Travels with Larry Olmsted

By Larry Olmsted My nephew got married this summer, and with not a lot of lead time, told me they wanted to honeymoon for two weeks, split between Venice and Greece. That’s a good trip – so good that these happen to currently be the two hottest summer destinations in

By Larry Olmsted Sports fans are in luck right now, as we are about see a convergence of huge events, many of them held only once every two to four years, along with some entirely new but very high-profile options. Here are some of the biggies and how you can

By Larry Olmsted Golf was born in Scotland more than six centuries ago, and it has always been the number one dream destination on earth for a “Bucket List” golf trip. But while it oozes history, excellent new courses continue to be built, and several notable ones have opened in

By Larry Olmsted I often travel with my dogs, and I am hardly alone. In recent years Americans have spent record amounts pampering their pets, and increasingly treating four-legged friends like human children, including on the road. Pet travel has increased steadily for the past 20 years, and a 2020

By Larry Olmsted A consortium of top travel agents (so good at what they do that they prefer to be called “Travel Advisors”), Virtuoso is the best-known organization of its kind in the luxury travel space. Advisor membership is by-invitation-only, and after decades of growth and reputation building, the U.S.-based association

By Larry Olmsted When it comes to planning an island vacation in the Caribbean, there are tons of choices, big and small, with arguments to be made for just about every spot. But if you are a golfer, the options thin out dramatically. There are several smaller islands with one

By Larry Olmsted “Wonders of the World” and “Bucket List” are terms that get thrown around a lot in the travel industry, often inappropriately. But there is no doubt that Angkor Wat, the top tourism destination in Cambodia, easily qualifies for both. In terms of ruins and manmade sites, there

By Larry Olmsted There have been a lot of news stories about the coming crush of holiday travel, with consumers booking Christmas vacation earlier than ever (CNBC), availability already growing tight and driving up prices (Wall Street Journal), while many tour operators have reported new record setting reservations for 2022,

By Larry Olmsted Masks are back, like it or not, while for travelers they never went away. All flights, and in most places any public transport, requires them, and so do many destinations both domestically and abroad, especially indoors. Even where they are not required, they are a very good

By Larry Olmsted For such a popular vacation and conference destination, New Orleans has always been surprisingly short on top tier luxury hotels. That is about to change. That’s why the new Four Seasons, opening in one-week (August 17, 2021) is such a big deal – it is exactly what the