Viator Travel Blog

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Making its mark on Canada’s burgeoning wine industry, Niagara runs a close second to British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley. Its sophisticated and varied table wines have become the toast of Canada, consistently winning international awards, especially for its Reislings and its Icewine. The area really exploded in 1970s when vintners began planting many noble grape varietals. Today, you can visit more than 80 different wineries across the region. Naturally, you may not have time to visit them all, but in one or two days you can hit the highlights, uncover some surprises, and immerse yourself in the accompanying growing culinary culture. Several of the small wineries have terraces, where you can enjoy a casual lunch or dinner.

It’s funny how you can have a really skewed idea of what things look like before you actually see them. For example, I expected the Sydney Opera House to be much bigger than it is, the Leaning Tower of Pisa to be out on its own rather than part of a complex and Prague Castle to be a bit like the ones you see in fairy story cartoons.

In a similar way, I got the Grand Canyon all wrong.

There is something in watching the Portland baggage handlers do their jobs outside in the rain. Their efficiency amidst the soupy fog and clean machinery of the airplanes, it speaks of the nature of Portland, the way these, young, active people  out and about working in this way, in this weather. Just over the 100 [...]

Four tourists in coordinating Hawaiian Christmas ensembles asked us how we were able to balance as we scooted past during our Honolulu Segway Tour. My answer: you don’t really have to think about balancing, you just stand and the machine balances for you. This was my second time on a Segway and I found I really didn’t have to think at all. A quick refresher course and we were off and rolling.

Check your bucket list, as it’s time for Mardi Gras in New Orleans – the festival of all festivals. Nothing quite captures the joie de vivre of New Orleans than this lively annual party. Two weeks of exciting street parades lead up to Fat Tuesday, which falls on February 21 this year, when revelers don lavish costumes, colorful face paint and masks, and take to the street for a final bacchanalian bash before Lent.

So you’ve been to the Statue of Liberty, you’ve walked through Times Square, and spent an afternoon rowing around the pond in front of Bethesda Fountain in Central Park. But for those who want to get a different take on the Big Apple and, more importantly, for those into hip-hop, jump on the bus for this hip-hop tour of New York City. On this 4-hour tour, you’ll learn about hip-hop culture, see the birthplace of hip-hop, eat some of New York’s tastiest soul food, and even do a little freestyle dancing.

The Alps hold a certain charm that is undeniable. People from all over the world flock to this region in Europe at the first sign of fresh powder, aching to drop their skis or snowboards into the fluffy white snow.

But, the Alps are just one of many spectacular areas in the world where the skiing is world-class and the mountains are magical.

In December, SeaWorld San Diego made their way to the desert of Nevada for a little show and tell! To help promote their SeaWorld Cares conservation project, we were honored to have a handful of their animals – ones that adapt heartily to a winter environment – in Viator’s Las Vegas office.

Somebody handed me a Mai Tai as soon as we sat down on the Maui Sunset Dinner Cruise. I think I could get used to this! Later I even succeed in convincing my darling to dance to “Easy Like Sunday Morning”. Yes, it’s all very easy. Our hotel had a shuttle that dropped us off just ten minutes away from the harbor. We found the check-in spot and had a few spare minutes for postcard shopping in the nearby souvenir shops.