WOMEN’S BIKE TOUR IN VERMONT
Learn about bike maintenance, discuss nutrition and fitness, and explore country roads alongside Lake Champlain during a women’s-only bike tour in northern Vermont. Sojourn Bicycling and Active Vacations has teamed up with Terry Bicycles to offer Women’s Weekend Vermont Bike Trip, July 14-17, based at the Basin Harbor Resort and Boat Club on Lake Champlain in Vergennes. The weekend starts with a lakeside reception where you’ll meet tour leaders and other participants, and enjoy Vermont wine, beer, and cheese. Over the next three days, you’ll learn about women’s fitness, nutrition, and gear, find out how to tune up your bike and do basic repairs, and have plenty of time for pedaling around this tucked-away corner of Vermont. Rates start at $1,595 per person, including accommodations, most meals, bikes and related equipment, tour leaders, and van support. 800-730-4771,
gosojourn.com/bicycle-tours/women-vermont-bike-tours.
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RACE YACHTS VISIT NEWPORT
Get up close to state-of-the-art race yachts, tour Newport Harbor with experienced sailors, and enjoy hands-on exhibits on everything from marine life to weather, when the world’s premiere ocean sailing race makes a 12-day stop in Newport, May 8-20. The Volvo Ocean Race Newport Stopover welcomes seven VO65 boats and features dozens of family-friendly activities, many of them free, at Fort Adams State Park. Try cranking the grinding machine — a tool used to adjust the trim of a boat’s sails — or maneuvering a Sail Newport J22 around Newport Harbor (no experience needed). Visit the One Ocean Exploration Zone to see exhibits on marine life, sailing, ocean conservation, and weather. Then enjoy watching several days of racing from Gurney’s Newport Resort and Marina before the VO65 boats begin their next leg to Cardiff, Wales. www.volvooceanracenewport.com.
TEEN-ONLY ZONE AT FIVE-STAR
RESORT
One Four Seasons resort in Mexico has opened a new teen-only complex with places to hang out and play out of reach of parents. Step through the colorful graffitied gates of The Container, located at the Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, and you’ll find a large garden with Acapulco chairs and sunbeds, an outdoor charging station, and large shipping containers that feature different activities. The cinema container has an 85-inch TV and bean bag chairs for watching movies, and the video game container offers Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and two virtual reality areas. The center also organizes street soccer, beach volleyball, and local hikes, and workshops on Huichol and canvas string art graffiti. The center welcomes 13- to 19-year-olds daily from noon to 10:30 p.m. Entry free for guests; added fee for workshops. Room rates start at $695. www.fourseasons.com/puntamita.
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NYC EXPANDS MICRO HOTEL ROOMS
The Pod Hotels, a pioneer of the micro-hotel concept, has opened Pod Times Square in the heart of New York City. Like its sister properties in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Washington, D.C., the hotel offers clean, crisply designed rooms with minimalist space yet all the right features — from great location to free Wi-Fi — for budget-minded travelers. Pod Times Square, located at 42nd Street and 9th Avenue, features 665 rooms, an Italian-American restaurant, a tiki bar with an outdoor space overlooking Times Square, and the company’s newest concept: micro apartments for travelers seeking longer stays. These Pod Pads, as they’re called, range from 600 square feet to 800 square feet, versus the standard 115 square feet for a micro hotel room, and include access to a fitness center and a guest lounge with stunning city views. Rates start at $125 per night. 844-763-7666, www.thepodhotel.com/pod-times-square.
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A COMFY TRAVEL COMPANION
Throw Rumpl’s Original Puffy Blanket in your car or travel bag and use it on road trips, at the beach or park, or on the plane. The synthetic, water-resistant throw blanket can keep you warm and cozy on your adventures, while fending off moisture, odor, dirt, and other grit. It’s made with a DWR-coated ripstop nylon shell and packed with synthetic insulation that is soft like down but remains warm if it does get wet. Best of all, throw it in the washing machine in between adventures. The lightweight blanket weighs 2.1 pounds, measures 50-by-70 inches, and packs into the included stuff sack (6.5-by-14 inches when packed). It comes in a variety of prints and designs inspired by nature, including the new Iceland Print Puffy Jacket, which was inspired glaciers in the Westfjords. $99-$129. www.rumpl.com.
KARI BODNARCHUK