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10 Slow Travel Experiences To Try This Year

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 For most people, travel usually comes with a checklist of to-do’s—museums to browse, landmarks to seek, restaurants to try. Ticking off all of those must-sees can have you whirling from sunrise to sunset. And while there’s merit in traversing about town to “do it all,” sometimes the best way to connect with the people, food, and culture of a destination is to take it easy. Why not test new ground with one of these slow travel experiences?—Katarina Kovacevic

PHOTO: Francesco Mencarelli

A Laidback Agriturismo Visit

WHERE: Umbria, Italy

Italy’s Umbrian countryside is known as the nation’s “green heart” and is popular for its lush rolling hills, foraged truffles, and local wine. The mother-daughter duo behind Il Fontanaro puts the region’s finest delicacies quite literally at your fingertips with their hands-on cooking and olive oil classes. Spend a full day with the culinary masters inside their kitchen kneading pasta, slow-simmering farm-fresh tomato ragú, and whipping together their family recipe for tiramisu, then enjoy the fruits of your labor with an al fresco lunch topped with your fill of homemade vino.

PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Umbria and The Marches Travel Guide

PHOTO: dvoevnore/Shutterstock

A Foodie Bike Trip

WHERE: Burgundy, France

Even the French would consider Burgundy the core of their traditional gourmet culture. A multi-day bike trip through the historic province with VBT is a totally immersive experience. Highlighting the bounty of Burgundy’s farm-to-table ethos, the 10-day excursion takes you along scenic canals and through ancient vineyards with stops including a Michelin-starred dinner in Tournus and a visit to Dijon’s bustling central market. Traveling with a local guide, you’ll learn all about Burgundy’s terroir and sample plenty of its quintessential meats, cheeses, wine, and liqueurs.

PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Burgundy Travel Guide

PHOTO: Destination Geauga courtesy of Little Pond Graphics

An Escape From Tech

WHERE: Middlefield, Ohio

These days, simplicity is truly a luxury. Ditch the modern pressures of a too-wired world and live tech-free—for a few hours, at least—in Ohio’s Amish Country. Take a slow drive along winding back roads and stay a weekend to bask in the area’s quaint and distinct offerings: A leisurely, home-cooked Amish family meal, shopping for handcrafted furniture, and fresh-from-the-tree maple syrup tastings in the spring or apple butter in the fall. Wineries and cheese houses are also a staple in this pocket of the U.S., which is home to the world’s largest Amish settlement.

PHOTO: Belmond

Relaxation on Rails

WHERE: The Scottish Highlands

Onboard the Belmond Royal Scotsman luxury train, you can indulge in stress-relieving spa treatments between stopovers thanks to its new Bamford Haybarn Spa. Kick back for a facial reflexology session or hot stone massage and listen as the carriage chugs melodically through the Scottish Highlands, taking you and just 35 other rail-riders to and from local landmarks like Glamis Castle and Royal Dornoch Golf Club. Journeys range from two to seven nights.

PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Northern Highlands and Western Isles Travel Guide

PHOTO: Don Riddle Images

Desert Art Studio Tour

WHERE: Scottsdale, Arizona

Cattle Track Arts Compound opened in 1936 and is still somewhat of a local secret. Tucked into a typical suburban Scottsdale neighborhood, the discreet creative enclave is home to some of Arizona’s most forward-thinking artists, jewelers, and craftspeople. Plan a trip around one of its intimate special exhibits or concerts, or arrange for a private tour of the artists’ studios. You’ll be privy to a behind-the-scenes look at Cattle Track’s efforts to preserve and celebrate authentic Arizona heritage.

PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Scottsdale Travel Guide

PHOTO: Banyan Tree Lang Co

Fishing With Locals

WHERE: Lăng Cô, Vietnam

Learn customary, old-world fishing techniques straight from the anglers of Vietnam’s Lang Co Bay on Banyan Tree Lang Co’s half-day boat excursion tour. You’ll visit Canh Duong beach and a local fishing village before exploring the region’s iconic mangroves in a traditional Vietnamese basket boat, all the while taking in the local lore and studying up on the social and economic importance of preserving such customs.

PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Vietnam Travel Guide

PHOTO: Destination Canada/Brian Caissie

Oceanside Storm Watching

WHERE: Tofino, British Columbia

Known for its ancient rainforest and ecological diversity (you can also surf here year-round), Tofino’s list of outdoor opps is endless: kayaking, whale-spotting, hiking, and even storm-watching, to name a few. The latter takes place in Pacific Rim National Park, where unobstructed vistas offer prime viewing of the storms as they barrel into Vancouver Island’s rocky western shoreline. Storms peak between November and January, and Tofino gets approximately 16 feet of annual rainfall.

PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Vancouver Island Travel Guide

PHOTO: Devour Spain

Walking Tapas Tour

WHERE: Malaga, Spain

Sip and see your way through Malaga’s rich and delicious Mediterranean history with Devour Malaga’s Foodie Feast & Cultural Walking Tour. Dining with locals at the best under-the-radar and family-run restaurants, you’ll meet the Spanish masters behind your food, stopping at a traditional breakfast café, local Atarazanas market, and your guide’s favorite tapas bar. Plus, take in the city’s most significant landmarks and its best-kept secrets, from ancient hidden plazas to the tiny bustling alleyways.

PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Malaga Travel Guide

PHOTO: Oscity/Shutterstock

Explore Protected Ocean Waters

WHERE: San Luis Obispo, California

Kayak the protected ocean waters around Morro Bay with the aces at Central Coast Outdoors and you’ll likely spot elephant seals, sea otters, and maybe even a heron or two while you paddle. The day’s tide and wildlife activity is what decides your route, but each excursion ends with a leisurely trek through the area’s famous sand dunes, where the ultimate reward is a panoramic ocean view.

PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s San Luis Obispo Travel Guide

PHOTO: Sanctuary Retreats

Asian River Cruise

WHERE: Irrawaddy River, Myanmar

One of the benefits of a river cruise is that it necessitates a smaller ship, which means fewer crowds and a more relaxed atmosphere. The Sanctuary Ananda has just 21 suites, each one with a private balcony for optimal viewing of Myanmar’s ancient golden temples and iconic fishing villages on stilts. You won’t even need to fight crowds when you port; the ship takes you along the Irrawaddy River’s most mysterious pagodas, palaces, and monasteries, to the villages and ancient towns visitors rarely see.

PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor’s Myanmar Travel Guide

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Travel Tips

The Luxurious Way to Experience Tokyo’s Cherry Blossom Season

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cherry blossoms

Palace Hotel Tokyo’s Blossoming Tokyo package immerses guests in the beautiful cherry blossoms that bloom throughout the city during the spring months. Over the course of a three-hour tour, guests will be chauffeured to Tokyo’s most scenic sakura-spotting locales in a luxury car.

Interested in taking your Instagram to the next level? The hotel’s concierge can, at an additional charge, arrange for a professional to photograph guests among the blossoms. No filters necessary!

The package (which features additional add-ons such as a workshop on mochi making, a lesson on the art of flower arranging, as well as a seasonal bento box lunch tasting) is available from March 1 through May 31.

To learn more about the Blossoming Tokyo package visit Palace Hotel Tokyo.

PLAN YOUR VISIT with the Tokyo Travel Guide.

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Travel Tips

Today Is National Plan for Vacation Day!

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vacation day

Today marks the first-ever “National Plan for Vacation Day,” created by the organization Project: Time Off, which estimates that 55 percent of employees in America do not use all of their allotted vacation days.

In fact, Americans skipped out on 658 million days in 2015, many of which couldn’t be recouped the next year because they didn’t roll over. What’s the reasoning behind the overzealous work ethic?

For one, employees are glued to their computers and phones, available at all times, and able to work anywhere that has Wi-Fi. We also have fears associated with taking time off: work will pile up while we’re away, or employers will see us as replaceable.

And some of us are bad at planning—by the time we get around to thinking about vacation, our calendar has already filled up for the year. Making time is worth it, though; as it turns out, vacations are actually quite good for employees and have benefits similar to meditation. Many employees found their own concentration had improved and were able to get more done after returning from vacation.

It’s still early days for 2017, so Project: Time Off is urging employees to work out a schedule today, so you can make sure that PTO doesn’t go to waste, even if it means having a conversation with your boss.

Now, the fun part: where should you go with your pent-up wanderlust? Our staff recommends places like Bordeaux, Cape Town, and Kiev, (but maybe skip Dubai and Times Square).

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Travel Tips

Test Drive Google’s Totally Amazing Arts and Culture App

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Picture yourself standing within inches of Chagall’s magnificent ceiling at the Paris Opéra, examining every last detailed brushstroke of the surrealist masterpiece. Or strolling through the back streets of Paris in the company of urban explorer and photographer David de Rueda. This is the stuff art dreams are made of, experiences that only the luckiest of art aficionados may have the chance to enjoy—if they’re really, really lucky.

But thanks to a new Google online platform, you don’t even need to leave your home to relish in some of the world’s most amazing art. Since not everyone has the time or money to travel the world appreciating global culture or the connections to access such masterpieces, the Google Cultural Institute has partnered with more than 1,100 institutions, making available more than 400,000 artworks and 5 million photos, videos, manuscripts and other documents online, to everyone, for free. And not just make available, but curated with virtual tours, online exhibitions, a searchable database, and a bounty of other ways to experience the world’s foremost cultural treasures. It’s a platform called Google Arts & Culture, available via website and app.

Admittedly, the site is a little confusing to navigate. The best thing to do is just play and see what you discover. You will be rewarded wherever you end up. The homepage changes daily with different features, while the hamburger menu provides navigation to artists, art movements, partner institutions, and the like.

Here’s a primer on the absolutely-do-not-miss highlights.

Explore a Database of Artworks

Frida

You can sort through thousands of masterpieces from thousands of museums in more than 70 different countries. Use the search tool to search for anything: shoes, all things silver, Egyptian cats, Bordeaux, whatever you choose. You also can search by artist, medium, art movement, museum (search by partner), even object. Or scroll through an artist’s repertoire by time period (for example, see Rembrandt’s evolution as an artist, one painting at a time, here) or color (see here).

Zoom in to See Masterpiece Secrets

Google has devised advanced technology to hone into the extraordinary detail of images, paintings, artifacts and more, far beyond what you can see with the naked eye. One of the most amazing stories concerns Paris Opéra’s ceiling by Marc Chagall. Chagall’s son, David McNeil, had always heard that his father had painted a picture of him as a baby but he never knew where it was – until they found it embedded in the Paris Opéra ceiling, near the Stravinsky panel, during this Google project. Take a peek here.

Take a Virtual Tour

Castle

Get up close and personal to hundreds of art institutions and cultural icons—the Statue of Liberty, Sagrada Familia, Fenway Park—where you can drag your finger around the image and tap to move through an exhibit or location in a museum-themed version of Google Street View. It’s like you’re personally visiting the site, studying what’s on the walls, on the floor, in the next room, whatever interests you, without actually being there. And it’s not just big museums here–check out, for example, the Wyeth-Tootle Mansion in St. Joseph, Missouri. Some also require the use of a virtual reality viewer to enhance the experience (such as Google Cardboard; the website shows you how to make your own; see here).

See Secret Spaces in 360

Join urban explorer and photographer David de Rueda in an exploration of Paris’ secret side in a feature called Curio-Cité, best seen on your mobile phone with a virtual reality viewer and headphones. This is just the first of many such explorations to be created.

Get Good Old-Fashioned Museum Info

MOMA

Should you be planning to physically visit a museum, you can check opening hours, its location on a map, and daily events.

Enjoy an Interactive Online Exhibit

Google offers a series of different online exhibits in which you can delve into archival materials, objects, and stories typically not available to the typical museum visitor. There are straightforward museum visits as well as curated exhibits centering on various themes. The American Democracy collection, for example, brings together more than 70 exhibits and 2,500 artifacts from 44 institutions dedicated to the preservation of U.S. political history and American democracy. Take a peek here. That said, the behind-the-scenes tour of London’s Natural History tank room, curated by Oliver Crimmen, the museum’s Senior Curator of Fish, has to be one of the more unusual tours you’ll find. Among the things he’ll show you are specimens collected by Charles Darwin during his voyage aboard the H.M.S. Beagle.

Read Fascinating New Stories About Art Every Day

Daily

Google experts post featured new stories every day, offering insight (and photos) into different angles of art and culture. Recent ones include: “Weird Histories: The Peacock Room,” exploring the history of Whistler’s beautiful London dining room, currently at home in Washington’s Freer Gallery; ”Virtual Herbal Garden,” taking you to the Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences; and “Black and British: A Forgotten History,” a four-part series delving into Britain’s slave narrative. As you will see, these are not light and fluffy fillers!

Enhance a Personal Visit

If you find yourself taking a physical tour of a museum, check out a new feature that several museums are offering through Google Arts & Culture. With Art Recognizer, you point your phone at a painting to access a bounty of info about it. For now, this is available only at Washington, D.C.’s National Gallery of Art, Sydney’s Art Gallery of New South Wales, and London’s Dulwich Picture Gallery. But Google is planning to roll this out in museums around the world, so stay tuned.

There’s Much, Much More

Yangzhou

Just play around with the website and you’ll come across all kinds of fascinating offerings. The folks at Google are constantly innovating–there’s even a page that shows their experiments at the crossroads of art and technology. You can bet this site will continue to be massaged and improved upon and enlarged. Stay tuned!

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