Best Travel - Linda Smith

Best Travel - Linda Smith Being a Worldwide Travel Designer for Best Travel is my absolute passion. "Work, Travel, Save, Repeat" That's my moto!

I have been in the travel industry for over 25 yrs starting out in my homeland of Ireland to present day here in beautiful New Zealand. COVID-19: There is no denying Covid-19 has challenged the Travel Industry like never before and we have had to adapt and rise to the challenge. We believe booking with a Travel Agent is more important now more than ever before! With daily changes to travel restric

tions, airline and border changes and strict border control we have access to the most up-to-date information and advice. Helping our customers to still travel and navigate COVID-19 with up-to-date information is our priority.

2 nights in Venice gave us 2 full days to explore but I could have definitely spent another night or two to truly see an...
30/05/2026

2 nights in Venice gave us 2 full days to explore but I could have definitely spent another night or two to truly see and do everything. You simply cannot appreciate this city in 1 day so I would highly recommend staying a couple of nights if you can, for the main reason of enjoying the city without the crowds and tour groups during the day. It's a different city first thing in the morning or later in the evening. Getting up early in to be in St Marks square or visit Doge's Palace first thing to avoid the crowds is well worth it. Also by staying a couple of nights affords you the oppertunity to take in a concert in Vivaldi's church, which was the highlight for me.

Last night on our cruise was an overnight in Chioggia (pronouced kee-oh-jah) near Venice. Since 2021 most cruise compani...
27/05/2026

Last night on our cruise was an overnight in Chioggia (pronouced kee-oh-jah) near Venice. Since 2021 most cruise companies (over 25,000 tonne) are no longer permitted to dock in Venice to protect the cities fragile architectural foundations and ecosystem. Chioggia is approx 1hr transfer from the city. Optional complementary excursion today with Viking was a day trip to Venice with guided walking tour or you could opt to spend the day in Chioggia. As we were having 2 nights in Venice after the cruise we opted for a relaxing day exploring Chioggia. Known as little Venice it is so pretty and sleepy although the driving around is questionable 🫣
We loved this relaxing day and highly recommend taking it, if you are extending in Venice!

Next stop on our itinerary was Split, and the Croatian God's made up for the disappointing weather we had in Dubrovnik 🙏...
23/05/2026

Next stop on our itinerary was Split, and the Croatian God's made up for the disappointing weather we had in Dubrovnik 🙏 it was stunning!
I absolutely loved split, it is just so full of life and the streets are bustling with young , old and everyone in between. It is a hive for sailing Croatia and it's over 700 islands islands (but interestingly only 47 of these are permanently inhabited)
Split is one of the oldest cities in Croatia, built around the 1700 yr old (UNESCO) Diocletian's Palace, it has a beautiful promenade with amazing views over the bay into the Adriatic. Another place I hope to return to some day !

Fourth stop on our cruise was Dubrovnik, unfortunately the weather God's were not on our side, we didn't get to fully ap...
22/05/2026

Fourth stop on our cruise was Dubrovnik, unfortunately the weather God's were not on our side, we didn't get to fully appreciate the "Pearl of the Adriatic" so have vowed to return. (Any excuse!) I still really enjoyed what I did see and as as a big fan of Game of Thrones, I loved seeing where much of it was filmed.
The walls around the old city take approx 2 hrs to walk around and some reach a height of 25 metres, offering incredible views of the old city & the sea. We were advised not to do it this day as the weather was windy and wet and can be quite slippery, we decided to save our eur40 each and plan to come back in the future 🙏
Having a rainy day was a perfect excuse to get back to the ship early and enjoy the spa to warm up. I also got the opportunity to go to the bridge and make sure they could navigate us through the bad weather 😂 and assure me better weather was on the way 😎

Next stop on our cruise was Kotor, Montenegro (I think this place has been my favorite), absolutely stunning in both sce...
19/05/2026

Next stop on our cruise was Kotor, Montenegro (I think this place has been my favorite), absolutely stunning in both scenery and history. Kotor is often called Europe's southernmost fjord and I can see why! It was worth getting up at 6am to sit on the balcony as Viking navigated into Kotor Bay, a 17 mile inlet that links the Adriatic Sea to the heart of Kotor.
One of the many advantages of small ship cruising is not all cruise ship's can fit in here and need to tender outside, we could not have got any closer!
In addition to the spectacular scenery, Kotor is one of the Adriatic's best preserved medieval towns, wait til you see the view from the top! It only took 1350 steps to get up there 😅 but the view was worth it! Thank goodness for the amazing Nordic spa back on board!

Second stop on our cruise was the UNESCO Hertiage Site of Corfu or Kérkyra as its locally known. The Old Town of Corfu i...
19/05/2026

Second stop on our cruise was the UNESCO Hertiage Site of Corfu or Kérkyra as its locally known. The Old Town of Corfu is the only large area in Greece to have kept almost intact its historical buildings dating from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. A walk up to the top of the Old Fortress is a must to get a birdseye view of this beautiful town. I loved strolling (and getting lost) in the maze of cobbled streets, A step back in time!

First stop on our Viking cruise was Olympia, I found it fascinating and a perfect stop on our itinerary after visiting t...
16/05/2026

First stop on our Viking cruise was Olympia, I found it fascinating and a perfect stop on our itinerary after visiting the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens.

Olympia is the birth place of the Ancient Olympic Games. (776B.C which was approx 2800yrs ago! I had to Google that to fully absorb how long ago that was)

The ancient games brought Greek city-states together to compete (naked 🫣) against one another. What did they win? They received a wreath made of wild olive leaves, known as a kotinos, which were cut from a sacred tree near the temple of Zeus. This was purely symbolic of course, as the real prize was all about pristige, fame and often massive financial rewards once they returned to their home cities.

To stand on the same ground that these athletes once stood and competed, and that these games still continue today, is hard to articulate. For any sports enthusiasts (or not) I highly recommend a visit to Olympia.

Gosh I forgot how much I love cruising! What a perfect way to visit so many places with ease & luxury, unpack once, wak...
14/05/2026

Gosh I forgot how much I love cruising! What a perfect way to visit so many places with ease & luxury, unpack once, wake up at a new destination everyday, enjoy incredible food & drinks onboard, not to mention the array of shore excursions to choose from, entertainment, amazing Spa and all the fun people you meet onboard, The list goes on and on....

My 48hrs in Athens was a perfect blend of history, culture, food & fun! Top take aways for a fun filled stayed!Coffee! L...
13/05/2026

My 48hrs in Athens was a perfect blend of history, culture, food & fun!
Top take aways for a fun filled stayed!

Coffee! Lets get the important stuff out of the way first! The main coffee of choice here is a Freddo ! Freddo Expresso (cold & black) Freddo Cappuccino (cold with frothy milk) or medium freddo cappuccino was my favorite as it comes with some sugar!

Plaka (meaning flat stone or slab) or Monastriki (small monastery) are is best place to stay, hotels are old and small (of course they are! Its Athens) and often entail stairs not for the faint hearted, choose wisely depending on your age and mobility.

Visit the Acropolis museum first, then the Acropolis not the other way round, makes sense right!

All the guide books tell you to go early, I second this, beat the crowds (kind of) but also not as hot! What a perfect way to start the day, by the way 8am is the first slot. I choose to do the museum one afternoon and then did the self guided tour following morning, which was a perfect way to really absorb all the info and appreciate where you were standing.

BYOE - Bring your own earpods! Most self guided tours require downloading an app, scanning a QR code to listen on your phone.

Bike Tour of Athens (ebike of course!)what a great way to see the city and surrounding neighbourhoods. Psiri (or Psirri) was particularly interesting, for its colorful street art/tagging, which only a local can tell you about, it comes alive at night!

Rooftop bars, how to pick ! There are so many, the view from my hotel was pretty spectacular, but my favorite bar would have to be The Attic, reservations essential especially at the weekend, you won't be disappointed!

Souvlaki pitas, a must have for lunch or anytime of the day! Hoocut off monastriki square tried and tested yum!

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19/04/2026

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