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1. Now's the time for that dream trip
The closest many of us got to that far-flung beach this year was a deep scroll through our Instagram feed. So next year we should all be going big and visiting places that are tough to pull off without help from an expert—the kinds of places that make for a once-in-a-lifetime escape. Think the hard-to-reach Angola wetlands in search of marshbuck, or areas of Antarctica typically seen only by scientists. Practically speaking, these are the types of trips that must be booked six months to a year in advance, so start planning. Below are five all-new getaways fit for a return to travel, organized by the best fixers around. —Ashlea Halpern
Central Asia for foodies
A tip for this 10-day culinary excursion through the ancient trading routes of western China, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan: Pack pants with an elastic waist. No one has offered a gastronomic journey like this before, so Wild China tasked Syrian Lebanese cookbook author Anissa Helou to introduce guests to hand-pulled noodles and sizzling kebabs in Song Kul, Bukhara-style plov, and other regional bites you quite literally have to travel far for. Few foreigners explore this route, hopping from the autonomous Uighur territory of Xinjiang to Kyrgyzstan, let alone glean the insight that comes from intimate moments like cooking with a Kazakh family in Bishkek. A Gastronomic Tour Through Central Asia With Wild China; wildchina.com
A different side of India
Outdoor pioneers Red Savannah's nine-day passage through northern India starts in the mystical Himalayan town of Rishikesh, where Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji meets guests on the banks of the Ganges River for a sacred aarti, or candle ritual, followed by private yoga in an ashram. Then it's off to Chandigarh for an exclusive three-hour tour of Swiss French architect Le Corbusier's brutalist hits, led by the dean of the Chandigarh College of Architecture. The final stop is Amritsar, home of Sikhism's holiest temple and the theatrical Wagah-Attari border-closing ceremony, where hard-to-get seats will be waiting for you. Amritsar and the Himalayan Foothills With Red Savannah; redsavannah.com
Central America done right
Wild Frontiers has a knack for getting there first. And though Central America is not new terrain, this 21-day odyssey through Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador takes daringly curious travelers into pockets left off most itineraries. One minute you're learning about organic cacao production with co-op farmers in a Nicaraguan cloud forest, the next you're picnicking on the volcanic isle of Zacatillo. For every check off the dreamer's bucket list (exploring the Mayan ruins at Copán and Tikal, for example), there's something unexpected woven into the itinerary—like a visit to the ancient archaeological site of Quiriguá, home of the tallest stone monument ever erected in the Americas. Central American Odyssey; wildfrontierstravel.com
Africa's next frontier
Even if you've already been to the Okavango Delta, this trip to its source, in Angola, will feel phenomenally different from anything you've encountered on the continent before. That's due in part to your guide, legendary adventurer Richard Bangs, whose company, MT Sobek, takes you on helicopters and boat safaris on this nine-day trek into one of the world's most remote biospheres. Travelers embed with National Geographic scientists studying the marshlands, track sitatunga antelope on a tribespeople-led hike through the little-visited Cubango Game Reserve, and swim in pristine highland lakes that are the source of three major rivers. Angola Expedition; mtsobek.com
A can't-miss cruise in the Polar South
After 2021's total Antarctic solar eclipse, another isn't set to happen until 2061; if you miss out next year, you may never get the chance to see it again. So snag a spot on Abercrombie & Kent's 15-day luxury cruising expedition in the middle of the Southern Ocean in early December. The eclipse's path of totality, which spans the rarely visited South Orkney Islands, is expected to last a full 100 seconds. And who better to experience it with than an astronomer? The rocket scientist and former astronaut Kathryn Sullivan, a.k.a. the first woman to walk in space, will be your host. Antarctica and the Total Solar Eclipse With Abercrombie & Kent; abercrombiekent.com
2. This is Kyoto's year
The Japanese government expected 40 million travelers to flood across its islands for the 2020 Olympics, and its tourism industry prepared accordingly. The Games' postponement caused a lot of shiny new hotel rooms and train routes to go underused, but that investment means there has never been more reason to visit Japan, whether you have tickets to the rescheduled Olympics or not. There have been openings from the ski slopes of Hokkaido to the beaches of Okinawa, but nowhere has been busier than the old capital of Kyoto. The Kengo Kuma-designed Ace Hotel Kyoto debuted this past summer, combining the Japanese wa concept with a modern minimalism that fans of the brand's American outposts will find familiar. Contrasting with the Ace's urban cool is the tranquil design of the year-old Aman Kyoto, surrounded by momiji maple trees, just outside the city. Perhaps the biggest opening is the sleek, homegrown Hotel the Mitsui Kyoto, which has thermal springs for soaks after explorations of the nearby Nijō Castle. Wherever you check in, be sure to visit the recently renovated UNESCO World Heritage Site Kiyomizu-dera Temple and to pick up modern spins on traditional omiyage (souvenirs) at Beams Japan Kyoto, before finishing the day with sake and skewers at the new Kyoto Yakitori Kazu, where the vegetable tempura is some of the best around. —Kasey Furutani
3. The all-American road trip gets an upgrade
With air and international travel on hold, this time-honored drive vacation has gotten a promotion. No longer must it be a National Lampoon-style DIY jaunt; now it can be a highly curated journey through some of the country's most thrilling places, organized by people whose job it is to pull off the near impossible. In June, high-end travel brand Black Tomato, known for envelope-pushing experiences like overnights on Icelandic volcanoes, launched its first series of itineraries in partnership with Auberge Resorts Collection. They feature stays at places like the Mayflower Inn and Spa in the Connecticut countryside, paired with exclusive activities—think helicopter trips to Block Island and expert-led antiquing. Next year Black Tomato plans to send travelers to the South, along the region's historic food and music trails. Meanwhile, All Roads North, a specialist in tailored U.S. drives, met this year's surge in demand by partnering with Exclusive Resorts for access to a slew of covetable private homes everywhere from Jackson Hole to Palm Springs.
Don't worry—getting from point A to point B comes with a map of vetted stops, including pandemic-era intel on outdoor dining situations, and guides to take you on hiking trails and vineyard tastings. Founder Sam Highley says the company is excited to launch exclusive dining experiences next year with chefs whose restaurants are still closed. Finally, adventure expert Steppes Travel, whose expeditions go to the world's most remote corners, is now running self-guided drives through the Pacific Northwest and the Utah desert with the safari-style Camp Sarika by Amangiri as a base. Finally, outfitter Abercrombie & Kent, famous for its safari excursions, is getting into the road trip game. You'll still whiz through family favorites like the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park, but with a chauffeur at the wheel, you'll have more time to appreciate what you came to see. —Megan Spurrell
4. A wellness getaway has never been so necessary
Some of us ate too much. Most of us drank too much. Many of us sat hunched over makeshift desks for hours as we Zoomed with colleagues or loved ones. We were alone too often or struggled to claim a minute for ourselves. The past eight months have taken a toll, and we could all use a little more self-care (cringey term be damned). Here's where to find it in the new year. —Rebecca Misner
Eleven Experience Scarp Ridge Lodge, Colorado
Next year, at its flagship property, the brand associated with high adventure in off-the-grid locations will add wellness to a list of offerings that's been traditionally long on adrenaline-spiking activities like Sno-Cat skiing and alpine cycling. Not surprisingly, the new programming, dubbed Eleven Life, has everything hard-charging guests might need in their downtime—CBD-enhanced massages to alleviate inflammation and accelerate muscle recovery; a sleep treatment that uses snooze-inducing essential oils alongside sound vibration; and custom-blended I.V.s administered by a nurse practitioner to combat altitude sickness, fatigue, and post-workout dehydration. Doubles from $580; expedia.com
Bishop's Lodge, Auberge Resorts Collection, Santa Fe
When this reimagined historic lodge opens next spring, its Turquesa Healing Arts Studio will be the place to land after fly-fishing, hiking, and horseback riding across the retreat's 317 piñon-and-juniper-studded acres. Expect indigenous Southwestern ingredients and Native American traditions to weave their way into most treatments, like the ritual burning of sage and sweetgrass to purify the mind and body, and to find turquoise, a stone revered for its purported ability to heal old emotional trauma (and the spa's namesake), in foot soaks and energy work. Doubles from $600; aubergeresorts.com
Six Senses New York
The sustainable hospitality group with outposts in tranquil well-being hubs like Bali and Bhutan is out to prove that balance can be found anywhere, even in a city that lives for extremes. When the property opens early next year, with soul-soothing views of the Hudson River and overlooking the wild grasses of Manhattan's prized High Line, guests will be able to visit the spa for a session in the vibroacoustic meditation dome (a spaceship-like pod that delivers customizable sound therapy), Goldilocks through the bathhouse's various pools, and try out leading-edge biohacking fitness equipment that miraculously cuts down on workout time.
5. Home is calling
Growing up in the modest city of Shreveport, Louisiana, I longed to explore the wider world and immerse myself in different cultures. When I got older, my work took me to six continents—from the salt flats above the Atacama Desert to the rainbow-crested cliffs of the Faroe Islands, and I lived in places like London and New York. But no matter how far I roamed, I felt secure knowing I was never more than a plane ride (or three) from warm Southern welcomes, heaping platters of fried oysters and boiled crawfish, and hugs from my mom.
I am now based in Japan, and being stuck here during the pandemic has reminded me that part of the reason we travel is to connect our past and future selves. Travel is the thread that weaves together the experiences we've left behind with the parts of ourselves we have yet to discover. Over the years, revisiting people and places I love has given meaning and structure to the meandering narrative of my life. COVID-19 has made this type of travel, which I have always taken for granted, impossible. That's why the first place I'll go once I can fly again is home to Shreveport. —Melinda Joe
6. The office is where you make it
The Monday blues have a different meaning for Lamin Ngobeh, a Wilmington, Delaware-based teacher who traded his commute for the Caribbean and now works remotely from Barbados. He's part of a growing sector of the workforce that, no longer tethered to an office or even a home city, is seizing the opportunity to live and work outside the United States—an option made possible by new long-stay visa programs. Ngobeh says he chose the Caribbean island because of its affordability, safety, and reliable internet. But the appeal of swapping his faux-tropical Zoom background for the real deal—Windex-blue water and rustling palm trees—is hard to overstate. Little wonder that the government of Barbados received more than a thousand applications within days of the August launch of its new visa, which allows visitors to live and work there for up to a year. Other countries, including Bermuda, Georgia, and Estonia, are hoping to entice long-stay visitors and remote workers as a means of bolstering revenues shrunk by declining tourism during the pandemic.
While regulations differ by destination, prospective residents should expect to pay an application fee (they range from $94 to $2,000 per person, depending on the country) and provide proof of health insurance, negative coronavirus results from a test taken no more than 72 hours prior to departure, and income or self-employment. All that is a relatively low lift for the chance to surf Bermuda's Horseshoe Bay on your lunch break or check out Tblisi's wine scene without taking vacation days. For those who can't swing extended time out of the country, hotels across the U.S. are introducing packages that are redefining out-of-office. In Miami, for example, the Kimpton Surfcomber Hotel in South Beach is betting on housebound workers eager to answer emails from a poolside cabana where, through the Work From Hotel offer, they'll have access to high-speed Wi-Fi, office supplies, and unlimited morning coffee. —Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon
7. There are places you haven't been where you already belong
Ghana's 2019 tourism campaign, Year of Return, encouraged Black Americans like me to come “home.” I was envious as friends and colleagues told me of local people's embrace and the relief of existing outside the United States' racially charged bubble. The campaign has since evolved into the 10-year Beyond the Return, and after 2020's string of wrongful deaths of Black Americans such as George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery at the hands of police officers and vigilantes, I hope to experience the journey for myself. I want to feel what it's like to blend, to belong, and to know my dark-skinned presence won't prompt fear or violence as it has in America for centuries.
Getting to Ghana will be easier starting in 2021 with United Airlines' new nonstop flights from D.C. to Accra. On the ground I'll have the travel agency R'ajwa Company, owned by a first-generation Ghanaian American, Lady May Hagan, handle the itinerary. I'm sure I will weep upon arrival to the white, hulking Cape Coast Castle, which harbors ghastly secrets of the African slave trade, but I can't fathom starting my visit without honoring my ancestors there. The rest of my journey will likely be filled with joy and fraternity, whether I'm experiencing R'ajwa Experience's elaborate Secret African Garden dinner soirées in East Legon, spotting wildlife on game drives from the new eco-resort Safari Valley in the forested Aburi region, gorging on fresh-cooked kelewele (a fried plantain dish) at the lively Osu Night Market, or enjoying sunset cocktails on Sky Bar 25's rooftop overlooking a twinkling Accra, surrounded by people who look like and welcome me. —Travis Levius
8. Vegas is still Vegas
Visiting Las Vegas requires a certain suspension of disbelief (Paris is not located down the street from Venice, for instance), and you might need to draw on that same magical acceptance to fully grasp what the city is planning next. It has been a challenging and intense time for destinations, especially those designed to bring humans together indoors, but the city has responded in a typically Vegas fashion. Next summer, Resorts World Las Vegas is on track to open its 3,500-room casino and resort on 88 acres across Las Vegas Boulevard from the Wynn. On tap for the property: a speakeasy and a Malaysian-inflected urban food hall, as well as restaurants from boldface names like Major Food Group (whose Parm joins its other Vegas outlets, Sadelle's and Carbone). Meanwhile, Virgin Hotels is set to welcome guests this month where the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino formerly stood, making over two preexisting restaurants (Nobu and MB Steak) and introducing Hakkasan Group's Casa Calavera, Nick Mathers's Kassi Beach Club, and Night + Market, which Angelenos will recognize for its northern Thai street food.
In other news, Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino's 495-room Gallery Tower is already open, and guests can download a custom app that lets them view the augmented reality features of a new artwork, Transmigrations, by multimedia artist Camila Magrane. Three blocks away, the just-completed Circa Resort & Casino is the first fully adults-only casino resort in the city. Guests can swim year-round in a pool amphitheater as they watch sports on a massive screen, and gamble in the largest sports book in the world: a three-story stadium-style room with a 78-million-pixel high-def screen. In January, the city's Allegiant Stadium—the new home of the NFL's Las Vegas Raiders—hosts the NFL Pro Bowl. Off the Strip, the immersive-art producer Meow Wolf will reveal the sprawling Omega Mart, an “interactive superstore,” at the just-opened entertainment complex Area15 early next year. Anywhere else, and all this would seem like too much to believe. —Andrea Bennett
9. These destinations are just a short flight away
Not being able to sneak away to Cabo or Antigua over a long weekend for a quick hit of sunshine, or cross into British Columbia for spring skiing, made many American travelers realize just how much we took these easy escapes for granted. Thankfully there are countless new reasons to visit Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean as these beloved destinations open up again.
Canada
Eco-hospitality brand 1 Hotels arrives in March on buzzy King Street West in downtown Toronto. Two hours east of the city in Prince Edward County (Ontario's version of the Hamptons), Wander begins greeting guests next month at its collection of West Lake-fronting cabins designed with Nordic flair, while a few miles northeast The Royal will open in the town of Picton in a restored 1879 building. In British Columbia, Harbour Air Seaplanes recently launched a new fly-and-drive program that makes it easier to reach Tofino, on Vancouver Island's remote Pacific coast, in time for storm-watching season (winter fog frequently disrupts flights). Catch a flight from downtown Vancouver to Nanaimo Harbour, pick up your rental car, and follow the Pacific Rim Highway through old-growth forests to watch 30-foot waves crash on the beach. —Rebecca Misner
The Caribbean
Just as St. Barts had gotten up and running again after extensive closures due to 2017's Hurricane Irma, the pandemic hit. Now, knock on coconut-tree wood, the Caribbean's toniest island is fully back: The anticipated Hôtel Barrière Le Carl Gustaf, with views of Gustavia's boat-filled harbor, is finally open, and in spring the long-loved Le Guanahani, set on a private peninsula facing Marigot Bay and Grand Cul-de-Sac, will be reborn as a Rosewood hotel. Later next year, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, on a little cay just off St. John, the sustainable Lovango Resort & Beach Club (fueled by wind and solar power) will welcome overnighters and day sailors to its sandy shores. On the horizon: Virgin Voyages is adding new Caribbean itineraries, launching in fall 2021, that swap out the usual ports for places like Roatan, an island off the coast of Honduras. —R.M.
Mexico
In Mexico City's leafy Condesa neighborhood, the seven-room retreat Octavia Casa has opened its modernist doors. In the center of town, the design firm La Metropolitana kitted out the 25 oak-furnished suites at Circulo Mexicano—Grupo Habita's newest outpost, set in a renovated 19th-century town house. It's home to Itacate Del Mar, a seafood eatery from Gabriela Cámara, chef-owner of the city's landmark Contramar. The craft hub of Oaxaca has three historic mansions turned boutique stays: Hotel Escondido, Hotel Sin Nombre, and Grana B&B. For beach seekers, One&Only Mandarina in Riviera Nayarit (five miles north of Sayulita) just unveiled tree houses and clifftop villas overlooking empty surf breaks. And an hour southeast of Puerto Escondido in San Agustinillo, a fishing town on the edge of the jungle, the 11-suite Monte Uzulu is already charming stylish wanderers with its locally woven baskets, textiles, and hand-carved macuilí wood furniture. —Michaela Trimble
10. You can't go another year without visiting Italy
Those who see Italy not just as a destination but as something more elemental, an espresso-splashed and Vespa-whirled elixir, already know they'll be going back next year—no question. The epicenter of the European outbreak is projected to lose 100 billion euros in tourism in 2020, in no small part thanks to the U.S., its largest non-E.U. market, having been banned from entry. Yet already high interest for 2021 suggests that next year will be a different story, and there's plenty happening. The medieval literary center of Ravenna will mark the 700th anniversary of the death of Dante, who wrote The Divine Comedy in the city in Emilia-Romagna (not in Florence, as is commonly assumed). New hotels like the Hoxton in Rome's sophisticated Salario and Rocco Forte's Villa Igiea in Palermo will help ensure there's a good bed for everyone, while the opening of Castello di Reschio inside a 1,000-year-old castle will be the first true luxury address in the Umbrian countryside.
My plan, however, is to head to less-discovered pockets of the country: the quiet Sicilian islands of Marettimo or Ortigia, off Syracuse, for languid fish lunches and swims in the southern Mediterranean; the Tuscan village of Colonnata, in the middle of a marble quarry, where that very style of Italian life we crave all year hums on regardless of the ebbs and flows of tourism.
If you just can't skip Florence, and I certainly don't fault you, go in the off-season. There is a sweet spot in early December—after the warm-weather tourists leave but before the holiday tourists arrive—when the city slows down. The Piazza di Santa Croce becomes an actually pleasant place to sit and watch passersby, who at that point in the year are nearly all fiorentini zipping between work and coffee bars. Stands hawking crinkly paper bags filled with roasted hazelnuts replace the ones that sell watermelon. Even the Uffizi, which will now have its capacity cut in half from 900 guests a day, feels more welcoming, a refuge from the chilly December air outside. That's the season I was there a year ago, and it's the version of the city I dream of returning to. —Erin Florio
11. It's not too late to celebrate
Thirtieth birthday. Honeymoon. First wedding anniversary. Babymoon. My husband, John, and I were lucky enough to mark all of those milestones with visits to Paris, our “place” for more than a decade. When we had our son, Max, in the summer of 2019, we immediately started plotting a 10th-wedding-anniversary return for the three of us. We figured nothing could be cuter than a baby taking in the Louvre from a stroller, joyfully waving at the Mona Lisa. Along with all of our other best-laid plans, our April 2020 trip to Paris was canceled. We certainly weren't alone; over the past eight months, many of us have had to postpone trips we'd planned to celebrate major life moments. But while a flight to Paris last spring before Max could walk would have certainly been easier, I'm excited that when we do finally go next fall (fingers crossed), he'll be more able to participate in all that makes Paris wonderful. On the 2021 version of the trip, he'll be able to run through the manicured trees of the Tuileries. He'll understand the joy of eating a still-warm croissant at Poilâne. He'll be dazzled by the twinkling lights on the Eiffel Tower at night. Chasing after a two-year-old might be tiring, but the experience will be richer, deeper, and I think more satisfying for all of us. And just maybe he'll remember his first landmark vacation—I know I will. —Melissa Liebling-Goldberg
Milestone trips, take two
The blowout 50th (or 51st): Kokomo Private Island, Fiji's premier spot for getting away from it all, is now taking seclusion a step further with buyouts for groups of up to 30. Insane scuba diving (the Great Astrolabe Reef encloses the island), deep-sea fishing for marlin and wahoo, and 140 sandy acres to spread out across provide the makings of a legendary bash with a few dozen of your best friends. —Rebecca Misner
The long-delayed honeymoon: This month, Zannier Hotels Bãi San Hô, the latest from the Belgian hospitality brand, opens on Vietnam's lush south-central coast, giving newlyweds a fresh stretch of white sand to retreat to. The views from the freestanding private villas of the South China Sea and the endless green of surrounding rice paddies (along with the resort's grandma-level traditional cooking) make it equally good for anniversaries. —R.M.
The rescheduled family reunion: With help from the Blackberry Farm hospitality team, High Hampton, a nearly century-old lakefront retreat in the heart of North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains, gets a makeover. New restaurants and an updated look amp up its throwback, summer camp appeal, while golf, canoeing, pickleball, poplar-lined hiking trails, and spacious cottages make it ideal for all ages. —R.M.
12. The great outdoors is your new backyard
Summer 2020 was filled with hastily planned camping excursions and road trips through vast, empty spaces where other travelers (if any) were well out of sight. To meet demand, luxe tented camps and nature trails are opening in parts of the American landscape you might never have imagined exploring so intimately. You no longer have to be an outdoorsy type to go outside.
Under the mighty oaks
For anyone who thinks camping equals sleeping bags on hard ground, these comfortable alternatives show there's another way. Airstream park AutoCamp opens its first East Coast spot on Cape Cod in March, with renovated trailers souped up with queen-size bedrooms, modern kitchens, and private patios. In Maine, glamping leader Under Canvas will open for its summer season in May with its safari-style tents that sleep seven on 100 acres along the coast. Acadia National Park, the only national park in the Northeast, is just 30 minutes away. And out west, Yonder Escalante, a new outfit set alongside the slot canyons of Utah's Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, brought Airstreams filled with midcentury furniture and small, family-friendly cabins to the grounds of a former drive-in movie theater (soon you'll be able to watch old films from vintage cars). Gone are the days of wrestling with tents or searching for a bathroom in the dark. —Meredith Carey
Empire state of mind
New York State is one of the great beauties of the Lower 48, and the new Empire State Trail gives city slickers and out-of-staters alike a prime chance to see its varied landscapes. When construction wraps this month, the hop-on, hop-off 750-mile track stretching from New York City to the Canadian border and from Buffalo to Albany will be the longest of its kind in the country. Start in, say, bucolic Columbia County in the summer to hike the area's green hillsides dotted with cider houses and wineries (Taste New York is one of the trail's many tourism partners). On a winter weekend, hit the remote Adirondacks to cross-country ski or snowshoe through forests of towering evergreens where falcons and eagles make their homes. If you want to turn it into a larger itinerary, it's nice to know there are plenty of great Airbnbs and hotels along the way. —Ashlea Halpern
More pedaling, less people
It's easy to stay six feet apart on a bike. But if you're wary of riding with strangers and sharing meals and shuttle transfers during an organized bike tour, a self-guided trip might be just the thing. More affordable than going the purely private-guide route, this European style of cycling is finally catching on in the U.S. Trek Travel recently launched self-guided itineraries in the Oregon Cascades and Asheville, North Carolina, and self-guided specialist Pure Adventures introduced a new trip in the winter-cycling mecca of Tucson. The operators still do the heavy lifting: They'll curate routes, book hotels and transfer luggage, make restaurant reservations, and outfit you with top-quality bikes (or e-bikes). Excursions can be customized, adding on more mileage or experiences, like spa treatments or cooking classes. There's no guide or support car, so an element of self-reliance is required, like being able to read a GPS map or fix a flat. But assistance is always just a text or phone call away. —Jen Murphy
Another way up the mountain
The rewards of backcountry skiing—empty slopes, untracked powder, and not having to wait in socially distanced lift lines—are pretty appealing just now. But earning your turns by climbing uphill on your own skis does come with real risks, like avalanches and getting lost. Bluebird Backcountry, America's first inbounds-backcountry ski area, offers a safe place to learn the sport. Located just outside of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, it combines the terrain and solitude of the out-of-bounds experience (Bluebird vows to limit capacity to 200 skiers per day every season) with resort conveniences like ski rentals, bathrooms, on-site food, and guides. And unlike the true wilderness, its 1,200 acres have ski patrol and avalanche mitigation. Hotels are also helping to ease entry to the sport. Gravity Haus, a new hotel and membership club with locations in Breckenridge and Vail, is offering off-piste ski trips, avalanche education, and gear rentals through its in-house equipment arm, Haus Quiver. And if slogging uphill seems like too much work, the Lodge at Blue Sky, Auberge Resorts Collection, in Utah, has introduced heli-skiing for intermediate levels and above with ski butlers, warming yurts, and guides for those willing to drop big bucks to glide off the grid. —J.M.
13. Nothing beats a cruise
Cruise enthusiast Keith Steiner, with 150 voyages under his belt, on why he keeps getting back on board:
“My first was in 1968, with Homeric Lines, an Italian company that no longer exists. My family and I sailed for 13 nights through the Caribbean from New York City, seeing parades in Martinique and synagogues in Curaçao. The trip created such great memories; I've been cruising ever since. My love for it has evolved over time. When my kids were little, we could drop them off at the kids club, and then my wife and I could spend a day in port, meaning the family could be apart and together. At the start of the '90s, I worked for a tech firm that was an early adopter of email, and these ships, not having internet, were the only place I could properly disconnect. The way they schedule passengers, from excursions to dinnertime, means you often don't have to think. And sometimes you just don't want to have to think—or unpack more than once. They have let me explore so many places in a short amount of time, in a way land travel just can't. Thanks to cruise-industry connections, my wife and I have toured off-limits castles belonging to Queen Elizabeth II outside of Belfast and spent the night exploring historic caves before dancing with locals near Jerusalem. We were the last group allowed in before those caves closed to the public. I have seen more than 160 countries and 400 towns and ports because of cruising, spending up to five months a year at sea. The 2020 season was a bust, but we are making up for it in 2021. We have four sailings booked already, through Europe in summer and then a holiday cruise through the Caribbean, where this love affair began more than 50 years ago.” —As told to Erin Florio
14. Travel matters more than ever
For months we have explored the once-unexamined universe of our neighborhoods, observing the neatly planted window boxes and quiet pocket parks, the Japanese maple that unclenched in spring and one fall day exploded in gold. But while we have learned to find wonder in our own backyards, we travelers still dream of snowy Andean peaks and aperitivi on the Ligurian coast, restlessly making lists of where we'll go next, our passports growing stiff from disuse in their freshly decluttered drawers.
We miss the world. But does it miss us? No and yes. Nature is happy to do its thing, and reduced human activity has had an undeniably positive impact on the air and water—although, with our backs turned, wildlife poaching has increased. The impact of this global grounding on us humans is more cut-and-dried. The U.N. World Tourism Organization projects that tourist travel will decline between 58 percent and 78 percent globally in 2020, putting 100 million to 200 million jobs at risk. Our physical spheres have shrunk, but our lives have never been more broadly intertwined with those of the safari guide in Kenya or the taxi driver in Mumbai—whose numbers still fill our WhatsApp contacts, the dormant circuitry of trips once taken.
With these connections and losses, we have felt in our bones the power of travel—to reveal our shared humanity, but also as a critical economic engine capable of preserving landscapes, cultures, wildlife, and livelihoods. With that power comes responsibility, so now we find ourselves wondering not just where to travel when we step back out there, but how. “It is a unique time and opportunity for all of us to think about what we do. All the guidebooks are expired and reset,” says Tyler Dillon, a planner at Trufflepig who specializes in Myanmar and Uzbekistan. “I feel strongly about the effect good travel can have. But we need to be very deliberate about how we go about it.” Out of our current quandary has emerged the regenerative-travel movement, which looks not just to neutralize our negative impacts—by limiting access to imperiled places like Machu Picchu, saving energy, or banning plastic—but to reverse them.
We have an opportunity to use these months of stillness to return with an activist's resolve for how we want to travel in a changed world—to shift from being consumers to being citizens. This begins by asking hard questions: Was a place built with regard for its environment and surrounding communities? How much of the staff is local, and is there a track for advancement? What is the real impact of our visit?
If this sounds like work, it is. But our curiosity will change how the industry responds. For too long we've traveled as if only our happiness depended on it. With so much at stake—the health of the planet, the survival of cultures, the incomes of 1 in 10 people globally—we should travel as if it affects everyone's lives. Because it does. —Alex Postman
Stays with impact
These innovative hotels take a holistic approach to making a difference
Uxua, Trancoso, Brazil: This beloved barefoot-cool pioneer stands out not only for its sustainable approach—reclaimed building materials, zero-waste policy, trash bags from recycled paper—but for investing in local communities. Founders Wilbert Das and Bob Shevlin launched a literacy program for the entire staff from the get-go, and thanks to the life coaching and financial planning the resort offers, 35 employees have bought land in the past six years. Das's new U-2020 initiative seeks to enroll 20 staffers (out of 85) in a university program by the end of this year. Doubles from $290; uxua.com or skylark.com
KnoWhere Journeys, Myanmar: Designed in collaboration with conservationists Jon Miceler and Aung Myo Chit, these trips in the untouristed rural north are bookable through Trufflepig. They're intended to support the country's timber elephants; their mahouts (keepers and trainers), who were put out of work when hardwood logging was banned in 2016; and the area's remaining hardwood forests. Expect face time with the retired pachyderms in the sustainably built camps before sailing on a teak boat to Mandalay to observe the endangered Irrawaddy dolphin. Then it's on to collaring wild elephants to prevent poaching. From $800 per person; knowheremyanmar.com
Kisawa Sanctuary, Mozambique: Opening in early 2021 on 741 acres of unspoiled Benguerra Island brush, this luxe compound's 12 traditional-style villas were constructed with an ultralight footprint using 3D-printed materials created from island sand and gray water, and outfitted with decor by 50 local craftswomen. The room rate is steep in part because it helps support the nearby Bazaruto Center for Scientific Studies—Africa's first permanent marine observatory, which hosts scientists for open-source research on topics like migrating humpbacks and removing ocean microplastics. From $5,500 per person; kisawasanctuary.com
Villa Copenhagen, Denmark: This new hotel in the century-old neobaroque Danish central post office is a rare urban standard-bearer for renewable energy and the U.N.'s Sustainable Development Goals, with an Earth Suite made entirely of eco-friendly materials, from the bricks to the bed. The hotel's social-impact policies also stand out, including a pledge to hire staff from diverse backgrounds to reflect the city—50 percent of all management positions are held by women—and support local businesses with pop-ups while developing an initiative to assist the neighborhood's homeless. Doubles from $165; villacopenhagen.com or expedia.com
Marataba Conservation Camps, South Africa: These two small, exclusive-use sites just debuted within hilly Marakele National Park, offering more than 1,000 acres per guest, with an immersive conservation experience and a radically transparent rate structure tracing every dollar spent. The camps have replaced the twice-daily routine of megafauna-seeking game drives with “impact drives” that focus on wildlife while teaching guests about habitat challenges and protection; visitors also can take part in the backstage conservation work like helping with game-census logging under the direction of Andre Uys, one of Africa's top wildlife vets. From $1,500 per night for up to 4 people; maratabacamps.co.za
Turner House, New Mexico: The 10-room stone-walled guest house quietly reopened this past summer as the latest renovated lodging on the grounds of the 558,000-acre Vermejo—one of four Ted Turner Reserves properties, totaling more than 1.1 million acres of wilderness, restored by the media mogul. Vermejo is home to the Castle Rock bison, one of America's last wild herds—which is actively managed to promote its growth and genetic diversity—while projects like the Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout Restoration help restore the native ecosystem. It's a real rush to physically share the land with a menagerie of bison, elk, and other iconic and vanishing species. Doubles from $1,200; tedturnerreserves.com
This article appeared in the December 2020 issue of Condé Nast Traveler. Subscribe to the magazine here.