December 6, 2025

Greetings!

Hello from Santa Maria, Colombia! We have gathered up our lovely new guests in Miami, Vista’s crew have decked the halls with festive decorations, and everyone is excited about our transit of the Panama Canal on. Tuesday. I had a great lecture yesterday to a packed house of Vista passengers, eager to learn more about the Panama Canal’s fascinating history! I was grateful for their interest and their enthusiasm for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. I will post some photos in next week’s edition!

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We have a ton of new subscribers, which is lovely, so let me take a moment to welcome you to the Destination Curation Newsletter! This is a “Books for Travelers” installment, where I take three books from the Destination Curation Reading Lists and provide a longer review. You can find all the Books for Travelers reviews in that section of my website, which you can review here.

I also recently put together a list of 21 books that I really enjoyed in 2025, but haven’t had time to review yet. I think each of them would make a superb holiday gift. You can access that list here.

​Jólabókaflóð: Iceland’s Christmas Book Flood Ideas​

Looking for a meaningful gift for a cruise or travel enthusiast? I just updated my exhaustive gift guide for 2025, 43+ Thoughtful Gift Ideas for Cruise Passengers 2025 Check it out here.

Bitter Honey: Recipes and Stories from Sardinia by Letitia Clark

When Letitia Clark arrived in Sardinia, she discovered more than an island—she found a culinary philosophy that challenged everything modern food culture teaches us about convenience and speed. Bitter Honey: Recipes and Stories from Sardinia is her deeply personal account of falling in love with Sardinian cooking, and it is essential reading for anyone planning to explore this remarkable Italian island.

Clark, a London-based food writer and stylist, made Sardinia her second home, and Bitter Honey: Recipes and Stories from Sardinia emerged from years of immersing herself in the island's food traditions. Unlike many cookbook authors who parachute into a region for research, Clark embedded herself in Sardinian communities, learning from home cooks and observing the rhythms of island life. Bitter Honey springs from a desire to capture what makes Sardinian cuisine so distinctive: its defiant rejection of mainland Italian culinary conventions and its fierce preservation of ancient traditions.

The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who’ve the Longest by Dan Buettner

What if you could discover that the secrets to living longer, healthier, and more fulfilling lives are found not in ground-breaking medical technology or expensive wellness retreats, but in the everyday rhythms of small communities scattered across the globe? This is the premise of Dan Buettner's The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who've Lived the Longest, a fascinating exploration of the world's longevity hotspots that offers sophisticated travelers far more than mere health tips—it provides a window into cultures where the art of living well has been honed and perfected for generations.

If you are planning to visit Sardinia, particularly the stunning coastal city of Olbia and the broader Western Mediterranean region, The Blue Zones serves as an essential cultural primer. Buettner, a National Geographic Fellow and accomplished explorer, didn't set out to write a typical health book. His journey began with a demographic mystery: why do certain populations live demonstrably longer than others? This curiosity led him to identify five "Blue Zones"—regions where people routinely live past 100 while maintaining remarkable vitality—including Sardinia's Barbagia region, Okinawa in Japan, Loma Linda in California, the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica, and Ikaria in Greece.

D.H. Lawrence and Italy [The Penguin Anthology]

I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking and reading about Sardinia this year, which culminated in two lengthy pieces here on the website: Your Guide to Cruise Ports in Sardinia, Italy | 2026 and Explore Sardinian Cuisine: The Essential Guide | 2026.

As I poked around, looking for insight and inspiration, I was surprised to stumble on D. H. Lawrence’s wonderful Sea and Sardinia, but utterly absorbed from the first pages. It was the perfect introduction to Sardinia. Lawrence wasn't a travel writer in the conventional sense—perhaps it is better to call him a literary pilgrim seeking landscapes that could speak to the restlessness of his spirit. Between 1912 and 1927, Italy became his refuge, his muse, and his crucible. D. H. Lawrence and Italy: Sketches from Etruscan Places, Sea and Sardinia, Twilight in Italy gathers three of his most evocative Italian travelogues into a single volume, offering readers a remarkable opportunity to experience Italy through the eyes of one of the twentieth century's more provocative literary voices.

Be sure to check in with the Destination Resources Reading Lists, which I update regularly with new books, podcasts, TV and film, and other resources designed to make your travel meaningful. I did a big update recently, changing the format to make it easier to navigate. Visit via this link!

Podcast Recommendations

have been doing a ton of photo editing in the past week, and it was a great excuse to indulge in a 2022 BBC Radio Play about the Nuremberg Trials. It was so well done, as BBC’s things always are. Riveting, enlightening, thought-provoking, a must listen!

I’m excited to visit Central America, and to get ready, I downloaded a few podcasts on some culinary aspects of the region I wanted to know more about. I loved The Origins of Chocolate on the Ancients. Very timely with the holidays just around the corner!

I’m excited to visit Central America, and to get ready, I downloaded a few podcasts on some culinary aspects of the region I wanted to know more about. I loved The Origins of Chocolate on the Ancients. Very timely with the holidays just around the corner!

Recent Articles to Enjoy

​Review | How Wall Street Built a Nation | The Panama Canal​

​A Short History of Carpet Weaving and Industry​

​Scandinavia Reading List | 2025​

​The Best Books to Read Before A Trip to Italy​

​Your Guide to Cruise Ports in Sardinia, Italy | 2026​

​Explore Sardinian Cuisine: The Essential Guide | 2026​

​The Vatican 2025 Jubilee Year in Rome: What to Know​

​8 Hours in Valletta: What to do in Malta’s Capital​

​8 Hours in Málaga: Top things to Do and See | 2025​

​8-Hours in Bruges, Belgium: The Perfect Itinerary​

​How to Explore Classic Belgian Cheese in Belgium​

What's on the Horizon?

My husband, Dmitry, left me in Miami to take some meetings on both coasts of the United States, and I am basically hunkering down working when I am not lecturing or swimming. I’m finishing up several articles about the Netherlands, which should be up soon, as well as doing major research into Bordeaux and Antwerp for new 8 Hour Guides. Both cities are emerging as extremely popular cruise destinations, and I’m looking forward to overnights in both cities in 2026.

As a subscriber to the Destination Curation Newsletter, you get access to my cruise schedule, which you can find here. It can and does change, but if your plans align with mine, it would be a pleasure to cruise with you! Jennifer’s Cruise Schedule.

It’s been lovely of late to meet so many fellow travelers with whom I’ve shared voyages in the past: yesterday alone I met four couples who had cruised with me before!

I’ve got another two weeks on Oceania Vista and continue to enjoy all of her amenities, expansive hospitality, healthy food options, and the wonderful service from her amazing crew. I plan to make the most of the last cruise of 2025!

Tune in next week for a dispatch from the eighth wonder of the world!

Did you miss my last newsletter? Here are links to the previous three editions.

​🇮🇹 Savoring Splendid Sardinia 🇮🇹​

​🇮🇸 Jólabókaflóð: Iceland's Beloved Christmas Book Flood 🇮🇸​

​🇹🇳 Everything You Need to Know about Carpets 🇹🇳​

I love hearing from you -- let me know how I can help make your travel meaningful. I am rolling out new 8-Hour Guides to popular cruise destinations and love getting suggestions for new ones from this amazing community of readers.

Safe onward travels!

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