Viator Travel Blog

Looking for something new and fun to do while traveling this week? Check out the Viator Member-Only Deals available around the globe this week and make the most of your travel budget!

HURRY! Keukenhof Gardens tour from Amsterdam on sale for 3 days only! Get 50% off Keukenhof Gardens and Tulip Fields Tour from Amsterdam. This deal is only available for 3 days – so hurry! You must book by February 23, 2012 to SAVE 50%! This exclusive offer is available for travel dates from April 10 to April 28, 2012 on all scheduled departure times and dates.

This February 21st, cities around the world will come to life as tourist guides commemorate International Tourist Guide Day. Harvey Paul Davidson, a leader and active member of both global and local guiding associations (as well as a top Viator Private Guide!) shared with us how International Tourist Guide Day came to be and what New York City guides will be doing this year to celebrate.

Spend some time talking to regular cruise-goers about shore excursions and a common view becomes clear: generally speaking, the shore excursions offered by cruise lines are cookie-cutter operations, designed to move large groups off the ship, through some points of interest onshore, and back onboard again with a minimum amount of fuss.

Meet Ricardo Calvo, one of Viator’s local experts in San Jose, Costa Rica (and a highly rated licensed tour guide you’ll find at Viator Private Tour Guides).

For three weeks only beginning March 2012, one of the world’s greatest operas, Verdi’s La Traviata, will be performed in Sydney’s stunning Harbour. Set on a floating stage in one of the world’s most scenic natural theatres, this bold theatrical presentation is the first time this opera has ever been performed on water in Australia. And this month one lucky reader will win two tickets to the spectacular Opera Performance on Sydney Harbour!

Whether you’re planning to escape the cold, surprise someone with a Valentine’s Day trip, or just treat yourself to a fun excursion, we’ve got February travel deals and giveaways to help you plan your next getaway! Plus, the votes are in for our Top Travel Photos of 2011 and Top Travel Destinations for 2012. Read on to see the highlights of the Viator Travel Awards, our latest travel news, and what travelers are up to this month!

At the recent PhoCusWright Travel Innovation Conference a speaker waxed lyrical about their new web site, which would relieve its users of the burden of travel planning, letting them get hours of planning done in a few minutes instead. And they considered that a good thing!

For this year’s Top 50 Travel Destinations we’ve consulted Viator’s travel oracle. And that travel oracle is you! Almost 500 travelers voted on our Facebook page for the destination that they think will be #1 in 2012. Using these votes, we are predicting which places will be the most popular this year. No longer will we look back at places we have traveled to, but instead look to the future, planning, and if truth be told, ever so slightly salivating, about the destinations we plan to discover in 2012.

Meet Isabell Erdmann, one of Viator’s local experts in Rio de Janeiro (and a highly rated licensed tour guide you’ll find at Viator Private Tour Guides).