For travelers with disabilities, a guided tour can ease some of the work and worry of planning a vacation. With transportation, hotels, and sightseeing coordinated by one company, travelers have a point of contact to discuss their needs and arrange support before departure.

The unknown of how to manage your disability can make an unfamiliar destination seem out of reach. And often that's how it stays. These concerns are enough to make someone stay home.

An estimated 25.6 million American adults with disabilities took 76.9 million trips in the two years preceding a 2024 study commissioned by Open Doors Organization and conducted by The Harris Poll. The figures are the most recent available, and show how many people with disabilities are already traveling.

Planning around the traveler

Guided sightseeing is among the activities travelers with disabilities seek out. In the same study cited above, nearly a quarter of U.S. adults with disabilities said they wanted to participate in guided tours or sightseeing in towns and cities when planning a trip. One in five travelers with disabilities selected guided tours or sightseeing in the countryside.

That's where a tour company like Collette comes in. Tour companies can cater to almost anyone.

“Our goal is to understand each traveler's individual requirements before departure and provide clear guidance on the accommodations available throughout their journey,” said Denise Sablone, Collette’s executive vice president of tour design and delivery.

The company’s client care team reviews daily itinerary details with travelers, including activity levels, walking distances, terrain, transportation, and hotel accommodations, according to Sablone.

This conversation is of particular importance when a traveler’s abilities do not fit neatly into an activity rating. Someone may be comfortable walking short distances but unable to stand for any length of time. Another person may manage level ground but struggle with stairs or uneven streets.

Collette’s Scotland: Land of Lore & Legend itinerary, for example, is an Activity Level 3 rating. The company describes that level as active, including a walking tour lasting about two and a half hours over several miles, hills, and uneven surfaces.

Adjustments on Collette’s Land of Lore & Legend Tour

I went on a recent tour with Collette and my tour guide was able to make an Activity level 3 rating work for me despite my chronic knee pain. It was one of their small tours of 14 people that ran for nearly 2 weeks through Scotland.

For example, during a scheduled three-hour walking tour up and down the Royal Mile; I took a hop-on, hop-off sightseeing bus and saw the same things and even some extras. The alternative provided a way to experience the city without completing the walk I could not manage.

During a Glasgow walking tour, the tour manager, Christina, made sure there were frequent opportunities to stop and rest. She also checked in discreetly throughout the trip.

Hotel room assignments were all on the ground floor and near the entrance, so I didn't have to do stairs or walk a long way.

The itinerary itself had opportunities to experience Scotland while seated. The motorcoach went through the Highlands, passed lochs, castles, sheep farms, and villages, while Christina told us about the country’s history and culture.

At stops, I could choose how far to explore, and depending on the day I would continue with the group, and sometimes I visited a café. I had a lot of choices about how far I pushed myself each day.

Getting specific about support

Those adjustments met my needs, but what if yours are different? Someone using a wheelchair, traveling with a sensory disability, or requiring personal assistance would need a different tour or different support.

Before booking a tour, travelers should be specific about what they can do and not just on their best days. You need to be honest with your tour operator about what you can and can’t do.

Chatting with a tour operator about walking and standing limits, mobility equipment, and bathroom features is a better starting point than a general request for an accessible trip.

Other good questions to ask are:  how you’ll board transportation, whether mobility equipment will fit, and which hotel room features are guaranteed. Make sure they will offer hearing assistance if needed, or multiple bathroom breaks.

You also need to know what happens when someone skips an activity. Where can they wait? How will they rejoin the group? This might be better answered by your individual tour guide, but many tour companies can give you that information beforehand so you can be even more prepared.

Finding a workable vacation

Long days or lots of stairs plus cobblestone streets can make for a difficult day if you have mobility issues. Figuring out those issues early gives a traveler a chance to consider a different tour or tour group altogether. There are hundreds of options and dozens of tour groups that might work better for you.

The Scotland trip was a great example of how an alternative excursion and smaller daily adjustments could keep a knee injury from canceling my trip. For others, the necessary arrangements may be more extensive. But they are worth doing.

For someone who has postponed a vacation because of a disability or a change in mobility, it can also provide a reason to begin planning again.

This article originally appeared on Wander Worthy: Traveling With a Disability? A Guided Tour Could Make the Difference

Travelers may use chatbots to help plan their vacation, but when it's time to book, most say they want a trip planned by someone who has actually been there.

In a survey by tour operator Explore Worldwide, 78% of respondents said they are more likely to book a trip designed by someone with firsthand experience of the destination. Only 11% said they were very confident using AI to choose a destination and book their vacation.

The findings come as more travelers turn to AI. In a summer survey for software company Qlik, 58% of Americans planning a trip said they used AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude; only 14% used human travel agents.

"The research shows us that people are seeking a balance between at-their-fingertips digital tools and trusted human expertise," said Katy Rockett, Explore Worldwide's regional director of North America.

Using AI is not the same as trusting it

In a YouGov survey for Expedia Group, 53% of adults in the U.S., U.K., and India said they were comfortable letting AI suggest travel options, though only 8% were comfortable booking through an AI platform.

"Travelers don't have a technology problem with AI. They have a trust problem," said Xavi Amatriain, Expedia Group's chief AI and data officer.

Answers can also depend on where the AI thinks you are. In tests by VPN provider Planet VPN, ChatGPT named a different "most overrated" tourist destination depending on the user's apparent location: Times Square for a British user, Santorini for an American and Dubrovnik for a German, the company said.

Half of people who use AI for travel say it has led them astray

AI accuracy is a big part of the problem. Among Explore Worldwide respondents who lacked confidence in using AI, half cited accuracy concerns, and 39% worried the results would be too generic. Those worries have some basis; in an August survey commissioned by Greetwell, 55% of travelers who used AI got at least one wrong recommendation, such as a place that was closed, booked, or didn't exist.

Even with small tasks, many travelers don’t trust AI. The same Greetwell survey found that more than half of respondents had little to no trust in AI to book a restaurant reservation without checking it first, which seems to undercut the efficiency of using AI in the first place.

Some mistakes are costly. Rob DelliBovi, CEO at RDB Hospitality Group, shared that he recently had a client lose thousands of dollars in tax refunds because AI told them the tax refund stop in the Milan airport was after security, not before. Karilyn Owen, a trip planner for travel company Adventure Life, said a client used an AI-generated itinerary that had them touring the Vatican on a Sunday, when it’s closed.

AI also struggles with distance and pacing. Trip planner Jason Maynard said that a young family asked AI to fit Cape Town, the Garden Route, the Winelands and Kruger National Park into one trip. Their chatbot told them they could visit one destination in the morning and another in the afternoon.

That plan "would be impossible unless they had a magic helicopter or spaceship," Maynard said. He adds that AI cannot account for the necessary pacing of traveling with a child or that an eight-year-old might not enjoy a wine and food tour.

AI can surface hotels or experiences that were great years ago but have since declined — or even closed, adds Monika Sundem, Adventure Life's CEO. "It often strings together top sights without factoring in real-world logistics like road conditions, travel time, or transport limitations."

AI as a starting point

For many travelers, AI is now the first stop. Safari company Extraordinary Journeys said inquiries from ChatGPT and similar tools rose more than 600% in the last year, many with itineraries already drafted.

Emmanuel Burgio, founder and CEO of Blue Parallel, which designs private trips for wealthy clients, sees the same pattern. Clients arrive with AI itineraries, he said, "but clients still look to us to determine what is realistic, what is worth their time, and what will genuinely deliver on the ground."

Travel Agents use the tools too. Jess Heuermann, a trip planner named to Travel + Leisure's A-List of top travel advisers, said AI is most useful in the margins of a trip, such as finding a restaurant, a museum, or dinner ideas.

"These are small details you can easily work around if AI gets it wrong," she said. "These are not the pillars of your trip that create a truly great experience."

Other travel companies see the same split. "Travelers are embracing AI as an assistant, not an authority," said Dan Richards, CEO of The Global Rescue Companies, a travel risk and rescue firm. In a Global Rescue survey released in September, nearly 60% of travelers said they trust AI travel information only after checking it elsewhere.

Human planning is essential

Travelers who have worked with a planner say it pays off. Of the 42% of Explore respondents who had used a vacation-planning professional, 92% said it was helpful, including 53% who said it was very helpful.

Planners say the biggest gap shows up when a trip goes off course. "When something goes wrong, there's no one to step in, adjust plans, or leverage relationships to fix issues," Sundem said of AI.

Heuermann agreed. "Only a human can hop on the phone and help sort out a missed transfer or delayed flight," she said.

She said AI also cannot judge what a place feels like. "AI has not had boots on the ground. It can't tell you how loud a hotel room is (or isn't) at night," Heuermann said.

"AI can tell you what is good in the aggregate; it can't tell you what is good for you.”

This article originally appeared on Wander Worthy: Travel Planners Say AI Is a Good Starting Point for a Trip, but Not the Final Word

Just north of Washington state, Canada’s Okanagan Valley is a sun-drenched stretch of vineyards, orchards, sparkling lakes, and scenic bike trails. Cross the border, and you’ll find more than 200 wineries pouring British Columbia wines, and every U.S. dollar gets you about 40 extra Canadian cents to spend on them.

Here’s how to eat, drink, and bike your way across this surprising culinary destination.

Getting There

You can approach the Okanagan Valley from the south, but the flight from Vancouver to Kelowna is a much more scenic way in. Book a seat on the left side of the plane, and you may see four mountain ranges out your window in less than an hour.

From Kelowna, it’s easy to explore the valley from Vernon in the north to Osoyoos near the U.S. border, with plenty of hiking, biking, and tasting along the way.

Vernon and Kelowna

Start just south of Vernon, with a walk through Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park with Ancestral Heartbeat Tours. Indigenous educator Laura Dohla guides you along ponderosa pine-dotted trails overlooking the glacial blue Kalamalka Lake and invites you to take “more time to be able to breathe, and just be able to hear the quiet.”

From a traditional drumming welcome song to the Syilx Okanagan creation story, the tour gives you a sense of place through the oral histories and ancestral stories of the territory. You might even spot a bear.

Head down to Kelowna for a bike ride along the Myra Canyon Trestles, with views of the interior B.C. landscape at every turn. An e-bike from family business Myra Canyon Bicycle Rentals makes it easy to cross more than 18 wooden trestles and pass through two tunnels along the Kettle Valley Rail Trail, a roughly 660-kilometer (410-mile) route that follows a decommissioned railway corridor.

Where to wine: In Kelowna, head to Ailm Estate for a seasonal outdoor tasting with sparkling wine flights and food pairings. The hilltop setting overlooks historic vineyards and Okanagan Lake. Also plan a stop at Summerhill Pyramid Winery, known for its organic wines aged in a pyramid cellar. Book a tasting tour that includes a visit inside the pyramid.

Where to dine: UNESCO recently named Kelowna the first and only City of Gastronomy in Canada, recognizing the city’s commitment to stewarding the land and the region’s rich agricultural landscape around it.

For a taste of that local farm-to-table flavor, book a table at Humo in downtown Kelowna, near the waterfront. The five-course chef’s tasting menu is the best way to try the most innovative locally-sourced dishes coming out of the kitchen.

Across the lake in West Kelowna, start the morning with sweet or savory bannock at the Indigenous-owned Kekuli Cafe, then stop by Paynter’s Fruit Market to stock up on locally grown fruit for the road.

Where to stay: The historic Hotel Eldorado is a Victorian-style inn on Okanagan Lake. Founded in 1926 by the Countess Bubna, this elegant boutique hotel has some spacious waterfront suites with kitchenettes, fireplaces, and giant soaking tubs.

Downstairs, the Lakeside Dining Room serves a farm-to-table menu that names its local producers and has a curated wine list that earned a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence.

Start with salty-buttered bread, then order the steelhead with a glass of Quails’ Gate Stewart Family Reserve Chardonnay from West Kelowna. Locals call this the wine the “gateway to Chardonnay.”

Summerland

The drive down the western shore of Okanagan Lake to Summerland serves up lake views so striking you might think you’re in New Zealand. On a clear day, the water is a striking blue.

In charming downtown Summerland, stop by True Grain Bakehouse for baked goods made with ancient grains from local organic farms. Todd Laidlaw, who opened the Summerland store in 2012, says, “What we like to say at True Grain is that we connect the farmer to the miller, to the baker, and then to our community.”

He’s proud that “everything we bake traces back to that local organic farm. So we're really giving you a taste of British Columbia.”

Where to wine: Haywire Winery has a modern tasting room at the organic Switchback Vineyard. Reserve a flight tasting and see their cellar of concrete fermentation tanks.

Co-founder Christine Coletta, known as the “godmother of BC wine” for her contributions to the industry, says, “We have the largest collection of concrete tanks in Canada. And so we're pretty committed to using concrete.” Coletta says the concrete’s thermal mass heats and cools gently during fermentation, “so everything is very, very gentle and natural.”

Where to dine: Shaughnessy's Cove is a good pick for a casual dinner, especially if you’re staying next door at the Summerland Waterfront Resort. Share gyoza and coconut shrimp to start, then order a hearty main like fish and chips or fish tacos.

Where to stay: Summerland Waterfront Resort and Spa sits on Okanagan Lake, with a boardwalk along a shoreline marsh, and a dock for paddleboards, kayaks, and motorized boats. The spacious lakeview suites have kitchenettes and fireplaces, and a free laundry room for guests is a welcome perk for longer stays.

Penticton

It’s only a 15-minute drive from Summerland to Penticton, a fun-size town with plenty to explore. Rent an e-bike from Freedom Bike Shop and ask the shop to shuttle you to the Kettle Valley Rail Trail.

The downhill route from Naramata has incredible scenery, and you can cruise right through Little Tunnel and on to Abandoned Rail Brewing Co for lunch. Pair your pizza with an apple slush or a flight of beer, then hop back on the bike shop shuttle after your meal.

Where to wine: Combine wining and dining at the Poplar Grove Winery and restaurant, where Executive Chef Stacy Johnston and Chef de Cuisine Minette Lotz describe their food philosophy as “thoughtful food.” They grow, forage, and source ingredients from local farmers, so the menu changes with each growing season.

“An interesting new-to-me forageable that I started working with this year is rowan berries,” says Lotz. “They’ve been traditionally used in jams and jellies … in the UK and all over Europe for hundreds of years.”

At the restaurant, try their foraged rowan berry preserve on warm holler honey buns, alongside a glass of Poplar Grove Benchmark Brut.

Where to dine: Start your day at Wayne & Freda, a cafe named for the owners’ grandparents who met later in life at an Okanagan care home. Order a breakfast sandwich or bowl with an Okanagan Morning smoothie, and pick up a souvenir hoodie at the neighboring specialty shop.

Where to stay: Penticton is an easy day trip from Summerland, so there’s no need to book a separate hotel if you’re staying at the Summerland Waterfront Resort.

Osoyoos

You’re now almost at the U.S. border, and the landscape changes. Osoyoos is a semi-arid shrub-steppe that locals call a pocket desert. Visit the Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre to learn more about “Canada’s only desert” and the living culture of the Osoyoos Indian Band.

Walk the nature trails through the 1,600-acre desert conservation area and see Indigenous structures, including a tule mat teepee, a submerged pit house, and a sweat lodge.

Where to wine: From the cultural center, stroll over to Nk’Mip Cellars, North America’s first Indigenous-owned and operated winery.

Have lunch on the patio, where the vineyard slopes down toward Osoyoos Lake, and order a glass of Storytellers Dreamcatcher, a blend of Riesling, Ehrenfelser, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, and Semillon. “We call it an orchard in a glass,” says Troy Ravndahl, the estate manager. “It’s a very approachable and easy-drinking wine.”

Where to dine: For a standout meal in the Okanagan, reserve a private Chef’s Table experience at Backyard Farm in nearby Oliver, where Chef Chris Van Hooydonk spends the day harvesting ingredients from his farm, then creates a multi-course meal just for your party.

“It's the ability for me to say, let's build this trust together,” says Chef Van Hooydonk. “You come in here and let me showcase some of my favorite things and just play.” Bring your own wine, with recommendations from Chef Van Hooydonk, and let the menu be a surprise.

Where to stay: Book a condo suite at Watermark Beach Resort, overlooking Osoyoos Lake. Many suites have full kitchens and in-suite washers and dryers. Spend the afternoon at the hotel’s outdoor pool and jacuzzi, or walk down the beach for a swim in Canada’s warmest lake.

Heading Back

From Osoyoos, it’s only about a two-hour drive back to Kelowna, where you can catch a flight home. Follow Highway 97 north along Lake Okanagan and watch the vineyards and orchards you just toured roll past in reverse.

This article originally appeared on Wander Worthy: Canada’s Okanagan Valley Is the Wine Region You Need on Your Radar

You don’t need a flapper dress or pinstripe suit to experience the glamor of a Roaring Twenties theater weekend in Houston. A stay at the 100-year-old Lancaster Hotel, a Texas Historic Landmark in the heart of the city’s Theater District, makes it easy to slip into the spirit of the era while you’re in town for a show.

My daughter and I spent a weekend at The Lancaster, where the old-school hospitality made her feel like a celebrity, from the moment a valet open her passenger-side door. We enjoyed a weekend of being fancy ladies, from champagne at check-in to tiny desserts at afternoon tea, before walking a mere four minutes to see the Houston Ballet perform.

The Lancaster Hotel Turns 100

This year, The Lancaster Hotel celebrates a century as Houston’s premier luxury boutique hotel for performing arts patrons. Built in 1926 to accommodate city auditorium audiences, this five-star hotel is now surrounded by arts venues.

Today, guests of The Lancaster Hotel are just steps from Houston Ballet and Houston Grand Opera performances at Wortham Theater Center and Houston Symphony shows at Jones Hall for the Performing Arts. The Alley Theatre and the Hobby Center, home to plays and Broadway musicals, are also an easy walk away.

My daughter and I drove in from Austin to see Houston Ballet perform “Manon.” Staying at The Lancaster Hotel made our whole weekend feel like a special occasion.

Houston’s Art Hotel

In 2018, The Lancaster underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation, with a vision of transforming the historic property into Houston’s Art Hotel. Today, more than 200 contemporary works adorn the walls, making a stroll through the hotel a colorful art adventure.

You can take a self-guided tour of the collection, which features hundreds of works by Texas artists. Pick up a directory at the front desk and scan QR codes with your phone to listen to audio clips about the artists and their work.

Afternoon Tea in the Mezzanine

On Saturdays and Sundays, The Lancaster Hotel serves a traditional afternoon tea twice a day. If you’re planning a weekend stay, make your tea reservation when you book your room because the service is popular with locals and can fill up quickly. Valet service is included in the price of the three-course meal.

For our Autumn Afternoon Tea, we started by choosing from a selection of black, green, white, and caffeine-free teas for our personal pots. My daughter selected the seasonal hot cinnamon spice tea, and I opted for the traditional Ceylon black tea. You can sample as many flavors as you like throughout your meal. The white wedding tea was a popular choice around the room.

Once our teas had steeped, the server delivered a three-tier stand filled with delicacies. Our seasonal goodies included four tea sandwiches (coronation chicken was my favorite), freshly baked cranberry orange scones with lemon curd and imported Devonshire clotted cream, plus four petite desserts per person. It’s an impressive amount of food, so come hungry.

Dinner and a Show

Still full from afternoon tea, my daughter and I dressed for the ballet and headed downstairs to Cultivated F+B for dinner. The restaurant was buzzing with theater-goers who all had the same idea, and we didn’t have a reservation. Whoops. I now know that The Lancaster is a popular pre-theater dinner and drinks spot for locals.

Fortunately, a table opened up just as we arrived, and the staff managed to squeeze us in. We ordered airline chicken breast with a sun-dried cherry demi sauce, broccolini, and a side of truffle fries. With curtain time approaching, there was no time for dessert, but fortunately we’d already sampled it the night before. My daughter recommends the chocolate namelaka with crunchy matcha crumbles.

Following our delicious meal, we walked to the Wortham Theater Center in less than five minutes, arriving just in time to settle into our seats before the show started at 7:30 p.m. It was so nice not to have to deal with driving and hunting for parking.

Itinerary for a Houston Theater Weekend

Here’s how my daughter and I spent our theater weekend at The Lancaster. Use this itinerary as a starting point to plan your own Houston getaway:

Friday

• 7 p.m. Check in at The Lancaster Hotel and enjoy your welcome glass of champagne
• 8 p.m. Head to the Cultivated F+B for dessert and an espresso martini or coffee

Saturday

• 9 a.m. Ease into the day with a complimentary breakfast buffet
• 10 a.m. Get ready at your leisure
• Noon. Head to the Mezzanine for afternoon tea
• 2 p.m. Explore Houston (here, I must confess, we went shopping at Houston Galleria, which was not the most cultural choice)
• 6 p.m. Enjoy dinner at Cultivated F+B before the evening’s performance
• 7 p.m. Take a short walk to a nearby theater for a ballet, opera, symphony performance, or play
• 10:30 p.m. Celebrate the luxury of skipping the post-show traffic and being just minutes from your bed

Sunday

• 9 a.m. Have one more lovely breakfast at the hotel
• 11 a.m. Make the most of the complimentary snacks and drinks in your room, an underrated perk
• 12 p.m. Check out and head home, refreshed from a weekend of good food and art

Plan Your Visit

To plan your Houston theater weekend, start by browsing the Houston Theater District website to find upcoming performances that interest you.

Then, check out The Lancaster Hotel’s special offers to see if there’s a deal that works with your schedule. If afternoon tea is on your wish list, be sure to check the tea schedule and reserve your spot in advance.

To build the rest of your itinerary, Visit Houston is a great resource for local events and attractions.

This article originally appeared on Wander Worthy: A Perfect Theater Weekend at Houston’s Historic Lancaster Hotel

As a year-round Hamptons resident and the CEO and founder of East End Taste, the appeal of visiting The Hamptons in autumn still encompasses plenty of outdoor time along the trails, shopping along the Main Streets, and frequent visits to the local bakeries,

“My ideal fall weekend includes time outside, delicious ingredients from a local farm, and a dinner I’m looking forward to,” Gordon says. “I would leave room between those plans. You want time to enjoy where you are.”

Her recommendations form an easygoing weekend centered around Sag Harbor, Water Mill, and Bridgehampton, with options to explore farther west, head to Montauk, or take the ferry to Shelter Island.

Friday: Settle In and Make Dinner the Evening’s Main Event

Sag Harbor works particularly well as a home base for a weekend of village browsing, waterfront walks, and meals close together.

Faraway Sag Harbor is one option for travelers drawn to a harborfront setting and a cozy fireplace. Allow time to enjoy the hotel itself: an unhurried drink and a comfortable place to sit can be part of the itinerary. Upstairs, visit Zagara, a restaurant with a concept and menu inspired by the Amalfi Coast. Favorites include the Salted Black Seabass Tartare and Lemon risotto.

Farther west, Canoe Place Inn in Hampton Bays is another choice, especially for visitors planning to spend time around Hampton Bays and Quogue. Its Good Ground Tavern is worth considering for dinner even if you stay elsewhere: the three-course fall prix fixe is available daily from 5 to 9 p.m., with chicken pot pie among the seasonal dishes. Popular dishes are their Caesar Salad and Stuffed Clams, which may be found on their Happy Hour menu.

For dinner in Sag Harbor, Gordon recommends Sen, the longtime Japanese restaurant on Main Street. Build the evening around sushi and dishes from the kitchen, then take a village stroll.

Another of her recommendations, Bistro Été in Water Mill, suits a night when dinner is the destination. Its French and Mediterranean cooking offers a reason to settle in and take your time. In summer, it may be tricky to get a reservation.

“I would choose a restaurant you’re excited about and let that be your evening,” Gordon says. “You don’t need three more stops afterward for it to feel like a special night.”

Saturday Morning: Carissa’s and a Slow Walk Around Sag Harbor

Start at Carissa’s on Bay Street for breakfast to take away. The Sag Harbor location is takeout only, making it a natural stop before exploring the village.

Include Sage & Madison on Madison Street, where the boutique occupies a converted barn on a historic property. Its selection spans tea, chocolates, home accessories, clothing, and gifts. It is a lovely place to look for something to bring a host or something small to take home as a reminder of the weekend.

“Sag Harbor is a place I would give a whole morning,” Gordon says. “Have breakfast, walk around, and go into the smaller shops. Those stops are part of what makes the village worth visiting. Shops I love visiting again and again are The Wharf Shop, Via Coquina, and Love Binetti.”

For another of Gordon’s recommendations, drive out to Serene Green on Noyac Road, a popular local spot. The farm stand and seafood market is a useful stop for seasonal produce and ingredients to bring back to a rental.

Saturday Afternoon: Cider Doughnuts, Farm Food, and a Corn Maze

At the Milk Pail, apple cider doughnuts belong on the shopping list. Add apples, cider, or a pie, depending on what you plan to eat over the weekend. If apple picking is part of your ideal fall day, check the U-Pick schedule and available varieties before visiting. The orchard and the farm market are separate stops, so confirm which address you need.

Nearby, Fairview Farm at Mecox deserves a visit for its food as well as its fall activities. Browse the farm stand for produce and baked goods such as homemade pies and challah, and ask what prepared foods are available that day. A farm visit can supply an afternoon treat, something for breakfast, or part of dinner back at your rental.

For families, the farm’s seasonal corn maze can become the afternoon’s main activity. Its 2026 season is open through November 8. The concession stand also offers made-to-order ribbon fries and the farm’s own popcorn.

“The farm stops are part of the experience, so I would arrive with an appetite,” Gordon says. “Leave room for the doughnuts, look at what’s available at the market, and bring something home. I highly recommend their homemade mac and cheese or eggplant parm.”

Sunday: Take the Ferry to Shelter Island and Stay for Sunset

Save Sunday for Shelter Island, with enough time for a trail walk, a leisurely lunch, and sunset by the water. From Sag Harbor, drive to North Haven and take the South Ferry across with your car or bike.

Begin at Mashomack Preserve, near the island’s southern end. Its 1.2-mile Red Trail is a manageable option for a morning walk, leaving plenty of the day for other stops. Pick up a trail map at the entrance and check current access before setting out.

For lunch, Gordon recommends Opties & Dinghies on North Ferry Road, where dumplings, scallion pancakes, and sweet and savory crêpes make for an appealingly eclectic menu. Order a few things to share, then leave time to wander through Shelter Island Heights before heading toward the shore.

Catching the sunset is a must on Gordon’s itinerary. Head to Crescent Beach, also known as Louis’ Beach, on Shore Road, and arrive before the sun begins to drop so you can enjoy the changing light across the bay. Bring an extra layer and give yourself permission to linger.

“I would never skip the sunset on Shelter Island,” Gordon says. “Have lunch, explore a little, and leave that part of the day open. You don’t want to be watching the clock when you could be sitting by the water.”

Make a dinner reservation at Léon 1909 on West Neck Road, where a wood-burning hearth anchors the restaurant’s French-Italian cooking. Start with brioche and a Caesar salad, then consider the chicken with herb salsa verde or day-boat scallops from the hearth menu. For a more casual dinner, the Léon Burger comes with Gruyère, caramelized onion, and sour pickle. Leave room for olive oil cake or a sassafras affogato, and time your reservation so you can catch the sunset beforehand.

For an alternative evening, check the Ram’s Head Inn’s calendar before your trip. Its programming has included murder-mystery dinners and other seasonal events, giving visitors a reason to plan an evening around the inn. Choose whichever dinner or event appeals most, then check the South Ferry’s return schedule before heading out for the day.

Make Room for a Walk and Look at What Happens After Dark

Quogue Wildlife Refuge has a trail network that passes through forests and around ponds, and admission to the trails and Outdoor Wildlife Complex is free.

For a different experience, look at the refuge’s calendar for guided evening programs. It has offered full-moon night hikes, and its fall 2026 calendar includes a November 24 lantern tour at the Fairy Dell Boardwalk timed to the full moon. These are scheduled outings to book around, rather than activities available every evening.

Seal walks are another possibility as fall gives way to the colder months. Check the Coastal Research and Education Society of Long Island’s schedule for guided walks at Cupsogue Beach in Westhampton Beach. Its previous season began in mid-November; confirm the new season’s dates before building a trip around one. There have been many sightings from Eastport out to Montauk in recent years.

A Montauk Detour: Spa Time, Oceanfront Igloos, and Dinner at Gurney’s

Gurney’s Montauk gives travelers several reasons to plan an autumn afternoon or a full weekend around the ocean. For a quieter weekday escape, the Autumn Escape Spa Special pairs a 60-minute signature massage or high-performance facial with full-day access to the Seawater Spa & Bathhouse’s heated pool, plunge pools, sauna, and steam room. It is currently available Monday through Thursday through December 20.

The resort’s Igloos by the Sea return November 7 through April 4, with six oceanfront igloos taking inspiration from Lake Tahoe. Expect Tahoe-inspired cocktails, cozy plaid blankets, and decorative pillows offering a preview of Gurney’s Lake Tahoe Resort & Spa, scheduled to open in spring 2027. It is an inviting option for travelers who want to enjoy the coast as the weather turns colder.

At Gigi’s, the Taste of Gigi’s Fall & Winter Prix Fixe offers three courses for $65 per person, Sunday through Thursday, beginning October 12th. Choices include seasonal soup or burrata with peaches and pomegranate, followed by filet mignon, Faroe Island salmon, or roasted organic chicken, and desserts such as chocolate mousse cake or salted caramel budino.

“Gigi’s is perhaps one of the most solid restaurants open year-round in Montauk,” says Gordon. “I make sure to make my way out to Gurney’s a handful of times off-season.”

Give Montauk its own stretch of the itinerary so there is time to enjoy the coastline, the spa, or a long meal without rushing back to Sag Harbor.

This article originally appeared on Wander Worthy: The Hamptons in Fall: A Local’s Guide to a Perfect Weekend

Anniversaries are joyous occasions, until you’ve lost someone. Grief can turn birthdays, milestones, and the holidays into bittersweet hurdles to overcome. Death anniversaries are in a league of their own because there is no social script.

Do we mourn the person we lost? Do we celebrate their life? Strangest of all, it is a monumental day for you but the world carries on, business as usual.

So, as I approached the ten year anniversary of my mom’s death, I was even more indecisive  than usual as to how to spend it. All I knew was that I didn’t want to be in the apartment where we lived together for over a decade.

When I saw the Shangri-La Toronto had an ‘Eat, Play, Love’ package inspired by the film Eat, Pray, Love—a rom-com that endorses self-care during a difficult time—I booked a last-minute staycation.

Staycations Make For Easy Journeys

As I rode public transit downtown with my suitcase, I fantasized about my five-star hibernation that would involve luxurious baths, in-room dining, and cuddling up in bed with movie snacks. I also was excited for the Shangri-La itself.

Booking a hotel in your own city means you already know its reputation. With Toronto being the annual host of TIFF (the Toronto International Film Festival), I’d always known the Shangri-La as a prime venue for celebrity-spotting.

But this was June, not September. Still, the swanky hotel in the heart of downtown is a place to see and be seen. As I walked into the lobby lounge, with its red velvet half-moon sofas, two-storey windows, and glass-enclosed ballgowns, I felt a rush of excitement.

I immediately noticed the familiar sound of ‘Memory’ from the musical Cats playing on the grand piano and recalled why I was there. The somber melody ushered childhood memories of our single-mom family belting the lyrics while cradling our two cats.

Of the hotel’s 202 rooms and suites, I had a one-bedroom suite, the most basic of the six suite options. But with a corner soaker tub overlooking the CN Tower in the marble-clad bathroom, a separate living area and lavish 300-thread count linens, my suite was far from basic.

I reached for the in-room dining menu out of habit—after a long journey, I almost always arrive to a hotel ready to eat. But then I realized I only travelled an hour door-to-door so I wasn’t hungry. I ordered anyway—after ten years, I knew grief could manipulate one’s appetite.

Nostalgic Comfort Foods

The focus at Shangri-La’s signature restaurant Bosk was Northern Italian flavors but the use of local Canadian ingredients made the food feel familiar. I didn’t expect what I ordered to make me so nostalgic.

The Canadian smoked gouda soup with morel powder surprisingly reminded me of the homemade broccoli soup I ate as a kid, and the giant juicy meatballs sparked memories of my grandfather’s comforting handmade meatballs—albeit these were much more impressive, coated with rich oozing parmesan atop luscious polenta.

I cozied up for a self-care night in with the latest Bridget Jones Diary movie, which happens to be all about grief. As appetizing as the movie snacks provided as part of my package looked—think: freshly popped kernels in the classic red and white striped movie popcorn box and a movie ticket made of gold-dusted dark chocolate—I saved them for later because I’d seen one of my mom’s favorites on the dessert menu. I savored every bite of my creamy tiramisu in her honor as I watched Bridget wallow in her grief on screen.

Wherever You Go, There You Are

So far I had been treated like a queen, but I tossed and turned that night in my plush queen-sized bed. The looming cloud of loneliness and longing for my mom had crept in, right on schedule. I had put all this effort into avoiding my feelings, but they came anyway. “Wherever you go, there you are,” circled in my mind until I eventually dozed off.

I couldn’t run from my feelings but running from my apartment at least offered a change of scenery. Shifting my routine works wonders for getting me out of my head, especially when I’m grieving. The next day, I returned to a dance studio I love and caught up on sleep with an afternoon nap in restorative yoga. I wandered around buzzy downtown Toronto, people-watching and window-shopping. 

I returned to the hotel to eat, hoping to reignite the feelings of comfort last night’s dinner delivered. As I waited for room service to arrive, I made the mistake of checking my inbox and discovered an email notifying me I was being laid off. It wasn’t even comparable to losing my mom, but the smallest loss can exacerbate existing feelings of grief. 

An Unexpected Loss

My brain started down its usual track of rumination but then the doorbell rang. I opened the door to the same server I had the evening before. I barely knew him, but seeing a familiar face shook me out of my thoughts. He asked how my day was going and I overshared, withholding the death anniversary but telling him I’d just been laid off. He didn’t say much but it didn’t matter—just being able to share the news helped.

This time I was hungry when I ordered, but the newfound grief had turned my stomach sour. Still, I ate. Because this wasn’t just some sad meal I had cobbled together out of necessity. This was food made with thought and care.

Even if the chef and the server didn’t know me personally, I felt they had given me a gift, by creating something beautiful that would nourish me—both physically and emotionally.

As I slowly sipped my steaming soup, I realized why I suddenly felt so grateful—my mom couldn’t cook when I was growing up. A brain aneurysm when I was eight left her paralyzed on one side. Cooking with her non-dominant hand turned the kitchen into a site of stress.

Her disability also meant she never folded my clothes or made my bed so I split housekeeping duties with the occasional care aid. This wasn’t a huge loss—I was just happy to grow up with my mom. But now, as an adult, having someone look after me is a novel experience.

The Overlooked Value Of Hospitality

This is what makes hotels so special—they’re one of the few places where I really feel taken care of. Having my bed made and my mess of toiletries made orderly; relishing in an inspired meal delivered to my bed—these seemingly small acts create a sense of nurturance.

I’ve always thought people take staycations to explore their own city or save time and money on travel, but now I know they offer so much more. When you’re going through a difficult time, they provide respite without having to expend extra energy on planning a trip.

That night, I marveled at the CN Tower illuminated by strikes of lightning from my foamy bath. As the rain cascaded down the wraparound windows, I felt a release that was deeper than my tense muscles melting from the rose bath salts.

Perhaps my mental health staycation wasn’t me running away from my grief as I’d initially thought but, rather, leaning into it. By letting myself be taken care of, I honored both the loss of the parental duties I didn’t experience when she was alive, and my grief for her now that she was gone.

This article originally appeared on Wander Worthy: Why a Staycation Was Exactly What My Grief Needed

If you’re the type of traveler who likes to spend your vacation days in motion, The Ritz-Carlton Oahu, Turtle Bay is the place for you.

It takes about an hour from Honolulu International Airport to reach this resort on Oahu’s North Shore, but trading city traffic for five miles of rugged shoreline and 12 miles of trails makes it well worth the scenic drive to get there.

Plan an Action-Packed Hawaiian Getaway

When you arrive at The Ritz-Carlton Oahu, Turtle Bay, be ready to play. There are so many resort experiences on tap here, they can’t all fit on the towering activity board in the lobby. Some are free, some cost extra, but all require reservations.

So, your first stop after checking in should be the concierge desk to discuss your options, from guided shoreline fishing to night snorkeling for fluorescent corals.

I recommend you start by signing up for every single complimentary activity, including lei making, ukulele lessons, and hula lessons. If you have a kid in tow, they’ll get a keiki passport at check-in to fill with stamps for completing activities.

But even if you don’t have a pint-sized companion, don’t miss any of the free fun. On my solo stay, I loved making a flower crown out of fresh orchids and learning the storytelling art of hula from Luana, a local dancer who started hula at age 5 and went professional at age 14.

Learn To Surf in World-Class Waves

I also enjoyed “Intro to Surf” at the resort’s Jamie O'Brien Surf Experience. This daily free morning walk and talk gives you a brief overview of a wide array of topics: local legend Jamie O’Brien’s professional surfing career, surf breaks along the North Shore, the history of surfing in Hawaii, and even how to use leaves from a naupaka plant to defog your snorkel mask.

My guide for the tour, Hugo Aguilar, has been surfing for 25 years and teaching for about 12. He says Oahu’s North Shore is basically the Mecca of surfing. “The North Shore is known as the Seven Mile Miracle,” says Aguilar. “Seven miles of some of the best world-class waves on the planet.”

The most helpful part of the tour for me was when Aguilar demonstrated step by step how to paddle (with scoop hands), pop up (cobra, lunge, rise), and stand (low like a pro) on a surfboard. He then had me try. These techniques came in handy when I returned for a 90-minute surf lesson later in the day.

The class got me out on the waves within minutes, so I was glad I’d had the extra morning instruction and practice popping up on land.

Swim, Snorkel, and SUP

For lower-key water adventures, the surf shop offers stand-up paddleboard rentals, and the resort has kayak and canoe excursions you can book.

There’s also snorkeling in Kuilima Cove, a protected lagoon right next to the hotel. Bring your own snorkel, or buy one from the resort’s Holoholo Market. This is a nice, calm area for beginners where sea turtles sometimes hang out.

If you’re traveling with kids in tow, the Ritz-Carlton Oahu, Turtle Bay has two heated pools, including a kids pool with two waterslides, and a hot tub. Sunscreen is free, which makes your job easier.

For kid-free swimming, there’s one adult pool and an adult hot tub. Order a poolside Mai Tai and see if you agree with my server that they’re the best on the island. He says they’ve been using the same Mai Tai recipe for more than 50 years. (Mine was quite delicious.)

Walk Over to The Stables at Turtle Bay

A 10-minute walk from the resort — or an even shorter bike ride — and you’ll find The Stables at Turtle Bay. Visit the horses in their oceanside pen, or book a special equestrian experience through the concierge to enjoy more time with them.

You can choose from horseback rides along the shore, equine training for kids, and wagon rides for all ages. The horseback rides vary in price, with the early-morning ride generally being the most affordable.

Hike or Bike Miles of Scenic Trails

To tool around the property on two wheels, rent a beach cruiser between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. You get 45 minutes free each day, included in your resort fee.

If you want to explore more, join the twice-daily cultural e-bike tour or have a rental (e-bike or mountain bike) delivered to the resort. There are 12 miles of public access and mountain bike trails waiting for you. Find the full-size Turtle Bay Trails map framed next to the concierge desk, or view the pocket trail map.

Make the Most of Your Resort Fee

Start each day with an exercise class that’s included in your resort fee. These range from yoga to qigong (where you combine movement, breathing, and meditation).

In addition to the daily wellness class, here’s what’s included in your resort fee:

• Arrival lei of fresh orchids or kukui nuts
• Daily 45-minute beach cruiser bike rental
• Daily two beach chairs and one umbrella set-up
• Daily use of pickleball court, with paddles and balls
• Daily resort activities, including hula, lei making, and ukulele lessons

Upgrade for a Club Experience

There are six places to dine at Ritz-Carlton Oahu, Turtle Bay (I recommend sunset dining al fresco at Alaia — save room for the scrumptious coconut cake), but for convenient light meals in between activities, look into the Club experience.

By booking a room with Club access, you can swing by the lounge for free food and drink spreads that are refreshed five times a day.

For breakfast, I enjoyed fresh fruit, eggs, bacon, granola, a variety of breads, and mimosas. At lunch, I loved the chicken salad croissant and cheddar broccoli soup. Dinner came with wine and cocktails. And the ocean view from the indoor/outdoor lounge can’t be beat.

By upgrading to the Club experience, you also get unlimited use of beach cruisers and pickleball, plus a dedicated concierge to help you get the most out of your stay.

Activities Galore at Ritz-Carlton Oahu, Turtle Bay

I arrived at the resort with only one reservation for a surf lesson, and I had no trouble filling my days with activities by stopping at the concierge desk. But if you’re a better planner than me, check out the links below to see your options:

• All activities
• Event calendar
• Fitness and spa
• Golf
• Humpback whale watching (December to May)
• Resort and trail map

To see more of the North Shore during your stay, you can rent a Tesla at the resort.

This article originally appeared on Wander Worthy: No Time To Sit Around at The Ritz-Carlton Oahu, Turtle Bay, Hawaii

Wisconsin's wine country is ready to be taken seriously. Six wineries on a limestone ridge in northeastern Wisconsin have agreed to a rule that most American wine regions wouldn't: each makes its own version of a dry white wine called Ledge Blanc. Before any of them can put that name on the bottle, the wine must score at least 90 out of 100 points from a blind tasting panel of outside professionals.

It's a bold thing to do in a state better known for sweet cherry wine, but it's one of the best reasons to visit Door County right now.

Ledge Blanc is a shared style with a shared name, much like European wine. Old World regions like Burgundy, Champagne, and Chianti are defined by place rather than grape. The six wineries each make their own wine from their own vineyards, but it has to taste as if it came from this specific stretch of northeastern Wisconsin before it can use the name.

“The goal {of the Ledge Blanc Project} is to foster a cooperative winemaking culture and celebrate the region's unique style through a recognizable appellation wine,” says Amy Gale, Owner of Anchored Roots Vineyard and Winery.

Namely, a crisp, refreshing, light-bodied wine with pronounced aromatics, delivering vibrant acidity while maintaining overall balance. It's light and not oaky. If you order Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio, Ledge Blanc is the same part of the wine list.

Most importantly, it's a food wine, meant to be at home with Wisconsin cheese, a Friday night fish fry, and a nice meal out. Until recently, cold-climate winemaking in the Upper Midwest was pushed toward sugar to balance punishing acidity, hence the plethora of sweet, fruity wine the region is known for.

Then in 2017 the University of Minnesota released Itasca, its fifth cold-hardy wine grape and, by the university's account, the first with acidity low enough to make a high-quality dry white. Itasca now anchors most Ledge Blancs; less than a decade ago, the wine being poured today was much harder to make here.

Tasting the Ledge

Arguably, the best way to explore a region is through the local food and drink scene. The Wisconsin Ledge spans the northeastern part of the state along the Lake Michigan coast. Six wineries currently make Ledge Blanc, and four are in Door County, spaced along the peninsula’s spine, which makes for a perfect one-day wine trip: Parallel 44 Vineyard & Winery in Sturgeon Bay; Mixed Meadia Wines and Anchored Roots Vineyard & Winery, both in Egg Harbor; and Whitecap Winery in Ellison Bay. The other two, Wolf and Fox Winery and Ziegler Winery, are farther south near Lake Winnebago.

“We are taking the grape-to-glass concept to the next level by giving visitors destinations that have been vetted for quality standards and an opportunity to get to know our region one sip at a time,” says Gale.

Start in Sturgeon Bay and head north; Highway 42 will take you past orchard markets filled with apples and cider, ideal stops between tasting rooms. The circuit takes a little over an hour of driving, which leaves plenty of time to relax between stops.

Begin at Parallel 44, where the tasting room looks out over the vineyards. Try the Ledge Blanc, of course, but also their ice-wine styles and Glacier Fumé, a dry white with honey and oak. Twenty minutes north in Egg Harbor is Anchored Roots; their most recent Ledge Blanc contains 81% Itasca grapes, so compare how they taste across the different wineries.

Also in Egg Harbor is Mixed Meadia, a winery and meadery that sources fruit and honey entirely from the Wisconsin Ledge. Its Ledge Blanc is estate-grown, and make sure to taste their cherry pét-nat, with local tart cherries in the style of a dry wine.

Gale adds that every Ledge Blanc is different, but all share a crisp, aromatic, refreshing style.

Now is the Time to Go

Door County’s high season is July, with an average nightly lodging rate of $324, according to the Door County Tourism Zone Commission. October is a different story, with the average nightly rate at only $266, about $58 cheaper. Occupancy also drops to about 60%, which in practice means easier parking and less waiting for a table.

“Fall in Door County can be full of energy with our many weekend festivals or serene with colorful fall drives, crisp morning hikes and leisurely dinners featuring local ingredients,” says Jen Rogers, Director of Media Relations for Destination Door County.

Festival weekends are the busiest weekends; Sister Bay’s Fall Fest returns for its 80th year October 16-18th, with nearly two dozen bands, an arts and crafts fair with 100 vendors, food booths, a Lions Club fish boil and a Saturday parade following the pancake breakfast.

The weekend before, Egg Harbor’s Pumpkin Patch Festival has carnival rides and live music, and two Ledge Blanc producers within a few minutes' drive.

Rogers adds that, “It’s truly exciting to see what this group of Door County winemakers has created with Ledge Blanc. It showcases not only how well cold-hardy grapes can grow in Door County, but also the exceptional wine that can be crafted from those grapes.”

Where to Stay

Ephraim is a practical base, though any of the 19 communities that make up Door County put you within reach of fall festivals and tasting rooms. Each has its own character: Sturgeon Bay is a working city with a shipyard, Fish Creek has shops and the state park, and Ephraim is the white-clapboard postcard of Door County.

The Hillside Waterfront Hotel is Ephraim’s last surviving grand hotel. It began as a four-room log cabin and has since expanded to include a 110-foot wraparound porch, five luxury suites, and two cottages. It joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 and, for small-town Christmas movie fans, appears in A Cherry Pie Christmas, shot entirely on location in Door County and streaming on several platforms.

A short walk away, the Old Post Office Restaurant serves fish boils Monday through Saturday during the season in the same building that held Ephraim’s post office in the early 1900s.

Make sure to show up early and stand by the fire. Scandinavian immigrants brought the method to the area for feeding a crowd: whitefish, potatoes, and onions go into a kettle over an open fire. At the end, the boil master throws kerosene on the flames, allowing the fish oils and soot to go over the side, and dinner is ready. Everyone heads inside for dinner, along with a slice of local cherry pie at the end.

It's also the exact meal these wines were built for: a high-acid white pairs well with buttered whitefish. As Gale notes, heading to Door County now is “a perfect time to cozy up outside with patio heaters and fire pits while still enjoying the seasonal views of the woods and vineyard surrounding us. And of course, no shortage of wine!”

This article originally appeared on Wander Worthy: Wisconsin Wine Is Better Than You Think: Here’s Where to Taste It

Swedes have a word for the freedom to roam: allemansrätten, meaning "everyman's right." Officially translated as the Right of Public Access, it lets anyone walk, swim, and camp in nature, as long as they leave it as they found it.

Earlier this year, Visit Sweden turned that idea into a contest. Its Your Swedish Island campaign asked international travelers to make their case for why they deserved to look after one of the country's 267,570 islands for a year. The five most creative entries won. Each winner received a round trip to Sweden for two, and a year to camp on, explore, and care for their very own piece of Swedish wilderness.

I tested that freedom in the Stockholm Archipelago, where one of the prize islands lies among thousands of others. Some are nature reserves, some are old sea-pilot villages, and many are an easy ferry ride from the city.

Visiting the Stockholm Archipelago

The simplest way is to choose an island served by a regular ferry and make it a day trip from Stockholm. Grinda and Sandhamn are two of the more common choices because of good ferry service.

Grinda is a nature reserve with walking paths and kayaks to rent. There is one lovely hotel and some cottages and cabins so visitors can linger after the day-trip boats leave.

Sandhamn, farther out, is a historic sea-pilot village and the charming red houses greet you on arrival. Its harbor, restaurants, and hotels make it a good choice for travelers who want an island with more going on.

You can experience the archipelago without boarding a ferry, too. On Värmdö, which is connected to the mainland by road, Siggesta Gård sits among woods and has a spectacular restaurant. Visitors can walk, swim, or feed the alpacas.

For a quieter trip, there is Bullerö, a nature and bird preserve in the outer archipelago. It has bays and rocks for swimming, but no restaurant or grocery store. Visitors need to check the separate boat schedule and bring what they need for the day.

Utö, in the southern archipelago, has some beautiful beaches, multiple places to eat, and hotels for overnight visitors.

Another Side of Stockholm

It is easy to spend an entire visit to Stockholm in its museums, neighborhoods, and nightlife and never venture very far beyond the city. But the archipelago is close enough to make an island visit part of the same trip. A ferry ride can take travelers from the capital to a place where the afternoon is spent hiking, swimming, or sitting by the water.

Not only that but it will give you a peek at what matters in Sweden. Time outdoors is part and parcel of daily life, and the country’s Right of Public Access reflects the idea that nature is there for everyone to enjoy and care for. It helps explain why Visit Sweden chose islands with no houses or luxury amenities for its contest. The setting, and the freedom to spend time in it, was the prize.

I felt that most clearly on the quieter islands. There was no monument I had to reach or activity I had to complete. After the city, it took me a little while to stop looking for the next thing to do. Once I did, the boat rides, walks, and time along the shore felt like enough.

Somewhere out there, one of the winners may be pulling a canoe onto their own granite shore right now. I didn't get an island for a year. But after experiencing the archipelago myself, I understood why so many people dreamed of an island of their own.

This article originally appeared on Wander Worthy: In the Stockholm Archipelago, the Islands Are Yours to Roam

Renting a house in the Hamptons can make any celebration feel welcoming, exclusive, and unmistakably personal. Everyone has somewhere to settle in, there is time to catch up, and the setting automatically becomes part of the occasion. But before booking the house with the expansive lawn and chef’s kitchen, there are several items on the checklist to go through.

Vanessa Gordon, a year-round East Hampton resident and event planner and producer who leads East End Taste, encourages travelers to think beyond the listing photos.

“Before you select your house for hosting the event, think how the event will be executed and your anticipated guest list,” Gordon says. “Who is coming? Who is staying overnight? Are you imagining a quiet dinner or inviting additional guests?”

From confirming certain permissions to budgeting for the less glamorous essentials, here is what she recommends considering before committing.

Be specific about what you are celebrating

Dinner for eight overnight guests is a different proposal from a catered family-style gathering with 25 visitors, a bartender, outside rentals, and music. Describe the plans clearly before booking, including the total number of people expected, any outside vendors, staff, and the timing.

“Ask the actual question,” Gordon advises. “‘Can we have a private chef prepare dinner for the eight people staying in the house?’ is much more specific than ‘Is entertaining allowed?’”

Get the agreed arrangements in writing and make sure they are consistent with the rental agreement and any booking platform’s rules. Review your rental agreement prior to as there is often a limitation to how many guests you are permitted to have on property.

If the homeowner’s answer is unclear, resolve it before committing.

Check the rules for the property’s exact location

“The Hamptons” describes a region, but it does not provide one set of rules for every rental or gathering.

Confirm which town or village governs the address, whether the proposed rental complies with local requirements, and whether the celebration needs additional approval. A homeowner’s permission and municipal permission are separate questions.

For example, East Hampton Town has a residential special-event application process that includes owner consent when the applicant is not the owner, along with parking and traffic planning. Southampton Town also has a special-event permitting process. Whether a particular gathering requires a permit should be confirmed with the relevant municipality before booking.

“You want to know what is possible while you still have choices,” Gordon says. “Once you have booked the house and invited everyone, changing the plan becomes much harder.”

Choose the location around your actual weekend

Before booking, map the restaurants, activities, and gathering places that matter most to the group. Look at the actual address rather than relying on a broad location label in the listing.

“If most of your plans are in East Hampton, think carefully before booking somewhere that has you driving back and forth throughout the weekend,” Gordon says.

“A tip I always recommend is to see if the house is within walking distance to one of the train stations or Hampton Jitney stops. Note that there is no train station in Sag Harbor.”

Look at the house as a place to host

Ask how many people can sit comfortably at the dining table. Check the number and location of bathrooms, the available refrigerator space, and whether a chef or caterer would have a practical area to work.

For anyone with mobility needs, confirm steps, pathways, bathroom access, and bedroom locations. If children are coming, ask about pool barriers and how adults will manage supervision. In the Hamptons, you can seamlessly hire certified lifeguards and local babysitters, nannies, and dog walkers.

“I would look closely at where people will actually spend their time,” Gordon says. “Is there shade for lunch? (This is often overlooked). Can everyone sit together? Is the bathroom easy to reach from the garden? Those are the things that shape how comfortable the day feels.”

A current walkthrough video can help answer questions that a carefully selected set of listing photos leaves open.

Make the rainy-day version appealing, too

A covered porch may offer limited protection from wind-driven rain. A living room that looks spacious online may feel crowded once dining furniture, guests, and catering staff are added.

“Ask yourself whether you would still be happy with the house if it rained during your celebration,” Gordon says. “If the entire reason for booking it is the lawn, you need to understand your other options before committing.”

Do not assume a tent can be arranged at the last minute. Check owner permission, installation access, vendor availability, and any applicable permit requirements before making it part of the plan.

Allocate for the whole gathering

Before committing, request estimates for the services you know you want. Depending on the celebration, that could include food, staffing, transportation, tableware, furniture rentals, delivery, collection, and cleanup.

Ask vendors what their quotes include. Some questions to remember: Who supplies ice? Who clears the table? Who removes the trash? Does cleanup cover the kitchen, the gathering space, or both?

“You do not necessarily need more décor,” Gordon says. “You may get much more out of having someone serve dinner, keep the kitchen organized, and handle cleanup so you can sit with your guests.”

Compare the complete cost of hosting at the house with alternatives such as a private dining room. Keeping the rental as a place to stay and celebrating elsewhere may simplify the weekend.

“I do recommend investing in a signature scent or home fragrance and fresh floral arrangements,” adds Gordon.

Plan for the neighborhood and the morning after

Confirm parking arrangements, music restrictions, vendor access, and the time the gathering must finish. Think about deliveries and departures as carefully as the party itself.

Also check the rental’s checkout time against the vendors’ collection schedules. Chairs, glassware, and other hired items need an agreed place to remain until pickup, with the owner’s approval.

Leave room to enjoy being there

A leisurely brunch with warmed croissants, fresh fruit, iced coffee, time by the pool, and one thoughtfully planned dinner can give a group plenty to enjoy without constant transitions.

“For me, the luxury is being able to sit down and enjoy the people you invited,” she says. “Choose a house that supports the kind of weekend you want. Perhaps you want to start with a morning pickleball match or at-home workout followed by a rest in the sauna. Choose the amenities that speak volumes to you and your guests.”

This article originally appeared on Wander Worthy: Planning a Celebration Getaway in the Hamptons? What to Know Before You Book

Just about 1 in 4 adults in the United States, 70 million people, report having a functional disability, spanning mobility, vision, hearing, cognition, and more. Key destinations across the United States, such as Sonoma County, California, have excelled in offering barrier-free experiences and fostering welcoming communities for travelers with disabilities.

MMGY Global research indicates that American travelers with mobility disabilities, the most common type of disability, travel about as often as anyone else and collectively spend $58.2 billion per year on travel. Whether and how people with mobility disabilities travel depends on many factors, from cost and health to how a place is built and more. One major consideration is access to information, including whether a destination tells travelers what to expect before they arrive.

While travelers with disabilities are seeking clarity, not just compliance, businesses' accessibility information is notoriously hard to find. MMGY Global's study found that 8 in 10 travelers said travel destinations can better attract visitors with mobility disabilities by providing more accessibility information before they visit.

Setting itself apart from other destinations, Sonoma County has taken steps to do just that and make a name for itself as a community-focused, inclusive destination. Sonoma County is an officially verified destination through Wheel the World, with more than 70 partners, helping travelers find “clear, trustworthy accessibility information so [they] can explore with confidence, not uncertainty.” At this destination, there is no shortage of accessible places to stay, eat, explore, and experience, where you can feel the impact and importance of community.

Sweeping Wine Country and California's Largest Town Square

Reopened in 2025 after a $15 million renovation, Vinarosa Resort & Spa in Santa Rosa is a California-certified green hotel on a 92-acre working vineyard estate. Here you’ll find thoughtfully designed rooms with vineyard views, an outdoor heated pool (complete with a lift), a spa, and an on-site restaurant, John Ash & Co.

The property’s architectural design features earthy wood and stone materials, combined with flooding light, to create an airy yet grounded atmosphere.

Vinarosa offers accessible rooms with wide doorways, a thoughtfully designed roll-in shower with detailed tiling, a seat, and grab bars, and accessible bed heights, among other features.

The vineyard trail on the property is a beautiful way to start the day, followed by pool time and brunch at John Ash.

John Ash & Co. features local, seasonal produce from the California wine country it calls home in its fresh dishes, including huevos rancheros for breakfast and a gourmet burger with truffle fries for dinner. This spot has a step-free entrance and accessible dining areas.

For a unique culinary wine experience, sweeping vineyard views, and a relaxed atmosphere, St. Francis Winery in Santa Rosa is the place to visit.

Voted the best tasting room in the Bay Area, this winery offers tastings such as the Sonoma County Signature experience that features a seasonal mezze spread from Chef Peter Janiak, designed to let you find your pairing preferences across sweet, acidic, rich, and bitter flavors.

This spot is a certified sustainable winery committed to nurturing its environment and is step-free, with accessible parking and restrooms.

Sonoma Plaza, California's largest town square, covers eight acres and is full of unique shops and delicious restaurants. For cheese lovers, be sure to check out the Sonoma Cheese Factory and grab some to enjoy in the central park area.

From May through September, check out Sonoma’s Tuesday Night Market in the main square for local produce, artisan goods, and the welcoming community feel of this spot. Here you’ll find accessible parking and restrooms.

Thousand-Year-Old Redwoods, Pizza near the Russian River, Plus the Beach and Seafood in Bodega Bay

A trip to Northern California would not be complete without visiting its awe-inspiring redwoods. In Guerneville, you can find the Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve, an 805-acre grove of redwoods (aka Sequoia sempervirens) that are over 1,400 years old.

This park features three accessible trails — the Discovery Trail (0.21 miles), Armstrong Nature Trail aka Icicle Trail (0.28 miles), and Pioneer Nature Trail (0.77 miles) — plus accessible parking, restrooms, picnic sites, and Visitor Center.

Before your hike, fuel up with biscuit breakfast sandwiches at Piknik Town Market in Guerneville. This spot has a step-free entrance and an accessible dining area, and prioritizes an inclusive experience.

After your hike, check out Wonderland Pizzeria in Monte Rio near the Russian River. They are wheelchair accessible and offer a variety of New York-style pizza, drinks on tap, and a spacious outdoor seating area perfect for groups.

Close to the redwoods, you will find Inn at the Tides in Bodega Bay, CA. This accessible property is close to Doran Regional Park, whale-watching tours, championship golf, and sport-fishing adventures.

Here you can find garden and terrace views over the bay, a pool with a lift, and accessible rooms with step-free entrances and bathrooms with roll-in showers, shower seats, and grab bars. There is no shortage of refreshing bay breeze here, so make sure to pack cozy layers to stay warm.

The Fishetarian Fish Market is located two minutes from the Inn at the Tides in Bodega Bay. This family-owned fish market opened in 2012, driven by Shane and Dana Lucas's passion for fresh, health-conscious seafood and cooking, and Shane's 40 years of fishing experience.

This restaurant features sustainable, locally caught seafood and coastal staples like chowder and fish and chips, and is wheelchair accessible. It has rightfully earned its place on the Bohemian's Best Restaurants 2026 list, and has been recognized as the Best Seafood by the Bohemian.

Doran Regional Park in Bodega Bay is a short drive away from the Inn at the Tides, featuring a spacious beach, an ADA-accessible boardwalk, an accessible kayak launch, complimentary all-terrain wheelchairs at the entry station (first-come, first-served, call ahead), and Freedom Trax, among other accessibility features.

A Midcentury Modern Escape, Apple Cannery Turned Shopping District, and True Artistry

The Flamingo Resort & Spa in Santa Rosa, CA, is an iconic midcentury modern establishment that honors its retro roots. Here, you feel like you’re stepping into the glamorous nostalgia of this rehabilitated historic property, originally opened in 1957.

After a $20M renovation in 2021 and joining the Tapestry Collection by Hilton in April 2025, the Flamingo Hotel strikes the perfect balance of modern comfort and historic personality. It even has its original neon Flamingo sign, which the City of Santa Rosa designated as a local landmark in 1991.

This hotel has maintained its original spoke-and-wheel design, with the rooms all surrounding the pool in the center courtyard. They offer accessible rooms with 32-in clear doorways, grab bars, and accessible showers or tubs in the bathrooms, closed-caption TVs, and visual alarms (plus door-knock devices on request).

Their on-site restaurant, the Flamingo Lazeaway Club, is an ideal spot for Pacific-inspired dishes, a retro dining space, seating overlooking the pool, and hand-crafted cocktails.

Here, you’ll find complex dishes including spicy chicken bao with umami aioli, maple soy glaze, and house pickles, and seared salmon with caramelized brussels sprouts, shimeji mushrooms, butternut squash, coconut-lemongrass broth, and turmeric oil.

If you enjoy a comedy show after dinner, check out a show at Vintage Space, the resort’s retro-futuristic music lounge.

When you’re in the mood for some shopping, great lunch options, and local events, check out The Barlow in nearby Sebastopol. This open-air district of shops, restaurants, and tasting rooms spans 12.5 acres and was formerly an apple-processing plant.

To indulge your inner child, you can visit the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, where you can view Original Peanuts artwork and a recreation of Schulz's own studio. This museum has a variety of accessibility features, including a step-free entrance, elevator, loaner wheelchairs at the desk, sensory kits by request, and ASL interpretation with advance notice.

The Museum of Sonoma County in Santa Rosa is another great museum to check out with its variety of rotating exhibits and events. They are presenting their 30th Annual Día de Muertos exhibition until November 29, 2026.

To learn from a local artist and create some art of your own, reserve a spot at a paint party with artXcursion. Founded by Sebastopol-based artist and entrepreneur Alana Tillman, artXcursion has been bringing people together through art since 2018. Tillman brings decades of experience painting and facilitates each session herself, teaching color mixing, composition, and texture.

Tillman has a deep understanding of art’s ability to bring people together. Tillman was born with a condition called arthrogryposis that affects her upper body and legs, and is a spokesperson for the worldwide Mouth and Foot Painting Artists association. Tillman shared, "Living differently, I had to figure out how to navigate the world and also connect with people... I knew that I could use art to create connection with them."

When she founded artXcursion, she set out to challenge the assumptions people make about disabilities. Tillman shared, “I’m a business owner. Yes, I’m differently abled. I’m a woman. I’m all of those things.” She further noted, "When I paint, I want people to appreciate the art for what it is, and not just the way that I do it... It might be interesting for others that I paint with my mouth, but I don't think that's the big picture, really."

Tillman has developed her artistic career working in galleries as an assistant curator, hosting several solo shows, and accepting art residencies. Her art spans from abstract to impressionist and captures the natural world, exploring the multitude of colors, shades, and shifting light of the dynamic landscapes of Northern California.

Visit the Welcoming Communities Across Sonoma County

With more than 70 officially verified destinations through Wheel the World and a commitment to reliable accessibility information, Sonoma County is making a name for itself as an inclusive destination.

From St. Francis Winery in Santa Rosa to Doran Regional Park in Bodega Bay, artXcursion in Sebastopol, and the businesses in between, you can feel the soul of the people who run them. At each spot, their welcome tells you they are genuinely happy you arrived.

This article originally appeared on Wander Worthy: Sonoma County, California Trades Accessibility Guesswork for Clarity

What if the best part of a vacation was coming home feeling better than when you arrived?

In Los Cabos, travelers are finding wellness in the desert, on the water, and beneath the Baja night sky, where wellness is woven into the destination itself rather than limited to the spa.

Imagine beachfront Qi Gong overlooking the Sea of Cortez, a floating sound bath beneath the Baja stars, sunrise yoga beside a desert lagoon, ancient Temazcal steam ceremonies, Tibetan singing bowl meditation by the water, or hydrotherapy rituals designed to promote relaxation, circulation, and recovery.

Wellness in Los Cabos extends far beyond the typical spa experience, embracing restorative rituals, recovery-focused therapies, and experiences rooted in nature and regional healing traditions.

Restoration Rooted in Tradition

At Chileno Bay Resort & Residences, part of the Auberge Resorts Collection, wellness is focused on Baja-inspired rituals and sensory healing.

It's Sol Spa combines ancestral traditions with modern recovery therapies through experiences like The Sacred Copal Ritual, which uses copal smoke purification and grounding body treatments, alongside El Deseo, an intention-setting ceremony centered around meditation, energetic cleansing, and water rituals. Restore balance with aromatherapy steam rooms, Himalayan salt rituals, hydrotherapy, cold plunges, or sound therapy.

One&Only Palmilla is where ancient and modern wellness converge. The beachfront resort’s Forbes Five-Star spa draws from the healing traditions of the Indigenous Mayo people of Sonora, offering Temazcal ceremonies infused with medicinal herbs, volcanic steam, and copal incense.

You can also experience evidence-informed skincare treatments developed with skincare specialist Dr. Barbara Sturm alongside signature hand and foot rituals by renowned podiatrist Bastien Gonzalez. Beyond the extensive list of spa treatments and wellness rituals, you can enjoy private yoga and Pilates sessions, HIIT workouts, beach boot camps, many ocean-facing rooms, on-site dining, and one of Los Cabos’ most iconic golf courses.

Wellness Backed by Science

Wellness at Sensei at Zadún, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, focuses on data-informed recovery and performance. The resort’s “Move, Nourish, Rest” philosophy combines breathwork, hydrotherapy, assisted stretching, mindfulness sessions, and nutrition-focused programming tailored to your goals.

At Four Seasons Resort Cabo Del Sol, Tierra Mar Spa folds Baja California Sur desert and sea influences into treatments inspired by Kumiai healing traditions. Treatments incorporate native Baja ingredients, movement practices, neurowellness therapies, and holistic rituals designed to encourage relaxation and mental clarity.

Where Nature Does the Healing

Near Cabo Pulmo, NEST Baja approaches wellness through immersive experiences tied closely to nature and sensory healing. Offerings have included floating sound baths, Reiki sessions, cacao ceremonies, Tai Chi Qi Gong overlooking the ocean, and aquatic sound therapy are designed to encourage stillness, restoration, and reconnection with nature.

In Todos Santos, Hotel San Cristóbal reflects the growing interest in slower, more restorative travel. The beachfront retreat offers outdoor yoga overlooking the Pacific, guided sound baths inside its chapel, meditative hikes, breathwork sessions, and saltwater plunge pools.

Paradero Todos Santos takes a broader approach to wellness through what it describes as “Ritual Hospitality.” Experiences range from guided breathing sessions and herbal workshops to surf outings, contrast immersion, sound therapy, and nighttime stargazing.

Set among palm groves and organic gardens, Acre Resort embraces a slower style of wellness rooted in nature immersion and conscious living. You can take part in yoga beneath mango trees, explore bike and jogging paths throughout the property, and experience orchard-inspired body treatments and water rituals at the resort’s spa.

Wellness, Los Cabos Style

In Los Cabos, nature, culture, and thoughtful hospitality come together to create a destination where restoration is the journey, not just another stop on your itinerary.

This article originally appeared on Wander Worthy: Forget the Traditional Spa. Los Cabos Is the Wellness Vacation You’ve Been Searching For.

Cassie Bennett and her best friend had been planning the Antarctica trip for over a year. They booked a balcony cabin, and Bennett put down the deposit with the understanding that each of them would pay her own balance when it came due.

Then the deadline arrived, and her friend's card wouldn't go through.

Facing the loss of the cabin, Bennett put the roughly $8,000 balance on her own credit card. "I got paid back, but slowly," she said. The last of it cleared earlier this year — months after they'd come home.

For a growing number of American travelers, the hardest part of a group trip is not the planning or taking the time off work; it's what happens after everyone gets home and someone has to bring up the money.

New national research from Zelle finds that among Gen Z consumers who have fronted money for a shared expense, 76% say they were not fully repaid. Nearly half of Gen Z respondents say they have gone into debt covering group costs for other people. Fifty-five percent say a repayment issue created tension in a friendship or hurt a relationship.

Zelle has a name for it: the avoidance economy. One in five Gen Z respondents said they had canceled plans, or muted or ignored a group chat, specifically to avoid a conversation about paying someone back.

When the money outlasts the friendship

Dr. Traci Williams, a board-certified clinical psychologist and certified financial therapist who serves as a spokesperson for Zelle, has a term for what Bennett spent those months feeling: "Repayment anxiety is the stress, discomfort or emotional hesitation people experience when it's time to settle shared expenses," Williams said. The trigger is rarely the spending itself, but rather when people are waiting to be repaid or trying to figure out how to ask for their money back.

Williams doesn't think the phenomenon is new, but rather newly visible, as more people split the cost of vacations, high-end meals, concerts and sporting events, and talk about it openly.

"Money is rarely just about money," Williams said. "It's tied to relationships, trust, expectations, and emotions. That's why even relatively small amounts can feel surprisingly uncomfortable to discuss."

Left alone, the balance rarely stays neutral. "When repayment is delayed, it can lead to feelings like resentment or frustration that ultimately affect the relationship," she said.

The survey data bears that out. In the Zelle research, 27% of Americans said repayment issues have caused arguments, and a quarter of Gen Z respondents said such a dispute had done long-term damage to a relationship. Some have even said it ended one: 19% of millennials and 14% of Gen Z consumers reported ending a friendship or relationship over a repayment dispute.

Syon Bhanot, an associate professor of economics at Swarthmore College who studies behavioral economics, said the friction is structural, as money and friendship run on incompatible logic. Consider when a friend asks for help moving; most people would give up a Saturday without a second thought and volunteer hours without thinking about being paid. Now imagine the same friend offers $10 an hour.

"You'd probably be weirded out, and more likely to say no," Bhanot said. "In theory, the financial incentive should increase your eagerness to help, but it actually eats into your motivation." The same crowding-out effect, he said, is why asking a friend to settle up feels like it costs something.

What the debt actually looks like

The amounts at stake have grown. Gen Z is now the biggest average spender on group travel and events, according to the Zelle research. While nearly half of Americans surveyed spent less than $2,500 per person on major events like the World Cup, Coachella and the Super Bowl, 37% of Gen Z consumers spent at least that amount.

Those trips almost always require someone to go first. Blocks of tickets, house rentals, advance dinner reservations and group bookings are bought by one person on one card, weeks or months before anyone settles up.

Jacob Bayer, a certified financial planner and founder of the firm JBayerWealth, estimates the organizer is now extending $6,000 to $10,000 in credit to the group and paying the financing cost on it. Run $4,000 of someone else's vacation through a card at 22% to 24% and pay the minimum, Bayer said, and "you may pay for the vacation twice."

Credit card holders ages 18 to 29 have had the highest rate of accounts moving into delinquency of any age group, according to New York Fed data, with more than 10% transitioning into delinquency in a recent quarter.

Buy now, pay later has become a parallel track: 49% of Gen Z consumers planned to use BNPL for large purchases and 36% for daily essentials, like groceries and gas. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has found that 63% of BNPL users hold multiple loans at once. Because those loans are not always reported to credit bureaus, borrowers routinely underestimate their total exposure.

Across all Zelle respondents who sometimes borrow for shared expenses, only 28% said they pay someone back immediately or the same day. Among Gen Z respondents, 18% said it can take up to a month, 10% said two to six months, and 11% said longer than six months.

Why nobody sends the text

The obvious solution– just ask for your money back–  is the thing almost nobody does.

Part of the reason is a strange inversion of who feels bad. "Many people worry that asking to be repaid will make them seem petty or will create unnecessary conflict, even when they're simply asking for money they're already owed," Williams said.

"Context often matters more than the dollar amount," she said. "The relationship between the people involved, whether repayment expectations were discussed upfront, and each person's financial situation can all influence how comfortable someone feels asking for their money back."

Repayment anxiety often doesn't end with the transaction; people stop replying to messages, put off asking, put off paying, and eventually stop making plans. "In the short term, avoidance can feel easier than having an uncomfortable conversation, but over time it can create additional stress, resentment, and strain on relationships," Williams said.

Payment apps absorb some of the discomfort. Bhanot thinks removing the face-to-face element is much of why they caught on: "That way you don't have to talk about money in person with a friend."

For the conversation people are already dreading, lead with the relationship, then the request. Williams recommends something like, "I had such a great time on our trip," before transitioning into, "I noticed I haven't received your portion yet." Explaining the stakes can help too, like that your own card payment is coming due.

She also suggests a step most people skip: thinking honestly about what a friend can afford before agreeing to front anything. "Sometimes people genuinely intend to repay but may have overcommitted financially to participate in the experience."

Bennett is trying a version of that. She and her friend are going to Australia next, and this time she told her friend to book her own flights.

It didn't hold. Her friend asked her to book the ticket and send a Venmo request instead. The round-trip fare was about $3,800, and only roughly $2,000 of it has come back so far. Bennett has also put down the deposit on a three-day liveaboard on the Great Barrier Reef, and there are still three domestic flights to book.

"I just keep thinking about all those points," she said, "to mentally get around how much I do not want to be fronting all this."

National Sauna Day is important to the Finns.

As I stood in Rajaportti Sauna, a public sauna in Tampere that has welcomed bathers for more than 120 years, I read the Declaration of Sauna Peace in English as part of Finland's National Sauna Day. Around me, people settled quietly onto wooden benches.

It was one of the first moments during my week in Finland that I realized I had misunderstood what a sauna really was.

Like many Americans, I arrived thinking a sauna was about heat.

The Finns gently showed me it was about something much larger.

"Sauna is simple," my guide in Finland told me. "It's good for your body, for your mental health, and it is about community."

Finland, a country of about 5.6 million people, has an estimated three million saunas. They can be found in apartment buildings, cabins, offices, hotels, and city neighborhoods.

In Tampere—officially recognized as the Sauna Capital of the World since 2018—there are more public saunas than anywhere else on Earth. There was even one in my hotel bathroom.

More Than Heat

The first surprise for many visitors is that Finns don't treat the sauna as a wellness trend or a luxury reserved for special occasions.

It is simply part of life.

Families gather after work. Friends meet to catch up. Neighbors share benches in public saunas. Some people visit several times each week, not because they're chasing the latest health trend, but because that's what they've always done. “Saturday Sauna” is a big part of the week. It seems everyone makes time for that.

The ritual itself is refreshingly uncomplicated.

Water is poured over hot stones to create löyly, the burst of steam that transforms the room. People step outside to cool off, plunge into a lake, sit quietly in the fresh air, then return to the warmth when they feel ready.

There are no timers or expectations for people to sauna the same way.

When I asked how long it was typical to stay in the sauna, I got some giggles from my guides. One said, “That is a very American question. We just listen to our bodies here.”

This ritual is done year round, and in the winter there are holes chipped into the icy Baltic sea to allow for a quick cold plunge.

Every Sauna Has Its Own Personality

While Americans often think of "the Finnish sauna" as if there were only one experience, every sauna I visited had its own personality.

At Rajaportti, Finland's oldest continuously operating public sauna, tradition takes center stage. The wood-fired sauna has been heated by hand for generations, and tending the fire is considered a craft passed down through experience.

The sauna heater, Alexander Lembke, laughed as he shared an old Finnish saying.

"If you haven't heated a sauna one hundred times, you haven't heated a sauna."

It's a reminder that something appearing simple often isn't.

At Sampasauna, a volunteer-run waterfront sauna in Helsinki, visitors gather on Blueberry Island in a more free-spirited atmosphere where clothing is optional, and strangers quickly become companions.

In other parts of Helsinki, modern waterfront saunas like Löyly combine modern settings, multiple saunas and cafes with centuries-old traditions.

Or the high end hotel Usva spa, where Sauna takes center stage even in an upscale spa. Birch whisking is performed here. An old tradition using bundles of birch leaves and branches, they are gently brushed or tapped against the skin during or after a sauna. The practice is believed to stimulate circulation, release the fresh scent of birch into the steam, and deepen the connection between the sauna and the surrounding forest.

The settings change but the experience is remarkably consistent.

A Tradition Rooted in History

Long before modern hospitals and indoor plumbing, the sauna was one of the cleanest places in a Finnish home.

• Babies were born there.
• The sick recovered there.
• Families prepared loved ones for burial there.

It became a place associated with life's most important moments, giving it a significance that extended far beyond bathing.

Today, most Finns aren't thinking about that history every time they step into a sauna. But they are still participating in it. Children still learn sauna traditions from their parents. Public saunas still bring neighbors together. Ancient rituals like birch whisking and pouring water over hot stones continue not because they're reenacted for visitors, but because they're still part of everyday life.

A Different Way of Measuring Wellness

Perhaps the greatest difference between Finnish and American sauna culture isn't the temperature. It's the purpose.

Americans often approach wellness as something to optimize. We count steps, monitor heart rates, and search for the newest routines promising better health. We want to know exactly how long we need to stay in for the maximum benefits.

And sauna does have benefits. It is known to lower blood pressure, help prevent dementia, and reduce stress.

But, the Finnish sauna offers a quieter philosophy. Health isn't found only in the heat.

• It's found in making time for friends.
• In sitting without distraction.
• In stepping away from work for an hour because community matters just as much as productivity.

That may be the sauna's greatest lesson. And something we could all use.

What Visitors Take Home

By the end of my week in Finland, I had visited historic public saunas, modern waterfront saunas, lakeside saunas, and community saunas.

The temperatures varied.

The settings varied.

The people certainly varied.

What remained constant was the feeling that the sauna wasn't simply somewhere Finns went.

It was one of the places where Finnish culture is still practiced every day.

Visitors arrive expecting to learn how Finns take a sauna, and many leave realizing the sauna is one of the best places to understand Finland itself.

Because in Finland, the sauna isn't just about getting warm.

It's about making time—for your body, your mind, your community, and traditions that have endured for centuries.

When the limited number of advance tickets for Machu Picchu sells out online, airlines sometimes slash fares to Peru for those dates. This is how I ended up with dirt-cheap tickets from Austin to Lima in July, with no real plan other than to escape the summer heat for a few weeks and hope to nab in-person tickets for Machu Picchu.

In the spirit of adventure, my two grown sons and I hopped on a plane with a loose itinerary and shiny optimism that everything would work out. And it did. We snagged last-minute Machu Picchu tickets and toured the 15th-century Inca citadel right alongside the more organized tourists. Here’s how we did it.

Cusco

First stop: Cusco. We flew straight through Lima to Cusco to spend a few days acclimating to the high elevation before heading to Machu Picchu.

Through dumb luck, we were in town for the Paucartambo Festival, held every year from July 15 to 19. I highly recommend visiting during this time. Whenever we stepped outside, there was a new parade filling the streets. The city was alive with costumes, music, dancing, and festivities.

While staying in Cusco, we joined several tours, all booked at the last minute:

• Andean horseback ride
• Cusco food tour
• Historical and cultural group hike
• Sacred Valley tour from Cusco to Ollantaytambo

We also dined like kings. It was a treat to order Pisco Sour cocktails, appetizers, steak Lomo Saltado, and dessert for three adults and have the bill be around $100. My eldest son said the cuy was delicious, but I skipped ordering guinea pig. It was served with the head.

Tip: A nurse at Passport Health recommended we take 600 mg of ibuprofen every eight hours to reduce the chance of getting altitude sickness. This worked well for us, but you should consult your doctor. We encountered others in Cusco who were struggling with the altitude. A woman on the horseback riding tour fainted.

Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu

After five days in Cusco, we took the PeruRail Vistadome through the Andean highlands to Aguas Calientes. I loved riding the iconic blue and gold train, and this experience came with snacks, drinks, and live music.

I didn’t book our return train to Cusco since I wasn’t sure if we’d be able to score in-person tickets to Machu Picchu on our first try. We planned to arrive on Friday and get tickets for Saturday, with Sunday as a backup. I reserved two nights at the Casa Andina hotel and hoped for the best.

How to buy last-minute tickets for Machu Picchu in person

Everyone needs a ticket to visit Machu Picchu, and tickets are tied to your name and ID. If you’re unable to get them online for the day you want, the Ministry of Culture office in Aguas Calientes sells up to 1,000 tickets for each day in person. The catch is, you can only buy these tickets one to two days in advance. 

E.g., if you arrive on Friday, you can buy tickets for Saturday. Once the Saturday tickets are gone, the office starts selling 1,000 tickets for Sunday.

How to buy last-minute Machu Picchu tickets:

• Decide which circuit you want to take. Your tickets will be for a specific route, and you can’t deviate from that route after entry. I chose Circuit 2, which is a moderate climb with panoramic views from above, followed by a descent into the ruins.
• Pick the timeframe you’d like to visit Machu Picchu, from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Visit the online dashboard to track how many tickets are left for each route.
• Go straight to the Ministry of Culture when you arrive in Aguas Calientes. 
  • If you arrive between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m., you’ll be given a number (one per passport) and a time to return after 3 p.m. to buy tickets. 
  • If you arrive between 3 p.m. and 10 p.m., ask which line to join. Some people might be waiting to buy tickets for a different day. 
• Bring everyone in your group when you come to buy tickets, along with their passports. Tickets are tied to IDs, and you can’t buy a ticket for someone who isn’t there. 
• Bring cash. They accept cards, but it’s smart to have a backup.

How it worked for us: I arrived before 3 p.m., showed three passports, and was given three pre-tickets to bring back at 5:45 p.m. At the appointed time, my two sons and I were ushered upstairs to five rows of chairs. One by one, pre-ticket numbers were called. When it was our turn, I was able to buy three tickets for the next day, for the circuit and time I wanted.

Tip: Consider how early you want to arrive in Aguas Calientes when arranging your transportation from Cusco. Some people line up at 5 a.m., before the Ministry of Culture opens at 6 a.m., to get pre-tickets and secure their spots in line for later in the day. Tickets are sold from 3 to 10 p.m. We talked to someone who walked up at 9 p.m. in July and was still able to buy a ticket for the next day, so it’s worth trying even if you arrive late in the evening.

How to buy shuttle bus tickets for Machu Picchu

Once you have tickets for Machu Picchu, you can determine whether you’d rather hike 45 minutes to the entrance or take the shuttle bus. We chose the comfy bus over a trek up the mountain.

How to take the Machu Picchu shuttle: 

• Make a reservation online for the day you want, or pay in person at the Consettur ticket office (use this address as there are some incorrect ones online). You’ll be asked to present your passport when buying tickets in person.
• Locate the bus sign with your entry time. You can get in line behind the sign two hours in advance (e.g., the 10 a.m. line starts at 8 a.m.).
• Board the bus up to one hour before your entry time (e.g., the 10 a.m. line moves to the buses at 9 a.m.).

Tip: Shuttle bus timing is important because if you don’t enter Machu Picchu within 45 minutes of your entry time, you forfeit your ticket.

Do you need a guide for Machu Picchu?

I can see the value of having a guide if you want help coordinating transportation and reservations. But once Machu Picchu tickets are sold out online, even local guides can’t help with advance tickets. You’ll have to show up in Aguas Calientes in person and hope for the best.

When you arrive at the entrance to Machu Picchu, plenty of people will approach you and offer their guide services. It’s up to you if you want to accept. We preferred to walk alone and explore at our own pace.

Back to Cusco by Rail (and Bus)

One thing I wish I’d done differently was to book my return travel to Cusco in advance. By not initially booking a round-trip rail ticket, I ended up with limited options for our return trip. There were no direct trains to Cusco with tickets available at the last minute, so I booked a PuruRail trip that included a transfer in Ollantaytambo to a “PeruRail bus.”

In actuality, the bus to Cusco was a small van (with no bathroom). If you find yourself in this situation, pack Dramamine. You might also consider spending a night in Ollantaytambo, rather than rushing through. It’s a lovely town.

Lima

After spending a week in the charming Cusco and Aguas Calientes, I found five days in Lima to be a bit more time than we needed. Nevertheless, we embarked on several more impromptu adventures and explored the city and beyond.

Lima highlights: 

• Visiting the cats in Kennedy Park — free
• Bike tour through Miraflores and Barranco — our knowledgeable local guide made it fun
• Day trip to sand boarding and dune buggy ride — long day, but worth it
• Magic water circuit and fountain show — we took a tour, but you could do this on your own

My verdict on winging it

Peru is absolutely doable with very little planning. It does add some stress not having all the details set before you fly, but I wouldn’t let the lack of a solid itinerary keep you from going.

If a visit to Machu Picchu is your top priority, you can be hardcore and get in line at the Ministry of Culture at 5 a.m. But if you’re open to spending a few days in Aguas Calientes, that takes some pressure off. There are cheap massages everywhere if you’re looking for a way to pass the time.

This article originally appeared on Wander Worthy: How To Visit Peru With Very Little Planning and Score Last-Minute Machu Picchu Tickets

I’ve lived in Austin for 25 years, and after a quarter century of hiking, biking, and breakfast taco eating from downtown to the Texas Hill Country, I have a long list of favorite spots I return to again and again.

During a recent stay at The Code Austin in the Zilker neighborhood, my teenage daughter and I took full advantage of our centrally-located condo to enjoy Austin to the fullest. We paddled, swam, museumed, and TexMexed our way around town for two glorious days.

We had a blast and know you will, too. Here are my picks for the top things to do in Austin, and beyond.

Lady Bird Lake

The best way to experience Austin is on the water. See the city skyline from Lady Bird Lake atop a stand-up paddleboard, or in a canoe or kayak rental from Rowing Dock. You’ll pass turtles on logs and fish swimming so near you can almost touch them.

Swimming isn’t allowed in the lake, called Town Lake by locals, so going early is your best bet in hotter months. My daughter and I rented SUP boards on a Monday morning in June, and enjoyed a peaceful paddle before the sun got too strong.

From March to October, you can also join a sunset kayak bat tour to see 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats fly out from under the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge. Wear a hat to avoid getting bat guano on your head. It’s never happened to me, but the fear is real.

It’s also fun to stroll along the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail. This scenic 10-mile loop around the lake includes a 1.3-mile floating boardwalk where you can see birds, ducks, and city views.

If you’re not excited about walking the trail in the heat, there are also bike tours you can join. This is a great way to get a taste of the trail and see some highlights of Austin as you ride.

Zilker Park

While there’s plenty to do in Austin’s most famous greenspace, my Zilker Park favorites are swimming (or floating) in the expansive Barton Springs Pool and seeing free shows at the Zilker Hillside Theatre. The very best is when you combine the two: Cool off in the chilly spring-fed water before having a picnic on the hillside and watching a free summer musical at dusk.

Another nearby option is Barking Springs, the Barton Springs spillway. This is where the pool meets Barton Creek, and you can wade in the water for free with locals and their happy off-leash pups. You might want to check the creek’s algae levels before you go.

Barton Creek feeds into Lady Bird Lake, and you can rent canoes, kayaks, and SUP boards here, too, from Zilker Boat Rentals. They have a coupon on their website for a second hour or a second boat for free on weekday mornings.

Austin Hikes

Austin is a beautiful place to hike, and depending on recent rains, there may be places to splash and play along the way. Some beloved easy-to-moderate hikes include Lower Falls at McKinney Falls State Park, Bull Creek, Twin Falls and Sculpture Falls, and Hill of Life on the Barton Creek Greenbelt.

Consider taking a rideshare to hike in Austin, as popular trailhead parking lots can be targets for car break-ins. This has happened to me, and the thieves caused some expensive damage to my car. That could be especially painful if you had a rental car.

Hamilton Pool

Hamilton Pool Preserve is worth a visit, and it’s a pretty drive into the Hill Country to get there. You’ll need a reservation to hike and swim in this collapsed grotto, so plan ahead.

You’ll also want to check that swimming is allowed when you plan to go. The water is sometimes off-limits after a big rain, and the pool is the best part. The water is cold and fish love to nibble on your legs.

For now, you can’t walk behind the waterfall as that trail is closed, but you can still try to swim there. Know that the pool gets quite deep. Life jackets are available for free if you need one.

Krause Springs

For a true Texas swimming hole experience, you can’t beat Krause Springs. This family-owned spot has been welcoming guests since 1955. It’s a refreshing treat to relax in the cool, spring-fed pools.

Bring water shoes if you have them because the limestone rocks can get slippery. You may also want floats and life jackets for less confident swimmers. There are no lifeguards here.

Museum of the Weird

Obviously, I think the best of Austin is enjoyed outdoors, but popping inside for some AC can be a good idea, too. Don’t miss the Museum of the Weird on 6th Street. It doesn’t take long to visit all three floors, and it’s a quirky delight. This was a one of my daughter’s favorite side quests.

Walking through the incense-infused rooms, you can learn about Austin’s haunted history, encounter unexplained mysteries, see oddities and curiosities, and meet the Minnesota Ice Man. There are also photo opps with wax figures of famous monsters and a King Kong statue.

Live Music and Dancing

Austin is the Live Music Capital of the World, so be sure to save energy for dancing.

On Wednesdays, take a Texas two-step lesson at Broken Spoke, a Texas honky tonk where Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton have performed. Lessons will get you in shape for the dancehall, which has live music Tuesday to Saturday evenings.

For an outdoor option, head to the local grocery store, Central Market North Lamar. Thursday to Saturday, you can grab dinner at the café and enjoy free live music and dancing on the patio. Dine indoors or out, and let kids play on the large playground behind the stage.

Leona Botanical Garden

Ask any Austinite where to find the best breakfast tacos, and you’ll get a different answer. Mine are the Migas Tacos from Veracruz All Natural, which has several locations around town.

The prettiest Veracruz location is in Leona Botanical Cafe and Garden, a nice dog-friendly space with gardens, water features, and a natural playground. You can also grab a coffee here and dine outside to enjoy the Texas native landscaping.

Experience Austin Like a Local

If you want to pretend you live in a trendy Austin condo on South Lamar, The Code is the place to stay.

The Code is a unique hybrid hotel and residential building, with fully furnished studios and apartments that have huge kitchens, washing machines, and dryers, but also a pool and hotel amenities like complimentary happy hour, and a breakfast of coffee and pastries by Cuvée Coffee.

My daughter and I loved staying in a one-bedroom apartment that was within walking distance of Austin classics like Matt’s El Rancho. Where we couldn’t walk, we took a rideshare, to avoid having to park downtown. (But if you plan to drive in Austin like a local, download this parking app first).

This article originally appeared on Wander Worthy: 25 Years in Austin Taught Me These Can’t-Miss Experiences

For generations, vacations have been about seeing famous landmarks, lounging on beaches, and collecting souvenirs.

But today’s travelers are looking for something more.

Across the country, hotels and resorts are embracing the growing trend of "skillcations" — trips built around learning a new skill rather than simply visiting a destination. Travelers can learn how to fly fish, arrange flowers, garden, surf, and much more. More people are seeking experiences that allow them to participate in a destination rather than simply observe it.

You can see why it’s popular. Photos capture a moment, but a skill can last a lifetime, and the experience you can have during a “skillcation” is one to remember.

In Burlington, Vermont, the locally owned Hotel Vermont created experiences around connecting visitors to the community. The hotel is known for its locally sourced furnishings, local artwork, and bath products made in Burlington, which allow guests a meaningful look at life in Vermont.

One of its most unique partnerships is with AO Glass, a working glassblowing studio in Burlington's South End Arts District.

Once in the studio, guests enter a world of roaring furnaces and burning hot molten glass. Rich and Hannah were the tutors for my son and me, and they helped us select colors and shape the glass into vases.

The process is as difficult as you might suppose. Glass must be reheated, rotated, and shaped before it cools. You watch the experienced glass blowers first, and it looks fairly easy, but you quickly learn that it is almost impossible for an amateur. But with lots of guidance and lots of patience, you will learn how to blow glass.

I love my crooked vase that is unlike a souvenir purchased in a gift shop; it carries the memory of the experience itself and a new appreciation for the skill of the glassblowers at AO glass.

About 90 minutes south, another Vermont property is building an entire vacation concept around learning.

In Woodstock, Vermont, the Woodstock Inn & Resort recently launched Passion Pursuits, a program designed to help guests discover new hobbies and interests through hands-on instruction. These Passion Pursuits include everything from gardening and birding, skiing and fly fishing, and even antiquing. The program was inspired by research suggesting hobbies can improve wellbeing, personal growth, and social connection.

"We've always encouraged our guests to engage with the people and places around our storied resort through activities and experiences. It's a big part of what makes time spent here so memorable," says Bruce Grosbety, president of Woodstock Inn & Resort.

“The Passion Pursuits program encompasses all of that in one place. What I love most is that it gives our team a chance to share what they're passionate about, too. We have people here who care deeply about what they do, and sharing that with a guest is the best part of our work. Those are the moments we hope people carry home with them. The joy of discovering something new about a place, or even about yourself."

One of the program's most popular activities is fly fishing.

Participants are outfitted with waders, rods, and flies before heading to local rivers with experienced guides. As a beginner, my learning curve was steep but still rewarding.

Although I left empty-handed, I gained an appreciation for the skill involved in reading a river, selecting a fly, and making a precise cast. As one instructor joked to me after a particularly challenging afternoon, I was far from the worst student" he had ever seen.

At Spectrum Resort Orlando, skill-building is all about food.

The resort's residential-style accommodations come with fully equipped kitchens that become the classroom during private chef experiences. Guests work alongside professional chefs or Mixologists to prepare delicious meals or drinks in their own kitchen.

Executive Chef Sean Marzan, who leads many of the experiences, says,” The goal is to create an environment where guests feel comfortable participating. Rather than sitting down to a prepared meal, visitors become part of the process, asking questions, experimenting with ingredients, and learning techniques they can recreate at home.”

During my recent experience, I learned how to make some delicious mocktails while discussing flavor combinations, homemade syrups, and creative garnishes. Marzan later shared recipes for drinks, including a Strawberry & Raspberry Kombucha Smash and a Strawberry-Vanilla Berry Fizz, along with tips for creating professional-quality alcohol-free beverages at home.

The atmosphere is intentionally relaxed and feels less like a class and more like spending an evening cooking with friends who happen to be professional chefs.

Along Maine's coast, travelers are finding another way to learn by doing.

At Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth, an eco-luxury resort overlooking Crescent Beach, guests are encouraged to connect with the ocean nearby and to learn all about the birds of the region.

One of the most memorable excursions takes place aboard the Lucky Catch, a lobster boat operating from nearby Portland Harbor.

Instead of simply ordering lobster at a restaurant, guests head out onto Casco Bay to learn firsthand how Maine's lobster fishing works. I learned how to help haul traps, measure lobster sizes, prepare bait bags, and place rubber bands around their claws.

It was fun and educational for adults and kids.

For kids who want to learn a skill, they should head to San Diego.

Families staying at Loews Coronado Bay Resort outside of San Diego can tap into the skillcation trend through the new Loews Little Legends STEAM Explorers program.

Little Legends makes vacation an opportunity for learning about the coast and sea life with hands-on activities. Young travelers receive Discovery Kits filled with tools like binoculars, a compass, a magnifying glass, and an interactive activity book that help them on their way.

Kids can learn how to fly a kite on the shores of Coronado Bay and learn the science behind it, or they can go on a guided nature walk at one of California's state parks. Plus, they can complete a scavenger hunt at the resort.

For hotels and resorts, skillcations are a great way to create experiences that are both memorable and authentic. By partnering with local artists, chefs, guides, and experts, properties can showcase what makes their destinations unique while giving guests something tangible to take home.

For travelers, the appeal is equally clear.

A visitor might return from Burlington with a handmade glass vase, leave Vermont with a newfound appreciation for fly fishing, head home from Orlando with a collection of new recipes, or return from Maine understanding exactly what goes into bringing lobster from ocean to plate.

The souvenir is no longer the point.

The experience is.

And increasingly, travelers are discovering that learning something new may be the most valuable thing they bring home from vacation.

This article originally appeared on Wander Worthy: Travelers Are Trading Sightseeing for ‘Skillcations’

For Gordon, her summer Hampton's calendar is split between the events she is producing herself and the cultural, philanthropic, and social events she attends year after year across the East End.

As the founder and publisher of East End Taste and a Hamptons-based event producer, Gordon looks at the summer calendar a little differently. The events that stand out to her are the ones with a point of view: a meaningful presence that lasts long after the event ends.

This summer in the Hamptons, her calendar is a mix of philanthropy, culture, literature, preservation, health care, LGBTQIA+ advocacy, and classic Hamptons hospitality.

Art, Nature, and Summer Magic at LongHouse Reserve

Saturday, June 27, 2026 | 5:30–11 p.m. | LongHouse Reserve, East Hampton

Also on Gordon’s summer calendar is Beautopia: The LongHouse Summer Benefit, held at LongHouse Reserve in East Hampton. This year’s benefit honors artists Sean Scully and Bruce Horten, with an evening centered around art, landscape, music, cocktails, dinner, dancing, and LongHouse’s signature art auction. LongHouse describes the evening as one where “art, nature, and community come alive,” set across its gardens and sculpture-filled grounds.

“LongHouse is one of those places that reminds you why the Hamptons are so visually and culturally special,” Gordon says. “You are walking through gardens, sculpture, and conversation all at once.”

For Gordon, the LongHouse benefit stands out because it feels deeply tied to the East End’s creative identity.

“There is a real sense of discovery at LongHouse,” she says. “It has that rare combination of being elegant, artistic, and a little whimsical. Plus the food and drinks at this evening event are consistently top notch.”

A Summer Evening With Purpose at God’s Love We Deliver

Saturday, July 11, 2026 | 5–8 p.m. | East Hampton

One event Gordon has her eye on is God’s Love We Deliver’s 25th Annual Midsummer Night Drinks, hosted at the East Hampton home of Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka. The event supports God’s Love We Deliver and brings together cocktails, bites, poolside lounging, and a relaxed but meaningful Hamptons atmosphere.

“What I love about this one is that it feels personal,” Gordon says. “There is something very special about a Hamptons event that happens at someone’s home, and especially at Neil and David’s home. It is one of the most beautiful settings out east for an event by far.”

Self-Defense and Wellness With East End Taste

Wednesday, July 15, 2026 | 9:30 a.m.–12 p.m. | Southampton

Gordon is also producing a self-defense and wellness-focused event in Southampton, bringing together movement, confidence, practical skills, food and drinks, onsite activations, and gifting.

“This one is especially meaningful because I have been training in self-defense and BJJ (Brazilian jiu-jitsu) for over four years,” Gordon says. “It is about confidence, awareness, strength, and feeling more secure in your own body. I think that message really resonates, especially for women.”

French Art de Vivre in Bridgehampton

Friday, July 17, 2026 | 6–8 p.m. | Bridgehampton

Also on Gordon’s calendar is the French Heritage Society Summer Soirée, hosted by Maria Fishel, CeCe Black, Rosann Gutman, and Ann Van Ness.

Open to all lovers of France and French culture, the evening supports the French Heritage Society’s mission to ensure that the treasures of French architectural and cultural heritage survive to delight, educate, and inspire future generations. The organization supports activities rooted in preservation, education, and French art de vivre.

For Gordon, this is the kind of event that captures the softer, more elegant side of the Hamptons social season.

“It is about celebrating preservation, culture, architecture, and French art de vivre. The Hamptons has always had this deep connection to art, interiors, gardens, and old-world hospitality, so this feels very aligned with the way people want to experience summer here.”

Art, Culture, Food, and Community at Art & Soul Hamptons

Friday, July 17–Sunday, July 19, 2026 | Southampton

Also on Gordon’s radar is Art & Soul Hamptons, a three-day art and culture experience taking place in Southampton from July 17 through July 19. The event celebrates art, food, cocktails, film, music, and the work of influential and emerging Black and Brown artists.

For Gordon, Art & Soul stands out because it brings a different and necessary layer to the Hamptons summer calendar.

“Art & Soul is one of if not the most authentic summer event in the Hamptons” Gordon says. “It is a full weekend experience that brings together visual art, culinary talent, music, film, wine, champagne, and community.”

The programming includes an opening night at Southampton Arts Center with an outdoor art exhibition, live entertainment, culinary tastings, wine and champagne experiences, a film screening, red carpet photo moment, and afterparty. The weekend also includes programming at Ma’s House & BIPOC Art Studio, Southampton African American Museum, and Southampton Inn.

“What I love is that it introduces people to multiple cultural spaces in Southampton,” Gordon says. “It gives the weekend a sense of movement and discovery. You are not just sitting at a table. You are experiencing the art, the food, the people, and the story behind it.”

A Philanthropic Art-World Evening at the Parrish

Saturday, July 18, 2026 | 5:30 p.m.–11:59 p.m. | Parrish Art Museum, Water Mill

Another important date on Gordon’s calendar is the Parrish Art Museum Midsummer Gala, one of the East End’s most anticipated summer benefit events. This year’s theme is “A Night in the Clouds,” with the Midsummer Gala Dinner from 5:30–9 p.m. and the Afterglow Party from 9 p.m.–11:59 p.m. The 2026 gala honors philanthropist Ellen Katz and artists Enoc Perez, Joan Semmel, Hiroshi Sugimoto, and, in memoriam, Pat Steir. Funds raised support the Parrish’s education initiatives, exhibitions, and programs.

“The Parrish is such a defining cultural institution for the East End,” Gordon says. “The Midsummer Gala is one of those events that brings together collectors, artists, patrons, and people who really care about the creative legacy of this region.”

“It is glamorous, of course, but it is also rooted in art, education, and the cultural fabric of the East End,” she says.

School’s Out and Supporting LGBTQIA+ Youth

Saturday, July 25, 2026 | 5–10 p.m. | Water Mill

Gordon is also watching School’s Out, Hetrick-Martin Institute’s annual Hamptons benefit supporting LGBTQIA+ youth. The 2026 event returns to Water Mill on July 25 at the home of The Browns.

“I am honored to be on the committee for School’s Out for four consecutive summers,” Gordon says. “It can be deeply necessary. Supporting LGBTQIA+ youth, mental health, meals, community, and safe spaces is meaningful work, and the Hamptons has a real platform to help amplify that.”

Southampton Hospital Gala and the Events That Support the Year-Round Community

Saturday, August 1, 2026 | 6 p.m. | Southampton

Another major event on Gordon’s radar is the Southampton Hospital Foundation’s 68th Annual Summer Party, which supports Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, the East Hampton Emergency Department, and the health care services the East End community depends on.

“This is one of those events that really matters locally,” Gordon says. “People think of the Hamptons as glamorous, but underneath all of that is a real year-round community. Supporting health care here is incredibly important, especially during the summer when the population grows so dramatically.”

A Classic East End Literary Tradition: Authors Night

Saturday, August 8, 2026 | 5–7:30 p.m. | Herrick Park, East Hampton

For a literary moment, Gordon points to East Hampton Library’s Authors Night, one of the Hamptons’ most beloved cultural traditions. The 22nd annual fundraiser is scheduled for August 8 and features 100 authors across genres.

She herself was an author at Authors Night all the way back in 2009 when she debuted one of her first novels.

“Authors Night is such a classic East Hampton event,” Gordon says. “It has this wonderful mix of intellect, celebrity, community, and summer ease. You can discover a book, meet someone fascinating, and feel part of a long-standing cultural tradition.”

SummerFest and the Art of Southampton Entertaining

Saturday, August 22, 2026 | 6–10:30 p.m. | Southampton Arts Center

Rounding out Gordon’s calendar is SummerFest, Southampton Arts Center’s annual summer gala. The event benefits Southampton Arts Center and takes place on the grounds of 25 Jobs Lane in Southampton.

“SummerFest is one of those events that feels very Southampton,” Gordon says. “It sits at the intersection of art, community, and summer entertaining. I always appreciate events that bring people into a cultural space rather than just a private setting.”

What Makes a Hamptons Summer Event Stand Out

For Gordon, the strongest Hamptons events are the ones that feel rooted in something bigger than the guest list.

“A beautiful event is wonderful. But the ones people remember usually have a reason for existing,” she says. “They support the arts, hospitals, young people, historic preservation, food access, education, or local culture. That is what makes the Hamptons summer calendar so interesting. Beneath the glamour, there is a real and purposeful mission.”

“The best events out east do not have to feel overproduced,” Gordon says. “They need to feel thoughtful. The setting matters. The hosts matter. The cause matters. And when all of those things come together, that is when a Hamptons summer event really works.”

This article originally appeared on Wander Worthy: Hamptons Summer Calendar Curated by Event Producer Vanessa Gordon

Should the U.S. Create a National No-Fly List for Unruly Airline Passengers?

If you're a news junkie like me, you've probably noticed a recurring pattern lately: reports of unruly airline passengers choking off-duty flight attendants, trying to open exit doors mid-flight, attempting to breach cockpits, and even broadcasting the word "BOMB" from a personal device and forcing a flight diversion.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, there have been 687 unruly passenger incident reports in the U.S. so far this year. While that’s not even close to the record-setting 5,973 disturbances reported in 2021, the ongoing wave of incidents making headlines this year is still very unsettling.

In one case, a United Airlines flight was diverted after a passenger allegedly made multiple attempts to breach the cockpit. Just a few days ago, a Frontier passenger allegedly tried to open an exit door mid-flight before reportedly choking an off-duty flight attendant who intervened. Separately, another United flight was forced to divert after a passenger allegedly attempted to open a cabin door at 36,000 feet and assaulted another traveler onboard.

What's even more unsettling is that even if an unruly passenger is banned from one airline, they can often simply book a flight with another carrier.

But should someone accused of making multiple attempts to breach the cockpit or trying to open a cabin door while in the air really be allowed to board another commercial flight, potentially putting hundreds of lives at risk?

Interestingly, the United Kingdom is currently in the process of attempting to tackle this very issue citing an increase in disruptive behavior during peak travel seasons. Under the newly proposed system, airlines would share a national no-fly list for unruly passengers, which could prevent serious offenders from boarding commercial flights altogether.

Can you imagine being permanently banned from flying commercially for the rest of your life? If you're a frequent traveler, the mere thought of landing on a national no-fly list could be enough to keep even the most disruptive passengers at their best.

So, being the curious person that I am, I decided to take a closer look at how the United States currently handles unruly airline passengers.

What I found is that the United States does not currently have a nationwide blacklist for unruly airline passengers. Instead, individual airlines maintain their own internal banned passenger lists, meaning someone prohibited from flying with one carrier may still be able to book a flight with another.

It's not for a lack of trying, though. Congress has considered the idea multiple times, most recently in 2023 when lawmakers introduced the Protection from Abusive Passengers Act, which would have created a national no-fly-style list for violent and disruptive airline passengers. The bill ultimately failed to become law.

Currently, the United States maintains a federal no-fly list tied to national security and terrorism concerns. But unlike the proposed system in the United Kingdom, that list is not intended for disruptive airline passengers or so-called "air rage" incidents.

That said, disruptive passengers can still face serious consequences. Depending on the severity of the incident, they may be removed from flights, permanently banned by specific airlines, fined by the Federal Aviation Administration, arrested, or even face federal criminal charges for interfering with a flight crew or threatening the safety of an aircraft.

Still, the question remains. Is that enough?

Supporters of a shared national blacklist argue that passengers who attempt to breach cockpits, assault crew members, or jeopardize the safety of an aircraft shouldn't simply be allowed to book another flight with a competing airline.

On the other side of the aisle, some critics say a nationwide blacklist for unruly passengers raises legitimate concerns. For example, who decides when a passenger's behavior warrants a lifetime ban? Would passengers be able to appeal the decision? And where should the line be drawn between someone having a bad day and someone posing a real threat to safety?

For now, all eyes are on the United Kingdom to see whether a shared national no-fly list for unruly passengers can actually work, and whether other countries, including the United States, eventually decide to follow its lead.

This article originally appeared on Wander Worthy: Air Rage: Banned by One Airline, Welcome on Another

Castello di Montegufoni, set in the picturesque rolling hills of Tuscany, offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in a millennium of history. Just a 35-minute drive from Florence’s Amerigo Vespucci Airport, this exceptional property provides an authentic Tuscan escape within the walls of a 1000-year-old castle.

The property feels grand and ornate while also maintaining a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere. A stay here means appreciating the authentic beauty of Tuscany and its rich heritage.

Quick Hotel Overview

• Type of Stay: Ideal for a romantic getaway or a friend's trip
• Address: Via Montegufoni, 18 - Montagnana V.P. Firenze, Tuscany, Italy
• Price range: $$-$$$
• Highlights: Distinctive rooms with preserved historical features, beautifully landscaped Italian gardens, a seasonal outdoor pool, a scenic terrace with sweeping countryside views, and a cozy on-site bar and restaurant.

Location

Castello di Montegufoni is located in Montespertoli, a peaceful municipality in the Tuscan countryside. It is a perfect home base for exploring the region, ideally located close to Florence (40 min), San Gimignano (50 min), Siena (1 hour), Pisa (1 hour 10 min), Lucca (1 hour 10 min), and Arezzo (1 hour 20 min).

For a relaxing stay, renting a car is essential. Taxis and car services are uncommon and often difficult to book. We landed at Florence’s Amerigo Vespucci Airport, took the shuttle to the rental car facility next door, and drove a straightforward 35 minutes to the hotel.

First Impressions

The castle entrance is beautiful and grand, with complimentary parking available nearby. You enter the property up a set of stairs, through a grand archway, and into the stunning courtyard. From the courtyard, you find the lobby is inside the castle building, with a waiting area within a spacious dining room. The atmosphere is immediately awe-inspiring, as if you are stepping into history.

Staff are helpful and quick to respond to inquiries. Reception is open during select time frames throughout the week, depending on the season, but arrivals outside these time frames can be arranged in advance for an additional fee. During my visit, they accommodated a late arrival with a formal check-in the next morning.

Rooms & Suites

Here you can choose from 29 unique apartments on Castle grounds or from 10 holiday homes adjacent to the Castle. The property offers a wide range of rental options, from accommodations for two people to those for up to nine people.

Rooms are spacious and can feature unique historical details such as frescos and chandeliers, along with sweeping views of the gardens and countryside. Holiday homes adjacent to the property are also available for rental.

Many rooms come equipped with kitchenettes stocked with a stovetop moka coffee maker, sponges, and dish soap to support extended stays. Select accommodations feature air conditioning and in-room Wi-Fi, while all guests can access high-speed Wi-Fi in the restaurant and the lobby area adjacent to reception.

Rooms aren’t soundproofed like in modern hotels, so sound can travel. However, hearing the chirping birds outside or noises from around the property can add to the historic charm of your stay here. During my stay, the property had a quiet and calm atmosphere and did not feel overcrowded.

Amenities & On-Site Dining

On the castle’s well-maintained grounds, you will find traditional Italian gardens, a seasonal pool, a terrace offering panoramic countryside views, a welcoming on-site bar and restaurant, and apartments adorned with preserved historic details.

Staff can arrange breakfast and lunch upon request. For aperitivo and dinner, the on-site bar and restaurant serve traditional Chianti cuisine. Open nightly from April through October, except Tuesdays, the restaurant offers both an atmospheric outdoor terrace, complete with fountains and ambient lighting, and indoor seating. Advance reservations and card payment are required.

If you are seeking relaxation, you can arrange for on-site massages and yoga at Castello di Montefugoni by contacting reception.

Please note that Castello di Montegufoni is not wheelchair accessible and does not have elevators. Most areas, including guest rooms and amenities, are only accessible via stairs.

Things to Do Nearby

During my weekend stay at the Castle, I explored the medieval town of Certaldo. Certaldo is a perfect spot for a day trip, offering a less crowded experience than other more popular Italian tourist destinations in the area.

In this town, you can find beautiful views of the sweeping countryside, numerous dining and shopping options, the Palazzo Pretorio Museum (which includes an incredible art installation), and the Casa del Boccaccio Museum (the home of the famous Italian poet and author of the Decameron, Giovanni Boccaccio). The top of the Casa del Boccaccio offers some of the best views in Certaldo.

You can ride the Funicolare di Certaldo, an uphill railway connecting Certaldo Basso, the modern lower town, to Certaldo Alto, the historic upper town. This quick ride offers beautiful views and a convenient way to travel between the two parts of Certaldo. In Certaldo Basso, we stopped in Jam Café for a cappuccino and pastries and enjoyed them in the outdoor courtyard.

A 20-minute drive from Castello di Montefugoni through the rolling Tuscan hills brings you to A Solatìo for organic wine and olive oil tastings perfectly paired with homemade meals, stunning countryside views, warm hospitality, and a relaxed Tuscan atmosphere. A visit here is a must if you are staying at Castello di Montegufoni.

For additional experiences, you can visit Frescobaldi and Fattoria San Michele A Torri wineries (these are within 15 minutes from Castello di Montefugoni via car), or book horseback riding at Maneggio Guelfi Neri or E-biking tours in the Tuscan hills.

Price & Value

Room rates at Castello di Montefugoni vary by accommodation and season. Every booking incurs a €65 final cleaning fee and €2 local tax per guest per day.

For example, the Montegufoni 23 apartment is offered at €168/night, while the four-bedroom La Galleria is offered €400/night. In late April to early May, the Il Giardino suite was €160/night, plus cleaning and tax. Our stay felt well worth the rate.

Pros & Cons

• Pros: Perfect location close to numerous Tuscan cities and wineries, on-site bar and restaurant, seasonal pool, and a unique and historic experience.
• Cons: Walls are not soundproofed, the property is not accessible for people with mobility limitations, it is not accessible via public transit, and the property lacks 24/7 concierge support.

Who Is This Hotel Best For?

• Couples looking for a romantic getaway in Tuscany
• Friend groups looking for spacious, multi-room suites
• Solo travelers seeking to enjoy local Tuscan experiences
• Travelers seeking a long-term stay apartment with a kitchenette

Frequently Asked Questions

• Does Castello di Montegufoni have complimentary parking? Yes, parking is available adjacent to the castle entrance.
• Is on-site dining available? Yes, there is an on-site bar and restaurant open for aperitivo and dinner. Breakfast is not included, but staff can organize breakfast and lunch services on request.
• Do rooms have air conditioning? Some rooms offer air conditioning, so be sure to check the details for each listing.
• Is there daily maid service? A final cleaning is performed at the end of your stay (and is a mandatory fee on top of your booking). However, you can request maid service during your stay for an additional fee.
• How accessible is Castello di Montegufoni? The property is not accessible for wheelchair users or guests with mobility limitations, as there are no elevators and most common areas and rooms are reached only by stairs.
• Do I need to rent a car? Yes, it is important to rent a car. Taxis and car service are not readily available and may be difficult to obtain. Renting a car will allow you to fully enjoy the surrounding region.
• Is the reception open 24 hours? No, it is only open during select hours. Visit their website for full details.

The Final Verdict

I would definitely stay at Castello di Montegufoni again. A stay here offers a unique, historical experience, and the property is an ideal home base for exploring all that Tuscany has to offer. Overall rating: 4/5.

El Pretexto, Puerto Rico’s first culinary farm lodge, is a true piece of paradise in the mountains. This adult-only, woman-owned bed and breakfast in Cayey invites guests to enjoy a relaxing stay with locally grown food and mountain views stretching all the way to the Caribbean Sea on the southern coast.

This oasis feels like a deep breath on arrival. Cats lounge, birds chirp by day, and coquí frogs by night. Cozy spots around El Pretexto let you soak in mountain views for a rejuvenating stay.

Quick Overview

• Type fo Stay: Bed and breakfast in Cayey, Puerto Rico
• Location: Sierra de Cayey within the Central Mountain range (45 minutes from San Juan)
• Price range: $$-$$$
• Highlights: Panoramic mountain views, outdoor dining with locally sourced food, complimentary breakfast, firepit, onsite animals (cats, chickens, ducks), villa kitchen, hammock
• Best Time to Visit: Mid-December through April typically offers a relatively dry season and the most consistently sunny weather in Puerto Rico. February and March are particularly ideal. El Pretexto’s location in the mountains also helps keep visitors cool.
• Booking: Visit El Pretexto’s website, choose your villa, and book through the provided Airbnb link.

Location & Surroundings

You will need to either rent a car or hire a car service/taxi to reach El Pretexto, which is approximately 45 minutes to an hour from San Juan. One of my favorite aspects of this bed and breakfast was its relatively remote location high up in the mountains, where I was able to soak up the sounds and sights of nature.

The area felt safe and calm, and El Pretexto has a gated entry. The rowdiest thing seemed to be the coquí frogs chirping through the night (they can get loud enough that the property includes earplugs in your room). Although it's not in a city center, many great restaurants and experiences are within 45 minutes.

First Impressions

Owner Crystal Díaz is warm and welcoming. During my stay, I felt as though I was visiting a long-time friend. With 20 years of experience as a food policy analyst and marketing executive, Crystal’s commitment to food systems and sustainability shines throughout the property. As a food and nature lover, I felt instantly at home at El Pretexto.

Crystal was eager to share this piece of paradise she calls home. I was welcomed with a gorgeous sunset over the mountains and great conversation over a crisp glass of Argentinian wine.

Rooms, Suites, and Amenities

El Pretexto has four unique private villas with a minimum two-night stay. Each relaxed, industrial-farmhouse-style unit features a kitchenette, coffee maker, bathroom with toiletries, and amenities such as a hammock, private terrace, balcony, or heated pool, depending on your selection.

​The best part of El Pretexto is the panoramic mountain scenery and fresh breezes that flow through the suite. My suite’s hammock overlooking the landscape was especially memorable.

​At night, open your windows and listen to the coquí frogs as the mountain breeze drifts in (note: there is no air conditioning). For guests sensitive to the sounds of coquís and roosters, El Pretexo thoughtfully provides earplugs in each suite (I didn't find the noises too loud and didn't need them).

​This bed and breakfast offers more than a hotel stay; rather, it is an invitation to experience a beautiful way of life.

Rooms and the property were clean, well-maintained, and comfortable. I did not encounter any issues during my stay.

In addition to the four villas, you will find an agroecological farming area, an agroforest, a free-range organic chicken and duck coop, and an outdoor dining area with a fire pit onsite.

Unwind with yoga or spa treatments upon request, cozy up by the firepit, or watch sunsets from your villa’s hammock or the Adirondack chairs on the deck.

Do note, there is no air conditioning, but it was never needed during my stay.

Farm-to-Table Experience

At El Pretexo, you’ll often see Crystal picking herbs or experimenting in the outdoor kitchen, with mountain views behind, as their friendly chickens and cats wander by. On-site dining encourages you to relax, taste, and connect with the mountain terroir.

​Here you can also enjoy pop-up culinary events, farm-table meals created with locally grown produce, and seven-day food experiences.

​Every Tuesday and Saturday, you can enjoy their farm-to-table experience, including a tour around the property and dinner prepared with locally sourced ingredients, accompanied by wine pairings.

​For a truly immersive trip, explore Crystal's seven-day food experiences. Meet top chefs, home cooks, and food producers, partake in cooking classes, visit farms, and enjoy exceptional culinary experiences with wines, rum, and coffee.

Before I began my adventures in the region, I enjoyed Crystal’s nourishing breakfasts made with on-site and local ingredients, served on plateware crafted by local artisans.

My mornings began with the sounds of their rooster, Santiago, sweeping mountain views, and complimentary breakfast—tangy, creamy house-made yogurt topped with the juiciest tropical fruits, freshly brewed Puerto Rican coffee, and pesto-drizzled, fried eggs from the on-site coop.

Who Is This Experience Best For?

• Best for couples, solo travelers, and food lovers seeking immersive nature experiences.
• You can also book the property for private events, including birthdays, anniversaries, rehearsal dinners, and elopements. They also offer wedding packages.
• Trip type: nature escape, immersive experiences, relaxation, wellness, romance

FAQs About El Pretexto

• Is El Pretexto good for a romantic getaway? Yes! It is an adults-only bed and breakfast with incredible dining experiences (including well-paired wines). It would be perfect for a relaxed, romantic weekend where you can slow down and enjoy time with your partner.
• How far is El Pretexto from San Juan? It’s approximately a one-hour drive away from San Juan.
• Does El Pretexto include meals? Breakfasts are complimentary with your stay. Other meals and food experiences can be arranged by request.
• Is there a spa or fitness center? While there are no spa or fitness facilities on site, you can book a full-body massage and private yoga session.

Final Verdict & Overall Rating

My visit to El Pretexto was a perfect, immersive mountain escape. I loved slowing down and connecting to the local land, culture, and people through sustainable, local food. Crystal's passion for quality, sustainable food is incredibly evident. I enjoyed learning about the island's food system and her work connecting people with local food. I would definitely stay again.

If you’ve been scrolling headlines lately, you’d be forgiven for wondering whether Copenhagen is off the table for your next European adventure.

Between President Trump’s repeated calls to annex Greenland, a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, and the diplomatic firestorm that followed, plenty of Americans have quietly shelved their Scandinavian bucket lists. 

But here’s the truth. Denmark doesn’t just tolerate American visitors right now. It’s actively rolling out the welcome mat.

In a move that speaks volumes, VisitDenmark,  the country’s national tourism board, sent a targeted email to approximately 6,000 U.S.-based travel agents and tour operators in January 2026. 

The message was unambiguous. “First and foremost, travelers are welcome in Denmark.” The email went on to confirm that “at this time, there is no indication that the situation has affected travel safety, visitor experience, or tourism operations in Denmark.”

The response from the travel industry was striking. Mette Ejlskov Hansen, VisitDenmark’s U.S. marketing manager, told AFAR that the email achieved a 75% open rate, well above their typical 50% benchmark.

 “So you can tell that people wanted this message,” she said. And the numbers back it up: travel from the U.S. to Denmark rose 8.3% in 2025 compared to 2024, according to VisitDenmark figures.

They Know the Difference Between You and American Politics

The most reassuring thing about the current climate? The Danish people are drawing a clear line between American tourists and American politics. 

“In all the reports, I’ve not heard of anybody who’s had a bad travel experience, at least from the Danish side,” Hansen told AFAR. “They see a difference between people and the government. So there’s no hatred toward Americans.”

Travelers who’ve been there recently are saying the same thing. On the Rick Steves Travel Forum, one user who had just returned from Greenland noted that locals “liked American visitors, but do not like the administration” and “did keep the two separate, which was nice.” The poster added, “We felt very welcomed.”

A Denmark-based commenter on the same forum thread offered some grounding local perspective. “The Danes are not angry with you personally. The average person is more than capable of differentiating between the US government and a private citizen.” 

Their advice for Americans who personally oppose the annexation threats? Don’t be afraid to say so if asked, because your opinion aligns with virtually everyone you’ll meet.

Copenhagen’s Moment Has Arrived

Geopolitics aside, this is genuinely one of the best times to visit Denmark. Copenhagen has quietly ascended as one of Europe’s most compelling capitals, powered by a world-class food scene that earned 30 Michelin stars across 18 restaurants in the 2025 Michelin Guide Nordic Countries. 

Beyond the table, Copenhagen’s enduring influence in Danish Modern and contemporary Nordic design, visible in its architecture, museums, and cultural institutions, continues to shape the city’s aesthetic and broader cultural identity. It’s also widely recognized for its ambitious sustainability goals and bike-friendly urban design.

The Danish concept of hygge, that untranslatable sense of warmth and cozy togetherness, is something you feel the moment you step into a candlelit café on a cobblestone street.

Travel reporting also points to a broader surge in interest in Nordic culture and cool-weather destinations, a travel trend that shows no sign of slowing. From the colorful harbor houses of Nyhavn to the ancient Viking ship museum in Roskilde, Denmark, rewards slow, curious travelers who want substance over spectacle.

What About Greenland?

The situation in Greenland itself is more nuanced. AFAR notes that it is harder to assess how American travelers are being received on the island, given the island's intense political spotlight. 

Public protests and statements in Nuuk have underscored strong local feelings about sovereignty. Only 6% of Greenlanders say they would support Greenland leaving Denmark to become part of the United States, according to a January 2025 opinion poll conducted by Verian for the Danish newspaper Berlingske and Greenlandic media house Sermitsiaq.

The mayor of Nuuk has publicly criticized visiting media personalities and content creators who engage in provocative, political stunts, stressing that such actions can harm residents and urging respectful behavior from outsiders. 

If you’ve had Greenland on your radar,  for its staggering fjords, dog-sledding, or the chance to see the Northern Lights over an ancient ice sheet, the message from the ground is to travel with sensitivity, curiosity, and respect. That will take you far.

The Bottom Line? Go, But Be Respectful

If you had Denmark or Greenland on your list and shelved it out of concern, it’s time to put it back. The travel community is consistent and clear. Go. As one well-traveled commenter on the Rick Steves forum put it, “traveling to Europe gives you a sense of peace and happiness, and most importantly, sanity. Especially now. Go, enjoy and show our NATO friends we treasure them.”

VisitDenmark’s email to travel advisors confirmed there has been “no noticeable decline in interest or bookings related to the situation,” with any minor fluctuations matching ordinary seasonal patterns. 

The infrastructure is running smoothly. The people are warm. The food is extraordinary. And the welcome,  despite everything playing out in the headlines, is genuine.

The face of tourism is about to change again in 2026, based on a wealth of new marketing and niche concepts relying on Internet characters for reach. Immersive, soul-satisfying experiences are now more than just a cottage industry. Travel influencers are promoting a whole new world of niche yet appealing tourism norms to their followers.

This year, while many travelers seek a tried-and-tested vacation in the comfort zone of familiarity, others want something more. This fast-moving wave of “intentional travel” comes from a Gen Z mindset, championed by TikTokers and Instagrammers for whom a paint-by-numbers itinerary won’t suffice.

The Vanguard of New Travel Ideas

At the forefront of this journeyers’ revolution is what Tripadvisor subsidiary and travel firm Bokun exposes as the latest trends. Bokun’s Senior Growth Marketing Manager, Samuel Jefferies, predicts four major travel market moves for 2026, namely:

• Thrift-tripping
• BookTok travel
• Astro-tourism
• Event-led travel

The art of “thrift-tripping” revolves around finding the latest deals in different countries’ flea markets, thrift stores, and neighborhood shopping zones. Travel operators can use local knowledge and research to promote thrift-driven tours in different cities and towns.

Feeling Thrifty

“Souvenirs are evolving, and for 2026, thrift tripping is emerging as a defining travel trend,” says Jefferies. This Gen Z-inspired movement comes from a desire for more sustainable fashion. What's more, UN Tourism puts “shopping tourism” central to much of the world’s economic development, which only makes this positive.

Younger generations are taking what has been a long-term favorite for retail lovers and serving a side dose of ethos. Weekends maxing out credit cards on 5th Avenue are now secondary to a generation looking for a more authentic dose of retail therapy.

A New Chapter in Travel

Literary fanatics are now queuing up for what Jefferies calls “BookTok Travel,” essentially, a book-inspired travel format. Moreover, travel writer Sarah Allard wrote about this in Conde Nast Traveler’s 2025 Travel Trends collection, so it is still going strong.

“BookTok—a category of TikTokers focused on literature content—is putting fresh momentum behind the ancient concept of book tourism,” she wrote. Put simply, if you love reading books, why not travel to where one of these takes place and relive it?

What’s more, it isn’t only TikTokers like Abby Parker of abbysbooks who are integral to this new trend. The Every Girl site writer Lauren Blue has a list of fiction-inspired travel destinations, many of which are in the United States. For example, her top choice is Asheville, North Carolina.

Bookworms Unite Across the Globe

It’s in Asheville where Nora and Charlie fall in love in Book Lovers, a tale beloved for author Emily Henry's captivating mountain town imagery. “Stroll through downtown, popping into local coffee shops and boutiques that channel that Book Lovers charm,” Blue writes.

Then again, you may prefer to join a group or have someone else plan your literary adventure for you. In this corner of the travel market is where companies like Explore! shine, offering tailored vacations for bookworms in many guises.

Explore!’s Four Corner Book Club gives customers the chance to peruse novel-inspired itineraries and tours to any part of the globe, even Antarctica. While it may be more for the more discerning tourist, the experiences on offer range from “Polar” to “Family Adventures.” Here, introverts and extroverts alike can share literary common ground on foreign soil.

Dark Skies and Bright Ideas

Another new trending category, named “astro-tourism,” is about as experiential as one can get. Put simply, this cohort of tourists lives by witnessing wild skyscapes and even flying up into them. There is a clear spectrum for this side of the travel world. At its more expensive end, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space tours hit the Earth’s mesosphere; at the other end, tourists enjoy dark-sky stargazing road trips in their own state.

Remarkably, there are now tours involving sensory extraterrestrial “cheating,” whereby tourists attempt to mimic other planetary environments. A study shared by Bokun’s Charlotte Gannon addresses this concept.

Back Down to Earth

Its researchers sought to find the world’s best places that can double as extraterrestrial doppelgangers. For instance, Gannon cites the Danakil Depression in Ethiopia as being Earth’s closest Venus-like landscape; the Atacama Desert in Chile can double as Martian terrain. These places are just a couple of the many “planetary dupes” on her list.

“Think hiking through sandy deserts, stargazing under crystal clear skies, or deep-sea diving to get a taste of low-gravity,” she writes. “These immersive experiences bring the feel of space travel within reach, and allow tour operators located in these celestial settings to tap into an exciting new market.” Such vacations can also be planned to coincide with astronomical calendar events, such as eclipses or meteor showers.

Whatever the Event

Of course, one of the most notable Gen-Z traits right now is the “you only live once” (YOLO) mindset. This ideal may be most present in the final category: event-based travel. While vacations remain for most people a chance to unwind and rest, many of us are incorporating our favorite sporting or musical heroes into the adventure.

Naturally, these escapes cost more than just a flight and hotel: sporting events, festivals, or concerts are renowned for their wallet-busting nature.

Yet, a recent Future Partners blog post reveals that 43.2% of Americans “actively seek travel experiences that support their physical, mental, or spiritual health.” Powered mostly by millennial and female travelers, event-based travel is a massive part of this new dawn of personalized journeying.

The Bold and the Beautiful

There is a very good reason why so many new trends are emerging: the age of the influencer as a marketing format is clearly here. Shivam Rawat of marketing watchdog Taggbox looked at which travel influencers to follow in 2026, forming a top-15 ranking. In his list of powerful travel influencers, the most striking thing is how good-looking they are. Incidentally, the top-two entities are fit, young, tanned couples.

One Instagram couple, named moments_of_yugen, could just as easily find themselves on the cover of health or glamor magazines as travel commercials. These perfectly marketable young people sell more than a location: they sell association, lifestyle, and a modern call to authority. Furthermore, they market a new way of reaching the YOLO generation, desperate not to relive the formulaic travel habits of their parents.

The year ahead will surely see new trends emerge, subsets of the current ones, splintered off into even more niche subcategories. Therefore, it is only a matter of time until the next influencer strikes gold, bringing yet another intentional travel trend with them. It remains to be seen what trends they will be perpetuating, but you can be assured that they will be new and dynamic.

For those looking to book their dream safari adventure, there has been a seismic announcement. Market-leading travel firm SafariBookings.com has ranked the best safaris on Earth, following an exhaustive process. The study involved combing through 2,665 customer reviews and international safari expert analyses, covering 205 safari experiences.

Subsequently, a conclusive top 50 safari destinations across 15 African countries received a score out of five points. According to the review, worldwide interest in safari increased 34% in the past year; Americans are especially keen. Furthermore, a 2024 Scott Dunn survey found that 93% of 18-34-year-olds wish to one day embark on the ultimate wildlife experience.

Therefore, safaris are firmly in our imagination; the question for the lucky few is: which one should you choose? Chances are it will be in Tanzania or Botswana, which have three locations each in the top 10 selections. Moreover, South Africa would also be a wise choice: it was the best overall country, with 12 of the top 50 spots.

Serengeti National Park

Tanzanians will be happy, much less unsurprised, at the results of this study: Serengeti National Park retains a winning crown. Alongside Kruger National Park (which is curiously absent from the upper tier), the Serengeti is one of the world's safari titans. Its elite ranking stems from a host of factors.

Primarily, the Serengeti is host to the so-called "Great Migration," the largest wildebeest movement on the continent and a must-see for any affluent nature champion.

Furthermore, visitors here have the best chance of seeing the so-called "Big Five" safari bucket list mammals: lions, leopards, cape buffalo, elephants, and rhinos. The latter is one of the rarest safari sightings, thanks to a poacher-induced decline in numbers across Africa.

Lower Zambezi National Park

The jewel in the crown of Zambia, Lower Zambezi National Park, comes in second place this year. The park, which hugs the Zambezi River border of the southern neighbor Zimbabwe, made the headlines in 2023 when a controversial mining project was annulled. According to BirdLife International, the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) "brought the 12-year standoff to a halt."

Thankfully, it means no threat to the park's wealth of diverse species. "Elephant herds, sometimes up to one hundred strong, hippo, leopard, lion, buffalo, over 400 bird species – they all gather in this mesmerizing wilderness," reads the official park website.

Options here include classic, walking, and canoe safaris up the Zambezi River, where much of the wildlife congregates.

Okavango Delta, Botswana

The phonetically pleasing Okavango Delta in Botswana wins the bronze gong this year, based on its Big Five status and extensive, protected wetlands. This area is rich with safari operations: SafariBookings offers 190 choices here alone. Yet, quantity doesn't necessarily negate quality when it comes to this dreamscape of a region.

To illustrate what visitors here can expect,  National Geographic's Into the Okavango film depicts a landscape of unparalleled beauty, albeit one always under threat from human encroachment. Further, a recent industry feature by CoStar highlights the success of the area's sustainable wilderness hotels.

The Delta, which snakes through the Kalahari Desert, is a UNESCO World Heritage site teeming with biodiverse wildlife to complement its big-five appeal. We need to enjoy this one while we can.

Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve, South Africa

The leading pick from the overall best safari country, Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve, makes the top five ranking. Kruger National Park's border-sharing reserve overtakes its more famous rival this year. It isn't a fluke: Sabi Sands Game Reserve is the lesser-known yet more endowed of the two neighbors, in one aspect at least.

"The area is home to more species of large mammals than any other wildlife area in South Africa: a total number of 147 species has been recorded," states the park's web portal. Sabi Sands' high season is May through October.

This period is South Africa's winter and the best time to enjoy cooler weather and photo-friendly, flatter terrain. Sadly, you really don't want to be there anytime else, when rainstorms and malaria become a risk.

Ruaha National Park, Tanzania

Tanzania completes a commendable record this year of two national parks in the top five. Ruaha National Park is not quite as high up as the Serengeti Plain, yet it doesn't get as crowded, and its more limited lodges are well spread out. It means higher prices but a distinctly exclusive feeling.

Travel and Leisure's Nicholas DeRenzo recommends exploring on foot and cites barely seeing any other groups at big spotting encounters. What's more, the park is one for the cat and dog lovers: Ruaha provides a good opportunity to see wild canines and abundant lion prides.

"Chances are that you'll have lion sightings completely to yourself at Ruaha," reads a Go2Africa guide feature, confirming DeRenzo's observations.

Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana

Botswana and Tanzania share many winning safari features, and Moremi Game Reserve in the Okavango Delta is no exception. Norwegian travel platform Grown Up Travel heralds Moremi as an "unforgettable Botswana safari" in its detailed account of a trip there: an article deserving of attention for any would-be visitor.

Richard Holmes also raves about the place in an Afar feature, not least the Tawana Lodge, one of many sustainable new ecotourism designs in the region.

A South African safari aficionado, Holmes says Moremi Game Reserve is one of the best he has visited. He adds that it is unique thanks to an "unusual offering of savanna grasslands, forests, and Delta waterways."

Chobe National Park, Botswana

Sitting on Botswana's River Chobe and Savuti Nature Reserve is the Chobe National Park, a wildlife goldmine. If feedback from the safari forum Expert Africa is anything to go by, the park has maintained an impressive 100% score record since the site's 2007 founding.

Late afternoons and evenings at the Chobe riverfront are especially magical, where hippos and crocs rub shoulders with a wide array of winged creatures. Yet, big cats and wild dogs are always on the itinerary.

While the rhino is absent from the Chobe National Park call sheet, other big names like impalas, giraffes, and plains zebras more than make up for it.

Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania

The next entry is a current Conde Nast Traveler Reader's Choice Awards winner, as well as SafariBooking's official top 10 candidate. Ngorongoro Crater National Park is, according to AndBeyond, the largest intact caldera on the planet. Under the rim, visitors will find the experience of a lifetime.

"It is not unusual to see the Big Five in one day here," writes Bradt Guidebook to Tanzania author Philip Briggs. "And all this is in the most amazing setting with a backdrop of the 1,968ft-high crater wall."

A safari inside a high-altitude crater sounds like the perfect adventure. To cap it off, the park has a massive 6,363 tours listed on the SafariBookings platform.

Our trip to Finland was one of the most special trips we’ve ever taken, but also one of the most physically challenging. Minus 20 degrees Celsius is not something you get used to quickly, and definitely not something you can truly imagine in advance.

The cold goes straight through your bones, your breath freezes in the air, and every step outside requires layers upon layers of clothing. But alongside the cold, there is something completely different: landscapes you won’t see anywhere else, absolute silence, and nature so powerful it simply stops you in your tracks.

We created our own itinerary and traveled independently without an organised group or guide. We built the entire route ourselves and booked everything in advance, knowing this wouldn’t be a cheap trip. Finland is expensive, especially in winter, but you can adjust your budget, combining luxury stays with simpler ones, choosing which experiences to splurge on and where to save.

We started the trip in Helsinki. A very orderly, clean and quiet European city. Everything runs like clockwork. The streets are wide, the buildings are beautiful, and the snow gives the city a very special atmosphere. We walked a lot despite the cold, ducked into local cafés to warm up, and joined a free walking tour that tells the story of Finland’s history and its relationship with Russia and Sweden.

One of our favorite places was the Old Market Hall, a small, cozy indoor food market full of local stalls. A hot salmon soup on a snowy day is exactly what you need to keep going for a few more hours outside. Even just sitting by the frozen Baltic Sea and watching the boats stuck in the ice felt like something you don’t see every day.

After a few days in the city, we flew north to Lapland. The moment you leave Helsinki, everything changes. Fewer cities, fewer people, and so much more nature. Endless forests, frozen lakes, and long roads that feel like they go on forever.

We arrived in the Saariselkä area, one of the best places in Finland to see the Northern Lights. There we stayed in special glass cabins with transparent roofs. The cabin itself is warm and comfortable, but the real magic is the ceiling, lying in bed and simply watching the sky.

No need to go outside, no cold. On our first night, we lay there for a long time just trying to absorb the fact that we were in the middle of a snowy forest, with no noise, no lights, just trees and sky.

During the day, we went out for winter activities. We did a reindeer sleigh ride, a slow and peaceful experience through snowy forests. Then we tried husky sledding, a completely different story.

Fast, full of adrenaline, and the dogs are absolutely bursting with energy as they race across the snow. We also went to a real Finnish sauna and then stepped outside into the cold, a strange combination, but strangely addictive.

In the evenings, we waited for the Northern Lights. They don’t appear every night, and it depends on the weather and cloud cover. Some nights are clear and promising, others show nothing at all. Then, one evening during dinner, we stepped outside and suddenly saw the sky glowing green.

At first, it looked like a faint haze, then it started moving, twisting, spreading across the sky. We stood there for a long time in the freezing cold, just looking up. It’s a feeling that’s hard to explain unless you’ve seen it yourself.

From the north, we continued to Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland. A small, charming town that feels very touristy, yet still keeps its local character. This is also where Santa Claus Village is located, with shops, decorations, and Christmas vibes all year round.

One of the most unforgettable experiences we had there was the icebreaker cruise. We traveled to the town of Kemi and boarded a massive icebreaker ship that literally plows through thick sea ice.

From the moment the engines roared and the ship started crushing the frozen layers beneath us, the thrill was immediate. You can feel the vibrations through your feet, hear the ice cracking and groaning, and see the endless white expanse stretching in every direction.

The ship stops in the middle of the icy sea, and passengers don special thermal survival suits to float in the freezing water, an experience that is as surreal as it is exhilarating.

You feel completely suspended between two extremes: the harshness of the arctic environment and the safety of the ship, all while being surrounded by a unique frozen landscape that is almost otherworldly.

Finland in winter isn’t for everyone. It’s cold, it’s expensive, and it requires a lot of planning. But for those looking for a truly different kind of trip , one that doesn’t resemble anything else , it’s an incredible destination. Unreal landscapes, once-in-a-lifetime experiences, and a level of silence that’s hard to find in the modern world.

The age of the digital nomad is a Millennial and Gen Z phenomenon: an army of solo remote workers has already been dispersing across the world for some time.

Yet, it is now becoming common for entire families to uproot their lives for a new international dialing code. The world is adapting, with countries competing for talent, offering enticing conditions for doing so. 

Global shipping and logistics company Seven Seas Worldwide has released a report exploring this trend. It explains how a cohort of professional parents is taking the reins of what was hitherto a solo-inspired career choice. 

Digital nomad families are now an official demographic: citizens no longer tethered to the same exhausting lives they saw generations live before them.

Yet, they are not jumping in vans or boarding yachts to create YouTube channels with infants in tow. These are modern families looking to recreate some form of the American Dream, albeit on foreign soil. 

Why Nomadic Families Need More Than a Backpack

"Families quickly realise that nomadic living doesn't mean travelling light forever," writes travel expert Wayne Mills in a Seven Seas Worldwide press release. "School books, toys, sports gear, and personal comforts matter, especially for children."

The report identifies several key areas influencing what is causing this huge reverse digital brain drain: 

• Competitive digital nomad visa programs
• Flexible work schedules and lifestyle
• International or online education for children
• Immersion in new cultural experiences
• Easy access shipping and expatriate moving services

"Ultimately, the rise of nomad families shows that global mobility has matured," concludes Mills. "This isn't about escape; it's about designing a life that blends work, learning, and family anywhere in the world." 

Spanish Living for the Win

Of course, many other factors drive families to take children away from their base, potentially separating them from friends and family. Spanish periodical AS looked at this scenario from the perspective of an American family that has spent years traveling and working abroad. 

The couple in question tried a whole host of different regions, running an online business from wherever they resided. They and their 12-year-old daughter now embrace Spain as their homeland. 

"One of the biggest motivators for their move was the cost of essential services — especially healthcare," writes Jaime Esteban. "In Spain, they've found medical care to be dramatically more affordable."

Subsidized Healthcare and Work-Life Balance

The Spanish healthcare system is nationalised, meaning services and procedures cost a fraction of the inflated American prices. For illustration, the William Russell price comparison platform puts the average cost of a hip replacement in the United States at $40,000, compared to $6,800 in Spain.

What's more, their daughter can now look forward to a state-subsidized higher education without the terminal financial implications. 

"Combined with Spain's healthcare system, this allows the parents to save for retirement and offer their child a more secure future," adds Esteban.

Put simply, possibilities now out of sight for many families back home are now within their reach. Yet, many other countries are now on the map, ready for the new influx of digital workers.

Where Families Can Relocate in 2026

In mid-2025, Kihumi Group's Mila Devenport published a summary of the best countries parents can choose to wield their digital skillset. A blend of safety, affordability, and family-centered resources is found in the following places:

• Portugal
• Costa Rica
• Estonia
• New Zealand
• Thailand

What is clear is that the Iberian Peninsula is an attractive prospect in the modern '20s, with Portugal's list of benefits similar to Spain's. For instance, childcare costs are some of the lowest in Western Europe, while international and Montessori schools are plentiful.

Eastern Promises

Europe might prove irresistible for parents who wish to escape the fast-moving American grind. This lifestyle swap is also possible at the other end of the list in Thailand, which may be less alluring for some nomads due to its distance from North America.

Nevertheless, it makes for an affordable, safe, and culturally rich living destination for the right digital nomad family. 

Financial literacy website Global Wealth Protection's Bobby Casey shared some key information for Americans considering a move. His review of places currently offering the best digital nomad experience for families puts Thailand firmly in the mix. 

Perhaps the biggest draw in the Land of Smiles is the economic requirements to obtain the visa. According to Casey, Thailand's minimum monthly income needed is only $2,500 per month. It's only half of the United Arab Emirates' $5,000 monthly income stipulation, which is in itself reasonable for many. 

Avoiding Nomad Visa Gray Areas

Casey's picks for Asia include the UAE and the Philippines, both of which offer excellent international education for dependents. Benjamin Collins of Asia Lifestyle Magazine includes Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Indonesia in his guide. 

Each of these countries now offers legal residency for digital nomads with kids — or at least some kind of "workaround." Thailand finds itself on the checklist of these workaround-type visas. 

"Thailand's Long-Term Resident visa, Indonesia's B211A single-entry visit visa, and Vietnam's 90-day e-visa all fall here," he writes. "These require more creativity, carry some legal gray zones regarding remote work, or demand higher income thresholds."

Regardless, he insists they are still "battle-tested" for 2025 and will remain viable throughout 2026, at least. The tenuous nature of some visa situations means not all options are suited to some families.

The Digital Nomad Family Gold Standard

Nonetheless, his article rates Malaysia's "De Rantau Nomad Pass"as the gold standard for relocating digital nomads. What's more, the service includes spouses and dependents, and recipients only need to earn $24,000 per annum. 

Naturally, the digital nomad lifestyle comes with life's usual complications, and it isn't all plain sailing. For instance, not all digital nomad families can afford international school fees, and not all children can adapt to international education regardless.

Therefore, it may mean digital nomad couples must share homeschooling duties on top of working responsibilities. 

The Flip Side of the New Working Force

Moreover, not all locals are as welcoming of large foreign cohorts taking over their cities, pushing up property costs, and overextending the local infrastructure.

A recent Guardian opinion editorial from a "local" British Lisbon nomad, Alex Holder, asks just that question. He spoke to actual Portuguese locals about their experiences, with some Lisboans suffering digital nomad fatigue. 

"Foreigners will reach over my head in the supermarket, they'll have their head down on their phone, making no space for me as I walk down the street," says Lisbon resident Ines. "There is an arrogance to the way they move around the city."

An insightful piece on this subject comes from Emily Richardson-Dupuis of travel website Rough Maps. She exposes many digital nomad pet peeves, such as culture clashes, rent increases, and taxation envy. 

Adapting to One's Surroundings

For those remote workers giving serious thought to moving away from home, it might be worth consulting the Digital Nomad Nation's (DNN) online guide. There are several values underpinning the DNN mission, among which are being "warm and kind, diverse and open-minded, and giving and socially conscious." 

Being a digital nomad doesn't mean importing all your home nation's practices or expecting the host culture to include yours. Meanwhile, researching one's intended country should be a priority if you wish your stay to be successful.

In any event, it is a certainty that having children no longer means being excluded from the world's laptop-wielding labor force, which can only be a positive.

Air and climate system company Reinders Corporation released a study recently, identifying which global cities are the greenest. This index isn't just about championing green spaces; it aims to highlight cities that function effectively and sustainably for their citizens.

Of course, the results deserve scrutiny (no mention of Singapore, for example). Yet, it's hard to argue with the methodology. The review drew from a range of green indicators, such as air quality, public transport efficiency, and use of renewable energy, among other social markers.

There is a growing divide between those who consider themselves environmentalists and their opposites. Regardless of this awkward relationship, one thing is undeniable: cities are far more pleasing when they are green, convenient, and clean.

Vancouver, Canada

The jewel on the coast of British Columbia, Vancouver, is one of the most geographically epic cities in the world. Nestling on the western edge of British Columbia, it has the North Shore Mountains to the north, the Canadian Cascades to the east, and Vancouver Island to the west.

Yet, within Rain City, locals are spoilt for choice. Best Places Vancouver shares many of the city's coolest ecotourism activities.

"Stanley Park, Vancouver's premier urban oasis, spans over 1,000 acres and offers countless ecotourism activities," reads the guide. "Within the park, Prospect Point is a must-see for breathtaking views of the Lions Gate Bridge and the surrounding waters."

To illustrate just how great Vancouver is, the city has roughly 1,280 square feet of green space per capita. It also generates a whopping 98% of its energy through renewable sources, which is just showing off.

Oslo, Norway

"Oslo operates differently than most European capitals," explains the Fjord Travel site. "The city sprawls less than others its size, yet claims more green space per capita than nearly any comparable urban area."

Ironically, Norway's wealth lies in thanks to well-used petroleum reserves. Yet, Oslo is an emblem of the nation's proximity to nature.

Imagine a city where jumping off the metro straight onto cross-country skiing routes is normal. In Oslo, no imagination is necessary; this is just one aspect of the open-space appeal in this city.

The GoXski website shows all the routes surrounding the Norwegian capital. Naturally, these natural skiing routes have further appeal as hiking trails during the summer.

Stockholm, Sweden

A leap across the North Sea is next in order, as we cross the border to Oslo's trendy Swedish cousin from across the Baltic, Stockholm. My early memories of visiting Stockholm revolve around returning glass bottles and getting paid Swedish krona as a result.

This system is still in place, thanks to the continued efforts of the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. Moreover, it now includes metal cans and plastic bottles. Yet, the city is always looking to go even greener.

"Through reduced emissions and increased carbon sequestration, Stockholm aims to be climate-positive by 2030," states the Stockholm City platform's statement. "The City of Stockholm as an organization should be completely fossil-free by 2030, and Stockholm should be completely fossil-free by 2040."

There is every chance Stockholm will give Vancouver a run for its money soon.

Munich, Germany

As well as being one of the world's most innovative cities, Munich also makes Reinders' top-three green cities ranking. The beating heart of Bavaria boasts a near 970 square feet of green space per person, with one of Europe's best public transport networks. Being in the foothills of the Bavarian Alps also means hiking trails are never far away.

What's more, the International Association of Horticultural Producers (Asociación Internacional de Produtores Hortícolas - AIPH) made Munich a finalist in 2024's World Green City Awards. The reason: the city promotes public vegetable planting gardens, with its authorities ceding public and private agricultural land for this purpose.

Zurich, Switzerland

Switzerland's largest city has been on a good run of late: a recent election as the world's most intelligent city lies in tandem with this accolade. Clearly, smart people want a city that runs well, looks nice, and functions with the goals of residential harmony and health. Yet, when you speak to residents, the outlook may be different.

We spoke to international school teacher and Zurich resident Kris, who lives in the suburbs with his wife and two daughters. He isn't so sure Zurich warrants an inclusion in the ranking, though he can see why others would. "Outside the city center, there is plenty of green space, but living out there means commuting.

Sadly, most vehicles are still fossil-fuel powered," he explains. "However, Zurich's trams and trains are electric, and recycling is a way of life; the city is very clean as a result."

Copenhagen, Denmark

The Danes have a reputation for clean living, not least in their impressive renewable electricity generation.

Yet, one aspect of this Nordic corner where the Danish mindset shines is the attitude to dining, something brought to prominence by the world-renowned Noma restaurant. The sustainable, foraging-based menu has fast become a toast of foodie magnates everywhere.

The Visit Copenhagen guide states, "In Copenhagen, buying organic produce is not considered a luxury, but merely logical." This ethos comes in some rather awe-inspiring data: almost 90% of all the food served in Copenhagen's public institutions is organic.

Montreal, Canada

While Canada's French-speaking capital, Montreal, lives in Vancouver's shadow in this ranking, it is an impressive place nonetheless. Its Underground City remains a modern miracle of urban planning: 32km of subterranean malls, restaurants, and entertainment venues for the harsh, long winter months.

Moreover, Montreal has some of the world's most forward-thinking initiatives. The Montreal Climate Plan 2020-2030 exemplifies the city's approach to improving its residents' and visitors' experience. For instance, one objective is to "plant and protect 500,000 trees" around the city, according to the central Montreal website.

The campaign promotes residential, commercial, and public tree planting and "greening" of post-industrial land, among other measures.

San Francisco, United States

America's first entry comes, unsurprisingly, from the West Coast. Some would argue San Francisco is the United States' most European-feeling city, much less its greenest. Furthermore, San Francisco won the 2025 U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Award.

"San Francisco has long been a leader in climate protection and a hub for innovative climate solutions," Mayor Daniel Lurie wrote on the SF.gov website. "Our CleanPowerSF program helps hundreds of thousands of households and businesses access clean, reliable electricity while reducing our city's emissions and building a more sustainable future."

The Golden City has no subway to speak of, but who needs one when you have the country's oldest cable car network? This evergreen alternative to smog-producing automobiles is still going strong.

Toronto, Canada

The United States may want to take note here: Canada has a third city in the top-10 to laud over its American neighbors: Toronto. The place Drake calls home is a proud example of smart, urban planning and a neat connection to nature.

Perhaps the greatest testament to the Toronto approach is Don Valley Brickworks. The once-thriving industrial quarry and brickmaking hub turned wasteland is now a "natural environment park" and the city's flagship green development.

The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) hails this success story as an "urban oasis" which is "home to ducks, foxes, beavers and even the occasional deer."

London, England

By far my favorite thing to do in London is visit one of the splendid, sweeping parks scattered throughout its districts. Most tourists will be aware of Hyde Park, Regent's Park, or Green Park. However, within London's Zone 6 frontier, you will find entire forests, waterways, wetlands, and meadows to enjoy.

Most of the city's 10 million residents live or operate in Zones 1 to 4, so the outer network feels more like a great, sprawling shire.

If anything illustrates London's green endeavor, it's the city's Congestion Zone and Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) fee. Since 2003, vehicles entering Zone 1 have had to pay a levy for the privilege. From 2023, the fee was extended all the way to the M25 orbital motorway, covering all 32 boroughs of Greater London.

Thus, the English capital's former smog-ridden days are well and truly over.

An insightful review of the world’s smartest countries according to the renowned World of Card Games have been revealed. The platform released a “Smart Capital Index” to show where travelers can rub shoulders with the world’s most intelligent populations.

The study used data from five different weighted factors driving this “education and research strength.” Ranking was based on metrics, such as average IQ scores, Nobel Prize nominations, and “university prestige.”

Mensa members and brainiacs everywhere might wish to visit these nations to feel more intellectually at home. The question is: which countries made the grade? Spoiler alert: Northern Europe and the United States are winning this race, though we can expect some other world regions to join one day.

#1 Switzerland

The Alpine country, famed for its positive attitude to organisation and neutral attitude to world wars, wins the smartest nation award. The Swiss are more than just clandestine bank vaults, watches, and cuckoo clocks, however.

Switzerland scored 92.02 from 100 points, based on “precision, research, and education.” It’s a metric born of strong bachelor’s and master’s degree completion rates, supporting a culture of industry and academia collaboration. To illustrate, Zurich has been rated consistently as the number-one smart city for the past six years by IMD’s Smart City Index.

#2 United Kingdom

My homeland, the United Kingdom, sits in the runner-up spot this year, no doubt boosted by its longstanding university prowess. Britain has 128 institutions with Nobel Prize nominee alumni. Furthermore, higher education analytics firm Quacquarelli Symonds ranks four of England’s universities in its top 10 for 2026: no mean feat for such a small country.

For high-IQ individuals, there are few cities like London, Bath, or Durham where historical forays, reflective walks in leafy parks, or tours of medieval architectural history abound. Visitors to the U.K. can always expect an interesting chat with locals. However, more stimulating conversation, avoid places where the general clientele dons soccer jerseys or leisure wear.

#3 United States of America

Completing the top-three candidates is the United States, a land where some of the world’s greatest minds live. America has been responsible for the world’s longest-running brain drain, with talented citizens drawn from all corners of the world. It means the country is really spoiled for choice with whom it brings in.

What sets the USA apart from the rest is the ability to scale ideas nationwide, which comes from an environment where the world’s talented can thrive. America is the global leader in both Nobel nominations and universities with Nobel nominations. Those intrigued by these stats might want to visit the research platform Relpi. It shows where the densest concentrations of PhD holders live. Spoiler alert: the winner is Los Alamos, New Mexico.

#4 The Netherlands

The Dutch are officially the tallest people in the world, which lies in tandem with being the fourth-most intelligent nation. Funnily enough, the Dutch also have the joint-highest average IQ alongside neighboring Germany. It’s this score that pushes them into the top five.

It might help that the Netherlands also attracts high fliers from abroad, thanks to healthy tax benefits for well-educated foreigners. The Dutch government permits an “annual tax-free allowance from their employer for up to 30% of their salary,” according to the state website. Ironically, for those tall Dutch citizens, there is a ceiling for this benefit: a joke about the nation’s high ceiling potential is here, somewhere.

#5 Belgium

Unsurprisingly, Northern Europe is rife with smart people, many of whom live in Belgium, the Netherlands’ southern neighbour. The country is made up mostly of the French-speaking Walloons and Dutch-speaking Flemish.

When you add the peculiar West Flemish and Limburgish dialects, and then realize that most Belgians speak perfect English, you soon understand how educated they are.

Belgium has a small landmass, but there are still many peaceful escapes for the overloaded visitor’s mind. Sotheby’s recommends “villages such as Lasne, La Hulpe,and Rixenart” for visitors and expat transplants alike. The appeal: “A green residential setting, distinctive architecture, international schools and quick access to Brussels.”

#6 Sweden

In my experience, the Swedes I have met on my travels appear well-adjusted, friendly, and respectful. We all have the Swedish early childcare education system to thank for this reality; it’s another reason the country punches above its population’s weight. Swedish parents are entitled to 480 days of paid leave per infant, alongside subsidized childcare and a generous standard of living thereafter.

What’s more, free education from early years to university level means every Swede gets a chance to succeed later in life. Visit Sweden’s guide to culture, history, and art, illustrates how many brilliant designers, writers, and architects have made a mark. Sweden has an awe-inspiring blend of cold intelligence and a warm persona.

#7 Germany

Remarkably, Germany doesn’t score higher in the rankings, avoiding the top-five nations entirely. For a country with the joint-highest IQ score and a staggering 3,653 nominations, it sits in seventh spot overall, thanks mainly to its relatively low degree-holding cohorts.

In any event, Germany is only just behind Sweden’s total score, and it deserves its top-10 status. There is something for every hungry mind in Germany. The fairytale aesthetic of Heidelberg Castle or Cologne’s mindblowing Baroque, Romanesque, and Gothic cityscape will appeal to journeyers with a taste for history.

For those who just love order, there are a few countries with more rules designed for keeping society ticking along without interference. Dialexy’s guide to living in Germany outlines how certain times of the day have a no-noise code. From 1 pm to 3 pm and from 10 pm until 6 am are the times for “midday peace” (Mittagsruhe), and “night sleep” (Nachtruhe). In these time windows, no loud work or noise is permitted, leaving Germans a chance to relax their busy brains.

#8 Poland

Northern Europe has a firm monopoly on the clever country index; its furthest eastern front in this case is Poland. The country has long been in a tricky position: sandwiched between two superpowers, Germany and Russia. Therefore, the Polish have needed to fight for their culture harder than other parts of Europe. Consequently, the country has been resolute in preserving its traditions while investing in strong modernization.

Like other members of this intelligent axis of nations, the Polish people champion etiquette and politeness. “Courtesy, being polite, and being helpful are encouraged at all times,” reads the Polish Art Center’s guide to Polish culture. “When speaking with another person, it is considered bad manners to place your hands in your pockets.”

Such a serene environment is a great location for highbrow thinkers. Rick Steves considers Krakow the cultural and intellectual capital, or the “heart and soul” of the country.

For generations, the typical vacation has looked something like mimosas at brunch, a winery or distillery tour in the afternoon, and bar-hopping after pre-gaming at dinner.

But a growing number of travelers, especially younger ones, are changing things up entirely. Welcome to the world of dry tourism, where alcohol takes a backseat or doesn't come along for the ride at all.

According to Contiki's Voice of a Generation survey, 79% of Gen Z travelers would consider booking a sober travel experience, while an EF Ultimate Break survey found that 68% of 18 to 22-year-olds specifically want sober activities during spring break.

A StudentUniverse report from 2024 found that 77% of Gen Zers chose alcohol-free vacations, and a different report found social media conversations about "sober travel" and "dry tripping" surged 205% in 2025 when compared to the same period in the previous year.

These numbers prove this isn't just a fleeting fad, but a full-blown movement.

Mental Health and Wellness Are Top of Mind

"Since the pandemic, there's been an increase in desire to see more of the world. When it comes to a more sober generation, we crave a digital detox and wanting to step away from all things bad really. People want to be healthier versions of themselves. That all comes with drinking less," says Gen Z lifestyle writer Leah Fan in an interview.

Gen Z has grown up with a keen awareness surrounding mental health and wellness. Almost two-thirds of Gen Z worry about the emotional impact of alcohol, with 86% believing mental health is just as important as physical health when it comes to drinking alcohol. 

The result? They're choosing yoga retreats over pub crawls and sunrise hikes over late-night bar scenes. "It's a great time to not drink," says Darci Murray, founder of Hooked on Travel, an alcohol-free travel company. "The whole mentality has switched, and the mocktail world has exploded with a vengeance."

Murray talks about what she calls "full-sensory travel," which is being fully present without numbing yourself with alcohol. "People who eliminate booze from their trips tend to see more," she explains. 

The Travel Industry Is Finally Catching Up

Tour companies like EF Ultimate Break now offer sober options, and the response has been massive. EF Ultimate Break introduced alcohol-free spring break tours and quickly expanded its sober itineraries to Thailand, Egypt, and Costa Rica. Heidi Durflinger, CEO of EF World Journeys, notes, "We're seeing a shift from the expected Spring Break priorities with many younger travelers opting for sober activities and trip options."

Even cruise lines now offer alcohol-free beverage packages for travelers, while hotels are featuring mocktail menus that rival their alcoholic counterparts in creativity and presentation.

Hilton recently announced a partnership with Derek Brown, a prominent mindful drinking advocate and author, to refresh and expand Tempo by Hilton's cocktail program. Derek Brown has been called "the face of mindful drinking in America" and is known as an "alcohol-free mixology wizard."

What’s Driving Younger Travelers to Go Dry?

Safety while intoxicated abroad is a top concern for many, with 69% citing it as a motivator for alcohol-free travel. Solo travelers appreciate the peace of mind that comes with staying sharp in unfamiliar places. Another 53% simply want to avoid hangovers because they prefer not to waste their hard-earned vacation days feeling miserable.

We all know drinks can easily turn into the most expensive part of a trip, but skipping those $15 cocktails lets you use those funds for more fulfilling experiences like guided tours, spa days, and adventure sports. It's about being more intentional with your money rathern than blowing it all on drunken shenanigans you won't remember.

And the most obvious reason? When you're not fighting off a hangover, you have a lot more energy for the fun stuff.

Sober Travel Doesn't Mean Boring Travel

Companies like Sober Vacations International which has been around since 1987, are filling trips as fast as they can announce them. Their Sober Village trip to Turks and Caicos, which rented out an entire resort for 500 people, sold out within just 42 hours a few years ago.

Sober vacations don't have to be meditation retreats in the middle of nowhere either (although if that's your thing more power to you). They can look like Muay Thai boxing in Thailand, cooking classes with a local family, or wildlife safaris in Tanzania. The only difference? You wake up feeling great.

It's Not About Deprivation, It's About Elevation

With more Americans interested in booking detox or alcohol-free vacations and expressing interest in hotels with mocktail menus, the travel industry is finally starting to adapt.

Dry tourism isn't about judgment or taking a moral high ground. It's about wanting something different. A clear head, authentic experiences, and memories you’ll actually remember.

It's not about deprivation, it's about elevation.

Moving abroad is no longer just a dream for many Americans. 

Rising healthcare costs, housing pressure, and frustration with day-to-day life in the U.S. are pushing people to ask a direct question: If I left, where would I actually go?

A survey by The Harris Poll asked U.S. adults who have considered moving overseas to name up to three countries they would consider relocating to.

The top destinations are not just popular travel spots. They reflect Americans’ views on public services, safety, everyday costs, and work-life balance. 

Some rank highly because they feel familiar. Others rank highly because they offer what respondents believe the U.S. is lacking.

1. Canada: A Small Shift With Big Differences

Canada ranks first among countries Americans would consider moving to. Many Americans see moving to Canada as a familiar yet improved version of life compared with the United States.

One widely cited comparison shows that average life expectancy in Canada is about 4 years higher than in the United States, a difference linked to broader public health outcomes and social services.

Proximity to the U.S. and cultural similarities reduce barriers to relocation, as many Americans already live and work in Canada.

2. United Kingdom: A Soft Landing in Europe

Part of the UK’s appeal is a common language and shared cultural touchpoints, but access to healthcare is another appeal.

The UK spends far less per person on healthcare than the United States, while providing universal coverage, a key reason many Americans find it attractive.

The United Kingdom also attracts professionals working in global industries like finance, academia, and tech, where professional qualifications and experience are highly transferable.

3. Australia: Far Away, But Worth It

Australia ranks third overall, firmly ahead of many European countries, despite its distance from the U.S. Australia’s high placement reflects perceptions of quality of life, strong worker protections, and public services.

Australia scores highly on work-life balance, placing it ahead of the United States across factors like employment protections, healthcare, and social systems. Data also shows Australians enjoy relatively high life expectancy compared with other high-income nations.

Australia’s overall appeal is based on language, familiar culture, natural beauty, labor standards, and strong public services. Qualities that many Americans are increasingly prioritizing.

4. France: Public Services Americans Notice

Americans associate France with long-term stability rather than short-term travel. Healthcare is a significant part of that perception.

France consistently ranks among the top healthcare systems globally, and data show it outperforms the U.S. in access to care and life expectancy (83 years vs. 78).

France appeals to Americans who value public infrastructure and social protections. Public transportation, paid leave policies, and worker protections are far more standardized than in the U.S., which makes daily life feel more predictable.

Ultimately, Americans are willing to consider language differences when the perceived payoff is a better-supported lifestyle.

5. Italy: Quality of Life as a Priority

Interest in Italy is driven by quality of life rather than economic appeal. Italy’s healthcare system provides universal coverage while still delivering strong life expectancy numbers.

Cost of living is another factor shaping Americans’ dreams of moving to Italy. While major cities can be expensive, Eurostat shows that overall household consumption costs in Italy are lower than in the United States, particularly for food, transportation, and healthcare-related expenses.

6. Japan: Order, Safety, and Reliability

Japan is the highest-ranked Asian country in the survey. Japan’s appeal reflects strong associations with safety, order, and reliable public systems. 

According to data, Japan has one of the highest life expectancies in the world, exceeding both the U.S. and most European countries.

Public safety also plays a role. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime data shows that Japan consistently ranks among the safest countries globally, with violent crime rates far below those of the United States.

Japan’s ranking shows that Americans are sometimes motivated by structure and predictability rather than cultural familiarity.

7. Mexico: Close, Affordable, and Flexible

Americans’ interest in Mexico comes down to accessibility and affordability. Proximity to the U.S. makes relocation feel more flexible, particularly for Americans who want to stay connected to family or travel back frequently.

Data consistently shows that everyday expenses in Mexico are significantly lower than in the U.S., especially housing, healthcare, and food.

Healthcare plays a role. While Mexico’s healthcare options differ from the U.S., private healthcare costs are often far lower, which appeals to Americans without employer-based insurance.

8. Spain: Work Less, Live More

Americans look to Spain for its lifestyle and public services. Spain operates a universal healthcare system, and evaluations by the European Commission show strong outcomes in access to care and preventive care.

Life expectancy in Spain is among the highest in Europe, exceeding the U.S. by several years, according to World Bank data.

Spain also benefits from a reputation for work-life balance. Average annual working hours in Spain are lower than in the U.S., based on OECD labor statistics, which supports the idea that daily life feels less work-centered.

9. Germany: Predictability People Trust

Americans are most interested in Germany’s stability and social infrastructure. Germany’s healthcare system provides universal coverage, and costs are far lower than in the U.S.

Germany also offers unemployment protections and social insurance options, which influence how Americans think about long-term security.

Even without widespread English use outside major cities, Germany is a serious option for some Americans.

10. New Zealand: Fewer Pressures, Fewer People

Despite its distance from the United States, New Zealand attracts interest because of its reputation for safety, public services, and quality of life.

Global quality-of-life rankings frequently place New Zealand above the U.S. on measures such as safety, social trust, and environmental quality, according to the OECD Better Life Index.

New Zealand has universal healthcare coverage, and life expectancy is several years higher than in the U.S.

It seems Americans are willing to consider dramatic geographic changes if they believe the trade-off results in a healthier and more secure life.

The start of a new year typically brings reflection on how time and money are spent.

For travel lovers, that reflection usually leads back to the same question. How can trips feel more rewarding without becoming more stressful or expensive?

Findings from Expedia’s Unpack ’26: The Trends in Travel report point to a shift in traveler priorities and planning behaviors. Many travelers are now placing more emphasis on timing, destination choice, and trip structure, rather than on quick trips to check destinations off a list.

Here are ten New Year’s travel resolutions to help you focus on more thoughtful planning, better experiences, and memory-making in 2026.

1. Travel with a Clear Budget

Instead of planning trips one at a time, decide on a yearly travel budget and work backward.

Recent data shows that  travel prices in the United States have been unstable this year, with flights and other travel costs outpacing general inflation at times and lodging and car rentals shifting month to month, making it hard to predict expenses on short notice.

A clear budget makes it easier to choose destinations, travel seasons, and trip length without last-minute financial pressure.

2. Prioritize One Meaningful Trip

Pick one destination that matters most and plan it well.

According to recent research from MMGY Travel Intelligence, many travelers are placing more value on meaningful experiences in their planning decisions, even as budgets tighten and travel priorities change. They are prioritizing experiences and purposeful choices when deciding where and how to travel.

This suggests that focusing on a single major trip can lead to more intentional planning and deeper engagement with the destination’s culture.

3. Travel During Shoulder or Off-Seasons

Resolve to avoid peak travel windows when possible. Traveling during the shoulder season, the months just before and after peak summer, routinely brings fewer crowds, lower prices, and better availability.

According to AAA, shoulder season travel frequently delivers more competitive rates on flights, hotels, and tours because demand is lower than during high season.

Data from KAYAK shows international airfare can be roughly 33% lower and hotel prices about 10% lower in shoulder season compared with peak summer months, helping your travel budget go further while avoiding the madness of crowds.

4. Choose Sustainable Options

Make one trip that prioritizes trains, buses, or ferries over short flights.

Public transportation data shows that trains emit far less CO₂ than short-haul flights, with train travel often cutting emissions by 73%–91% compared to flying along popular routes.

Further comparison research finds that taking a train instead of a domestic flight can reduce travel emissions by around 80%–86% for medium-distance journeys.

This matters not only for climate impact but also for the travel experience itself. Trains in many regions of the world, especially in Europe and parts of Asia, link large cities, saving time and avoiding airport transfers that add hours to your trip.

5. Learn Before You Go

Spend time learning basic customs, history, and key phrases before traveling.

According to Duolingo’s language report, travel is consistently cited as a leading motivation for learning a new language, reinforcing the value travelers place on basic communication skills before arrival.

Expedia’s report also shows growing interest in experience-led travel, where understanding local norms and confidently navigating daily interactions are increasingly important.

Even small efforts such as learning greetings, common phrases, or local etiquette can meaningfully change how travelers experience a destination.

6. Slow Down Itineraries

Plan fewer stops and more extended stays. Traveling at a relaxed pace rather than trying to fit many cities into one trip is gaining traction as part of the slow travel trend, which emphasizes deeper experience over speed.

Hilton’s travel trends report reveals that many travelers now want to “travel like a local” by spending more time in fewer places and getting to know their destination’s people and culture rather than rushing through a checklist of sights.

Other travel experts also say that slow travel is “a more rewarding way to see the world,” allowing travelers to engage more meaningfully with a destination and its community, a contrast to the stress and superficiality of constantly being on the move.

7. Support Local Businesses

Book independent hotels, guides, and restaurants when possible.

According to an OECD analysis of international tourism’s economic impacts, more than 80% of expenditure by non-resident visitors is captured as domestic value added by tourism-related industries.

When travelers choose locally owned accommodations and services, a larger share of that spending supports wages, local suppliers, and small business owners in the destination.

Beyond economics, locally run businesses can provide deeper insight into the destination’s daily life, customs, and regional history—because locals know best!

8. Take One Skill-Based Trip

Plan at least one trip centered around learning. This could be a cooking class, language program, photography workshop, or even a dive certification to add purpose to your trip.

More and more travelers are booking trips with hands-on experiences that go beyond passive sightseeing. According to Viator’s Travel Trends Report, interactive learning categories are among the fastest-growing and highest-rated experiences being booked. 

Global advisors also report that culinary experiences (67%) and cultural immersion (62%) are among the top motivations for traveling.

9. Travel With Intention, Not Trends

Social media-driven travel decisions often lead to disappointment.

Social media now plays a significant role in trip inspiration and early planning. However, many travelers still want experiences that reflect their own interests rather than simply following viral trends.

According to Expedia, 61% of travelers said they use social media to find travel ideas, up significantly from previous years, underscoring the growing role of online platforms in shaping travel inspiration. 

It also shows a growing appetite for “detour destinations” and locally authentic experiences, such as hidden gems, cultural activities, and specialty goods, as travelers look beyond the most popular “trend” spots to find experiences that feel unique to them.

10. Document Your Experiences

Move beyond quick photos. Write short reflections, record audio notes, or keep a simple travel journal. Reflective writing has been shown to help people process emotions and organize thoughts, leading to a deeper understanding of meaningful experiences and improved mental clarity.

Research on writing and cognition suggests that the act of putting experiences into written form, especially by hand, engages deeper memory encoding processes than passive recording, which can help you retain richer, longer-lasting recollections of your trip.

Studies on travel journaling also find that creating narrative accounts of travel experiences supports meaningful memory formation by connecting events to personal values and identity, making the moments you live more likely to stay with you after you return.

New Year’s Resolutions for Travel Lovers

Travel resolutions work best when they are realistic and personal.

A better year of travel does not require more trips or bigger budgets. It requires clearer priorities, more intentional planning, and respect for the places you visit.

These travel resolutions are not about doing more. They are about traveling better, one thoughtful decision at a time.

Cheers to a new year filled with discovery and adventure!

Travel planning has gotten more personal lately.

Sure, we still check prices and read reviews, but more people are asking themselves: "Will this place actually feel right for me?" That's where astrology comes in.

Astrology has existed for thousands of years, with zodiac archetypes appearing in texts dating back to ancient Babylon and later refined through Greek and Roman scholars.

Zodiac signs are not predictions, but instead they are symbolic systems tied to our personalities, temperament, and behavior. So, what does your sign say about your perfect getaway?

Here are the best vacation destinations based on each zodiac sign, based on Marriott Traveler's astrology-based travel guide.

Aries (March 21 to April 19): Iceland

Aries is ruled by Mars, the planet associated with drive, action, and physical momentum.

According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, the Aries personality is energized by challenge and novelty, causing them to disengage in uninspiring environments.

You're not the type to lounge by a pool all week. You need adventure, something that gets your blood pumping. Iceland delivers. Volcanoes, geysers, glaciers that shift and crack. You'll hike across lava fields one day and soak in hot springs the next. No chance of getting bored here.

Iceland is shaped by constant geological movement. The island sits directly on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where tectonic plates separate. Seismic shifts happen regularly in Iceland, reminding us that the land itself is alive.

This works well with Aries' energy because the landscape requires motion, awareness, and engagement. Iceland’s appeal for Aries travelers lies in its sense of immediacy and raw physical presence.

Other destinations Aries will enjoy include Patagonia, New Zealand, and Utah's National Parks.

Taurus (April 20 to May 20): Provence, France

Taurus is ruled by Venus, which astrology associates with pleasure, beauty, and material comfort. The Taurus personality is known for valuing quality, consistency, and sensory experience.

You appreciate the finer things. Not in a flashy way, but you know quality when you see it. Provence, France, is basically made for you. Vineyards, farmers' markets overflowing with fresh produce, and centuries-old stone villages. Everything moves at a slower pace here. You can taste olive oil straight from the press, wander through lavender fields, and actually relax. No rushing required.

Provence emphasises food, agriculture, and tradition. The region is internationally recognized for wine production, olive oil, and seasonal cuisine, as evidenced by France’s national tourism data, which highlight Provence as a center of agritourism.

Architecturally, Provence emphasizes continuity. Roman ruins, medieval villages, and stone farmhouses create a visual environment that feels rooted and enduring. That sense of permanence resonates with Taurus’ desire for stability and familiarity.

Other destinations Taurus might enjoy include Tuscany, Napa Valley, and Cotswolds.

Gemini (May 21 to June 20): Dublin, Ireland

Gemini is ruled by Mercury, the planet associated with communication, curiosity, and mental activity. Astrology references consistently describe Gemini as socially oriented and intellectually restless.

You'd rather die than be bored. Dublin, Ireland, gets it. The city practically runs on conversation. Cozy pubs, literary history on every corner, and people who actually want to chat. You can explore different neighborhoods without walking miles, so you can fit several experiences into one afternoon. Perfect for your can't-sit-still energy.

Ireland’s capital is deeply tied to storytelling, literature, and community discussion. According to Ireland’s Central Statistics Office, Dublin has one of the youngest urban populations in Europe, which contributes to its energetic social environment.

Short distances between neighborhoods allow for frequent changes in setting, aligning with Gemini’s need for variety and mental stimulation.

More destinations Gemini might appreciate include Berlin, Melbourne, and Montreal.

Cancer (June 21 to July 22): Kyoto, Japan

Cancer is ruled by the Moon, traditionally linked with memory, tradition, and emotional depth. Astrology texts often associate Cancer with nostalgia and attachment to history.

You're drawn to places with soul, with history you can actually feel. Kyoto has been Japan's cultural heart for over a thousand years, and it shows. Ancient temples, gardens designed for meditation, and seasonal traditions that people still honor. There's something comforting about being somewhere that values the past as much as you do.

Kyoto, Japan, embodies those qualities through preservation rather than reinvention. The city served as Japan’s imperial capital for over a millennium, and its cultural practices remain intact. UNESCO recognizes Kyoto as one of the world’s most significant repositories of historic architecture, including temples, gardens, and ritual spaces.

This rhythm aligns closely with Cancer’s lunar symbolism and preference for emotionally resonant experiences rooted in continuity.

Other destinations Cancer might like include Charleston (South Carolina), Prague, and Savannah (Georgia).

Leo (July 23 to August 22): Marrakech, Morocco

Leo is ruled by the Sun, associated with visibility, expression, and cultural presence. Astrology literature often links Leo with environments that feel vivid and socially alive.

You want to feel something when you travel. Color, energy, life. Marrakech, Morocco, delivers all of that and then some. The markets are sensory overload in the best way: spices, textiles, musicians, snake charmers. Everything is bold and unapologetic. You'll feel right at home in a city that celebrates being seen.

Marrakech reflects that intensity through its visual density and public life. The city’s medina is a UNESCO World Heritage site, recognized for its historic markets, palaces, and public squares. Jemaa el-Fnaa functions as a communal stage, blending performance, commerce, and tradition.

Morocco’s Ministry of Tourism identifies Marrakech as one of the country’s most culturally expressive cities. That expressive quality aligns with Leo’s desire for environments that feel confident and outward-facing.

Other destinations that let Leo shine include Dubai, Las Vegas, and Rio de Janerio.

Virgo (August 23 to September 22): Switzerland

Virgo is ruled by Mercury, but unlike Gemini, Virgo’s expression is analytical and detail-focused. Astrology sources describe Virgo as organized, observant, and drawn to efficiency.

You appreciate when things just... work. Switzerland is your dream destination. Trains arrive precisely on time. Cities are clean without being sterile. Everything feels thoughtfully designed, from the alpine villages to the hiking trails. You can actually relax here because you're not constantly fighting chaos.

Switzerland consistently ranks high in global infrastructure and quality-of-life indexes. Public transit systems are known for punctuality, and urban planning emphasizes cleanliness and functionality.

Culturally, Switzerland balances structure with respect for nature, seen in well-maintained alpine villages and conservation policies. This balance appeals to Virgo’s preference for environments that feel intentional and thoughtfully managed.

More places Virgo will love include Copenhagen, Singapore, and Munich.

Libra (September 23 to October 22): Barcelona, Spain

Libra is ruled by Venus and is associated with harmony, aesthetics, and social balance. Astrology references often describe Libra as drawn to art, design, and interpersonal connections.

You want beauty and balance. Barcelona, Spain nails both. Antoni Gaudí’s architecture is stunning but not overwhelming, the beach is right there when you need to decompress, and the whole city feels designed for strolling and people-watching. Art museums, sidewalk cafés, gorgeous plazas. It's like the city was built with your aesthetic in mind.

Barcelona, Spain, combines those elements through architecture, public space, and coastal geography. The city’s layout emphasizes walkability and shared public areas, reinforcing social interaction.

The combination of visual creativity and a relaxed Mediterranean pace aligns with Libra’s preference for a balance between stimulation and ease.

Additional places for Libra to consider include: Paris, Vienna, and Santorini.

Scorpio (October 23 to November 21): Sedona, Arizona

Scorpio is traditionally associated with depth, transformation, and introspection. Astrology texts often link Scorpio with environments that encourage reflection rather than distraction.

You're not interested in superficial tourist stuff. You want depth. Sedona's red rock landscape hits differently. It's the kind of place that makes you think and feel more deeply. The town attracts people seeking meditation and spiritual experiences, which might sound woo-woo, but sometimes you need space to process your inner world.

Sedona, Arizona, has long been associated with spiritual tourism and geological symbolism. Its red rock formations are among the most photographed in the American Southwest, and the area has been studied by the United States Geological Survey for its unique geological layering.

The environment emphasizes solitude, stillness, and emotional processing rather than spectacle, making it a fitting match for Scorpio’s introspective nature.

Scorpios may also enjoy traveling to Iceland, New Orleans, and  Petra.

Sagittarius (November 22 to December 21): Cape Town, South Africa

Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, associated with expansion, exploration, and philosophical curiosity. Astrology literature frequently describes Sagittarius as drawn to cultural diversity and broad perspectives.

You want it all, and you want it now. Cape Town, South Africa delivers. It has mountains, beaches, vineyards, wildlife, incredible food, complex history. You can hike Table Mountain in the morning and be sipping wine by the ocean that evening. The variety keeps your restless spirit happy.

Cape Town sits between mountains and coastline and serves as a gateway to South Africa’s wine regions and wildlife reserves. That sense of openness and movement resonates with Sagittarius’ desire for freedom and exploration across different environments and ideas.

Sagittarius might also like Peru, India, and Morocco.

Capricorn (December 22 to January 19): Edinburgh, Scotland

Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, traditionally associated with structure, history, and responsibility. Astrology sources often describe Capricorn as respectful of tradition and long-term achievement.

You respect places that have earned their reputation. Edinburgh's medieval core, castle, and centuries of intellectual tradition speak to you. This isn't a trendy city. It's a serious one, built on stone and history. You'll appreciate the substance behind the scenery.

Edinburgh’s Old and New Towns are both UNESCO World Heritage sites. Scotland’s capital places strong emphasis on history, education, and civic identity, qualities that align with Capricorn’s appreciation for endurance and legacy rather than trend-driven change.

Other great destinations for Capricorns include: Rome, Boston, and Athens.

Aquarius (January 20 to February 18): Tokyo, Japan

Aquarius is associated with innovation, community, and forward-thinking ideas. Astrology texts often describe Aquarius as future-oriented and socially aware.

You're fascinated by how the future might look, but you don't want to lose touch with meaning. Tokyo, Japan, does both with cutting-edge technology and ancient shrines coexisting on the same block. The city constantly reinvents itself while honoring tradition. That contradiction makes perfect sense to you.

Tokyo is a global leader in urban innovation, transportation systems, and design. But at the same time, the city preserves historic neighborhoods and religious sites. That coexistence of future and past aligns with Aquarius’ tendency to value progress without abandoning collective memory.

Other destinations for Aquarius include Reykjavik, Portland (Oregon), and Amsterdam.

Pisces (February 19 to March 20): Bali, Indonesia

Pisces is ruled by Neptune, which is associated with imagination, spirituality, and emotional sensitivity. Astrology often connects Pisces with water environments and contemplative spaces.

You need to feel emotionally connected to a place. Bali's whole vibe is spiritual, creative, and deeply tied to nature. Rice terraces, temple ceremonies, and beaches feel sacred rather than commercialized. The island operates on a different frequency, and you'll tune right into it.

Bali’s identity is closely tied to ritual, spirituality, and nature through traditional ceremonies and art, while the island’s geography emphasizes water. That fluid environment aligns with Pisces’ intuitive nature and preference for places that feel emotionally connected.

Pieces will also enjoy the Maldives, Greek Islands, and Big Sur (California).

Travelers are quietly rearranging the way they create their vacation itineraries.

Instead of planning around late dinners and nightlife, many people are building itineraries around the earliest hours of the day when destinations feel calmer, more personal, and noticeably different.

For an increasing number of people, the moment that defines a vacation comes before breakfast.

In its 2026 Hidden Trends data, GetYourGuide says more than half of travelers (54%) plan to wake up early to see top attractions without crowds, and it reports a 44% year-over-year increase in morning tour tickets compared to last year.

This is not just about beating lines. It's about trips built around feeling better, moving at a calmer pace, and getting something memorable done before the day gets too loud.

Why the shift is happening now

Crowds are pushing people earlier. When travelers feel that the “best version” of a place exists in a narrow window before peak hours, they plan around it. GetYourGuide's data point, 54% willing to wake early to avoid crowds, is a direct signal of that behavior.

Rest is becoming a primary trip goal. Hilton’s 2026 trends predict travel motivations will center on dialing down noise and distraction.

Hilton found “rest and recharge” as the top leisure motivation for 2026 (56%), according to its report Hushpitality: Seeking Sweet Silence. If the trip is meant to recharge, late nights stop being the default.

Travel planning is more intentional. The American Express 2025 Global Travel Trends Report focuses on what drives travel decisions, especially among Millennial and Gen Z travelers.

When the “why” matters more, mornings tend to win because they deliver a clear payoff. You get fewer crowds, better conditions, and a calmer start.

What “morning-first travel” looks like in practice

Morning-first travel is about access.

Viewpoints feel quieter at sunrise, trails are cooler and less crowded, and cities reveal themselves before the day shifts into tourist mode.

Museums open into empty galleries, markets buzz while locals shop for the day, and cafés feel like part of daily life rather than a stop between attractions.

Along the water, early hours bring calmer seas and softer light, offering a version of the beach or coastline that disappears by late morning.

Starting the day this way changes the entire vibe of a trip. The most memorable moment happens early, leaving the rest of the day open and relaxed.

How destinations are responding

Destinations and tour operators are adjusting to this behavior in subtle ways.

Earlier start times are becoming more common, and some experiences now exist only in the morning. Sunrise boat tours, early access cultural excursions, and dawn wildlife encounters are being positioned as premium options.

Hotels are responding as well. Breakfast hours are expanding, coffee programs are receiving more attention, and quiet communal spaces are being designed for early risers.

Some resorts are even structuring daily schedules so the most appealing activities happen before midday, leaving afternoons flexible.

Morning experiences as memory-makers

There is also a psychological component at play, as experiences that happen early often feel earned.

Getting up before the sun rises can create a sense of intention, making the moment feel special. American Psychological Association's behavioral research shows that effort and novelty increase memory formation.

You'll remember how the air smelled, how quiet the setting was, and how different the destination looked before the crowds arrived.

Photography plays a role here, too. Early light produces softer tones and cleaner compositions, and the absence of crowds changes how a place is framed, something long noted by National Geographic.

Many of the images travelers value most on vacation come from the first hours of the day, not late at night.

This does not mean travelers stopped liking nights

Nighttime experiences are still popular; however, the “nightlife” category is being split up into two categories:

• Traditional nightlife, bars, clubs, late nights
• Night experiences that still align with wellness and intention, such as stargazing, night markets, and evening cultural events

The big difference is what gets priority and budget. Many are placing their “must-do” moments earlier, and letting evenings be calmer.

This makes nighttime activities feel optional instead of mandatory, with unhurried dinners and quiet evenings that don't give you FOMO.

In 2026, the quiet hours before breakfast will become the most intentional part of the trip. The day no longer builds toward nightlife. It begins with the experience that matters most.

Alaia Belize, Autograph Collection sits on 20 acres in San Pedro and is designed for travelers who want more than a standard Caribbean resort stay.

From the property, vacationers can easily connect with Belize’s cultural and natural offerings, which include guided trips to Mayan archaeological sites, jungle activities like ziplining and cave tubing, and diving and snorkeling excursions that access the Belize Barrier Reef directly from the coast.

The resort itself features three pools, including a rooftop pool overlooking the Caribbean Sea, along with a full-service spa and low-key experiences that reflect the local environment.

Dining, wellness, and excursions are coordinated to make exploring both land and sea straightforward during a single stay.

Alaia Belize, Autograph Collection has earned recognition from Condé Nast Traveler readers, appearing in the magazine’s Readers’ Choice Awards in recent years. This distinction is based on direct traveler feedback and reflects high marks for the resort’s location, amenities, and overall guest experience.

A San Pedro Setting Close to the Reef

Alaia Belize sits in San Pedro on Ambergris Caye, a coastal town with quick access to the water and the reef. The Belize Barrier Reef Reserve sits about 600 yards from the shoreline, giving travelers a short route to one of the largest reef systems in the world.

The streets around the resort are easy to navigate, and there are restaurants and small shops close by. Most people use golf carts to get around.

Many tours start from docks along the shoreline. The resort has its own dock, so vacationers can join snorkeling or diving trips without a long transfer. Food options in the area include cafés, bars, and seafood places.

Overview of the Property

Alaia Belize is part of the Autograph Collection by Marriott. The resort sits on a wide stretch of land along the water in San Pedro.

Buildings are spread across the property, with many spots offering views of the Caribbean Sea. The overall design leans modern but uses natural materials and calm colors. Public areas feel open to the air, with seating and gathering spots near the pools and along the walkways.

Alaia Belize has three pools, including a rooftop pool and lounge with views over the coast. A private dock gives boats a place to pick up guests for snorkeling and diving trips.

Rooms and Layout Options

It is nice to see a luxury resort that provides lots of room options. The property has studios, suites, and villas. Some rooms face the water, while others face gardens or pool areas. Light comes in easily in most of them, and the colors stay simple: cobalt and turquoise palettes.

• Vista Studios and Vista Suites: ideal for solo travelers or couples, with modern design and generous spaces just steps from the resort’s pools, restaurants, and amenities. These range from resort view to oceanview with fully equipped kitchens, furnished terraces, and views of the Caribbean Sea or gardens.
• Resort View Vista Two-Bedroom Suites: for larger groups or families, needing additional space, including multiple bedrooms and living areas.
• Reef House Suites: for more space and privacy, these suites are available in garden or oceanfront settings with two or three bedrooms, Caribbean-style interiors, and easy access to pools and gardens.
• Oceanfront Three-Bedroom Villas: plunge pools, expansive layouts with multiple bedrooms, bathrooms, living areas, and private outdoor space right on the shoreline.

Across all room types, travelers enjoy contemporary finishes, air conditioning, Wi-Fi, and stylish touches that reflect the resort’s upscale Caribbean character.

On-site Restaurants and Bars

Alaia Belize has plenty of places to eat and grab a drink. Marriott lists six restaurants and four bars on the property. Guests can also sign up for a mixology class during their stay.

Restaurants

• Sea Salt: Mediterranean-inspired grill, dinner
• Vista Rooftop: seafood/hand-crafted cuisine, dinner
• The Deck: coastal menu with ocean view, dinner
• The Terrace: breakfast buffet & all-day dining
• Blue Hole Poolside: lunch, casual comfort food
• Ocean Side Pizzeria: brick-oven pizza, lunch & dinner

Bars & Drink Spots

• Arlie’s: handcrafted cocktails, nightly
• Beach Bar: live music & seaside drinks
• Resort Pool Swim-Up Bar: poolside cocktails
• Vista Rooftop Bar: at the rooftop restaurant/lounge

Many dishes use local ingredients, but each spot handles things in its own way. The resort also lets you add an all‑inclusive package to reservations of two nights or more.

Breakfast is served on‑site, though it isn’t included in the room rate. Room service is available for anyone who wants to stay in for a meal, including an all-day menu.

With spots spread across the property, you can choose from beachfront seating, shaded outdoor tables, or indoor dining rooms.

Amenities Around the Property

The resort has three pools, and one of them is on the rooftop, offering wide views over the water. It’s an adults‑only spot, and the way it’s built gives it a kind of floating feel above the rest of the property.

A fitness center is on the grounds for those who want a place to work out. The spa blends local influences with modern treatments, including massages. There are small spots around the property where people can sit or work if they need a quiet area. Wi‑Fi reaches most of the rooms and shared spaces.

The concierge staff helps with basic travel needs, such as arranging tours or transportation. Guests who rent golf carts have a place to park them. The private dock is used for snorkeling and diving trips, as well as other water-based outings.

Adventures and Excursions

Alaia Belize offers water and mainland excursions designed to showcase the country’s marine life and natural attractions. Vacationers can snorkel or dive along the Belize Barrier Reef, including stops at Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley, take guided fishing trips, or enjoy sunset cruises departing directly from the resort’s dock.

Through the on-site concierge, visitors can also arrange mainland adventures such as Mayan ruins tours, cave tubing, ziplining, and jungle excursions, along with local explorations around Ambergris Caye. 

Perfect for Couples,Families, and Groups

Alaia Belize draws a mix of travelers. Some people come for the beach and the easy access to the water. Others stay here because it’s close to town and makes day trips easy to plan.

Couples often like the quieter corners of the property and the overall coastal feel. Families lean toward the larger suites and villas, especially with the extra pools spread around the grounds. Guests who need to work during their stay can usually find a spot to sit with a laptop.

The location is ideal for short visits, too. Boats leave from the dock for snorkeling along the Belize Barrier Reef, and it’s easy to arrange trips inland to see Mayan sites like Xunantunich or Caracol. Some travelers add ziplining or cave tubing to their plans, since those tours run often and don’t take the whole day.

What to Know Before Booking

Reaching Alaia Belize, requires a short hop from Belize City to San Pedro. Tropic Air and Maya Island Air run those flights throughout the day from Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport (BZE) and John Greif II Airport (SPR). The resort can help arrange a transfer from the San Pedro airstrip if it’s arranged in advance.

Belize asks all arriving travelers to fill out an immigration form, so it’s worth having that in mind before you land. Check‑in starts at 4 p.m., and check‑out is at 11 a.m.

Because some packages include additional fees, it is essential to review rate details carefully. Although many tours depart right from the dock, planning ahead makes things easier. The property sits close to town, making it easy to reach local restaurants and small shops without a long ride.

Alaia Belize Getaway

Alaia Belize offers vacationers a comfortable place to settle in, with the beach on one side and the town on the other. It’s a practical starting point for reef trips, local food, and the wider landscapes around San Pedro.