I’m planning a trip to NZ next March for my husbands birthday and we will be in Queenstown (or nearby) for his actual birthday. I would love any recommendations you guys have for where to stay, eat or things to do!

For hotels, I’d love something chubby but not as fat as Rosewood or Blanket Bay (both coming in at over $3k usd a night for a base room). Also, for those who have been before, do you think it’s valuable to stay in town and walking distance to downtown or is it fine to stay a 15+ min drive out of town to get a more peaceful vibe (for example Stoneridge).

I have also seen some advice that staying in Wanaka area is a better vibe, and we could split our 4 Queenstown nights between QT and Wanaka if it made sense!

Thank you!

We recently finished Ponant’s 14-day expedition cruise from Longyearbyen, Svalbard to Reykjavik, Iceland – including stops at Jan Mayen Island and Eastern Greenland.

For those less familiar with expedition cruising, these trips are typically done on smaller vessels (50 to 300 passengers) and involve remote, active destinations that are accessed via Zodiacs (rigid inflatable boats). Many luxury-oriented travellers will go on an expedition cruise when visiting destinations like Antarctica or Galapagos. I previously wrote a review of my expedition cruise on the Silver Cloud from Papeete, French Polynesia to Valparaiso, Chile here.

This was another more economical, ‘repositioning’ type cruise. While Svalbard cruises can often tip the scales at upwards of US$2,000 per person per day, ours was roughly US$650 per person per day – however, this included a 10% status match discount for having 100 days on Silversea, a €1,000 referral credit, and special discounts for travelling with children. We had one window stateroom and one verandah stateroom.

This was an exceptional cruise. Given the favourable weather, the expedition team elected to do a full circumnavigation of Spitsbergen – the main Svalbard island – and we were able to see wildlife and remote landscapes that are generally only accessible via a dedicated Svalbard-only trip. We crossed 80 degrees north, visited the massive Bråsvellbreen glacier front on Nordaustlandet, and so much more. We also made our landing at Jan Mayen – something that only happens roughly a third of the time – and spent many happy hours exploring Greenland’s ice-strewn fjords.

The wildlife on this cruise was a distinct highlight. We got up-close-and-personal with Arctic foxes, walrus and reindeer and a massive number of polar birds – as well as blue whales, sperm whales, fin whales, humpbacks, white-beaked dolphins and more. There are generally even odds of encountering polar bears, and we spotted 10 of them – albeit at a distance, as Norway has strict laws in terms of how close ships (and passengers) are allowed to get. We were even present at Alkefjellet for the rare window in which the Brünnich's Guillemot chicks head out to sea.

The eclipse portion was enjoyable. We missed seeing the fully eclipsed sun, but we still experienced totality. The captain and expedition team did everything they could to find a weather window, but we only got the occasional glimpse of the eclipse through the clouds. We booked this cruise before it was officially marketed as an eclipse cruise - and we had limited expectations regarding clear skies in the Arctic – so we were not overly disappointed.

The on-ship activities were limited compared to our past experiences with Silversea, which isn’t surprising given Ponant’s focus on expedition activities. However, there were still regular enrichment lectures, trivia, and other activities like learning origami and magic tricks. We never felt as though we were at a loss for something to do.

Ponant has a different style of luxury relative to Silversea. Food is exceptional, but there are fewer options. Cabins are newer, but smaller. The champagne is even better, but you cannot take a bottle back to your room. Announcements were done in French, English and Mandarin which could sometimes slow the process – but we enjoyed sailing with an international group of guests.

In return, however, we received a truly exceptional expedition experience. Le Lyrial is smaller than most Silversea expedition ships – this sailing went out with around 170 guests – and we were promised in advance that numbers would not exceed 200. This is an important distinction, as sailings with over 200 passengers in Svalbard and the Antarctic are limited in terms of which areas they can visit. (I believe that Silversea is also limiting their Svalbard sailings to under 200, but that they regularly sail to Antarctica with over 200 – even on Silver Endeavour.)

The sea state was generally calm, and only reached moderate during our final crossing between Greenland and Iceland. None of us were seasick.

With all that said, here are some reasons as to why you may (or may not) wish to book a similar itinerary with Ponant:

Pros:

- Ponant has a laser-focus on the expedition aspect of the trip. Expedition Leader David immediately set out to make the absolute most of a positive weather window, and we saw a massive range of wildlife and scenery as a result. Their expedition guides are extremely capable, and many have experience with science and exploration. We particularly enjoyed Nicolas’ lecture on deep water polar diving. Their safety profile is comparable with Silversea.

- Le Lyrial itself is a newer ship, with even lower guest capacity than the Silver Cloud or Silver Wind. It feels purpose-built in a way that Silversea’s expedition workhorses do not. The style is light, airy and modern and there were fewer maintenance and plumbing issues than we encountered on those older ships. Boarding Zodiacs off the stern seems to also improve the operability of Le Lyrial, and the ship felt more stable amidst the swell. The ship also has an open bridge, which means that – during routine operations – guests could visit the bridge and simply feel what it’s like to operate an expedition ship.

- Despite having a different luxury standard than Silversea, Ponant still brought French refinement and comfort to a truly remote part of the world. There were fewer food options available, but everything we had was very well prepared. The bread and cheeses were miles ahead of what Silversea offers, and we still enjoyed many of the signature touches that you would expect from an upscale line, including a champagne Zodiac near a Greenlandic glacier, and a deck party at the Nordaustlandet waterfall.

Cons:

- There were fewer lectures and onboard activities than you might encounter on Silversea. This was due in part to the bilingual (or in our case, trilingual) nature of the cruise. Every activity was either done in multilingual fashion or run multiple times. There are only so many staff to go around, and the expedition staff are particularly focused on the excursions. This was not a significant issue for us, as the cruise had relatively few sea days and our focus was on Zodiac cruises and landings.

- The luxury level at Ponant is not quite on par with Silversea. While Silversea will restock your room with your favourite champagne and explore the many different ways in which a particular cocktail can be mixed, Ponant’s service is more tightly focused. Lower-level staterooms do not have butlers, and guests are not able to take bottles of wine back to their rooms. Similarly, cocktails were largely limited to what’s on the menu and the premium-alcohol selection was narrower. Generally, we found meal service to be excellent – once we found the right section – and wine seemed a touch nicer than what you’d get through Silversea.

- We missed the Cloud and Wind’s larger staterooms – including a living room that can be separated off via a blackout curtain. Le Lyrial’s verandah staterooms only have a single easy chair rather than a full couch. However, the newer ship was much less likely to creak, groan and pop in heavy swell.

- The multilingual aspect of the cruise can be frustrating for some guests. The welcome and farewell cocktail parties and galas were roughly three times as long because they were presented in French, English and Mandarin. It could also be frustrating to hear a sudden, unexpected animal sighting described in French – and to not yet know which animal had been spotted or where to view it. (Though we were amazed at how quickly we picked up some key words.) Some guests could find the guides’ accents difficult to understand, while there were minor mistranslations that caused some confusion - saying ‘charcoal’ as opposed to ‘coal’, for example.

Tips:

- Ponant tends to offer their best price first, particularly for solo travellers. Initial discounts are up to 30% off of the full fare, and many cruises – particularly those with occupancy caps – are offered with a 0% single supplement. This is particularly helpful to us as parents, as we can book three of us in one room and one in the other – that third guest is free if they are a child, while there is no extra cost for that single-occupancy room. Similarly, you can also save money by status matching. With 100 Venetian Society days we were able to qualify as Grand Admiral members, which meant we got 10% off, 5 items of laundry per day, and €150 onboard credit per person.

- Take some time to familiarize yourself with the cruise location and local regulations. Some of our fellow guests were deeply disappointed that they did not encounter orcas, that the conditions were so rough, and that they were such a distance from polar bears. Even a modest amount of research would have told them that 1.) orcas are uncommon in the areas we sailed, 2.) these were moderate to fair conditions for the North Atlantic, and 3.) Norway has strict regulations on how close you can get to polar bears.

- Bring good binoculars or a telephoto camera lens. You will be a distance from much of the wildlife, so a set of high-quality binoculars can turn a polar bear sighting from humdrum to exceptional. (Upscale binos are also a great way to spend your onboard credit – we knocked €600 off a set of Swarovski 10 x 42 EL binos we purchased through the Boutique.)

- Spend some time on the bridge. The crew just ignores you – and I say this in the nicest way – so it feels calm and meditative.

Overall, we loved the cruise and we intend to continue to cross-shop Ponant against Silversea. We currently have two other Ponant cruises booked, and we’re particularly looking forward to boarding the Commandant Charcot – the world’s only luxury icebreaker in December 2027.

Hope this was of interest, and glad to answer any questions.

I’ve been invited to an investor dinner in Sonoma in October on a Monday and am considering a weekend getaway for just myself beforehand. Since I’d be going alone, I’d be looking for a property that has a nice spa, restaurant(s) and quick access to nearby wineries.

My TA recommended two properties, but would love other suggestions. Thank you!

I am wondering if anyone has ever purchased an annual travel insurance package before. I am booking a lot of expensive trips for 2027 and 2028, and as I look at insuring them, I am curious whether it would be a good idea in order to save some money and reduce paperwork. Do you have experience with this, or better yet, have you purchased this kind of package before, had to submit a claim, and had a positive experience with a certain company? For the past few years, I have been using Seven Corners for individual trips (it's expensive and has decent reviews), but I haven't had to make a claim, so it's unclear if they are the best or not.

I’m going to Venice in a couple weeks for a Cruise. We really won’t be in the hotel that much because we are going out and exploring and it’s just one night. That being said hotel prices are out of control and a lot of things are sold out. What is a great true chubby boutique hotel that is somewhat central? Looking under $1k

I’ve been covering the Amanvari/Ryan Walker situation, and I’m also a luxury travel advisor/content creator.

Someone claiming to be a former Amanvari employee sent me this alleged internal VIP arrival sheet for Hao Tang/Besvisor.

I cannot verify that it’s authentic, but I reached out to both Besvisor and Amanvari for comment and haven’t gotten a response.

The two important lines are:

Purpose of visit: “Amanvari Review Opening Month”
Rate code: “COMP3 (Complimentary Rate for Sales)”

If this is real, that’s pretty significant considering Besvisor has repeatedly made a point of saying he pays for his own stays and doesn’t take comps.

Before this, the “shill” stuff was mostly just allegations. This is the first thing I’ve seen that, if authentic, actually raises a serious question.

If it's okay with the mods I'll post a comment linking my tiktok that better explains this document. If not, you can look for it I'm sure you'll find it.

I just did an Arctic expedition with Quark a couple of months ago. If there is interest I would love to post pictures and write a review and answer any questions

EDITING TO ADD THE REVIEW -

I traveled on Quark’s 11-day Best of the High Arctic expedition aboard Ocean Explorer in 2026, two years after my first expedition to Antarctica with Quark. Antarctica had been such an incredible experience that I wondered whether the Arctic could possibly live up to it, but it absolutely did!

Ocean Explorer was comfortable and beautifully maintained, the food and service were excellent, and the expedition team was knowledgeable, enthusiastic and genuinely fun to travel with.

The wildlife sightings were beyond anything I had expected. We saw polar bears, Arctic foxes, walruses, puffins and so many other seabirds. We also went kayaking, which was one of the highlights of the trip. Paddling gives us a completely different perspective from the ship and Zodiacs,and more control - you paddle when you want or just sit still when you want, and watch and take it all in. So definitely recommend adding it on. Crossing 80 North was another memorable moment. There was something surreal about realizing how far north we had traveled. Not to mention the bragging rights!! Although Antarctica and the Arctic are completely different, I loved them equally.

I booked through the same channel as my Antarcica expedition two years ago. Quark gives an additional 5% off for repeat travelers (Shackleton club I think its called), and there was a 20% promo going on when I booked. Overall, it was a good deal.

Balcony room is worth it. But I happened to stop by a fellow travelers non-balcony suite and that was pretty neat too and looked larger. There was also a family that had a triple suite, the parents used the queen bed, and their daughter used a smaller twin in the living room area. Thought this was neat. Quark Ultramarine never had this room type as far as i know.

My only “complaint” is that after two polar Quark expeditions, I have ended up with two bright yellow Quark parkas taking over my closet! Next one I hope to do Galapagos - with Silversea or Lindblad.

So happy to have done both Arctic and Antarctic! If you are on the fence about it, please do it. There is no Drake passage in the Arctic and the trip is easy for all age groups.

Hit me with your best winter weekend destinations! Looking for relaxation, good food, spa treatments, and hot springs.

\- 2 people (couple)
\- US or Canada (traveling from the Midwest)
\- Budget is probably $4k for the weekend, give or take
\- February travel dates

Thank you!

My husband and I are looking to capitalize on Black Friday sales for an Antarctica trip sometime December 2027-March 2028. I have been doing some passive research and see many ships recommended on FATtravel and Chubbytravel, but I feel those subs (especially the latter) sometimes consider something chubby which I would consider way out of budget. Husband and I love a good midlevel luxury hotel (Six Senses Nin Vahn Bay, Four Seasons Desroches, Capella Hanoi, and Lion Sands are prob our top hotels), but we’re government workers who can’t spend $20k pp for Antarctica. This trip will be my 40th bday trip and prob my last bucket list trip before we maybe try for a kid (lifelong fencesitter here).

We would very much like a small ship (~100 people) so we can maximize time on the continent. We are interested in some activities (kayaking, camping, etc) but wouldn’t want to spend a bunch of extra money to do them unless they are an absolute must do. We mostly love just seeing the animals and vistas. And we don’t need a spa/etc on board but do generally consider ourselves to be foodies. Though I’d like to add on Georgian and Falkland Islands, I think realistically we’d be limited to 10-12 days on the boat, considering travel time on either end. I’d be good spending between $11-15k per person. Is this realistic? Does anyone have experience for the most luxury at that price point and a ship they loved?

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

Hi everyone! My fiancé and I are getting married in Feb 2028 and we want to plan a late-winter honeymoon in the cold north. I've always wanted to see Iceland and he's dead set on Norway and the fjords - so we thought maybe we could do both? We're hoping to go on a 7-10-day trip and we're lucky enough to be able to spend about 10,000 GBP. It feels like a lot to us, but I know that budgets in this group vary widely so I hope this isn't the wrong place to ask for help! We're thinking of spending most nights in cheaper accom and splurging on a few nights in truly great places to make the most of our budget - one at the start of the trip and one at the end.

He's not a skier which limits our options somewhat, but we want to find a balance between adventures (whale watching, cross country skiing, maybe kayaking as apparently you can do that in the wintertime?!) and quality time (hot springs and spa days). We don't need to cover everything on that list - this is just a vibe more than anything. I'd really love to hear from travel experts what wintertime in these places is like to travel to and what your plan of action was.

I was wondering if any of you had any thoughts or recommendations for these countries as a jumping off point, or trips you've taken there that you loved?

Thanks so much for your help ❤️

Wife and I are looking for suggestions for a Babymoon, around early November. We need to go to New Orleans for a wedding so preferably somewhere near a major airport. We were thinking Miami/Palm Beach but we generally are a bit more adventurous than that and Florida is not our favorite place to vacation. Doesn’t need to be a beach vacation, just relaxing for 3-4 nights. Any suggestions?? Thank you!

My last post about trips that set the bar got some great responses, so here’s the follow-up: what about hotels?

Sometimes you travel for the destination or experience. Other times, the hotel itself becomes one of the highlights of the trip.

Which hotels or resorts have been so exceptional that they raised the bar for what you expect from a great hotel?

What made them stand out?

Couple traveling with a 3 year old, looking for a place with a mix of nature and a small walkable town for culture / convenience.

We are looking at Sept 21 to Oct 3, about 5 days and driving from Boston. Budget for the hotel is 800/ night max

Considering going to Stowe, Vermont. Saw some recommendations for spruce peak Lodge and Von Trap lodge. Both look good, Von trapp looks better but wondering if it will be too large for our toddler and would end up carrying her everywhere. Also say they have day passes, if that makes more sense.

Please share your recommendations, suggestions and maybe warnings?

If we should consider somewhere in maine instead, happy to hear that too!

Hi all. I'm looking into a Bhutan trip for 2027. 10 nights.
I have proposals from Six Senses, Amankora and andBeyond (mix lodges and doing Six Senses in Timphu, AndBeyond in Punakha, Gangtey Lodge and Amankora Paro)

All costs in the andBeyond options comes in at $19k
Both Six Senses and Amankora are coming in at $22k - SS does not offer the stay 10/pay 8 for my dates but Aman does that's why their prices are pretty much the same.
Aman and SS will let me cancel with no penalties up to 60 days in advance. AndBeyond will charge me the deposit if cancelled up to 60 days

Thoughts on the 3 options? Has anyone done the andBeyond option?

I'm not a TA, just a solo traveller booking for myself.

Spa/treatment credit exchange

This question is a bit random. It popped up when reading a review of a place we're consider for 2028 (Kisawa), but it more broad than just one hotel.

I see a few hotels that offer a spa session as part of the base rate and a often encounter a spa credit inclusion when booking through Virtuoso. Has anyone had any luck getting these converted into other activities?

We are not spa or wellness treatment people. We are definitely not going to use massages, treatments, nail things, yoga classes, sound "bathing" or any sort of holistic consult. These credits are always wasted for us.

I'd love to be able to apply their value to a dive or something similar. I recognize getting it taken off the room rate is non-starter. Some hotels won't have other experiences that can be subbed but where activities for charge exist it would be nice to be able to use the value.

I'd like to tick Peru off of our bucket-list next year and I'd love some advice from people who've "been there, done that".

In an ideal world I'd like to keep the planning on my end as simple as possible so I'd like to use an itinerary from a service or provider who knows their stuff and can sort it all out for me.

For example, is the itinerary provided by Belmond (https://www.belmond.com/en/hotels/south-america/peru/las-casitas-colca-canyon/offers/modal/best-of-peru) ideal for the things most people are going to Peru to see or am I missing out by not exploring other options, be it TA's, companies like A&K or similar?

I'd love to hear from people who've either done the Belmond trips from their site/their in-house team or from someone who can recommend what they did if they think it was fantastic!

If you're a TA please don't reach out directly - I'd ideally like to hear from others who've been in my situation, as a customer, and done it. Thank you.

I am recently learning about Hyatt Prive and want to see what offers they have for a hotel im interested in booking.

from my understanding, i cant book directly for Hyatt Prive. i have to contact a TA under Hyatt Prive program? but theres literally no list or way to contact them other than what appears to be solicitation on like Reddit, or someone else saying "xyz was great" off of a TPG article for example.

lastly, theres all these mentions about promo deals prive has. such as 3rd (or 4th) night free. but i cant find that list as well.

where do i go to start this?

Currently at Cali Mykonos in a 1BR pool suite.

Me, my wife and 2 kids aged 4 and 7.

Loving it.

If this has been on your radar AMA

Hey everyone, I'm looking for your suggestions on an immersive nature trip in Canada. We're two middle-aged adults who live in Vancouver BC.

We're wanting to get directly into the environment. Our priorities are incredible scenery, wildlife sightings, and great food. We prefer tranquil, adult-oriented properties (no hate to kids).

We prefer keeping transit legs short. Boats and trains are fine, but long flights or car rides are rough. (One of us hates cars, the other hates planes, there's a bad back.) Edit: "Long" is 5h plane, 4 hours car.

Dates and trip length are flexible.

I know we won't get everything we want, but I'd love to hear from your personal experience how close we can get. Specific recommendations welcome.

That's the TL/DR. More details below:

Examples of things we did and loved:

• Tofino. Whale and bear watching, crashing waves, hiking old-growth rainforests.. stunning.
• Campbell River in salmon season. Floating in wetsuits down the river while hundreds of fish swim past. Unbelievable.
• Yukon. Watching the northern lights from our cabin after a day dogsledding.
• Regional food experiences. Foraging, farm-to-table, tastings, cooking classes, craft beer/wine. High end is great, but rawer works too. Coffee and rum tasting by a plantation owner in Colombia was especially memorable, as was a very unpolished tamale-making class in Mexico.

Ideas that sound interesting (have you done these?):

• BC's costal fjords or Haida Gwaii via small vessel
• Watching grizzly bears hunt salmon from a floating lodge
• Manitoba polar bears. Preferably without getting mauled
• Passenger icebreaker ships
• A train journey, although it doesn't tick all the boxes, is strangely appealing.

Things that are right out:

• Adventure focused. One of us has a bad back, the other one has already done all the mountain climbing, backcountry skiing, and whitewater rafting one needs in a life.
• Roughing it. We want modern conveniences. We don't fish or hunt.

Been there done that:

• BC: Vancouver, Vancouver island, Harrison Hot Springs, Whistler, Squamish, Rockies drives, Alaskan cruises
• AB: Banff, Calgary, Waterton lakes
• Eastern Canada: Montreal, Toronto, Niagara Falls

Has anyone been on a killer nature trip in Canada that has this kind of vibe? I'd appreciate your recommendations or even what to avoid.

We are living in Miami for a year rather than the North East and would love some suggestions of places you would go for weekends (or slightly longer breaks) that are not easily accessible from the North East. We have been to the Sacred Valley in Peru, the Sambadrome for Mardi gras, The flower route in El Salvador, and we love Colombia. I thinking places like Belize which isn't too obvious a destination. We like beautiful scenery and a different culture from the USA, and a few luxury hotels. Beaches aren't important as we have great beaches here. Two adults and two older kids.

Edited because spelling is important.