2020 will be remembered as the year when travel was put on hold whilst we collectively battled with the pandemic that has changed the world. There are times when we will have questioned our mortality and times when we seriously questioned whether life as we once knew it will ever return. As the middle of year passes it looks like there is light at the end of the tunnel and we can start to plan for our next travel adventure.
Whether you want to relax and enjoy the scenery or be a culture vulture for the day, England offers up some of the best breaks around. So in a time where overseas travel is limited, I want to go through the top staycation destinations that offer a mixture of relaxation, sightseeing and adventure.
Have you ever dreamt about sleeping under the stars or witnessing the colours of
the Northern lights? Situated at the foot of Hekla volcano in the South of Iceland, about 3 hours drive from Reykjavik, ÖÖD Iceland allows its visitors to soak in the wonders of the Icelandic landscape and atmospheric spectacles. The beautiful, yet dramatic and somewhat apocalyptic site provides an unforgettable experience by blending the rough surroundings with the elegant sky. It is a place where all barriers between you and the wilderness are magically gone.
As you may or may not know, the Library of Alexandria is a major library in Egypt and is a cultural center located on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. Bibliotheca Alexandrina was built in 2002 and is a revival of the Ancient Library of Alexandria. Construction on the new library began in 1995 and after 7 years and 220$ million in spending, the library was officially reopened.
I have been visiting Stowe since I was a teenager, my parents having built a house there to escape hot New Jersey summers, and as a home base for the winter ski season. I usually visited in the winter months, and so my view of Stowe was quite narrow, shaped by snow-covered mountains, roaring fires, and early nights, to gather strength for the next day on the slopes.
Viking is launching a new ship next Summer for its popular Magnificent Mekong cruise tour. Currently under construction, the 80-guest Viking Saigon℠ is scheduled to debut for the 30 August 2021 cruisetour departure; the river cruise portion of the itinerary sails between Kampong Cham, Cambodia and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.
The Coral Triangle is home to the richest coral reefs on the planet. The region stretches from Malaysia in the west, to the Solomon Islands in the east, and reaches as far north as the Philippines. At its heart, are the bio-diverse tropical waters of Indonesia and a habitat for marine life like nowhere else on earth.
Fourteen CEOs of America’s most recognizable travel-related companies sent a letter to the president and congressional leaders this week stating that more and better COVID-19 testing is an indispensable component of pursuing an economic recovery, and urging a stepped-up federal role in making effective testing more widely available.
Baron Empain Palace, also known as Le Palais Hindou, first opened in 1911 and is a mansion inspired by a Hindu temple and is located in northeast of central Cairo, Egypt. The palace has been closed to the public since 1997 due to Satanists allegedly holding rituals there. Now after almost 2 years of restoration, the palace has become a cultural centre and has opened its doors to the public on June 29th, 2020.
The Ngorongoro Crater is one of the world’s most famous wildlife destinations. It is a an eco-system quite unlike any other with its huge densities of big five, plus so much more. Although Tanzania open for tourism now, this usually busy destination is beautifully quiet. A couple of nights in the area with one full day on the Crater floor is definitely worth including in any Northern Tanzania itinerary.