Cast About Travel

08/17/2026

Venice is one of those cities that can feel overwhelming at first — there is so much to see, and so many different ways to experience it.

After several days exploring the city, we came away with a few favorites, a few surprises, and some definite opinions about what is actually worth your time.

From the Doge’s Palace and lesser-known museums to exploring Venice from the water, day trips beyond the city, and simply wandering the neighborhoods, we pulled everything together in our latest Cast About Travel guide:

**The Best Things to Do in Venice**

One thing we learned? You absolutely do not need a gondola ride to experience Venice from the water. Our water taxi tour and rides on the vaporettos gave us a wonderful look at the city — although a gondola at sunset would certainly be a beautiful splurge.

👉 Read the full Venice guide:
https://castabouttravel.com/the-best-things-to-do-in-venice/

Have you been to Venice? What was your favorite experience?

08/11/2026

08/11/2026

Windstar surf ready docked in Palamos, Spain

08/09/2026

Sometimes Plan B turns out to be pretty spectacular.

We had originally hoped to take the Aiguille du Midi cable car while visiting Chamonix, but the available times were too late for us to make our return to Geneva. So we changed plans and headed up to Le Brévent instead — and what a great decision that turned out to be.

The views across to Mont Blanc and the surrounding glaciers were absolutely incredible, and we were surprised to find dozens of paragliders launching from the mountain while we were there. I have to admit, watching them made me wish I had known about that option ahead of time! 😁

After coming back down, we had a very good lunch at La Calèche and shared the profiteroles — a pretty great ending to a day that didn’t go quite as planned.

One more reminder that sometimes the backup plan becomes one of the best parts of the trip.

08/07/2026

Our final port day of the cruise brought us to beautiful Piran, Slovenia — a relaxed walk through town, a climb to the top of St. George’s bell tower, and a memorable lunch in a small seaside town shaped by centuries of Venetian influence and salt-making traditions.

Piran was such a delightful surprise and checked all the boxes for us:

1. A colorful medieval town
2. Not overly crowded
3. A beautiful church well worth taking time to explore
4. Great food
5. Warm, friendly people who are clearly very proud of their town

And the views from the top of St. George’s bell tower were definitely worth the climb! Read about our full adventure at: https://castabouttravel.com/piran-slovenia-our-last-cruise-stop/

Have you ever visited Slovenia? What were the highlights for you?

06/14/2026

Banff is always beautiful but especially in the spring.

06/12/2026

Is the Rocky Mountaineer worth it? 🚂✨

After sixty years of dreaming about it, we finally found out — and we're not holding back. Our honest review of the GoldLeaf experience covers the breathtaking highs, the long days, and the one reality check every traveler should know before booking.

Nine days through the Canadian Rockies. No fluff, no sponsored spin — just our real take. 🏔️

📍 Vancouver → Banff, GoldLeaf Service

Full honest review at the link in our bio 👉

Have you taken the Rocky Mountaineer, or is it on your bucket list? Tell us below! 👇

05/24/2026