Summer of Fun: Arctic Wonders, Travel Joy, and Smart Summer Tips

Summer is all about chasing joy—sunny skies, fresh air, new landscapes, and moments that leave you speechless. This year, our Summer of Fun took us somewhere unexpected and completely magical: the icy waters of Greenland and the rugged beauty of Canada’s coastlines. (Keep reading for the full recap below!)

But wherever your summer leads—whether it's icebergs and fjords or sunshine and surf—there’s something undeniably thrilling about this season of travel. Here's how to make the most of it.

There’s a special kind of freedom that comes with summer travel. School’s out, the days are long, and the world seems full of possibilities. For many, it’s the season to explore new places, spend quality time with loved ones, and disconnect from everyday stress.

Whether you're:

• Sailing through the Caribbean or Mediterranean,

• Road-tripping through National Parks,

• Escaping to a quiet cabin or lively theme park,

• Or, like us, venturing north into crisp Arctic air...

This season is all about saying yes to wonder.

No matter where you’re headed, summer travel calls for a little extra preparation. Here are a few essential tips to keep your trip fun, smooth, and safe:

🌞 Sun Protection is a Must

Even on cloudy or chilly days (yes, even in the Arctic!), UV rays can do damage.

• Apply broad-spectrum sunscreen (SPF 30+) and reapply every two hours.

• Pack a hat, sunglasses, and sun-protective clothing—yes, even if you're headed to cooler climates.

• Use lip balm with SPF to protect against dry or cracked lips.

  
  

💧 Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate

• Travel days, flights, and warm-weather adventures can leave you dehydrated fast.

• Carry a refillable water bottle and make drinking water a habit.

• If you're hiking or cruising, consider adding electrolyte tablets to your pack.

🦟 Beat the Bugs

• Mosquitoes and ticks are out in full force in many summer destinations.

• Use insect repellent, especially near water, woods, or during the evening.

• Consider packing a small bug bite relief stick—just in case.

🎒 Pack Smart

• Use packing cubes to stay organized.

• Dress in light layers, especially when weather might change quickly (as we experienced in Greenland!).

• Always have a light rain jacket and comfortable walking shoes on hand.

This summer, we sailed beyond the typical destinations and explored the Arctic’s breathtaking coastlines and Canada’s scenic beauty. From surreal sunrises over iceberg-filled waters to the charm of coastal villages, it was the kind of trip that reminds you why travel is such a gift. We boarded the Carnival Pride to cruise to Greenland and Canada. We left out of Baltimore, Maryland on May 25th. This itinerary is only sailed twice a year - once in late May and once in August. Before this trip, the May cruises had never successfully made it to Greenland due to ice and fog. Despite that almost happening to us, Carnival worked hard to make sure we could go to Greenland, and we broke some records along the way.

This cruise is considered a Journeys cruise, which means it is over 10 days long. Journeys cruises are very different from other Carnival cruises. You will often see the same people around, become closer to the cruise director and captain than on shorter trips, and they hold special events as well.

Baltimore, Maryland is a small city near Washington, D.C. that boasts a rich history including

being the birthplace of the American railroad, as well as being home to Edgar Allen Poe. It is

important to arrive the day before your cruise sails, that way if there are any weather or

mechanical delays, you can still arrive to the port on time for your trip. While you have a day or evening to explore before getting onto the ship, we highly recommend eating near the bay, as the views are beautiful. There are a significant number of historical sites and museums to explore as well.

The terminal here is one of the smallest ones we’ve been to. They lined people up outside

based on their boarding time and because this was a Journeys cruise, there was no priority

boarding for Platinum and Diamond levels. Despite the size of the terminal and how many

people that had to wait for their boarding time, almost everyone was allowed on early. Our

boarding time was 1:30pm, however the checkout time for our hotel was 11am, so we got to the terminal early with the plan to just wait until our boarding time. We were able to get on the ship around 12:15pm because they got everyone checked in and through security swiftly. When we got back after our trip, they were also incredibly efficient getting everyone off the ship. Everyone, whether their bags were checked or not, was allowed off the ship by 9am.

This cruise had a lot of sea days. We spent 6 days at sea before we reached Greenland.

Despite being in the open ocean, there was always stuff to do. There were multiple comedy

shows every day featuring several different comedians. Carnival also had a naturalist come on board and give lectures throughout the cruise. She mainly talked about what ocean-life we could see from the ship, such as whales, dolphins, and seals, as well as a lecture on kelp forests and one on bioluminescence. The Pride is one of Carnival’s smaller ships, so we regularly saw the same people over again. This led to the ship feeling more intimate and homey. During our trip, we had a throwback day, which is exclusive to Journeys cruises. Our year was 1987 and the night before they put the Fun Times in our mailbox. It was printed in the same style as the ones handed out in ‘87, so it looked like a newspaper! The throwback activities they had included AquaFrog racing, a ping-pong bathing suit challenge, and horse racing. All of these activities were really fun!

Nanortalik is a small town at the southernmost point in Greenland with a population of around 1,000 people. It is surrounded by sheep farms. The views there are spectacular because of the vertical cliffs and steep peaks that surround the landscape. Nanortalik means “the place with polar bears” in the Greenlandic language. The excursions offered here include boat tours around the sea ice to get an up close look at icebergs and the hope to see seals and polar bears, which live on the sea ice surrounding the town. There are also a couple stores where you can buy locally made items. The sea ice where the polar bears live grows and shrinks with the weather. It can fully enclose the town’s access to the ocean, making it impossible for ships to come and go. This, unfortunately, was happening two days before we were supposed to port there, so this stop got canceled and Carnival had to rework our itinerary.

Qaqortoq is another town in Greenland that is a little north of Nanortalik. It is the fifth largest

town in the country. Here there are a lot of historical sights to visit and even a museum. Most of these sites are about the native people who lived in Greenland roughly 4,300 years ago. While most of Greenland is covered in ice year round, Qaqortoq is one of the greenest towns, where their ice melts in the summer exposing their flora. Excursions here also include boat rides to see icebergs up close, as well as a unique experience to be welcomed into a local’s home and eating a meal with them. Unfortunately, this stop was also impacted by the sea ice closing in, so we weren’t able to visit this time.

Nuuk is the capital of Greenland and was not one of our planned stops. When the sea ice made it unsafe to travel to the other Greenland ports, Carnival worked hard to find someplace for us to go, that way we could actually see Greenland. They were able to secure us a spot in Nuuk, which does not usually have cruise ships visit. It is in the polar region and only *150* miles from the arctic circle. On our way into Nuuk, we were able to go through the fjord that is by the city. It was truly breathtaking seeing the rocky hills and mountains, icebergs, and seals that were playing in the water beside the ship. There was some fog rolling in and out, but it made the view even better at times. Carnival worked hard to plan some excursions for us. We could’ve taken a boat tour around the fjord to see puffins, icebergs, and a waterfall. We were also able to take a shuttle into downtown where there were some stores and restaurants. In Greenland, there are three languages that most people speak: Danish, Greenlandic (an indigenous language), and English, so it is really easy to communicate with everyone.

We were in Nuuk for two days. On the first day, most of the stores were closed, as they were

not expecting us. We were able to explore their grocery store and get some delicious pastries

from a bakery. On the second day, almost everything was open despite it not being their normal hours. It was also Children’s Day, where the whole city gets together to celebrate children with a color fun run, bounce house, and a children’s choir. It was really interesting to see all the locals out and about with their kids. There were also some interesting stores open. You could buy sweaters, hats, and gloves made with wild musk ox wool, as well as yarn if you are a crafter. We bought some felted slippers made of wool, a hat, gloves, and scarf made of musk ox wool, and some buttons made of bone. When shopping in Greenland, it is important to know the laws of your home country. Being from the United States, we are not able to bring back anything made from whales, seals, or narwhals, due to their endangered status. The locals were many Inuit people who have been using whales and seals for their entire history and do so as ethically as they can, however we still could not buy any as our government would’ve confiscated it.

If you find yourself in Nuuk, we highly recommend the musk ox wool items at Qiviut, the pastries at the bakery in Nuuk Center, which is their shopping mall. The food and coffee at Cafe Pascucci was also incredible! Everything we bought was high quality, well crafted, and everyone was really nice about answering our questions about the materials used and who our purchases were supporting (almost everything we were able to buy directly supported local artisans). Everywhere we went took credit card and USD, although your change will be given in Danish Krone. When the ship was leaving Nuuk, there were some locals lining the dock and road, waving and telling us “bye,” which was really fun. Overall, getting to go to Greenland at all was on our bucket list, and although Nuuk was not originally in the plans, we are incredibly grateful to have the honor to visit.

On the island portion of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, there is St. Anthony, a small

town that boasts a history of Vikings. Known most for being an area where you can whale

watch, St. Anthony has a lot of excursions that will take you out on the water to get close to

whales and icebergs. Their rich history is well-documented and can be explored at various

museums and landmarks such as L’Anse aux Meadows, a Norse village that was inhabited

around 1000 AD. Polar bears and moose also roam this area. There are several walking trails

and hikes where you can explore the beautiful landscape.

Unfortunately our visit to St. Anthony was canceled in order to adjust for the additional time it

took for us to reach Nuuk. We were on a tight schedule to get back to Baltimore at the end of

two weeks, and it would’ve meant barely having any time here. Although we are disappointed by not getting to explore L’Anse aux Meadows, we plan to try and visit again! The overall consensus on the ship was that Greenland was the top priority, so no one was too upset by the itinerary change.

Also in Newfoundland and Labrador, Corner Brook is a small city on the west coast of the island of Newfoundland. It is very hilly, yet walkable. Corner Brook’s history since 1767 includes being surveyed by Captain James Cook, spending time as a fishing settlement, and then the construction of a paper mill that is still a prominent feature of the town.

While a few excursions were offered, none of them interested us. A majority of people, us

included, decided to walk into town. It wasn’t a bad walk, although it did have some steep uphill sections. There was a free shuttle that could have been taken if we didn’t want to walk. In town, there were people who set up a small vendor market outside of City Hall. There was a local author, a lot of crafters, and some bakers all selling their wares. It was really fun to talk to locals and buy their unique goods, such as artwork made of pressed flowers, blown glass, and handmade postcards. At City Hall, there was a museum on the history of the area and on the roof there was a greenspace with a phenomenal view of the area and surrounding mountains.

After exploring the craft fair, we decided to walk a few blocks down to the Tim Hortons, which is a Canadian coffee chain, similar to Dunkin’. There are a few stores in the area that were open and sold interesting items. Locally roasted coffee, labradorite jewelry with beautiful flashes of blues and greens in the light, and local honey were our favorite finds! A lot of places took either credit card or USD, although most of the vendors at the craft fair did not take card. Near the cruise port there were more shops set up. We really enjoyed exploring the shop that sold things made out of local wood. Their pens were extremely high quality and we even bought some rings that he made out of antlers! We found everything reasonably priced.

Located in Nova Scotia, Canada, Sydney is a mostly walkable city with a large Scottish population. A lot of the excursions offered were similar to those at every other stop on this trip, so we opted to explore the area instead. Sydney is historically important due to surrounding coal mines, a steel mill, and a seaport that was important for transatlantic trade.

In the cruise port, there are a lot of little stores and vendors set up selling everything from maple hard candies to handmade leather wallets. Our favorite stores in this area were the fudge store and the blacksmith. The blacksmith, who was amazing to talk to, took the time to explain to us the history of some of the metals he found and used to make into jewelry with runes and what the runes mean.

After exploring those shops, we decided to walk a mile or so to the liquor store in order to get

some local liquors we were on the hunt for. We highly recommend buying a bottle of maple wine and exploring their other offerings. After walking back, we decided on Governors Pub for lunch. The food here was extremely delicious and the fish and chips was the best we’ve ever had! Everything was made fresh to order and we highly recommend the maple glazed salmon, poutine with donair, and the oatmeal stout on tap!

While we were at sea for a majority of this trip, there was no shortage of things to do. Along with the things offered by Carnival, we brought board games, card games, coloring, and embroidery kits to keep us busy. In the library, Carnival had a very large puzzle that took people the entire trip to complete, plenty of books to read, and board games that you could borrow and play.

There were a few days where the ship’s movement was rough. Several people got motion sick and everyone was running into walls, so if you sail this itinerary, we highly recommend bringing some motion sickness medicine just in case you need it.

The food on the ship was good, although breakfast and lunch can feel repetitive with only a few options available for both. Whenever we didn’t want to eat a burger, sandwich, or tacos again, we opted to eat at the sushi restaurant or order room service.

Overall this trip was amazing! We absolutely loved all of the places we were able to visit,

enjoyed talking to everyone we met, and felt very cared for by the crew and captain. We highly recommend this trip, even though getting to Greenland can feel like a roll of the dice.

Whether your idea of adventure is climbing glaciers, sipping wine on a sun-drenched balcony, or laughing with loved ones around a campfire, summer is your season to shine.

✨ Need help planning your perfect escape? From cruises to custom vacations, I'm here to make it easy, exciting, and completely stress-free.

📩 Let’s chat! Your next unforgettable summer story is just a message away.

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