Cheers to this year's winners!
| | | PHOTO: Serena Eller Vainicher |
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| One search for the term cold plunge on Instagram, and you'll discover a treasure trove of posts, geotagged from Finland to California. Keen to boost circulation, reduce inflammation, and improve mental clarity, people are going all in on this wellness experience, |
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which entails a quick dip in frigid water.
I did my own "PG" version this spring–in the Nile River, of all places. My family and I were sailing on Uniworld's Sphinx, a 42-suite ship that departs from Luxor, Egypt, and winds its way toward Aswan. Of course, you go to Egypt for the temples and monuments, but when offered the chance to swim in the Nile, we jumped.
After the Sphinx docked in Aswan, my husband, son, and I took a separate boat to a small beach backed by sand dunes. With the temperature hovering around 100 degrees, I expected the Nile to feel like a warm bath. But after putting one toe in, I shuddered from the cold. I don't know if it was the YOLO or the FOMO, but something drove me to jump in anyway. I let out a yell, then a deep belly laugh, my body shaking from the thrill of it all.
The experience reminded me that travel, at its best, makes us think deeply about ourselves and our place in the universe. It can also provide simple moments of surprise and delight, as it did that day in Egypt. Our annual World's Best Awards are a global who's who of hotels, cruise lines, airlines, safari outfitters, trains, cities, national parks, and more, as vetted and voted on by you, our readers. Use these comprehensive lists as a resource for finding your own moments of surprise and delight, which will, I hope, give your brain and body the boost they deserve. |
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