Here’s a round-up of luxury travel stories that have caught the eye this week. To make sure you receive these new weekly alerts in your web browser, please click on the red bell icon in the bottom right hand corner of the page and click ‘subscribe’ (works on desktop only – for other ways to subscribe, please click here). This will also alert you to any other posts on the blog. Should you wish, you can unsubscribe at any time, by clicking on the icon again and selecting ‘unsubscribe’.
Are luxury cruise ships the new retirement homes?
Lee Wachtstetter has been living on a cruise ship full-time since she turned 77. Better known as Mama Lee, the 89-year-old Wachtstetter has written a book about her experiences as a permanent cruise ship resident. In I May Be Homeless, But You Should See My Yacht, she explains that she was stuck in a big, empty house after her husband passed away. Instead of moving to a smaller home or assisted living facility, Wachtstetter decided to sell the house and start cruising full-time. She had been on 89 cruises with her husband when he was alive and loved the lifestyle… [read more]
Louvre workers strike as museum declared world’s most popular
It’s once again been declared the world’s most popular museum, but that may not be a good thing for the Louvre in Paris. The museum broke its own record in 2018, welcoming a whopping 10.2 million visitors and claiming the top spot in an index of the world’s most-visited museums. But the Louvre’s uptick in visitors is proving too much for many of its workers, and strikes by reception and security staff over the number of tourists flooding through its doors have hit opening hours throughout the week… [read more]
Why Monaco continues to be one of the world’s most glamorous destinations
Seemingly reserved for the upper echelons of society, Monaco has forever been a stomping ground for glitz and glamour. A picturesque microstate of opal, coral and periwinkle blue-coloured buildings, from the historic opera house – designed by Charles Garnier – the same architect behind Paris’s Palais Garnier, to the concentration of designer shops and the meticulously manicured gardens, there’s no shortage to see or do. Take in the summer air from the retractable roof of a fire-engine-red Ferrari or simply stare across the shimmering Mediterranean sea… [read more]
Lufthansa Technik’s new SkyRetreat private jet concept looks like a luxury yacht
With Lufthansa Technik’s new SkyRetreat design, you could be traveling by air or by sea. Lufthansa Technik (the airline’s elite design department) has unveiled a new interior concept for a private VIP aircraft. “Our SkyRetreat concept makes optimum use of this spacious cabin,” says Lufthansa Technik’s senior director of VIP sales Wieland Timm, “and its technical features will provide our customers with a whole new sense of space and a unique travel experience.”… [read more]
Are Americans coming to rescue London’s ailing property market?
Many Americans would have us know that they “saved” us from the Germans in the Second World War. As we approach the 75th anniversary of the Normandy Landings, I’ll leave that heated debate for another day. But now they might be coming to save us from something else: our sluggish property market… [read more]
We really enjoy hearing from our readers and would love to hear your views on any of these stories! Please click on the comments below and share your thoughts. Thank you.
Have a story you’d like to share? Please contact us for details.
Paul Johnson is Editor of A Luxury Travel Blog and has worked in the travel industry for more than 30 years. He is Winner of the Innovations in Travel ‘Best Travel Influencer’ Award from WIRED magazine. In addition to other awards, the blog has also been voted “one of the world’s best travel blogs” and “best for luxury” by The Daily Telegraph.
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11 Comments
It will not be the first time that the Americans have rescued the property market.
Julian Fellowes wrote from history and British gentlemen often sought out American heiresses to fund their crumbling old piles. If you remember your Downton Abbey, it was Cora Crawley’s money which kept the estate running and gave her the title of Countess of Grantham.
I personally believe that the USA cannot rescue the UK market. All that will happen is that our exceptional UK style will be Americanised thus ultimately killing off what is quintessentially English. The UK needs to become better at marketing what is unique about UK luxury property and monopolising on the artisan services that keep it categorically English.
First-class medical care is one very good reason for spending your retirement years on a cruise ship. A friend recently cruised the Caribbean and his ship had two doctors on board and two nurses. Their target was to reach any sick patient within ten minutes of the alarm being raised. Where else would you expect to receive such prompt treatment?
I find Monaco a fascinating place but it is rather pricey. So far I’ve never been able to afford anything more than a day there. Perhaps one day I’ll manage an overnight stay.
I am somewhat surprised that The Louvre Abu Dhabi isn’t pushing into the Top 20 museums. It is such a stunning building and the UAE draws so many visitors that I would have thought that it should soon be up there. Might spread the load from the Louvre, Paris??
I vaguely recall reading stories previously about people who have opted to live in hotels in their later years rather than a house, flat or assisted living property, but never a full-time cruise ship resident. Good on her for penning a book, too! It’s impressive she’d managed 89 cruises before that with her husband, I’m gobsmacked they been on so many! And there’s me, who’s never been on one.
It’s sad to read the staff at the Louvre are struggling and unhappy with their working conditions. They certainly have their work cut out for them with so many visitors each year.
The SkyRetreat looks and sounds amazing, that’s definitely flying in style! Oh how the other half live…
Spending your later years on cruises makes a lot of sense, many of my ageing relatives let the world close in on them. They kept cutting back on what they did and where they went which did little for their health.
As well as gym and swimming pool, plus of course the dancing, cruise ships offer a range of activities to help maintain physical and mental health.
Many ships now offer a fascinating lecture programme which would help keep the mind active. In addition, every meal time you could eat with different companions for fascinating conversation. In my opinion, cruising would be a very effective way of keeping yourself young for as long as possible.
Don’t forget all those places that you are visiting too. Lots of cruise ships now do talks about the next port of call. All that exposure to art, architecture and culture would be brilliant for keeping the brain cells active.
Mama Lee sounds to be a great character, I’d love to come across her on a cruise, I expect that she’s got many a great tale to tell over dinner. She must have met some fascinating people on her travels.
I think I’ll see if I can track down her book.
That title – I May Be Homeless, But You Should See My Yacht – is a great one.
Paul, have you ever thought of seeing if book publishers would let you publish small excerpts from travel books as tasters?
For us ALTB readers it would be a good way of getting a taste of the book. Whilst for the publishers readers might want to click on through and buy the book …
That’s an interesting idea. Every time I visit London I try to make half an hour to visit the Stanford bookshop in Covent Garden. It would be great if they could make a weekly recommendation for a travel book to read. Could be a win win situation for both A Luxury Travel Blog and Stanford too.
Good points. I’ve really enjoyed the pieces from the Turning Left Round the World Travel book. Interesting insights and very well written. Every now and again it makes a change from the 10 best, 8 most format etc.
Are luxury cruise ships the new retirement homes?
Lee Wachtstetter has been living on a cruise ship full-time since she turned 77. Better known as Mama Lee, the 89-year-old Wachtstetter has written a book about her experiences as a permanent cruise ship resident. In I May Be Homeless, But You Should See My Yacht, she explains that she was stuck in a big, empty house after her husband passed away. Instead of moving to a smaller home or assisted living facility, Wachtstetter decided to sell the house and start cruising full-time. She had been on 89 cruises with her husband when he was alive and loved the lifestyle… [read more]
Are luxury cruise ships the new retirement homes?
Lee Wachtstetter has been living on a cruise ship full-time since she turned 77. Better known as Mama Lee, the 89-year-old Wachtstetter has written a book about her experiences as a permanent cruise ship resident. In I May Be Homeless, But You Should See My Yacht, she explains that she was stuck in a big, empty house after her husband passed away. Instead of moving to a smaller home or assisted living facility, Wachtstetter decided to sell the house and start cruising full-time. She had been on 89 cruises with her husband when he was alive and loved the lifestyle… [read more]
Louvre workers strike as museum declared world’s most popular
It’s once again been declared the world’s most popular museum, but that may not be a good thing for the Louvre in Paris. The museum broke its own record in 2018, welcoming a whopping 10.2 million visitors and claiming the top spot in an index of the world’s most-visited museums. But the Louvre’s uptick in visitors is proving too much for many of its workers, and strikes by reception and security staff over the number of tourists flooding through its doors have hit opening hours throughout the week… [read more]
Why Monaco continues to be one of the world’s most glamorous destinations
Seemingly reserved for the upper echelons of society, Monaco has forever been a stomping ground for glitz and glamour. A picturesque microstate of opal, coral and periwinkle blue-coloured buildings, from the historic opera house – designed by Charles Garnier – the same architect behind Paris’s Palais Garnier, to the concentration of designer shops and the meticulously manicured gardens, there’s no shortage to see or do. Take in the summer air from the retractable roof of a fire-engine-red Ferrari or simply stare across the shimmering Mediterranean sea… [read more]
Lufthansa Technik’s new SkyRetreat private jet concept looks like a luxury yacht
With Lufthansa Technik’s new SkyRetreat design, you could be traveling by air or by sea. Lufthansa Technik (the airline’s elite design department) has unveiled a new interior concept for a private VIP aircraft. “Our SkyRetreat concept makes optimum use of this spacious cabin,” says Lufthansa Technik’s senior director of VIP sales Wieland Timm, “and its technical features will provide our customers with a whole new sense of space and a unique travel experience.”… [read more]
Are Americans coming to rescue London’s ailing property market?
Many Americans would have us know that they “saved” us from the Germans in the Second World War. As we approach the 75th anniversary of the Normandy Landings, I’ll leave that heated debate for another day. But now they might be coming to save us from something else: our sluggish property market… [read more]
We really enjoy hearing from our readers and would love to hear your views on any of these stories! Please click on the comments below and share your thoughts. Thank you.
Have a story you’d like to share? Please contact us for details.
It will not be the first time that the Americans have rescued the property market.
Julian Fellowes wrote from history and British gentlemen often sought out American heiresses to fund their crumbling old piles. If you remember your Downton Abbey, it was Cora Crawley’s money which kept the estate running and gave her the title of Countess of Grantham.
I personally believe that the USA cannot rescue the UK market. All that will happen is that our exceptional UK style will be Americanised thus ultimately killing off what is quintessentially English. The UK needs to become better at marketing what is unique about UK luxury property and monopolising on the artisan services that keep it categorically English.
First-class medical care is one very good reason for spending your retirement years on a cruise ship. A friend recently cruised the Caribbean and his ship had two doctors on board and two nurses. Their target was to reach any sick patient within ten minutes of the alarm being raised. Where else would you expect to receive such prompt treatment?
I find Monaco a fascinating place but it is rather pricey. So far I’ve never been able to afford anything more than a day there. Perhaps one day I’ll manage an overnight stay.
I am somewhat surprised that The Louvre Abu Dhabi isn’t pushing into the Top 20 museums. It is such a stunning building and the UAE draws so many visitors that I would have thought that it should soon be up there. Might spread the load from the Louvre, Paris??
I vaguely recall reading stories previously about people who have opted to live in hotels in their later years rather than a house, flat or assisted living property, but never a full-time cruise ship resident. Good on her for penning a book, too! It’s impressive she’d managed 89 cruises before that with her husband, I’m gobsmacked they been on so many! And there’s me, who’s never been on one.
It’s sad to read the staff at the Louvre are struggling and unhappy with their working conditions. They certainly have their work cut out for them with so many visitors each year.
The SkyRetreat looks and sounds amazing, that’s definitely flying in style! Oh how the other half live…
Spending your later years on cruises makes a lot of sense, many of my ageing relatives let the world close in on them. They kept cutting back on what they did and where they went which did little for their health.
As well as gym and swimming pool, plus of course the dancing, cruise ships offer a range of activities to help maintain physical and mental health.
Many ships now offer a fascinating lecture programme which would help keep the mind active. In addition, every meal time you could eat with different companions for fascinating conversation. In my opinion, cruising would be a very effective way of keeping yourself young for as long as possible.
Don’t forget all those places that you are visiting too. Lots of cruise ships now do talks about the next port of call. All that exposure to art, architecture and culture would be brilliant for keeping the brain cells active.
Mama Lee sounds to be a great character, I’d love to come across her on a cruise, I expect that she’s got many a great tale to tell over dinner. She must have met some fascinating people on her travels.
I think I’ll see if I can track down her book.
That title – I May Be Homeless, But You Should See My Yacht – is a great one.
Paul, have you ever thought of seeing if book publishers would let you publish small excerpts from travel books as tasters?
For us ALTB readers it would be a good way of getting a taste of the book. Whilst for the publishers readers might want to click on through and buy the book …
That’s an interesting idea. Every time I visit London I try to make half an hour to visit the Stanford bookshop in Covent Garden. It would be great if they could make a weekly recommendation for a travel book to read. Could be a win win situation for both A Luxury Travel Blog and Stanford too.
Good points. I’ve really enjoyed the pieces from the Turning Left Round the World Travel book. Interesting insights and very well written. Every now and again it makes a change from the 10 best, 8 most format etc.