The seasons are about to change, and for travel lovers that often means getting the travel itch! Fall is a great time to explore the world, and I’ve collected a few favorites just for you.
Salzburg, Austria
Aside from Salzburg being a beautiful place to visit, it’s also perfect timing for celebrating The Sound of Music’s 50th Anniversary. Fans of the 1965 classic movie have been flocking to Salzburg all year in celebration. There are even Sound of Music-themed events, including the Sound of Music Gala 2015 (October 17) at the historic Felsenreitschule and the Sound of Music musical at the Salzburg Landestheater, you can join in on.
While you’re there, eat at the iconic Sternbräu is one of Austria’s largest restaurant complexes. It opened around 1542 as a brewery and was completely renovated in 2014. Austrian dishes such as fiakergulasch (meat and sausage goulash) and Salzburger nockerl (an egg soufflé dessert) are served in the multiple dining rooms, bars, and beer gardens.
There’s a ton of museums, shops, and cafés just beyond the old city walls, as well as beautiful parks and lakes. If you stop at the Gössl Gwandhaus, or “Gössl cloth hall,” you can see a showcase of the Salzburg-based Gössl clothing brand’s famous dirndls, lederhosen, and boiled wool jackets. It’s housed in a centuries-old country palace surrounded by gardens and meadows and a small museum chronicling the evolution of dirndl and lederhosen fashion. You can take a tour, then enjoy a glass of award-winning Austrian wine at the elegant terrace restaurant.
Kangaroo Island, Australia
Kangaroo Island is one of Australia’s most preserved locations. Over half of the 1,705-square-mile island is covered in native, old-growth vegetation. Much of the wildlife, including kangaroos, koalas, and possums, are nocturnal, so after dark is usually the best time to explore. Hanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary offers 90-minute guided wildlife walks every night that begin at sunset. Species that call the island home include the tammar wallaby, western gray kangaroo, brushtail possum, southern boobook owl, echidna, Cape Barren goose, and many species of birds.
While you’re there, eat at The Oyster Farm Shop in American River where they process and package harvest from the island’s largest commercial oyster farm. The farm runs a weekday lunch shack across the street from its processing sheds where you can try freshly shucked or smoked oysters, plus crayfish, abalone, whiting, and marron.
Also make sure to stop in at Jon and Sarah Lark’s Kangaroo Island Spirits at Cygnet River where they serve an affogato with honey and walnut liqueur made from freshly roasted walnuts and Kangaroo Island’s famous Ligurian honey.
Andros, Bahamas
This pristine island is somewhat of a Bahamas secret, and a scuba divers dream. The “island” consists of a 104-mile-long archipelago of small islets and mangrove-covered cays full of thousands of species of underwater creatures. It’s home to the second largest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere. It’s most famous for having the world’s largest known concentration of blue holes (underwater caves). Check out the Blue Holes National Park to discover a ton of them.
While you’re there, stop by the middle island, called Mangrove Cay, to eat at fishing guide Shine Greene’s waterfront Conch Shack for fresh conch ceviche and a bottle of Kalik, the “beer of the Bahamas.” You can also go to Davis Creek, just north of Andros Town on North Andros, for some tasty tropical drinks on the oceanfront dock at Brigadiers Restaurant.
If you want to get out of the water for awhile, take a tour the Androsia batik factory to see beautiful pieces of cotton fabric, hand-printed with nature-inspired designs and hand-dyed in vibrant colors. You can purchase the Bahamian batik fabric by the yard or as clothing, pillows, drawstring backpacks, tablecloths, and more at the factory’s outlet store or make your own if you sign up for a batik lesson ahead of time.
Once you’ve scratched that fall-time travel itch, you can get back to the grind. That is, before winter sets in and suddenly you’re in need of an amazing skiing vacation. Happy travels!