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2025’s Best Cruises: Cross the Atlantic on Norwegian’s New Ship in March

See the full list of the best cruises to take in 2025

The seven-day transatlantic cruise aboard the Norwegian Aqua in March offers the opportunity to experience the inaugural voyage of this cutting-edge vessel. Departing from Southampton, England, and concluding in Boston, the journey traverses the vast North Atlantic with six days at sea.

Key facts

Highlight: The Norwegian Aqua’s maiden voyageWhen: Seven days, starting March 28Ship Capacity: Norwegian Aqua accommodates up to 3,571 passengersStarting Price: From $2,803 per person

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The transatlantic route is a big part of the voyage’s appeal. Norwegian Aqua is the cruise line’s most innovative ship, and days at sea will be action-packed. There’s an adults-only beach club with panoramic ocean views, a 10-story-high drop slide, the world’s first hybrid rollercoaster and waterslide, infinity pools galore, multiple kids clubs, and aerial acrobatics, magic, and improv shows in the evenings. In between all that, you get to eat well at one of Norwegian Aqua’s 15 dining options. You can grab a quick bite at the buffet at the relaxed Surfside Café and Grill, book an outdoor table at the private fine-dining restaurant, or if you want to kick back in one of the luxury staterooms (some of Norwegian’s most spacious accommodations to date) room service is available 24 hours.

On-shore excursions are available at the departure port of Southampton, where you can learn about the city’s maritime history with a visit to the Mayflower Memorial. In Boston, you can explore the Freedom Trail and the city’s renowned museums at your leisure.

2025’s Best Cruises: Explore the Wildlife of Eastern Canada With Ponant in September

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During this expedition-style journey aboard the mid-size Le Lyrial, you’ll have the chance to experience Eastern Canada’s remarkable landscapes and diverse wildlife from a unique perspective. The itinerary includes a mix of natural and cultural highlights, with guided excursions led by experienced naturalists.

Key facts

Highlights: Visit three Canadian provinces and one French archipelagoWhen: 12 days, from September 17 to September 28Ship Capacity: Le Lyrial can accommodate up to 244 guestsStarting Price: From $11,200 per person

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The cruise begins in the remote French archipelago of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon with hikes to take in the scenic views. It then continues to Nova Scotia and the Magdalen Islands, followed by a visit to Newfoundland and Gros Morne National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As the ship travels along the Saint Lawrence and Saguenay Rivers, a variety of bird species and mammals from both land and sea are expected to pay a visit — at least to within binoculars’ view. The voyage then passes through fishing villages, untouched forests, and a few historical sites before concluding in Montreal — and there’s no better city in the world to go out for a celebratory toast to cap off the adventure.

2025’s Best Cruises: A Wildlife-Filled Arctic Adventure Wildlife Worldwide in May

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Tour operator Wildlife Worldwide is chartering the M/V Ortelius, an expedition-style ship specifically designed to travel to the poles, to take 108 wildlife-watching enthusiasts on a trip to some of the most remote areas of the North Atlantic and the High Arctic.

Key facts

Highlight: Wildlife-watching cruise in the North Atlantic and High Arctic with world-famous zoologist and photographer Mark CarwardineWhen: 16 nights, starting May 27Ship Capacity: M/V Ortelius accommodates up to 108 passengersStarting Price: From $10,390

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The sailing starts from the port of Oban in Scotland and heads north with stops in Scotland’s St. Kilda archipelago (home to almost a million seabirds), Rockall in the north Atlantic, Iceland, and the volcanic island of Jan Mayen before sailing along the east coast of Greenland and ending in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard.

Photos: Yvonne Schonewille/Shutterstock and Oleg Senkov/Shutterstock

During the voyage, travelers can expect to see blue whales, bowhead whales, white-beaked dolphins, eagles, puffins, rare auks, polar bears, walruses, and harp seals, among other species. Acclaimed zoologist, conservationist, and photographer Mark Carwardine will be on board to scan the horizon, point out, and provide detailed information about all the wildlife you’ll encounter during the voyage. He might even give you a couple of pointers on how to photograph them best.

2025’s Best Cruises: Sail From the Azores to Amsterdam on a Tall Ship in August

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Sailing on Bark Europa is nothing like the experience on a regular cruise ship. Bark Europa is a modernized 1911 tall ship, so there aren’t any amenities like a spa, pool, casino, or specialty restaurants, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do while on board this very special vessel. As soon as passengers embark, they become part of the crew and participate in the handling of the ship for the duration of the voyage.

Key facts

Highlight: Sail to Amsterdam to celebrate the city’s 750th anniversary and attend the Sail Amsterdam 2025 eventWhen: 20 days, starting August 2Ship Capacity: Bark Europa can accommodate up to 48 passengersStarting Price: From $3,385 per person

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That’s what travelers who sign up for the Azores-to-Amsterdam voyage in August will do during the 20-day sailing. They will stand at the helm, handle the sails, and learn how to sail a square rigger across parts of the Atlantic Ocean, through the infamous Bay of Biscay, and across the English Channel — the busiest waterway in the world. Thanks to everyone’s effort, the ship will arrive in the port of Amsterdam just in time for the Sail Amsterdam 2025 event.

Photos: Jack Cox/Bark Europa

Sail Amsterdam is a five-day maritime festival that attracts millions of visitors and over 10,000 ships, including dozens of historical tall ships from around the world, to the port of Amsterdam. This year, the event will be extra special as it will coincide with the 750th anniversary of the city of Amsterdam.

The sailing from the Azores to Amsterdam is the final leg of a much longer journey that Bark Europa will take in 2025. The 81-day trip, which is bookable on Bark Europa’s website, will start on May 31 in Namibia, from where the ship will follow the trade winds to Brazil before heading to the Azores and, finally, Amsterdam.

2025’s Best Cruises: Norway’s Coastline With Hurtigruten in February

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Norway’s long February nights provide an excellent chance to view the northern lights. And on Hurtigruten’s Coastal Express route, you’ll have exceptional conditions (and guidance) to do so. Hurtigruten is so confident that you’ll have an opportunity to experience the aurora borealis that it offers a complimentary six- or seven-day cruise if the northern lights fail to appear during your cruise.

Key facts

Highlights: 34 stops along the coast of Norway with a guaranteed aurora sightingWhen: 11 days, multiple start dates throughout the month and yearShip Capacity: About 490, depending on the shipStarting Price: From $3,522 per person

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The 11-day trip stops at 34 ports. Departing from Bergen, the ship sails through the dramatic Hjørundfjord before progressing northward, passing the Lofoten Islands and then entering the Arctic Circle. Kirkenes, situated near the Russian border, is the final destination before going back down the west coast of Norway to Trøndelag. The voyage offers one of the most comprehensive cruise explorations of Norway’s coastline and its diverse landscapes, from the fjords to the Arctic wilderness.

Photos: Agurtxane Concellon and Orjan Bertelsen

Excursions are plentiful, too. There are over 70 on offer, including guided hikes through breathtaking landscapes, visits to historical sites (such as Viking settlements and traditional fishing villages), dog sledding across the frozen tundra in Kirkenes, and kayaking in the Lofoten Islands.

2025’s Best Cruises: Explore the Caribbean on MSC’s New Ship in April

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MSC’s long-awaited MSC World America will make its grand debut on April 12, 2025. The seven-day maiden voyage starts in Miami, the largest cruise port in the world, with stops in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and the Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve in the Bahamas before returning to Miami. Travelers who wish to make this trip aboard a new ship last a little longer can opt for the 14-day option, which combines the sailing experience above to the western Caribbean with stops in Mexico and Honduras.

Key facts

Highlight: Maiden voyage around the Caribbean of the MSC’s new ship, the MSC World AmericaWhen: Seven or 14 nights, starting April 12Ship Capacity: MSC World America accommodates up to 6,764 passengersStarting Price: From $994 per person for the seven-day sailing, and from $2,355 per person for the 14-day sailing

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MSC World America, currently still under construction in France, is the sister ship to MSC World Europa, the largest ship sailing the Mediterranean. While similar, MSC World America will feature the first overwater swing ride in the world, a ropes course, a shark-shaped slide named the Jawdrop, a sports bar, and the first Eataly at sea — all of which travelers will be able to try out during this maiden voyage.

2025’s Best Cruises: Celebrate 4th of July in Alaska With Holland America

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Holland America offers patriotic Americans the chance to celebrate the Fourth of July in the most epic of ways: by exploring the wilderness of Alaska.

Key facts

Highlight: Spend Independence Day in Juneau, the capital of AlaskaWhen: Seven days, starting July 2Ship Capacity: Zaandam can accommodate up to 1,432 passengersStarting Price: From $1,139 per person

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This incredibly scenic seven-day sailing that begins and ends in Vancouver, Canada, will take you through the Inside Passage, along the Alaskan coast, and all the way north to Glacier Bay National Park. On July 4, the Zaandam will make a lengthy stop in Juneau, the capital of the state of Alaska, where you’ll have a choice of exciting excursions, including a helicopter ride followed by a hike on top of Mendenhall Glacier, a kayak adventure, a paddle on board a traditional Indigenous canoe, a whale-watching trip, and many more.

Photos: Holland America Line

Holland America has been sailing to Alaska for over 75 years and they know how to make a trip to The Last Frontier very special. On the fifth day of the cruise, the ship will sail to Glacier Bay National Park and National Park rangers will jump onboard to provide passengers with all the information they need to know about this very special place. Expect to be blown away by the scenery and the wildlife you’ll see (otters, seals, dolphins, and more) as you sail through the narrow bay.

2025’s Best Cruises: Cross the Atlantic on a Windjammer With Sea Cloud Cruises in November

See the full list of the best cruises to take in 2025

Once a year, in November, two of the three windjammers operated by Sea Cloud Cruises take passengers across the Atlantic. Sea Cloud II and Sea Cloud Spirit, two modern three-masted tall ships, leave from either the Canary Islands or Cape Verde and follow the trade winds all the way across the ocean to either St. Marteen or Barbados. Because this sailing happens only once per year, and because each ship can only accommodate a very limited number of passengers, this is a very special voyage to take part in.

Key facts

Highlight: Cross the Atlantic in a modern windjammer by following the trade winds from the Canary Islands to St. MarteenWhen: 16 nights, starting November 11Ship Capacity: Sea Cloud Spirit can accommodate up to 136 passengersStarting Price: From $10,455 per person

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Despite its traditional rigging and historical appearance, Sea Cloud Spirit is the newest ship of the fleet: built in 2020 and launched in 2021. That means that there are modern amenities on board that make for a very comfortable transatlantic sailing, including a sauna, a steam bath, a relaxation room, a good-size restaurant, and even an elevator. Also, sailing on board Sea Cloud Spirit, as opposed to Sea Cloud II, means you’re saving around $9,000 on the price of the voyage.

A transatlantic voyage with Sea Cloud Cruises involves being at sea without any stops for 16 or 17 nights. It’s the perfect occasion to fully relax, learn more about sailing, and take in the beauty and vastness of the Atlantic Ocean like few before you ever have.

OUTLIER: COMMON: A Powerful Story of Friendship, Adventure, and Resilience

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Ski and Snow


OUTLIER: COMMON: A Powerful Story of Friendship, Adventure, and Resilience

Dani Reyes-Acosta spent much of 2020 isolated from the community of mountain athletes she’d developed over years of van-trotting the American west with a splitboard in tow. During this time she’d frequently venture to the peaks of the La Sals, close to her adopted home near the Colorado-Utah border, and as a global pandemic ravaged the world around her these peaks became a lifeline to the adventurous lifestyle, and far-flung community, she loved. This isolation, combined with a lifelong feeling of “otherness” in the outdoors, sparked in Reyes-Acosta — a filmmaker by trade — the idea for OUTLIER, a collection of short films breaking with the traditional narrative of snowsports media and bridging a gap toward a more diverse and inclusive backcountry community.

The first film in the series, TRUST, was released in 2023. The second installment in the OUTLIER series, COMMON, debuts at the No Man’s Land Film Festival in Denver on March 7 and 8. Following its release, the film will be available to view on Vimeo and at upcoming film festivals, with screening details available via the film’s website. Also featuring Vanessa Chavarriaga and Christina “Nina” Aragon, OUTLIER: COMMON is a testament to the power of community-building in breaking down barriers that have historically kept many people out of the backcountry — and the most emotionally uplifting 27 minutes of film in the outdoor space, to date.

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Vanessa Chavarriaga Posada and Dani Reyes-Acosta scout a line.

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Dani Reyes-Acosta cashes in on her hard work.

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To go down, one must first go up. Nina Aragon, Dani Reyes-Acosta, and Vanessa Chavarriaga Posada make their way up the skin track.

The OUTLIER film series highlights under-represented voices in the outdoors

Fresh narratives in snowsports don’t come along often. Since Warren Miller’s “Deep and Light” debuted in 1950, ski films have largely followed the pursuits of white dudes attempting to out-bro one another by dropping bigger cliffs and sliding longer handrails. Female athletes, particularly women of color, have made appearances, but rarely as a lead and even less frequently as the main storyline. Historically, even snowboard films chronicling the sport’s rebel roots and open-sourced, party-hardy mantra largely failed to capture the need for a more diverse community. The “Totally Board” series peaked 25 years ago but not much has changed – most films still fail to get deeper than ski porn, park booters, and handrails, even those that chronicle the backcountry’s best jump-turning down Alaskan spines.

Reyes-Acosta is the new generation of snowsports storytelling. The Colorado-based, Los-Angeles-born athlete and filmmaker is Mexican, Filipina, and Mestiza, a diverse palette from which to paint a unique story. In the American mountain sports community, she’s an outsider in the truest sense – a sponsored athlete, a planter of trees, a farmer, yet someone who despite this profound connection to the land and mountains had always felt “othered” while in them. Her story was featured in the Livsn Productions short Well Worn Life which highlighted Reyes-Acosta’s self-reliant worldview and progress as an athlete moving through a world where she was always that “other.”

“How do we understand our identity – our definition of community, our definition of identity, and what does that all mean in the framework of belonging in this space,” Reyes-Acosta told Matador.

The OUTLIER series began production in 2021 as Reyes-Acosta’s firm statement of arrival. The series is about community. Particularly, a community for women of color in the backcountry – to let others know they aren’t alone, and that there indeed are people to look up to and reach out to in the space. She entered the Covid-19 pandemic recovering from a broken back in a remote community of western Colorado. The first film in the series, TRUST, focuses on two primary themes: her and costar Lani Bruntz feelings of connection to the mountains despite not looking like most of the people they met in them, and how that connection has shaped their worldview.

An underlying theme in the OUTLIER series is that for many people of color, particularly women, getting into the backcountry isn’t as easy as it is for others. Role models aren’t as readily available, and in many cases, even getting to the mountains wasn’t – isn’t – always easy for economic, societal, or family reasons. When speaking with the three athletes for this story, I asked each what that felt like in contrast to my own experience of looking up to Jeremy Jones and how easy it was for a guy from suburban Denver to find inspiration in someone who looked, talked, and sounded like him.

“I felt hung out to dry,” Reyes-Acosta says. “It took me moving (to the middle of nowhere) to have that mirror held up and realize, ‘Oh, it’s not just me. Over the years as a woman splitboarder, there’s always been this tension in the space. The gear was weird, there’s always been this blatant ‘othering’ that’s happened. In 2020, many factors combined to make me realize that I needed to grab the mic and say something. I wanted to translate my pain and frustration into something useful, and hopefully motivational and constructive.”

OUTLIER: COMMON furthers the narrative for diversity in the backcountry

Reyes-Acosta always intended for OUTLIER to be a multi-part story. The second installment brings Vanessa Chavarriaga, a Colombia-born athlete, community builder, and advocate with “Dreamer” status in the US, and Nina Aragon, a climate scientist and athlete, into the mix. What they collectively created is less of a ski film than it is a life lesson in what happens people show up for each other, no matter what. Through the ladies’ united pact, the viewer is taken on a wild, story-laden ride that ultimately holds the key to breaking down colonial barriers in the outdoors. The film touches on personal struggles each faced during its filming, including Reyes-Acosta taking care of her ailing mother and her partner as he recovered from a major surgery. The trio speak Spanish among themselves at times, and the soundtrack trades speed metal for Tropicália.

Between the film’s spoken lines is a drive for community impact. Reyes-Acosta’s production company, Afuera Productions, partners with organizations including Vamonos Outside, SOS Outreach, and Mountain Dreamers. Each film highlights the science behind a different element of climate change. In TRUST, fire and its impact on mountain ecosystems plays a central role. In COMMON, water is the star, led by Aragon’s professional background as a climate scientist.

Dani Reyes-Acosta

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Dani Reyes-Acosta

Dani Reyes-Acosta

Nina Aragon

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Nina Aragon

Nina Aragon

Vanessa Chavarriaga Posada

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Vanessa Chavarriaga Posada

Vanessa Chavarriaga Posada

Reyes-Acosta grew up surfing in her hometown of Los Angeles, and even then felt isolated as a woman in a male-dominated space. Snowsports, notoriously populated by affluent, largely white, and mostly male figureheads, is the worst offender in this sense – especially given that to optimize your life around a sport like splitboarding means living in a small town.

The name “Outlier” comes from the scientific term for a younger rock formation surrounded by older, more consistently fluent rock formations. In the La Sal Mountains of eastern Utah, where Reyes-Acosta decided to make these films, the mountains themselves are outliers to the high desert landscape that surrounds them – much as she, as a woman of color, is an outlier in the splitboarding community.

“I looked down at the rock and thought, ‘I am this mountain,’” Reyes-Acosta says.

The film series is funded in part through a grant from the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture, along with private sponsorships and a crowdfunding campaign.

“I’ve come to accept that the chaos of life is what it is,” Reyes-Acosta says. “It felt like for so many years that the world was just punching me. Because of the chaos of life, because of my mom’s cancer, because of Nina’s complications with her pregnancy, all these things through the film for a loop. But I realized this is another ‘evolving my mindset’ moment. I spoke with our funders and was like, ‘Hey, life is happening.’ They were gracious and supported us.”

Finding partners, and identity, in the mountains

“This is a universal story of realizing that we’re all outliers in some way,” Reyes-Acosta says. “We’re all a little bit weird. We’ve been trying so hard to force ourselves into this idea of what it means to be in the mountain community and to go tour.”

At the films’ heart is a chance for Reyes-Acosta and her costars to pivot their perception of self and of belonging in the high country. The simple act of ski-touring with two other women of color, and having the difficult and vulnerable conversations necessary to ensure each other’s vitality in the group, helped each of the three women in “Outlier: Common” find that sense of community – and at a grander scale, they’re decolonizing outdoor sports.

Chavarriaga, a professional athlete and environmental sociologist, uses her platform and skillsets to focus on the intersection of people and nature, through the lens of racial identity and immigrant identities. “I try to bring in conversations and education about who has access to nature, and why that is, and then how we can fix this and why we should,” she says.

The two met on Instagram during the Covid-19 pandemic. Chavarriaga was living in rural Montana. Reyes-Acosta in rural Colorado. Chavarriaga’s first time skiing was with Reyes-Acosta.

“I went to visit her and was like, ‘Are you gonna invite me to be in the second episode or what?’” Chavarriaga says.

Little did she know, the invitation was already in action – Reyes-Acosta had been planning a surprise invitation to bring her into the fold.

“I’m a pretty new skier – going into my fifth season this year, and I got into skiing in such a public way,” Chavarriaga says. “I did that on purpose, because I wanted to share that vulnerability, and show people that you don’t have to be the best to belong.”

This process, of course, involved a good amount of trial and error.

‘I fall a lot in front of the camera,” Chavarriaga laughs. “Dani has provided such a beautiful role of friendship and mentorship.”

To her, the connection between outdoorspeople’s love of movement and the issues facing immigrant rights in the United States go hand in hand. Her place in this film expresses that and attempts to connect that freedom to freedom of migration. “Certain people can exercise this movement and others can’t, and really, there is no freedom until everyone is free,” she says. ‘Collective liberation’ is the goal – and to reach it, people of all stripes must be welcoming and inviting in the outdoors.

Her father was deported. Chavarriaga herself can’t seem to pass through customs at a US airport without being detained and questioned, despite the fact that she has DREAMER status and proper documentation.

“I’ve found so much healing being able to take up space outdoors,” she says. She tries to bring that healing to others, introducing them to skiing, providing gear and knowledge, and generally promoting the inalienable truth that we all belong outdoors. “The land always welcomes all of us, and it’s an important player in the entire conversation of belonging outdoors.”

OUTLIER: COMMON highlights the importance of community, science, and advocacy in the outdoors

The film took nearly two years to make because each of the three women were dealing with the vice of life that happens beyond skiing and snowboarding. Reyes-Acosta’s mother was clinging to life in the hospital. Aragon had recently become a mother. Chavarriaga is an immigrant with DREAMER status who can’t seem to fly through customs without being detained and interrogated. The challenges, combined with multiple filming locations — the crew shot in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, the Tetons, the La Sals, the San Juans, and in Bend, Oregon — combined to create multiple fluctuations in the schedule.

“I called Dani and said, ‘I’m pregnant!’ and she was like, ‘Let’s bring it into the film,’” Aragon says.

Her pregnancy was deemed high risk, and her doctor insisted that she remain within an hour of a NICU. After giving birth, further care was required for her son and her husband suffered severe injuries. “It was a wild piece of life and (Dani) embraced it and was supportive,” Aragon says. “Dani decided that we were going to create a culture of caring for each other, and of showing up for each other, and it was really great.”

Aragon grew up in Denver in a large Latino family with a huge emphasis on family structure and culture. Getting into the outdoors, where the focus lies more heavily on individuality and self-motivation, did not come naturally to her. Outside of filming and family life, she is working on a PhD in water resources engineering through Oregon State University, focused on the intersection of water and climate, and how that relates to water resources. In particular, Aragon studies how snowpack impacts both where it falls as well as down-stream water resources. Climate model analysis is a big part of her work, and her knowledge plays out extensively throughout the film.

The trio ended up doing some late-season filming to get the shots required for the film. The entire process helped them develop an unwavering trust in each other – and in their ability to do this project, as life allowed them to do it, without compromising other aspects of their lives.

A poem written by Nina Aragon during the filming of OUTLIER: COMMON

“I came into this project having things I wanted to talk about and wanted to highlight, but then having a kid was so life-altering that I was actively processing what was going on as it happened,” Aragon says. “I think it’s hard to have perspective and opinions on things as its happening, and what ended up being put in the film was completely different than what was planned.”

“My family did not snowboard or ski, that’s just not something we did,” Aragon says. “Basically, the sacrifices of my parents and my ancestors afforded me time. I get a choice of what I do with that time, and there’s this idea that we’re trying to create something better for our children than we had in our lives, and our generation had this recognition that healing and overcoming generational trauma is necessary to get our kids to that next level of success, like they’re integrated and part of society.”

“The place where I did the most healing was in the backcountry,” Aragon says. This is where she came to understand the cultural differences between her family structure and that of many of her peers. She felt fortunate to have the time to go to the mountains – something that wasn’t a “thing” for her parents or grandparents.

The grander takeaway, no matter a person’s background, is to be “radically inclusive” of where everyone in your party is in their journey. Any backcountry skiers or snowboarders who’ve taken an AIARE Level 1 course have heard the mantra, “The group’s as good as the least-experienced person.” Rather than a snow-covered trope on the “weakest link” insult, this guideline is more of an ego check for experienced backcountry users to remember where they came from and the people who helped them get to where they are.

“Where am I for the day, what can I do to prepare myself fully, and if something’s going on, communicate it,” Reyes-Acosta says. “Anything that you’re trying that’s new is going to be difficult. It’s going to be painful. It might be terrifying. All of these things just require practice. People aren’t bad at things, but if we don’t have the conversations, we’ll never know how good we can be.”

Chavarriaga is routinely asked in the outdoors if she knows what she’s doing or if she needs help, simply because she doesn’t look like what the typical “outdoorsperson” expects.

“In the film we talk about finding common ground and how important that is, because if we can’t we’ll never get past these issues,” she says. “We’re trying to make a film about a marginalized community, while being that marginalized community.”

The hope of Reyes-Acosta and her costars and colleagues in the OUTLIER series is to further the conversation and spark progress.

“What I try to get folks to do always is just start with what you know, where you are, and the people you have,” Chavarriaga says. “Even looking at your neighborhood differently – noticing who makes your food or who works in the bars, noticing your neighbors. What’s cool about collective liberation is that each one of us has so many gifts to share. Start with an invitation – invite your neighbor outside for the first time. Share what you know, and if everybody did that, the world would be a better place.”

Films like OUTLIER: COMMON are a step toward that storytelling-driven solution. Film screenings focus on women’s events, BIPOC and Latino leaders events, in addition to standard screenings in mountain towns and film festivals. Regardless of where the film is viewed, one would be heartless to watch these three skiers and activists go about this journey without feeling empathy and, ultimately, pride in what they’re doing. This pride and empathy is the key to unlocking broad systemic change – in how society addresses massively complicated issues, in how humans interact with each other, and yes, even in whom we’re sharing the slopes with on a powder day.

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The World Is Waiting: Travel Host Darley Newman On Season 12 of ‘Travels With Darley’

Creating and hosting a long-running travel show is no easy feat. Just ask Darley Newman, host of “Travels With Darley,” which debuts its 12th season on PBS beginning this month. Newman, who founded the show and at various points has published episodes across platforms including YouTube, Amazon Prime, and Ovation TV, in addition to PBS, shares insights into the latest season of her acclaimed series, “Travels With Darley.” Newman discusses the unique destinations explored in Season 12 and delves into the show’s focus on sustainable travel and community engagement. She also reveals behind-the-scenes anecdotes and shares her hopes for inspiring viewers to explore their own corners of the world.

Where to watch Season 12 of ‘Travels With Darley’

Exploring the cuisine of New Jersey. Photo: Darley Newman

As has been the trend with the past 11 seasons, Season 12 of Travels with Darley takes viewers on journeys around the US and into Canada, exploring diverse cultures, history, and landscapes. Newman immerses herself in local experiences, interacting with people beyond destination representatives, trying local cuisine, and participating in unique activities. The defining feature of the show is Newman’s ability to blend cultural history with actionable things that people can do beyond simply staring at a museum plaque. The show has garnered critical acclaim and has been nominated for several Daytime Emmy Awards.

Season 12 of “Travels with Darley” takes viewers to a diverse range of destinations across the USA and Canada. The season kicks off exploring the rhythms, tastes, and trails of Detroit, Michigan, before heading to the Southwest to immerse viewers in the Santa Fe Indian Market in New Mexico. Then it is off to Fargo, North Dakota, and beyond, followed by a multi-state “Revolutionary Road Trip” – a staple of Travels With Darley throughout the show’s history – through Delaware, North Carolina, and New Jersey. The season also includes a stop in Ellijay, Georgia, a road trip from Albuquerque to Ruidoso, New Mexico, and a scenic drive along the Illinois Great River Road. Back in the Midwest, viewers can explore the architecture and the Magnificent Mile in Chicago, Illinois, before the season concludes with eco-adventures in Quebec, Canada.

The series highlights lesser-known aspects of many popular tourist spots, as well as places travelers may never think to visit in the first place (North Dakota being a prime example in Season 12). It aims to inspire viewers to explore the world, embrace new cultures, and discover the beauty and wonder that exists beyond typical travel itineraries.

“I’m excited to share those places that again fly under the radar, but that are doing really good work and you would never hear about exactly what they’re doing,” Newman told Matador.

A deeper focus for the new season

Photo courtesy Darley Newman

Each season of “Travels With Darley” has an underlying theme that becomes apparent to the viewer as they move through the episodes. Season 12 focuses on the broad scope of sustainability.

“Not just environmental sustainability,” she says. “It’s also preserving architecture, which I love to cover, and preserving culture and history and passing down traditions. That’s all a part of true sustainability and that’s what this season is all about.”

Another constant in the new season is its focus on inclusivity and accessibility. Many of the destinations featured, including Alabama, North Dakota, and New Orleans, each of which has taken strides to make top sites easier to reach or more tolerable for travelers with disabilities such as autism.

“It’s a big topic because (accessibility) is another growing trend it’s something that destinations are really looking at right now,” Newman notes. “There are so many different challenges that we all face.”

Autism, in particular, is a notable issue that prevents millions of people from enjoying travel to its fullest, or even leaving home in the first place. Surfside, South Carolina, became the first city in the U.S. to be sanctioned as autism-friendly, and Newman was recently in Myrtle Beach, where she is from, for the holidays and learned about Surfside’s work in this area, which includes erecting playgrounds that are sensitive to overstimulation, and museums and restaurants that are the same. For season 12, she took inspiration from other places that were making similar efforts.

“I think it’ll be a season that has a lot of surprises for people and there’s some heartfelt stories mixed with things that just aren’t what we see or hear about every day, which I love,” Newman says.

How Darley Newman stays motivated, 12 seasons in

Photo courtesy Darley Newman

Even as a veteran, Newman’s excitement for conveying the stories of the people and places she visits remains visible throughout Season 12.

“I always like to understand people’s motivations when we’re doing the show,” she says. “Why people are inspired to do what they do, because there are things you have to do in life but then there are things that compel you to do something more. And I think those are often the things that are the most interesting to be able to uncover. It’s the passion that people have for something.”

It’s finding that passion and a unique angle that Newman says keeps her engaged, and that she offers as her biggest piece of advice for travel content creators.

“I think if you have a passion for something that you really care about or you think you’re really good at, then that should be part of your focus,” Newman says. “Because you have to spend a lot of time doing this, and creating a channel, and all that kind of stuff. So, it should be something you really care about and that you’re passionate about and maybe is unique to you as well.”

Check out season 12 of “Travels With Darley” on your local PBS station and for free online via Tubi.

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