Mountain City's Travel Blog

Restored to its former glory and beyond, Notre Dame de Paris has risen from the ashes of a 2019 fire that many feared meant the end of an era for one of the most joyous historic cathedrals in Europe. The December 7, 2024 reopening ceremony and resumption of Masses felt like a Christmas gift to the world, not just for...

December 7, 1941, is remembered annually for the attack on Hawai’i’s Pearl Harbor that drew the USA into World War 2. But September 2, 1945, is just as important in American history. That date in 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the war, with the formal Japanese surrender ceremony aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. Two moving...

If the world seems noisier and more chaotic than ever to you – you’re not alone. As life gets more stressful, online searches for ‘quiet travel’ have shot up like your blood pressure. One of the first places savvy travelers look to disconnect and rediscover tranquillity in nature is Costa Rica. The Central American country’s famous way of living, called ‘Pura...

New digital border processing and hall at SXM airport mean arriving for your next trip to the Caribbean’s famous twin-nation island will be faster, easier, and better than ever before. But you do have to get online and fill out the new forms before you check in to your flight to St. Maarten.Mandatory Digital Forms for Travel to St. MaartenSt....

A new selection of activities for visitors to Australia allow you to experience the country’s history and nature, with the added richness of Aboriginal culture.  Australia’s Aboriginal people are the island continent's original inhabitants, with a history that dates back over 65,000 years. That makes them one of the world’s oldest continuous cultures. A revival of Australian indigenous cultural practices, oral...

The pickleball craze continues! Not content to dominate community parks around North America, the sociable, ‘tennis light’ paddle sport is taking root in holiday destinations – not just on land resorts and hotels, but also at sea, and, in the latest twist, overwater! Pickleball on the Rivers of EuropeAmaWaterways made waves when it became the first river cruise line to introduce...

There will soon be two new places in the U.S. to visit China’s iconic and endearing national animal. The giant panda, with its unmistakeable black and white markings and adorable fuzzy features, is a keystone species and symbol of global conservations efforts – and it’s one of the ‘bucket list’ animals many people want to experience in person.  A pair of...

Your next vacation may be the perfect time to take up shinrin-yoku, or ‘forest bathing.’ Wellness fans around the world are embracing the Japanese practice of immersing yourself deeply into the atmosphere of the woods, and the broader concept of spending more time in nature to improve your health and well-being.  Renowned for their centuries-old practices of ritualized baths in...

Building family fun on a cruise vacation couldn’t be easier. When the new MSC World America launches in April, 2025, it will have an over 10,0000 square foot kids’ area, complete with an enhanced partnership with LEGO that will offer first-at-sea experiences. Plus the only over-water swing ride – the ‘Cliffhanger’ - towering over 160 feet above the ocean -...

Copenhagen is putting its money where its mouth is when it comes to sustainable travel. The tourism board of the capital of Denmark is rewarding you to make green choices when you visit this summer as part of a pilot program that could lead the world in helping both locations and visitors to benefit more from travel.  More popular destinations are...

Interest in global "Blue Zones" is stronger than ever. The regions in the world where people live much longer and healthier lives compared to the global average are not just inspiring people to take a hard look at the overall wellness of their lifestyle – they are even inspiring people’s travel plans!  “Blue Zones” is a term first coined by researchers...

Thinking pink for your next tropical vacation? Barbie has landed in the Bahamas! Fans of the world’s most famous doll with her own entertainment franchise can immerse themselves in her vivid universe in one of the most famous resorts in the islands.  Through a new, exclusive partnership, Barbie Bahamas Beach Vacation has become a technicolor reality in Atlantis. It’s the first...

It’s a dog’s life when it comes to traveling with man’s best friend. More and more people consider their canine companions something they can’t leave home without – even when traveling internationally. But new rules for both American pooches returning home, AND pets of visitors coming into the U.S. will mean dog owners have more hoops to jump through. The new...

May 23 is World Turtle Day, to celebrate and protect what may be the planet’s most captivating reptiles. Here are some of the best places to see turtles in the wild – and some tips to help protect turtles and tortoises in ways their own protective hard shells can’t.  World Turtle Day is the brainchild of the non-profit organization American...

Of all the creatures of the oceans, seahorses may be one of the most magical and endearing. And now, a new maritime preserve in the Caribbean with the densest population of seahorses in the world has been designated to protect this weird and wonderful fish. Seahorses are indeed fish! But they are unique among fish species, with that distinctive upright posture,...

Tulum's brand-new international airport – plus the inauguration of a tourist train in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula – are opening up fresh travel opportunities to explore Tulum and beyond. NEW: FELIPE CARRILLO PUERTO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, TULUMNot too long ago, Tulum was a tiny beach town of mangroves, powder-white beaches on crystal-clear waters and Mayan ruins on a cliff over the Caribbean sea....

Get ready for a decade of vacations with ‘new ship smell!’ And get set to soon book your place on one of three brand-new classes of ships that will change the world of cruising. Norwegian Cruise Line, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, and Oceania Cruises have together announced they’ve ordered the next generation of cruise ships. It’s the biggest ‘new build’...

Spring has sprung and cultures the world over celebrate the season of fresh color and new life. It’s not all about bunnies, lambs, chicks, eggs, chocolate and spring flowers. Here are just a few different traditions that inspire us to travel in the springtime: Climb a Mayan Pyramid on the Spring Equinox in MexicoSpring officially begins on the Spring Equinox, usually...

There’s a real man behind the legend that gets us wearing green every March 17th. And you can go beyond modern St. Patrick's Day ‘shenanigans’ to revisit the life of St. Patrick on a journey connecting places in Northern Ireland where his story became a legend that thrives to this day among the Irish and millions of people around the...

Wildlife photography safaris have never been more popular, as constant advances in technology make incredible image capture more accessible to ordinary travelers. One study of millions of wildlife photos on a photo-sharing website has revealed which countries’ creatures are the subject of the most snaps – indicating the best places to go to photograph some of the planet’s most photogenic...