A lifetime Nantucket-goer and reader has an unlikely favorite place on the island: the legendary Atheneum Library.I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.  - Jorge Luis BorgesNANTUCKET – I come from a family of readers. For some, Nantucket conjures images of beaches, hydrangeas, and girls in Lily Pulitzer shifts. For me, Nantucket is synonymous with the Atheneum, the faraway islands beloved library.My

Hometown: Los Angeles.Occupation: Photographer.Favorite destinations: Plan-de-la-Tour, France; Sardinia; London; Barra do Sahy, Brazil; Powder Mountain, Utah. And on and on.Dying to visit: Tokyo, Nepal, Stockholm.Bizarre travel rituals: I always have to check a bag since my carry-on is full of camera gear. I gave up trying to travel light a long time ago.In-flight relaxation regime: Options! Movies, magazines, books, and music. Always

When in the South Pacific, do as the palm trees do. And sway. Novelist and poet Terese Svoboda captures three small moments from her last trip. COOK ISLANDS, South Pacific – After night after night of floor-show quality Cook Island dance at the Te Maeva Nui Festival, my husband and I wanted to go backstage. That meant we had to wander over to one of the hostels where the feather-clad, raffia-skirted women and men took breaks between nu

Hometown: Hinsdale, Illinois.  Occupation: Co-founder of 3 Fl. Oz. Favorite destinations: South of France, Ireland, Chicago, Maui.  Dying to visit: Russia and South Africa. Bizarre travel rituals: I dont know if this is bizarre, but I always travel with a robe and slipper socks. In-flight relaxation regime: I close my eyes

Hometown: New York.Occupation: Chef and co-owner of Le Bernardin.Favorite destinations: Caribbean, the Rockies, South America, Asia.... Dying to visit: Bodh Gaya, India.Bizarre travel rituals: Immediately putting in my earplugs and my eye mask on.In-flight relaxation regime: SLEEPING! Always in carry-on: A hoodie for the flight.Concierge or DIY? Friends! See it all or take it easy? 

Le Bernardin chef and practicing Buddhist Eric Ripert recently returned from a destination hes long wanted to visit: Bhutan.So, what brought you to Bhutan? I have always wanted to visit. I am a Buddhist and thought that it would be a great place to do a retreat.Was it your first time? Yes.What was the best tip you got before you left? Thoroughly read up on the visa process! There are quite a few steps in the application and important p

We usually run into Meredith Whittaker, program manager at Google Research, when she is headed to the airport, just coming from the airport, or preparing for/recovering from a string of business trips (a recent one went something like: India, Tibet, Burma, Paris, NY). She talks to people all over the world about how to measure and protect the Internet — critical stuff, people! She made it to Baku, Azerbaijan, before we did, so we aske

Darius Arya, an archaeologist living and working in Rome, digs underneath the citys Christmas traditions.ROME – Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. Definitely not in the Mamertine Prison. Known today as a pilgrimage site (housing Peter and Paul, according to medieval tradition), Mamertinum (or Tullianum) is empty except for the sound of the water trickling from the natura

Our lifelong fantasy involves living in a cool city and running a charming little inn. Meghan McEwen, of Designtripper (one of Fathoms 24 Best Travel Blogs and Websites), lives that dream in Detroit, where she runs the impossibly cool and special hotel Honor & Folly. She took us on a tour of her favorite hometown spots.Local coffee shop/breakfast spot: Astro Coffee for the flat white, boiled egg and ricotta sandwich, coconut bread,

Hometown: Los Angeles, California.Occupation: Writer, editor, marketer, slave to France.Favorite destinations: The strip of coast between Dubrovnik and Montenegro by scooter. Rome by night. On the road to Porto where a friendly farmer shared his oranges. Cartegena, peeking over the fort walls onto the wrong side. My fathers lawn any time of the year.Dying to visit: Greece.Bizarre travel rituals: Permanently wearing sunglasses to maximize st

Las Vegas native Melissa Akkaway opened the first outpost of her luxury retail store Beckley Boutique in Los Angeles in 2008, and soon followed up with a second shop at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas in 2010. When she launched her private label collection, Beckley By Melissa, she added fashion designer to her many achievements. We got the lowdown on her favorite local spots.Local breakfast spot: I love Rachels Kitchen — especially thei

Hometown: Rome, by way of Encinitas.Occupation: Designer/photographer.Favorite destinations: Milan, Prague, London.Dying to visit: Japan, Vietnam, and India.Bizarre travel rituals: I have a special, well-loved pair of minty green socks that only make appearances during long-haul flights.In-flight relaxation regime: Crossword puzzle solved before take off — any day of the week.Always in carry-on: Book, moisturizer, toothbrush, iPhone.C

Were psyched to debut something new: guest Instagrammers. The world is watching Rome this week, to see when the smoke from the Vatican chimney emerges white, signaling that the cardinals have selected a new pope. But were more interested in everything else happening on the streets of the Eternal City. So we recruited the incredibly talented photographer and designer Nicolee Drake, a Californian who has been living in Rome for just

One of the best features of the amazing $17,000 India trip that were giving away are the local tours in Mumbai, Delhi, and Udaipur organized by Greaves Tours, the family-owned and operated company that specialized in curating customized luxury vacation experiences in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and the Indian Ocean islands. We had the pleasure of traveling to India with Greaves CEO Shahrookh Cambata.Hometown: Highl

For all you music fans out there getting high on festival fumes: Fathoms resident mixtaper Beth Silverman strings together a dozen Coachella anthems for your listening pleasure. You can hear more of Beths musical selections on her Tumblr Major Dudes.Heading to the desert? Consider this mixtape as a means to pump you up. Lamenting the fact that you didnt get your act together in time for the fest? Then enjoy the consolation Coachella sa

Hometown: Helsingborg, Sweden.Occupation: Business analyst.Favorite destinations: Rome, Austin.Dying to visit: Iceland, Japan, Australia.Bizarre travel rituals: People-watching in airports. Its the twilight zone of fashion choices. Where else would you see a man wearing a straw hat, denim shirt and pants, and Crocs?In-flight relaxation regime: A pair of noise-canceling, in-ear headphones and my iPod filled with my favorite music and a good

Occupation: Co-Founder, Of a Kind.Favorite destinations: Los Angeles, Tulum, Paris.Dying to visit: Tokyo.Bizarre travel rituals: Would you call it bizarre to spread the entire contents of a suitcase across a hotel room within five minutes of entering it? Or would you just call that messy?In-flight relaxation regime: I take out the tray table and put my head on it to sleep.Always in carry-on: Everything. One of the biggest impacts Erica has

Hometown: New York and Los Angeles.Occupation: Creative Director, Chance.Favorite destinations: Mexico (multiple locations); Tokyo, Japan; Paros, Greece; Paris, France; and locally, Palm Springs.Dying to visit: Portugal; Vietnam; Essaouira, Morocco; Panarea, Italy; Rangiroa, French Polynesia; and Big Sky Country (Montana).Bizarre travel rituals: The night before I travel, I always wind up staying up nearly til dawn,

Descriptions like this make us pray for rain. A reader story.UTTAR PRADESH, India –Theres nothing quite like a monsoon in a holy city. Narrow streets crowded with pilgrims and carts flood in mere minutes. An umbrella make a sad attempt to keep my head dry as murky water sloshes against my knees and unidentified things brush over my feet, which are protected only by flimsy sandals. A rickshaw rushes by, catching on my new salwar kameez

Hometown: Hardys Bay, Australia, and Bangalore, India.Occupation: Travel writer and futurist.Favorite destinations: India, Hardys Bay, Manhattan, Tokyo, London, Paris, Kathmandu, Hong Kong.Dying to visit: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Hobart, Tasmania; Mt. Elbrus, St.Petersburg, and Moscow, Russia; Oaxen, Swedish archipelago; The Lightning Field near Quemado, New Mexico.Bizarre travel rituals: Despite frequent travelling, I hate packing, and the n