In 2025, travelers are venturing further around the globe and staying in their destinations longer, signaling a move toward authentic and immersive experiences—a trend also known as “slow travel."
17.12.2024 - 13:27 / insider.com
When my children were little, I felt the magic of the holidays deep in my bones.
Nearly every weekend, we dashed to see a light display or rode the Polar Express while drinking cups of rich hot chocolate.
Then, my kids got older.
As tweens and teens, they became hard to please. They seemed impervious to the joyful spirit of the holidays, grumbling when I booked holiday events and complaining about the gifts I chose for them.
I know this is developmentally appropriate, but it hurts. Last year, I decided to opt out of Christmas in favor of something I love: travel.
Instead of spending time and money on creating an extravagant day that would be stressful and (likely) unappreciated, I took my family on a trip to Morocco.
It was such a great experience that I've made international travel our new holiday tradition.
There's no substitute for seeing the world and getting an up-close look at different cultures and ways of life. I also think it's the best way to raise empathetic, open-minded children, and I'm very fortunate to be able to provide them with these experiences.
However, my kids' school schedules make it hard to go anywhere for more than a few days. I try to make the most of our summers, but that's when it's hot and crowded in many parts of the world.
Luckily, the kids reliably have an extended school break around Christmas each year, making the holidays an ideal time for our family to travel.
Another big reason I travel during the holidays is to escape the stress of them, so I like to pick destinations where Christmas isn't widely celebrated.
In many parts of the world, it's just an ordinary day, so attractions aren't closed — aka, we don't sacrifice any vacation time.
Last year, in Morocco, I saw a smattering of holiday lights and small Christmas trees, mostly in hotels. That was perfect for me because I felt very little pressure to make Christmas Day magical.
In order to make holiday travel easier, I book group tours.
Although I didn't originally intend to travel this way, I planned last year's trip in a rush, so it was the easiest and fastest way to make sure we could cover a lot of ground in the time we had.
It turns out that not having to worry about booking hotels or planning the logistics of getting from place to place was a welcome reprieve.
Even though I had more time this year, I decided to skip the stress and use the same tour company as a gift to myself.
Skipping the holidays isn't for everyone, but it works for me.
Even though I no longer have the will to create an elaborate Christmas at home, I don't want my children to miss out completely.
Every year since my kids were little, I've taken them to the over-the-top Christmas displays at Gaylord National Resort in Maryland, and that has
In 2025, travelers are venturing further around the globe and staying in their destinations longer, signaling a move toward authentic and immersive experiences—a trend also known as “slow travel."
A winding stone path leads down to a long, shady iron pergola draped in wisteria and twisting jasmine, where Prince Fabrizio Ruspoli di Poggio Suasa, the creative force behind all this romance, is sipping a pink martini. Elegant and dashingly handsome, Ruspoli casts an eye over Olinto Atlas Mountain Retreat, his eight-acre (and expanding) garden estate. Shimmering olive trees underplanted with fragrant floriferous white Atlas rose bushes encircle an expansive pool. A walkway below us cuts through swaying, luminous Pennisetum grasses punctuated by sculptural giant agaves and supersize succulents. As we begin to wander, drinks in hand, Ruspoli points out a building in the process of being repainted; the celadon green he'd originally chosen turned out not to be precisely the shade he had envisioned. It's this sort of attention to detail, along with flawless taste, that has turned his dream into a living and growing idyll.
New year, new routes.
Dec 27, 2024 • 7 min read
I was recently invited to a festival in Ibiza, the Balearic island known for its turquoise waters, untamed coastlines, and electronic music-fueled parties. But this invite wasn’t to Mike Posner’s Ibiza—the pills would instead be homeopathic ones touting health and wellbeing, and the headliners included biohacker Ben Greenfield, Los Angeles-based trainer Kim Strother, and women’s health and menopausal expert Dr. Jessica Shepard. Hosted at Six Senses Ibiza, a secluded resort on the island’s northern tip, the event blended music, healing practices, and communal experiences. Called Alma (Spanish for “soul”), its themes span psychedelic breath work and sex chats to sound healing and biohacking. “Longevity is a key pillar of what we do,” Alma Festival founder Talana Bestall tells Traveler.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Kelsea Myers. It has been edited for length and clarity.
If you have an AvGeek, an outer space enthusiast or an avid reader in your life and you can't decide what to give them as a holiday gift, consider buying this new book by photographer Ted Huetter. In "Waiting for Spaceships: Scenes from a Desert Community in Love with the Space Shuttle," Huetter documents the thousands of people who would gather to welcome the space shuttles on their return to Earth.
Dec 21, 2024 • 7 min read
The African continent is teeming with unique travel experiences.
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At the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc, you can descend a steep staircase into the USS Cobia, a US Navy submarine that sank 13 ships and earned four battle stars in World War II. You can walk through the rooms and learn about its history in combat from a US Navy veteran or self-guided audio tour.
Over the years, I've watched many of my friends and family members go on weeklong cruises to Alaska.