Holiday Vacay: Why to Travel for the Holidays and Top Tips to Make it a Triumph
The festive season is no longer just about gathering ‘round the hearth and home; it’s increasingly becoming the perfect time to pack a bag and head somewhere new. More travelers are choosing to spend Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year’s, and other holidays on vacation, whether that means a European Christmas market river cruise, a beach escape in the Caribbean, a snowy celebration on the slopes, or an exotic cultural journey. And we have some good advice to make your trip during the...
10 Global Harvest Festivals Beyond Oktoberfest
While Munich’s Oktoberfest gets all the press as the world’s most famous fall festival, autumn is a season of celebration around the world. Ancient cultures thanked the gods for abundance and prayed for their families to survive the leaner months ahead. The harvest traditions that have been passed through the ages and centuries still today give us a wealth of unique flavors, rituals, and cultural insights. Here are ten festivals worth timing your autumn travels around. Festa della Vendemmia“Grape Harvest Festival:” Tuscany,...
FAQ's About the EU's New Entry System, Launching October, 2025
Are you ready for your next trip to Europe? The European Union’s new, automated, digital entry and exit system for non-EU nationals – including citizens of the U.S. and Canada – will be implemented starting October 12, 2025. The EU’s long-delayed new digital border control process is called EES: Entry/Exit System. Sadly, for nostalgic passport stamp collectors, the new system will eliminate manual stamping. EES replaces the previous system with a digital process that includes the collection of travelers’ biometric data. That means...
Riviera Designates World First Solo Cruise Ship
Solo travel keeps growing, and now there’s a river ship just for singletons to enjoy cruising together for the whole season! Riviera Travel is launching the first-ever cruise ship dedicated to solo travelers in 2027. Now there’s no need to wait until friends or family can join you on holiday – at any time of the river cruising season. Lots of cruise lines, ocean and river, offer solo travel promotions and Riviera Travel itself even offers whole solo itineraries – more...
Sneak Peek at Celebrity Cruises’ New River Ships
How is Celebrity Cruises bringing their revolutionary, ‘Edge-class’ ocean ship design and lifestyle to the rivers of Europe? The cruise line has now revealed at least part of its vision with renderings of their first two river ships: Celebrity Compass and Celebrity Seeker, prior to their launch on the Rhine and Danube rivers in 2027. This comes just a week after the first advance pre-booking access sold out in 6 minutes! We don’t know how many people put down their refundable...
7 Ways to Slow Down and Switch Off in St. Kitts
Instead of a to-do list to check off during your next tropical vacation, the island of St. Kitts invites you to celebrate slow travel: log off, unplug from your devices, and reconnect with yourself and nature with a range of restorative experiences the length and breadth of this 18-mile-long Caribbean island. St. Kitts is the larger of two islands that make up the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis. Green mountain ranges stretch from Mount Liamuiga in the north to the southern...
Transformed Waldorf Astoria Returns as Beacon of NYC as Sister Hotels Open Globally
New York’s Waldorf Astoria hotel is one of just a handful of hotels around the globe that’s a household name synonymous with luxury, society and history. After closing in 2017, the legendary hotel has resumed its place at the apex of New York and global hospitality following a transformational restoration of ballrooms, suites, dining venues and more. The Waldorf Astoria, named after one of America’s first ultra-wealthy families, the Astors, pioneered luxury hospitality innovations. It was the first modern hotel in...
How to get Your Downton Abbey Travel Fix as its “Grand Finale” Hits Theaters
“Set-jetting” to locations in Britain means that you don’t have to say goodbye to the beloved characters of Downton Abbey, even if the final film has been released. The clever play on words has been coined by Visit Britain to reflect how popular visiting film and TV set locations is for visitors to the U.K. They say 87% of travelers to Britain are interested in walking in the footsteps of their favorite on-screen characters, and no wonder! The U.K. is the...
Scenic Enrich: The Exclusive Events that Take Scenic Cruise Luxury to New Heights
Private, after-hours Scenic Enrich cultural events, just for guests of Scenic ocean and river cruises, take a luxury voyage to next-level privilege. Here are my experiences of three Scenic Enrich events from recent ocean and river journeys. By: Lynn Elmhirst, cruise/ travel journalist and expert. Travel in any way makes us feel special and takes us out of our ordinary lives. A Scenic voyage makes you feel transported to a better world: your butler, onboard team, cruise director, restaurant servers, bar tenders...
Tauck Launching Small Groups Just for Travelers in Their 40’s and 50’s
They say ’50 is the new 30!’ And now there’s a new brand of travel experiences - designed just for this new generation of travelers - with maturity, busy lives, high expectations, established tastes and as active as ever. Upscale guided travel company Tauck is tapping into the energy of travelers in their 40s and 50s looking for flexibility, soft adventure and one-of-a-kind experiences. “Roam by Tauck” launches in 2026 with a dozen itineraries across 6 continents by 2027. The high-end, small-group...