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This MSC Cruise Is Going to Islands You’ve Never Heard of, and All the Profits Are Going to Wildlife Conservation

Island cruising usually conjures up images of crystal-clear water and bright sunshine in the Caribbean or the Mediterranean, and while MSC certainly offers sailings to both these popular destinations, the cruise line is also organizing a very different kind of island voyage.

In January 2025, the MSC Musica will travel from the port city of Durban in South Africa to the very remote and uninhabited islands of Prince Edward and Marion, both Special Nature Reserves, for a unique bird-watching voyage.

Prince Edward Islands is a group of two islands (Prince Edward Island and Marion Island) located around 1,200 miles from the coast of South Africa in the Southern Indian Ocean, and 12 miles from each other. Because of their location so close to Antarctica, they are considered sub-Antarctic islands.

Needless to say, passengers on board this cruise should not expect either sunshine or turquoise waters. The islands are windswept, often surrounded by clouds, and rarely warm. But there’s a bigger allure than good weather for travelers.

Prince Edward Island and Marion Island belong to South Africa, and Marion, the biggest of the two, is home to a meteorological station and a research station staffed by 50 people who live there temporarily — but not much else. The terrain is mountainous and rugged, the coast consists of 500-foot-tall, jagged cliffs, and the vegetation is limited to moss, fern, and a type of Antarctic cabbage. What the island has in abundance, however, is birds. Millions of them.

Marion Island, is home to huge diversity of seabirds. There are 29 different species of seabirds present on the island, including several species of penguins, petrels, terns, and 25 percent of the the world’s wandering albatrosses, making it an obvious bucket-list destination for birders the world over.

MSC’s voyage to Marion Island, only the second-ever MSC sailing to the island, is organized in partnership with BirdLife South Africa, a non-profit organization that’s dedicated to the conservation of birds, their habitats, and their biodiversity.

The cruise on board MSC Musica will accommodate 2,000 bird lovers for a seven-day voyage (from January 24 to January 31). Currently 1,000 passengers are already booked for this very special sailing, including seabird expert, author, and artist Peter Harrison.

Starting rate for this bird-watching voyage is $950 per person based on double occupancy. Bookings can be made at any time on MSC’s website.

While the most appealing part of this special cruise is the unique opportunity to see a huge variety of seabirds up close, the fact that all the profits from the voyage are going towards their protection via the Mouse-Free Marion Project is a big draw, too.

Indeed, unfortunately, Mario Island is infested with house mice since the early 1800s. While small, the invasive rodents are destroying the island’s ecosystem and preying on the birds’ eggs and chicks.

“Without intervention 19 of the 29 species of seabird breeding on Marion Island face local extinction,” BirdLife South Africa explains.

The goal of the Mouse-Free Marion Project is to eradicate the mice from the island entirely and make Marion Island a safe haven for wildlife again. Cats, also previously present on the island and a big threat to the birds, were eradicated in years prior.

If you can’t make it on the cruise but would like to help the Mouse-Free Marion Project, know that you can sponsor one or more hectares of land on Marion Island for $70.

More like thisTravelBird Lovers Can Now Go on Cruises Organized by the National Audubon Society

Luxury on the Rhine: This Scenic Cruise Features a Classical Concert in a UNESCO-Listed Church

If you’re looking for a cruise but don’t like the sound of a mega-ship, river cruises offer more intimate, handcrafted experiences, taking guests to parts of the world inaccessible to larger vessels. There’s a bunch of luxury river cruise companies providing five-star service, dining, and accommodation. One of the better in Europe is Scenic Luxury Cruises and Tours. With nearly 40 years of experience, Scenic’s routes range from an architectural journey through the Douro Valley in Portugal to the French vineyards and romantic towns in Budapest. They offer a range of routes, but one of the most popular is the 15-day Romantic Rhine and Moselle itinerary. It explores two of Europe’s most enchanting river valleys, lesser-known historical sites, and includes a classical concert in a UNESCO-listed church in Trier, Germany.

Photo: Scenic

Embarking from Amsterdam, the cruise begins with a leisurely exploration of the Netherlands’ capital, its intricate canal network, iconic architecture, and art scene. The ship then navigates the Rhine, passing through a tapestry of landscapes. The Dutch polderlands, with their flat expanses and windmills, gradually give way to the heartland of Germany.

Photo: Scenic

The cruise progresses to the Rhine Gorge, a dramatic stretch of the river characterized by steep cliffs, imposing castles, and vineyards that cling to the slopes. Rather than simply visiting iconic landmarks, Scenic’s cultural excursions aim to connect travelers with the heart and soul of a place. What’s more, the cruise is all-inclusive, meaning flights, transportation, guided excursions, and dining are included in the price. Of course, you can opt in or out of tours, but the option is up to you.

Photo: Scenic

From the Rhine, the ship continues onto a tributary of the waterway, The Moselle River. The Moselle Valley is magnificent. It’s one of Germany’s finest wine regions, and picturesque towns like Cochem and Bernkastel-Kues, with their half-timbered houses and cobblestone streets, offer a glimpse into traditional German life.

Photo: ScenicPhoto: Scenic

The cultural highlight of the cruise is a classical concert held within the UNESCO-listed Liebfrauenkirche (German for Church of Our Lady) in Trier. The church is renowned as one of the earliest examples of Gothic architecture north of the Alps. Constructed between 1227 and 1307, its interior is characterized by a spacious, six-part hall with slender columns and pointed arches, and the exterior, dominated by four slender spires and intricate stonework, is a hallmark of early Gothic style. This magnificent building provides a breathtaking setting for a musical performance — an experience not open to the general public.

Scenic’s river cruises are all-inclusive. Airfare, ground transportation, gourmet dining, premium beverages, and unforgettable experiences are all included in the cruise fare. The 15-day Romantic Rhine and Moselle itinerary is priced from $4,490 per person.

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Airlines Are Running Out of Flight Numbers, Leading to a Possible Y2K Scenario

The typical air traveler really only needs to think about their flight number when checking for delays, finding their gate, and putting it on a customs card. Airlines, however, pretty much always have flight numbers on their mind. It’s how the industry tracks a flight route, knows where planes are in the air, and keeps standardized order for what would otherwise be complete chaos and information overload. And those flight numbers are becoming quite an issue because there are too many flights and not enough available numbers for the future.

In a report for View From the Wing, travel expert Gary Leff spotted that American Airlines, Delta, and United are at risk of running out of flight numbers. They also don’t have a solution for this problem. Each airline gets four digits for flight numbers (the numbers that are listed after the airline, like AA0420 for the American Airlines flight from Dallas to Denver, for example). The 9,999 number options (there’s no flight zero) seems like a lot. It’s apparently not enough.

After a second quarter earnings call, an IT worker with American Airlines asked executives a pointed question: “We’re running out of flight numbers. Are we looking at 5-digit or some other solution?” The airline has about 6,700 daily flights, but has more than 9,999 flights it wants to put numbers on due to codesharing with partner airlines, American’s senior vice president of network planning, Brian Znotins, responded.

Changing the numbering system to account for more flights by each airline isn’t as simple as adding another digit. It’s reminiscent of when the calendar changed from 1999 to 2000. Computer systems weren’t equipped to understand that “00” at the end of a year meant “2000” instead of “1900,” and healthcare, banking, and many other services that ran on the still-relatively-new internet would collapse.

That obviously didn’t happen. That’s not to say harmless mixups don’t happen to this day, though. A woman born in 1922 repeatedly had issues with airlines because the airlines issue her “infant” tickets after reading only the last two digits, assuming that she was born in 2022, not a century earlier. Air traffic control and other need-to-know parties work off of systems that understand four digits, no more and no less. Needless to say, confusing the intricate flight code computer systems that were instituted more than half a century ago would lead to serious issues.

“On the technical side, we’re working in systems that originated in the 60s,” Znotins said on the quarterly earnings call. “We have two-letter airline codes and we have four-digit flight numbers. You think of this as like a Y2K issue if you remember that. It is immensely difficult to find ways to add another digit to this field, and it’s really only a problem for three airlines in the world. The remaining airlines don’t run into this issue.”

For now, airlines have put in some stop-gap solutions like reusing a flight number for multiple flights that never have a chance to overlap. American Airlines CEO Robert Isom added on the earnings call that “we have aspirations to be a lot bigger, so over time let’s put that down as a project.”

It’s just one more factor for airlines to deal with to keep flying as historically safe as it has been in recent years despite aging infrastructure. And I, for one, will never take those four numbers for granted again.

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Tested: Viral TikTok Hacks and Products That Actually Work When Traveling With a Toddler

Like many new parents, I had little to know idea what to expect when traveling with a toddler. Friends and family were, of course, eager to share their tips, but that led to a wide range of often contradictory advice. My wife and I then broadened our search for how to most easily travel with children to the source de jour: TikTok.

Parenting TikTok is the Wild West of advice. Like every other corner of the platform, influencers, people who are trying to be influencers, and anyone with a phone and an idea seem to have put out seriously unhinged “travel hacks.”

For example, putting a hamster water feeder filled with chocolate milk on your car window — something that puts the “should you leash your kids or is that treating them like a pet” argument to shame. Or putting multiple bins in your car to “organize” three snack packs. Other videos prove that the absurd concept that every unvetted idea and bit of common sense is a “travel hack” isn’t limited to general travel — putting diapers in a plastic laundry bag or the game-changing tip to change a diaper immediately before boarding. Or the joke to “bring grandparents.”

It’s easy to feel like the people who make these videos in the name of helping traveling parents just really love having extra things. It’s consumerism on hyperdrive, often in ways that just take up space despite space being at a premium when traveling. There’s no getting around the fact that packing lists are much longer with a toddler, there’s no need to add useless extras.

Often, the most helpful things we’ve found for traveling with a toddler are ones we didn’t find on TikTok. My daughter loves her Buddha Board, for example, and these Curvd earplugs block out just the right amount of sound. Our gb Pocket Air All Terrain stroller folds down small enough to fit in a plane’s overhead compartment and has been put through endless abuse on trips to Alaska, Jamaica, and more. Few things are as entertaining to my daughter than paging through the in-flight magazine and playing eye spy with the pictures. And at the end of the day, a screen and some fun headphones are a god send that even screen-free parenting tactics can’t deny on long haul flights. Plus, she loves carrying it all around in her little yellow Fjallraven Kanken backpack.

Yet that’s not to say every parenting TikTok travel video is worthless. My wife and I dutifully tried some the most popular products and “hacks” to parse through what actually works (we drew the line at the hamster bottle).

These are the TikTok-made-me-do-it things that we found most useful when traveling with a toddler.

We hope you love the products we recommend! Just so you know, Matador may collect a small commission from the links on this page if you decide to book a stay. Listed prices are accurate as of the time of publication.

SlumberPod Toddler Sleeping Tent

This isn’t the first time I’ve recommended the SlumberPod. We came across a TikTok about the SlumberPod at the right time and the purchase came in a moment of desperation. Our baby slept just fine in whatever crib a place had for about the first year of her life. After that, we became accustomed to zero sleep on the first night in a new sleeping environment — especially if her crib or pack and play was anywhere close to our bed. The SlumberPod blocks out all light and creates a mini room where she can sleep as long as she likes. Plenty of ventilation holes and breathable fabric keep the tent from getting too hot. It’s also a breeze to set up. I’ve put it together in tight hotel rooms and camping tents alike. The only downside is the packing issue: it’s not exactly light or small. We’ve gotten around this by stashing it in a car seat cover, which then gets checked by the airline for free along with the car seat.

Buy: $179.99Window cling stickers

What’s not to love about reusable stickers without a mess? Window cling stickers are incredibly easy to pack and leave room for imaginations to run wild. Depictions of planes are a nice go-to, and a set of animal window clings are always fun (if your child enjoys making animal noises as much as mine, though, it’s not necessarily the quietest option). These stick to headrest screens, closed tray tables, and windows. They’re by far the easiest way to distract a toddler for a short period of time.

Buy: $8.99Suction cup bath toys

Even if these were originally designed for bath time, we’ve found the best use is while in transit. They suction to most hard surfaces, as well as to the other suction cups. They might take up more room than window cling stickers, but the range of tactile feelings and the many different ways to bring them together means they can hold attention for longer. They’re also easy to wash, which is an important added bonus considering how tempting they are to chew on as new teeth come in.

Buy: $9.99Painter’s tape

For my wife and I, this was the original parenting TikTok travel hack. It seems too good to be true: a roll of basic painter’s tape that can solve so many problems. It’s like Duct Tape, but for child entertainment and baby proofing. My daughter can easily kill the time between boarding and take off, or landing and taxiing, with a couple of pieces of tape alone. The tape is also useful to make little toy car courses on the seatback tray. In hotels, the tape quickly covers sketchy looking electrical plugs. And since it’s designed to stick temporarily and not leave residue, using it doesn’t create a nightmare mess for any cleaners.

Buy: $6.49 Portable mini fan

I vowed to never be without a mini portable fan again after being stuck on a smoldering Alaska Airlines flight that for some reason had no AC in the middle of the hottest summer on record. In short, the tail end of the flight was the loudest, most prolonged cry session my daughter has ever had, even while stripped to her diaper and with a cup of ice on hand. A small fan works miracles. I’m not alone here — the New York Times called portable fans this year’s big accessory. With toddlers, just make sure to buy one that packs small while still having a guard around the fan blades (even if they’re soft silicon blades).

Buy: $8.99Hanging shoe organizer

Keeping special outfits for the baby organized can be a struggle. It’s hard enough to keep track of each tiny sock, bow, and pair of shorts on long trips. No matter how well you pack, more than a few days of travel inevitably leads to small child clothes finding their way to hidden corners of your suitcase you didn’t know were there. A hanging shoe organizer makes keeping outfits together easy, and I understand why it’s one of the most popular viral travel hacks on TikTok.

Buy: $9.99More like thisTravelEnough Already: Stop Calling Everything a 'Travel Hack'

Delta Will Offer Free Wi-Fi to All Passengers on International Flights

While Delta’s SkyMiles members can already benefit from fast, free Wi-Fi on most domestic flights, the airline is now going one step further by offering free Wi-Fi to all passengers on long-haul international routes.

Delta is partnering with Viasat, a provider of high-speed satellite broadband services, and getting its fleet slowly outfitted with all the Viasat equipment.

Viasat is a provider used by multiple airlines, including JetBlue, Virgin America, and United Airlines.

According to Delta’s schedule, by the end of August 2024, all flights to and from the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and Italy should be able to offer all passengers fast, free Wi-Fi. In September 2024, all flights to and from Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Portugal, Sweden, and Switzerland should be able to do the same. By the end of 2025, most of the airline’s long-haul international routes will be set up with Viasat technology to provide passengers with top-notch in-flight connectivity. (Note that fast, free Wi-Fi is already available on all Delta flights to France since July 2024.)

If you’re wondering why it takes so long for Delta to get this done, know that it’s because providing fast and reliable Wi-Fi to hundreds of people at a time on a moving plane requires a tweak or two to be done the aircraft. For each plane being equipped with Viasat technology, an antenna, a power supply, a modem, a server, and wireless access points need to be installed. And Delta has a fleet of nearly 1,000 airplanes. Also, you need a lot of high-capacity satellites for a thorough coverage throughout the world, and those don’t just magically pop up in the sky. All of that to say: fast, free in-flight Wi-Fi can’t happen overnight.

If you’re unsure that your upcoming international Delta flight will offer fast, free Wi-Fi, just check out the airline’s regularly updated list of aircrafts equipped with Viasat technology.

While initially won’t need a SkyMiles membership to take advantage of the free in-flight Wi-Fi, Delta will eventually require it. Just make sure to join SkyMiles for free before your Delta flight — you don’t want to lose out on free Wi-Fi.

Or maybe you do. After all, up at 40,000 feet is about the only place in this world where you’re free from the shackles of constant connectivity and communication. But it’s up to you, really.

Delta is not the only US airline offering free Wi-Fi to all its passengers; JetBlue offers “high-speed wi-fi at every seat, on every plane” but warns that some flights outside of the US, the UK, and Europe might have unreliable service.

Turkish Airlines announced last month that it will soon offer free Wi-Fi to all its passengers, economy travelers included.

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Los Angeles Is Working to Make the 2028 Olympics Car-Free in a Car Obsessed City

A Hollywood star known for daredevil roles in action flicks on a motorcycle zooming out of the stadium carrying the Olympic flag signaled the closing of the Paris games and the proverbial passing of the torch to the next host, Los Angeles. But the bike Tom Cruise rode on contained a subtle oversight not missed by Matador editors. Los Angeles has boldly proclaimed the 2028 summer games will be “no-car” in a city known for its car (and motorcycle) culture. Through massive investment in expanding subway and light rail service, and a pledge to close certain traffic lanes to allow access for busses moving between competition venues and the Olympic village, the city hopes to use the Olympics as a way to highlight the efforts its making to get people out of their cars.

The Los Angeles metro area encompasses more than 4,000 square miles, and getting from Los Angeles International Airport to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, where some events will be held, currently takes more than two hours via bus and rail. Commuting between other venues and various hotspots throughout the city takes about as long. But in addition to designating bus-only lanes, Metro plans to open several major bus lines before the games and just completed a light rail line from East LA to Santa Monica. Eli Lipman, executive director of transit advocacy group Move L.A., told the New York Times he was “optimistic” about the city’s chances of building out more rail lines and closing off traffic lanes to cars to make room for buses during the Olympics. This follows the city’s $120 billion commitment to expanding rail service that is among the most aggressive public transit expansion prospects in the country announced last year, and the city recently secured $900 million in funding to help it build out transit projects before the Olympics.

Those numbers are encouraging, but the question remains as to whether anyone will actually ride all this new transit during the games. In that sense, there’s one big thing travelers planning to visit the games can do to help Los Angeles succeed in its “no-car” goal.

How travelers attending the 2028 Olympics can help the city’s car-free goal

Photo: Markus Mainka/Shutterstock

To encourage the city to follow through, there’s another big thing those planning to attend the LA games can do – pledge to arrive in Los Angeles sans-personal vehicle, and to not rent a car while in the city.

The city’s efforts will be boosted by the addition of air taxi service from Archer Aviation, which plans to launch autonomous flights in Los Angeles by 2026. If this pans out, travelers can move from one part of the city to another in a few minutes rather than an hour or more, flying over traffic rather than sitting in it. Taking these air taxis, as possible, is a great way to help the games minimize emissions and avoid snarling traffic any further than it already will be.

By not bringing an additional vehicle into the slog of traffic, visitors can actively participate in a greener Olympics that will, as a result, be more enjoyable for them because they won’t have to drive through the city’s famously clogged highways to reach different venues. Of course, not driving a personal vehicle leaves open the option of Uber or Waymo, the autonomous ride share service now operating in the city, in addition to public transit. But even these options are better than the alternative, in part because they prevent as many additional cars from being added to the roads during the games and don’t require any added space for parking.

This may seem like a monumental task, but there are steps visitors can take to make it more approachable. The first is to book accommodations near the venues they plan to visit the most. That way, those who are able can bike from their hotel or vacation rental to events, dining, and elsewhere. Second, travelers can use Metro’s trip planning service and apps to route their way between venues and their accommodations, knowing in advance where to go and how long it will take to get there.

Lastly, at least at this point, prospective attendees can follow news related to Archer and Waymo and familiarize themselves with these services and the technology behind them. That way, they can be prepared to take advantage of them during the games. Autonomous transport appears nerve-wracking at first, and certainly hasn’t come to be without major hiccups. But the tech that underpins Waymo, for example, actually eliminates much of the cause of car accidents by removing the “human factor” from the situation. The vast majority of car accidents are caused by slight misjudgments or distractions, neither of which are a factor for LIDAR and an algorithm.

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What I Packed for a Week of Travel in Northern Germany

My recent week-long trip to Northern Germany didn’t have just one theme — it was a hodgepodge of activities and destinations. I had several guided cultural visits planned, as well as a couple of hikes and nature-focused outings, a city tour, two nights in a luxurious seaside hotel, some beach lounging, a lot of time spent on buses and trains, and loads of walking — all of which had to be done while working. Not only that, but I was scheduled to spend several days on the beautiful island of Rügen, where the summers are usually sunny and warm, before making my way to Hamburg, where it rains so much that my tour guide called it “Umbrella City.” Needless to say that having to cover all of my bases for this trip made for some difficult decisions when it was time to pack my bags. While I needed a couple of short-sleeved dressy blouses for the museum visits, I also couldn’t go without a rain jacket, comfortable walking shoes, or sunscreen. Of course, I ended up packing too much, but I was never caught without something I desperately needed and, in the end, that’s what matters.

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Sterling Pacific’s 40L Cabin Travel Case

Photo: Morgane Croissant

The most important element of packing for this trip was, of course, the luggage I was going to put all my stuff in. While a weekender travel bag would probably have sufficed, I quickly dismissed this option for one simple reason: I didn’t want to carry a heavy bag by hand or on my shoulder while walking to and from multiple train stations. To reach my destination, I had a 19-hour journey that involved four trains rides with tight connections, two car drives, and one trip on the Parisian metro, so a rolling suitcase was needed to make it as sweat-free and painless as possible. Sterling Pacific’s 40L aluminum Cabin Travel Case is my go-to luggage for shorter trips. It has four very smooth independent wheels so you don’t need to put in any effort to pull it. Also, it’s super solid so it can take on the cobblestoned streets of Germany or the million steps that make up the Paris metro system. Lastly, it’s slick and elegant — especially the jet black version, which I own. Unlike a weekender bag, my roller suitcase keep my clothes mostly winkle-free, which I much appreciate when it’s time to dress up a little.

Buy Sterling Pacific’s 40L Cabin Travel Case

Mystery Ranch Super Market Day Pack

Photo: Morgane Croissant

For this trip, I needed a good-size backpack. The kind that could hold not only the daily stuff everyone carries with them on a trip (wallet, water bottle, phone, book, etc.), but also all my work items (laptop, charger, notebook, planner). The pack needed to be practical for all the train travel, as well as the walking and hiking, I had planned to do. Mystery Ranch’s Super Market Day Pack is a very roomy 22 liters and has a padded laptop sleeve and a water bottle sleeve. It also has a sneaky little zipped pocket in between the shoulder straps so you can store your valuables without fearing pickpockets. If you’re going out for the day, you can easily fit your water, a sweater, a rain jacket, and a picnic inside, and still have room to spare. Also, the shape of the pack makes it very unique and it comes in a range of great colors.

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Boody’s Goodnight Sleep Pant

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Because I had 15-plus-hour train journeys on the way to and from Germany, I opted to travel in the comfiest clothes possible. As a top, I went for the loosely fitting and antimicrobial short-sleeved low crew shirt from Ibex because, no matter what you do when you wear it, it’ll never smell of body odor. As a bottom, I chose Boody’s Goodnight Sleep Pant in black. Yes, they are pajamas. No, they don’t look like pajamas. They are simple, long, straight black pants that look like fancy sweats. Because they are made of bamboo fibers and elastane, they are extremely soft and stretchy. The pants have no zipper and no buttons, so there’s nothing to keep you constricted. I fell asleep for two whole hours on my way back and I’m pretty sure it would never had happened had I been wearing jeans. Boody’s Goodnight Sleep Pant comes in a variety of color, including light blue, pink, green, dark red, bluey gray, and black.

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Jack Wolfskin Pack & Go Shell

Photo: Morgane Croissant

While most of my time on the island of Rügen was spent under blue, sunny skies, the same can’t be said of the 24 hours I had in Hamburg. Hamburg is a city that has a reputation for gray, rainy weather and, even in July, it didn’t disappoint. Because my soft and waterproof Jack Wolfskin Pack & Go Shell compacts into a tiny little pouch, I threw it into my backpack every time I was away from my hotel for the day. On my guided tour of the city, the dark skies opened and my guide and I got absolutely poured on. Luckily, we were both prepared: him with his yellow oilskin jacket, and I with my trusty green shell. Once suitably protected, we kept walking and biking like nothing was going on for a couple of hours. My motto: Never go anywhere without a packable rain jacket, even in the height of summer.

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On CloudFlyer 4

Photo: Morgane Croissant

While I knew I would be doing a lot of walking and some hiking during my time in Northern Germany, I was also aware that I didn’t need a pair of heavy-duty hiking boots — the hikes I had planned were on easy terrain. I opted to bring my On CloudFlyer 4, which I use for my daily walks. Meant for running in extreme comfort, the On CloudFlyer 4 are exceptionally cushioning thanks to thick outsoles, tongues, and sides. While I’ve walked dozen and dozen of miles in these shoes, I’ve never felt discomfort or even got blisters, even at the start. I never actually had to break them in — they were comfortable from the get-go. These shoes served me well during the entirety of my trip, taking me far into the beech forest of Jasmund National Park and on the long beach promenade in Binz.

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Caudalie Stick sunscreen SPF 50

Photo: Morgane Croissant

My morning skincare routine is very simple: I wash my face and apply sunscreen. The problem is that sunscreen doesn’t last all day — only 60 to 90 minutes. To avoid burns, skin cancer, and looking like an old leather shoe by the age of 40, it’s imperative to reapply regularly and generously. Caudalie Stick sunscreen SPF 50 makes application very easy and mess-free. Because it’s in a stick format , you never have to get your hands sticky with sunblock — you can apply directly on your face, lips, hands, and even arms and neck if need be. Caudalie Stick sunscreen is smaller than a stick of deodorant so it fits in any bags or pockets. I took it with me everywhere around sunny Rügen, even to the beach, and never got a single burn. The icing on the cake: it’s fragrance-free and invisible.

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Tennessee Creates New ‘Office of Outdoor Recreation’ to Get You on the Water

Hardcore kayakers and rafters may dream of famous trips like paddling along Idaho’s Salmon River or spending a few days rafting on Cataract Canyon in Utah. But for less crowded rivers, you may want to set your eyes a little further to the east.

The state of Tennessee just announced it’s investing big into on-the-water recreation. In August of 2024, it launched an entirely new state-wide department dedicated just to outdoor recreation. The new “Office of Outdoor Recreation” will be part of the Bureau of Conservation, which is akin to a statewide version of the federal Department of the Interior. While the Bureau of Conservation deals with everything from parks to protected areas and archeological sites, the new Office of Outdoor Recreation will be tasked exclusively with “improv[ing] access to the outdoors for our residents and visitors for the state of Tennessee.”

According to the release, the department’s first major task will be to develop new water trails — trails along bodies of water for everything from short day trips by canoe to multi-day packrafting trips. While the new office is likely to be a boon for the state’s tourism industry, attracting visitors to its roughly 61,000 miles of streams and rivers, it’s also meant to protect some of the state’s more vulnerable resources, such as waterways, lakes, and wetlands.

If you’re obsessed with seeing the world from the water, here are three Tennessee rivers you may want to explore.

The Obed River

Photo: Melinda Fawver/Shutterstock

For adrenaline junkies, the Obed River is Tennessee’s crown jewel of whitewater. Carved through the Cumberland Plateau, the river is a challenge for beginner and intermediate paddlers. Kayakers and rafters will find a variety of rapids, from Class II to IV, and since it’s a protected national river, there’s plenty of pristine shoreline and abundant wildlife. There aren’t many outfitters in the area that offer shuttle service or guided trip, so it’s best to do with a group of experienced rafters who understand the logistics of planning a point-to-point paddle trip.

There are six Obed River access points throughout Tennessee, managed by the state. A smaller portion of the river is managed by the National Park Service and called the Obed Wild and Scenic River. But no matter where you decide to put in, the cost to access and use the pretty waterway is a whopping $0.

The French Broad River

Photo: Alisha Bube/Shutterstock

The French Broad River flows from North Carolina to Knoxville, Tennessee, where it feeds into the Tennessee River. The French Broad Scenic River is a 33-mile-long section from the North Carolina border to just east of Knoxville. Along this section, there are nine access points roughly four to five miles apart, so you can do your own point-to-point trips fairly easily.

If you’re keen to experience the river’s whitewater action, you’ll find no shortage of operators. The section called the French Broad Paddle Trail runs for 140 miles through several areas with guides and rental companies, including several in Tennessee’s Cocke and Jefferson counties. If you want to do just a quick half day trip, you can find outfitters in towns like Knoxville (where Knoxville Adventure Collective offers rentals and shuttle services for a leisurely birdwatching float) and Erwin, where Blue Ridge Paddling leads guided rafting and kayak trips.

The Tennessee River tributaries

Photo: Travis J. Camp/Shutterstock

You can’t talk about Tennessee rivers without mentioning the eponymous Tennessee River. It runs for 652 miles, starting in Knoxville and running west to Paducah, Kentucky. As you might imagine, it offers multiple options for overnight paddling and packrafting experiences. Most trips are on tributaries, as the main channel is primarily for larger vessels and shipping boats. Local outfitters near major cities like Chattanooga and Knoxville can provide equipment rentals and guided tours, ranging from quick afternoon trips to week-long adventures.

Most rafting and paddling companies in western Tennessee will likely be using a tributary of the Tennessee River, such as the Holston, Little Tennessee, Hiwassee, Paint Rock, or Duck Rivers. Do a search for rafting trips along any of those and you’ll likely find plenty of good options.

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Your Outdoor Gear Will Soon Be Circular. Meet the Brands Making It Happen

For textile businesses, the road to circularity is hardly round. It jigs, jags, and juts in all directions, with supply chain and scalability issues a constant concern. There’s also the need to actually be profitable in order to make sustainable gear actually sustainable for the business long term. The outdoor industry is the unparalleled leader in sustainable textiles, with headline brands like Patagonia and The North Face producing rugged clothing built for the elements as the anti-fast-fashion. Most brands, however, don’t have the billion-dollar budgets of top-tier brands, but are still working toward making circular products with incremental steps along the way. Three brands, in particular, are leading the charge – NEMO Equipment, Cotopaxi, and Outerknown. Each is taking a very different path to low-impact clothing and gear, and each has built a model that other small-to-mid-size brands can follow.

NEMO launches Endless Promise, a major push toward circularity

Photo courtesy NEMO

Perhaps no brand is closer to full circularity than NEMO. Its recently launched Endless Promise series includes recyclable packs and sleeping bags. At current, 13 percent of NEMO products are circular from souring to recycling at the end of its lifetime, and the company has a goal to bring that up to 100 percent in the coming years.

“It really started as an email memo from our CEO and founder, Cam Brensinger,” says. Theresa McKenney, NEMO’s Director of Sustainability and Government Affairs. “He asked us to think bigger about sustainability and to go past those incremental baby steps that are important and inherent in the process.”

This led the team to go back to the drawing and design what is pinnacle eco-friendly product could be. The brand had already had audits on its greenhouse gas emissions and footprint, and taken the steps it could to cut that back as far as possible. It had spent ample time and resources figuring out how to source recycled and responsible materials for its products, and had implemented them wherever possible. Creating a product that could permanently avoid ending up in a landfill seemed a logical next step.

The Endless Promise concept was born, with the decision to create sleeping bags and packs first due to the materials used lending themselves more readily to such a goal. Each Endless Promise product contains a unique QR code that the buyer can scan to learn about how and where to resell, repair, or recycle the piece of gear, based on where they are located.

“We decided to design for repair-ability, and for creating an infrastructure for resale and recyclability,” McKenney says. “That was the North Star of the project.”

Rather than launching a new product or testing the waters with a second-tier one, NEMO decided straight away in 2023 to redo its flagship best seller, the Forte sleeping bag, to make it recyclable. The company sends end-of-life bags to Allied Feather + Down to extract the down for repurposing, and then sends the rest of the material to Ambercyle in Los Angeles for recycling.

“This was not a small pilot, it was a systemic shift for us,” McKenney says.

In the newest edition, most of the bag is made of recycled polyester, designed to be as repairable as possible. Customers can ship the product back to NEMO for repair, or contact one of the third-party partners in the US and Europe including Textile Exchange, Allied Feather & Down, and United Repair Center. For resale, NEMO partnered with Out & Back Outdoors, a used gear online store, where owners of NEMO products can list their gear for sale in exchange for cash or a NEMO gift card.

The recyclability is the crux of the product, however – that’s what makes it almost entirely circular. NEMO’s original recycling partner required a volume of products that was unattainable for the brand, so NEMO partnered with UNIFI, a North Carolina company that recycles polyester and other materials.

“The way it works is the product is put into a machine that shreds it, washes it, melts it, and extrudes it, turning the material into a product called “repreve,” a recycled polyester that can then be used again to make new gear or clothing items. NEMO offers a $20 incentive to recycle the product at the end of its life.

In addition to luring new customers, the Endless Promise collection has galvanized the company’s work force to unite under the mission. “It’s been great for attracting talent,” McKenny says. “I get nervous about the focus on greenwashing right now. I think it’s important to be actioning on projects, and this is a great example of one we have our North Star, and we want to make sure we have vetted and verified work to back it up. It’s been a fun project for the team.”

Cotopaxi reaches 100 percent deadstock and ethically-sourced fibers

Photo courtesy Cotopaxi

Another outdoor industry leader in the process towards circular textile goods is Cotopaxi, a brand with a simple mantra — “Gear for Good.” The certified B-Corp embraces the same ethos as NEMO, Cotopaxi is pursuing a slightly different route, built around what it perceives as an already existing abundance of fabric that can be used for durable clothing and gear now, and repaired and repurposed in the future – effectively minimizing the need to draw down natural resources to keep the industry moving forward.

This material is known as “deastock.” Deadstock refers to unused or excess fabric that remains after the production process. It’s essentially leftover material that didn’t make it into finished garments, and is a significant factor in Cotopaxi’s sustainability efforts. As of this summer, Cotopaxi is producing 100 percent of its product line with either deadstock or material that is recycled or certified responsibly sourced. That means no new plastic or synthetics, and increasingly, very little material added into circulation that wasn’t already produced in the first place.

“(The textile industry is) sitting on enough fabric by some statistics that we can make products for the next 150 years,” says Annie Agle, Cotopaxi’s Vice President of Impact and Sustainability.

This excess gives the industry the ability to drastically cut back on “tier 2” emissions, produced when fabric is woven, dyed, and treated. The company also has a page on its site listing clothing and products made from recycled materials, and a special, one-off Del Dia collection that is entirely sourced from deadstock and repurposed materials – in this collection, no two pieces are alike. The collection includes packs, duffel bags, small bags, and smaller items made entirely of stuff that would otherwise end up in landfills.

“By avoiding all this demand and the additional demand on the environment that’s required to produce this fabric, you are realizing significant emissions and water savings,” Agle says.

The five-year process of reaching 100 percent deadstock or well-sourced materials has launched Cotopaxi to the forefront of eco-friendly production in the textile industry, and further solidified the leadership of outdoor-oriented brands in the process.

“Now we’re working towards full circulatory over the next couple years,” Agle says, “and we also have a full upcycled collection coming out next year which I’m really thrilled about. We see upcycling as a much more attractive option for sustainability than fiber-to-fiber recycling, though that’s something we will look at as well.”

As a small-to-medium sized business, Cotopaxi’s ability to make the massive investments needed for fiber-to-fiber recycling is limited, Agle notes. This, however, isn’t inherently a negative. That’s because recycling doesn’t reclaim 100 percent of fibers, and the process in some instances makes the fibers themselves less durable. While the brand believes that recycling is part of circularity, Agle is hesitant to prescribe it as the sole solution.

“Durability and repairability are the most important features,” she says. “That’s really what we’re striving for, and I think the outdoor industry in general is well-positioned to meet that sustainability goal, because the products have to be able to satisfy a more technical user.”

One issue the industry faces, Agle points out, is that it’s still wedded to synthetics. While natural fibers perform well as mid-layers and insulation, outer layers need to be water-repellant or water-proof and meet more technical specifications that natural fibers can’t solve.

“The challenge is what the next stage of non-synthetic performance materials looks like,” she says. “Could we get mushroom fiber, or other alternatives there. Those products aren’t ready to come to market yet, and that is definitely a challenge for our circularity. I think those technologies are coming out more and more every year.”

Another aspect Cotopaxi works towards is making sure its customers are aware that there are reclamation options to repurpose or repair their clothing and gear once it’s damaged or at the end of its useful life. Customers can trade in their gear or shop used gear right on the company’s website. Agle says the brand works hard to educate consumers on this fact, and, like NEMO, actively wants to facilitate the process and make it as easy as possible for their customers to send gear on to its next incarnation.

Outerknown pioneers industry-leading upcycling through Project Vermont

Photo: LouisLotterPhotography/Shutterstock

When discussing Outerknown, legendary pro surfer Kelly Slater is quick to note that he’s been paid to wear clothing for most of his life. Slater, along with co-founder John Moore, decided to do something about the fact that he never knew the backstory behind the clothes he promoted, launching Outerknown in 2015 to be an ethically-sourced clothing brand that the pair and their customers could feel proud of representing. Beyond organic cotton and other responsibly-sourced materials, Outerknown has become an industry leader in repurposing and upcycling, in part due to its innovative Project Vermont.

To give organic wool and cotton clothes a circular ending, we recommend sending them to our Project Vermont workshop, where we’ll upcycle them into new creations,” Moore says.

The brand also operates a resale program called Outerworn, where, like brands like NEMO, it helps customers find a new home for used clothing.

“[E]ven items that show some wear, such as a patched hole, can still be great candidates for resale,” Moore says. “Our Project Vermont workshop is a great option – send them to us and we’ll upcycle them into new ideas.”

Because its clothes are largely made with organic cotton and other single-source materials that are more easily repaired or repurposed than full synthetics, Outerknown is able to partner with third-party purveyors that focus solely on repurposing used clothes to keep them in cycle.

“Alternatively, you can also recycle the fibers through companies like Debrand, Homeboy Threads, and Sway. These industry partners are dedicated to keeping valuable fibers in circulation, ensuring that your clothing gets a second life.”

Moore’s words vibe with Agle and McKenney here in highlighting the importance of collaboration and communication.

“The important piece I always emphasize is how important collaboration is,” Agle says. “If you move as a lone agent in this space, if you have sharp elbows around your sustainability practices, you’re not going to move the needle.”

This, she says, requires brands to support their suppliers and partners in reaching more stringent sustainability standards, and communicating both support and expectations consistently throughout the supply chain.

McKenney, for NEMO’s part, agrees, noting that reaching circularity is an on-going process, and being open about where a brand is at is the best way forward. Both encourage consumers to ask before they buy in order to push brands further towards circularity.

“Even if they’re not all the way there, that doesn’t make it greenwashing,” McKenney says. “There’s nothing wrong with asking for information.”

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Sober Music Festivals: Where and How to Party Alcohol-Free

Tee-totaling sobriety and multi-day music festivals don’t usually go hand-in-hand. For me, the thought of dancing for 10 or more hours to pulsing music in a dust-choked crowd beneath the beating sun without a cold beer in hand could be classified as torture. But alcohol-free, or sober, music festivals exist, and they draw tens of thousands of concert-goers to remote corners of the globe to revel in music without the added risks of intoxication.

To see what the lack of buzz was about, I attended the 2024 Shambhala Music Festival in Salmo, in Canada’s province of British Columbia. It’s a hippie extravaganza that strictly bans the consumption of any and all alcohol; you can’t bring, buy, or consume it while staying on the 500-acre farm. This four-day musical bender was shockingly freeing, proving that adults don’t always need alcohol to fuel their fun.

 

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If you’re looking for all of the party and none of the booze, then this is the festival for you. Because while the farm and forests of Shambhala were indeed dry, the iconic EDM festival was far from family-friendly.

What it’s like to attend a sober music festival

Photo: Shambhala Music Festival/ConcertSocks

Shambhala has bumped dirty beats in the fractal forest for 25 years, becoming a cult-favorite festival in the electronic dance music, or EDM, scene. The production quality is excellent, and top artists in the genre are always in attendance. Music pulses through the night into the post-dawn hours, and daytime events include blindfolded yoga, drum circles, breath work, and river floats in the icy Salmo River.

The only thing missing is the alcohol. It’s seized during thorough car searches before the festival and dumped unceremoniously into a giant communal vat (not for consumption, unfortunately). Each day, I awoke exhausted, but notably, ready to hit the dance floor again. I wasn’t deathly hungover — a welcome change from the music festivals of my past.

Though the festival’s rules also ban any substances illegal in Canada (which technically includes all hallucinogenics), it appeared that most of the attendees chose to forgo alcohol for more psychedelic adventures. Shambhala is known for for pioneering harm-reduction services for festivals in Canada, and it seemed that recreational substances better suited the sound healing classes, transformative yoga sessions, and pulsating drum-and-bass dance parties that dominated the seven stages throughout the weekend. Shambhala also offers free drug purity testing and advice from Ankors, a women’s safe space, and a carefully monitored sanctuary for those who might be struggling on their psychedelic journeys.

Photo: Shambhala Music Festival/divisuals

Attendees who want a genuinely sober event can hang out in the section of the campground called Camp Clean Beats. It’s a secluded area catered to fully sober festival-goers — people who want to hang out and enjoy the music without drugs or alcohol of any kind. Camp Clean Beats also hosts recovery support meetings throughout the weekend.

During my time at Shambhala, I noticed quite a few differences between sober music festivals and most others.

For one, the audience showcased a diverse spectrum of humanity, not just festival bros. This may be one of the reasons Shambhala attracts people from all over North America every year. You can let your freak flag fly, but there’s none of the stereotypical, egotistical showboating associated with mainstream concerts, like Coachella. The festival doesn’t even allow mainstream sponsors, reserving its vendor slots for local small businesses.

Photo: Shambhala Music Festival/ConcertSocks

Festival attendees seemed to watch out for one another. There were no alcohol-fueled fights and fewer haggard, staggering, or overly intoxicated people, and I frequently chatted with others in the crowd. People asked how I was doing, offered me snacks, and checked in on strangers around them.

But that’s not to say it doesn’t get wild, and you’re just as likely to see someone walking around fully nude as you are to see them in an elaborate technicolored costume. There was even a clan of animal-suited furries dancing in the crowd. The outfits I saw were elaborate, often themed after the stage the festival-goer felt most drawn to, like the line of people wearing lampshades at the Living Room Stage.

Organizers of the Shambhala festival say they don’t want to add alcohol due overdoses, drug interactions, dehydration, and the risks overly indulgent patrons can pose to themselves and others. It also causes broken glass: a big no-no at festivals, especially on a fully functional farm.

Photo: Shambhala Music Festival/divisuals

But attendees told me what mattered most to them was maintaining the tight-knit community feeling, and that alcohol could draw in a crowd that doesn’t share the free-spirited values of the festival itself. While I’m never opposed to the experience-enhancing effects of a chilled bottle of wine, I enjoyed my experience at the sober music festival, even though I thought I wouldn’t. Spending my days lounging by the river and my nights dancing beneath the laser lights was an excellent way to embrace the weirdest and wildest parts of myself.

While Shambhala might be the most prominent sober music festival to strictly adhere to the dry-party policy, it’s certainly not the only one. Here are four other festivals that don’t allow liquid courage on the dance floor.

Soundstorm, Saudi Arabia

 

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Soundstorm happens annually in Riyadh​, Saudi Arabia, and is the largest and most luxurious electronic music festival in the Middle East. Alcohol has been illegal in Saudi Arabia since 1952 — not just at music festivals, but throughout the country. That effectively makes every music festival in Saudi Arabia a sober music festival, but Soundstorm is still unique. The three-day cultural event has eight stages blending various musical genres; past headliners include Eminem, 50 Cent, Calvin Harris, Will Smith, Black Eyed Peas, Metallica, and David Guetta.

As with all other elements of Saudi Tourism, extravagance and elegance are key. Soundstorm pushes the envelope in stage production, big-name headliners, and attendance, with 2022’s festival topping 600,000 sober festival goers. The three-day festival happens every December, and is generally considered to be as impressive and high-budget as you’d expect from a country with a development vision as futuristic as Saudi Arabia’s.

Into the Wild, United Kingdom

Photo: Into The Wild Gathering

The sober music festival and gathering known as Into the Wild is held on the grounds of an 18th-century estate in Sussex, England, under dark skies and surrounded by meadows and forests. It’s the kind of place where you expect to find professional foragers, barefoot and hemp-clad families, dreadlocked nature enthusiasts, and far more kombucha than beer.

Into the Wild is a multi-day music event, but there’s more to it than that – and thankfully so, as you won’t see any big, or even recognizable, names here. Instead, the music matches the bohemian vibe of the festival. The absolute joy is in workshops ranging from grass basket weaving, wild paint making, Yoga & Chi Gung sessions, herbal medicine-making, geodesic dome building, firestarting and knife-sharpening classes, archery, and more. The all-ages-encouraged environment with plenty of kid-friendly entertainment makes the gathering uniquely suitable for all ages, with many family activities. The festival brands itself as a place where attendees can be themselves, no matter how weird and wacky that self may be.

The four-day festival is held every August and is roughly 90 minutes south of London. Most attendees camp on-site, though you can also stay in nearby small towns or rent more luxurious yurts and dome tents. Note that alcohol isn’t technically banned — it’s just not sold. As the event page says, “BYO is fine, but it is not a major part of our culture.”

Buddhafield Festival, United Kingdom

 

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If you are a regular attendee of Glastonbury, the name “Buddhafield” might ring familiar. The Buddhafield Cafe, a roomy vegan lunch tent with regular meditation workshops, is an annual Glastonbury vendor and host of its own multi-day music festival nearby. Unlike Glastonbury, however, the event is 100 percent alcohol- and drug-free.

Buddhafield Festival organizers say the aim is to create an all-inclusive space where festival-goers can feel safe, explore new experiences, and enjoy genuine connections with the other attendees and the natural world. It helps facilitate that via live music, dancing, and various workshops on subjects like “compassionate activism” or the overlap of Buddhism and ecology. There are also several stages with dozens of DJs and live musicians throughout the five-day festival. It’s held every July, and while many of the offerings are based on Buddhist ideas, you don’t need to be Buddhist, or religious in any way, to attend.

Bhakti Festival, California

Photo: BhaktiFest/@EricAllenPhoto

Set in the arid, high desert of Joshua Tree, CA, among the whimsical and Seussian cacti, Bhakti Fest brings yogis together in an environment somewhat like a mini Burning Man. But the five-day New Age festival filled with ecstatic dance, yoga and meditation, vegan food, and musical acts ranging from EDM to reggae actually has its roots in Woodstock.

The creator of the Bhakti Festival, Sridhar Silberfein, worked with friends Michael Lang and Artie Kornfeld in the 1960s. Music aficionados may know those two names as producers of the original Woodstock festival in New York. Silberfein was also a student of the renowned guru Swami Satchidananda, who spoke to the crowds of 500,000-plus on that fateful day in 1969.

While the free-spiritedness of Woodstock lives on today at Bhakti Festival, one thing that is different are the rules. Bhakti is a fully sober music festival, shunning Woodstock’s drug and alcohol culture to create a safe space for all attendees. It’s held toward the end of September every year, though the organizers also host longer retreats throughout the year in other destinations. 

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