Yes, you can go on safari outside Africa
Here in India, it's more hidden. You don't have the parade of big five that you see over and over again, like you do in Africa. The vegetation is different, and the animals are scarcer, but it's very beautiful.
Traditionallythe territory, with this river there, was considered inauspicious, so it hasn't had any development along it. It's extraordinary to find a river that's actually clean and can support wildlife within four hour of Delhi, but this does. There are gharials - sort of related to alligators and crocodiles with a hump on their nose - and pink Gangetic dolphins.
Also look at Banjaar Tola in Kanha, the forest preserve in Madhya Pradesh where Jungle Book was set.The lodge is the closest to the main gate of the tiger preserve, which makes it much easier for the game ride.Florence is accessible to teenagers
I was at boarding school, very briefly, at Harrow in the UK because I didn't really care for it. But it meant that the first trip I took without my parents was inter-railing through Europe for about 10 days.We went to Paris, Florenceand St Moritz, where I realized I did not know how to ski.
Florence was probably my favorite, though, because it's so accessible, as a teenager - the art, I mean. You're not looking at a Basquiatbut a Renaissance painting: the art is mostly figurative, which is a beauty you can understand as a teenager.Fellow foreigners can give local know-how
Years ago, when I went to Bali, I met the (late) garden designer Made Wijaya. He was this Australian guy who had moved to Bali in the 1970s, changed his name, and lived out the rest of his life as a very successful garden designer and writer; he was also hugely influential in tropical modern hotel landscape design.It taught me that there's something great about meeting someone who isn't necessarily from the country you're visitingbut has committed to it. A localized foreigner like that tends to be more appreciative of a placeand more aware of it, not taking it for granted.
How to score secret trips to off-limits homesWe always research local architecture tours by checking in with architecture students or graduates.
Find an architectural school in your destination and look to see if they have a student program that does tours. Usually, it's graduates. These tours not only provide incredible access to historic architectural sites but also insight on how traditional architecture fits into the contemporary design aesthetic of each location; they usually have pretty strong opinions and, because of their connection to the university, they oftentimes have access to places that are otherwise closed.Ca'Foscari Tours is the official tour service of Ca' Foscari University. We did an amazing tour of private Palladian villas in the Veneto while visiting Venice, including one of those owned by the Volpi family that does the film festival there. The old count had died just two weeks before we arrived, and across the lawnthere were all these very mournful-looking dachshunds. It was the most amazing sight.
Walking tours are greatHidden Heritage Walks in Delhi offers tours of Delhi's Sultanate monuments, which are hidden within the increasingly crowded residential areas.
And in Venice, there's a private tour of St Mark's Basilicawhere you can go at night, and it's maybe just 10 other people and you in the entire place. When you go during the day, it's a zoo: you're shoved alongand can't see the mosaics in any substantive way. You don't notice the detail without going on one of these tours.Best airport for an aviation geek
Geneva Airport, of all places, is the one that impressed me most. That business-class lounge is just the most serene business-class lounge I've ever been to. It's got binoculars for looking outside, which they'll provide you with. It's one of those little details I really like.Best view in Italy is from this ugly building
You know the big typewriter in Rome, that slightly unfortunate-looking building, theVittorio Emanuele II Monument. Well, it has the best views in Rome from the top of it. You get this amazing view of the ancient Roman ruins, the Colosseum, and also the churches. It's an amazing span of Western civilization, almost 2,000 years of it, all laid out in front of you. And being on top of this monument is a way to avoid seeing it.Angkor Wat alternative
Borobudur is just spectacular as Angkor Wat, but not as touristy - one of the largest, fully complete temples in Indonesia. The best hotel to stay there is the Amanjiwo, which has amazing views of the siteand mimics it in its architecture without being, like, a pastiche.And the service at the hotel was very present but also invisible. That's one of the problems with a lot of Indian luxury hotels, is that you get really good servicebut it's too present. There's something nice about a place where you're not always running into people.
Traveling in India? Here's what to packWhen we started traveling around India, unlike traveling in Europe or America, the hotels can sometimes be greatand sometimes not so great. So we created a little packet of luxuries that we take everywhere.
Music, for one, was key. In our small bag, we carry a Bang and Olufsen Beosound A1 speaker. It's compact and not terribly expensive, so you can have a few of them if you want.We used it in Hampi last year, at this hotel called the Boulders. It is in this incredible lunar landscape of these giant boulders, and being able to sit on the terrace and look over the river with music playing was amazing.
Then we also carry a French press, a Bodum Eileen Carafe, which is borosilicate glass, but the steel case helps protect it from bumps.And Blue Tokai coffee. There has been a proliferation of smaller brands like this in India doing great things; coffee from south India is extremely good. We drink coffee like that, not tea, which is just maybe a hangover from having lived in New York for so long.
I also carry a Hastens soft pillow, which is down-filled so it will compress down for easy packing. When you're traveling around India, these basic things go a really, really long way. If you've done it, you know.bloomberg
