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Florida's Brightline Rail Has 50% Off Group Fares Right Now — When to Book

The sale — for groups of at least 3 travelers — is running until Feb. 19.

High-speed rail company Brightline is making it easier for groups to plan a south Florida escape this President’s Day holiday weekend with a sale that has one-way tickets as low as $39.

The sale offers groups of at least three travelers or more half-off “Smart” tickets to or from Orlando, the company shared with Travel + Leisure. The sale, which must be booked by Feb. 19, is valid on travel between Feb. 20 and March 31.

“Grab two travel buddies and explore Florida,” Brightline wrote as part of the promotion. “Whether you’re traveling to Orlando as a family or planning a getaway to South Florida for your friends, the train is the most comfortable and convenient way to get there.”

To take advantage, the booking must include Orlando as either the origin or destination city.

The rail company first launched in 2018 with service between West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami, but has since expanded, adding service to Aventura and Boca Raton. The company also opened its new route between Miami and Orlando late last year. The ride between the two cities takes about 3 hours and 30 minutes.

Travelers can choose between “Smart” or “Premium” fares, the latter which includes added perks like a dedicated lounge at the departure station, priority boarding, checked luggage, and complimentary snacks and beverages. All Brightline trains come with complimentary onboard Wi-Fi.

Brightline also offers several multi-use passes like the All-Station Shared Pass, which comes with access to each of Brightline’s stations, including Orlando; and the SoFlo Solo Pass, which includes access to south Florida stations.

Beyond Florida, the company is starting work in southern California to create a rail corridor connecting the state with Las Vegas. The project, called Brightline West, will eventually connect Sin City with the Los Angeles area over 218-miles complete with speeds up to 200 mph.

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The pavilion for playing chess at Huashan Mountain.

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@0572Pearl .

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@brettgervais Maine that offers snowy outings

[guilherme @gui39889834]

This Epic Cruise to the Galapagos Gets You Up Close to Penguins, Sea Turtles, and Reef Sharks

Aboard Silversea’s new Galápagos expedition ship, guest can connect with nature in an unprecedented way.

For all the natural marvels of the Galápagos — and they are truly marvelous — it is a man-made monument I think about when I try to make sense of my time there early this year. Well, part monument, part desecration. A piece of graffiti, of all things, carved into the volcanic rock at Tagus Cove, on the island of Isabela, where seafarers of all sorts have left their imprint over the past 200 years. There are scrawls made years before Charles Darwin and the Beagle landed, in 1835, and spray-paint from well after Isabela's infamous penal colonies closed down in the late 1950s.

One of the older etchings, carved into the rock in stencil-perfect all-caps sans serif, reads simply WANDERLURE. As in, I imagine, the subject or cause of wanderlust, dangling out there beyond the horizon, tantalizing us with its mystery and romance.

Wanderlure (noun). See: the Galápagos Islands, a biosphere so singular and special that, after only 19 days on land, a 26-year-old university dropout could deduce from it the origin of the species.

In the notes he kept during his visit, Darwin reported that the buccaneers who would stop at the islands in search of food and fresh water were known to collect up to 700 giant tortoises a day. (These would be kept upside down, without food or water, until they were made into soup.) Now, of course, there are protections in place for singular species such as the giant tortoise. But with carbon consumption what it is today, and with our entire planet — let alone this tiny, vulnerable ecosystem — in grave distress, I found myself wondering whether the pursuit of our various wanderlures is still a viable, ethical objective.

On the Silver Origin, the first site-specific expedition ship from Silversea my fellow shipmates and I saw the sorts of juxtapositions that set Darwin's brain awhirl — penguins swimming alongside tropical parrotfish, sea lions playing with reef sharks. We even got a glimpse of the archipelago's Wolf Volcano erupting on the equator, beneath the North Star and the Southern Cross.

And all the while, we were pampered mercilessly. Every one of the Silver Origin's 51 suites comes with butler service, and the ship itself exudes what Silversea CCO Barbara Muckermann describes as "whisper luxury" (breezy white curtains, low-slung couches, gallery-size prints by Silversea partner photographer Steve McCurry).

The ship claims to have the islands' highest guide- and Zodiac-to-guest ratios. Led by Silversea's expert naturalists, almost all of whom are Galapagueños, we saw the iguanas that inspired the 1998 Hollywood remake of Godzilla; climbed into collapsed calderas that looked like the crowns of giant ogre kings; and floated on the tide in the company of 30-odd green sea turtles. This was beyond a bucket-list trip; it was a life peak.

But does traveling to a place like the Galápagos do anything to expand our knowledge of the species we coexist with, or about ourselves, as Darwin's visit did? Do a few snorkeling sessions and hikes around great volcanic fields make us more humane, more aware, better equipped to be custodians of our home planet? I can't say.

What I do know is that during my 10 days in the islands I had at least four moments of the kind we usually describe as a religious experience — the religion here being nature. Whatever was flooding my system while I was swimming with seven-foot blacktip reef sharks off Champion Islet was intensely narcotic. I don't think I have been more "in the moment" than I was that day.

"You are an ambassador of the Galápagos now," an Ecuadoran friend told me at the end of my trip. And maybe that is the ultimate souvenir from a visit to one of your wanderlures: you are forevermore implicated, involved. A place like the Galápagos leaves a mark on you, carved in bold letters. You remain a citizen in absentia, doing what you can to protect both the myth and the marvelous reality, wherever you may be.

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Niagara Falls, New York & Ontario

Niagara Falls

One guaranteed way to feel the awesome power of nature is to visit the inimitable Niagara Falls. There are three magnificent falls here, two American and one Canadian. On this tour of the American side of the falls you’ll get aerial views from the observation deck at Skylon Tower, get up close to Horseshoe Falls on the Maid of the Mist boat ride, and also reach the closest accessible point of the falls at Cave of the Winds.

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More Cruise Lines to Start Allowing Unvaccinated Passengers on Board

Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Princess Cruises are easing their vaccination policies.

Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, and Princess Cruises have changed their COVID-19-related protocols, becoming the latest cruise lines to simplify vaccine requirements or streamline testing rules.

Starting Sept. 6, Carnival Cruise Line unvaccinated travelers will no longer need to obtain a vaccine exemption to board cruises that last less than 16 nights, according to the company. These travelers will still need to apply for an exemption on cruises to Australia and longer voyages.

Unvaccinated travelers will have to show proof of a negative PCR or antigen test taken within three days of embarkation.

Additionally, Carnival will no longer require pre-embarkation testing on cruises that are less than 16 nights for vaccinated passengers who provide proof of their vaccination status. Travelers who sail to Canada, Bermuda, Greece, Australia, or on longer cruises will still have to get tested to board.

The rule change comes just days after Carnival dropped pre-embarkation testing for vaccinated passengers on cruises that are five days or less and months after the company lifted mask requirements in March.

"Our ships have been sailing very full all summer, but there is still room for more of our loyal guests, and these guidelines will make it a simpler process, and make cruising accessible for those who were not able to meet the protocols we were required to follow for much of the past 14 months," Christine Duffy, the president of Carnival Cruise Line, said in a statement. "Whatever the ship, homeport or itinerary that works for you, our great onboard team is ready to deliver a fun vacation – something we all look forward to even more nowadays!"

Royal Caribbean will also ease vaccine requirements starting Sept. 5 for cruises departing from Los Angeles, Galveston, New Orleans, and any European homeport, according to the company. Testing rules vary by destination, but Royal Caribbean has eliminated testing for vaccinated passengers on sailings that depart from the U.S. that are 5 nights or shorter.

The company said it was "working with local governments in the Eastern Caribbean to align on vaccination requirements for more itineraries."

For its part, Princess Cruises will also drop testing rules for vaccinated passengers on Sept. 6 on sailings that are less than 16 days departing from the United States, United Kingdom, or Europe, the company shared with Travel + Leisure.

"These updated guidelines help ensure a Princess vacation is available to everyone," John Padgett, the president of Princess Cruises, said in a statement provided to T L. "The Princess experience is truly one-of-a-kind and we encourage everyone to take a Princess vacation that offers amazing service at unmatched value."

The company will also simplify its rules for unvaccinated passengers.

Next month, unvaccinated travelers 5 years old and older on voyages less than 16 days will have to get a PCR test or perform a home rapid antigen test within three days of sailing and upload proof of that negative test before boarding. Unvaccinated travelers on longer sailings will have to get a PCR or medically-assisted rapid antigen test taken within three days of embarkation.

Currently, Princess allows unvaccinated travelers to sail, but requires them to get a PCR test taken within three days of their departure as well as undergo a rapid antigen test at the terminal.

The streamlined rules come days after Norwegian Cruise Line, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, and Oceania Cruises all said they would drop pandemic-era vaccination requirements in September.

Several other cruise lines have relaxed testing rules for vaccinated guests, including Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville at Sea cruise line and Virgin Voyages.

Alison Fox is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure. When she's not in New York City, she likes to spend her time at the beach or exploring new destinations and hopes to visit every country in the world. Follow her adventures on Instagram.

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Nearly 70 sailings were announced, including 13 brand-new itineraries.

Whether you're in search of winter fun or sun, luxury cruise line Ponant's newly announced voyages for the 2023 to 2024 season offer plenty of choices, with nearly 30 different itineraries, including 13 new ones, departing on 70 different sailings. The trips visit destinations ranging from the snowy wonderland of Norway to the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea.

While specific offerings vary based on the destination, guests on every trip will have access to activities such as UNESCO World Heritage Site visits, meetings with local communities, diving, swimming, hiking, biking, snowshoeing, and sleigh rides. Each trip also includes a full meal plan, open bar (not including premium beverages), and Wi-Fi access.

Winter weather lovers will enjoy Nordic Discoveries and Traditions, a 10-night round-trip itinerary from Tromsø with four departures in March 2024 starting at $10,160 per person (based on double occupancy) on Le Bellot. Offered for the first time in the winter, the trip includes visits to Narvik, the Lofoten Islands, Trollfjorden fjord, and one of the globe's northernmost cities, Hammerfest, where there will be opportunities to chase the Northern Lights. Also included is the chance to connect with one of the last European Indigenous people, the Sami, and learn about reindeer herding, which they have practiced since the 17th century.

For those seeking more of a warm-weather getaway, there's the Caribbean Mosaic, Between Mangroves and Lagoons, which is a seven-night round-trip sailing from Belize City with five departures in November and December 2023. The journey, starting at $4,450 per person, on the Le Dumont-d'Urville goes through Honduras, Guatemala, and Belize with visits to Punta Sal, Jeannette Kawas National Park, and Les Cayos Cochinos archipelago, which is on the world's second-largest barrier reef.

Another highlight is the 15-night Seychelles to Sri Lanka Expedition through the Indian Ocean, starting from $8,910 per person, with a single departure on January 4, 2024. The trip, on board the Le Jacques-Cartier, goes through the Seychelles, Maldives, and Sri Lanka and to some lesser-visited sites, like the Aride Island Nature Reserve, Anse Source d'Argent beach, and Rasdhoo and Baa atolls.

Also new on Ponant's lineup are the 13-night Madagascar and the Mascarene islands adventure and 16-night From New Caledonia to Micronesia. For a complete list of Ponant's winter 2023 to 2024 offerings, visit the cruise line's website.

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@shoplicgirl National Trails System Just

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@BurlesquePrints Caribbean, Gorgeous

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La Foce Villa in Tuscany: A Succession Story

La Foce Villa is a historic estate located in Tuscany, Italy, known for its cultural significance and natural beauty.

The villa has gained attention due to its unique succession story, involving the passing down of the estate through generations.

Originally purchased by Iris Origo and her husband Antonio in the early 20th century, La Foce underwent significant restoration efforts.

Iris Origo's memoir "War in Val d'Orcia" provides insights into life at La Foce during World War II.

The estate is renowned for its picturesque landscapes, featuring rolling hills, vineyards, and olive groves.

La Foce offers vacation rentals, allowing guests to experience the charm of Tuscany firsthand.

Accommodation options include luxurious villas and farmhouses, providing a blend of traditional elegance and modern comfort.

Visitors can explore the surrounding countryside, visit nearby historic towns, and indulge in Tuscan cuisine and wine.

La Foce's rich history, stunning scenery, and cultural heritage make it a desirable destination for travelers seeking an authentic Tuscan experience.

Key Takeaway:La Foce Villa in Tuscany, Italy, stands out not only for its scenic beauty and luxurious accommodations but also for its intriguing succession story, adding depth to its appeal as a vacation rental destination in the heart of the Tuscan countryside.

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Victoria Falls Zimbabwe #ScenicHunter #Shorts

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Review of Dunton Hot Springs Resort in Colorado

The article provides a review of Dunton Hot Springs Resort located in Colorado.

Dunton Hot Springs Resort is a luxury resort nestled in the San Juan Mountains.

The resort offers guests a unique and immersive experience with its rustic yet luxurious accommodations.

Guests can enjoy soaking in natural hot springs, indulging in gourmet dining experiences, and participating in outdoor activities such as hiking, fishing, and horseback riding.

Dunton Hot Springs Resort is praised for its tranquil ambiance, stunning natural surroundings, and exceptional service.

The article highlights the resort's commitment to providing guests with a memorable and rejuvenating retreat in the Colorado wilderness.

Key Takeaway:Dunton Hot Springs Resort in Colorado offers guests a luxurious and immersive experience amidst the natural beauty of the San Juan Mountains, providing a tranquil retreat with rustic yet luxurious accommodations, natural hot springs, gourmet dining, and a variety of outdoor activities, making it an ideal destination for travelers seeking relaxation and rejuvenation in a picturesque setting.