Given the choice, do you prefer the aisle or window seat? The answer’s an easy one for me. Coming in through the clouds to a new destination makes my heart race. Seeing the outline of an island from the air is one of my favorite views. Predictable? Not usually, except perhaps with my seat selection. I love flying, and when given the chance to go parasailing Grand Cayman Style, I couldn’t say yes fast enough. This adventure would feel like taking to the skies outside of the plane!
The lighthouse dotted, rocky coastline of scenic Penobscot Bay is a perfect starting point to experience a Maine windjammer ecotourism cruise. The J&E Riggin, an historic schooner built in 1927 would be my home for the next four days.
Originally used as an oyster dredger in the Delaware Bay, the boat also spent time fishing in Cape Cod and Long Island Sound. Now docked in Rockland harbor, the award winning Riggin was the first Maine Windjammer to be entirely carbon neutral. Current owners Jon Finger and Annie Mahle are committed to an environmental policy that is both admirable and impressive. I was intrigued to observe the practices of a cruise that would be entirely sustainable and carbon free.
Fall is the time of magic light. A season when artists visit certain towns around the world and end up falling in love and relocating. Bathed in the soft light of September and beyond, these are five favorite towns for the best fall travel in coastal New England; each shines in the off season.
Speaking of the off season, visiting during this time is a favorite tip for making your travel more sustainable. Those months before or after the period that sees the highest influx of tourists and stretches towns to capacity is my most coveted time to travel.
The Rhine is known as one of Europe’s most beloved rivers. Flowing between six countries and connecting northern and southern Europe, it takes a twisting journey from the Swiss Alps to the North Sea over a stretch of approximately 720 miles. A Viking River Rhine cruise offers views of enchanting castles, impossibly steep vineyards and half timbered houses from your stateroom windows.
