How to Make Your Own D-Day Pilgrimage during the 80th Anniversary Year and Beyond
All eyes were once again on the coast of Normandy as the 80th anniversary of D-Day was marked on June 6, 2024 by the UK, US, Canada, and France. The surprise landing of over 150,000 Allied soldiers on the shores of France in 1944 was described by Winston Churchill as “the most complicated and difficult” military operation in world history. Despite the incredible complexity, odds, weather, miscalculations, intense Nazi fortifications and thousands dead, D-Day was ultimately the beginning of the end...
The Best New Bridgerton Filming Locations for Your Next Trip to Britain
Regency romance has returned to our screens and reminded us to plan trips to Britain to fulfill our own Bridgerton-inspired fantasies. Season 3 of the wildly-popular and genre-bending Netflix series has introduced yet another romantic relationship among a member of the tight-knit family of Georgian-era aristocrats – and more real-life historic locations around England. The country’s quintessential Regency period location is the spa town of Bath, which has had a starring role in Bridgerton since Season 1. But the actors get...
St. Patrick's Way: How to Follow in the Footsteps of Ireland's Patron Saint
There’s a real man behind the legend that gets us wearing green every March 17th. And you can go beyond modern St. Patrick's Day ‘shenanigans’ to revisit the life of St. Patrick on a journey connecting places in Northern Ireland where his story became a legend that thrives to this day among the Irish and millions of people around the world with ancestral links to the Emerald Isle. Ireland’s patron saint, Patrick, roamed the Emerald Isle over 1500 years ago. Amazingly,...
Top Street Food Experiences in Ho Chi Minh City
A trip to Vietnam is a feast for the senses, with exotic scenery, scents, sounds, fascinating history and culture. It’s also a literal feast. Vietnamese cuisine is a foodie favorite, and it doesn’t have to be high-end cuisine. In fact, one of Vietnam’s can’t-miss destinations is also home to one of the country’s most vibrant street food scenes, offering mouth-watering insights into the country’s culinary treasures. Ho Chi Minh City (HCM), formerly known as Saigon, is a bustling, motorbike-filled, modern Asian city...
Why January is the Best Month to Plan a Trip to Scotland
Ireland has St. Patrick’s Day, Scotland has…Robbie Burns Day. Scotland’s most celebratory day is in honor of its national poet. If everyone’s a little bit Irish on March 17th, then on January 25th, the date of Robert Burns’ birthday in 1759, everyone’s a little bit of a Scot. Throughout Scotland and among Scottish communities dispersed around the world, January 25 - Robbie Burns Day, or Rabbie Burns Day, or just Burns Night – is the occasion of the year to pull out all...
These 3 Cities are the 2024 European Capitals of Culture
The EU’s Capitals of Culture program was designed to showcase the cultural riches of European cities that might not otherwise get the attention they deserve. Every year, new cities are designated that represent the incredible diversity of Europe’s landscapes, history, and resulting unique lifestyle heritage of different parts of the union. A year-long calendar of events brings visitors from their own countries, Europe, and around the world to discover or rediscover what makes these ‘Capitals of Culture’ special. And EU...
"Hoppy" News: UNESCO Lists Czech Hops Landscape as World Heritage Site
The Czech Republic is already a bucket-list destination for beer lovers, with a beer culture dating back to the 10th century, and continuing today, with renowned brewing traditions and iconic beer styles. Pilsner Urquell, the world's first pilsner lager, was born in the city of Pilsen, and visitors can explore the Pilsner Urquell Brewery Museum to learn about its history. Czech beer is known for its exceptional quality and flavor, thanks to the use of Saaz hops and soft water from...
This UNESCO Site Just Got One Step Closer... to Completion
Did you know there’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site that isn’t even finished yet? Many churches in Europe are World Heritage Sites… but most of them are hundreds, even a thousand years old. Only one of them is still under construction! And recently, Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia just achieved another milestone in its journey towards completion. The idea of a work-in-progress UNESCO World Heritage Site runs counter to our concept of World Heritage buildings that reflect long history as well as exceptional...
Why Belfast is the Best Place to Experience the Legend of the Titanic
Wait, Belfast? Part of the legend of the Titanic? The most famously-doomed passenger ship tale of all time? Wasn’t she a British ship, sailing from Southampton to New York, that struck an iceberg and capsized over a century ago? How did Ireland play a part – and how could Belfast keep the ‘Ship of Dreams’ alive for us today? Glad you asked. Belfast has an integral place in Titanic lore, and is perhaps the primary destination today – with the possible exception...
3 New Attractions That Bring New Perspective to Hong Kong's British-Era History
While travel was paused during the pandemic, Hong Kong kept evolving. Three attractions give new and returning visitors fascinating insights into the city’s British era. Two reinvent an iconic Hong Kong experience, and the other provides visitors access to a part of Hong Kong that’s been closed to tourists – until now.The Renewed Peak TramHong Kong’s Peak Tram has been transporting people to the cool, greenery-covered heights of Victoria Peak since 1888. It’s one of the oldest funiculars in the...