Fall Trips to Try for Foodies, Dolomites and Lake Garda with DuVine
There’s no better way to jumpstart the post-pandemic body than to entice the senses with a tantalizing venue of local food and drink. Many tour operators are upping the ante this autumn by not only bringing you to scenic locales like the Dolomites and the Douro River, but adding to the excitement by adding hosts like a Michelin-starred chef or wine expert.
The first trip that has us salivating is the Dolomites and Lake Garda Chef on Wheels Bike Tour with DuVine. Andy Levine’s love of topnotch restaurants, the finest wine, and memorable bike routes spurred him on to create DuVine Cycling decades ago. After all, his motto is “Bike, Eat, Drink, Sleep.” This is certainly true of this September 6-day jaunt in northern Italy with Michelin-starred chef Stefano Righetti. Raised in the mountains above Lake Garda, Righetti rose to prominence at Lake Garda’s acclaimed Vecchia Malcesine. Bike on a traffic-free network of local bike paths, crossing three regions from the Italian Alps to Lake Garda, and stop at Righetti’s favorite local wineries, farms, and food suppliers along the way. Actually, you’ll go one step further by foraging for wild ingredients and then preparing a sunset dinner in an alpine chalet with Righetti. If you want to start traveling again with gusto, this is certainly worthy of a bucket list trip! Please contact ActiveTravels and we’ll check availability.
With Vermont now allowing vaccinated out-of-state travelers to arrive without quarantine, Lisa, our son, Jake, puppy Theo, and I decided to hit the road for two nights prior to Memorial Day Weekend. First stop was the acclaimed 
Costa Welcome to our fifth episode of 
Thanks to Henry David Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott, and Ralph Waldo Emerson, the historic hamlet of Concord, Massachusetts, 20 miles west of Boston, has achieved legendary stature as a literary outpost. After all, it was here that Thoreau ventured to the woods with ax in tow in March 1845 to build his hut on 
One step off Newbury Street into the reception area of the 
While New England may have only a handful of parks with “National” in their name, it is blessed with an enviable collection of state parks, including many whose names are known well beyond our region’s borders. What hiker doesn’t dream of conquering Baxter’s Mount Katahdin? Who would want to miss the foliage fireworks of Franconia Notch? But just as appealing, especially now, are the parks with a quieter appeal, offering swaths of land to roam while rarely running into crowds. Here are seven hidden gems where you can find a retreat to restore body, mind, and spirit.
Greece has a nostalgic appeal for Lisa and me since we went there on our honeymoon a lifetime ago. We had no reservations and took ferries from island to island, quickly learning that there were many gems in the Mediterranean that no one except wise Scandinavians knew about. We purchased a book called “Undiscovered Islands of the Mediterranean” and off we went. Our first stop, Folegandros, was arguably our favorite island on the entire trip. With a handful of travelers, we scrambled into a mini-bus and were dropped off at an incredibly authentic main square, where people dined on wooden tables under a string of electric light bulbs. Men with mustaches out of an 1880s barbershop photo grilled souvlaki on an open grill. Olden men drank coffee at a small café. All was framed by whitewashed buildings and churches. You knew instantly that this was no Disneyesque version of a Greek Isle overrun with drunken American and European backpackers, but the real thing. We would take long walks on paths through olive groves and hire fishermen to drop us off and pick us up at deserted beaches. Tilos is another island where the locals, still unaccustomed to tourists, greet you as if you lived there your whole life. A place where one picks fresh figs off the tree and finds deserted medieval castles that request no admission fee. If you want to find an authentic Greek isle away from the masses, 
Who wouldn’t want to be whisked away to this stunning land of fjords, colorful and charming UNESCO World Heritage cities like Bergen, and a history that dates back to the time of Vikings? And you don’t have to opt for a cruise to visit Norway if you don’t want to. With an office based in Lillehammer, the tour operator 50 Degrees North is our go-to choice for creating custom-design self-guided driving routes for 
Home to some of the continent’s most stunning scenery, coupled with one of Europe’s least densely populated countries, Scotland perfectly fits the bill for post-pandemic travel. Whatever sport you choose, we can arrange the activity, lodging, guides, and meals with 
Like many of you who have delayed plans to Europe this past year, we’re excited to hear that the EU is opening to vaccinated travelers this summer. But we’re still not sure about rushing back to cities like Rome, Paris, and Barcelona, unless we know that there will be some sense of normalcy visiting all major sites and dining out. Our focus so far has been to design trips to the European countryside. There’s no better time to visit the Swiss Alps, Icelandic glaciers, Norwegian fjords, Scottish Highlands, and off-the-beaten-track Greek isles. Whether you prefer to travel independently or a group, ActiveTravels know the best way to get you deep into the scenic European countryside. Let’s start with Switzerland.