Photo: Janet Jarman for the New York Times
Fathom contributors give us a teaser from their 2012 calendars. From Costa Rica to Cape Town to Queensland, it's going to be a very busy year.
Destination: San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
"I just got back from a brief jaunt to San Miguel de Allende. My friend rented an amazing house, which we hung out at as much as we could (with a crew of about 18).
Other than that, I'm planning a trip in April to Sedona/Arcosanti/Grand Canyon with some friends for a long weekend. We want an easy flight, nice spa, pretty atmopshere, nothing too pricey."
— Deborah Schoeneman
, bicoastal TV writer, self-proclaimed beach bum
Destination: St. Barts, French West Indies
"We're heading to St. Barts for a long weekend in early February. Our plan of attack is to take the ferry instead of a plane from St. Martin and stay at a (relatively) basic hotel but then go all out come meal time. I can't wait to get pain au chocolat from Petite Colombe, do sunset drinks at the silly-fancy hotels, and drink rosé and eat cheese on the beach. (What's better than that?!)"
— Becca Bergman Bull, travel writer, boozy luncher, off-season vacationer
Petite Colombe
Lorient and Colombier
+590-27-95-27
Destination: South Africa
"Since we are living in London this year, I am fully taking advantage of everything that is within striking distance. One of the trips I am most excited about is to South Africa in April. My husband, kids, and I will explore Cape Town and surrounding areas, get a dose of history, eat great food, and see some friends who live nearby. We'll then go to the coast, the wine country, and then on to two game preserves that look to be straight out of some Karen Blixen-meets-a-five-star-hotel movie set. These wild preserves — Tswalu and Londolozi — seem to be perfect for a 9 and 10-year-old as they are about free-roaming animals (versus watching kills), and provide a gentle intro to the whole safari experience."
— Christina Ohly, writer, mother, teacher of global curiosities
Destination: Playa del Carmen, Mexico
"I'm looking forward to my first visit to Mexico — I've wanted to go since I was 16! I plan on eating tacos and trying nopales, drinking Mexican Coca Cola and tequila (not together!), swimming in the sea, watching sunsets, and getting off the beaten track on a bicycle to buy woven rugs, baskets, and ceramics to bring home. I might fit in a bit of yoga, depending on how the taco-and-tequila-diet goes. It will be my first completely beach-based normal holiday in ten years, so I plan to spend most of the time in a hammock."
— Claire Oldman , blogger, stylist, road-tripper, incidental cow-target
Hotel Basico (Mr & Mrs Smith)
Destinations: Montreal and Quebec City
"I am not a big winter person. I hate to be cold! But I am going to brave the elements and head up to Montreal for a few weeks this winter. I know the city pretty well, and I spend most of my time in the Mile End when I visit. I am looking forward to eating at two of my favorite restaurants — Lawrence and Pizzeria Magpie — and stopping by General 54, a boutique full of locally made goods, including jewelry and clothing. I always find something affordable and unique when I shop there.
I am also planning to make a side trip to Quebec City. I have always wanted to explore the Hotel de Glace (ice hotel). A hotel made of ice — I can't believe it even exists. I am also going to try snowshoeing for the first time, and maybe I'll actually enjoy winter by the end of this trip!"
— Christine Champagne, NYC-based writer, culture wrangler, graffiti buff
Le St James Hotel, Montreal (Tablet Hotels)
Hotel de Glace, Quebec City
Destinations: Costa Rica and North Korea
"I've got a big year ahead: In April I am co-leading a trip to Costa Rica based on Quest for Pura Vida (my television special), and all are invited.
Then I'll be in Norway, South America, and the Balkans for TV specials; Borneo in June, Rogue River invitationals in July. August means rafting in the Zanskar River in Ladakh, India. In September, we're taking an adventure tour to North Korea. We have the first ever adventure permit."
— Richard Bangs, pioneer of modern adventure travel, PBS television series host, pura vida crusader
Join Richard's adventure holiday in Costa Rica
Destinations: Capri and Saint Remy de Provence
"So many trips, so little time. I'm marking off the days like I am in prison until my July holiday at JK Place Hotel in Capri. I'm also already planning on buying all of the stuff that I thought last year was "caught up in the moment" at Le Grand Magazin in Saint Remy de Provence. The inventory doesn't change very often so don't fret."
— Melanie Dunea, photographer, chronic bon vivant, chef fan-girl, big winner
JK Place (Mr & Mrs Smith)
Destination: Montego Bay, Jamaica
"So my next trip is to Jamaica in ten days! My husband and I found a good deal on airfare and booked the trip spontaneously as a post-holiday-recovery trip. We are staying at an incredible property just outside Montego Bay called Round Hill Hotel & Villas, the total opposite of the mega-resorts you see in Montego Bay or Ocho Rios, with only 36 rooms (and 27 private villas) on a former 18th-century pineapple plantation.
The property exudes a quiet, elegant old-world charm, with low white bougianvilla-covered buildings and private villas facing the ocean or lush tropical gardens. The rooms — re-designed by Ralph Lauren, one of the owners — are all done in white and dark woods, with gorgeous mahogany four-poster beds. They have a spa and several pools on the property, as well as their own organic garden which sources many of the vegetables for Round Hill's restaurant. This was apparently THE spot for jet-setters in the '50s and '60s like Jackie Kennedy and Grace Kelly."
— Anna Watson Carl, cat lover, avid cook, food tourist extraordinaire
Round Hill Hotel & Vlllas (Tablet Hotels)
Destination: Santa Cruz, California
"I've been taking day trips down Hwy 1 from San Francisco to surf in Santa Cruz. This stretch of Hwy 1 is my favorite: rugged cliffs and bluffs against the raging, cold, vast, and deeply blue Pacific. It takes about 90 minutes to get there. Then I change into my wetsuit on the roadside and slip off the rocks into the countless point breaks off West Cliff and East Cliff Drive (Steamers Lane, Pleasure Point, etc).
The conditions are perfect (not just for me, but for elephant seals, sea otters, and humpback whales) when the Northwest swells are moving through. The water is an eye-opening 53 degrees in the winter, requiring thick wetsuits and boots. It's well worth the effort when you're gliding around on six foot walls of water.
Afterward, I'll warm my core at Well Within, a private hot tub and sauna, or have a drink with some locals at The Poet & The Patriot."
— Robert Christian Malmberg, bicoastal photographer, filmmaker, occasional snake-charmer
Well Within
417 Cedar Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
+1-831-458-9355
The Poet & The Patriot
320 Cedar Street E
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
+1-831-426-8620
Destination: Joshua Tree, California
"I'll be traveling to Joshua Tree, CA more than a few times and probably staying at the Mojave Sands Motel which has been magically transformed by Blake Simpson. Every hinge and shower fixture is custom designed. It's right on highway 62 and yet Blake has created an amazingly peaceful place.
In January I will be traveling to San Pancho, a small village an hour north of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to photograph humble donkeys and eat fresh fish. This summer will probably include climbing Mont Blanc and staying in Chamonix at the family home of fellow photographer Dominic Llorens. The goal this year is to unplug, reduce the daily chatter, and expand my love for the Earth."
— Saam Gabbay, photographer, monster art hunter
Destination: South America
"I'm a last-minute traveler, so I can only answer with a certain degree of honesty. My actual plans, the ones I have commitments for, are London in March (with a visit to Coworth Park in Ascot) and Barbados in June. My hopeful plans center around South America, starting with a long weekend in Cartagena to follow Deb Schoeneman's itinerary. I'm dying to go to Chile — the whole damn country, or as much as I can squeeze into ten days, from the Atacama Desert down to Tierra del Fuego. Jeralyn has big plans to move the office to Buenos Aires this fall, and who would object to that?"
— Pavia Rosati, FATHOM founder and CEO, NYLON resident, reformed vegetarian
Coworth Park (Tablet Hotels)
Great Barrier Reef. Photo: brian.gatwicke/Flickr
Destination: Australia
“I’m counting down the days until my trip to Australia later this month. Most of it will be spent in Queensland, where I’ll hop around the Whitsunday Islands, snorkel and sail on the Great Barrier Reef, and see the famous Whitehaven Beach. I keep reading about the Chocolate Room at Hayman Island so I’m looking forward to checking that out as well.
My next stop will be Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territories, which was just named one of Lonely Planet’s Top Ten Cities in the World to Visit in 2012.
Last stop is a few days in Sydney, which is one of my favorite cities so I’m excited to go back — particularly because I’ll be there to watch the famous Australia Day Sailing Regatta on Sydney harbor."
— Berit Baugher, magazine lover, pastry connoisseur
Hayman Island Resort (Tablet Hotels)
Destinations: Berlin and Cuttyhunk, Massachusetts
"2012 is all about getting some stamps in the passport. A trip to Rio is in the works. I have one of those big birthdays coming up which I plan to spend as a tourist in London and Berlin. I've never been to Berlin, but I already sense that I'll probably want to stay and sign a lease on one of those giant post-war apartments everyone raves about.
We hope to hit summer favorites like Door County, Wisconsin (where I grew up vacationing) and Bellaire, Michigan, where the cottage that my husband's great-grandfather built will turn 100 this year. We hope to ferry out to my new favorite east coast island destination Cuttyhunk, Massachusetts.
And while all this planning is exciting, sometimes it's the last minute getaways that end up offering the biggest travel surprises. I hope there will be some of those in store for the coming year, too."
— Laura House, writer, flying baby chaperone, superlative house guest
Destinations: Brazil and Chile
"There's a lot on my list. Costa Rica for a yoga vacation (I am looking to procure some peace and quiet). Then Brazil. I really want to do a tour of the country, city, and beach, search for art and handmade treats, but also — hopefully — find a few new factories for my design collection. There's an African safari in the mix, but I'm still figuring our where to go before and after (Maldives? Montenegro?). I've got until July to plan and re-plan, pack and re-pack. Finally, Chile for the adventure and wine!"
— Geren Lockhart, style entrepreneur, global nomad, urban cool hunter
Casa 32 in Rio De Janeiro (Mr & Mrs Smith)
Tierra Patagonia in Southern Patagonia
"There's a lot of ground I'd like to cover in the states (Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska). And I have a few friends I'll be visiting this month in London, Edinburgh, and Berlin.
But, as Pavia mentioned, most of my energy will go toward convincing her to open a FATHOM pop-up office in Buenos Aires. I figure we'll wear scarves in the gaucho style and spend weekends hiking around the grape-strewn foothills of the Andes. We can rent Francis Ford Coppola's Jardin Escondido, or a jaw-dropping apartment from Oasis Collections."
— Jeralyn Gerba, FATHOM editorial director, night owl, overseas lunch clubber
Destinations: Puglia and New Orleans
"I just returned from a fantastic trip to Zambia and South Africa, which only makes me want to go to Mozambique. I am going to persuade my friend Tracy to go with me after our next school visit for OneKid OneWorld in Kenya. The beach (and the prawns) are calling.
This summer, I am headed to Puglia where a group of us have rented a house outside Gallipoli among the beaches, olive groves, and fig trees. It's all wonderful, but get this: there is a wood-burning pizza oven. Hello, friend.
Also, my sister is getting married! She and her beloved are tying the knot in New Orleans in May. After a mother-daughter scouting expedition, I could not be more excited: Arnaud's, Pharmacy Museum, streetcar rides, and jazz at Preservation Hall. Bring it on."
— Stephanie March, actor, activist, admirer of jalapeño blue cheese polenta
Villa Cisternino (Mr & Mrs Smith)
Nothing gets you through a Chicago February like knowing you'll be in Mexico in March.
With that in mind, let's all plan ahead. We asked the Fathom gang for their ideas and travel schedules.
Destination: Smoky Mountains, Tennessee
"The next month for me is all about eating and driving and standing in the snow. I'm heading to New Hampshire to file a few pieces about the presidential primary. Then I'm going down to eastern Tennessee, to the plush and lovely Blackberry Farm resort, for a weekend of eating and celebration at the Taste of the South event, to benefit the Southern Foodways Alliance, for whom I serve as a board member. It's a great weekend of eating and drinking and hanging out with amazing chefs, farmers, artisans, and producers — in a postcard-perfect Tennessee farm nestled in the Great Smokies."
— Rob Long, Hollywood writer/producer, sea voyager, ocassional eater of deep-fried sparrows
Where are you going this year? Tell us in the comments below.
We make every effort to ensure the information in our articles is accurate at the time of publication. But the world moves fast, and even we double-check important details before hitting the road.
