Wenli Cai

Churchill, Manitoba, known as the Polar Bear Capital of the World, sits at the edge of the Hudson Bay in northern Canada, and, for one narrow window each year, is the absolute best place to see polar bears in the wild and (and this is the key) up close. I traveled there in late October 2024 with Frontiers North Adventures, staying three nights out on the tundra in their Tundra Buggy Lodge, and it was one of the most singular wildlife experiences of my life. Over three nights out on the tundra (living, sleeping, driving around), I saw more than twenty polar bears, including a mama and her two adorable cubs, watched them spar and play and sleep and stare right at us in the buggy, and fell asleep knowing they were wandering just outside. As a bonus I hadn’t quite planned for, the Northern Lights made a spectacular appearance two of my three nights as well.

Madagascar is one of those destinations that is unlike anywhere else on Earth: around 90% of its wildlife exists nowhere else on the planet; its landscapes shift dramatically from lush eastern rainforests to arid western savannah and limestone formations, and traveling through it gives you a real, unvarnished sense of the country in a way that more polished destinations simply cannot (which is a nice way of saying: it is rugged and adventurous). I went in May 2025 as a solo traveler, spending 15 days covering both the east and west sides of the island, and came home having spotted 21 species of lemurs, hiked the Tsingy rock formations, and marveled at massive baobab trees at both sunrise and sunset. Madagascar is rugged, remote, and logistically demanding in ways that mainland Africa is not (there are luxury resorts but really only in the coastal beach areas; inland, it’s adventurous), but that is precisely what makes it so extraordinary and so worth it.

Nashville has a reputation, and it’s not entirely undeserved: Broadway is loud, crowded, and full of cowboy hats and bachelorette parties. But spend a little time outside that strip and you’ll find a more laidback city with a thriving food scene, charming walkable neighborhoods, and plenty of ways to have a great time without ever setting foot in a honky-tonk. I’ve spent enough time in Nashville to skip the obvious and go straight to the good stuff, and this guide reflects what a relaxed, food-forward solo long weekend actually looks like there. Pro tip: a “long weekend”-length trip but during the week means the city is noticeably calmer and easier to navigate than on weekends, without sacrificing anything worth doing.

As a frequent solo traveler, I boarded the Seabourn Venture in December 2024 expecting two things: to set foot on my seventh continent, and to spend much of 11 days happily alone with the penguins and my book. The first expectation was spectacularly met. The second was not, and I couldn't be more grateful for it. Through a series of thoughtful, intentional touches, Seabourn went out of its way to help solo travelers find each other, and I came home not just with memories of one of the most stunning places on Earth, but also with a group of genuine friends I've since seen again on multiple continents. Seabourn operates two purpose-built expedition ships—the Venture and the nearly identical Pursuit—and both sail to Antarctica, so whichever vessel you end up on, you can expect the same exceptional experience.