Greetings ! I live much of the year on luxury cruise ships as an enrichment lecturer, exploring the intersection of history, culture, and cuisine. I write about these in my weekly Destination Curation, 8-Hour Guides to Cruise Ports, and Books for Travelers reviews. I'll help you make your travel full of meaning and context! Join me!
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đź“š Books for Travelers | May 17, 2026 đź“š
Published 5 days ago • 9 min read
May 17, 2026
Greetings!
Hello from Washington D.C.! I’m here for our daughter’s graduation from her graduate program at Georgetown in International Relations. Dmitry and I are two very proud parents! We’ve had a lovely weekend with family and friends, enjoying all that Washington offers, including the most memorable meal at Darvish Kitchen, which I cannot recommend highly enough: superb Persian food and Persian wine made in Napa Valley. Try it if you are in D.C.!
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Despite being constantly on the move, I’ve been very productive for some reason. Perhaps working in airport lounges and hotel rooms is my sweet spot? I’m delighted to finally roll out something that many of you have asked for: A Curated Viking Reading List. It was almost agonizing to winnow down my extensive Viking Reading List to just twelve volumes, but I’m very pleased with the result. One of my favorites is a highlighted book this week.
Independent People by Nobel Laureate HalldĂłr Laxness
Cruise guests often ask me how I prepare my talks, and the answer is difficult to articulate. I read differently than most people do. I don't search for guidebooks or top-ten listicles. I look for the book that will tell me what a place sounds like from the inside — the book that a place might have written about itself, if it could. For modern-day Iceland, that book is Independent People by Halldór Laxness, and I have recommended it so many times to passengers preparing for an Iceland and Fjords itinerary that I've essentially memorized my pitch. When I started to plan my new Iceland Reading List, I knew it needed to be on it!
I am incapable of resisting a very large, very beautiful book about history. There is something about the heft of them — the satisfying thud on a table, the smell of freshly printed pages, the knowledge that some editor spent years wrestling thirty centuries into a coherent sequence — that makes me reach for my reading glasses before I have even removed my shoes. So when DK's History of Britain and Ireland: The Definitive Visual Guide landed in its new edition, updated to include the coronation of King Charles III and freshly reprinted with all seven hundred-odd photographs, maps, and period artworks gleaming from the page, I did not so much decide to read it as simply submit.
Children of Ash and Elm: A History of the Vikings by Neil Price
The Vikings are everywhere in popular imagination, but they are oddly difficult to see clearly. We inherit a blur of longships and raids, a shorthand of fur, steel, and saga. In his masterful study: Children of Ash and Elm: A History of the Vikings, Neil Price, an archaeologist and one of the leading interpreters of the Viking Age, asks us to set the costume aside. In its place he offers a society: practical, status-conscious, intensely connected by sea routes and trade routes, and animated by a spiritual world that shaped everything from burial customs to politics. Children of Ash and Elm also featured on my recently-published Viking Reading List.
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!
Cleopatra 1: Last Egyptian Pharaoh from Instant Classics
Spice Wars: The Rise of the Dutch East India Company (Ep 1) from Empire: World History
What’s the real story behind the creation of the Dutch East India Company, and why did espionage matter so much in the early scramble for spice-route dominance? In this punchy first episode of a new Dutch Empire series, William is joined by Dutch historian Herald van der Linde to trace how the VOC became the world’s first “mega-corporation” — built on revolutionary shipping, ruthless military power, and a staggering human cost that still shadows the region today. This is an important hinge of history, and one we don’t study nearly enough in the sweep of European history. I love William’s banter, and I’m following this series with great pleasure.
Matilda of Canossa: Medieval Italy’s Iron Countess from Gone Medieval
What if one medieval woman could outwit emperors, shape popes, and make Henry IV stand barefoot in the snow? Dr. Katherine Harvey joins Dr. Eleanor Janega to trace Matilda of Canossa’s political brilliance, papal alliances, and brutal family drama. Along the way they unpack why Matilda became such a pivotal power-broker in 11th-century Italy, how she navigated a world of shifting loyalties and church-state conflict, and why the legacy of the famed Walk to Canossa still matters when we talk about authority, propaganda, and who gets written into history. Matilda is right up there with Eleanor of Aquitaine and Joanna of Naples in terms of Medieval glamor and power in equal measures. If you haven’t encountered her yet, this episode is a great introduction.
This has been a hectic week of traveling, but I’ve enjoyed some fabulous TV on the road. I’m loving Rooster, which is particularly funny if you grew up on a college campus as I did. I’m making my way sparingly through the final season of Call the Midwife, which I have thoroughly enjoyed for the past — what? Fifteen years? I will miss it! But the big thing that I have been waiting for is The Other Bennett Sister, based on the novel of the same name, which puts the middle Bennett sister, Mary, in the foreground of the well-known story of Pride and Prejudice. It finally dropped on Britbox with the first 3 episodes and will roll out new episodes each Wednesday. The cast is superb, and I love the entire premise.
What have you been watching that you’ve enjoyed this week?
I’m off to Norway and Iceland in June, and need a few more pieces for my Wind and Weather capsule wardrobe. I had several emails from you asking for beige and brown neutrals, so I made them the core of a new collection on my Cruise Style & Supply Wind and Weather collection.
Here are a few of my favorites from the collection, but I would honestly love to have each thing in it! Shop the full collection here.​
I love anything by COS, and these Jean Barrel Bay denim trousers come in a range of wonderful colors including brown! I would pair them with the invaluable Patagonia Light Weight Marsupial Pullover — an absolutely essential layer during Scandinavian summer, as are their Women's Classic Synchilla Vests but you could also dress them up with White & Warren’s Cashmere Hoodie, which is perfect for something slightly more dressed up on board (like going to a lecture!). I always bring my Tory Burch Minnie Travel Leather Ballet Flats: they pack well, are super comfortable, and look great with everything from jeans to evening clothes. I just bought another pair of ON sneakers; they really can’t be beat for comfort on the cobblestones. I find once I buy something, I immediately want to buy something similar, and just at the moment, I’m eyeing these ON Women’s Cloudrock Waterproof Hiking Boots, which would be perfect for Norway’s rugged paths.
I’m contemplating getting a Burberry at the end of the summer for autumn, and the Check Boucle Coat is my current top pick: perfect for Riga’s extended and very rainy autumn weeks, but also great for travel. I would pair it with the Eric Javitz Petra Rain II Hat (enjoy a 10% discount on Eric Javits hats when you use the code: DESTINATIONCURATION10). For more active pursuits on shore in Scandinavia, I rely on my Helly Hansen Crew Hooded Jacket. There is nothing quite like Helly Hansen raincoats to keep you dry and moving.
I’m delighted that RAINS has become so popular in the United States. I’m a big fan of this minimalist Scandinavian rain gear. The Tan Waterproof Tote is almost ubiquitous in the basket of every bicycle in Copenhagen and Stockholm: very simple and incredibly functional. For something a bit more timeless and elegant, I always turn to Cuyana. The Classic Easy Tote Bag comes in a range of lovely colors and is a perfect travel bag.
I find I’m bringing fewer and fewer pieces of jewelry these days on the cruises: just a few earrings to jazz up my lecturing outfits and wear in the evening. These Ben-Amun drop hoop gold earrings would do both things beautifully, and would pair well with this Gorjana Avery Statement Necklace. But I always bring a stack of silk scarves, which are, for me, the ultimate travel accessory. I love this vintage Hermes scarf from ReSee.
Browse a larger collection of Eric Javits hats and enjoy your exclusive Destination Curation 10% discount when you use the promo code: DESTINATIONCURATION10.​ ​
I am delighted to have added some exciting itineraries to my 2026 Cruise Schedule: three 14-day itineraries in the Adriatic and Greek islands, which culminate in Fusina for Venice, which I plan to take full advantage of with a post-cruise stay in Venice. I could not be more delighted to be joining the beautiful Seabourn Quest for these itineraries: Quest is small enough to go where many other ships cannot. Couple that fact with Seabourn’s traditional outstanding hospitality on board while we visit vibrant ports such as Kotor, Sarande (Albania), Hvar, Santorini, Korčula, Corfu, Athens, and of course, my beloved Dubrovnik, we are set for an amazing Odyssey!
These are not identical itineraries; indeed, they have been linked for a longer voyage of 14, 28, or 32 days. See below for details on each leg. They can also be purchased as 7-day itineraries, but I urge anyone considering a voyage in this part of the world to linger longer. The destinations deserve it, and so do you!
I will be lecturing on the History of Albania, Greek Civilization, Adriatic History, Homer’s Epic Poems, Greek Cuisine, Adriatic Customs, Culture, and cuisine, and of course the colorful history of Dubrovnik.
If your plans for the summer are still forming up, do join us!
23 August - 06 September 2026 | Dubrovnik -> Fusina (for Venice)
As a subscriber to the Destination Curation Newsletter, you have access to my cruise schedule , which you can visit here. If any of these voyages align with your travel plans, I'd love to share the journey with you.
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That is it for this week. I will make my way north next week, first to Philadelphia and then to New York for a few lovely days. It’s the perfect time of the year to enjoy the many pleasures of the Big Apple.
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.
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Destination Curation Newsletter: Make Travel Meaningful
Greetings ! I live much of the year on luxury cruise ships as an enrichment lecturer, exploring the intersection of history, culture, and cuisine. I write about these in my weekly Destination Curation, 8-Hour Guides to Cruise Ports, and Books for Travelers reviews. I'll help you make your travel full of meaning and context! Join me!
May 3, 2026 Greetings! Hello from 35,000 feet on the final leg of a long travel day. It should not take this long to go from London to Riga, but here I am on flight #2 from Frankfurt, after logging about 7K steps in the airport terminal alone. A mistake I will not make again. This is a reminder to all about the new EU entry regulations that are now in place. But as I often say: there is nothing so stultifyingly dull as other people’s travel woes. So, I will leave it at that. Did you receive...
April 26, 2026 Greetings! Hello from stunning Rouen! We enjoyed two relaxing days at sea after our outstanding two days in Bordeaux. Seabourn really pulled out all the stops, including a deftly executed pirouette (when the captain makes the ship turn 360 degrees) at the bend in the Garonne so we could back into our prime location, just outside the Maritime Bourse. The Bordelais were out in full force, enjoying the spring sunshine, and we surged forward to join them. Did you receive this...
April 19, 2026 Greetings! Hello from La Coruna, Spain, famous as the cruise gateway to Santiago de Compostela and scene of the famous Siege of Coruna, when Francis Drake attempted a counterattack on the Spanish. While the English were successful in capturing the lower town, the Spanish, rallied by a local woman, Maria Pita, could ultimately repulse Drake’s troops. This took place two years after the better-remembered Raid of Cadiz by Drake, where he made off with 2,900 barrels of sherry, thus...
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