Crazy Grand Travels (2024)

09/03/2022

Lazing just a kilometre and a half off the rugged Turkish coast, Samos is quietly making itself known as the finest Greek island many people have never heard of. Its cosmopolitan capital, Vathy, where buzzy grill houses and pizza joints line the perimeter of the main central square, stands in stark contrast to its sleepy flagstone fishing villages, where lithe cats twist their bodies around sun-bleached taverna chairs and octopuses are strung out on lines to dry.

The island’s hotel game is set to level up in 2022, with boho-luxe brand Casa Cook opening its latest outpost on Samos in May. With architecture inspired by the traditional buildings found in Samian villages, the (admittedly less family-friendly) adults-only property will be built around a ‘plateia’ designed to replicate a main village square, with multiple swimming pools forming the focal point of each small ‘neighbourhood’.

09/03/2022

Lithuania’s second-largest city is delightfully uncategorisable, fizzing with the sort of energy that clings to those places that are constantly evolving. Here, Art Deco buildings stand hugger-mugger with high modernist structures. Street art emblazons walls that have seen hundreds of years of history and brutalist galleries showcase classic works by Rubens and Rodin.

Kaunas is a place jammed with diverse and off-kilter cultural offerings, from The Devil’s Museum – where you’ll find over 3,000 sculptures, artworks and effigies dedicated to the dark lord – to the Museum of the Blind, set deep in the catacombs of St Michael the Archangel Church, where the sighted can experience an hour in the shoes of someone with sight loss.

09/03/2022

Although international visitors won’t have bums in seats at the Winter Olympics when it’s hosted in Beijing in February, there’s no doubt that the biggest winter-sports event on the planet will lodge wanderlust-shaped seeds in the minds of adventure travellers.

When restrictions do lift, this land of ancient dynasties and sci-fi skyscrapers will be keen to cast off its somewhat chilly exterior, ushering visitors into its temples, back-alley dumpling joints and city gardens where fantastical orchids turn bright heads towards the sun.

09/03/2022

After years of tireless campaigning, the world’s oldest tropical rainforest has been handed back to its traditional Aboriginal owners. The Daintree encompasses many things: a rich reef system, remote villages that luxuriate in the shade of centuries-old trees and a dense UNESCO World Heritage rainforest that drips with triffid-like plants and an Ark’s-worth of bewitchingly bonkers creatures. This ancient ecosystem contains relics of the great Gondwanan forests that carpeted Australia and parts of Antarctica before the continents fractured apart millions of years ago. It has been home to the Eastern Kuku Yalanji people for generations and now, after the historic hand-back, they will manage the national park alongside Queensland’s state government.

08/03/2022

A section of industrial railway in Ukraine, this green leafy tunnel seems like something out of a fairy tale. It is known for being a favorite place for couples to take morning or evening strolls. If you’re planning to surprise your significant other on Valentine’s day, ditch the usual trip to Disneyland and book your trip to Ukraine. You will not be disappointed by everything that Ukraine has to offer, especially if your reason to visit it is to see one of the weirdest places across the world. The beauty of the Tunnel Of Love will astound you.

08/03/2022

The name Deadvlei means ‘dead marsh’ and the place is also known as ‘Dooie Vlei’. It is a sun-blackened dead forest in a white clay pan which is basically a dried oasis. An amazing yet counted as one of the strange places in the world, the lack of water forces the roots of trees to come outside looking for moisture. The struggle is real! The place is surrounded by rust-orange giant sand dunes that form a contrasting backdrop. This place is also said to be surrounded by the highest sand dunes in the world.

08/03/2022

Spotted Lake Khiluk is the most mineralized lake in the world. Another bizarre place that makes it to the weirdest places across the world. The lake is spotted with 365 separate pools arranged in a strange mosaic-like pattern. Each of these spots holds a unique and highly concentrated chemical content and is said to cure different diseases. Definitely one of the nicer strangest places in the world.

08/03/2022

One of the top weirdest places across the world is located in Potosí and Oruro departments, this is the world’s largest salt pan and one of the strange places in the world. And when a thin film of water gathers on the surface it is also the world’s largest natural mirror. The best sight of this space can be observed from the central Incahuasi Island. Salar De Uyuni is the remains of a prehistoric lake that dried off and left behind void space of bright-white salt, rock formations, and cacti-islands. This place harbors large flocks of beautiful pink flamingos that can be seen grazing in the water. The best time to visit this place is in the months of July and October. This is definitely one of the most strange places in the world.

02/03/2022

Alentejo, Portugal
I call the road to the sea through Portugal’s Alentejo region the place where the beatniks read Pessoa; you can imagine Kerouac breezing through its small hotels, surf camps, and villages scattered with craft shops, markets, and bohemian bars. For me it’s a place of happiness. There are boutique hotels like São Lourenço do Barrocal and Dá Licença and olive groves, cork oaks, and infinite horizons. The road ends at Vicentine Coast National Park, a wild, protected coastline in southern Europe. A paradise for surfers, it has electrifying sunsets, but the icy waters stop it from ever getting too crowded.

02/03/2022

Rio de Janeiro
If you were to hook the city of Rio de Janeiro up to a cardiogram, the needle would swing off the page. The city thrums with live samba and bossa nova at all hours of the day; the bustling streets, bookended by the dramatic rise of granite monoliths on one end and the pounding waves of the Atlantic on the other, have a pulse all their own. It's easy to feel this when you're amid throngs of colorfully clad cariocas—I feel it most swaying to the live music at Pedra do Sal on Monday nights, or when, perched in the leafy hilltop neighborhood of Santa Teresa, I hear people in neighborhoods below lean out their windows to cheer when Flamengo scores a goal. It's a complicated city, with plenty of issues—insecurity, corruption, inequity, to name just a few—but there's a premium on joy and celebration that isn't reserved for Carnaval.

02/03/2022

Strung across the Indian Ocean southwest of India and Sri Lanka, the 26 natural atolls of the Maldives exude an almost surreal beauty. This is due, in large part, to the luminous blue waters that surround them. If slipping into the crystal-clear, soul-warming sea is a top criteria for your perfect tropical vacation, this is the place to do it – water comprises 99 percent of the Maldives. Paradoxically, it also threatens to inundate the shores of this low-lying island nation.

Male is the capital city, but most visitors head straight out to one of the remote atolls, where luxury resorts and bone-white beaches fringed by aquamarine waters await. Diving and snorkeling are world-class, and the Maldives is also a top surfing destination. The most popular surf spots are in the North and South Male Atolls.

25/02/2022

Banff National Park, Canada
Easily one of the most beautiful spots in Canada, Banff National Park overwhelms with views of the Canadian Rockies and a regular cast of wildlife. The park is also known for its abundance of beautiful lakes, including Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, and glacial Lake Minnewanka—each more pristine than the last.

25/02/2022

Antelope Canyon, Arizona
Antelope Canyon is a slot canyon (and serious Instagram darling) in the American Southwest. Its Navajo name translates to “the place where water runs through rocks”—an allusion to the canyon’s creation through erosion. The narrow, undulating spaces between rock formations allow for vivid patterns when sunlight filters through the striated stone.

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25/02/2022

Angel Falls, Venezuela
Venezuela overflows with natural wonders, including the world's highest waterfall: the 3,212-foot cascades of Angel Falls, located in the UNESCO-protected Canaima National Park. Canaima is by far the country's most popular attraction, and the falls stretch an astounding 19 times higher than Niagara Falls. Bonus: Pixar animators used the location as inspiration for Paradise Falls in Up—so you know it's good.

22/02/2022

The Amalfi Coast's beauty made it a darling of Hollywood actors in the mid-20th century. Sofia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor, Clark Gable and Grace Kelly all spent time and money vacationing in this astonishing region.

You don't have to be a millionaire to visit, but being willing to pay a bit more will open up the Amalfi Coast of the elite, which is extremely exclusive and fairly difficult to reach. It is even more beautiful than the touristy parts of the region, since you won't be competing for space on the small beaches or worry about crowds blocking the surreal views.

Yachts, the best of Italian food and high-end shopping are also part of the experience.

22/02/2022

Yes, Antarctica already appeared on this list, but the Arctic Circle is completely different. Both places may be frozen, but the North Pole is actually teeming with life.

A trip to the region, whether through Canada, Alaska, Greenland, Scandinavia or Russia, takes you to some of the most remote towns in the world. It also brings you face to face with species like polar bears and narwhals, the only whales that cannot be held in captivity.

But what truly makes the Arctic Circle worth spending multiple five figures on is the northern lights. This natural light show is as evasive as it is magical. There are no guarantees that you will ever get to see it, yet people take the expensive chance for an experience that cannot be explained with words.

22/02/2022

Perhaps the most luxurious destination in the U.S., Hawaii is every traveler's dream. But a vacation in this collection of paradisiacal islands rarely comes cheap.

Break the piggy bank and go for the experience of sleeping right by the ocean. As you spend time in one of the best wellness destinations in the world, don't neglect to do local spa treatments or join a yoga class in your hotel.

And remember to actually experience the beautiful islands outside of your hotel and to learn about native Hawaiian culture.

22/02/2022

In the past decade, the Maldives has become the poster child for luxury vacations. Hundreds of private resorts scattered among the country's more than a thousand islands have helped cement this image.

This is where the overwater bungalow reigns supreme. If that bungalow has a slide that leads straight into the ocean, even better. Most resorts operate on all-inclusive luxury vacation packages and offer the opportunity for scuba diving, paddle boarding and stargazing.

There are also several underwater restaurants around the country, for fine dining with a twist.

22/02/2022

There are many places in the world with white sand and turquoise water, but only in the Whitsundays do these two appear to mix together in milky swirls.

To make these Australian islands even more special, they are near the Great Barrier Reef, providing visitors with a once-in-a-lifetime diving opportunity.

Though most of the islands are uninhabited, several have luxury resorts, including an underwater hotel that lets you sleep surrounded by the teeming life of the reef.

22/02/2022

Transport Andalucia's astonishing Moorish architecture to an idyllic Mediterranean island, and you get Majorca.

Though fairly small, the island has plenty of historical landmarks as well as modern cultural institutions and absolutely incredible landscapes. Because this really is the golden child of Spain, the capital Palma is also a huge party town, where you won't be bored for a single second.

But unlike in neighboring Ibiza, Majorca is big enough that you can get away from the noise and go to a quiet fishing village if you so wish.

Crazy Grand Travels

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