Travel News

TRAVEL NEWS

By Alexa Wheeler

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

LION

©GAVIN TOLLMAN

BY LAND

If you’re craving a vacation in a faraway land with a spirit of its own, Trafalgar launched its 2020 Africa program. With 1 1 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 historic villages, marine wildlife and farm-to-table dining during the Quebec in Depth with the Gaspé Peninsula 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 and the surrounding area.

CAP CANA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

BY AIR

For winter 2019-2020, WestJet Vacations has introduced three new exciting routes: a weekly non-stop flight from Calgary to Maui, Hawaii, a weekly flight from Calgary to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, and a flight from Victoria, B.C. to Los Cabos, Mexico. So, take off your winter coats and put on your sunnies instead; warmer weather awaits.

NORWEGIAN ESCAPE

©NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE

BY SEA

For the adventure-loving travellers, Lindblad Expeditions National Geographic now offers Wild Escapes, 1 1 voyages designed for guests to experience wilderness, wellness and wonder in a condensed amount of time.

The itineraries range from five to nine days allowing those unable to commit to longer expeditions, such as families, to explore iconic destinations such as Alaska, Baja, Belize, Costa Rica, Galapagos and Iceland.

For those travellers looking to enjoy the finer things in life while still channeling 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.