Americans seek unique and novel experiences

EXPEDIA.COM analyzed thousands of data points this year to identify the top trends in travel for 2018, and the results show that American travelers are increasingly interested in unique and novel experiences.

Activities and experiences are increasingly popular as travelers look to personalize and customize their vacations. These are the fastest-growing activity categories in 2018 for the U.S.:

Fastest-growing category: Attractions. Observation decks and architectural landmarks are leading the pack, with the Eiffel Tower, Rome's Colosseum, the 360 Chicago Observation Deck and the High Roller Observation Wheel in Las Vegas among the top trending attractions.

Runner-up: Tours & Sightseeing. Walking and hop-on-hop-off bus tours remain popular among travelers visiting big cities.

Third place: Shopping & Culinary Experiences round out the top categories, as travelers look to get the most out of their destinations and sample local flavors.


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Joining the ranks

CALALA Island, a privately-owned Nicaraguan oasis in the Caribbean Sea, has joined the ranks of Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH), the trusted and definitive collection of luxury boutique hotels worldwide.

Opened as a luxury resort in 2017, Calala Island has received numerous awards and is cited as one of the most exclusive private islands in the world, offering guests an island hideaway experience in an undiscovered part of the world with just four suites on the entire island - a feature that undoubtedly factored in during SLH's decision-making process to welcome the unique resort into its exclusive fold.


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Picture credit: calala-island.com

Unique Maldives

MALDIVES is home to unrivalled exclusivity. Consisting of 1,192 coral islands spread out across 26 ring-shaped atolls, the #Maldives is an exotic necklace adorning the Indian Ocean glistening in the equatorial sunshine. Every resort in the Maldives is nestled in its own private island surrounded by mighty coral reefs teeming with marine life, and each offers breathtaking experiences to indulge the senses and create a truly unforgettable holiday. Take a glimpse at just some of incredible activities on offer. 

Undersea Dining Walk down a spiral staircase to the world’s largest, all-glass undersea restaurant, located 5.8 meters beneath the lagoon. Enjoy a world-class tasting menu and a selection of fine wines while being entertained by an exciting natural show of fish swimming around the magnificent surrounding coral reef. 

SKY – Overwater observatory Anantara Kihavah’s location, being above the equator, and its open skies make up a perfect place for observing constellations, with a telescope or just through the naked eyes. To complete this interstellar experience, recline on the circular outdoor daybed or gaze at the stars while sipping Champagne from the luxury cocktail bar. 

Baa Atoll The natural atoll is home to Hanifaru Bay, a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, making it a peaceful haven for protected marine life. Plankton blooms during the months of May to November attracting mantas by the hundreds, often accompanied by whale sharks feeding alongside them. 

 
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Enjoy western heritage in Arizona

BASED in Sasabe, Arizona, the Rancho de la Osa offers an endless list of adventures, from clay pigeon shooting and 3D archery on the 590-acre property to guided horseback adventures and fat bike riding in the nearby 120,000-acre Buenos Aires Wildlife Refuge. New for 2018, the ranch is adding arena based cattle work and half-day cattle drives to its list of pursuits.

The cattle drives themselves will focus on the history and significance of cattle ranching in the area (the ranch once owned by cattle baron, Colonel William Sturgis in the late 1800s), and offered several times over the course of the week-long stay, the new activities will form part of a true Western heritage experience: Rancho de la Osa voted Best Heritage Guest Ranch for 2018 by True West magazine.

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Chile and Argentina 2019 Solar Eclipse

SELECT Latin America has launched a new five-day ‘Chile & Argentina 2019 Eclipse’ tour which will take place during the next total solar eclipse visible in Chile in July 2019. 

The holiday includes travelling to La Serena, the Elqui valley, Limari Valley, the Cruz Sure and La Silla observatories, as well as visiting the port city of Coquimbo which boasts some of the clearest skies in Chile. The trip is priced from £3,113 per person excluding flights.

www.selectlatinamerica.com

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See in the New Year over Antarctica

WHAT are your plans for New Year’s Eve? How about sipping your drink as the sun is still shinning high in the sky, as you count down to 2018 on a sightseeing flight over #Antarctica? 

Antarctica Flights operate the world’s only ‘flight-seeing’ trips to the remote region and their New Year’s Eve departure surely is the world’s most unique party! Departing Melbourne mid-afternoon, the 14 hour return chartered QANTAS flight positions passengers over the icy continent right in time to ring in the New Year while witnessing glaciers, icebergs and lunar landscapes, as the sound of a four piece jazz band plays live in the cabin.

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A secret dinner in a noble palace

ENJOY the most romantic dinner experience on the noble floor of a historical palazzo, with stunning view of the Duomo with Four Seasons Hotel Firenze.

The venue is kept secret, so as to preserve the privacy of this family-owned palazzo dated from the 15th century, former residence of Leonardo da Vinci said to be the place where he painted his most famous piece of art, La Gioconda, also known as the Mona Lisa.

There, on the fourth floor of this historical Renaissance building designed by Giuliano da Sangallo and located steps away from the Palazzo Vecchio in the city centre, lays a spacious dining room with the most magnificent view on the Duomo. This stunning backdrop sets the stage of the new dinner experience launched exclusively for guests of Four Seasons Hotel Firenze.

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Design your own experience

WHILE the hyper-competitive Experience Economy is nothing new, it is clear that we haven’t yet seen the full impact of the Instragram effect. Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH), in partnership with global trends analysts Trendwatching, has today launched a luxury trends report that looks ahead at what will be shaping the luxury boutique hotel experience in 2018.

In 2018 travellers will be looking to get their luxury hands ‘dirty’ by helping to design their own experience. 

700,000 Hours wandering hotel, brought to you by the brains behind Dar Ahlam in Morocco, will allow guests to choose its location each year. 

Guests can also get a true ‘scents’ of place at Hotel Magna Pars Suites Milano where they can choose the fragrance of their room in this old perfume factory, and at The VIEW Lugano in Switzerland where the smell is not the only choice to make in advance of a stay but the colour of their toilet paper, brand of toiletries and linens, as well as when to have their bag unpacked are all ways guests can customise their experience.

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Sweat it out in Finland

WHAT do a gondola, the Finnair SkyWheel and a fast food restaurant all have in common? In a country home to over three million saunas it is perhaps no surprise that Finland’s most famous export, the sauna, can be found in unexpected places.  In #Finland, the sauna is an integral part of daily life offering physical and spiritual cleansing, promising an array of health benefits. For many Finns, the sauna is a sanctuary – a place for mental and physical purification and renewal.

In Helsinki’s Hartwall Arena, home to the Jokerit ice hockey team, guests can stay warm at the ice rink with a private sauna. A selection of VIP Skyboxes include saunas fitted with windows so guests can keep their eye on the puck whether they are entertaining clients and colleagues or enjoying a night with family and friends.

Visitors can even enjoy a sauna as they soar above the beautiful Helsinki skyline in the Finnair SkyWheel SkySauna. Spot Helsinki’s most famous landmarks, look out over the open sea and the surrounding islands along the south coast of Finland from the private sauna in the heart of Helsinki which can accommodate up to 20 people.

Roasting sausages on an open fire is often a key part of the Finnish sauna experience, but one newly-opened sauna will give Finns a different dining experience. Guests visiting the Mannerheimintie Burger King branch in Helsinki can enjoy a Whopper while they relax in a 15-person sauna that comes complete with a TV, Burger King bath robes and towels.

Further North, the world’s first sauna gondola takes guests through the breathtaking Lapland landscape at Ylläs ski resort, 718 metres above sea level. On a 20-minute roundtrip journey, guests can enjoy the majestic scenery from the comfort of the four-person sauna gondola.


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Bed and breakfast – in a tree

GOODLEAF on the Isle of Wight will be unveiling a new tree top experience in April/May, 2018. Taking place in the grounds of historic Jacobean manor house Northcourt, in Shorwell, Goodleaf Tree Climbing will offer Tree Top Camping for the very first time on the #IsleofWight. 

Sleeping in special ‘Tree Boats’ imported from the USA, climbers will learn the ropes with recreational tree climbing experts Goodleaf, before spending the night sleeping high in the canopy of a beautiful 15 metre beech tree in this beautiful location deep in the rural heart of the Island. 

Supper can be taken at the local pub The Crown Inn in Shorwell before ascending into the canopy, relaxing and enjoying a bird’s eye view from your “bed for the night”. Breakfast will be delivered to you in your hammock by the instructor. The cost is £350 per person; £450 for two people; and £550 for three. There will be a maximum of ten overnight camps a year. 

https://www.goodleaf.co.uk

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Going crazy in California

THE All Saints Lunatic Asylum is a haunted attraction, offering several terrifying experiences that are not recommended for pregnant women, children under 10 or the faint of heart. 

This terrifying attraction in Apple Valley, California is over 6,000 square feet and put on by those who are dedicated to providing a high quality Halloween experience. 

The All Saints Lunatic Asylum now offers an escape room where you and a team need to escape from a series of rooms.

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Up, up and away

EXPERIENCE the quiet calm of Australia's Northern Territory from a hot air balloon with Outback Ballooning in Alice Springs.

With a choice of either a half hour or hour scenic balloon flight as the dawn breaks over the MacDonnell Ranges starting with pre-dawn pick up, then watch the crew start to inflate your balloon as you watch the sun rise.

The scenic hot air balloon flight is a great way to see the spectacular Australian Outback, drifting over the rugged landscape and you will most likely see red kangaroos in their natural habitat.

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Picture Credit: Outback Ballooning

Tour the Domus Aurea

ROMA Experience announces the launch of a unique group tour of the Domus Aurea - the extravagant palace that once belonged to Emperor Nero. 

Until recently, public access to the Domus Aurea was restricted, making the Domus Aurea tour a unique new opportunity to visit one of the most important buildings of Ancient #Rome. 

The tour includes an augmented reality experience inside the Golden Vault Room, where guests wear 3D glasses to see the Domus Aurea as it was in Nero's day.

Roma Experience offers a group tour of the #Colosseum of max 12 people, even in the underground section. During this tour, visitors enjoy an in-depth exploration of the Colosseum, descending to the subterranean area known as the hypogeum to learn about the games and discovering how spectacles were staged using impressive engineering.

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Picture Credit: By sébastien amiet;l - Domus Aurea Roma, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52683293

Explore the Undara Lava Tubes in North Queensland

THE best kept secret in North Queensland is the Undara Experience, a geological attraction that de-myths one of the best preserved and largest lava tube systems on the planet; a place some four hours drive west of Cairns.

Bram Collins is a guide here and visitors on Bram's (or any of the Savannah guide's) two-hour Archway Explorer Tour hear more scientific explanations than an episode of Big Bang Theory. 

A violent volcanic eruption some 190,000 years ago saw enormous volumes of 1200-degree molten hot lava spew over the landscape carving deep hollows in the ground. Four to six weeks after the eruption, the walls and roofs around the hollowed areas cooled and hardened, leaving 100 kilometres of perfect arterial action behind. 

There is also the Wildlife at Sunset tour for those David Attenborough fans where you can see hundreds of thousands of micro bats flying in and out of the cave.

www.undara.com.au

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Picture Credit: By Jane Farquhar - http://pool.abc.net.au/media/undara-lava-tubes-qld, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17689919

Booking.com announce 2016 guest review awards

Booking.com, the global leader in connecting travellers with the widest choice of incredible places to stay, is honouring its accommodation partners that consistently deliver great guest experiences with a 2016 Guest Review Award.

Based on over 110 million reviews, this year 355,535 properties in 205 countries and territories are being recognised with the following countries taking home the most awards:

Italy (53,005) 

United States (24,761)

France (23,003)

Germany (18,221)

Spain (18,037) 

UK (16,514) 

Austria (12,659) 

Greece (12,439) 

Croatia (12,219)

Poland (10,399) 

In the UK, 16,514 properties, from all types, received the award, with an overall average score of 8.8 in guest reviews. 56 properties achieved a perfect 10 score, demonstrating their dedication to offering an unforgettable stay. Among these, 20 are holiday homes and apartments, reflecting continued global increase in the demand for holiday rentals.

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Reduction in Park Fees for Regional Residents

A tour of The Victoria Falls, #Zimbabwe is a truly awe-inspiring experience – domestic passport holders now qualify for a reduced Rain Forest park fee of US$ 14.00 per person (reduced from US$ 20.00 per person).

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Picture Credit: Phil @ Delfryn Design flickr.com/photos/43555170@N00/25891480741 Victoria Falls P1190029 via photopin.

Birdwatching in Arizona

THE Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain in #Arizona has expanded its wings to include a two-hour #birdwatching experience on the resorts Wild Burro Trail.

The experience includes knowledge about the local flora and the ancient rock formations which make up the canyon. Eventually settling above the canyon floor with an amazing 360 degree view of the surrounding canyon, hawks, falcons and vultures can be seen soaring in their natural habitat. Dove, finches, hummingbirds, roadrunners and Gambel's quail can be spotted.

The experience is available year-round and is recommended as a “not to miss” activity for resort guests 10 years of age and older. Those wishing to take their birdwatching to the next level also can request a bespoke outdoor experience working with the Dove Mountain ranger team to build nesting boxes for birds living on and above the hiking trails near the luxury resort. 

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Picture Credit: Alan Vernon. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/32541690@N02/8607009078">Male Gambel's quail (Callipepla gambelli)</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com

Medieval Glamping anyone?

#WarwickCastle has extended its Mediaeval #Glamping season until 15 September, enabling visitors to enjoy a Mediaeval sleepover under the stars.

From just £37.50 per person per night, based on four sharing, guests can enjoy an overnight stay in one of the stylish, ready-to-sleep tents, which are set in a riverside woodland glade.

Or how about a sleepover in the new Princess Felice’s Tent, for the 6,7, 8,11 and 15 September with prices from £40 per person per night based on four sharing. The themed tent, which can sleep up to five guests, features a fairytale-style four-poster bed, ornate furnishings and soft pastel drapes.

All glamping stays include two days priority entry Warwick Castle with its daily programme of live actor shows and attractions; the choice of continental or full English breakfast served in the Mediaeval Banquet Hall and car parking.

How to get there:

Easily accessible from Junction 15 of the M40, just 40 minutes from Birmingham and 1 hour 40 minutes from London.

To book Mediaeval Glamping, visit www.warwick-castle.com/sleepovers.

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Picture Credit: 24327829@N04/20983391845 Warwick Castle from the River via photopin.com