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Top places to see next week's solar eclipseBy Damien Martin



Monday’s total solar eclipse will cut a path across the continental U.S. from the Northwest to the Southeast, a once-in-a-generation event. The path of totality is a band about 70 miles wide and will pass by a few major cities. While you’ll certainly have to fight traffic in the prime viewing areas, here are a few spots you can see the eclipse in style. Don’t forget your glasses!

Portland, Oregon

Virtuoso-preferred The Nines hotel is offering a solar eclipse package that includes tickets to the OMSI Planetarium, a map of the eclipse path and a blanket for maximum comfort while watching. From Portland, the sun will be 99.4 percent obscured. If that’s not enough for you, you can head out to wineries of the Willamette Valley and drink in the totality. Yes, the show will begin before 10:30 a.m. local time, but this is a special occasion.
Yellowstone National Park 

The sun’s corona won’t be visible, as totality will range between 9…

Top Zika-free Honeymoon DestinationsBy Damien MartinWho doesn’t love a wedding? Friends and family come together to celebrate love, have a feast and dance late into the night. But if you’re the bride or groom, just making it to your big day involves a lot of planning and stress. You have to pare down that guest list and make sure you’re having the right people sit together for dinner. All those little touches throughout the night that wow your guests don’t just happen. There’s a lot of work that goes into it.

So it’s no wonder that after the ceremony and reception are over, you want to just hit the beach for a week and relax on an island somewhere with your new spouse. Of course, finding the right place for your honeymoon doesn’t just happen on its own, either. And with the spread of the Zika virus, even finding somewhere to relax has gotten more stressful for honeymooners who want to start families soon. Fortunately, there are still quite a few islands where you can spend a worry-free…

Top Dive Locations From Around The World
By Damien Martin
Considering oceans cover more than two-thirds of Earth’s surface, there’s no shortage of excellent places to go diving. So any list of the “best” spots is sure to missing a few. They’re like children, it’s hard to pick a favorite. At the risk of leaving off your No. 1, here’s a sampling of top locations around the globe to explore the wonders of the deep in style.

Belize
OK, it’s hard to argue this one doesn’t belong. The Great Blue Hole, almost 1,000 feet wide and more than 400 feet deep, was made famous by Jacques Cousteau. Formed in stages between 15,000 and 150,000 years ago, it’s a basically a big sinkhole about 40 miles off mainland Belize and a marvelous sight to behold. Divers are greeted by midnight parrotfish and Caribbean reef sharks, but the main attraction is the dark, stalactite-filled caverns stretching up from the floor like an underwater cathedral. Just off the mainland is the Belize Barrier Reef, which wowed Char…

Hawaii: Which island is best for you?By Damien MartinIt’s the only U.S. state in the tropics, the most remote island chain in the world and actually made up of more than 100 islands. You can go SCUBA diving well below sea level and go to the top of what is technically the world’s tallest mountain (though most of it is underwater). There are great beaches and great golf courses everywhere, and the weather is just about perfect year-round. No matter how you slice it, Hawaii is pretty awesome. But which island is best for you? Off the eight main islands, Kaho‘olawe is uninhabited, Ni‘ihau is off limits non-Native Hawaiians and Moloka‘i has limited options for accommodations. That leaves five islands that vacationers commonly seek out, each with something unique in store.Hawai‘i, “The Big Island”
By far the largest of the islands, Hawai‘i is made up of five volcanoes and could fit the rest of the islands inside it with room to spare. With Kilauea volcano erupting continuously since 1983 an…

Off the beaten path travel experiences
By Damien Martin So you’ve been up to Machu Picchu, seen all of the big five on safari. You’ve marveled at the beauty of Lake Louise and split a week between London and Paris. You’ve lived out all your Hobbit-related fantasies in New Zealand and been to every cat café in Japan. Yet, you still can’t shake this wanderlust. You need a new adventure, but where haven’t you been yet? Consider these off-the-beaten path destinations for each continent (except Antarctica; you should probably stick to the beaten path there).

North America: Fogo Island, Canada



One of the easternmost spots in North America, Fogo Island in the province Newfoundland and Labrador has fewer than 3,000 inhabitants and is a great destination in each of the seven seasons. Yes, seven. They are: summer (July-August), berry (September-October), late fall (November), winter (December-February), pack ice (March), spring (April-May) and trap berth (June). Each is unique and offers a glimpse …

The Ultimate Safari ExperienceBy Damien Martin
Finding the right safari for you can seem like an exhausting adventure all its own. With so many countries, landscapes and animals to choose from, you might need a vacation from your vacation planning. That’s why it pays to have partners like we at Largay Travel do. Whether it’s the Great Migration that’s caught your fancy or the dunes of Namibia, if you want a custom itinerary designed just for you or a classic safari you can share with a small group, your travel advisor and our preferred partners work with you to plan an unforgettable, un-Google-able experience. Micato Safaris

Whether it’s your first safari or your 10th, Micato will make sure you get to the right place at the right time and still maximize the richness of game viewing. Almost every itinerary includes the big five: lion, elephant, leopard, Cape buffalo and rhinoceros. The Pinto family, which is based in Kenya and has been running safaris for more than 50 years, frequently we…