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...
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,...
4 Local Markets You Can Go Shopping with the Chef on a Seabourn Cruise
It's a long-standing tradition and one of guests' favorite experiences of a Seabourn cruise. And it doesn't even take place on board the ship.Seabourn's Shopping with the Chef complimentary shore excursions to landmark local markets in ports of call are legendary, and a signature of the luxury cruise line.It's no surprise to find Seabourn chefs shopping in local markets. Take a Seabourn cruise. Then take another. No two Seabourn cruises are quite the same. You'll realize how much effort Seabourn chefs (and all the...
Cycling through the Dutch Countryside on an Avalon Active Shore Excursion
One of the best things about river cruising in Europe is that it takes you into the heart of world-famous cities, charming smaller towns, and even through the countryside that you might not see any other way. One of the best things about Avalon Waterways' Active shore excursions is that they give you yet another way to explore Europe's best scenery up close – on a bicycle, on foot, by kayak and more.Active shore excursions are one of three styles of...
Video: A Canadian Veteran of DDay Explains Why You Should Visit the Juno Beach Centre
There are fewer and fewer veterans of the DDay Landing Beaches to tell their stories, but Canada's Juno Beach Centre introduced us to Jim Parks, who shared his memories of landing on DDay as a young soldier, and why he believes all of us should travel there today.DDay remains the iconic symbol of Allied unity and sacrifice to end World War 2. Thousands of soldiers from the US, Britain, Canada and other Allied nations landed on the beaches of France...
Think Overwater Villas are the Height of Exotic Luxury Travel? Try This UNDERwater Villa
It puts new meaning into being immersed in the local natural beauty. The pristine waters of the Maldives are epic, surrounding one of the world's most romantic, remote and legendary tropical eco paradise destinations. Now you can sleep alongside your sweetheart or family as well as the rich marine life that animates the waters of these tiny islands in the Indian Ocean. Conrad Maldives Rangali Island is a pioneering resort: the first international hotel in the Maldives, the first underwater restaurant, and now,...
Yes he did! 'Luke Skywalker' Opens New Skywalk at One of the World's Most Symbolic Lookouts
And he even used a light saber. The actor famous for his role as one of space's greatest heroes didn't need to use the Force to launch the new Skywalk at the top of the Rock of Gibraltar. The best part may be the Stormtroopers chilling in the background.Mark Hamill's appearance at the Rock of Gibraltar Skywalk was a dramatic opening for the state-of-the-art glass platform and viewpoint 340 meters (over 1100 feet) above the narrow channel where the Mediterranean meets...
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: This Hotel Has the Top Views of Edinburgh
There are a few important things on our check list of a great hotel: alluring architecture and design, lifestyle, dining and sipping... and if possible, an amazing view.The Balmoral Edinburgh has it all. This storied hotel in Scotland's capital is located at 1 Prince's Street. It's an unrivaled position overlooking some of the best views of the city: Edinburgh Castle, Prince's Street, New Town, even Arthur's Seat, the park on the remnants of an ancient volcano rising out of the...
Video: Get Shot Out of This World-First Bungy Catapult in New Zealand
Maybe it's been too long since you've been shot out of a cannon. Or dangled and bounced hundreds of feet above a ravine. Or had your head snapped back with 3 G's of force in only 1.5 seconds of acceleration. There's a new experience in New Zealand that will give you all those thrills and more. The Nevis Catapult has launched – literally – on New Zealand's South Island outside Queenstown. Even the walk on the arm leading to the experience tests your head...