By Rebekah Funk
Travel Vision has announced some tempting itineraries to Greece, Italy, Brazil or Walt Disney World, which are guaranteed to scratch your travel itch in the coming months — no matter your idea of a grand adventure:
Too much of anything gets boring, which is why Travel Vision’s 10-night Greece Island Hopping itinerary is so well rounded.
You’ll get just enough ancient history and impressive architecture in Athens, contrasted by whitewashed windmills and pulsing nightlife on Mykonos Island. Catch a fast ferry to Paros and soak up the sun and sailboats, then move on to Santorini, famous for its unparalleled sunsets atop the volcano-made caldera. Take a few photos, ride a donkey (something I regret not doing while I was there!), or hop on a scooter and spend a day on a black sand beach – the choice is yours.
PS. No trip to Greece is complete without eating your body weight in olives, lamb and chicken souvlaki, or spanakopita. And you need to try Greece’s famous anise-flavoured aperitif ouzo and smash some plates (as part of a celebratory dinner of course!).
No New Year’s Eve plan could be quite as spectacular than three nights in a city that pretty much invented the street party. Travel to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with Travel Vision and dance your festive season food away.
After Carnaval, this is the biggest party of the year with free festivities, live DJs and bands, and lots of fireworks. Be sure to be at Copacabana Beach on the 31st: Rio locals gather at the ocean’s edge to honour the Afro-Brazilian sea goddess of fertility and motherhood with an ethereal offering of floating flowers and candles.
As my Italian tour guide once told me: “Be careful when you cross the street in Europe. French drivers are out to maim you. Italian drivers are out to kill you.” Luckily, the trip ended without incident, so I have no way of verifying her claims, but it was enough to scare me off renting a car.
Train travel is truly the best way to see Italy, free of the stress of driving. Travel Vision offers a seven-night tour through Rome, Vatican City (the world’s smallest country!), Florence and Venice. I’ve never been so gob-smacked by engineering; the Italians didn’t mess around when developing their routes. Rather than going up, down and around geographic obstacles, they went through them, tunnelling massive distances through mountains and building impressive bridges and aqueducts.
Marvel at the world’s best art, architecture and museums – you’ll be confronted by the Renaissance masters and history of the Roman Empire at every turn. Take the obligatory photo alongside the Leaning Tower of Pisa, eat your fill of pizza, pasta and everything anti-Banting. Finish off the trip with an oh-so-romantic (albeit a little fishy smelling) stroll along Venice’s tangled canals, tour a glass-blowing workshop on the island of Murano, or imagine what it would have been like to be Italian royalty as you visit the Doge’s Palace in St. Mark’s Square.
My mom and dad surprised my older brothers and I with a Disney trip, whisking us off to the airport after school ended for a week with my childhood heroes: Mickey, Minnie and The Little Mermaid and Peter Pan (my first crush). I was five — and it was heaven on earth. I’ve never (before or since) been so hopped up on joy, sugar and sensory-overload. We talked about it for years afterward (so much so that my two younger siblings are still jealous they were too young to go), and it fuelled my passion for flying, new destinations and surprises. I’ve travelled nearly 40 countries since but that first trip sticks with me.
Bottom line: a Disney trip is the gift that keep son giving. Give one to your kids with Travel Vision’s five-nights at Walt Disney World’s All-Star Resorts in Orlando, Florida. Your kids will be thanking you, rather than Santa, for years to come.
