On assignment for Travel + Leisure, Tesa Totengco boards PONANT’s Le Commandant Charcot—the world’s only luxury icebreaker—for a winter voyage through Canada’s frozen St. Lawrence. Snowshoeing, dogsledding, and Michelin-level dining redefine exploration. Equal parts adventure and elegance, this is the future of travel in the polar world.
Varanasi, India: Where Life and Death Flow on the Ganges
Panama: Beyond the Canal, Into the Cloud Forests and Islands
Panama’s Hidden Table: Hacienda Mamecillo in the Cloud Forest
Tucked high in Boquete’s cloud forest, Hacienda Mamecillo is no ordinary dining experience. Rolando (Rolo) Chamorro and Gabriella Carlsson have transformed an abandoned coffee farm into Panama’s hidden table, where candlelight, greenhouse-grown flavors, and a seven-course tasting menu come together in an unforgettable fusion of farm, theater, and family passion.
Seven Nights, Five Countries, One River: Cruising the Danube on AmaMagna
From Prague’s cobblestones to Budapest’s ruin bars, my first river cruise aboard AmaWaterways’ AmaMagna was a revelation. Twice the width of a traditional ship, AmaMagna brought us through five countries in seven nights, with spacious suites, flexible excursions, and unforgettable meals. Along the way, I rediscovered Vienna over schnitzel, connected with my Benedictine roots at Melk Abbey, and shopped for treasures from TONAK hats in Prague to embroidered blouses in Bratislava.
