Largay Travel president and co-owner Amanda Klimak won this year’s Ruby of Siam award at Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas. The award is Virtuoso’s highest honor and goes to the “member who embodies the spirit of its network, upholds the highest professional standards, and has worked selflessly to promote the travel advisor profession as well as the Virtuoso network.”
The award capped an excellent week of networking with suppliers from all over the world. A few destinations and experiences in particular caught our attention. Antarctica is a bucket-list destination for many, and you may have even been. If you have, you most likely were on an expedition ship, perhaps doing a few landings but returning to the ship every night. What if instead you could camp out on the seventh continent, spending the night at the world’s end? Well, you can with White Desert, which has three camps of luxurious “polar pods” and gourmet dining on Antarctica. Based there, you can make friends with penguins, zipline over a frozen lake, climb ice or go through tunnels made of it. And at the end of the day you can take a nice, hot shower.
For a completely out of this world experience, Virgin Galactic is working to make space tourism available to more people. It may have started as something only billionaires did, but the mission is to bring costs down over time and “connect people across the globe to the love, wonder and awe created by space travel.” Looking down at Earth from above gives a whole new perspective and shows the unity of humanity.
Out on the oceans, the first Explora Journeys ship is set to begin sailing in 2023, calling at 132 ports in 40 countries. A new ship will debut each year through 2026. The 461 suites on Explora I all offer terraces overlooking the water, and 82 of them are connecting suites perfect for taking the extended family along on the adventure. The culinary offerings focus on local, sustainable ingredients. With its size, Explora I can visit ports the big ships cannot, and the excursions are immersive. Fly in an L-39 warbird jet or enjoy champagne and oysters for two on a secluded Swedish island. Or do both on the same itinerary. The experiences are ones you won’t soon forget.
When you think safari, no doubt your first thoughts are of Africa. But consider that India is where you might spot a tiger, a lion and a leopard on the same trip, along with a dozen other cat species. Home to 10% of the world’s wildlife, the subcontinent features many varied landscapes and is an ideal place for a wildlife adventure. It’s also home to nearly 1.5 billion people and a richness of cultures. Outside the crowded cities, though, you can still find enough wide-open spaces and unique accommodations for a delightful self-drive itinerary. India is not exactly a new destination, but one thing we love about the suppliers in Virtuoso is they are always finding diverse and creative ways to show off their countries and to show travelers the meaning of it all.
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