What’s Trending Now: Feeling Grateful

Can you feel it? That light, airy feeling? The uplifting effervescence that’s coursing through our veins? Even the most stoic among us are reveling in appreciation for things that maybe we took for granted (or perhaps even whined a little bit about) prior to 2020. We’ve gained a new perspective on simple, everyday privileges like dining out, gathering with family, meeting new people, and even breathing fresh, clean air.

With all this time to think, we’ve refined our outlook on traveling, too.

This year, as we venture out, we’re focused on quality instead of quantity. We’re digging deeper, paying better attention, and noticing things we may have missed before. We’re savoring our connections to other people and delighting in their cultural heritage. And we’re more mindful of the delicate ecosystems that teem and bloom all around us.

We’re packing gratitude and sharing it generously wherever we go.

In light of this trend toward being better travelers, we’re dedicating this section to the facets of travel that are worthy of our gratitude journals.

Here are 8 things we’re deeply grateful for …

1) The Advice of an Expert Travel Advisor—Now More than Ever

As Covid-19 slowly made its way around the world, many were in the middle of their annual vacation. There were two types of travelers --those who booked with a travel advisor and had someone on their side advocating on their behalf, and those who didn't.

This new world of post-pandemic travel requires constant vigilance, something most travelers don't have time for but most advisors consider one of the most important parts of their jobs. Keeping up with ever-changing openings and shutdowns, new regulations, and testing requirements is a full-time job. It doesn't have to be yours.

5 Reasons to Cherish Travel Advisors

1. They're experts with insider knowledge because travel is their full-time job.

2. They power our dreams and turn them into reality.

3. They never make us navigate the unknown alone.

4. They know the right people in both good times and in bad.

5. They're here for us before, during and after our travels.

2) Open Waters, Open Borders—Free to Travel Again

If there’s one word that describes where we’ve been for the last year, adrift is probably it. We’ve been waiting, floating, impatient for a time when we could wriggle with the anticipation of an upcoming vacation again. Perhaps nowhere more so than out in the open waters, where salty breezes and sun-kissed sea days beckon. As borders reopen, more options will become available. If you just can’t wait to get out there, ask your advisor about booking a small yacht charter for your “bubble” or securing surprisingly affordable seats on a private jet to a remote seaside villa.

Beaching It Fun, sun, social distancing. Beaches are perfect for dipping your toe back in the travel game. For over three decades, Dr. Stephen Leatherman, better known as Dr. Beach, has released his list of America’s Best Beaches. Here are his most recent top picks:

Grayton Beach State Park, Florida Panhandle for sugar white sand, emerald green water, big sand dunes, great restaurants and hotels.

Ocracoke Lifeguarded Beach, Outer Banks, North Carolina for wild, sandy beach. It’s the only beach on the island with a lifeguard.

Cooper’s Beach, Southampton, New York for white sandy beaches backed with large beach grass covered dunes and historic mansions.

Duke Kahanamoku Beach, Oahu, Hawaii for the widest beach on Waikiki Beach and distant views of Diamond Head volcano. It’s protected by an offshore reef making it a calm place for families with children.

Cruising Now — Bucket List Bookings ...

As we ease back into cruising, amazing deals on higher-level suites and intriguing new itineraries are leading the way. You can show your love for your favorite cruise line by booking now for a 2022 or 2023 voyage. Many are offering the flexibility to cancel or change your mind without extra costs or hassles. If you’ve been saving up for a big bucket list trip, check out these luxe ocean adventures:

Celebrity Flora, the first ship designed and built expressly for the Galapagos, holds 100 passengers in all-suite staterooms with floor-to-ceiling windows and private verandas. The energy efficient ship also offers Galapagos Glamping with top deck cabanas that can be converted to double beds allowing guests to sleep under the stars; a naturalist leads stargazing sessions of the constellations of both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

Seabourn’s 43-Day The Americas and Antarctica itinerary leaves from Miami and traverses the Panama Canal to sail down the western coast of South America through the Chilean fjords and Strait of Magellan. Guests will revel in the region’s abundant wildlife including a huge variety of penguins, whales, dolphins, and seals.

Atlas Ocean Voyages’ inaugural season includes several Antarctica itineraries commencing in November 2021. In addition to the all-inclusive luxury on board, there will be surprise Captain’s Choice ports of call selected for the best wildlife viewing. Every 2021/2022 Antarctica ocean voyage with Atlas Voyages immerses you in the luxe-adventure experience from the start with complimentary private charter jet service, check-in assistance that sends your luggage straight from flight to ship and an escort through customs upon landing.

Best Whale Watching Whales breach for the sheer joy of it and we can’t imagine a better way to celebrate our newly found freedom to travel than sharing in their happiness. Here are four of the world’s best places to go whale watching:

Vancouver Island, Canada Every spring, about 20,000 grey whales swim past the west coast of Vancouver Island traveling from Mexico to the Arctic while three pods of resident orca whales live around the southern tip of the island.

Reykjavik, Iceland In June and July, you can go whale watching under the midnight sun; you’ll also see frolicking puffins, dolphins, and porpoises.

Baja California, Mexico Friendly grey whales breed on the Pacific coast and several species congregate in the diverse ecosystem of the Sea of Cortez which Jacques Cousteau once called “the world’s aquarium.”

Tobermory, Isle of Mull, Scotland The relatively new Hebridean Whale Trail — 33 whale spotting sites — is best between May and September.