Overwhelming all-inclusive resorts? Why bother? When old-world elegance is right down the beach. Writer Anne Roderique-Jones found local cuisine, organic spa treatments, and cocktails served by well-suited gentlemen at historic Jamaica Inn.OCHO RIOS, Jamaica – When I want rest and relaxation, I steer clear of all-inclusive resorts and sprawling golf courses. I want small and elegant. And Im a huge fan of old colonial hotels. Jamaica Inn, a

All family album photos courtesy of Liza Foreman. Were kicking off 2015 in search of adventure. And heres a great one from Fathom contributor and globetrotting journalist Liza Foreman. Bethlehem: Road to Palestine, her new Kickstarter project, will be a memoir about her paternal grandparents, textile merchants who lived all over the world in the 1930s and 1940s, as well as family characters like her great grandfather Giris, a governor o

A private island off the Bahamas, a conch cracking contest. Boston-based writer Meaghan Agnew discovers a new kind of island party at Deep Water Cay.DEEP WATER CAY, Bahamas – Entrances dont get much more dramatic than the private plane varietal. My Deep Water Cay crush ignites before I even set foot to sand, as our chartered 10-seater out of Fort Lauderdale cruises parallel to the Grand Bahama coast for a smooth-sailing 45 minutes before ci

Fashion stylist and blogger Nneya Richards gives us the rundown on where to sleep, eat, and drink on Nevis, the laid-back little sister island to flashy St. Kitts.THE SCENEThere are few places better suited to getting away from it all than Nevis. Youll find the natural beauty of the West Indies, some of the nicest luxury hotels and restaurants in the Caribbean, and absolute discretion — it served as a refuge for one of the most notabl

In between drugstore hopping around the world to find the best global beauty products for her website, Travel Beauty, Alyssa Barrie Weiss makes time for island hopping around the Caribbean. St. Barts is her favorite, for so many reasons.ST. BARTS – There are special places that stand out in my mind as magical. Saint Barthélemy, better known as St. Barts, in the French West Indies, is one of them.This tropical volcanic island offers breathta

Here at Fathom, were huge fans of great-looking travel accessories like the very stylish ONA camera bags. NYC-based founder Tracy Foster has spent the past five years flitting between NYC and Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic, where bags are handcrafted from waxed canvas and full-grain Italian leather. When shes not in the factory reviewing samples, discussing inventory, and developing new products, she makes the most of

A multi-generational family vacation in the Caribbean during spring break sounds like a recipe for disaster, and a tacky one at that. Andrew Essex finds the impossible: a perfect island. NEVIS, West Indies – There comes a point in ones life — a bittersweet moment that tends to fall between middle age and decrepitude — when the word vacation, that paradisiacal idea fixe of empty beaches and plentiful cocktails, morphs into f

When Fathom founder Pavia Rosati went to GoldenEye in Jamaica, she couldnt stop taking pictures. It was a small attempt to capture a perfect tropical hideaway.ORCABESSA, Jamaica – When I went to GoldenEye, I couldnt stop taking pictures. It was a small attempt to capture a perfect tropical hideaway. When you read so much about a place, you worry that it wont live up to the hype. Not GoldenEye. It exceeded my expectations.The setting is boho

Most people do not like to see words like hurricane or tsunami peppered in with their travel itineraries. But chasing the storm — planning a trip to a location that has recently experienced a natural disaster — can save you money and help revive a local economy. Heres how to do it.My husband and I have become experts in taking five-star vacations at two-star prices. The only caveat is that to get these tremendous deals we h

Los Angeles: A surprisingly great place for a quick family getaway. Three days is all you need to see a little bit of everything.LOS ANGELES – Looking for a great warm-weather getaway that includes sun, sand, sea, and a James Beard Award-winning taco truck or two? Search no further than Los Angeles, one of my favorite spots for kids and grown-ups alike. And remember: No matter what the weather is where you are right now, its always sum

We introduce something we should have started a while ago: Links We Love, a compendium of what were loving right now. Happy armchair traveling.Pavia, founder/CEO- Choose Your Color - The cutest and sharpest thing I saw this week. French blogger Girotte made Pantone color chips out of food. Thanks to London editor and Fathom contibutor Malika Dalamal for finding it.- Edits Quarterly - Ive had this window open for three weeks. I cant close it

Its a trip for the whole family, with plenty of slopes, snacks, and shops for everyone. Malia Frame returns to Vail and falls in love all over again.VAIL, Colorado – To say that my Connecticut family needed a getaway was an understatement. Since October, we had endured Hurricane Sandy, ten missed school days, and a round of the stomach flu. And then Superstorm Nemo hit and snuffed out a sun-soaked weekend trip to Florida. So the first time

So often its the random, unexpected moments that define a trip. Case in point: contributor Lanee Lee went to Fiji for a quiet rest but was thrown into a strangers big party.TURTLE ISLAND, Fiji – Myself + a muscular islander = a piggyback ride. This is how I arrived on Turtle Island. Since the seaplane landed on water deep enough to keep a plane afloat, piggyback was the only way to get to Turtle Island, the all-inclusive resort where I was

The moment we saw Julia Leachs latest Greece-inspired collection and the gorgeous photos from Paros, we knew we had to get the story behind the clothes and the images.PAROS, Greece – Like Fathom, Chance has wanderlust at the core of its spirit. With the striped T-shirt as its iconic item, and each collection made up of the best travel-ready pieces (from totes to beach towels, hats to espadrilles), I turned to Greece for inspiration for this

The First Soccer Game is a rite of passage for every Italian parent and child. Erica Firpo schools her daughter in the sacred sport.ROME – There comes a time in every (Roman) childs life when a parent must have The Talk. A long and meaningful conversation about ones place in the world, and how that worlds epicenter is the Stadio Olimpico, Romes field of dreams.In a soft voice, the conversation begins with color, a poignant preamble about th

For years, Rahua co-founders Anna Ayers and Fabian Lliguin have been traveling to the Amazon on business. The star ingredient and namesake of their natural beauty line comes from the ungurahua nut, a treasured resource they learned about through tribal communities. When it came time to plan a family vacation with their two-year-old daughter, the rainforest felt like the obvious choice. Anna tells us all about their trip.So, what brought you

When you run a luggage company, you do a lot of traveling. Sara Banks, founder of Steamline Luggage, just got back from Sri Lanka, where she spent a month with her husband and ... wait for it ... three boys under the age of four.So, what brought you to Sri Lanka?My family and I think its the best country on the planet. It is stunning in every sense. The people are beautiful and the countryside is paradise, with the most beautiful beaches in

Hometown: Hillsborough, New Jersey.Occupation: Freelance writer and Brooklyn Boulders content strategist.Favorite destinations: Taipei, Morocco, Paris, Iceland, and any place with lots of sun.Dying to visit: Southeast Asia.Bizarre travel rituals: I always have to sleep on my side or stomach. Traveling has a strange way of inducing sleep paralysis for me.In-flight relaxation regime: Sitting cross-legged, shoes off. Being short makes any seat

What happens when a newlywed English reporter and her husband road trip through the US South and stop at a resort off the Georgia coast? The pretend they never stopped honeymooning.SEA ISLAND, Georgia – There comes a point in every marriage...oh per-lease. Who am I kidding? Ive been married all of five minutes (well, just over a year), so am no expert. But I do know something about that first year of marriage, and it is this: Every couple s

What would it be like to take your house on the road and on the water? Fathom contributing koan editor James Sturz discovers the joys of Airstreaming and house boat living in the rugged and beautiful Western United States.THE WEST, USA – Barreling east along the Arizona highway, it was my first time towing a trailer. We passed red sandstone mesas, and the 18-wheelers all passed us. Just before, my wife and I had stood in the Las Vegas parki