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Good morning Traveler,
In a minute I'll give you the scoop on our weekend trip to Aspen. But first a bit of a PSA on the current status of travel.
I regularly keep my finger on the pulse of the state of travel around the world. Just last week I received daily updates from my partners on the ground in Peru about the present state of the country and the re-opening of Machu Picchu, I was at a conference on Ecuador adventure travel and I attended several virtual meetings with colleagues and industry experts.
There are many bright spots - with new hotels opening, service levels improving from hiring more staff and the excitement that comes with so many visitors wanting to travel. And the big news that Machu Picchu is back open!
However there are some practical insights that I share with clients who reach out about new, particularly in the near future, trips that I'd like to share with you.
- In the most in-demand places, prices are high. Some luxury hotels in the Amalfi Coast are more than double the prices of last summer (which were already high).
- All over Europe demand is up - even above last year's unprecedented levels.
- The most sought after hotels are booking up well in advance.
- As I've been planning custom trips with clients to Europe, while they (understandably) take time making decisions, we've lost hotel rooms and had to get the next category up - leading to higher prices, and in some cases we've had to switch hotels because the one we wanted sold out.
- Travel industry staff in many places, especially Europe, are inundated with near and far term requests. Response times are slow to hear back on availability for rooms, guides and drivers.
My advice:
- Plan ahead. In order to get what you want at the price you want it is by far the best option.
- Consider alternative destinations - for example Slovenia is a great substitute for Italy. (see Rick Steve's article below - Don’t skip Europe’s second cities and AFAR's These Trends Will Define How We Travel in 2023 for more ideas)
- Be decisive. Once you start the trip planning process, be prepared to make decisions quickly.
Since I wrote you last I've been to Aspen and back. Friday to Monday with a weekend of skiing and exploring in between. As there are no non-stops to Aspen from Boston, we didn't have a direct flight, but things went amazingly well - our flight even arrived 45 minutes early into Aspen (a drastic difference to the last time we tried to fly to Aspen, but were grounded in Denver and had to rent a car to drive to Aspen in a snowstorm).
It was so fun to spend time with our daughter in her current home town! And I've said before, I love hanging out with my adult kids/teens. I have a lot of clients who make an extended trip out of visiting their college kids studying abroad - they always love it!
We gifted Allison a day with a mountain guide for her birthday and since she hadn't scheduled it yet, we planned it for our first day there. Since she and Jason are far better skiers than I am, I stayed back for hotel site visits and exploring the town.
They loved their guide! A true adventurer with experience guiding Denali expeditions and teaching mountaineering courses. His athletic abilities are undebatable, having won a 100 mile ultramarathon.
After skiing six hours of double black diamonds at Aspen Highlands, he remarked how good of shape Jason was in (especially as this was Jason's first day on skis this year). Jason attributes his fitness to his new passion riding the Peloton.
Their guide knew Allison has skied 45+ days already this year, many of which were at Aspen Highlands, so he was happy to learn that there were so many new places to take her that she'd never been. This was one of the reasons I wanted to get her an expert guide. Often in your own backyard you can still learn things from others with different knowledge and expertise.
While they skied, I checked out the W, St Regis, The Jerome, Little Nell and Limelight. Each a great choice for the right traveler. They vary in their level of luxury, proximity to the mountain (some ski in/ski out), vibe, having a rental shop on-site and price.
Another stop I made was to the Aspen Art Museum, a gem of a place in the center of town.
Its exhibits showcase contemporary art and entrance is free thanks to local benefactors.
A bonus to the galleries is the Rooftop Café - known for its stunning views of Aspen Mountain and aprés party at the Slippery Slope Bar. I enjoyed a hearty beef stew for lunch - it was a hard choice between that and the avocado toast.
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