Travel blog

If you’re one of the lucky million revelers to descend on Pasadena for the 130^th annual Tournament of Roses Parade, which features flower-covered floats, spirited marching bands and high-stepping equestrian units, you will certainly want to come prepared. Whether you plan to experience America’s New Year Celebration in comfortable pre-purchased stadium seating, camp out for free curbside spots, or view the spectacular floats at a pre- or post-parade event, this helpful guide will help you plan and enjoy the parade fully.

Your travel bucket list is an opportunity for you to write down all the must-see places you want to visit in this lifetime. It inspires you to decide what you really want, to rank the places you’ve dreamt of seeing for years, since childhood, perhaps, and plan accordingly. Here are some of the magnificent destinations that show up most frequently on our guests’ bucket lists:

There are places around the world where you want to hit the ground running, soaking up the culture and visiting all the must-see sights as quickly as you can. Cartagena, Colombia is not like that. This is the type of place where the most memorable sights are not the ones you read about in a guide book, but the ones you stumble across unknowingly. Take in Old Town’s vibrant buildings on an afternoon stroll, fall asleep on the warm Caribbean sand, or see what’s on the menu at a tiny mom-and-pop restaurant. Here are five things we love about Cartagena and why you should visit now:

Time with your family is a great way to spend a vacation, and a romantic getaway is certainly a must…but sometimes what you need most is one-on-one time with your BFFs. A Girls Weekend isn’t just fun, it’s essential to maintaining your friendships. From Old World villages to beachside retreats, museum hopping to holiday celebrations, we’ve got some incredible ways for you to reconnect and enjoy time with your girlfriends:

Mothers come in all shapes, sizes, and personalities. Some express their love quietly, while others shout it out for everyone to hear. All of them love us, and on Mother’s Day, we get to remind them we love them right back. 

This Mother’s Day, why confine yourself to gifts of flowers and brunch? Show the mom in our life you really care by giving her the trip of a lifetime. Perhaps she’d like a romantic cruise for two, or maybe a land adventure. It all depends on what type of mom you have.

While we can’t say for sure which trip your mom would like best, we do know a little about what certain types of moms like. So, here’s a list of the most common moms we see on our tours, and the type of tours we most often see them on.

After a year of planning and about 80,000 hours of manpower, the world’s most famous New Year’s Day parade took off with plenty of pomp and circumstance the first morning of 2018. Beneath sunny California skies, the 129th Rose Parade began with an announcement from Lieutenant Dan himself, grand marshal, actor Gary Sinise, and a military flyover by B-52 stealth bombers. Starting at the corner of Orange Grove and Green, the procession of military veterans, marching bands, equestrian units, and 44 floats decorated entirely with flowers, seeds and organic materials began.

Thelma Tiambeng-Bright knew her husband Jay’s birthday was approaching but rather than mourn the loss of his passing, this widow of 10 years decided this year she would “celebrate with a bang.” So, she spent his birthday amid the pomp and circumstance of the Rose Parade.

What struck Thelma Tiambeng-Bright about the 2018 Tournament of Roses Parade was not just the designs of the floats or the pounding of the snare drums, but the sense of camaraderie she felt all along the parade route.

There’s a quiet hush that descends upon the crowds as the shadow of a B-1 Stealth bomber passes over the Tournament of Roses Parade. However, the silence that marks the start of the nation’s favorite parade is quickly broken by the beating of snare drums and blaring trumpets. On January 1, 2019, the parade will again set off down Pasadena's Colorado Boulevard for the 130th time -- and scoring the event will be 20 of the world’s most-talented marching bands.

It was 1905 when a dark-haired girl named Hallie Woods sat solemnly on top of a float adorned with roses. Surrounded by a group of her classmates, this serious-faced student from Pasadena High school made her way down Colorado Boulevard to the cheers of the city. It was the first time in history a Rose Queen would make the storied trip. Ms. Woods was selected as the first Queen of the Tournament of Roses from among 16 other contestants, all of whom rode alongside her on a horse-drawn wagon she decorated herself.