No doubt, 2021 has given its share of challenges. While not everything always made sense, we will look back at this time to gut-check what is truly important, and progress with valuable lessons learned.
Surely though, the light of promise has started to poke through the dark clouds of pandemic pause, and with more reliability, we see what a return to a new normal will look like. Restaurants, hotels and businesses were able to restart their engines, and travel within and from Canada shows real signs of renew. We will gladly take our conservative restart.
In September and October of this year, in a period of relatively encouraging protocols and lower infection numbers across Europe, I decided – after almost 18 months away – it was time to return to this favourite continent. I managed my own trepidation to test international travel rules and regulations for myself, and for the travellers that trust my lead.
My trip to Switzerland and Austria was a massive success. The flights were flawless, and the airports were organized and calm. Yes, I had to wear a mask the entire time, outside of when I was actively eating and drinking, and I felt a sense of order. Travellers seemed to understand the rules, and more importantly, observed them without the need of additional encouragement.
What a tremendous joy to reconnect to international travel again. Truly. To explore unfamiliar places once again, learning to exchange words with locals in a new language. Taking in the flavours and colours of vibrant culture unfamiliar. It feels both thrilling and natural, and this trip to test my comfort levels turned into one of the best trips of my life. Perhaps absence really does make the heart grow fonder, and renders new discovery much sweeter.
If you set your course on travel adventure, the journey of a lifetime may require you to adjust your sails. Test the waters and the winds, draw your plans, and adjust accordingly. With that, I am pleased to share my #TravelTTC2022 wander list. Blessings for good health, continued connection, and travel adventure. I look forward to perhaps meeting with you on the great path.
As always, I will be sharing images and video from my travels on my Instagram and twitter accounts @travelbrad, and my blog @adventureworthwhile.
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” – J.R.R. Tolkien
This return to Ireland is my adventure to reconnect to the land of storytellers – the warm and engaging locals, wind-swept natural beauty of sweeping landscapes, VIP experiences and luxurious hotels, homestyle cuisine and Michelin star award-winning chefs, and history and castles to capture the imagination. Ireland has them all. This 12-day trip unfurls like a highlight reel, and takes us through Belfast, Londonderry, Dublin, Glendalough, Cashel, Blarney, Killarney, Ring of Kerry, Dingle Peninsula, Adare, Limerick, Cliffs of Moher, and Galway. Ready to depart?
Luxury Gold’s Ultimate Ireland is a masterfully curated collection of unforgettable highpoints, including special VIP visits to Trevor White’s Little Museum in Dublin and the occasion to learn Irish dancing from some of Ireland’s brightest young talent in a private Gaelic Roots dance class. Tracey’s Farmhouse on the shores of Strangford Lough introduces us to Irish organic farming and farm-to-table dining, and our private visit to The Giant’s Causeway anchors the trip with unforgettable #MakeTravelMatter Experiences, supporting the United Nations Global Sustainable Development Goals in the region.
This adventure finishes with a resplendent stay at legendary Ashford Castle, surrounded by 350 acres of beautifully manicured gardens, verdant forests and storybook woodland rich with birdlife, all overlooking the shores of rippling Lough Corrib in County Mayo, Ireland. The castle is a site to behold, and boasts a treasure trove of activities and dining discoveries to enjoy and savour, not to mention the oldest falconry school in Ireland for a truly exclusive VIP wildlife encounter. Out of the pages of a fairy tale storybook.
The Ultimate Ireland is the luxury escape we have been dreaming of, to a country that always leaves us wanting more and more.
Traveller tip: Ashford Castle has hosted distinguished guests for almost 800 years – one of the most prominent being the Prince of Wales, who subsequently became King George V of England. In honour of his visit in 1905, the Guinness family built a special dining room which still bears his name proudly to this day.
The Ultimate Ireland journey includes your VIP dinner at the George V Dining Room, with rich, panelled walls and dazzling and twinkling Waterford Crystal chandeliers. Relax and enjoy exceptional dishes from the kitchen of acclaimed Chef Philippe Farineau, recently awarded two rosettes by the AA Hospitality Awards, combined with much loved recipes of our Matriarch Mrs. Beatrice Tollman, and complemented by a fine selection of wines from Head Sommelier Paul Fogerty. The George V Dining Room earned Wine Spectator’s 2020 Best of Award of Excellence, and continues to inspire with comfort and sophistication.
Having just travelled to Austria and Vienna a couple of months ago, I am already planning my return. This year, I would like to explore the region along with a few other central European classics on the 13-Day Harmony of Central Europe by Luxury Gold, with stays in Prague, Český Krumlov, Vienna, Budapest (including a highlight private evening river cruise along the majestic Danube while sipping sparkling wine), Kraków and Warsaw, and notable visits to Melk and the Wachau Valley.
This trip is replete with all of the renowned hotspots for arts and culture, and a special VIP, after-hours visit to the magnificent Schönbrunn Palace, escorted by our Luxury Gold Local Expert. We’ll be treated to a private showing of the remarkable, gilded rococo palace, where young Mozart performed as a six-year-old prodigy for the royal family in 1762. Later, the private VIP Viennese concert hall performance featuring the timeless music of Johann Strauss and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart fill the room as we enjoy sparkling wine and experience an unforgettable Austrian evening. Spectacular!
Exceptional dining, with traditional Hungarian delicacies accompanied with specially-selected wines (all while listening to the pleasant melodies of a string ensemble) are woven together like a fine tapestry at Gundel, one of Budapest’s finest establishments, frequented by presidents and Popes alike. Heaven. And while we’re at it, let’s take in Michelin-star dining the following evening at Borkonyha Winekitchen, for an indulgent French bistro style fused with contemporary Hungarian fare. Drooling now.
On a more poignant note, we can all appreciate the time to pay our respects at the Auschwitz memorial. I have personally encouraged our travellers, and anyone in my family who has been in the region, to experience this moving and informative memorial site, and take in the gravitas of the power of the human spirit under the tyranny and horror of darkness, evil and genocide. It’s a lesson for the ages – and still worth remembering, even if a more heavy and profound visit.
Traveller tip: Be sure to select one of the Luxury Gold Chairman’s Collection departures, where you will join Princess Anita von Hohenberg, great-granddaughter of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Duchess Sophie von Hohenberg, for a private reception at Artstetten Castle, scheduled on Day 4. This is a must-do experience! I mean, when was the last time you exchanged words with an actual Princess? Look for the icon on the Dates & Prices panel to see which departures feature the delightful Chairman’s Collection experiences.
If you have followed my blog posts, you will already know that Spain has a seemingly irresistible gravitational force that draws me in again and again, and the new Insight Vacations 9-day Country Roads of Andalucía delivers many of my favourite southern Iberian Peninsula highlights – Málaga, Ronda, Jerez de la Frontera, Cádiz, Seville, Doñana National Park (a refuge for the endangered Spanish imperial eagle) and the sun-drenched, sparkling Costa del Sol. Magical!
Insight Vacations has set the bar here for a relaxed and pleasurable premium exploratory meander through one of Europe’s most delightful and sunny regions, so richly influenced by the cultures and architectures of its history – the Tartessos, Iberians, Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, Vandals, Visigoths, Byzantines, Berbers of North Africa, Jews, Romani, Arab Umayyads, and Moors, just to name a few.
We’ll wander through gorgeous national parks and UNESCO World Heritage Sites, visit a sustainable farm and enjoy a tasting of award-winning olive oil followed by a farm-to-table lunch in Ronda, put our rhythm to the test as we drop in to the brilliant Cristina Heeren Foundation (this outstanding traditional Flamenco school is the beneficiary of a TreadRight Foundation grant) for our remarkable #MakeTravelMatter flamenco dance class and breath-taking performance in Seville, and, of course, indulge every moment as we soak up the Andalucían sights, flavours, culture, sunshine and nightlife.
Country Roads of Andalucía ticks all of the boxes for the culturally curious, sustainability conscious and eager sunshine getaway traveller. I quote the Spanish Tourism Board –
This year, more than ever, you deserve a real holiday. You deserve Spain.
After the year we’ve endured – who could disagree?
Traveller tip: Málaga is a favourite resort town on the east coast of Costa del Sol, and the birthplace of Antonio Banderas and Pablo Picasso, no less. Its sleek port with restos and shops and the street-art-cloaked streets of its edgy Soho district are easily walkable. Why not enjoy a ‘Málaga’ flavoured ice-cream (made with local raisins and sweet wine) and wander in the lazy sunshine? Worth every calorie and counter-step.
All we have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given us… right?
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Adventure, worthwhile 