Brenda's Adventure Travel

06/24/2026

06/23/2026

Destination Spotlight: Mexico

Mexico has a way of fitting more into one trip than people expect. Ancient ruins, incredible food, beautiful beaches, colorful streets, and experiences that feel completely different from one another. There is always another side to discover, which is part of what keeps travelers coming back.

Mexico gets better the more you explore it. Let’s start planning!

06/22/2026

Switzerland goes well beyond the postcard.

The mountain views get the attention, but it's the experience that stays with people: lunch on a terrace while trains move through the Alps below, swimming in lakes surrounded by peaks in summer, riding panoramic rail journeys, then returning in winter for ski days and villages that feel completely transformed under fresh snow.

Ready to find your Switzerland?

06/21/2026

"Life is short and the world is wide." — Simon Raven

One of the things I love most about travel is having something exciting on the horizon. Sometimes it’s a destination that has lived on your list for years. Sometimes it’s a beach or city waiting to be explored, or simply time set aside with the people who matter most.

The places themselves are memorable, but it’s often the feeling that stays with me.

What destination is inspiring you lately? Let’s talk about your next journey.

06/20/2026

Peak season in Europe doesn't have to mean crowds. It means knowing where not to go.

A few destinations that deliver the quality of Europe's best without the experience of its most visited:

Madeira: A subtropical island off the coast of Morocco that most travelers underestimate. Not to miss: the hiking trails along the levadas and the food scene in Funchal.

The Azores: Nine volcanic islands in the mid-Atlantic with crater lakes, whale watching, thermal springs, and landscapes that feel unlike anywhere else in Europe. Still largely under the radar.

Slovenia: Ljubljana is one of the most pleasant small capitals in Europe, and Lake Bled is the kind of destination that photographs cannot do justice to.

Norway: The fjords in summer deliver some of the most beautiful scenery on the continent, and the quality of light at northern latitudes in June is something clients consistently say they weren't prepared for.

Vienna. Consistently overlooked in favor of Prague and Budapest. The museums, the coffeehouse culture, the concert season, and the food scene are all at a level that Vienna's reputation doesn't fully convey.

Ready to experience Europe without the crowds? Let’s start planning!

06/19/2026

Wine, olive oil, and a coastline most people haven't found yet. Here's your sign.

Meneghetti is a Relais & Châteaux property in the southwestern corner of Istria, Croatia, on a working wine and olive oil estate that has been producing here for decades. The hotel is small and deliberate: 18 rooms and suites, a pool surrounded by century-old olive trees, and a restaurant built around the estate's own production.

The wine program is a standout: tastings in the cellar, access to the winemaking team, and a list that extends well beyond what the estate produces into the best of the Istrian region.

Istria also delivers on its own terms as a destination. Hill towns like Motovun and Groznjan, truffles that rival anything found in Italy, and a coastline that rewards the detour every time.

Ready to discover Croatia? Get in touch to start planning!

06/18/2026

Looking for a reason to finally book New Zealand? Here's a good one.

Rosewood Cape Kidnappers is on the Hawke's Bay coast of New Zealand's North Island, on a working farm covering several thousand acres above dramatic coastal cliffs. The golf course consistently ranks among the world's best and is designed around those cliffs in a way that rewards anyone paying attention.

Non-golfers find plenty here. Farm tours, clay pigeon shooting, cycling the property, and some of the most striking scenery the North Island offers. The wine region of Hawke's Bay is on the doorstep, and the restaurant's commitment to local food culture is serious.

Ready for New Zealand? Let's get started.

06/17/2026

There is no single best safari. There's only the one that fits how you travel.

The Big Five are still the reference point most people use, but safaris have come a long way. Conservation reserves, astro-safaris, gorilla trekking, water-based exploring, and destinations outside Africa entirely. The options are broader than most people realize, and the right one looks different for every traveler.

The destination, the camp, the timing, the style of guiding: every one of those decisions shapes how the trip actually feels, and none of them has a single right answer.

Not sure where to start? That's the most common place to begin this conversation. Reach out, and let's figure out your version of it.

06/16/2026

Booking a trip soon? Save this checklist. These are the details I review on every trip I plan:

Passport validity. Many countries require six months of validity beyond your return date. Check before anything else.

Entry requirements. Visa rules shift frequently and vary significantly by destination. What applied last year may not apply now.

Travel insurance. Not all policies are equal. Coverage for trip interruption, medical evacuation, and pre-existing conditions all matter, and the differences between policies are usually invisible until something goes wrong.

Flight routing. The lowest fare and the best routing are rarely the same thing. Long layovers, tight connections, and overnight arrivals into complex destinations all have consequences for how a trip begins.

Room category. Categories within the same property can vary significantly in view, size, and experience. Getting the right room for the right stay is something that gets overlooked more than it should.

Timing within the destination. Most places have a week or two that is categorically busier than the dates around them. Knowing where those fall changes both availability and price.

A good travel advisor works through all of this before you ever see a final itinerary. Get in touch if you'd like help planning your next trip correctly.

06/15/2026

What does the most ultra-private, most exclusive island resort in Southeast Asia actually look like? This.

Amanpulo sits on Pamalican Island in the Philippines, in the Sulu Sea, accessible only by chartered flight from Manila. Here's what you can expect at one of the world's most exclusive addresses:

42 private casitas spread across the island, a house reef you can snorkel directly from the beach, dive sites with some of the most remarkable visibility and coral cover in Southeast Asia, and not a single day visitor in sight. The beach is yours, the schedule is yours, and the only transportation on the island is a golf cart.

This is one of the most exclusive trips I plan. Reach out if you'd like to be next.