Insider tips on three Brazilian gems you've never heard of by Huffman Travel Advisor Samantha Lanna.

Have you ever wanted to travel outside your comfort zone and experience a remote destination in a very unique yet luxurious way? Are you curious to be one of a limited number of people able to discover the remote interior of Antarctica, the coldest, driest, windiest, and most remote place in the world?

Huffman Luxury Travel Advisor, Sandi Todorovich shares her experience exploring Antarctica with White Desert.

Does the splendor of luxury underwater accommodations in the Maldives whet your palate? What about the endless views from a tree house in Africa to get your heart racing? Imagine getting cozy in an exceptional hotel built into a cave. Whatever extraordinary accommodations and experiences you seek, we have got you covered! Contact your Huffman Luxury Travel Advisor if any of the below once-in-a-lifetime experiences strike your fancy! Prepare yourself to be wowed! 

We take our beaches very seriously at Huffman Travel. When it comes to sun-drenched days, stunning sunsets, amazing sealife for snorkeling and scuba, and powder white sand–it does not get much better than the Maldives. An archipelago of more than 1,000 islands in the Indian Ocean, it is one of those rare destinations where the dreams and visions evoked by websites and social media are indeed the reality.

Seventy-one percent of Earth’s surface is covered by water, and hidden beneath the waves lies a boundless seascape so drastically different than any land-based habitat. Spectacular coral reefs, shipwrecks, and colorful sea creatures of all shapes and sizes come together in a fascinating, alien-like world. In my eleven years as a certified scuba diver, I’ve had the good fortune of experiencing some of the most incredible dive locations on the planet. Each site offers a unique, vast environment to explore.

My 13-year old twin sons, Sam and James, and I were looking for something fun and different to do for their winter break, and we came up with the idea of exploring northern Norway. Sleeping in an ice hotel for a night was what first drew us to Norway, but we had so many other great adventures that we decided it was one of the best trips we’ve taken.

Long ago, when I was a young boy hooked on my Sunday episodes of “Wild Kingdom,” and later, throughout my teenage and adult years being a National Geographic magazine junkie, I had yearned to go on an African Safari. Not only did I dream of and study the animals, but I also made it my life goal to get there—a number one bucket list trip!

Of course, we will always love Santorini, Anguilla, Capri, etc. But there are far more places we want you to discover before they change too much. Islands that have been kept secrets for years, only frequented by locals and adventurous travelers. From France to the Caribbean, and from the South Pacific to the Arctic Circle, discover unbelievably real destinations, waiting for you.

Iceland has been on my bucket list for many years, and a few weeks ago, I had the immense pleasure of co-leading an amazing group of intrepid voyagers there with Shawna Owen (Huffman Travel). We call our group of ambitious travelers the “Seekers.” Heading to Iceland for the first time, I had visions of tiny horses, stunning waterfalls, erupting volcanoes, and characters from Game of Thrones. Nothing I imagined could come close to the experience of being there in person.

With gorilla trekking, you are on foot, often forging your own path to find the gorillas. There are no fences, no regular patterns, no plan. I trekked for two days in a row in the two days could not have been more different. The weather, the time of year, the mood of the gorillas…all factor into where and how you find the gorillas. It's like the gorillas make you work for that encounter! It’s exhilarating and so engaging. 

Costa Rica is a country overflowing with incredible national parks, gorgeous scenery, adrenaline-fueled adventures such as zip-lining, canyoning and rafting, and unique wildlife. Best of all, Costa Rica is easily accessible to visitors with few travel restrictions. I recently spent a week exploring this Central American gem and wanted to share my experiences to highlight why Costa Rica is a perfect destination to visit right now. 

The unprecedented events of 2020 have turned the trip of a lifetime into the trip you should take in the months ahead.

As excited as everyone is to close the 2020 chapter, it’s important to remember that this year gave us some unique opportunities to travel to new places and take advantage of fantastic rates, empty flights, and last-minute availability. This summer has been very successful with domestic trips and as the year comes to a close, we can slowly (and thoughtfully) travel abroad again and celebrate quality time with loved ones.

Imagine a throng of wildebeest, zebra, and Thomson’s gazelle catapulting themselves down the steep banks of the Mara River. They’re exhausted from their journey, kicking up the dust as they run, but you can still see crocodiles snapping their jaws at the many hooves through the haze. Beneath you, the ground vibrates. Your excitement is visceral, born from a natural phenomenon as old as life itself.  

With a growing number of luxury eco-lodges, a plethora of flights from both the U.S. and Europe, along with an increasing interest in seeing animal conservation in action; tourism to Africa has been on the rise. But this year, Africa is experiencing a drought... not of rain, but a drought of tourists due to the global Covid-19 pandemic. This goes beyond just canceling a ‘trip of a lifetime’, the lack of tourism has a profound impact on the people, the wildlife, and the fragile ecosystems where they coexist.

These socially-distant destinations are ideal to combine with your next safari. and offer a vast array of experiences: From wine tasting to scuba diving and shopping to golfing. Which one will you pick?

If there’s one thing we can be sure of in 2020, it’s that experiencing this planet is an enormous privilege which we will never againtake for granted. While we prepare for travel in America’s backyard in the short term, we’re also looking forward to experiences in remote destinations that celebrate nature as well as our own wellbeing. After all, who doesn’t need something to look forward to?

There’s nothing quite like rediscovering the US by car. Be it with you behind the wheel or led by one of our expert guides in your own RV, these are itineraries sure to wow the whole family. These are sample itineraries for inspiration only and we’d be happy to create your unique, tailored itinerary in the US.