1
LA TBOHÈME
I speak to you about a time/that those under 20/could not know/Montmartre in those times/would hang its lilacs/just beneath our windows. So that was a poor English translation of one of the most nostalgia-inducing songs ever written, no matter how old you are, by Charles Aznavour, a French singer. The song is called La Bohème. Let’s be clear, however, he could have been singing about Tbilsi (though I’d be curious how he’d work that capital name in a song – seems sort of awkward to pronounce, it gets me every time!). With that said, according to National Geographic Tbilisi is panning out to be every bit of Bohemia as Montmartre in the spring: “Few cities are as gleefully chaotic as Tbilisi, the capital of the Black Sea nation of Georgia. A onetime Silk Road capital, this sprawling city of 1.1 million is as eclectic as it is dynamic. The Old Town — also called Kala — with its traditional pastel houses and wooden balconies, flows seamlessly into the Art Nouveau neighborhood of Sololaki, where every ezo (courtyard) seems to reveal a new speakeasy bar or tucked-away café. You can spend the day hitting the museums and theaters housed in the impressive neoclassical architecture along Rustaveli Avenue, or spend your nights dancing until dawn at powerhouse nightclubs like Bassiani, located underneath a historic soccer stadium. While the city is small enough to be covered in a weekend, its architectural eclecticism, thriving restaurant and bar scene, and wealth of cultural offerings make it worth a much longer stay.” Et, voilà! Or, as they say in Georgian: აქ არის.
2
SIMPLY THE BEST, BETTER THAN ALL OTHER TREKS
Can anyone tell me how many national parks there are in the US? 61. Good job, smarty pants. Now, can you name them all? Or even 10 of them? Ha! Got you. I can’t tell you either though I may get close to 10. Either way, if you ever wondered, here is a list of them all, and the best hikes to be had in each. For me it would be a hike just to get to the closest one! From Outside Magazine, The Best Hike in Every National Park: “At 23 miles one-way, Under the Rim Trail is the longest in Bryce. Take two days to experience the best of the Paunsaugant Plateau’s hoodoo rock spires. Tackle most of the 5,000 feet in elevation change early by starting at Rainbow Point—you can arrange a shuttle there with the Park Service, free with your entry fee.” Bryce Canyon, that would be on my top to visit list. Don’t worry though, there are shorter treks on the list as well.
3
CHILLIN’ LIKE A VILLAIN
With all that hiking and trekking, or just talking of hiking and trekking, let’s shift our focus away from the vigorous to more chill, something that Forbes magazine is absolutely well-known for. Absolutely. If you don’t believe me, you’ll believe me after you take a list of the top beaches it has compiled. To be honest with you, I’ve seen many similar lists, but this is probably one of the better ones, and the pics are just dreamy to go with it too: “The top two ranking beaches can both be found around the Caribbean, with Grace Bay in the Turks and Caicos Islands taking the top spot, scoring 96 out of 100, closely followed by Pink Sands Beach on Harbor Island in the Bahamas with 91. While both scored full marks in visitor ratings, Pink Sands can only muster an average 223 days of sunshine a year compared to Grace Bay’s 319. Third spot went to Anse Source D’Argent on La Digue Island in the gorgeous Seychelles (and my personal favorite), which scored well for weather, restaurants and activities.” Do me and yourself a favor – Google image some of these.
4
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR REFUNDED TICKS
Ever buy a plane ticket and almost immediately regretted it. Well, if you (and your airline) know your traveler rights well most should honor making the change within a 24-hour period. However, what if you booked a flight, went partying for 24 hours (I’m not saying this has ever happened to me though it could have – I can’t remember), then what do you? Well, our good friend, The Points Guy, has put a list of tips and trick to get the non-refundable ticket refunded: “Earlier this summer, my family had a trip booked to Lisbon on Delta Air Lines. We booked seven months in advance and within that time frame our flight schedule changed four times. Our 9:45 p.m. flight from Boston was eventually rescheduled to depart at 8:02 p.m. On the return from Lisbon, our originally scheduled 10:45 a.m. flight was shifted almost three hours earlier and we ended up with a 7:40 a.m. departure. Although I never wanted to cancel my flight, if a situation had popped up that required us to cancel our vacation, I could have easily changed or cancelled our flights without a fee from Delta. Delta’s policy allows for you to change your flight if it has a departure or arrival delay of 30+ minutes or an early departure of 15+ minutes. You must change your flight for the same day of travel. You may cancel the flight and receive a full refund from Delta if the flight departure or arrival changes by 90 minutes or if the routing changes and at least one stop is added to the itinerary.” Check out the rest of them.
5
DROP THEM LIKE THEIR HOT
Trendsetting influencers. I imagine we’ve all seen them in action, taking the perfect pose meditating on three fingers by a cliff at sunset. And, some of you reading this now, may actually be trendsetting influencers yourselves (oh, if you are, mind ‘gramming’ my newsletter?). But, alas, the heyday of trendsetting influence is nearing saturation. Those who pay trendsetting influencer wages are becoming more picky and stingy as they evolve the way they think about creating influence. CNN does a good job of describing the evolution and future of becoming a trendsetting influencer: “Trips or freebies often cover luxury experiences, meaning considerable outlay for the hotel or tourism body involved. A night in the Serenity Club Junior Suite Ocean Front at Haven Resort in Cancun, Mexico, costs between $500 and $900 depending on the season. The Insta-famous Marina Bay Sands in Singapore can be upwards of $720 a night. That means extra pressure in finding the right influencer to convey the relevant message — particularly when the aim is to deliver real-time social media exposure.
Thanks,
Joe Naaman
Managing Editor, Waywinds
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