I stopped in at a recent Scenic/Emerald workshop in Toronto to hear more about the magnificent Emerald Yachts from Emerald Cruises. There are three at sea now, the Emerald Azzurra, the Emerald Sakara and the new Emerald Kaia, which launched in April of this year. They each have a capacity of 128 passengers and carry nearly 70 crew. Because the ships are relatively small, they can get into ports that other ships can’t. A monster cruise ship with several thousand passengers might have to dock two hours from Venice, but the Emerald Yachts can dock in the heart of the city, Read more
Australia/New Zealand/PAC
Another day, another nice list of great places to explore next year. National Geographic this week came out with its list of top places to go in 2027. There are tons of interesting, and both well and lesser-known places, on their list. Nat Geo is one of the top publications in the world, so it’s no surprise they pulled a few surprises, and a couple places even veteran travellers probably don’t know about. Here’s their list, along with small snippets about each place, and where I can add something, a thought or two of my own. Salvador, Brazil: Read more
I’ve often been an advocate for travelling to popular places in shoulder season. Europe, in particular, is jammed with visitors in summer. But it can be just as delightful in April or May, or in October or even November. Places like the Algarve in southern Portugal and Sicily in southern Italy are delightful most of the time in winter, and Spain’s Canary Islands usually sport January temperatures in the low 20s, which makes it a great destination all year long. I received an email this week about Spanish tourism, and it said nearly half of Spain’s tourism activity (47%) now Read more
Sometimes I have to pinch myself. I’ve been a full-time travel writer since 2008, and that has allowed me to stay the night in some of the finest hotels the world has to offer. Just for fun, because I’m in Mexico as I write this and it’s raining, here are ten of the most luxurious places I’ve bedded down for the night. Hotel Hassler Roma, Rome. My daughter and I stayed here in, oh, 2012 or 2013 and had a room that looked down on the Spanish Steps. We had a small balcony and bought a bottle of wine and Read more
I love the mountains, and I love a quiet lake in a woodsy spot. But I’m definitely a summer person and a water person, so when people ask me about the best places I’ve travelled I almost always answer with an island destination, such as isolated Lord Howe Island in Australia. With that in mind, and given it’s the time of year when people start thinking about their top places to travel for the next year, here are some top islands to visit in 2027, with no particular order or ranking in mind. JIM’S TOP TEN ISLANDS TO VISIT PONZA, Read more
