Covid made us all appreciate the great outdoors, didn’t it? If we have to look at the bright side, and if there was any more reason to improve the great outdoors, mountain cabins, and the second home experience, it was the land of RVs and boats to the rescue!
We love this new RV membership idea. Membership to Harvest Hosts, the country’s leading membership club for RVers. Perfect as a gift for travelers and experience seekers, Harvest Hosts offers members unique overnight stays at over 2,750+ locations all over North America – including farms, wineries, breweries, distilleries, golf courses, museums and other scenic small businesses.
Cheers to Van Comfort!!
Classic plans are currently $99/year, while plans including golf courses are priced at $139/year. For more info on pricing please the website herebut they will be 20% off throughout the holiday season with HOLIDAY20 (12.6 – 12.31).
Throughout the pandemic, RV and road travel has reached unprecedented industry growth – with RV wholesale shipments projected to reach an all-time high for 2021. This past summer, RV campsites booked up months in advance, giving Harvest Hosts members an overnight alternative to crowded campsites. Watch this emerging space!
Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain Resort, Scottsdale
Let’s face it. Times have been extreme. So what better way to learn new skills and embrace new experiences than to focus on a well-tuned mind and body? I sure as hell could use it too! Among other benefits, meeting a new challenge head-on, whether physical, mental or both, fuels creativity, helps slow cognitive decline, and builds confidence. Balance that new adventure with a spa retreat and you’ve got the makings of an extreme wellness getaway. Here are a few great travel ideas that combine skills, thrills, and (spa) chills for those looking for something new and ambitious in 2021.
Triathlon Training in the Sonoran Desert. Train with an Olympian instructor by day, unwind at one of the nation’s premier resort spas by night. Who’s in? Plus, I’m an AZ local and can attest to the fact that it’s an incredible place to get active and get relaxin. At Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain Resort & Spa, pushing one’s physical limits comes with world-class rewards. Sanctuary’s three-night Triathlon Training package includes three days of training with the resort’s team of experts. On the first day, Olympic gold medalist Misty Hyman shares the best swimming strategies for endurance and speed in Sanctuary’s 25-yard outdoor lap pool. Day two is a guided desert bike ride, and day three a tandem run with a fitness instructor. A power breakfast each morning fuels the day’s workout, while each evening brings a 60-minute spa treatment to restore muscles and joints impacted during training.
Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island
Shark Diving at Singer Island. With the world’s third largest barrier reef practically at its doorstep, Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Beach Resort & Spa is the perfect base for a thrilling shark-diving adventure. Cage and free shark dives, offered through numerous local dive operators, let adrenaline junkies of all skill levels share the water with predators ranging from Florida’s abundant sandbar and lemon sharks to massive tiger sharks. After, guests can de-stress at the all-suite resort’s SiSpa, named one of the top 10 resort spas in the country by Condé Nast Traveler readers. A Capture the Moment Package, complete with a GoPro Waterproof Action Camera (Model Hero4) also let’s you document all the action, and includes daily beach chair and umbrella rental for stays of two or more nights. Luxe Recess also has this to say, “From the moment plush turtles greet you in your family suite to when you meet the magnificent creatures at the Loggerhead Marinelife Center down the road, a vacation at the Marriott Singer Island is all about slowing down to a turtle’s pace while connecting with the authentic richness of the Palm Beaches: its seashore.”The Whiteface Lodge – Lake Placid, NY
Bikes, Biathlons and Bobsledding in the Adirondacks. Seek peak wellness high in the Adirondack Mountains at Lake Placid’s Whiteface Lodge, an all-suite resort just a short drive from the Olympic Village in this two-time Winter Games host city. Among the Olympian-worthy local activities is a brand-new Bike & Biathlon experience, which debuted June 29 and combines an hour-long mountain bike lesson with professional instruction on the Olympic Biathlon Range, building skills and confidence for participants of all ages (biathlon rifles for those 13 and up; paintball for those 12 and under). In the winter, the action shifts to the Olympic bobsled run, where thrill-seekers can hurtle down the track with a professional driver and brakeman in the Lake Placid Bobsled Experience. Just don’t forget to relax and recharge at the award-winning Spa at Whiteface Lodge with an Alpine Retreat treatment. It includes a hot hydrotherapy soak and slow massage, both with Naturopathica Ginger Oil to melt away a day of adventure, followed by a warm oil scalp massage. I live for warm oil scalp massages. JUST SO YOU KNOW.
Castle Hotel and Spa – Terrytown, NY
Fly a Helicopter over the Hudson. High-flying adventurers can test their mettle at the controls of a Robinson R44 Raven II with Wings Air Helicopters’ 30- or 60-minute Discovery Flight at Westchester County Airport, just a short drive or train ride from New York City. Now, I’m afraid of heights so, as one like me is prone to doing, I tend to challenge my fears head on. I’m not saying it works, but it can certainly be thrilling to climb a mountain or fly in a copter! The lesson begins with a ground briefing before taking to the sky with a professional flight instructor who, once airborne, will hand over the controls. Students can also bring up to two friends to ride along for an additional fee. Roundtrip hotel transfers between Manhattan and Westchester can also be arranged. Two top choices for a post-flight spa getaway are The Ritz-Carlton New York, Westchester (White Plains), home to Synergy Spa, Westchester County’s largest destination spa, and Tarrytown’s landmark 19th century castle (!!) turned luxury Castle Hotel & Spa, with its sweet riverside digs, French cuisine, and Sankara Spa.
Alaska is open, y’all, and it’s ideal for families and friends who dream of exploring America’s greatest wildernesses free of crowds and against a pristine white canvas. Imagine skiing through forests, wildlife spotting, flightseeing above multicolored geysers and glaciers cresting on the snow, and a vastness only available in the quiet of winter. Abercrombie & Kent’s U.S. Luxury Tailor Made itineraries, which can be customized to your private party’s interests, feature handpicked local guides, fun activities that naturally lend themselves to social distancing, and luxurious accommodations. You can even book with confidence knowing you can reschedule your journey due to COVID-19, and that they have enhanced protocols in place to safeguard your health while travelling. This is numero uno in my book since I’ve been sheltering in place for almost a year and need to know things are on the up and up.
Our recent travel dream favorite is their Call of the Iditarod series because I’ve always been obsessed with riding a husky driven sled through the snow like a Russian Bond Girl.
You too?
Well, we can celebrate Alaska’s famed Iditarod dogsled race, watching the participants prepare and depart from Anchorage on their 1,000-mile trek, witnessing their arrival at an important checkpoint near your remote wilderness lodge. You can dogsled yourself along the rugged Iditarod trail on this independent journey filled with the splendors of Alaskan wilderness.
The skinny:
Join Anchorage’s Fur Rendezvous festival, giving the Iditarod teams a ceremonial send-off
Take in the buzz of Iditarod mushers and their teams arrive at a remote checkpoint
Choose from an array of outdoor activities, including the option to drive your own dogsled team
Discover the history of Alaska’s indigenous culture and art in Anchorage
Itinerary at a Glance
DAY 1
ARRIVE ANCHORAGE, ALASKA
DAY 2
ANCHORAGE | CELEBRATING THE IDITAROD
DAY 3
WINTERLAKE LODGE | SCENIC WILDERNESS FLIGHT
DAYS 4–5
WINTERLAKE LODGE | IDITAROD MUSHERS’ ARRIVE
DAY 6
WINTERLAKE LODGE | DOGSLEDDING & THE GREAT OUTDOORS
DAY 7
ANCHORAGE | EXPERIENCING INDIGENOUS CULTURE
DAY 8
DEPART ANCHORAGE
INCLUDED WITH EVERY LUXURY TAILOR MADE JOURNEY
One-of-a-kind Itinerary Designed for You
Driver-guide and vehicle
Hand-Selected Accommodations
Exclusive Insider-Access Opportunities and Inspiring Sightseeing
With temperatures already dipping below freezing in parts of the United States, it seems like an appropriate time to address the “winter blues” and how a safe vacation can often be the cure. Everyone has a different goal when it comes to a winter getaway – some want to embrace a snowy environment, while others prefer to follow the sun. For those who, like me, aren’t ready to fly until the vaccine is widely available, here are some top winter vacation ideas for destinations across the country.
Sonoran Desert Bike Tour, Tucson
1. Desert Cycling Getaway: Escape Adventures offers a five-day winter cycling retreat in America’s Southwestern prize – Tucson, Arizona. Rated as the country’s second most bike-friendly city, this velo dreamscape offers an ideal escape with seemingly endless backroads through vast expanses of desert and world-class ascents like Mount Lemmon. https://escapeadventures.com/tour/arizona-tucson-and-the-sonoran-desert-road-bike-tour
Red Reflet Ranch, Wyoming
2. Wintertime Cowboy Retreat: Venture to Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains for a retreat at Red Reflet Ranch that combines limitless outdoor recreation and gourmet food with remote winter splendor. Step outside your luxurious accommodations to explore 30,000 stunning acres of wilderness by snowshoe, snowmobile or horseback. The local ski hill is only 45 minutes away and offers great skiing and snowboarding. https://red-reflet-ranch.net
The Wilson Hotel, Yellowstone
3. Ski Big Sky Country: On the edge of Yellowstone National Park in Big Sky, Montana, find one of the largest ski resorts in North America. With 5,850 acres of terrain descending from the 11,666-foot summit of Lone Peak, Big Sky Resort offers plenty of space to spread out. A stay at The Wilson Hotel in Town Center provides ample accommodations and easy access to the slopes, as well as to ice skating, Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, dogsledding and Yellowstone tours. https://thewilsonhotel.com
The Blacksford
4. Explore National Parks by RV: Each summer, millions travel to visit our national parks. Yet these warm-season sightseers are missing what might be the parks’ best-kept secret – winter. Once-crowded trails turn into tranquil getaways. Quiet winter wonderlands showcase nature’s calm beauty. Blacksford is a new RV rental business offering an all-inclusive pricing model that includes unlimited miles, 24-hour roadside assistance and a free annual pass to national parks. https://www.blacksford.com
Fireside Resort,Jackson Hole
5. Tiny House Ski Retreat: Just minutes from Jackson Hole, Fireside Resort capitalizes on the tiny house craze and the classic appeal of rustic cottages by offering 25 pint-size, luxuriously outfitted tiny house rental units designed by Wheelhaus. Each has its own outdoor fire pit and deck. And the resort is located just a stone’s throw from Jackson Hole’s ski slopes. https://www.firesidejacksonhole.com
6. Cycling the Sunshine State: Leave the winter riding gear at home and follow Adventure Cycling Association’s Florida Connector route for a loop around the Sunshine State by bike. Pedal south from St. Augustine past orange groves and sinkholes, skirt Orlando and arrive at the Gulf of Mexico at Fort Myers Beach. Turning east, watch for alligators on the way to Lake Okeechobee, then join the Atlantic Coast route in Fort Lauderdale and return north to the start. https://www.adventurecycling.org/routes-and-maps/adventure-cycling-route-network/florida-connector/
Devil’s Thumb Ranch
7. Cross-Country Ski Getaway: Ranked #1 Cross-Country Ski Resort in North America by USA Today, Devil’s Thumb Ranch offers 120 kilometers of classic and skate-ready cross-country ski trails. Only 75 miles west of Denver and 15 minutes from Winter Park, Devil’s Thumb recently unveiled a private enclave of 24 custom homesites for those who want to live on the award-winning guest ranch full-time. https://www.devilsthumbranch.com/ranches
JAUNT MAGAZINE 