Luxury hotel-branded lines are attracting first-time cruisers
2026-07-20Hotel-branded cruise ships are pulling in first-time cruisers willing to pay four times the cost of a traditional ocean cruise, according to booking data from Global Travel Collection (GTC), a host agency specializing in luxury travel. The hotel-branded cruise lines include Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, Four Seasons Yachts, Aman at Sea and Orient Express Sailing Yachts. […]
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Wellness Without the White Robe
2026-07-20Richard Shane Founder and CEO The World’s Greatest Vacations For a long time, wellness travel was easy to picture. A spa corridor. A treatment menu. A white robe. A dimly lit room scented with eucalyptus. The experience could be pleasant, even restorative, but it often felt separate from the journey itself, as if wellbeing […]
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Windstar shakes up offerings with short Europe cruises
2026-07-13Short cruise itineraries are a staple in the Caribbean megaship market. But they are no longer just for megaships — or for the Caribbean. Windstar Cruises has expanded the model for small ships in Europe with “quick getaway” itineraries of just three to five days. Like the traditional short itineraries on larger ships from key […]
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The Luxury of Staying Longer
2026-07-13Richard Shane Founder and CEO The World’s Greatest Vacations For many years, the most ambitious travel itineraries were also the most crowded. A few nights in one city, a transfer to the coast, a short stay in the countryside, then another flight or train before the journey had time to settle. The appeal was […]
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The Rise of the Cool Summer Journey
2026-07-06Richard Shane Founder and CEO The World’s Greatest Vacations Summer luxury used to be easy to recognize. It was sun-drenched, coastal, and often arranged around the reliable pleasures of sea air, long lunches, and terraces facing the water. Those pleasures have not disappeared, but they no longer define the season as completely as they […]
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Kensington Tours unveils culinary itineraries across Europe
2026-07-06Kensington Tours, a luxury bespoke tour operator, has unveiled new culinary itineraries, citing increased demand from foodies seeking a taste of the destinations they visit. The operator has observed a surge in food and culture-led bookings in recent years. The expanded offerings include Greece, Croatia and Portugal itineraries curated by destination experts. Kensington president Helen […]
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AmaWaterways reveals details of new double-width ship
2026-06-29AmaWaterways revealed details and renderings of the AmaRudi, the line’s forthcoming double-width river ship launching next year. Named after cofounder Rudi Schreiner, the ship will begin sailing the Danube River next spring. The AmaRudi was built on the designs of the AmaMagna, another double-width ship in the AmaWaterways fleet. The vessel will introduce a new […]
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Where Mountain Air Meets Modern Luxury
2026-06-29Richard Shane Founder and CEO The World’s Greatest Vacations Mountain travel has always carried a sense of escape, but its appeal is changing. For a long time, the mountains were treated mainly as a place for activity. Skiing, hiking, climbing, long drives, scenic viewpoints, and the familiar satisfaction of reaching higher ground. The landscape […]
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Sunny summer forecast for cruise, with Europe in demand
2026-06-22The cruise industry has entered the summer where it wants to be, with few cabins left to fill and higher year-over-year prices for Europe sailings. At Cruise Planners, bookings for cruises departing in July and August are pacing ahead of last year, said COO Theresa Scalzitti. Travel Leaders Network entered the year seeing particular strength […]
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How Slow Coastal Travel Is Changing the Summer Escape
2026-06-22Richard Shane Founder and CEO The World’s Greatest Vacations Coastal travel has long been associated with escape. The sea, the light, the open horizon, the soft change in pace that seems to arrive before the first bag is unpacked. For generations, the coast has offered a familiar promise, to step away from routine and […]
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