country where doctors can prescribe travel for wellness. The global leader in quality of life, renowned...

On St. Patrick’s Day, the saying goes, there’s a ‘little bit of Irish’ in us all. For some of us, it’s true all year round. Today, Ireland has about 5 million people. But there are over 30 million Americans (10% of the entire population, the second-highest European ancestry in the USA!) and an even higher percentage of Canadians – nearly 15% of the population – who claim Irish roots. No wonder so many North Americans feel drawn to visit the Emerald...

2026 marks a century after the passing of beloved Impressionist artist, Claude Monet. The museum devoted to his work in Giverny, the community north of Paris that has become synonymous with Monet and the water lilies and gardens he immortalized on canvas, presents a retrospective exhibition. From March 27 to July 5, 2026, the Musée des Impression Giverny hosts "Monet in Giverny. Before the Water Lilies 1883- 1890.” The new exhibition explores the life and work of Monet before the works...

You never forget the moment you come face-to-face with one of the thousands of Terracotta Warriors underground in Xi’an, China. As ancient wonders of the world go, these may make the strongest impression even on an experienced traveler like me. I think it’s because, unlike the vast, mystical monuments like Egypt’s pyramids or Machu Picchu, the warriors are so… personal. On a human scale, individually, even if the archaeological site is breathtakingly vast. And you also feel like you are looking...

Break the boredom of March Break getaways. There’s still time to make March Break about more than the beach. This time of the year presents a whole planet of excitement – and it’s not too late to plan the family break that will create memories of a lifetime. If swapping flip-flops by the pool, with the wonder and exploration that bind families together, appeals to you, here are some inspiring alternatives to all-inclusives. Viking History Immersion in Norway For families with budding...

Whether you are a devotee of the Chinese/ Lunar calendar, for many of us, horses are our spirit animals, and the Year of the Horse reminds us why. Since the earliest civilizations – is any other creature so well-represented on the world’s cave walls, ancient scripts, wall carvings? - Humans around the world have fallen in love with the majesty, power, elegance, intelligence and awe-inspiring beauty of horses. Not to mention utility. Horses became invaluable companions in agriculture, early industry, war...

Cruise lines love to break records – competing for the biggest ships, introducing firsts-at-sea, and of course, creating record-breaking events that give thousands of guests the chance to make history… well, until the record is broken again! Princess Cruises is no stranger to world records. In 2024, the cruise line set a record for the largest pizza party at sea, with guests consuming over 60,000 slices across 16 ships. The event marked a partnership with 13-time World Pizza Champion chef Tony...

When you start to see Easter candy on the shelves, you know it’s time for… Carnival! It’s one of the biggest celebrations – that looks wildly different! - in countries around the world. While always colorful, Carnival is celebrated with such intensely localized traditions that it’s easy to forget that all the Carnivals have the same medieval roots. Christians prepared themselves for the most solemn holy day of Easter by spending the preceding 40 days – called “Lent” – fasting, praying,...

Inky, luminous, and subtly sophisticated. There’s a reason Tahitian “black pearls” are among the most sought-after additions to a jewelry box and a coveted memento of what may be the most exotic and romantic escape. Entire honeymoons are designed around visiting exotic lagoons, choosing an heirloom piece of jewelry and returning home with an iridescent miracle of nature in a velvet box. A Pearl of a GemUnlike mineral gems, pearls are organic, marine miracles, created individually inside oysters. If an irritant,...