DREAM IT, DO IT

By Virtuoso Staff

Nice to see you again, the nearly 11,000 ardent travelers who shared your travel aspirations with us in this year’s survey. The results are in, and it’s clear that you know how to relax in style – on beaches and ship decks, in safari jeeps, and, soon, by revolutionary rocket. Grab a pen, get comfortable, and tick through this year’s winning destinations to see where you’ve been and where you want to head next.

TOP 10 Dream Destinations
Australia edges Italy for the first time in four years.

1. AUSTRALIA
Explore Melbourne, Uluru and the Olgas, Kakadu National Park, the Reef, Sydney, and more of the Red Continent’s highlights on Globus’22-day escorted vacation. Departures: Multiple dates September 26, 2010, through March 27, 2011; from $5,929.

2. ITALY
Sample daily life with Tauck’s culture focused trip in Italy, filled with eight days of guided museum visits and light walks through villages and vineyards in Tuscany and the Cinque Terre. Departures: Multiple dates September 20 through October 16, 2010; from $3,490.

3. NEW ZEALAND
Travel2 rolls out New Zealand’s showstoppers on a 14-day escorted trip through the North and South islands: Waitomo’s glowworm caves and Rotorua’s thermal pools, Milford Sound, the Southern Alps, and more. Departures: Multiple dates July 27, 2010, through March 29, 2011; from $3,850.

4. SOUTH AFRICA
Kids ride a cable car to the top of Table Mountain, visit a cheetah park, and spot game on safari during Big Five Tours & Expeditions’ 11-day family trip in South Africa. Departures: Any day through 2010; from $5,615.

5. GREECE
SeaDream Yacht Club’s two 112-passenger yachts offer numerous ways to explore the Aegean Sea. One popular route: seven days between Athens and Istanbul with calls at five Grecian ports, along with Kusadasi, Turkey. Departures: Multiple dates July 24 through September 25, 2010; from $3,405.

6. FRENCH POLYNESIA
Hike, search for pearls, and snorkel and dive some of the Tuamotu Archipelago’s 78 atolls on Paul Gauguin Cruises’ 11-day sailing from Papeete. The 332-passenger Paul Gauguin features a retractable water-sports platform with Windsurfers, sea kayaks, and Zodiac dive boats. Departures: Multiple dates August 14, 2010, through October 19, 2011; from $4,195.

7. CARIBBEAN
Celebrate the holidays in the Caribbean with Cunard’s 16-day sailing from New York City. The 2,620-passenger Queen Mary 2 heads to Grand Turk before taking an eastern tack to Tortola, Saint Lucia, Barbados, and Grenada, among other islands. Departure: December 19, 2010; from $2,552.
 
8. FRANCE
Savor one of your top wine regions this year with Chocolatine’s five-day trip in Bordeaux. The privately guided vacation includes daily tastings in the Graves, Médoc, and Saint-Émilion appellations and can be extended with Paris stays or tours of other regions. Departures: Any day through December 15, 2010; from $4,832 for two.

9. THAILAND
Remote Lands tailors specialized vacations to travelers’ interests: adventurous (helicopter rides and elephant treks through Chiang Rai’s mountains, a speedboat for diving in the Similan Islands), cultural (scholar-led visits to temples and museums, dinner with a Bangkok family), and more. Departures: Any day through 2010; from $1,000 per day.

10. ANTARCTICA
Chinstrap penguins and minke whales welcome visitors on Zegrahm Expeditions’ 19-day journey to the White Continent. The 122-passenger Clipper Adventurer sails round-trip from Ushuaia, Argentina, with calls at South Georgia, Elephant Island, and the Antarctic Peninsula. Departure: January 26, 2011; from $13,980.

Favorite Island Escapes
Slow and steady wins the race for Darwin’s Eden.

Fun Family Vactions
For an ideal getaway with the kids, islands top your list.

• Hawaii – 39%
• The Caribbean – 18%
• The Galapagos – 16%
• Italy – 15%
• Ireland – 13%

Best Gourmet Destinations

1. Paris
2. Rome
3. Florence
4. New York
5. New Orleans
6. Barcelona
7. San Francisco
8. Milan
9. Morocco
10. Madrid

Wining Wine Regions

1. Tuscany
2. Bordeaux
3. Napa Valley
4. Champagne
5. Loire Valley
6. Cote – D’or
7. Sicily
8. Cape Winelands
9. Barossa Valley
10. Marlborough

Most Romantic Spots

1. Paris
2. Venice
3. Santorini
4. Rome
5. Florence

Primed for Adventure
Your top five outdoor escapes.

Most Intriguing Cruises
Water covers 70 percent of the planet.
Here are ten winning ways to explore it.

1. World Cruise
2. The Mediterranean
3. Alaska
4. Australia/New Zealand
5. The Caribbean
6. European River
7. Nile River
8. South Pacific
9. Southeast Asia
10. South America

Best Cities for Architecture
Build it and they will come.

Experiential Travel
Cooking schools top your list of enticing enrichment vacations.

10 Trips of a Lifetime
Customize one of these dream trips with your Virtuoso travel advisor.

1. Embark on a World Cruise
Check off more than 25 countries with Holland America Line aboard the Amsterdam. The 1,380 passenger ship sails west from Fort Lauderdale, returning 110 days later. Departure: January 5, 2011; from $16,999.

2. Visit All Seven Continents In One Trip
Cruise to Antarctica, explore the world’s top ruins (Machu Picchu, Ephesus, Egypt’s pyramids, Angkor Wat) and wonders (the Great Wall, the Taj Mahal), tour Sydney’s Opera House, and take tango lessons from Tony Award winners in Buenos Aires on a 63-day circumnavigation, custom-built by your advisor and Abercrombie & Kent. Departure: October 30, 2010; from $56,305.

3. See all New Seven Wonders of the world

4. Sail the Mediterranean on a private yacht
Yachtstore’s vast selection of sailing yachts (more than 230 in the Mediterranean alone, and hundreds more powered yachts) includes the 100-foot Dark Shadow, a sleek six-person sloop (plus a crew of five) with a 14-foot Wally-Tender for waterskiing and excursions. Seven-day crewed charters from $60,085 plus provisioning (estimate $30,000).

5. Rent a European villa
Immerse yourself in Italy or France with A Season Away, which pairs 98 of the countries’ top villas and apartments with hosts on call to handle any request (grocery shopping, cooking classes, truffle hunts, and more). One example: Chianti’s five-bedroom Working Farm villa, a restored former monastery surrounded by vineyards and olive groves that you can admire during dinner on the patio or from the infinity-edge pool. Through 2010; from $16,150 per week.

6. Commune with nature in the Galápagos Islands.

7. Photograph the “Big Five” on an African Safari
Enhance your skills with the ultimate subject – the Great Migration cast – on Epic Private Journeys’ instructive photographic safaris. Pro Greg du Toit (currently displaying work in London’s Natural History Museum and the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.) leads workshops on the ten-day mobile-camp adventure in Tanzania’s Serengeti and Ruaha national parks. Departures: August 6, 2010, and by request; from $10,690.

8. Rent a Private Island
Some 140 miles east of Fort Lauderdale in the Bahamas’ Berry Island chain, Little Whale Cay is a three- villa escape with its own airstrip, a flotilla of boats, and a staff of 13. Island rental from $8,550 per night for up to 12 guests, including all meals and the use of island boats and facilities. Minimum five-night stay.

9. Blast Off to Suborbital Space
Ready for the ride of your life? Click here for more info on Virgin Galactic.

10. See Egypt’s Pyramids