We’ve seen worldwide news about airports, travel and tourism trickle in for the past week, with constant updates -sometimes a bit confusing- keeping everyone on their toes. “To travel or not to travel” and “when, where to”, those are the questions. While most of us are prioritizing traveling to visit family back home or abroad, nothing prevents us from dreaming about amazing destinations. That might even keep us going while waiting for the early stages of actual vacation planning to sink in.
Here are a few spots we’d like to add to your reveries, dreams or future plans.
Ramla Bay, Gozo, Malta
The largest beach on the island of Gozo in Malta, Ramla Bay‘s full Maltese name is Ramla il-Hamra, and for those who understand Arabic, you’ll immediately know why: the words means “red sands”. That sunny orange color which is the most vivid feature one notices when looking at pictures of this popular beach, is attributed to sands’ high iron concentration. In addition to sunbathing and swimming in the Mediterranean, you can visit Roman ruins, an 18th-century Knights of Malta fortress and Calypso Cave, rumored to be the same one Homer wrote about in “The Odyssey.” Quite inspirational if you ask us!
The good news? Malta will be welcoming flights again from 18 countries as of July 1, with all remaining countries permitted in as of July 15!
Pfeiffer Beach, Big Sur, California
If you’ve ever been on a West Coast road trip in the US, you know that California’s Big Sur rugged stretch constitutes a great companion on long drives with its dreamy scenery. Located in the area well off the beaten path, Pfeiffer Beach empties into the Pacific. This secret-not-so-secret beach offers an intriguing particularity: its sands take on an artsy look due to violet striations caused by deposits of quartz and manganese garnet that erode and wash down from the surrounding rocks. If you visit after a storm, you’ll be able to witness that purple phenomena at its most striking aspect. The beach’s main landmark, Keyhole Rock, has an amazing natural arch at its base, inviting through both salt water and the last rays of daylight.
Definitely an unmissable picture-spot, Pfeiffer Beach is well worth the drive when you’re in Cali.
Guajataca Lake and Forest Reserve, Puerto Rico
Having been cooped up inside for a few months, you might want to put your legs to good use sometime soon. As in trek around a natural reserve perhaps? Less than a two-hour drive from the capital of San Juan lay calm, precious sights that feel far removed from the busy island life. With caves and trails snaking around, Guajataca Forest Reserve is a true nature escape. The cool air at nearby Guajataca Lake bring green to blue, providing a relaxing area after a long walk. This is by no means a luxury and pampering plan. It is however a good spot for a retreat, a place where you can reconnect with nature, with yourself.
Expedition through the Falklands, South Georgia & Antarctica
Confinement and isolation might have felt more like a prison stay for some. Boredom, inactivity, lack of energy… Now that deconfinement is well underway, that probably constitutes a break-out-of-jail type situation that calls for a big adventure. And when we say “adventure”, we mean it! Plan ahead for a big expedition as of October, which is when the Antarctica season starts. This could as well be the adventure of a lifetime. A trip to the most southern point on land: Antarctica. A 22-day journey aboard the G Expedition will transport you from Montevideo across the South Atlantic Ocean to the Falklands, South Georgia, South Shetlands and Antarctica to see some of the world’s most incredible wildlife, from penguins -love those!- to elephant seals, humpback whales and orcas. Vast lands of ice constituting a very serene settings, with a look and feel as far as possible from the urban bustle we go through daily.
The cool news? The wildlife-focused tour is endorsed by world-renowned primatologist Jane Goodall and part of of the Jane Goodall collection, so you’d also be contributing to her mission to protect wildlife and empower local communities.
Vatnajökull National Park, Iceland
If you’ll grow tired of the sun and heat by summer’s end and will consider cooler climates, we’ll send you straight to Iceland’s enormous glaciers at the rugged Vatnajökull National Park. Imagine an enormous glacier, surging waterfalls, snow-capped mountain peaks, contrasting with black basalt columns and sharp cliffs. If that sounds surreal, let’s add translucent blue ice caves formed by rivers of meltwater dating back thousands of years. And a touch of sunlight filtering through from above. Exactly, you’ll be walking into a cold, yet warm real-life painting.
Since the country’s true winter goes from November through to March, those are the ideal months to experience the real ice cave season. Kinda looks like “White Walker” land…
Credit: Getty Images – Copyright: Petr Perepechenko
So yes, dream away, travel in your mind -and with us- for now, to far away places. More to come. Because you know, dreams never end.
