Mountain City's Travel Blog

Want to improve your memory, problem-solving skills and ability to focus? A recent study aboard a Transatlantic Crossing on the Queen Mary 2 found that even a few days at sea gives cruise travelers measurable and surprising cognitive benefits – in addition to relaxation. For over 180 years, British luxury cruise line Cunard has been sailing the fabled, week-long Crossing between...

Queenstown, New Zealand, is once again pioneering an exciting new travel trend. It’s already on the map for global travelers as the birthplace and “Home of Bungee Jumping” and the “Adventure Capital of the World.” Now, Queenstown is at the leading edge of finding ways to continue to offer its signature, adrenaline – and power–fueled – outdoor activities to the...

The UN agency championing the world’s cultural and scientific treasures, and the prestigious association of hundreds of independent, unique hotels and restaurants throughout the world, have joined forces to support global conservation and biodiversity through global culinary traditions. The director-general of UNESCO points out, “Never in history has nature experienced such dramatic decline. One million species – of the eight million identified...

MSC Cruises and the MSC Foundation are sharing some good news for the world’s seas coming from the Super Coral Program at the cruise line’s private island in The Bahamas, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve. The Super Coral Program, working with off-site university partners since 2020, is dedicated to reversing the shocking worldwide decline in coral populations. New research supported by the...

It feels like we could all use some good news right now – and luckily, this year, travel has provided us with lots of reasons to feel hopeful and uplifted and that doing something we love – travel – can also be doing something good. The world of travel is showing us that not only can travel be good for...

As the gateway to a New Year is upon us, I pause to reflect and take a look back. 2024 was brimming with incredible journeys!Mountain City Travellers have –Gone on safari witnessing the planet’s wild, incredible animal kingdom, have been swept away by world-class performances in historic concert halls, swum with sassy sea lions in Charles Darwin’s classroom, and celebrated...

Here’s a look around the world at a few of the traditions of the many ways people celebrate the arrival of a New Year. Midnight Countdown and Ball Drop (Times Square) In New York City, people gather to watch the famous ball drop at Times Square at midnight. This tradition is broadcast worldwide and is followed by celebrations all over the country.Eating...

Nothing gets you in the holiday spirit like a Christmas market cruise on the Rhine from Switzerland, through France, and Germany, to the Netherlands, in the cradle of so many of our Christmas traditions. It’s a multi-sensory travel experience, from the sights of festive decorations and booths at the markets, twinkling lights and decorations, the scent of mulled wine, and...

Sandals is introducing its first-ever four-bedroom butler villas, brand new ‘Skypool Suites’ with rooftop terraces, more guest-favorite ‘Rondovals,’ as well as re-imagined beachfront and bluff view rooms across adults-only, ‘luxury-included’ Sandals resorts throughout the Caribbean. Now available for booking, these new, ‘suite’ experiences are part of ‘Sandals 2.0,’ and encourage visiting amongst friends, and bringing the tropical outdoors into your living...

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...

Three cheers to the yachting lifestyle!  Emerald Cruises’ yachts are warm-weather cruising on a whole different scale: small! With only 100 guests, you feel like you’re aboard your own private yacht – that’s designed to make you feel immediately at home as you spend lazy days chasing the sun… and relaxing with something cold in your hand that reminds you:...

Beginning January 8, 2025, American and Canadian travelers to the United Kingdom will be required to apply - in advance of your trip - for the UK’s new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). The digital application process opens November 27, 2024 for anyone planning to arrive in Britain from January 8, 2025 and onwards. The British government has been introducing the new...

The Britannic Explorer, A Belmond Train, is a new way to indulge in slow travel in the lap of luxury. Debuting in the summer of 2025, it’s the first modern luxury sleeper train to allow you to discover some of the UK’s most spectacular natural landscapes and hidden gems on its three inaugural, three-day routes. Timeless Routes Through the English CountrysideDeparting...

Rosewood Exuma opens in 2028, bringing Rosewood’s elevated experiential travel and authenticity to the Exumas. The pristine archipelago of 365 islands in the Bahamas is the destination of the latest addition to Rosewood’s Caribbean portfolio. The private island resort offers next-generation luxury while honoring the character of the Exumas. Rosewood Exuma Within the Exumas, there’s a 124-acre private island called East Sampson...

The holidays are just around the corner, and nothing gets you into the spirit of the season like a pre-Christmas trip to Europe, where so many of our favorite festive traditions originated. Europe’s Christmas markets, many of which have been around since the Middle Ages, are magical places to embrace the holiday spirit and celebrate in the month leading up to...

The Riverside Mozart is the ultimate floating luxury boutique hotel on the river – as you can see in the video, it’s about double the size of almost all other river cruise ships in Europe, but there aren’t double the guests. That’s a game-changer!  To me, it felt more like sailing on a luxury, small ocean ship that just happened to...

Is Antarctica on your travel bucket list? The White Continent is the ultimate expedition cruising destination: literally at the end of the earth, and able to be reached only by ship, with its epic scenery of glaciers, icebergs, and surprisingly rich wildlife, including several varieties of penguins, elephant seals, whales and more, Antarctica has remained just a dream destination for...

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...

On safari in Africa, it’s the ‘Big 5’ signature species. But on the other side of the world, in another extraordinary landscape, the can’t miss, iconic wildlife is summed up on the ‘Big 15’ list. Many are found nowhere else on earth other than in the Galapagos islands. Their unparalleled biodiversity famously inspired Darwin’s theory of evolution. No wonder these remote...