How to explore the Canary Islands on a budget

Nov 21, 2024 • 6 min read

Nov 20, 2024 • 14 min read

Even six or seven years ago, the whispers about Lanzarote still came with an element of implied surprise. “It's actually really cool,” I remember a photographer friend telling me before I went with my partner in 2018. We ended up staying among the palms and black-ash vineyards at Finca Malvasia, part of the first generation of cool boutique hotels, and falling for the island's big skies, duotone volcanic landscapes, and singular brand of nature-facing modernism.

Travel is often a chance to escape our stressors, but the ever-growing genre of Jewish-heritage tourism dares to contradict everything we associate with a vacation. A Real Pain, out now in limited release, looks suffering straight in the face with a trip that is anything but relaxing. Cousins David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) set off together to Poland as a sort of tribute to—and chance to better understand—their grandmother Dory, who survived the Holocaust there. The two cousins were once thick as thieves, but have become increasingly estranged in adulthood. In Poland, they join a small tour that guides them around the cities of Warsaw and Lublin to important sites of Jewish life and remembrance, including a visit to the Majdanek concentration camp.

The Galápagos Islands, although remote, attract a lot of tourists — more 20,000 every year, to be precise. While it’s easy for those tourists to reach the island of San Cristóbal or Baltra thanks to daily commercial flights from the Ecuadorian mainland, getting around the rest of the archipelago is a different story.

Traveling around the Galápagos Islands is a straight-forward affair: All you have to do is show up with the right gear, and the islands (and their precious animal inhabitants) will put on the best show you’ve ever seen. This should be simple. Surely, if the 100-year-old giant tortoises can stay calm and strike a pose while a dozen teary-eyed tourists gawk at them from six feet away, you can pack the right kind of socks.

Whale!” Mark shouted at breakfast. The rest of us passengers, the ship’s captain, and the naturalist guides stood up at once. We lifted the binoculars strapped around our necks and scanned the horizon from the sundeck. The Bolivar Channel is the best place to see whales around the Galápagos Islands, and eagle-eyed Mark, with his patience and determination, had spotted a splash nearby. A fin appeared and we all gasped and whooped.

Editor’s note: In September, Hurricane Helene barreled through the Southeast and devastated parts of North Carolina. Recovery efforts are still underway, particularly in the severely affected areas of North Carolina’s mountains and foothills, while less-impacted areas prepare to welcome fall tourists, recognizing that the state’s visitor economy will depend on a strong return of businesses, services, experiences, and other tourism essentials. Visit North Carolina has shared an interactive map indicating which areas of the state are safe to visit and which should be avoided as they work hard to rebuild. Now, more than ever, visitors to North Carolina are encouraged to travel responsibly and support local businesses as they explore the state’s open areas. Find more information at Visit North Carolina’s website.

Forbes Travel Guide named Singapore's Changi Airport the world's most luxurious airport for 2024 — and I couldn't agree more.

Holland America is out with yet another epic Alaska itinerary that is unlike anything we've seen before.

ALG Vacations provides travel advisors with all the tools to craft  innovative European itineraries that perfectly blend island relaxation with urban exploration through its Cities & Seas European offerings.

Nov 11, 2024 • 9 min read