Avid Nomad Travel

Avid Nomad Travel Avid Nomad Travel researches and plans unforgettable travel experiences for curious travelers.

Happy Wednesday!!This morning, I awoke to a few photos from clients that are currently travelling in Japan and Italy, wh...
06/10/2026

Happy Wednesday!!

This morning, I awoke to a few photos from clients that are currently travelling in Japan and Italy, while another couple are in a place I've booked and stayed previously myself, right down to the room category, so I know what their view looks like!

I'm a bit jealous!

Which one would you prefer, lake and mountains, woods and streams, or a vibrant city? Comment below!

Whichever you prefer, set up a conversation and get started with your next journey and wake up on a Wednesday, somewhere unforgettable!

#1 - #3, Lake Garda and the Dolomites, Italy 🇮🇹
#4 - #7, Shizuoka, Japan 🇯🇵
#8 & #9, Budapest, Hungary 🇭🇺

Schedule a call to get started on an off-peak adventure this fall to take in a new vantage point!

Travel + Leisure named Brasil the 2026 Destination of the Year, and as a South America, and Brasil, expert, I agree. Wa...
05/29/2026

Travel + Leisure named Brasil the 2026 Destination of the Year, and as a South America, and Brasil, expert, I agree.

Want to go together? Read to the end...

But maybe there is a better time to experience it: go in September.

Beyond Rio, here are 4 places that show another side of Brasil:

• Salvador da Bahia: Brasil’s first capital is a center of Afro-Brazilian culture, filled with colorful colonial architecture, live music, incredible cuisine, historic churches, and nearby tropical beaches. Salvador’s historic center, Pelourinho, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site recognized for its remarkably preserved Portuguese colonial architecture and deep cultural importance tied to Afro-Brazilian history, music, spirituality, and religion.

• Pantanal: One of the best wildlife destinations in the world, anchored by the “Pantanal Big 5”, Jaguar, Giant Anteater, Giant Otter, Maned Wolf, and Capybara. Expect caiman, hundreds of bird species like the **Hyacinth Macaw** (the world's largest parrot), the impressive Jabiru Stork, various herons and kingfishers and vast wetlands that offer some of the most reliable large mammal sightings in South America. The Pantanal is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site because of its extraordinary biodiversity and role as the world’s largest tropical wetland ecosystem.

• Lençóis Maranhenses & São Luís: One of the most surreal landscapes in South America, where endless white sand dunes fill with crystal-clear rainwater lagoons. Pair it with São Luís, a UNESCO World Heritage Site recognized for one of Latin America’s largest collections of Portuguese colonial architecture, colorful azulejo-tiled buildings, Afro-Brazilian heritage, reggae culture, and rich northeastern cuisine.

• Belém: The gateway to the Amazon and one of Brasil’s most fascinating food cities. Explore river markets, rainforest ingredients, Amazonian culture, and historic architecture while experiencing the flavors that earned Belém recognition as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy for preserving and celebrating the culinary traditions of the Amazon region.

Why September?

Better weather than the heat and humidity of January and February, fewer crowds, easier logistics, and often better pricing at premium hotels and lodges. It’s also one of the best months to see the lagoons of Lençóis Maranhenses at their fullest.

🚨⚠️Want to travel with me in September? How about Carnaval this winter? I'm exploring last minute options this fall, and gauging interest for this winter during Carnaval. Get in touch immediately if you would like to go with an expert! 🚨⚠️

If Brasil has been on your list, this is the year to look beyond Rio and experience the country through its culture, cuisine, wildlife, and landscapes. 🇧🇷

Ryan Cowden

If you've waited to schedule a summer trip, it isn't too late. In fact, there are several scroll stopping incentives an...
05/26/2026

If you've waited to schedule a summer trip, it isn't too late.

In fact, there are several scroll stopping incentives and promos to book this summer, along with a few for travel next winter, particularly in the cruise space. Virgin Voyages, Silversea, Celebrity among them.

Think airfare is too high? You may be surprised as some destinations in Europe are only slightly, if at all, higher than expected for late summer and fall season.

Have a look and let's see if something catches your interest for this summer, fall, or even the short season for Alaska 2027!

Vacation sunrises just hit a bit differently... Particularly tropical ones!Let's schedule a conversation and put one on ...
05/21/2026

Vacation sunrises just hit a bit differently... Particularly tropical ones!

Let's schedule a conversation and put one on your calendar!

05/18/2026

Mexico City, CDMX, is such a fascinating city for a long weekend.

This was my 4th visit, and is one of those places where I work with a local guide to help clients explore authentically. This time, we took a deeper dive to places not in the usual tourist route, and adding an iconic canal cruise in Xochimilco plus a day trip to one of central Mexico's favorite getaways, Tepoztlan.

Need a long weekend away? Want a completely authentic and unfamiliar cultural destination?

Let's get you to Mexico City!

05/15/2026

Filed under: Fridays should all be like this!

Xochimilco is one the last tenants of what this valley was like in the pre-Colombian period. Most of this valley was a shallow lake (which is causing MAAAANNYYY problem today).

The Aztecs piled the shallow mud into plots called Chinampas, which became the city of Tenochtitlan and the agricultural plots to support what was one of the largest cities in the world in 1519.

Now, this last vestige is a quintessential party spot in CDMX, with mariachis, greenhouse growers, and colorful boats plying the canal.

A must do in Mexico, and a great Friday!
Cheers!

Next trip, one of my favorite cities, and a great long weekend "City Break", then off to tour resorts on Riviera Maya!. ...
05/14/2026

Next trip, one of my favorite cities, and a great long weekend "City Break", then off to tour resorts on Riviera Maya!. I'm overdue for a CDMX ... 🇲🇽

Where Are Clients This Weekend?Clients of Avid Nomad Travel are stepping aboard the legendary Queen Mary 2 for one of th...
05/09/2026

Where Are Clients This Weekend?

Clients of Avid Nomad Travel are stepping aboard the legendary Queen Mary 2 for one of the world’s most iconic travel experiences: a 7-night Trans-Atlantic Crossing from New York City to Southampton in a luxurious Princess Suite.

This is not just transportation to Europe. It is the return of classic ocean travel. Elegant sea days, afternoon tea, white-glove service, live music, enrichment lectures, ballroom dancing, ocean views stretching endlessly in every direction, and the rare opportunity to truly disconnect while crossing the Atlantic in style.

The Princess Suite experience adds another level of comfort with expansive accommodations, priority embarkation, exclusive dining, concierge service, and thoughtful touches throughout the voyage.

For travelers who believe the journey should be just as memorable with friends and loved ones as the destination, few experiences compare to a Cunard crossing aboard Queen Mary 2.

With firsthand experience across premium and luxury cruise lines, including river and ocean cruising throughout Europe and beyond, Avid Nomad Travel helps match travelers with the right ship, suite, itinerary, and onboard experience for the way they truly want to travel.

If a classic Trans-Atlantic Crossing, luxury river cruise, or premium ocean voyage has been on your list, now is the perfect time to start planning for 2026 and beyond.

Here is a memory from my first visit to one of my three, or maybe top 5, most favorite cities in the world!It is reall...
04/30/2026

Here is a memory from my first visit to one of my three, or maybe top 5, most favorite cities in the world!

It is really hard not to love Istanbul! The energy and intensity, history, food, architecture, the shopping

I have kinda forgotten two things: 1) how dark my hair was after winter and before it went light in the summer sun and 2) what it looked like before the sides went silver! 😜

Next month, I'll be visiting one of my other top cities, any guesses which that is? Leave a comment below with a guess.

But what else stands out (besides Hagia Sofia)? The tulips!

The colorful tulip may have been catapulted into gardening lore in the western world by the Dutch, but they got it from the Turkish in the late 16th century. The Ottoman Turks had adopted them from their ancestral homeland of Central Asia, followed by depictions and use in Persia, and the Levant.

But the Ottomans took them to a different level entirely.

Visiting sites throughout Turkey or the former Ottoman realms that have ceramic decor on the walls, you'll see them in glazed painted forms everywhere. You'll also see them on the Sultan's robes and garments at Topkapi Palace (picture). In fact, Sultan Selim II had 50,000 of them planted in the mid-1500's.

One thing you'll quickly notice however, is the pointed petals on Turkish depictions. They were indeed sharper, and the modern varieties no longer look this way. I would like to see one sometime though.

Now is a great time to plan a visit to Istanbul for September, as the weather is perfect. But if tulip time in Holland is more of your preference, it will be time to book that soon. If a river cruise for tulip time 2027 is more your style of upacking once and letting the sights pass you by, we have to book now, or for 2028.

Wherever you have in mind, let's schedule a conversation and get started for travel this fall, or beyond.

While my busy summer "booking" season is winding down and the peak departing season is about to start, I have a few last...
04/22/2026

While my busy summer "booking" season is winding down and the peak departing season is about to start, I have a few last minute summer bookings in the works, but have just finished two fall and winter bookings.

The second, may surprise you! 🌹

First, a three week in-depth journey through Portugal. Starting in Lisbon, then taking a self-drive journey into the interior and north of Portugal, before a pass in Galicia, Spain's green northwestern corner. Medieval walled towns, cathedral dominated villages, vineyard covered Douro Valley slopes, ancient spa towns, light hiking, charter fishing outings and finally, the colorful historic center of Porto.

Accommodations and their planned activities reflect the varied settings, from luxury hotels, converted convents and monasteries, boutique hotels, working vineyards, country farmhouse B&B's.

The one that may surprise you? A New Year's package in LA and the Rose Parade, with all the colors, creativity, and pageantry that starting the year with this grand tradition represents.

I've been lucky enough to have experienced the Rose Parade twice, and the Rose Bowl afterwards three times. Starting with the pre-dawn cold, through all the floats, marching bands and cultural displays before and ending the morning with late morning Southern California sunshine on Colorado Blvd, is on many a bucket list for good reason.

Yes, I do have some of the mor iconic "city break" type of packages domestically in addition to Alaska, Hawaii and National Park tours.

Ready to plan for your last minute summer, fall, winter travel in 2027 or even some of the peak experiences for later in 2027? It is time to start planning, schedule a call and get started!

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