6 Tips for Traveling Sustainably Without Sacrificing Luxury

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When we travel, we know that we should think about the impact we have on the environment. At the same time, this is our vacation and we know we can only be our best selves if we have the opportunity to relax and enjoy! So how do you combine eco-travel with luxury travel? It’s easier than you think! Here are our top 6 ways to travel sustainably without sacrificing luxury:

#1 Reframe What “Eco Travel” Means to You

With a little bit of reframing, you can expand what sustainable travel means. Comfort is more about just the luxury amenities. It’s about your overall level of relaxation, good sleep, amazing food, and feeling connected to your destination.

Green or Eco travel is asking you to slow down and really experience the places you’re in. Connect with the locals, prioritize environmental responsibility and waste reduction when choosing providers, and focus on that deep connection.

#2 Stay in Eco-Luxury Accommodations

What is an Eco-Luxury Accommodation? These are hotels, resorts, and boutique hotels, that offer all the comforts you expect from a luxury hotel experience. And, they also integrate sustainable practices into their operations. You may see an effort to reduce waste, reduce consumption, and minimize their impact on the local environment.

Plunge pool & forest on the Nayara Springs deck
We often send clients to the sustainable-focused Nayara Springs in Costa Rica

This may show up in eco amenities like refreshing locally-produced water instead of plastic bottles. Or restaurants that feature made-to-order dishes to reduce food waste, using only locally produced ingredients. You can see sustainable luxury in the details of the hotel as well. Whether it’s stunning exhibitions of world-renowned glass artists creating sculptures from upcycled bottles, or using local, sustainably sourced high-quality wood or stones to build their structures.

How can you tell if the accommodation is eco-friendly? It will take a bit of research ( or you can ask your friendly neighborhood travel advisor to do it for you! ) You want to see if they are transparent about how they are measuring their positive and negative impacts. Look for locally owned hotels rather than the big global hotel brands. And check for scientifically backed certifications from EarthCheck, Green Globe, LEED, and Greenview.

#3 Focus on Supporting the Locals

Everyone is looking for those “hidden gems” to avoid the crowds and have a unique adventure experience. But there’s an extra benefit to beating out the crowds – supporting local economies. Shop at small locally-owned stores, and get your souvenirs from local artisans and markets. This way, you are putting money back into the town or city you’re visiting and getting a unique item for yourself!

If you decide that you want to go to a more popular destination, traveling in the off-season is a great choice. Shoulder season travel will put less strain on local resources.

a woman taking cooking lessons in Thailand

The last thing you can do is take time to learn about the culture and make small connections. One of our favorite experiences while traveling in Italy is going back to the same café each morning for a coffee. In Thailand, connecting with the locals through cooking classes and their cuisine is unforgettable.

[Photo Credit: Marissa & Derek via Shared Adventures Travel – read about their adventure in Thailand here!]

#4 Start At Home While Packing

Maybe you feel that eco-luxury accommodation isn’t the right fit for you and your calendar requires you to go to a big famous city in the high season. You can still enjoy eco-luxury travel by bringing the finest eco-travel items in your suitcase. Invest in a stylish reusable water bottle. Check that your toiletries, bug sprays, and sunscreens are eco- and reef- friendly. Pack light to avoid extra baggage and use travel containers or reusable utensils when visiting delectable street markets!

#5 Take a Close Look at the Animal Welfare

If you’re excited for your adventure to Southern or Eastern Africa, Southeast Asia, or Central America you are probably looking forward to some animal-focused activities! Of course, the best way to utilize eco-luxury for these incredible experiences is a bit of research (or using your travel advisor!) Look for the following:

–          Keeping a safe distance from the wildlife and keeping any interactions respectful.

–          Ask if the guides are trained to avoid or minimize any stress and what their long-term plan is for the animals and local communities.

–          Stick to small tours that are less visited and not over-crowded

–          If you are going to have an interaction with the animal, focus on sanctuaries that work towards sustainability and release. And sanctuaries that clearly prioritize the welfare of the animals over the enjoyment of the tourists.

A lot of this information you’ll be able to find on their website, or through trusted third-party operators. Take a look at their socials and see how the animals are being treated and interacting with guests if at all. And remember, you can always email and ask questions – any truly ethical tour won’t have anything to hide.

Ann had an incredible experience in Chiang Mai Thailand. She was given special clothing to wear and walked gently with the elephants. It was clear that the elephants were able to exhibit normal behavior and had a large area to roam.

Ann next to an Elephant at the sanctuary in Thailand

#6  Consider Your Emissions

We’ve all been told to consider our carbon emissions but what does that have to do with luxury travel?

Because the most climate-expensive part of a flight is take-off and landing, splurging for those direct flights is a great way to reduce your emissions. Plus, a direct flight will be much more enjoyable for you!

The best way to see a city is to bike or walk and with a thoughtful local guide, you can enjoy unique experiences while producing minimal emissions.

The interior of a sleeping car in the Venice Simplon Orient Express train - couch, seating are and bed with dark polished wood and gold trim

Similarly, there are some incredible train trips to take now! You can stay in a luxury carriage on the Orient Express. Or, travel through incredibly beautiful landscapes without contributing too much to pollution on the Bernina Express. This is the new-old luxury.

Try also some farm-to-table dining, focused on food that is produced in the local area surrounding the restaurant! This reduces emissions and lets you taste some of the most incredible food of your life.

Are you ready to plan a luxurious eco trip? To stay in the best accommodation, with incredible local experiences? Finding those hidden gems and getting to brag to all your friends that it’s a sustainably responsible trip to boot? Let us know! We love to do the research for you to help you get the most out of your eco-luxury adventure.

Packing Tips for Multi-Country Travel

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If you’re planning a multi-country adventure, from the sunny Italian seaside to the snowy French Alps, or through Austria, Germany, and the UK, some amount of packing and unpacking along the way will be unavoidable. So, what is the best way to pack and prepare your suitcase to ensure it doesn’t become a cumbersome part of your adventure? And how should you pack for multiple climates? Here are our top Multi-Country Packing Tips:

WHAT TO PACK

a rainbow across the rainy green hills of Snowdonia Wales

Check The Weather Forecast

It’s easy to have a preconception of what the climate will be like in a given destination. Then, you pack, only to find out when you arrive that they are having some unseasonably hot or cold weather. Before you start packing, take time to look up the forecasted weather in your destinations. Then you can focus on packing only what you need.

Pack Versatile Layers

When packing light or for multiple climates, layers are key. Bring versatile clothing that you can dress up or down, that can easily mix and match, and that can be worn as second or third layers depending on the weather. Consider a lightweight jacket that is also waterproof – something you would wear on a cloudless night out but also in a light rain shower.

Consider a Travel-size Steamer

If you’re packing to save space, rolling thinner clothes, and compressing thicker items, then a little travel steamer is an easy way to go wrinkle-free. Just remember you’ll probably also need an electrical converter/adaptor.

HOW TO PACK

A Bag For Everything and Everything In Its Bag

people walking down the cobblestone streets of Bologna with carry-on luggage

Normally, travel gurus tote compression bags as the best way to save space – and they’re not wrong! BUT compression bags and packing cubes serve an even more important purpose when you have a lot of unpacking/ packing to do – keeping everything organized.

Don’t spend time digging through your suitcase every time you need a specific shirt. And don’t unpack your whole suitcase at each destination. Sort your bags/cubes by destination and activity. When you arrive in a new location, all you need to do is pull out one specific bag and leave the rest of your suitcase already packed and ready to go!

Finally, when we say a bag for everything, we mean everything! Think beyond just clothes and get a little bag for electronics, airplane essentials, day-trip items, a compression bag for laundry, a shoe bag, and a toiletry bag.

Ditch the Nooks and Crannies Process

It’s so tempting to try to maximize space by storing smaller items like sunglasses, phone cables, and jewelry in the nooks and crannies left in your suitcase after you’ve packed all your clothing. If you’re traveling to multiple countries and destinations, ditch this method! It’s only a recipe for losing or forgetting things. Keep everything in its proper bag and ensure you put it back in the same place every night. The only exception is socks – they can go in your shoes. Make it easy to see if anything small is missing. 

a backpack with three small bags in order to better organize your carryon

Don’t Forget to Organize Your Carry On

We have a PDF checklist of what should go in your carry-on, but make sure that it stays organized in there as well. You want to ensure your essentials and valuables stay with you, and you can easily reach for what you need without too much digging. 

Create a Checklist for the Most Important Items

When you’re on the go every few nights, it increases the chance you’ll leave something behind. Things like phone cables, passports, medication, jewelry, and wallets should be on your out-the-door list that you check before you leave. Put your hand physically on the item and say aloud, “ I packed my X” to ensure you really have it, and you remember later that you did.

If you feel ready to embark on a fabulous multi-destination adventure – Let us know! We’re always excited to help our clients create the best vacation possible.

Multi-Country Train Travel

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Train trips are back in fashion and we think they’re fantastic! They’re a great way to see the scenic countryside, and to easily move between multiple countries and destinations. Plus, they’re an adventure in themselves and eco-friendly! What more could you ask for?

In the U.S. we don’t have as extensive a passenger rail network as you’ll find in other parts of the world, so you might not be tuned in to the beauty of using train travel to your advantage while on vacation. If you have considered train travel, or if you know you’d like to see many countries in one adventure and aren’t sure how yet – this is the perfect beginner’s guide to multi-country train travel.

There are four main types of train travel, particularly in Europe. The first step to your multi-country adventure is figuring out which style of train trip you’d like to take!

Point-to-Point & Night Trains

Best For: Confident travelers or those working with a travel advisor. Flexible schedules or when you have a very specific list of places you want to see.

This is the most complex way to use trains, but also the most flexible. That is because you’re booking multiple specific trains to multiple specific places throughout your trip. You can decide exactly which cities you visit and when with this kind of train trip. This style is easiest when you have your friendly neighborhood travel advisor to help you (ahem – reach out here!).

You can piece your itinerary together by utilizing the local train websites, or your travel advisor can do it for you. On some legs of the trip, you may want to consider a night train. You’ll need to visit specific night-train companies like Nightjet or European Sleeper.

Utilizing night trains will not only save you the cost of a hotel – they’re an efficient way to travel if you’re short on time. Instead of spending a whole day of vacation traveling, you arrive at a new destination after a good night’s sleep!

Popular night train routes:


Munich, Germany – Bologna, Italy
Vienna, Austria – Rome, Italy
Salzburg, Austria – Florence, Italy


Brussels, Belgium – Prague, Czechia
Copenhagen, Denmark – Stockholm, Sweden
Stockholm, Sweden – Oslo, Norway

Eurail Global Pass

Best For: Those who want to see as many places as possible in a shorter amount of time.

a red train traveling next to stunning blue lake through a mountainous valley in Switzerland

The Eurail Global Pass is another way to customize your train trip but with a bit more structure and regulation. It is essentially Interrailing for travelers living outside the EU. It lets you hop on and hop off the trains with an all-in-one ticket so you don’t have to buy a separate ticket for each leg of the journey. It’s important to note, however, that during peak times on popular routes you may want to pay extra for pre-assigned seats on certain trains.

There are several Pass options. From traveling every day within a given timeframe (i.e. each day of 2 weeks) to travel a certain number of days on a more flexible basis ( ie. Any 10 days within 2 months).

Popular Eurrail Routes:


European Capitals: London – Paris – Brussels – Amsterdam – Berlin – Prague – Vienna – Budapest – Belgrade – Sofia. (You can break this up into any section to hit just a few of these amazing cities.)

Food and drink adventure: San Sebastian – Barcelona -Lyon – Geneva -Bologna -Graz


Off the beaten path adventure: Helsinki – Tallinn – Riga – Vilnius – Warsaw – Krakow – Budapest

A mix of classic & new: Milan – Verona –
Venice – Trieste – Ljubljana – Zagreb.

Specialty Trains

Best For: Those who want a luxury train trip, where it’s as much about the journey as the destination.

These trains include our favorite luxury trains. They are an experience in and of themselves, and you can consider them a bit like a land cruise. Specialty trains are a single train with multiple stops or countries on its route.

The interior of a sleeping car in the Venice Simplon Orient Express train - couch, seating are and bed with dark polished wood and gold trim

These specialty trains include the Venice Simplon Orient Express. Which goes from Paris to Venice in one night ( a luxury sleeper),

The Eastern and Oriental Express which travels through Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. This unique train journeys through natural landscapes and parts of Southeast Asia that you rarely see in typical travel. The train is luxurious and there’s time to get off and explore at each stop.

And The Ghan, which travels across the continent of Australia from Adelaide to Darwin. A two-day mammoth journey through incredible landscapes.

Pre-Packaged Trips

Best If: You’ve never traveled outside the country before, or if you’re traveling in a large group.

The middle ground between Point-to-point and Specialty trains. Pre-packaged trips take different trains and have more flexibility a single special train, but they are still specific routes on specific dates. They’re a bit like your classic bus tour, only via rail.

There are several providers of these trips – which your travel advisor will work with. They pre-plan a route, hotels, and some activities for you so you don’t have to worry about any of the details. Sometimes they will have a guide who helps you every step of the way. And sometimes they are a bit more independent, without a guide but still with an assistance call line available.

a red train traveling through snowy mountains towards the matterhorn in Switzerland

Whether you choose an escorted tour with a guide or a pre-packaged tour on your own, you get the joy of traveling by train without worrying about multiple tickets, where you’re going next, or how you’re getting there. It’s all taken care of before you go.

The drawback of these kinds of trips is that they have specific dates and schedules already set. As with cruises and big bus tours, these trips have less flexibility and require you to fit with their itinerary instead of the other way around.

Popular pre-packaged trips:

London – Lille- Nimes- Valencia- Andalucia – Seville – Cordoba

Zurich -Lucerne – Interlaken – Zermatt


Rome – Venice – Salzburg – Munich

Madrid -Seville -Cordoba – Granada – Malaga – Barcelona

Zurich -St. Moritz – Zermatt -Basel

Which style of train travel appeals most to you? Once you decide the best style of travel for your perfect adventure – the rest falls into place! If you’re ready to enjoy an epic multi-country train adventure, let us know! We’re always here to help.

Top European Destinations to Visit with Kids

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As a family, it can be difficult to decide which European country you want to visit first! You want to minimize the stress, you need it to work within your budget, and — above all – you want ensure that your kids will have fun and want to go back. While every country will bring something special to your family vacation, some are more family-friendly than others. These are our top European Destinations for Family Travel:

Best For All Ages:

Italy

Italy has an extremely child-friendly culture, making it a great place to take your toddlers and young kids. They’ll be welcome in restaurants and cafes. There’s plenty of room for them to run and explore in piazzas, parks, beaches, and castles. And the food will delight even the pickiest eater. Tweens and teens will enjoy Italy’s iconic sites, stunning beaches, great shopping, and incredible museums. The older kids will be able to appreciate Italian culture and beautiful art as they adventure throughout the country.

[Photo Credit: R via Shared Adventures – read about their family vacation in Italy here!]

UK & Ireland

Both these countries are great for families of all ages. The tweens and teens will recognize lots of places that feature in media, films, and TV. They’ll love the shopping and sites from Castles to Great Halls. All ages will delight in high tea and the younger kids will have plenty of wild nature to run around in. Being English-speaking countries, these are also great starting points if you haven’t traveled much as a family before.

Greece

Like Italy, Greek culture is very child-friendly. You don’t have to worry about the noise your littlest ones are making, as they are welcome in all aspects of life. The cuisine varies from simple meats and veggies for toddlers and young kids, to new and exciting flavors for the more adventurous. Older kids will be fascinated by Athens and the ancient Greek ruins, as they see their history lessons come to life. And everyone will be in awe at the beauty of the islands.

[Photo Credit: Saara Sanamo via Unsplash]

Best for Toddlers

Malta

Life in Malta is slower and you can travel at a more comfortable pace with your toddler. This small island nation packs a punch but not so much that you feel you need to rush around and see it all. There are stunning beaches, cute little towns and interesting architectural sites. This is a great place to have a relaxing family vacation.

Portugal

Known for its welcoming locals and positive attitudes around kids, your toddler will be more than welcome in all the hotels and restaurants. The flight from the US is relatively short and the weather is usually sunny.

[Photo Credit: Vita Marija Murenaite via Unsplash]

Spain

With an extremely child-friendly culture, your toddler will be welcome everywhere. There will be children playing around the terraces at restaurants and the locals won’t mind one bit. There are lots of child-friendly places to visit, and adults can enjoy the activities with their kids. The beaches are stunning and the pace of life is easy.

Best for Young Kids

Prague

One of Europe’s most picturesque cities, Prague offers stunning architecture, rich history and a less expensive family adventure. It’s a great choice for young kids because of the huge variety of activities. From interesting museums to nature walks, cool bridges and lots of family-friendly parks. Prague is a perfect city stay for young families as it gives you a classic European city vibe but it is more tranquil and less crowded than other better-known cities.

Norway

Perfect for young kids who love the outdoors. It’s one of the safest countries in the world and has superb air quality. There are world-class playgrounds, open-air museums, and lots of beautiful nature to enjoy. Young kids love taking cable cars up the mountains and enjoying easy hikes through incredible landscapes.

[Photo Credit: Juliane Lieberman via Unsplash]

Copenhagen

With beautiful views, canals, and colorful houses, Copenhagen will delight your little ones. There are lots of green spaces to enjoy in the summer. And plenty of kid-friendly attractions, including the famous Tivoli Gardens. There are great bike tours and long daylight hours perfect for young kids.

Best for Tweens & Teens

Germany

Super family-friendly, tweens and teens will enjoy the fun and charm of Germany. There are fabulous museums and impressive cathedrals. You’ll find stunning Castles and sprawling gardens. Older kids will be able to enjoy the museums, architecture, and history of the country. And transportation from place to place within the country is easy on their train system.

France

Home to some of the most famous museums, arts, and landmarks, tweens and teens will really be able to appreciate France. They’ll enjoy the food and be able to absorb and understand seeing such a different culture. There’s plenty to do, interesting tours, and amazing foodie experiences. And if they can learn and use a few words of French, the locals will be appreciative!

[Photo Credit: Sabrina via Shared Adventures – read about their mother-daughter trip to London and Paris here!]

Iceland

Best for teens and tweens who love the great outdoors. All the amazing natural beauty and outdoor activities are best suited for older kids who can understand the power of Mother Nature. Older kids can enjoy the more demanding activities like ice caves, glacier hiking, and whale spotting. Plus they’ll be able to relax in the lagoons and thermal baths.

Are you and your family ready to embark on an incredible European Adventure? Let us know – we’ll take care of all the details!

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You provided excellent guidance for us. I appreciated that you really had us think about what was most important to us when we were selecting the right cruise – and not to totally focus on what other people had to say. THANK YOU for helping to make this a memorable trip for our family! It really was a trip of a lifetime!

– Clare and Mark (family cruise to Alaska)

The level of service we experienced was out of this world (and we did NOT make it easy on Ann). We weren’t quite sure where we wanted to go, when we would be able to go, or what “vibe” we were going for. After asking us some key questions (what we liked, didn’t like, why, etc.) Ann helped us narrow down our trip details and planned the honeymoon of our dreams. She helped book some of our excursions, answered some emergency questions while abroad and was always available/willing to help. I think it’s safe to say we won’t be using anyone else for future travel planning – Ann is a rockstar!

– Carli (Italy and Spain)