What kicked off as an adventure through Japan ended in a travel nightmare for a group of 31 high school students, teachers, and parents.
27.07.2023 - 18:09 / smartertravel.com
Just in time to book your summer vacation, Intrepid Travel is offering 20 percent off (almost) all of its trips. It could help you finally afford that adventure of a lifetime.
Choose from hundreds of trips to destinations like Japan, the Galapagos Islands, Iceland, Italy, South Africa, and more places across the globe.
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What kicked off as an adventure through Japan ended in a travel nightmare for a group of 31 high school students, teachers, and parents.
Paris' wealth of architectural icons, monumental museums and unmissable dining experiences makes it difficult for visitors to contemplate straying beyond the city limits. Yet on Paris’ doorstep are magnificent châteaux, exquisite gardens, medieval cathedrals, and rambling forests, which can add a new dimension to a holiday in the French capital.
It may be the middle of summer, but Club Med is thinking ahead to ski season and putting vacations on sale up to 40 percent off.
These days, it seems that some restaurants will add a dollop of caviar to anything, from fried chicken to hamburgers, practically reducing the once-luxurious treat to a condiment. So it’s perhaps no surprise that chefs are turning their attention to something more rarefied than your everyday osetra: albino caviar, which ranges in color from alabaster to golden, and is the result of uncommon mutations. The most sought after is that of the beluga sturgeon but, says Hermes Gehnen, the founder of N25 Caviar, an international purveyor, “restaurants generally can’t afford it. It’s more for superyachts.” At Les Trois Chevaux in New York, the eggs of the Acipenser ruthenus, a small sturgeon known as the sterlet, are shaped into a quenelle tableside and plated with white asparagus, aerated béchamel and beurre de baratte-basted brioche. The monochromatic presentation allows diners to be “more cognizant of what [they’re] actually tasting,” says the restaurant’s owner, Angie Mar, 41, who describes albino caviar as “supple and velvety.” Rasmus Munk, 32, the chef and co-owner of Alchemist in Copenhagen, is drawn to albino caviar’s “beautiful aroma of butter and creamy texture.” He serves it atop a square of crisp, sourdough-flavored freeze-dried milk born of his collaboration with an M.I.T. researcher on food for space travel. And at the omakase restaurant the Araki in London, the chef Marty Lau slices white cuttlefish and squid into fine ribbons and tops them with a spoonful of golden roe. Although white caviar stock is limited, they aren’t the only pale orbs worth chasing. Snail eggs, which have a mushroomlike flavor, have the same visual appeal despite their earthy taste. Just don’t assume they’ll be a bargain. “Sometimes,” says Munk, “you’ll pay even more money for snail eggs than you do for caviar.” —
You finally made it to Paris, but instead of running up the Eiffel Tower, you’re passing out in your soufflé. Blame jet lag, when your body’s circadian rhythm — its expected sleep and wake times — is out of sync with your new location, leaving you with brain fog at midday or insomnia in the wee hours. Not everyone has the same body clock, of course, and no two trips are exactly the same, but there are some tricks that could help you get your zip back quicker.
Train travel is undoubtedly the most romantic way to explore Europe. You can sit back and soak up the continent’s most beautiful sights as they zip past, from the towering snow-cloaked mountains of Germany and the glittering fjords of Norway to the sparkling coasts of Italy and vine-carpeted fields of France. Plus, there are few greater feelings than getting from country to country in the knowledge that you are traveling more sustainably and minimizing carbon footprints. But sadly, the evolution of budget airlines has meant that aviation has become a more affordable (and at times faster) alternative for travelers. Below, we look at the ultimate travel hacks for finding cheap train tickets across Europe this summer so you can embrace slow travel – with expert advice from some of the world’s top train travel experts.
Backroads has long been a leader and an innovator in the world of adventure travel. They’ve also been at the forefront of change, keeping tabs on fluctuating demographics and traveler demands. Back in 2020, during the heart of the pandemic, they first offered softer adventure trips called Dolce Tempo, or “sweet time,” as in “take your sweet time.” These were walking, E-bike, and multi-adventure trips designed for first-time adventure travelers and those looking for an easier option than regular Backroads trips. Call them easygoing active vacations designed with more downtime built-in. They were active adventures but at a more relaxed pace. They were clearly on to something because all the trips quickly sold out. They continued to do so even as the offerings expanded to include Active Ocean & River Cruises.
Savannah is the fifth-largest city in the Peach State but its historic district is compact and easily walkable. Most streets and walkways are pedestrian-friendly and well-marked with helpful signage.
When you think of a culinary-fuelled trip in Tokyo, what comes to mind? Sushi from Masuda? Ramen from Fu-unji? Maybe. And while we don’t recommend skipping the classics, it’s your moral imperative to make some space for a new wave of Japanese fare: Neapolitan-style pizza.
Travel website, Trippy, has put together an awesome infographic showing prices for food, beer, taxis, and hotels in the most and least expensive countries. And the best part is that it updates daily, so you can see the average price of something when you’re planning a trip or once you’re in the destination.
Italy’s Riviera di Ponente, or Western Riviera, has long attracted travelers—in the late 19th century new rail connections made it easier for well-heeled and titled English and Russians to escape their dreary winters, but before and after WWII, destinations on the Côte d'Azur and Riviera di Levante (the Eastern Riviera), like Rapallo, Portofino, and later, Cinque Terre, stepped into the spotlight, drawing celebrity names and eventually flocks of tourists.