Do You Miss Cruising? This Recipe Will Let You Re-Create an Iconic Cruise Experience at Home
There may be no dish that evokes cruising more than Baked Alaska.A miracle dessert of warm, caramelized meringue on the outside, still magically full of layers of frozen ice cream on the inside. No one really knows why, but somewhere along the way, it became a classic of traditional cruise culture.Even today, Baked Alaska is often served on celebration, formal or farewell evenings. The ultimate Baked Alaska experience includes 'parades': a procession of dining room staff each bearing a flaming Baked Alaska for each table of diners to top off an evening of formal dining. (Hilariously, these days, often to the unofficial Baked Alaska parade theme song of 'Hot, Hot, Hot'). Rarely seen anymore on land, a flaming Baked Alaska never... more
Newfoundland Ponies Are The Joy We All Need Right Now
When a destination’s nickname is ‘The Rock’, you don’t expect a warm and cozy place. Newfoundland is the eastern most point in North America, the vanguard of the continent where it faces into the North Atlantic waters and winds that once brought Vikings and still bring icebergs to its shores. In this dramatic setting and tough climate, only the strong survive. Newfoundlanders are tough survivors, but the opposite to their stark environment with famously welcoming, colorful, charming, musical and comedic culture.The ponies that Newfoundlanders brought over from Northern Europe developed the same characteristics over 400 years, until they became their own breed of tough, sweet, sure-footed and gentle ponies.Nearly extinct only couple of decades ago, Newfoundland Ponies are now, along with Newfoundland dogs,... more
Why We Still Believe in Travel
While we are all practicing #StaySafeStayHome, it can be hard to stay positive or be optimistic that things we love and used to take for granted will return. We can’t wait to be able to gather again with family and friends, celebrate holidays, go to concerts and festivals and markets and games… and travel. Right now, travel may seem distant on the horizon, but this is why we know travel will be part of our lives again. By: Lynn Elmhirst, Producer/Host, BestTrip TV Travel providers are betting on a return to travel. Rather than throwing in the towel and closing, they are working hard and investing all their available resources into keeping themselves poised to resume providing travel services to travelers when we are... more
Now More Than Ever: Why You Should Work With A Travel Advisor
The COVID-19 pandemic will pass. Until then, the global travel scenario will continue to change daily.Our top advice for people with travel booked – or considering travel – is to stay calm. And work with a trusted, expert travel advisor when you’re making travel plans.A responsible, qualified, and professional travel advisor will always:1. Only use and refer you to credible sources of information with expert and reasoned advice. Some of your friends at work, strangers on social media and less professional media are sharing gossip and spreading hysteria. They are making a difficult situation worse.Here are three official travel advisory sources used by travel suppliers, insurers and others to make decisions about canceling trips and providing coverage.The highly respected Centers for Disease... more
How You Can Help Solve Overtourism - AND Still Enjoy the World's Most Popular Destinations
Amsterdam. Venice. Barcelona. Just to name a few. These are spectacular, vibrant, magical cities… reeling under the weight of tourists.I’m very fortunate to have visited a number of cities that are now on the list of overtouristed destinations. They are magnificent and life changing. But sadly, each subsequent visit, I see the very qualities travelers go there to seek eroded a little bit more by a growing volume of tourists.Over-touristed destinations worry about becoming artificial, ‘theme park’ versions of their charming, unique, authentic selves. They fear seeing local residents, artisans, shopkeepers and restaurateurs priced out of the cities’ historic centers by global brands and big companies buying up real estate for international brand shops and short-term housing rentals.When the locals go, so do... more
The Hotel with the Best Views of Buenos Aires
They call Buenos Aires the ‘Paris of South America’. Historic neighborhoods of elegant, whitewashed buildings with ornate wrought iron trim, its reputation as the global capital of theater with 280 theaters, more than any other city in the world, and the world’s biggest boulevard, lined, like the grand boulevards of France’s capital, with monumental buildings… all add up to a distinctly European feel in Argentina’s capital city. The hotel with the very best view of Buenos Aires has to be the Hotel Panamericano Buenos Aires, with its prime location on July 9 Avenue. Called the world’s biggest boulevard, July 9 Avenue commemorates the country’s independence day and stretches 3 km long, and a whopping 18 lanes across!The Panamericano hotel’s twin towers are... more
Top Things to See in Barcelona
It's one of the top destinations in Europe, let alone the Mediterranean. Barcelona tops everyone's travel bucket list, and for excellent reasons.It has a collection of some of the world's most unique and distinctive Modernist architecture - hint: by the same local designer whose masterpiece church is still under construction 130 years after it was begun. One of Europe's most famous local markets, and restaurants serving the abundant harvest of Catalonia's land and sea. One of the world's most picturesque pedestrian promenades (where you'll find the tongue-in-cheek bronze 'Thinking Bull' statue that plays on the iconic 'The Thinker' by Rodin, pictured above). And a lifestyle any visitor is loathe to leave.We never depart on a cruise from Barcelona without taking... more
The New Cruise Line Making Yacht-Style-Cruising the Med Affordable
Sounds impossible, doesn’t it? The Emerald Azzurra is the first ship launched under the new Emerald Yacht Cruises brand, which is now part of the newly formed Emerald Cruises. You may already be familiar with Emerald Waterways’ affordable river cruises. Now, the company is bringing that same accessibility to a new cruise line and new, 100-guest ship with inclusive prices – and those are only two of the features normally associated only with luxury, small-ship cruising. When the Emerald Azzurra launches in July 2021, the ship will be a game changer, introducing a new class of Mediterranean cruising. Described as a ‘super-yacht’, the ship was designed for the small, off-the-beaten path ports of the Mediterranean and features: only 50 staterooms, nearly 90% with balconies;a spacious... more
How You Can Help Now in Australia - Hint: It's Not Knitting Another Koala Cozy
Maybe you’ve donated to wildlife rescue or the Red Cross funds to help. Maybe you’ve been one of the crafters who have knitted pouches and mittens for injured and orphaned koalas, kangaroos and other iconic Australian wild animals hurt in the fires.Welcome and much-needed rains have come that are helping to put out the fires. New green buds are even peeping out of the charred landscape.Now what? Lynn Elmhirst, BestTrip TV’s producer/host spoke with officials from Tourism Australia as well as owner/operators of local tourism businesses who came on an urgent trip to North America to provide an update. It’s not just the actual wildfires themselves that have been damaging to Australia. Misinformation reported about Australia’s wildfires online is hurting the... more
3 Hotels You Can't Miss in San Juan, Puerto Rico
It’s a US territory with sun-kissed Caribbean charms. Where lush jungles, land and marine parks and world-class beaches meet Old World cobblestone architecture, New World comforts, and signature Latin hospitality, culture and sultry vibe. Puerto Rico’s capital San Juan is a major cruise port and destination in the eastern Caribbean. Thousands of cruise passengers embark and disembark every year. But don’t miss the opportunity to extend your cruise – or visit the island just to explore the island’s urban lifestyle and beach resorts in San Juan, as well as the attractions outside the capital. Following Cuba’s revolution in the 50’s, Puerto Rico became the heart of island Latin style for America’s jet set, and many of the island’s most memorable... more
What is 'Wave' and How You Can Save Booking Your Next Cruise Now
It couldn’t come at a better time. The thrills of the holidays have passed, and the bills of the gift-giving season are due.The cold weather, cabin fever, and the doldrums of winter are descending. They’ve even named the 3rd Monday in January ‘Blue Monday’ after studies showed it’s the most depressing day of the year. Everyone needs something to look forward to.Welcome, Wave Season It’s the catchy name for the cruise travel equivalent to Black Friday. But instead of just a day, it’s a whole season of the best cruise deals of the year. Wave after wave of promotions, offers and perks that make booking your next cruise in the first couple of months of the year irresistible.It’s not the only time of... more
Ultra-Luxury Hospitality Returns to the US Virgin Islands with the Re-opening of the Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas
It may be the most idyllic island escape you can reach without a passport – for US citizens, that is.The US Virgin Islands are a piece of American apple pie in the heavenly seas of the Caribbean, and the Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas is the most luxurious retreat in the USVI.It was the first Ritz-Carlton hotel in the Caribbean, and since it opened in the 90’s, it’s won praise and inspired generations of devoted travelers in love with the US Virgin Islands – and Ritz-Carlton hotels and resorts.The beach resort debuted in the aftermath of Hurricane Marilyn’s damage to St. Thomas in the 90’s, and today, 2 years after more hurricanes devastated the region, it has undergone a 100-million dollar renovation... more
8 New Ocean Cruise Ships to Add to Your 2020 Travel Bucket List
Have you booked a cruise in 2020? Cruise travel continues its meteoric rise as one of the fastest-growing and most popular ways to travel. No matter your travel style – from luxury, to adventure, to remote exploration or polar escape, to romantic retreat, to tropical or cool climate family vacation – there’s a perfect cruise match out there for you. New, innovative cruise ships this year, some even the first of their kind, make booking your next (or first!) cruise even more irresistible. Here are some of the new ships you’ll want to be the first to try.By: Lynn Elmhirst, BestTrip TV producer/host and cruise expert Regent Seven Seas Splendor Regent’s Seven Seas Explorer has been called the most luxurious ship ever built... more
New Year, New Adventures on the island of Hawaii
Travelers may initially be inspired to visit the island of Hawaii for its cerulean waters, verdant rainforests and valleys, and striking black sand beaches, but there is so much more to explore! With an abundance of culture and history to share, the island is full of unique experiences and intriguing facts inspiring first-time and returning visitors. INTRIGUING FACTS AND HISTORICAL TIDBITSTidepools outside of Kailua-Kona Birthplace of King Kamehameha IThe island of Hawaii is believed to be the first island discovered and settled by Polynesians as far back as the fifth century A.D. The island was the birthplace and home of the Hawaiian Islands’ first monarch, King Kamehameha I, who united all of the islands under his rule in 1810. As initial... more
Top Travel Milestones of 2019 - PLUS Offers to Launch Your New Year of Travel
(Video: Dive and Dine Lobster and a Re-imagined Four Seasons Resort in Nevis)Following this year’s developments in Travel has really kept us moving! Hopefully, you’ve created some of your own new travel memories this year too. These are some of the most tremendous changes that have taken place in the past 12 months that will affect travelers for years to come. What’s Opened It was over two years ago that severe hurricanes swept through some of our favorite Caribbean travel destinations. The hard-hitting storms destroyed buildings and roads, and electricity and water infrastructure, uprooting people’s lives and livelihoods, and sadly even taking lives. Local communities are still recovering. Countless hotels and resorts suffered damage and were forced to close. For communities whose economies rely... more
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