You’re going to have to pay attention, because this post has more flashbacks than “It’s a Wonderful Life.” We’ll start with the Victoria’s most recent travels, harken back to a couple of earlier travels, then wrap it all up with some final thoughts and tips.
First, we need to acknowledge that 2021 has not always rewarded us with the limitless greener pastures we envisioned as 2020. We took a few hits ourselves. If nothing else, the challenges that have been thrown our way have taught us all lessons in resiliency. And, for many, it brought home the fact that we have a limited time to live our life’s dreams.
Overall, travel rebounded in an astounding manner among our clientele, but not everyone was as fortunate. Challenges remain, but if you’re willing to travel in the year ahead, we’d urge you to remember all those who take care of us while we’re on the road…the servers, the porters, the cleaners, and others have taken a huge hit. A little encouragement or extra generosity may make a real difference in their lives.
Victoria recently returned from a whirlwind trip to the French Riviera and Paris, where she evaluated several new or renovated properties, and participated in ILTM, one of the larger gatherings of luxury travel providers and advisors in the world. These types of trips are key to advising our clients, who expect a high level of current knowledge and personal insight into the choices with which they are faced.
She began her trip with a visit to the recently completed Maybourne Riviera, an astounding hotel built on the vertiginous cliffs overlooking the waters of the French Riviera. This beautiful property is located within a short distance to Eze and other gorgeous destinations within the region.
From there, she went on to the Four Seasons Hotel du Cap Ferrat (where we stayed a couple of years ago) and the Hotel Martinez. The week at ILTM was followed by a visit to Paris, traveling on board the TGV train. In Paris, Victoria visited a number of new or recently updated hotels, including the sumptuous Le Bristol and the new Cheval Blanc Paris. We’ve posted a few photos below.
This trip followed an autumn trip to Italy where we combined family time with visits to some of Tuscany’s most incredible destinations. Other trips this past year included Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit, Hawaii’s Big Island, and a swing down the stunning California coast, including visits at some incredible properties.
In each instance, we were confronted with the same questions and COVID-related hurdles that our clients are facing, and learned some invaluable lessons. Primary among them is that the rewards of travel are perhaps even greater now than they have ever been.
Flashback to Italy: this was a wonderful journey, on which we were accompanied by some of our favorite people. We visited properties that are at the very top of their game, and we learned a bit about navigating Europe during a time when the rules were in flux. In spite of these somewhat minor challenges, this turned out to be a life-changing trip. Most of it was spent with our son Alex and his wife Aly, starting with a brief stay in Florence at the impeccable St. Regis, then traveling on to our villa just outside of the jaw-dropping city of Siena. Our villa was perfect, absolutely perfect. We struck up a friendship with our chef, Merope Harris, to the point that our son at one point declared “Merope is family.” Yep.
Incomparable scenery, visits to world-class wineries, and dining at restaurants that displayed excellence with a nod to tradition were part of every day. There are no better words to sum up how amazing this trip was than the words of our daughter-in-law Aly, who said “Italy is my new favorite everything.”
Similarly, our visits to Mexico and Hawaii illustrated that the world is still open to those who are prepared.
What did we learn? First—and we know not everyone is overjoyed by this—it has become increasingly apparent that, at least for the foreseeable future, you should consider becoming “fully vaccinated.” Simply put, those who are not are now finding much of the world closed to them. For most adults, and even children, this means receiving the full series of jabs, including boosters. Americans, your CDC vaccination card is now as essential as a passport.
Thoroughly researching your destination’s requirements is also a must—without going into excruciating detail, timing requirements and documentation of tests and immunizations are now every bit as important as your hotel reservations. Much of the value in working with the top professionals who are our partners lies in their ability to help us navigate these issues.
On our recent trips we have used a range of specialty services to make (y)our travel more pleasurable. First, we have partnered with an incredible “meet and greet” service that will ease your arrival (and, if necessary, transfers) at many of the world’s largest airports. For Victoria’s trip to Cannes, where the fashion demands ranged from walking about cobblestone streets to attending elegant dinner parties, she used our luggage forwarding partner, Luggage Free, to forward most of her wardrobe. In a time when there are some extra hurdles to travel, accessing these tricks of the trade can make all the difference.
What do we see for 2022? Knowing that none of us can predict every possible twist and turn, we are optimistic about a continuing surge in travel. We saw this emerging throughout 2021, and it seems that governments are increasingly emphasizing a balanced approach to health concerns that is resulting in the easing of restrictions. Our travel calendar over the next six months presently includes visits to Antarctica, Patagonia, Peru, and Portugal. Beyond that, we are plotting for a possible return to Alaska and other destinations on our must-do list. If you’ve been waiting, we urge you to realistically evaluate whether 2022 may be the time for you to check off a destination or two from your bucket list.
Please join us for a few snapshots from our 2021 travels, The Best Travel Year Of Our Lives….
First, we need to acknowledge that 2021 has not always rewarded us with the limitless greener pastures we envisioned as 2020. We took a few hits ourselves. If nothing else, the challenges that have been thrown our way have taught us all lessons in resiliency. And, for many, it brought home the fact that we have a limited time to live our life’s dreams.
Overall, travel rebounded in an astounding manner among our clientele, but not everyone was as fortunate. Challenges remain, but if you’re willing to travel in the year ahead, we’d urge you to remember all those who take care of us while we’re on the road…the servers, the porters, the cleaners, and others have taken a huge hit. A little encouragement or extra generosity may make a real difference in their lives.
Victoria recently returned from a whirlwind trip to the French Riviera and Paris, where she evaluated several new or renovated properties, and participated in ILTM, one of the larger gatherings of luxury travel providers and advisors in the world. These types of trips are key to advising our clients, who expect a high level of current knowledge and personal insight into the choices with which they are faced.
She began her trip with a visit to the recently completed Maybourne Riviera, an astounding hotel built on the vertiginous cliffs overlooking the waters of the French Riviera. This beautiful property is located within a short distance to Eze and other gorgeous destinations within the region.
From there, she went on to the Four Seasons Hotel du Cap Ferrat (where we stayed a couple of years ago) and the Hotel Martinez. The week at ILTM was followed by a visit to Paris, traveling on board the TGV train. In Paris, Victoria visited a number of new or recently updated hotels, including the sumptuous Le Bristol and the new Cheval Blanc Paris. We’ve posted a few photos below.
This trip followed an autumn trip to Italy where we combined family time with visits to some of Tuscany’s most incredible destinations. Other trips this past year included Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit, Hawaii’s Big Island, and a swing down the stunning California coast, including visits at some incredible properties.
In each instance, we were confronted with the same questions and COVID-related hurdles that our clients are facing, and learned some invaluable lessons. Primary among them is that the rewards of travel are perhaps even greater now than they have ever been.
Flashback to Italy: this was a wonderful journey, on which we were accompanied by some of our favorite people. We visited properties that are at the very top of their game, and we learned a bit about navigating Europe during a time when the rules were in flux. In spite of these somewhat minor challenges, this turned out to be a life-changing trip. Most of it was spent with our son Alex and his wife Aly, starting with a brief stay in Florence at the impeccable St. Regis, then traveling on to our villa just outside of the jaw-dropping city of Siena. Our villa was perfect, absolutely perfect. We struck up a friendship with our chef, Merope Harris, to the point that our son at one point declared “Merope is family.” Yep.
Incomparable scenery, visits to world-class wineries, and dining at restaurants that displayed excellence with a nod to tradition were part of every day. There are no better words to sum up how amazing this trip was than the words of our daughter-in-law Aly, who said “Italy is my new favorite everything.”
Similarly, our visits to Mexico and Hawaii illustrated that the world is still open to those who are prepared.
What did we learn? First—and we know not everyone is overjoyed by this—it has become increasingly apparent that, at least for the foreseeable future, you should consider becoming “fully vaccinated.” Simply put, those who are not are now finding much of the world closed to them. For most adults, and even children, this means receiving the full series of jabs, including boosters. Americans, your CDC vaccination card is now as essential as a passport.
Thoroughly researching your destination’s requirements is also a must—without going into excruciating detail, timing requirements and documentation of tests and immunizations are now every bit as important as your hotel reservations. Much of the value in working with the top professionals who are our partners lies in their ability to help us navigate these issues.
On our recent trips we have used a range of specialty services to make (y)our travel more pleasurable. First, we have partnered with an incredible “meet and greet” service that will ease your arrival (and, if necessary, transfers) at many of the world’s largest airports. For Victoria’s trip to Cannes, where the fashion demands ranged from walking about cobblestone streets to attending elegant dinner parties, she used our luggage forwarding partner, Luggage Free, to forward most of her wardrobe. In a time when there are some extra hurdles to travel, accessing these tricks of the trade can make all the difference.
What do we see for 2022? Knowing that none of us can predict every possible twist and turn, we are optimistic about a continuing surge in travel. We saw this emerging throughout 2021, and it seems that governments are increasingly emphasizing a balanced approach to health concerns that is resulting in the easing of restrictions. Our travel calendar over the next six months presently includes visits to Antarctica, Patagonia, Peru, and Portugal. Beyond that, we are plotting for a possible return to Alaska and other destinations on our must-do list. If you’ve been waiting, we urge you to realistically evaluate whether 2022 may be the time for you to check off a destination or two from your bucket list.
Please join us for a few snapshots from our 2021 travels, The Best Travel Year Of Our Lives….