At Aracari, we are big believers in the transformative power of travel, especially the kind that spans several months. So, when our friend Mirjam Peternek-McCartney – owner and founder of Lemongrass Marketing – consulted us for advice and guidance as she began planning a family sabbatical to South America, we were eager to help. Imparting our knowledge, contacts, and expertise, along with that of our trusted in-country partners – we have helped Mirjam in building the trip of a lifetime, as she spends from September to March ‘24 in our fascinating region with her family. A year in the making, this extraordinary journey has just begun as Mirjam, her husband, and her two sons touched down in Cartagena, Colombia. Found on the crystal-clear shores of the Caribbean, Cartagena has long been one of our favorite cities on the continent, and it proved the perfect first chapter in this South American adventure. Now, two weeks in, the Peternek-McCartneys are headed to Peru, where they’ll begin in Lima, connecting with many of our friends in the coastal capital, before continuing to the Sacred Valley, spending six weeks staying at a traditional villa – the ideal base from which to explore wonders like Machu Picchu, Cusco, and the Amazon. After that and into November, the family sabbatical will cross to Bolivia, onto Chile, and into Argentina in the new year. With Aracari’s knowledge helping Mirjam to plot the route of her journey, we’ve very generously been granted access to follow their story, sharing their personal insights and experiences with our readers. Because alongside the inevitable spark of wanderlust, we believe documenting Mirjam’s trip will also reveal the secrets of a sabbatical – becoming a testament to how to transform the dream of a family long family travel into a reality. From their
At Aracari, we are big believers in the transformative power of travel, especially the kind that spans several months. So, when our friend Mirjam Peternek-McCartney – owner and founder of Lemongrass Marketing – consulted us for advice and guidance as she began planning a family sabbatical to South America, we…
We live in an era of immediate answers. As little as a decade ago, the idea of heading away on a luxury South America vacation without several different kinds of literature would have been unthinkable. There’d be a book for key Spanish phrases – for example, then maps of sprawling cities, and guidebooks on everything from cuisine to cultural customs. It was much clearer back then to see how a travel expert would help you navigate such a wealth of information. But fast-forward to today, and technology has put the kind of travel knowledge once found only in minds and books at the fingertips of any internet-connected traveler seeking a luxury South America vacation. Take Google, it returns search results within tenths of seconds, combine that with the ever-advancing capabilities of AI tools such as Chat GPT – and quickly you can see how the expertise once hailed as sacred might feel readily available via just a few clicks. So, does expertise still count for as much as it once did when it comes to planning the perfect luxury vacation to South America? We certainly believe so, and turns out, the industry agrees. Because whilst the web helps you to build your brief and create a wishlist of places you might like to visit during a luxury vacation to South America, what we do is different. We take your research – however extensive or limited – and refine it. So that when we’ve finished, you’re left with a bespoke itinerary containing precisely how to visit those destinations authentically and in a way that means the most to you. Stamps of Approval for 2023: Aracari recognized by Conde Nast Traveler and Wendy Perrin Since 1996, receiving the stamp of approval from authoritative voices in the travel industry has always been a
We live in an era of immediate answers. As little as a decade ago, the idea of heading away on a luxury South America vacation without several different kinds of literature would have been unthinkable. There’d be a book for key Spanish phrases – for example, then maps of sprawling…
When was the last time you felt awe? The goosebump shiver of the sublime, triggered by a place so incomprehensibly magnificent that the material world pales in insignificance. At Aracari, we like to think of ourselves as facilitators of that euphoric feeling. From the vast expanse of the Atacama Desert in Chile to the breathtaking panoramas of Machu Picchu its Inca ruins steeped in inconceivable history – we have spent the last 26 years connecting our clients to some of the world’s most tremendous moments of awe. It’s our language – and we know the power it holds. Of course, it’s no secret that a luxury South America vacation can be a catalyst for a change of state. However, here at Aracari, we have always been believers in something much deeper. Done right, travel can unlock an altogether higher and more intense state of emotion triggered by the sublime. So, when our Aracari insiders caught wind of a fascinating new study probing into the scientific benefits of awe and wonder, we were hooked. And after reading more we knew not only did we need to share news of such an enthralling subject with you – the astute Aracari community – but also that we could combine this new research with our own expertise. The Art of Awe The sensation of awe as a consequence of travel or experience is no new thing. Irish philosopher Edmund Burke defined the feeling in 1757 as an ‘artistic effect productive of the strongest emotion the mind is capable of feeling’. But what is more current is the neurological science attributed to the transformative power of awe. Recent studies spearheaded by Professor Dacher Keltner have scientifically linked exposure to awe and wonder with the deactivation of stress regions in our brain, calming inflammation in the
When was the last time you felt awe? The goosebump shiver of the sublime, triggered by a place so incomprehensibly magnificent that the material world pales in insignificance. At Aracari, we like to think of ourselves as facilitators of that euphoric feeling. From the vast expanse of the Atacama Desert…
