Atlas Travel Web.com Blog

With 2009 right around the corner, it’s time to plan your next big getaway. Where are you looking forward to traveling next year? Here are some of the predictions, trends and statistics for travel in 2009.

The U.S. Tour Operators Association reported that for the 5th straight year, Italy placed first as the most popular international destination for vacation packages and tours. Modern Bride’s annual “World Best Honeymoon” survey showed Italy has even beaten out Hawaii as the #1 honeymoon destination.  Recommend Magazine’s Readers Choice awards also listed Italy as the #1 destination. Croatia and China were the hottest up-and-coming countries for tours and travel packages. We were surprised not to see Dubai on the list.

Lonely Planet’s top 10 destinations: #1 U.S. with emphasis on National parks and Hawaii;  #2 Mexico, with an emphasis on Mexico City and the Pacific Coast; #3 Argentina; #4 Japan; #5 India & #6 Canada (tied);#7 Australia #8 China (tied);#9 Spain and #10 France.

Frommers recently released its top destinations for 2009, focusing on international destinations that are affordable and seeking the newest “hot spots”.  Washington D.C.; Waiheke Island, New Zealand; Saqqara, Egypt; Lassen Volcanic National Park, California; Istanbul, Turkey; Civil Rights Trail, USA; Cartagena, Colombia; Cape Town, South Africa; Berlin, Germany;  Belfast, Northern Ireland; Angkor Wat, Cambodia; Waterton National Park, Alberta, Canada

According to TripAdvisor, the top three predicted hot spots for North America travel are Florida, North Carolina and Alaska.

At Atlas Cruises & Tours, we are seeing a number of trends. Italy continues to be very popular. Consumers are booking specialty travel packages including river cruises, cooking and wine vacations, as well as religious travel. Several dates for the 2010 Passion Play are already sold out. We have been doing several blogs about sustainable travel in the past 6 months, as we are finding consumers more concerned in traveling with suppliers that are environmentally conscious, as well as the desire to visit destinations threatened by climate change such as Antarctica, Alaska, Galapagos and Machu Picchu. Cruises to the Caribbean, Alaska and South America are up, and we except a surge in Europe cruises, as air prices should be coming down considerably, and cruise lines are offering aggressive fares. For those staying close to home, National Parks, Canada & Hawaii are up as well.

Where are you planning to travel in 2009? We’d love to hear your top 3 list!

My wife, Suzy is unequivocally a “Top Chef” fanatic!! Since the show’s inception, my wife has been cooking up some amazing dishes. In fact she’s made me a better judge of food for it. She has me test all her entrees, and as a foodie, it’s the best job in the world!

What does Top Chef have in common with the Ultimate Cookout? Eric Ripert, the Michelin three-star chef, which has appeared several times on Top Chef as a Judge, is now hosting the Cayman Cookout, the Caribbean’s premier epicurean event, which is being sponsored by Food & Wine at The Ritz Carlton Cayman Islands. In addition to having Chef Eric Ripert host this fabulous event, six other amazing chefs will join him for an array of events, demonstrations, tastings, and wine seminars including Anthony Bourdain who has also been on several episode of Top Chef. The event inaugurates on the 16^th of January and concludes on the 19^th, which equates to three nights of gastronomic jubilation.

The Cayman Cookout weekend package at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman includes:

Three nights accommodation in an Ocean Front or Resort View guest room

For more information, contact me (Burt Brage, resident foodie) at 866-503-6420.

Globus just released their 2009 brochure for their Food & Wine vacations. With more than 80 years of experience, Globus can make your trip delicious. We will take you to the vineyards of Tuscany, arrange for a tasting of the cheeses of France, explain the story behind the baked beans of Boston, the sourdough breads of San Francisco, the sweets of Austria, and the lobsters of New England.

On a Food & Wine vacation, you’ll enjoy plenty of hands-on experiences. Take a cooking lesson that reveals the secrets of Italy’s timehonored dishes. Learn about the climate, soils, and grape varieties in France’s celebrated Bordeaux region. Indulge your senses at the Biarritz Museum of Chocolate, tour a maple sugarworks in Vermont, or find out what makes California’s sparkling wines bubble— and that’s just the beginning!

Sicily, also known as the “football being kicked by Italy’s boot,”  is Italy’s largest Island, & is steeped in history, & possesses an extraordinary range of art, archaeology, culture and folklore.  Sicily offers visitors an extraordinary range of art, archeology, culture & folklore. You will come back surprised with the beauty of the island, history of the ancient world & touches of every Mediterranean culture.

Make sure & visit the archaelogical sites. Sicily has some of the best preserved temples from the ancient Greek & Roman times. This combination of civilizations has created a unique culture with a charm of its own.  Palermo is the regional capital of Sicily, & has some of the region’s most important tourist attractions. The city revolves around the Piazza Vigliena, a Baroque square in the city center.  Other highly visited cities include Messina, Catania, Agrigento, Syracuse & Trapani. Mt. Etna, is Europe’s highest & most active volcano. The mountains make Sicily perfect for adventure travel including mountain biking, camping & hiking. 

The dining-table is the place of introspection of all the different civilizations that have passed through the island. Popular dishes include locally caught seafood, eggplant, veal & of course olive oil & cheeses. Pastries & desserts are famous for their richness & stuffed with cheese, chocolate & fruit. Sicilian gelato is excellent, & you cannot leave without trying a cannoli which are tubular crusts with creamy ricotta & sugar filling. Sicily with it’s warm temperatures, hilly terrain, sea breezes & rich soil, is very similar to the growing conditions seen in the best wineries of California or Australia. Marsala is Sicily’s most well-known wine.

You can visit Sicily year round, but April through mid-October are the most popular months. Most coastal resorts close their hotels from November through March. Be careful with July & August, as they can be quite hot.

The Food Network recently launched a new show starring Alton Brown who” searches for America’s culinary roots & Caribbean flavors in Feasting on Waves.“  On the Sept. 29th episode, Alton was in the British Virgin Islands, visiting Peter Island, Tortola & Jost Van Dyke.  The show featured a beach bbq on the world’s largest private island, Peter Island, as well as drinks  & cuisine from Pisces Restaurant in Tortola & Seddy’s One Love bar in Jost Van Dyke. Popular dishes shown were fish soup, sweet potato & Johnny cake.  Rum is the most popular alcohol used to make everything from a typical rum punch to unique drinks including the “bushwhacker” & “painkiller.” If you are interested in visiting these islands, you have several options.

Tortola: This is the largest & most populated Island in the BVI. People come for the amazing beaches. Several hotels are small & do not have televisions. Popular resorts choices are the Sugar Mill Hotel ($150-$650 per night) & the Long Bay Beach Resort & Villas ($200-600 per night). Several Southern Caribbean cruises spend the day in Tortola.

Peter Island: This island is 4 miles South of Tortola. You can get there by ferry, helicopter or private yacht. Ferrys are also available from St. Thomas a few days per week. The trip is approximately 1.5 hours each way. The most popular resorts is the Peter Island Resort. You can choose from ocean view rooms to beachfront suites and villas. Prices range from $660 to about $1,143 per night. A bit out of your budget? You can also stay at the Long bay Resort & Villas where accommodations average $198 to $600 per night.

Jost Van Dyke is known as the “Barefoot Island.”  It is well known for its beachfront restaurants & bars of which there are about ten, each having their own atmosphere, & the food is all delicious. It is located just about 5 miles northwest of Tortola. Paradise Express runs 5 daily trips, which makes planning very easy. The boat ride is about 20 minutes each way & currently costs $20 pp round trip.  From St. Thomas airport, take a cab Red Hook, on the eastern side of the island, where the ferry departs to Jost Van Dyke on Friday, Saturdays and Sundays twice per day. You can also hire a private water taxi.

Globus is Launching their Food & Wine brochure November 12, 2008.

Benefit from Globus’ experience in designing the perfect vacations for over 80 years, & immerse yourself in the culture & delictable food & wines of the regions you visit.

Each vacation offers unique inclusions, superior/centrally located hotels & expert tour directors. Itineraries will include highlights such as cooking, wine tastings, food festivals & more.

Some of the great trips being offered include:

Flavors of Italy:  10 days visiting Rome, Tuscany & Venice from $3,699 pp land only**
Imperial Delights: 8 days visiting Munich, Salzburg & Vienna from $1,999 pp land only**
Culinary New England: 8 days visiting Boston, Newport, North Conway, Kennebunkport, Essex Essex Junction & Williamstown from $2,219 pp land only
San Fransisco & Wine Country: 8 days San Fransisco & Napa from $2,319 pp land only
Flavours of Burgundy & Provence: 11 days Paris & 7 night cruise Salon-Sur-Saone to Arles, Nice from $2,809 pp land only
The Blue Danube Discovery: 13 days Budapest & 7 night cruise Budapest to Nuremburg, Prauge from $3,429 pp land only

Check back on November 12th for more details, and up to $500 off per couple on air inclusive vacations.

Tapas are canapes served day in & day out in every bar & cafe in Spain. They can be served cold or warm. You can have them as appetizers, or combine them for a full meal. Popular items for tapas are cheese, omlettes, ham, sausage, meatballs, seafood, veggies & bread.

Tapas is a tradition that is believed to have begun in the 19th century in Andalusia, where single slices of cheese or ham were used to “cover” glasses of sherry to deter flies (Spanish verb Tapar means to cover). After finishing their drink people would eat the ham or cheese. Tapas are so much a part of the culture & social scene in Spain, that they invented the verb tapear which means to go & eat tapas!

Want to experience authentic tapas in Spain? You can travel November through March on a 6 night package to Barcelona & Madrid for as low as $619 per person for the hotel, taxes & train between both cities. Or why not prepare your own Tapas in Spain on the Catacurian: Wine & Cruise of the Priorat as featured in Gourmet Magazine, May 2008?

Popular Food Network TV Chef Giada De Laurentiis, took her Oct. 2nd episode to the Napa/Sonoma regions. She experienced a balloon ride over the valley, olive oil tasting in St. Helena, wine tasting and biking along the country roads of Sonoma. No visit to the region is complete without going to COPIA: the American Center for Wine, Food & the Arts.

Want to experience a similar trip but don’t know where to start planning?  Consider Collette’s California Wine Country package which is 7 days from $1,999 per person. The package includes 10 meals, accommodations at the Westin in San Francisco & FountainGrove Inn in Santa Rosa as well as lots of sightseeing. Highlights include a visit to Muir Woods, sightseeing in San Francisco and 4 nights in the wine country region. Enjoy lunch aboard the Napa Valley Wine train, a visit to Korbel & Kendall Jackson Winter Center, walk around COPIA and enjoy free time

Globus offers a similar 8 day package San Francisco & the Wine Country.  Trip highlights include a San Francisco tour as well as a Bay cruise. In Sonoma  you visit Roche Winery, have a picnic at Viansa Winery & Italian marketplace, tour Sebastiani Vineyards, as well as food & wine pairing at Buena Vista Winery. In Napa have lunch aboard the wine train, visit Mumm, Envy Wine & COPIA. A farewell dinner is included at Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant…Prices from $1,989 per person.

“The discovery of a wine is of greater moment than the discovery of a constellation. The universe is too full of stars.”Benjamin Franklin