Cruise, Wellness, & Adventure Tours

25/03/2025

Refresh your Mind and your Body.

Seek out wellness resorts where entire destinations have become associated with wellness travel.

1. Chablé Resort, Mexico - Located around 20 minutes outside of Mérida proper, you’ll find the very exclusive Chablé Resort. This tranquil spot blends historic, Yucatán-style accommodations with natural wonders like a natural cenote. The Chablé Spa includes ritualistic elements that allow guests to experience traditional Mayan ceremonies. Chablé Resort’s Ixi’im Restaurant deserves special mention as well since renowned Mexican chef Jorge Vallejo of Quintonil is the mastermind behind the menu here.

2. Aro Ha Wellness Retreat, New Zealand - The Aro Ha Wellness Retreat is a very popular wellness retreat located in New Zealand’s Southern Alps. Enjoy spectacular views of the mountains from the hydrotherapy spas and to Lake Wakatipu from the yoga studio. The focus at Aro Ha Wellness Retreat is to create a program that restores you from head to toe by focusing on both internal and environmental connectivity.

3. Escape Heaven, Indonesia - Bali is pretty much synonymous with wellness travel. You’ll find no shortage of fantastic spas and wellness resorts catering to those looking for mental and physical healing. If you are looking for a women’s only retreat, consider Escape Heaven. These are six-night packages, perfect for solo female travelers looking for the ultimate wellness getaway. Located in the Canggu Sanctuary, your package includes daily spa treatments, six yoga and meditation sessions, wellness cuisine, and a sunrise hike up the top of Mt Batur.

4. Wellness Travel Costa Rica, Costa Rica - Costa Rica appeals to a wide variety of travelers, thanks in part to having both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea coastlines. You can also head inland to tropical rainforest resorts that will make you never want to leave. There’s a reason that the motto in Costa Rica is "Pura Vida," which means the good life. Costa Ricans practice what they preach, with a healthy lifestyle filled with healthy food and plenty of nature. This motto is what sparked founder Isaac Garcia to found Wellness Travel Costa Rica.

5. Oita Hot Spring Trails, Japan - Japan has been rated as one of the best wellness destinations in Asia now. In fact, the tourism board is working on wellness-travel-related programs, especially in destinations like Beppu, which is renowned for its hot springs. If you’re considering a wellness trip to Japan, look at the Oita Hot Spring Trail in Beppu. This wellness trip is a six-day, five-night trip that takes you on a guided walking tour of the notable hot springs on the island. Walk for four hours a day and spend your evenings in traditional Japanese inns, complete with onsen thermal hot springs baths.

6. Sedona Self Love Retreats, Arizona - Sedona is a popular wellness destination, especially since many believe that Sedona’s vortexes are spiritual locations where the energy flows in just the right manner to help with healing, prayer, and meditation. Sedona Self Love Retreats offers several wellness retreats for couples, families, friends, or just individuals. Improve your life making long-term wellness changes here.

7. Solage, Auberge Resorts Collection, California - Award-winning wineries, natural hot springs, delicious cuisine, and numerous spas set right in wine country; it’s no wonder Napa Valley is a popular destination for wellness travelers. There are organic wineries, plenty of healthy food available, natural hot springs, and more. Solage, Auberge Resorts Collection, is one of the Napa Valley’s premier wellness resorts. And, they are embracing a wellness ingredient you aren’t likely to may not see in many other places — the use of CBD oil. Solage Resort is incorporating CBD oil in their facials, massages, and scrub treatments.

25/03/2025

Combatting Altitude Sickness

sickness is our body’s way of reacting to a lack of oxygen at where the air is thinner. Statistics state that roughly 25% of people will experience it when moving from a sea level location to heights of 9,000 feet — sometimes less.

There are three different types of altitude sickness to be aware of. Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) is the most common form and is associated with the aforementioned symptoms. A full recovery is usual within 24 to 72 hours. High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE) is rare, but can be life threatening and leads to a severe increase of fluid in the braid. Dizziness, disorientation, and blurry vision are common and immediate descent is the sole treatment. High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE) is when excess fluid builds up in the lungs. It’s most frequently associated with people at higher elevations, but is potentially fatal and can affect even well-trained athletes. Anyone that suffers from this should descend and receive oxygen treatment.

PRE-TRIP: Stay well hydrated before you depart, so aim for a daily consumption of two to three liters of water. Dehydration reduces the body’s capacity to acclimatize to altitudes. If you're a coffee drinker, keep drinking cups of joe. Symptoms of caffeine withdrawal are similar to those of altitude sickness and any caffeine in your system can ease altitude-associated pain.

Pack plenty of snacks. Beef jerky and oat, chocolate, or fruit and nut bars are excellent options since they're light to carry. A scientific study at Stanford University also found that taking ibuprofen can decrease the chances of altitude sickness. Acetazolamide is another medicine believed to help the cause.

UPON ARRIVAL: Acclimatization is key to combatting sickness, so take it easy for a couple of days and refrain from overexertion. Stay hydrated and lay off the booze. If you're craving a beer or a glass of wine, then limit yourself to only one glass. Go with the climb high, sleep low philosophy. This means acclimatizing by reaching high altitudes during the day and then spending the night at lower, more oxygenized areas.

It’s not only intrepid trekkers that climb to Everest base camp that suffer from altitude sickness. Here's what you need to know about combatting it.

18/03/2025

LISTEN UP - 8 Cities for Lovers

The most rewarding kind of travel comes when we are able to combine the interests we love with an unfamiliar place. It’s one of the best ways of connecting with a new destination, a chance to share your passion with those you meet along the way. If you enjoy music, then there are a plethora of cities across the globe to which music will add an extra dimension to your visit. Here are eight of them:

1. Salzburg, - Serious music lovers should plan a trip to elegant . This delightful Austrian city is where the composer Wolfgang Amadeus was born in 1756, and his first home, on the Getreidegasse, is now a museum. Interiors faithfully recreate what the home would have looked like at the time, but the real treat is the chance to see Mozart’s personal violin and his clavichord. If you prefer the work of Rodgers & Hammerstein, you’ll be more excited by the other musical connection: the 1965 movie . Much of the footage was shot on location. Come in summer and you can pedal your way from scene to scene with Fräulein Maria’s Bicycle Tours. Mount the lyric sheets on your handlebars so you can belt out “Climb Every Mountain” at the gates of Nonnberg Abbey and warble “Sixteen Going On Seventeen” beside Hellbrunn Castle’s gazebo. They’ll even teach you how to yodel The Lonely Goatherd if you have the lungs for it.

2. , Tennessee - , which has been bringing country music to the masses for almost a century. Established artists and rising stars share the stage for a weekly live performance that will thrill anyone with a sense of rhythm. Ten miles away in downtown Nashville, you’ll find the Hall of Fame, featuring audio recordings, videos and photographs of some of the greatest singers of all time. Museums dedicated to Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash and Glen Campbell fill in some of the back story. In Nashville’s Historic RCA Studio B, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, the Everly Brothers, Roy Orbison and Fats Domino laid down tracks. But perhaps the city’s greatest asset is the live music emanating from the many h***y tonks on Broadway.

3. Cremona, - Not far from , Cremona's claim to fame is for one instrument alone: the . This was the birthplace of Stradivari, the genius who could turn pieces of wood into a magnificent instrument capable of producing the sweetest of sounds. Today, Cremona still boasts an astonishing 130 or so luthiers, or violin makers, who toil in tiny workshops to make instruments that ship worldwide.

4. Opelousas, - The origins of lie in Louisiana French accordion music and Afro-Caribbean influences. The two first came together in the countryside of the Louisiana-Texas border, accompanied by foot stomping and much clapping of hands. Later, the blend included sounds from the urban scene too and continued to evolve, picking up soul, rap and reggae influences alongside the traditional washboard, accordion, fiddle and spoons. Clifton Chenier, the King of Zydeco, made the genre famous. When he won a Grammy in 1983, the Opelousas native put his home city on the map. The Original Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Music Festival is an annual event which usually takes place in Opelousas on the first weekend of September.

5. , - The distinctive tones of the can be heard across Scotland and Ireland. It’s what we Brits call a Marmite sound – you either love it or loathe it. They are a member of the woodwind family, enclosed reeds fed by air from the attached bag. The National Piping Centre is home to centuries of piping heritage in the Scottish Highlands and beyond. The first reference to the bagpipes was in a document about a 16th-century battle. On display in the museum is a set of bagpipes from Argyll that dates from the 18th century. If you’re keen to try the pipes for yourself, you’ve come to the right place. It’s harder than it looks!

6. Puno, - , though associated with Andean South America, actually trace their origins to Greek mythology. L***y Pan, the god usually associated with nature, was chasing Syrinx, a forest nymph. In an effort to escape Pan’s attentions, she turned herself into a water reed. So the legend goes, Pan tied several together and after he blew on them, he liked the sound they made. Pan pipes are a common sight across Peru. In and around Puno, in the Peruvian altiplano, a double row instrument is common. You’ll often see performers making music on the islands of Lake Titicaca, such as on Taquile, though traditionally they were only ever heard in the dry season months. However, if you want to see them in a festival setting, then time your visit for February to coincide with the Fiesta de la Virgen de la Candelaria.

7. , - was born in 1960s Jamaica, influenced by ska and rocksteady. The legendary was a pioneer of the genre. His former home, now a Kingston museum, is an essential stop for any music lover. It’s crammed with mementos and memorabilia associated with the late reggae icon. The Jamaican capital Kingston is also home to many clubs where you can catch live reggae music performances. Don’t miss Dub Club on a Sunday evening up in St Andrew, in the hills overlooking Kingston. There, locals and visitors groove to the sounds of reggae, dub and roots.

8. Cali, Colombia - In , the uptempo beat of a lively Latin suits the energy and sense of fun of its population, especially in , the country’s third largest city. There, the new craze was received with considerable enthusiasm, but some DJs played the records at faster speeds than the artists had originally intended. As a consequence, the dance was modified to be quicker than the original version, requiring some pretty nifty footwork. Each year, it also hosts a big dance event called the World Salsa Cali Festival, during which professional dancers compete for a prestigious title. In late December, the annual Feria de Cali kicks off with a parade known as the Salsódromo, whose participants show off their moves to the appreciative crowd that lines the streets.

17/03/2025

BOATELS - for land lovers who want to spend the night at sea

Boatels are docked ships or other vessels that operate as floating hotels, renting out sleeping quarters—or, in some cases, entire boats—to travelers.

1. Green Turtle Floating Bed & Breakfast - on the doorstep of some of Boston’s biggest attractions and offers impressive views of the city’s skyline, it somehow also manages to feel peaceful and secluded.

2. Samuel Slater Canal Boat - calls the Blackstone River in Central Falls, Rhode Island, home. The inside of the Samuel Slater features lustrous wood from floor to ceiling, tons of natural light, a kitchenette, and a bathroom with a hot shower.

3. Holly Bluff Marina - on the St. Johns River in central Florida, he marina has seven houseboats available to rent, each sleeping between four and 10 people. In addition to enjoying your private boatel while it’s docked in the marina, guests also have the option of exploring the river in their houseboat—including cruising 6 miles south to Blue Springs State Park, which serves as a winter sanctuary for manatees, and features crystal-clear water that’s 72 degrees year-round.

4. S.S. City of Milwaukee - located in Manistee, Michigan, on the state’s west coast. Designed in the 1920s, built in 1930, and launched in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, in 1931, the S.S. City of Milwaukee operated as a railroad car ferry until 1978, and had a carrying capacity of 28 to 32 fully loaded rail cars. Now, the ship provides guided tours, museum exhibits, facility rentals, and a ghost ship haunted attraction. It also functions as a boatel. And though the boat remains docked, its unmodified interior—including the original woodwork and brass fixtures—offers guests the chance to travel back in time to the 1930s. There are eight rooms available for overnight stays, ranging from the chief engineer’s quarters, to Pullman suites with four built-in bunk beds.

5. Covington Inn - the three-story towboat has a permanent home on the Mississippi River, as it winds through St. Paul, Minnesota. The boatel has four staterooms, each with its own private bath, deck access, and working fireplace, as well as air conditioning. Along with its central location and views of the city’s skyline, the Covington Inn’s interior is also impressive—trimmed stem-to-stern in mahogany, brass, and bronze, and furnished with period-appropriate salvaged fixtures, antiques, and vintage art.

6. The Shady Dell - is located roughly 100 miles southeast of Tucson in the former copper mining town of Bisbee, Arizona. The 1947 Chris Craft yacht can be found at the Shady Dell Vintage Trailer Court, alongside 11 trailers from the 1950s, and a 1947 bus which all feature vibrant, vintage decor, and the chance to experience the golden age of roadtripping.

7. The Queen Mary - When the Queen Mary embarked on her maiden voyage in 1936, the Cunard-made ship was the height of glamour and luxury. After her final trip in 1967, the Queen Mary docked in Long Beach, California. Guests can spend the night in one of the ship’s 347 original art deco staterooms and suites, eat in one of its three restaurants, and attend events in venues on board.

8. The Delta King - From its launch in 1927 until 1940, the Delta King made the 10.5-hour journey on the Sacramento River between San Francisco and Sacramento on a daily basis. Since then, the 285-foot riverboat served in World War II (first, transporting and housing troops, then as a hospital), was stripped of its steam engines in 1948, was towed to Canada and used as a rooming house for factory workers. The original staterooms have been refurbished with a combination of period details and modern amenities.

17/03/2025

U.S. PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARIES- a cross-country road trip

Each U.S. president has undeniably left a unique legacy behind—including thousands of documents and artifacts. There are currently 15 U.S. presidential libraries overseen by the Office of Presidential Libraries in the National Archives and Records Administration.

1. Richard Nixon Presidential Library & Museum houses 46 million pages of documents, photographs and thousands of hours of video and recorded conversations of "The White House Tapes"

2. Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library features the Air Force One Pavilion, including Reagan's actual Air Force One airplane.

3. Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum features a Place of Meditation on the library's 22-acre campus.

4. Harry S. Truman Library and Museum features many of Truman's personal letters and documents.

5. Herbert Hoover Presidential Library & Museum tells the story of his life as the 31st president, starting just a few months befoer the stock market crash of 1929 that marked the beginning of the Great Depression.

6. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum preserves important state documents including an original copy of the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln family letters, and Barry and Louise Taper’s prized collection of Lincolniana and assassination materials.

7. Gerald R. Ford Library houses the permanent collection featuring more than 100 rarely-seen artifacts that tell the story of Ford’s life with a focus on his presidency during the Cold War era.

8. Franklin D Roosevelt Library and Museum was the first presidential library in the U.S. and the only one to be used by a sitting president. FDR believed in the concept of “open government” and thought that the public should have access to both his personal and professional papers.

9. John F Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum interactive exhibits and an artifact collection. The design of the building compliments the waterfront location and guides visitors through Kennedy’s political life in chronological order, ending in a light-filled atrium.

10. Jimmy Carter Presidential Library continues to add to its collection, which includes 40 million pages, 1 million photographs, and more than 2,000 hours of video.

11. William J. Clinton Presidential Center is a library and museum whose permanent displays include replicas of both the Oval Office and the Cabinet Room, and the presidential limousine.

12. George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum features thousands of letters received following 9/11, and students can get the full experience in the original White House Situation Room.

13. LBJ Presidential Library contains more than 54,000 artifacts donated by the Johnsons, including furniture from the Oval Office, personal clothing, artwork, and antiques.

14. George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum houses educational exhibits, more than 100,000 artifacts, and an archive containing 44 million pages of records.

13/12/2024

of Amboseli

Early risers, it’s worth setting out before dawn from the capital for a day safari. Amboseli National Park is known for its large elephant population so you have an excellent chance of seeing at least one of its herds. Against a backdrop of snow-capped Mount , this is a bucket list view. While you’re there, you might also spot wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, gazelle and even cheetahs and lions. If you can’t drag yourself out of bed until the sun comes up, pay a visit instead to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s elephant orphanage to watch rescued babies take their morning milk bottles from the attentive keepers.

13/12/2024

Go back in time on the train from … Explore the Ruins of Pompeii

Catch a from Napoli Centrale and travel back in time to a Roman city lost to a devastating tragedy. In AD 79, Mount Vesuvius exploded, sending a deadly pyroclastic flow right in the direction of . It was hidden under a thick layer of ash and pumice until the mid-18th century, but today the painstaking work of countless archaeologists reveals its secrets. From ancient brothels to cart ruts worn into the road, a visit to Pompeii is a fascinating glimpse into what life would have been like almost 2000 years ago.

13/12/2024

Almmbach Gorge

The Austrian city of is usually associated with Mozart and the Sound of Music, but the mountains which surround it are an adventure seeker’s playground. With 17 jumps of up to ten meters and the chance to swim through a narrow , Strubklamm is one of the most demanding canyons in the area. The canyon is more suited to novices, with smaller jumps that can be abseiled instead if you lose your nerve. Prepare to get wet – and have a ton of fun in the process.

13/12/2024

From … Hike the Beautiful Blue Mountains

Sydney’s unarguably one of Australia’s most attractive cities, but if you can bear to drag yourself away, the outstanding natural beauty of the can be reached in just a couple of hours by train or car. Views of the iconic Three Sisters, as well as Katoomba Falls, are outstanding from the Scenic Skyway . Nearby you can also ride the world’s steepest incline railway. But one of the greatest pleasures is simply to one of the many trails. With convenient point to point transfers provided by hop on hop off buses, there’s no excuse not to give your walking boots an Aussie workout.

13/12/2024

From Cape Town … Visit the Boulders Beach

You don’t have to travel far from the city to be surrounded by nature. Rent a car for the day and head down to Boulders Beach to visit the adorable African penguins, nicknamed "jackass penguins" on account of the distinctive braying noise they make. The boardwalks leading to Foxy Beach get you the closest to these comical creatures. To get there, take the scenic route and follow the thrilling Chapman’s Peak Drive, a narrow coastal highway flanked by the ocean on one side and tall cliffs on the other.

13/12/2024

Breathtaking side trip from … Take a Dip at Cajón del Maipo

Two hours southeast of ’s capital city, Santiago, is Cajón del Maipo, a breathtaking mountain reserve in a glacial valley with ample trails and scenic overlooks at every turn. A small national park, Monumento Natural El Morado, is located in the valley, featuring two of the most popular sites in the area, the San Francisco Glacier and Laguna El Morado. Summertime is the perfect season to visit this pristine park. More activities are available, including access to all trails for day hikes, fly fishing, and . Nearby, the Valle de Colina is a series of natural mineral . These terraced pools overlook the snow-capped mountains — a perfect place to end a long day on your feet.

13/12/2024

Going to ? Consider this adventurous side trip.

Just a short one-hour drive from the popular French Mediterranean cities of Nice, Cannes, and Marseilles, is a stunning park whose focal point is the turquoise waters of the Verdon River, framed by the high cliffs of the Verdon Gorge. There are scenic trails for day of all experience levels to explore. At the western edge of the park is the manmade Lake Sainte-Croix, popular for its beaches, , and boating on idyllic blue water. The small towns surrounding the park offer some of the best olives, truffles, and dairy in the region, so stop for a snack on your way back to the city.