Excursion tips

Cruises seem almost purpose built for families. They’re self-contained, with a variety of amenities to suit a variety of tastes. Families large and small, comprising one generation or several, can have an enjoyable vacation thanks to the plan-your-own-adventure activities and excursions available both onboard and off. The flexibility ensures quality time together—and when needed, quiet time apart.

It’s the end of an era for a popular outdoor tourism service. REI Co-op, the beloved outdoor retailer, announced Wednesday that it would be closing its Experiences division. Known for providing classes, selling group travel excursions, and operating various tours for 40 years, Experiences was utilized by outdoor enthusiasts for expert-led treks and trips.

Few vacations are more relaxing than a cabin retreat. Whether you’re using it as a base for your hiking or skiing excursions, or simply planning to kick back by the fireplace and relax with a book, cabins have a quiet romance about them. It’s no surprise, then, that cabins are among the most popular properties searched for by Airbnb users. The company just revealed its most wish-listed Airbnb cabins in the US, and the list might just inspire you to pull a Thoreau and head to the wilderness. From New York to Washington, these are the most wish-listed Airbnb cabins in the US.

A new gift idea for the traveler who has it all just landed.  Luxury tour operator Abercrombie & Kent recently unveiled two new private jet itineraries for 2026, and updated two existing ones. The programs will take travelers on curated journeys to off-the-grid, or hard to reach destinations. The firm operates the month-long excursions in February, May, September, and October and they sweep through multiple counties and destinations around the world on a private jet. 

Want to try out Royal Caribbean's new Ultimate Family Cabana? Join the club — the Royal Beach Club Paradise Island, that is.

For some unlucky travellers, Christmas has been abruptly cancelled. 

Luxury cruise line Regent Seven Seas Cruises is making it easier to sail in style by offering up to 40 percent off trips across the world. 

A royal treatment on rails is coming to England and Wales.

Vintage-inspired train journeys are some of the most glamorous—and sustainable—ways to travel, from the legendary Seven Stars Kyushu in Japan to South Africa's historic Rovos Rail.

Southeast Asian boutique river cruise operator, Heritage Line, has introduced new private onshore excursions for its Lower Mekong River cruises.

Want shore excursion discounts, free cocktails and other great perks, even at the lowest levels of your cruise line's loyalty program? Hurtigruten Expeditions, which has split from sister brand Hurtigruten, has launched a new reward system for its passengers with just two levels — one for those who have cruised with the line previously and one for those who haven't.

Add one more cruise line to the growing list of brands that will offer Alaska sailings in 2026. Following brief stints sailing from New York and Los Angeles, new 2,770-passenger ship Brilliant Lady — the fourth in Virgin Voyages' fleet, set to debut in late 2025 — will offer cruises to the Last Frontier as part of its spring and summer 2026 schedule.

River cruise line Uniworld is launching its first-ever women-only cruise next year, inviting female travelers to embark on an eight day journey through France.

If you aren't cruising with kids, the family-friendly lines can sometimes seem a little too kid-friendly.

It's the end of an era. After years of offering variations on its Free at Sea booking perks promotion, Norwegian Cruise Line is sunsetting its signature offering of included drink packages, Wi-Fi, shore excursions and specialty restaurant dining.

Whether you're booking your first voyage or your tenth, narrowing down the best Alaska cruise in 2025 is a complicated task.

When most Americans think of cruises, they probably think of island-hopping in the Caribbean or cruising by glaciers in Alaska from afar. That may be appealing for some people, but for others, the idea of being lazy on a ship of thousands of people for a week doesn’t sound like much of a vacation.

Say goodbye to free alcohol on Oceania Cruises sailings. The line is replacing gratis alcohol and shore excursion credits with complimentary gratuities in the latest iteration of its inclusive package.

By the time we reached the third waterfall on the Kahunira trail, my wife, Kiki, and I had been walking through the forested backcountry of Kiambu County, Kenya, for nearly three hours. Along the way, we had tasted sweet lady finger bananas in the market town of Githunguri, sipped a sour Kikuyu home brew called muratina proffered by laborers at a rural gravel quarry and made a heart-pounding shortcut across rust-flecked irrigation pipes that traversed a steep gorge fringed with tea plantations.

Aug 13, 2024 • 8 min read

Nothing quite says "bucket list" like a cruise to Africa.