When the summer heat becomes too oppressive and you’re tired of sitting in enclosed air-conditioned rooms, one of the best ways to cool off is to hop on a boat, whether it’s your own private tricked-out yacht or a workaday municipal water ferry. A refreshing breeze kicks in as the speed increases, cooling your overheated skin and providing a pleasant reprieve. The ride gets more interesting, of course, when you’re traveling and you find yourself on a luzzu in Malta, a paddleboat on the Alabama River, a pletna in Slovenia, or a high-speed catamaran in Saint Martin. Read more about the world’s top five boat rides >
Category Archives: Nature
Day-tripping to Lokrum, Dubrovnik’s Next-door Island Neighbor
When the enormous cruise ships sailed into Dubrovnik, Croatia, and discharged hundreds of tourists who jammed the main street of the Old Town in search of thimbles and shot glasses with a picture of the city on them, it was time for me to escape for a while. One of the best and easiest ways to retreat from the hordes is to hop on a ferry for the short cruise to Lokrum, the green island just about 2,000 feet — yet an entire world — away. Read more >
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Splendors and Surprises in Ireland’s Killarney National Park
Smack in the middle of the town of Killarney in western Ireland, my hotel, the fantastic Foley’s Townhouse, originally a coaching inn from 1795, provided exceptionally easy access to Killarney National Park, just a 15-minute stroll away. It was the first time I ever walked from my bedroom into a national park. That unbeatable proximity is a pleasant introduction to this outstanding park, which not only boasts the features you would expect to see in a national park, but a few surprises as well. Read more >
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When Nature Has Fun: The Best Natural Curiosities
Malta’s Azure Window. Aruba’s Natural Bridge. New Hampshire’s Old Man of the Mountain. Four of Australia’s Twelve Apostles. All were beautiful, quirky sites carved by the forces of nature, and all were destroyed by the very same forces. If you are fortunate enough to have seen them before their demise, you undoubtedly have a fond memory; if not, you’re out of luck—they’re gone for good. But fear not: Plenty of other one-off oddities still exist around the world. You just have to make sure you get to them before storms and erosion make them things of the past. Read more about the world’s top five natural curiosities >
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Sunday Driving, Any Day of the Week
Remember when you would get in your car with your family or a friend or two and go for a leisurely drive, with no particular agenda or destination? If so, it’s probably a memory from a long time ago, when driving wasn’t a hassle, when roads weren’t littered with potholes and road ragers, when traffic was light, and when gasoline and tolls were affordable. But anyone eager to hit the road just for the heck of it shouldn’t be discouraged. There are still plenty of places where a casual drive — punctuated by mesmerizing scenery — is delightfully possible. Read more about the top five drives in the world >
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Good Things, Small Packages: New Zealand’s Abel Tasman National Park
Hailing a taxi to a national park seemed like an odd thing to do. Especially a water taxi. But in New Zealand, sometimes odd is normal. And, in this case, odd was better, too. An approach by water to Abel Tasman National Park set the tone for a terrific hike through some unspoiled nature in one of the world’s best countries for undisturbed environments. Read more >
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The Best of Zagreb, Croatia
With good reason, visitors to Croatia flock to and concentrate on its gorgeous Adriatic coast and such unmistakable cities as Split and Dubrovnik. But there’s more to this country than its enviable coastline, verdant islands, and pristine beaches. A simple detour east brings you to Zagreb, one of the most underrated capitals in Europe and one of its most surprising. Read more about the top five things to see and do in Zagreb >
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A Scandinavian Mansion on the Shore of Lake Tahoe, California
My loop around Lake Tahoe on the California-Nevada border included everything I expected — beautiful beaches, fiery sunsets, a couple of historic sites, a little gambling, and views of this gorgeous body of water. What I didn’t expect was Vikingsholm, one of the finest examples of Scandinavian architecture in the Western Hemisphere, conceived of by a senior citizen widow and created by a Swedish architect. Read more >
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When Spring Springs in the World’s Best Botanic Gardens
Every spring, as we bid winter goodbye, the time comes to terminate our hibernation and return to the outdoor world. One visually invigorating, and very gentle, way to re-acclimate ourselves is to visit a botanic garden. These oases of flora, very often in the heart of concrete urban clusters, can stir your soul, as the annual rebirth begins and plants, birds, animals, and insects get busy once again. Read more about the top five botanic gardens in the world >
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College Without the Classes: A Trio of Celebrated Sites at UBC Vancouver
Now that I’ve been out of college for some time, going back to a campus has become a joy, a return to a pleasant environment without the stress of studying for a calculus final or writing a term paper on Thomas Hardy. Whether I’m checking out some terrific collegiate architecture in Princeton or stumbling upon ebullient commencement ceremonies at a university in Scotland or Michigan, I’m always up for a good stroll around a campus for an hour or two. But at the University of British Columbia, my campus visit became a full-day event, with three world-class attractions integral to a rewarding vacation in Vancouver. Read more >
Stephen Travels 