Northern Lights

The Floating Arctic Bath Hotel and Spa

Published January 12, 2018 | By Clark Norton

The floating Arctic Bath Hotel and Spa. Photo by Johan Kauppi

Every once in a while some travel information crosses my desk (well, appears in my email) that I feel an immediate need to pass along. Such is the case with the floating Arctic Bath Hotel and Spa, which is due to open in the fall of 2018.

The six-room hotel and spa is said to sit in the ice during winter and float on the river during summer.

The location is in far northern Sweden in the area that’s renowned for having the best Northern Lights viewing in the world. The river is the Lule, which freezes in winter and thaws in summer, allowing for the above-mentioned sitting and floating.

Off the Map Travel — a UK-based agency that specializes in Northern Lights viewing trips — handles bookings for the Arctic Bath Hotel, which was developed by… Continue reading →

Posted in Baby boomer travel, Bucket Lists, Eco-tourism, Europe, Luxury travel, Spas | Tagged Arctic Hotel and Spa, Northern Lights, Off the Map Travel, Sweden, Treehotel Sweden | Leave a comment

Top Bucket List Items: What’s Number One?

Published October 7, 2016 | By Clark Norton

The Northern Lights, best viewed above the Arctic Circle,took the top spot on this Bucket List survey

While I prefer the term “Life List” to “Bucket List” — it just has a more positive ring to it — Bucket List has become the generally accepted phrase for delineating those often-challenging, mostly travel-related experiences you want to do before you, uh, can’t do them any more.

As a baby boomer, I’m acutely aware that I won’t have as much time or perhaps physical capacity as a millennial to, say, climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, which has recently slipped off my Bucket List until I can work myself into better shape. A few more years on the treadmill should do it, if my knees haven’t collapsed in the process.

The good news is, Bucket List items don’t have to involve super-strenuous exertion. In fact, according to a recent TotallyMoney.com survey of 1,000… Continue reading →

Posted in Baby boomer travel, Boat travel, Bucket Lists, Cruises, National Parks, Natural wonders, Wildlife | Tagged Abisko Nafional :Park, Aurora borealis, Badaling, China, cruises, cruising, El Tovar Lodge, Grand Canyon, Great Wall of China, Kenya, Northern Lights, Safaris, Serengeti, Sweden, Tanzania, Wildlife safaris | 5 Comments

Top European Natural Wonders (Part 2)

Published February 25, 2016 | By Clark Norton

Santorini’s harbor is part of an ancient volcanic caldera that wiped out Minoan civilization. Photo from Visit Greece.

Here’s Part 2 of our two-part series on Ten Top European Natural Wonders, starring five more incredibly scenic spots on land, on water, and up in the sky:

The Greek Island of Santorini

If you bypass the often-crowded Aegean island of Santorini — also known as Thira or, in ancient times, Thera — due to its popularity as a sun-soaked tourist destination, you’ll also be missing one of the most memorable and expansive seascape panoramas in all of Europe.

Few views can compete with those from a terrace perched high atop the cliffs overlooking Santorini’s deep, seven-by- four-mile circle-shaped lagoon, formed from a mostly underwater caldera left by a titanic volcanic explosion some 36 centuries ago. One of the most powerful volcanic eruptions in history, it wiped out the island’s… Continue reading →

Posted in Baby boomer travel, Countries, Europe, river cruises, Wildlife | Tagged Abisko Sweden, Alps, Atlantis, Aurora borealis, Austria, Chamonix, Denmark, Douro Valley, Eiger, Faroe Islands, France, Greece, Greek Islands, Italy, Jungfrau, Matterhorn, Mönch, Mt. Blanc, Northern Lights, Porto, Portugal, Santorini, Sweden, Switzerland, Thira | 2 Comments

According to government and private surveys:

Leading-edge baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1955) and seniors account for four out of every five dollars spent on luxury travel today.
Roughly half the consumer spending money in the U.S.--more than $2 trillion--is in the hands of leading-edge baby boomers and seniors.
Baby boomers (born 1946-1964) travel more than any other age group.
When asked what they would most like to spend their money on, baby boomers answered “travel” more than any other category, including improving their health or finances.