Sea tips

Looking to do something unique this summer? Skip crowded cities like Paris and Rome and consider a chic (and much less crowded) island getaway off the coast of Spain.

"Massive seaweed blob invades Florida beaches."

Large cruise companies began running trials with biofuels two years ago, but their executives say they are far from being able to use it to power their ships regularly.

There’s a clear trend in cruise ship design that “bigger is better”, with ships like Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas setting new passenger records and redefining the idea of a cruise vacation.

Easily reached by ferry from its famous island neighbors and a quick 40-minute flight from Athens, the Greek island of Paros has been a relatively secret retreat for those in the know. But in the last few years, fashionistas and the rich and famous started visiting its lovely beaches and bougainvillea-covered fishing villages, and the island quickly became the chilled-out alternative to Mykonos and Santorini.

Ericeira may be famous as Portugal’s capital of waves—it was the second place to be named a World Surfing Reserve and is still the only one in Europe—but it’s plenty appealing beyond the ocean too. Less than an hour from Lisbon, it has beautiful beaches, windswept cliffs and a charming historic center, plus a vibrant international community. Yes, there are surf-town staples like acai bars and hostels flaunting their board storage, but there’s also plenty of destination dining and some five-star hotels that are worth an overnight or more.

Tag Heuer, a star performer in the watches portfolio of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton last year, has opened a 550-square-foot boutique on Carnival Jubilee, marking the biggest standalone store for the luxury brand at sea.

A beach is to a vacation is as ice cream is to apple pie: essential. We dream of beaches in Europe and we imagine that feeling of flaxen sand between our toes, the sounds of sea waves crashing on the shoreline, and the updrafts of salty ocean breeze. The small snag is, everyone else gets the same idea, and during peak seasons, carving out a spot on the shore to set out our picnic or recline with our beach read can feel like an impossible feat of engineering.

For the first time ever, the profound and mystical journey of wild Pacific salmon will swim into IMAX and other giant-screen theaters around the world late next year. The new film in production from a team of seasoned large format veterans will be set in one of the Earth’s wildest, most pristine, and threatened places – the stunning mountainous river systems of the North Pacific. Wild salmon are some of the planet’s most valuable species, often approaching $1 billion in economic output annually in Alaska alone.

Are you looking to ball out on your weeklong vacation aboard the world's largest cruise ship? Get ready to pay $200 for dinner and $100,000 for a cabin.

So pretty that it inspired a Disney movie (Luca), Cinque Terre ("five lands") consists of five startlingly photogenic fishing villages on Italy's northwest coast, their candy-colored houses stacked down the sides of ravines and on top of cliffs. With sea, great food and wine, jaw-dropping views and photo opportunities at every turn, this is everything people love about Italy.

There’s always a moment in the journey from Dublin to London – which I make every month or two, taking the land-and-sea route via Holyhead instead of flying – when I stop what I’m doing – reading or writing or chatting to the person next to me – and think: you don’t get to enjoy this from 40,000ft.

The coastal hamlet of Abereiddy (Abereddi in Welsh) is not as sun-drenched or glamorous as Acapulco, but the two places share one claim to fame: both are renowned cliff diving destinations. The Welsh version is the Blue Lagoon at the northern end of Abereiddy Bay, a 30-metre drop into deep green water (it is not as blue as the name suggests), which has hosted the Red Bull Cliff Diving championships a number of times.

We are lounging on the terrace of Lapis Turris, a medieval watchtower high in the Sibillini mountains, taking it in turns to name films that remind us of the extraordinary landscape that wraps itself around us. Game of Thrones? Skull Island in King Kong? Tolkien’s Rivendell? It’s difficult to pick; this stunning, empty wilderness is Italy’s answer to all three.

Instead of a four-hour road trip from Koman to Fierzë, relax and enjoy the Albanian fjords via the Drin River. We reversed on to the Berisha ferry, which takes 10 cars, plus foot passengers. Everyone sits on deck, regardless of the weather, to take in the views, which began with an incredibly straight white line high in the rock, showing the water level during the rainy season. The scenery was magnificent with forest-clad hills and high, rocky mountains with various coloured strata. Occasionally, a remote, isolated house could be seen. After two hours, we began spotting small tourist boats and hardy kayakers before arriving at Fierzë.Roy Messenger

If you just saw your first total solar eclipse—or you are desperate to see another—here’s where and when to go to experience another totality:

Norwegian Cruise Line is canceling over a dozen cruises 2025.  The cruise line is nixing multiple voyages throughout next year, Norwegian confirmed toTravel + Leisure on Friday. «The recent 2025 itinerary cancelations are a result of varied events including the ongoing situation in the Red Sea and Israel, modified dry dock schedules for ship enhancements, a full ship charter, and lastly, to accommodate the demand for shorter close-to-home voyages to the Bahamas,» a spokesperson for the cruise line told T+L.

As World Heritage Day on 18th April approaches, the spotlight turns on renowned landmarks across the globe. UNESCO sites like Stonehenge in the UK, Pompei in Italy and the Acropolis in Greece get no shortage of visitors. But there are plenty of designated destinations in Europe that still fly under the radar. Here are some of the best in Europe from remote archaeological wonders to untamed natural landscapes.

A 20-year-old man jumped off the Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas cruise on Thursday morning while vacationing with his family.

This is part of Off Season Italy, a collection of guides highlighting the year-round appeal of Italy's most popular destinations, courtesy of our favorite local tastemakers. Read more here.

Portugal’s sun-soaked south-meets-west coast comes into its own in the summer months. It’s a gloriously varied and enticing landscape—a seemingly never ending series of rocky coves and luminous beaches, sleepy villages, thumping tourist towns, world-class seafood and clifftop bars.