Take a video tour of the new cruise ship – the first of a whole new cruise line - that’s based on a premise you might find surprising. It means you can’t book a single room on this ship!
Transcend Cruises launched in 2026 with a very different idea: charter-only river cruises in Europe.
If you thought that chartering a river cruise ship would be just for company conferences, think again.
Here are some groups that travel advisors have already booked in Transcend’s inaugural year:
And what exactly does charter only mean when it comes to a river cruise ship?
No single staterooms available. No published itineraries.
It’s a ‘build your own’ river cruise. Surrounded only by the people you want to travel with, on an itinerary of your choice. With shipboard and shore experiences you design for your group’s interests – supported by the cruise line’s team of onboard and land experts who can help you craft the perfect program, just for your group.
You pick the ports of call along the river where you want to visit. Or use the ship as a literal floating boutique hotel and stay in one place for your whole booking (think business conference, yes, but also for a festival or a sporting event!)
Transcend’s one-of-a-kind design allows it to be reconfigured for 30 to 120 guests.
Plus there are innovations and technology I’ve never seen before on any river cruise ship that give groups so many options to gather all together or in breakout groups indoors and outdoors. To dine, socialize, relax,
Would you charter a whole river ship for your next big event?
Watch the video to tour the high-concept design, technology and shapeshifting features of this brand-new, charter-only, European cruise ship.
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Video and story by: Lynn Elmhirst, cruise/ travel journalist and expert.
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by Erika Docor on 10/08/2026
A new generation of Caribbean resorts is delving deep — sometimes literally — into the nature, culture and traditions of their destinations to go far beyond the beach and offer experiences that truly deliver on the promise of ‘a sense of place.’
Three new and returning resort experiences in Mexico, The Bahamas and Saint Lucia illustrate the shift towards hyper-local coastal resorts. They’re answering the call from visitors for experiences so rooted in their destination they couldn’t be duplicated anywhere else.
Here are some of our favorites:
Fairmont Mayakoba on Mexico’s Riviera Maya holds an annual concert in a hall millions of years in the making.
Symphony in a Cenote takes just 50 resort guests into the jungle for an intimate orchestral performance inside a natural limestone cenote.
Cenotes are one of the defining geological features of the Yucatán Peninsula, formed when limestone collapses to expose groundwater and vast underground river systems. They also have profound cultural significance: to the ancient Maya, cenotes were sacred places and, in some traditions, portals to the underworld.
At dusk, guests are taken to a cavern of limestone, stalactites and crystal-clear water, and served champagne and canapés in this other-worldly setting. Musicians perform, with the cenote’s natural acoustics making the occasion like no other concert you’ve ever experienced.
Even without the Symphony in a Cenote, nature weaves itself into the Fairmont Mayakoba’s lifestyle. The resort is a luxury hideaway in nearly 600 acres of tropical forest, mangroves and waterways near Playa del Carmen.
Atlantis Paradise Island in The Bahamas has introduced a Baby Sea Turtle Release program. It invites guests to participate in the wondrous natural event of the release of newly hatched green sea turtles.
Participants first visit Atlantis’ Royal Fish Hospital to learn about green sea turtles, their habitat and conservation before heading to the beach at sunset.
Each participant releases a baby green sea turtle, watching it make its way down what Atlantis calls its “Sea Turtle Highway” toward the Atlantic Ocean.
The catch is that the exact timing is hard to predict. In theory it’s at the end of September, but the experience happens only when nests actually hatch.
Atlantis may be famous for its enormous Aquaventure water park, marine habitats and sprawling collection of hotels, restaurants and entertainment, but this is a very different kind of water attraction: small, seasonal, unpredictable and connected directly to the marine environment surrounding the resort.
Meanwhile, Secrets St. Lucia Resort & Spa marked its first anniversary in September, 2026 by turning the spotlight onto its home island.
Its Carnival of the Senses transformed the resort’s pool area into an immersion in island culture, with Saint Lucian food, music, traditional dance and heritage displays, plus a pool runway presentation featuring local fashion designers.
The celebration is an interesting expression of how the relatively new resort is positioning itself within the destination.
Secrets St. Lucia is the island’s largest adults-only all-inclusive, with 355 rooms, nine restaurants, seven bars and lounges, three pools and a spa. Every ground-floor accommodation has either swim-out access or a private plunge pool, and the beachfront property is within easy reach of Pigeon Island, Rodney Bay and the famously lively Gros Islet Friday Night Jump-Up.
The resort has also established a partnership with the Saint Lucia Kings professional cricket team — another connection to an important piece of contemporary Caribbean culture.
If you are among the growing number of travelers who is looking for more from a Caribbean vacation than pool, beach and bar, hyper-local experiences like these can inspire your next tropical vacation – and creatively connect you to the destination like you’ve never experienced before.
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Images courtesy of their respective resort/ resort companies
Top: Fairmont Mayakoba’s Symphony in a Cenote
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by Erika Docor on 10/08/2026
The Northern Lights, or aurora borealis, are Mother Nature’s own light show, one of travel's most mesmerizing natural phenomena that nothing man-made can beat. Electrically charged particles from the sun interact with Earth's atmosphere, creating shimmering curtains of green, purple, pink and occasionally red that dance across the night sky.
Standing in the glow of this mystical Arctic phenomenon is on many a travel bucket list.
The bad news is there’s a specific time – and place – to see the Northern Lights. The season really starts close to fall, and lasts through the winter months, when Arctic travel is coldest and least accessible.
The good news? There are at least three ways position yourself for the celestial memories of a lifetime.
One of my favorite ways to experience the Northern Lights is from the deck of a ship, undiluted by city lights, with a panoramic view of the heavens.
Timing is everything. Most Arctic expedition cruises operate during the Arctic summer before the aurora get going. There’s a sweet spot: end of season September departures get you the tail end of nicer weather but still a good chance of Northern Lights.
I shot the top video on an expedition cruise aboard Seabourn Venture, where everyone - including the captain and crew! – were surprised when the Northern Lights showed up in August!
There are also dedicated winter voyages along Norway's spectacular coastline.
Norway’s coastal cruise line, Hurtigruten, offers a Northern Lights Promise on qualifying coastal voyages of 11 days or longer: if the aurora doesn't appear, guests receive a complimentary return voyage, subject to conditions.
Its former sister company, HX Expeditions (formerly Hurtigruten Expeditions), has a separate Northern Lights Promise on qualifying Arctic expedition voyages, offering future cruise credit if the lights don't make an officially recorded appearance.
No one can guarantee Mother Nature will perform on demand, but Arctic sailings – especially in the right time of the year! – can get you closest to an intense aurora experience at sea.
There's a new way to chase the Northern Lights: by train! Norway and Sweden are putting a fresh spin on the romance of rail travel with journeys into prime aurora-viewing territory.
In Norway, the Northern Lights Train departs from Narvik on an evening excursion along the historic Ofoten Railway, one of Europe's most spectacular northern rail routes. The train stops at remote Katterat, far from city lights, where passengers can watch for the aurora against a backdrop of Arctic wilderness.
In Sweden, rail operator Snälltåget is introducing a special Northern Lights journey in November 2026, traveling from Malmö via Stockholm, Kiruna and Abisko to Narvik in Norway. The multi-day adventure combines overnight rail travel with time to explore the Arctic.
And if you can't choose between ships and trains, Hurtigruten's Follow the Northern Lights itinerary combines scenic rail journeys, a Norwegian coastal cruise and even a night in a glass igloo.
It's an appealing twist on an old-fashioned journey: let the train take the strain while Mother Nature provides the entertainment.
Prefer to keep your feet on terra firma? These destinations combine excellent aurora-viewing opportunities with unforgettable winter adventures.
Tromsø, Norway: The self-styled gateway to the Arctic offers Northern Lights excursions, reindeer experiences and dramatic fjord scenery.
Finnish Lapland: Why stand outside shivering when you could watch the heavens from a heated, glass-roofed igloo? Add husky sledding and snowy forests for a winter wonderland.
Iceland:Waterfalls, glaciers, geothermal lagoons and volcanic landscapes provide extraordinary foregrounds for aurora photography. Escape Reykjavík's city lights for better views.
Yukon, Canada, and Alaska, U.S.A: Close to home, both these destinations lie beneath the auroral zone and are celebrated for Northern Lights viewing, with wilderness lodges, dog sledding and guided nighttime excursions.
My advice? Book several nights between September and March – not just a quick weekend thinking the Northern Lights show up every night.
Choose accommodations with aurora wake-up calls, and don't make the lights your only reason to travel. After all, even when the sky doesn't cooperate, an Arctic adventure is one of the thrills of a lifetime.
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Story and top video: Lynn Elmhirst, cruise/ travel expert and journalist
Images: Getty
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by Erika Docor on 10/08/2026
Caribbean cruising - and beyond! - may have changed forever. Royal Caribbean Group -which also owns Celebrity Cruises and Silversea - and Sandals Resorts International announced that the cruise company has purchased 50% of the Caribbean all-inclusive resort chain.
It's a deal worth 3 billion USD, and it's sending a tidal wave through both the cruise and all-inclusive resort worlds.
Here's why it's a gamechanger for any cruise traveler on Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean, or Silversea. Or people who love high-end, all-inclusive resorts but have maybe never tried a cruise!
WATCH THIS VIDEO: I'm interviewed by travel trade insider publication Open Jaw, unpacking this huge development in cruise and land vacations. Click here to watch.
This is a game-changer for cruise travelers – and those who love all-inclusive resorts but may never have cruised.
Although the companies haven’t yet specified exactly how the new relationship will play out for travelers, it opens the door to incredible possibilities, especially given some of Royal Caribbean Group’s other recent moves.
Their joint media release provides some tantalizing hints, saying the new partnership will allow the two companies to: “broaden distribution, deepen guest engagement, and make it easier for travelers to discover vacation experiences offered.” The release also, intriguingly, mentions Royal Caribbean’s cross-brand loyalty program!
Packaging seamless ship + shore vacations, where guests can embark on a cruise for a week, and disembark on a Sandals island for another week of a beach vacation, whether it’s an adults-only Sandals, or a family-friendly Beaches destination;
And even
The two companies may develop new beach properties - in the Caribbean and globally, expanding the Sandals brand beyond its Caribbean home for the first time! - that are purpose-built to accommodate guests on a beach day shore visit or week-long all-inclusive stay - or both!
And how about
We’ll have to wait for further announcements to see exactly how these two storied travel brands will play together in the years to come. The companies' media release says the deal is expected to close in early 2027. Both industries are long games, where big builds (ships, properties) don’t happen overnight.
If these ideas are on track, the two brands may also have to figure out how to integrate visiting cruise guests with resort guests without stepping on toes. Not to mention, there are currently 18 Sandals adults-only resorts, compared to only 2 Beaches resorts that welcome kids.
But Royal Caribbean may have just upped the ante for other big cruise companies to find their own land partners to give guests new experiences, opportunities for extended cruise + land vacations, and find new potential cruise guests among land resort guests!
By: Lynn Elmhirst, cruise/ travel journalist and expert
Images courtesy of Royal Caribbean Group/ Sandals
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by Erika Docor on 09/24/2026
Many cultures have fall festivals, but only one makes the arrival of astronomical autumn a national holiday: Shubun no Hi. What’s more, Japan does it twice a year, also making March’s Vernal Equinox Day the holiday Shunbun no Hi.
Shubun no Hi, or Autumnal Equinox Day, falls around September 22 or 23, when the sun crosses the celestial equator and day and night are equal in length.
We may pull on a sweater in a new palette of colors and order the first pumpkin-spiced something of the season. Japan’s observance of this astronomical milestone reflects the country's steadfast relationship with the seasons — and, for travelers, offers an opportunity to experience Japanese culture at a particularly meaningful time of year.
Move over cherry blossoms. Seasonal holidays like Shubun no Hi can be equally colorful and symbolic of Japanese history and culture.
Modern Japan's Autumnal Equinox public holiday is designated as a day to "honor one's ancestors and remember those who have passed away."
Its roots are more evocative.
The equinox falls in the middle of a seven-day Buddhist observance called Higan, celebrated around both the spring and autumn equinoxes. The name can be translated as "the other shore" — a Buddhist metaphor for crossing from this earthly world to enlightenment.
A beautiful piece of symbolism connects that idea to the equinox. The sun rises due east and sets due west at this time of year, and in some Japanese Buddhist traditions, the western direction is associated with the Pure Land of Amida Buddha. The symbolism of the equinox helped make it a particularly significant time for spiritual reflection and remembering the dead.
Don't expect parades, fireworks, or streets decorated for Shubun no Hi. Or even picnics under blooming cherry trees. It’s not a party atmosphere, but a quieter, more subtle cultural phenomenon.
The equinox also signals a scenic treat for travelers: the beginning of autumn in Japan. For peak fall foliage early in the season, you’ll have to get out of the tourist hotspots - in northern Japan and at higher elevations, the transformation of forests, mountainsides, and gardens to gold and scarlet can already be getting underway.
Autumn leaves reappear folded around food, dancing on seasonal textiles and ceramics, as Japanese embrace the changes of the season.
The cooler days make Japan’s humble soba noodle soup dishes, hearty fall mushroom rice bowls and warming hot pot dinners delicious ways to celebrate autumn in Japan, too.
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Images: Getty
Story: Lynn Elmhirst, cruise/ travel journalist and expert.
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by Erika Docor on 09/24/2026
We love Tuscany, too. But Italy has 20 wine-producing regions. Why should Chianti have all the fun? Head north, east, and very south from Tuscany for three deliciously different wine adventures.
Tuscany has become almost shorthand for Italian wine travel: cypress-lined roads, Renaissance hill towns, vineyard-covered hills and a glass of Chianti waiting at lazy sun-drenched lunches and on terraces at sunset.
Now that’s the Dolce Vita. But perhaps it’s time to stop giving Tuscany all the love.
Every one of Italy’s 20 regions produces wine, and some of the country’s most memorable wine experiences lie well beyond the usual Tuscan trail. You can sip Barolo within sight of the Alps, follow Italy’s original wine road through Prosecco country, or taste wines grown in the black volcanic soil of an active volcano.
Consider this your three-glass introduction to another side of Italian wine country.
Tucked into northwestern Italy at the foot of the Alps — Piemonte literally means “foot of the mountain” — it’s home to two of Italy’s most prestigious wines, Barolo and Barbaresco, both made from the Nebbiolo grape.
Make Alba your base. The handsome small city is surrounded by the UNESCO-listed vineyard landscapes of the Langhe, where rolling hills are quilted with vines and topped with medieval villages and castles.
This is slow-travel country: winding roads, family wineries, long lunches and very little incentive to hurry.
Especially in fall, when Alba celebrates its famous white truffles and the vineyards turn gold. Barolo and truffles on an autumn afternoon in Piedmont? Sometimes travel really is as good as the brochure promised.
And Piedmont isn’t all serious reds. It’s also home to Moscato d’Asti, delicately sparkling, aromatic and sweet. Apparently even sophisticated friends like to let their hair down.
Venice may be Veneto’s superstar, but head north from the canals, and you’ll discover another of the region’s great liquid attractions.
The Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene ripple toward the Dolomites in impossibly green folds. They’re UNESCO-listed, too, and the vineyards can be so steep that much of the work is still done by hand.
Follow the Strada del Prosecco, Italy’s oldest official wine route, through villages and vineyards where Glera grapes become everything from cheerful aperitivo bubbles to more complex Proseccos from prized hillside plots.
But Veneto has another wine personality altogether.
Around romantic Verona and Lake Garda lies Valpolicella country, home to fresh, food-friendly reds as well as Amarone, the region’s rich, powerful wine traditionally made from partially dried grapes.
Bubbles, big reds, Verona, Venice and Lake Garda? Veneto over-delivers on wine tourism and iconic Italian experiences.
For Italy’s wild-card wine adventure, keep heading south, and overwater across the Strait of Messina.
Sicily combines ancient winemaking traditions, indigenous grapes, and landscapes that can be wonderfully dramatic. And nowhere is that more obvious than Mount Etna.
Vineyards climb the dark slopes of Europe’s highest active volcano, where altitude, lava-derived soils and dramatic temperature changes help create remarkably distinctive wines.
Nerello Mascalese is the red grape to remember; Carricante is one of Etna’s white stars. Some vines are remarkably old, partly because volcanic, sandy soils helped protect vineyards from phylloxera, the pest that devastated much of Europe’s wine country in the 19th century.
But Etna is only one chapter of Sicily’s wine story. Look for Nero d’Avola, elegant Frappato, historic Marsala, and wines from Sicily’s smaller offshore islands.
And admit it: the vacation story you want to share is “I spent the afternoon wine tasting on an active volcano.”
None of this means breaking up with Tuscany. Chianti, Brunello and those glorious Tuscan landscapes aren't going anywhere.
Just consider seeing other wines. And exploring all of Italy one wine region at a time.
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Images: Getty
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by Erika Docor on 09/24/2026
Vienna has spent centuries perfecting the art of living well. Coffee and cake in chandeliered cafés. Music, art and architecture on an imperial scale. And, increasingly, some serious pampering behind the doors of the Austrian capital’s luxury hotels.
But these days, “wellness” during your trip to Vienna can involve much more than a massage.
The city’s luxury hotel spas still deliver plenty of old-school indulgence, often in spectacular historic surroundings. At the same time, a new generation of wellness centers inside luxury hotels and beyond is introducing longevity-focused experiences like cryotherapy, red light and oxygen therapies, infusions, genetic testing, and even brain-health analysis.
In other words, you can come to Vienna for the fairytale Baroque design and history – and stay for the biohacking.
Vienna’s spa scene starts exactly where you might expect: in some of the city’s most storied hotels.
At Mandarin Oriental, Vienna, a meticulously restored Art Nouveau landmark conceals a 7,500-square-foot spa with a 43-foot heated indoor pool. Treatments draw on Traditional Chinese Medicine, while “The Artisan” turns the European sauna tradition into a three-hour ritual of aromatic infusions, steam exfoliation, and traditional sauna whisking.
The setting is even more unexpected at Park Hyatt Vienna’s Arany Spa, tucked into the former vaults of a historic bank. Beneath soaring ceilings, guests swim laps in a 49-foot pool accompanied by underwater music. “Arany” means gold in Hungarian, inspiring the spa’s gold-infused signature treatments. But here, tradition is already meeting the new wellness frontier: the spa has added a cryotherapy chamber.
At Anantara Palais Hansen Vienna, the 1873 palace now houses an 8,600-square-foot spa with a hydrotherapy pool, saunas, a steam room, treatments, and fitness facilities. Guests who prefer wellness in the fresh air can choose among three recommended running routes directly from the hotel.
Hotel Sans Souci Vienna makes another kind of splash with what it says is Vienna’s longest hotel pool: 66 feet, dramatically illuminated by crystal chandeliers. Saunas, steam, ice treatments and an extensive massage menu round out the experience.
Meanwhile, Almanac Palais Vienna gives the traditional facial a distinctly modern vocabulary. Its “Viennese Lift & Glow Ritual” combines gua sha, cupping, dry brushing and cryo massage.
And at boutique The Amauris Vienna, the pool sits beneath a glass roof in an interior courtyard. Treatments play with color, scent and sound, and the spa is reserved exclusively for hotel guests – making it one of the city’s more private wellness retreats.
Beyond Vienna’s hotel spas, wellness is taking an even more ambitious turn.
“Longevity” has become one of the hottest concepts in global wellness travel. The idea is no longer simply to relax during a vacation, but to use diagnostics, technology, nutrition, and targeted therapies to improve long-term health – and potentially extend the number of years we remain healthy and active – and traveling!
Vienna is becoming an interesting urban hub for that trend.
Biogena Plaza, which calls itself a “Luxury Health Day Spa,” has locations on Operngasse and Mariahilfer Strasse and is deliberately accessible to walk-ins. Its menu reads more like something from the wellness future: whole-body cryotherapy, red light, magnetic field and oxygen therapies, lymphatic drainage, bone-density measurements, skin analysis and physician-supervised vitamin infusions and health checks.
Its Operngasse location also incorporates a medical area operated by Mayrlife, bringing diagnostic and preventive approaches based on modern Mayr medicine from the celebrated Austrian health resort into the heart of Vienna.
The Longevity Center Vienna pushes even further into the intersection of medicine and technology. In addition to cryotherapy, oxygen and red-light treatments, lymphatic drainage and 3D body scans, it offers dozens of physician-supervised infusions and vitamin shots.
Its particularly intriguing specialty is the brain. The center analyzes brain function, including activity and cognitive responses, to help develop personalized preventive health programs – adding cognitive wellness to the longevity conversation.
At the Healthy Aging Medical Center Vienna, the approach begins deeper still: with genetics and epigenetics. Genetic testing and biological age assessments form the foundation for individualized programs involving nutrition, exercise, and, where medically appropriate, hormone therapies.
But you don’t have to trade a slice of Sachertorte for vitamin shots.
Vienna’s new longevity experiences are appearing alongside the things that have always made the city such an appealing place to spend a few days: culture, cuisine, beautiful hotels and the city’s renowned appreciation for taking time to enjoy life.
Now it helps you make it last longer.
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Images: Top image: Almanac Palace Vienna Pool, copyright Tony Gigov photography, courtesy Vienna Tourism Board
Hofburg Palace: Lynn Elmhirst, cruise/ travel journalist and expert
Sans Souci’s Pool with chandeliers, copyright Chuttersnap, courtesy Vienna Tourism Board
Cryogenic treatment and Red light therapy: Getty
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by Erika Docor on 09/09/2026
Two new Caribbean resort openings show travelers just how far the concept of the all-inclusive holiday is stretching, with lifestyle hotels translating their unique identities into all-inclusives and focusing less on buffets and the beach and more on wellness retreats, culinary travel, and immersive cultural experiences.
In Cancun, Mondrian is taking its famously design- and culture-driven hotel concept all-inclusive for the first time.
Meanwhile, in the Dominican Republic, the new adults-only Hyatt Vivid Punta Cana puts wellness, flexibility, social connection, and local culture at the heart of its interpretation of the all-inclusive vacation.
In other words, the wristband — literal or metaphorical — no longer has to define the experience.
The new Mondrian Cancun represents a significant crossover: a brand best known for stylish urban and resort hotels in places like Los Angeles, Miami, Cannes, Ibiza, Singapore and Hong Kong is entering all-inclusive territory, starting in Mexico.
Its 400 rooms and suites occupy a high-rise between the Caribbean Sea and Nichupté Lagoon, with contemporary interiors designed to keep the surrounding landscape in the spotlight.
But the bigger story is what Mondrian is bringing to the all-inclusive model: the social energy, design, dining, and nightlife of one of its landmark lifestyle hotels.
There are 10 dining venues and six bars, ranging from Mexican cuisine at Cuyo and Japanese fare at Niko to casual food-truck bites. Allegra features what the resort says is Cancun’s longest rooftop infinity pool, while Bungalow Beach Club gives guests a separate private beachfront playground reached by complimentary shuttle.
Entertainment stretches from mindful movement and wellness to live music, DJ sets and curated events. Mondrian+ takes things further with top-floor accommodations, wraparound terraces, butler service, private check-in, preferred beach-club seating and exclusive rooftop facilities.
And the resort isn’t finished. A later phase is expected to add an expanded spa and fitness center, teens club, steakhouse and Cuban-inspired sunset bar.
It’s an all-inclusive resort behaving very much like a contemporary lifestyle hotel.
Over in the Dominican Republic, Hyatt Vivid Punta Cana takes a different route to the same destination: making all-inclusive feel less packaged and more personal.
The new 467-room, adults-only beachfront resort at Cabeza de Toro is the first Hyatt Vivid in the Dominican Republic and is aimed at what Hyatt calls “social explorers” and “conscious connectors” — travelers who want plenty to do without feeling scheduled from breakfast to bedtime.
Its programming revolves around three ideas: flow, encompassing movement and wellness; discovery, connecting guests with local culture; and presence, emphasizing mindfulness and relaxation.
That translates into paddleboard yoga followed by wellness-focused nutrition, Dominican coffee “brew sessions” with healthy bites and DJs, stargazing, creative workshops, live music, and spa rituals featuring local cacao and tropical fruits.
Food is similarly flexible, with five à la carte restaurants, an international food hall, bar and grill, wellness café, seven bars and lounges — plus a hidden speakeasy guests can unlock through a creative workshop.
There’s also a notable emphasis on place. Dominican coffee, ingredients, art, music and traditions appear throughout the experience, pushing back against another old criticism of all-inclusives: that you enter a gated resort once and barely know what country you’re visiting.
These two new resorts aren’t identical — and that’s the point. Beyond the convenience of pre-purchasing almost every element of your vacation, all-inclusives are getting more specialized and sophisticated, not more cookie-cutter.
Mondrian is serving up its signature design, dining, nightlife and creative culture. Hyatt Vivid emphasizes wellness, spontaneity, social experiences, and local connections.
Increasingly, travelers are choosing an all-inclusive not simply because everything is included, but because what’s included reflects how you actually want your beach vacation.
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Images of Mondrian Cancun courtesy of Ennismore/Mondrian
Images of Hyatt Vivid Punta Cana courtesy of Hyatt Hotels
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by Erika Docor on 09/09/2026
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey put one of the world’s oldest travel stories back on the big screen in 2026—and launched Greek voyages back into our travel imaginations. It might be the year’s biggest inspiration for ‘set-jetting': planning your own dramatic exploration of Greece inspired by the film.
Homer’s epic follows Odysseus making his way on a ten-year voyage home across a mythical Mediterranean world of islands, storms, temptations, monsters and gods. Nearly 3,000 years later, real-life Greece is less dramatic, but a bucket-list odyssey of your own.
Nolan filmed part of his colossal new movie in Greece, especially in the Peloponnese, using real landscapes to bring Homer’s mythical world to life on screen.
You don’t have to follow Odysseus’ route literally. And fortunately, modern Greek island-hopping involves fewer monsters!
Even if you don’t specifically take a cruise to discover Greece, discovering parts of this nation of over 200 inhabited islands (and thousands more uninhabited) will involve time on the water, so you can channel your inner Odysseus.
If you close your eyes and picture a Greek island, chances are you’re picturing Santorini.
Whitewashed villages spilling down cliffs, blue-domed churches, narrow lanes, and the brilliant Aegean below have made Santorini one of Greece's defining images.
But its beauty was born from geological violence worthy of Greek mythology.
Santorini is what remains after an enormous ancient volcanic eruption transformed the original island. Today, a crescent of towering cliffs surrounds a flooded caldera, so arriving by sea means sailing directly into the remains of a volcano.
Odysseus had monsters. Santorini has geology.
The island capital, Fira, clings to the cliff high above the water, while Oia has become famous for sunsets that bring half the island to a standstill.
My Favorite Things: Santorini’s black- and red-sand beaches, intensely flavored tomatoes and capers, and Assyrtiko wines. The vines are traditionally trained close to the ground in basket-like shapes to protect them from island winds.
Not every Greek odyssey has to be ancient.
Cosmopolitan, fashionable and unapologetically social, Mykonos combines Greek-island scenery with Ibiza energy and a touch of French Riviera glamour. Beach clubs, stylish hotels, boutiques, restaurants and nightlife have made it one of the Mediterranean’s great see-and-be-seen destinations.
If Circe had run a beach club, it might have looked something like Mykonos.
But step away from the party and the island has plenty of character of its own.
Mykonos is nicknamed the “Island of Winds,” and its historic windmills remain defining features of the landscape. Built centuries ago to harness those powerful breezes and grind grain, they still overlook the town like sentries from another era.
The main town, also known as Chora, is a maze of whitewashed buildings and twisting lanes where getting lost is almost part of the experience.
Odysseus took ten years to find his way home. Give yourself at least an afternoon.
My Favorite Things: Little Venice, where rows of colorful old houses with balconies hang over the water and now contain cafés, bars, shops and galleries. It’s one of the island’s best sunset spots—and unlike Odysseus, you can enjoy yours with a stylish cocktail.
If The Odyssey leaves you craving monumental history, add Rhodes to your voyage.
Known as the Island of the Knights, Rhodes has one of Europe’s most impressive surviving medieval cities. Its UNESCO-listed Old Town is surrounded by huge fortifications built and expanded over centuries.
Walk the Street of the Knights toward the Palace of the Grand Master and the Middle Ages suddenly feel very close.
But Rhodes’ story reaches much further back.
In antiquity, its strategic location made it an important maritime and commercial power. Its greatest symbol was the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
The enormous bronze statue stood for only decades before an earthquake toppled it, but even lying in ruins, it remained a tourist attraction for centuries.
Ancient travelers, apparently, also loved a famous landmark.
The popular image of the Colossus straddling Mandraki Harbour with ships sailing between its legs is almost certainly more legend than history. Today, two deer-topped columns stand at the harbor entrance, keeping the story alive.
My Favorite Things: Rhodes’ beaches and wine. The island has one of Greece’s oldest winemaking traditions, while its greener, mountainous interior is a surprising contrast to the fortified city and resort-lined coast.
To connect your trip more directly with Nolan’s film, leave the islands temporarily and head to the Peloponnese, a rugged peninsula on the south coast of mainland Greece.
Around Messinia, filming took place at dramatic locations including horseshoe-shaped Voidokilia Beach and nearby Nestor’s Cave, while other Greek locations such as Methoni Castle and Acrocorinth helped create the film’s ancient world.
Ancient ruins, medieval fortresses, olive groves, caves and beaches still occupy the same landscapes that inspired stories thousands of years ago.
Homer’s hero spent ten years trying to get home. Your problem may be forcing yourself to leave Greece.
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By: Lynn Elmhirst, cruise/ travel journalist and expert
Images: Getty
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by Erika Docor on 09/09/2026
Twenty-five years ago, moviegoers got their first glimpse of Middle-earth — and savvy travelers discovered that it looked remarkably like New Zealand.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring premiered in 2001, the first chapter of Peter Jackson’s epic trilogy based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels. All three movies were filmed back-to-back in Jackson’s native New Zealand, with more than 150 locations eventually used across the North and South Islands.
It wasn’t just hometown patriotism. Jackson had an extraordinary range of landscapes practically on his doorstep waiting to be filmed: pastoral farmland, primeval-looking forests, volcanic terrain, wild rivers and some of the Southern Hemisphere’s most dramatic mountains. It meant multiple realms of Tolkien’s imaginary world could be created within one country - often with surprisingly little digital enhancement - with accuracy that awed even the most critical of ardent fans.
A quarter of a century and a new generation of Lord of the Rings Fans later… these film locations are still a magnet for ‘set-jetters’ today, who are thrilled to track down and escape into their fandom fantasies in the footsteps of the actors.
The Fellowship of the Ring has actually become one of travel’s great examples of “set-jetting,” and fans have a checklist of locations:
New Zealand has embraced its new identity as the “Home of Middle-earth,” developing new location tours and visitor experiences to celebrate the now-classic film milestone.
For Tolkien fans, that means the 25th anniversary comes with an irresistible proposition: rewatch the movie — then go see how much of Middle-earth was real all along.
New ways to road trip through Middle-earth: Independent travelers can explore the region at their own pace with Tourism New Zealand's Middle-earth Itineraries.
Designed for varying trip lengths and fandom levels, the itineraries include Halfling's Ramble, a North Island route featuring Hobbiton, Tongariro and Wellington; Elven Magic, which blends cinematic landscapes with cultural and scenic highlights; and Wizard's Journey, the ultimate full-country pilgrimage for dedicated fans.
A year of Middle-earth events: Countrywide celebrations will extend well beyond the film locations, with anniversary-themed activations and fan events taking place throughout the year. Festivities begin on International Hobbit Day (September 22, 2026), when fans celebrate the birthdays of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins with special tours, themed dining and festivities at Hobbiton.
Visitors can also attend Candlelight: The Lord of the Rings concerts in Auckland, raise a pint at the annual Hobbiton Beer Festival in November, join the official 25th anniversary celebration on December 19, 2026, or take on the Middle-earth Halfling Marathon on March 20, 2027.
This 25th anniversary year of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring sets the scene for a new film slated for release in 2027, which brings new reasons for fans to make the journey to the real-life landscapes behind the films.
Of course, there’s an actual New Zealand beyond the appeal of the film version of Middle-earth, and these journeys are a springboard to a real-life New Zealand experience – from hiking, beaches, and wildlife to Māori culture, food and wine, and the country’s cities.
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Images courtesy of Tourism New Zealand
All rights reserved. You are welcome to share this material from this page, but it may not be copied, re-published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
by Erika Docor on 08/27/2026
Shawna Schrank
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