What’s New for 2020?

Par Alexa Wheeler

Whether you prefer travelling by land or by sea, enjoy the hot or the cold, fancy a faraway escape or a getaway closer to home, there’s a vacation perfectly suited for you.

BY LAND

If you’re craving a vacation in a faraway land, Trafalgar launched its 2020 Africa program. With 11 handcrafted trips featuring Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, travellers can experience various parts of the continent. Africa holds a special place within the company as it is home to Trafalgar owners, the Tollman family. Therefore, each itinerary is curated to ensure guests leave with the same passion for Africa the family feels. From connecting with locals to diving into traditions, guests can immerse themselves into the culture.

If staying a bit closer to home is ideal, both Globus and Cosmos launched 2020 North American itineraries, many of which are centred around special events. Tours range from exploring the Maritimes with an optional add-on of the memorable VIA Rail Ocean Train to Halifax during the Historic Cities of Eastern Canada tour, to experiencing the contrast of city versus desert during the High Desert Discovery tour in the western U.S. For 2020 specifically, event-focused tours will take travellers from the Jasper Dark Sky Festival in the Canadian Rockies to the 400th landing of the Mayflower in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

BY SEA

For those travellers looking to enjoy the finer things in life while still channelling their inner Charles Darwin, Silversea’s new ship, Silver Origin, was designed entirely with Galapagos in mind. The vessel’s maiden voyage will embark in July 2020 with the goal of immersing guests into the destination through local experiences both on land and on board. Two seven-night itineraries will alternate between Baltra and San Cristobal allowing guests to marvel at endemic species, explore beautiful landscapes, indulge in regionally inspired cuisine, and much more.

And for the wine connoisseurs (even if self-proclaimed), Norwegian Cruise Line’s Meet the Winemaker series lets enthusiasts engage with winemakers and industry experts through wine tastings and wine-paired dinners, interactive cooking demonstrations, meet and greets, open-forum discussions, educational sessions, and other seminars and activities. The experience will be available during the 2019/2020 season on select cruises aboard Norwegian Joy, Norwegian Escape, Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Dawn, and Norwegian Encore.