Ponies and 3 More Reasons to Visit Scotland's Shetland Islands
They say on St. Patrick's Day everyone's a little bit Irish. So it's fair to say that on Rabbie Burns' Day, we're all a little bit Scottish. The national poet of Scotland – he wrote the song you likely sing every New Year's Eve: Auld Lang Syne – was born on January 25, 1759. And every year on January 25th, Scots and people of Scottish ancestry world-wide celebrate the man voted the 'Greatest Scot' in the country's history.In Scotland and in...
Have You Heard About OceaniaNEXT?
Oceania Cruises is making a triple-play of transformations, breathtaking in scope, that have already begun. When complete over the next few years these three tremendous changes will elevate all of the things you love about Oceania, and give you even more to experience.A $100-million re-imagination of its four, 684-guest Regatta-class ships to make them 'better than new'A thousand artisans have been deployed in the process to up-convert the Regatta, Insignia, Sirena, and Nautica. Inspired by their newer big sisters in the...
5 Reasons to Get Excited About Booking an Expedition Cruise This Year
Leave your evening gown at home and pack your hiking shoes instead. For more and more travelers, an expedition cruise is on the horizon.Expedition cruises speak to our inner adventurers. Smaller ships, more remote and tiny ports, untouched destinations, natural beauty, deep cultural interaction.They're perfect for travelers who want to explore the world's natural wonders and the most distant reaches of the planet in an active way: out of a zodiac, in a kayak, hiking to the tops of peaks,...
Channel Your Inner Van Gogh on this Avalon Discovery Shore Excursion in Amsterdam
What happens when you put three non-painters in a painting workshop? Can you really learn to paint like Van Gogh in an afternoon? Those were the questions on all our minds as we walked to an art atelier near where our river cruise ship, the Avalon Vista, was docked in the heart of Amsterdam.By: Lynn Elmhirst, BestTripTVI'm creative but I have zero artistic skill. Even my handwriting is famously illegible. My friends, travel expert Ryan McElroy and travel and gardening journalist Tara Nolan,...
You Can Celebrate Richard Branson's Birthday With Him on his Adults-Only Cruise Line
With flamboyant Sir Richard Branson at the helm, the 2020 launch of Virgin Voyages is one of the most anticipated events in travel. The party-loving, trend-setting celebrity entrepreneur promised his latest travel venture would do to cruise what Virgin Air did to flying: rediscover a whole new level of tongue-in-cheek, escape-with-your-friends-to-a-private-party fun. Only this time, at sea. Bookings are now open for the inaugural season of the Scarlet Lady, the first Virgin Voyage ship, in April 2020. The ship's homeport is a splashy...
Top 10 Souvenirs from a Trip to Hawaii
You'll come home with a million sun-drenched memories of a holiday in Hawaii. Here are 10 mementos you can take with you. ANYTHING PINEAPPLEThey may be the most common symbol of Hawaii, and you'll find pineapples, pineapple products, and pineapple motifs everywhere. Pineapples are actually native to South America, and their Hawaiian name 'halakahiki' means 'foreign fruit'. They arrived in Hawaii in the 1500's, but it wasn't until James Dole, the 'Pineapple King' came to the islands in 1899, that Hawaii became synonymous the...
This City Gets Another Designer Parking Garage - Yes, 'Park-itecture' is a Thing
Architecture is the calling-card of a city. Some destinations are made famous by cathedrals or castles, towers or temples, statues or skyscrapers… in modern-day Miami, it's all about the designer parking garage. They even have a name for it: 'park'-itecture.In this glittering city, there's an expanding list of chic places to park your car and gaze on the work of some of the world's leading architects – or 'star-chitects'. In other cities in the world, the likes of Frank Gehry, Herzog &...
Video Cruise Review: Tulips and Much More on an Avalon Spring Netherlands River Cruise
If you're a flower lover, a Tulip Time spring cruise in the Netherlands is already on your bucket list. If you're not a particular flower lover, it should still be on your bucket list.BestTrip sailed on the Avalon Vista and discovered there's so much more to a Tulip Time cruise than spring flowers.We'll never forget the incredible sights of fields of tulips and Europe's largest spring garden in full bloom. But also the sights and many different flavors of not just the...
Cunard Joins Crowdfunding to Help Build New Statue of Liberty Museum
Supplies exclusive donor perks for July-long campaign; new museum to launch in 2019. It's the quintessential British luxury cruise line, but Cunard is still the perfect cruise partner to help build a new museum for the ultimate symbol of America.A highlight of Cunard's Queen Mary 2 Transatlantic Crossings from Southampton near London, England, is a sail past the Statue of Liberty before arrival in New York harbor.It's the same route Cunard ocean liners sailed during the Golden Age of steam...
Oprah, Music and More: 6 Things You'll Love About Holland America's Nieuw Statendam
Is there room for more than one at the top? Holland America's Nieuw Statendam joins the Konigsdam in the line's newest 'Pinnacle' class of ships. Fan favorites from the first Pinnacle-class ship join new innovations on the latest ship for the beloved Dutch cruise line.Here are just 5 reasons you'll want to be among the 2600 guests sailing on the Nieuw Statendam:History This is the sixth 'Statendam' ship for Holland America; the 'Nieuw' was added to distinguish it from the original,...