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by Rick Steves, February 12, 2021
As we ve had to postpone our travels because of the pandemic, I believe a weekly dose of travel dreaming can be good medicine. Here s a reminder of the fun that awaits us in Europe at the other end of this crisis.
The flatbed fish truck rambles into the village tooting the 1812 Overture on its horn. Today s my beach day and I was ready to just sleep in. But it s market day in Salema and the parking lot that separates the jogging shorts from the black shawls fills up, one vehicle at a time, with horn-tooting merchants. First the fish truck rolls in, then the bakery trailer steaming with fresh bread, followed by a fruit-and-vegetable truck, and finally a five-and-dime truck for clothing and odds and ends. Groggy yet happy, I quickly get dressed and join the scene savoring one of the last true villages on the Algarve.
Share: Reykjavik, Iceland // Photo by Boyloso/iStock/Getty Images Plus/Getty Images
Iceland has begun the process of reopening its society, making it one of the first in
Europe to do so, the
Financial Timesreported. Earlier this week, this island-country reopened bars and gyms for individuals and it plans to soon allow people to attend concerts, theater performances and religious services.
The Financial Times notes that, according to the
European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Iceland is the only country in Europe that is rated fully “green.” This means Iceland has a
COVID-19 positivity rate under 4 percent. Iceland’s ability to retain the low positivity rate, according to experts as reported by the Financial Times, can be attributed to its “relative isolation,” as well as its “widespread testing and data analysis to track the spread of the virus” and its testing and quarantining of all arrivals.
Share: According to Virtuoso Wanderlist bookings, Italy is the top destination among travelers // Photo by e55evu/iStock/Getty Images Plus/Getty Images
Virtuoso has concluded its first event of the year, the annual
U.S. and Canada Forum, February 2-4. The live virtual event was sold out with more than 350 attendees, according to the luxury travel network.
Business sessions included more than 2,745 one-to-one networking appointments, professional development courses, a live address from Virtuoso chairman and CEO
Matthew D. Upchurch and presentations on the company’s forward plans from Virtuoso leaders. The event, which brought together the owners and managers from Virtuoso’s travel agency members in the
Share: Photo by cdwheatley/iStock/Getty Images Plus/Getty Images
As the result of a meeting with its Security and National Defense Council on January 29, the Government of France decided to close the country’s borders to non-European Union members; this did not omit its overseas territories, including St. Barth’s, St. Martin and Guadeloupe in the Caribbean. On Tuesday, French Polynesia officials announced it would be closing The Islands of Tahiti to tourists until further notice.
Under this order, travel to France and its overseas territories is currently limited to those with “compelling reasons,” which include personal or family order, health reasons or professional reasons that cannot be delayed). This officially takes effect Wednesday February 3. The local St. Barth’s government is working with the French government in the hopes it may be exempt from these measures in the near-term, according to a statement by Nils DuFau, president of the St. Bart
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La Colección Resorts by Fiesta Americana has debuted
Live Aqua Beach Resort Punta Cana the brand’s first outside of
Mexico. The all-inclusive, adults-only resort is located on the northern shores of
Uvero Alto in the
Dominican
Republic and offers accommodations with swim-up and private pools, an array of amenities and entertainment, zen gardens, a private beach and more.
There are 347 avant-garde suites in eight different categories; these include such signature Live Aqua brand elements as: Freestanding bathtubs; beds designed by the
America Mattress Traveler Collection; 400-thread count cotton bedding;
Molton Brown amenities; aromatherapy kits; pillow menus; luxe bathrobes and slippers, and more. Select