About Marybeth, National Geographic Author, Writer

Curious Explorer. Award-winning author.

Gutsy Traveler: A woman, like travel expert Marybeth Bond, stands among purple flowers, raising her arms and smiling in front of a wooden building in bright sunlight.
Polar bear tracking and snorkeling with beluga whales in the northern Canadian Arctic.

Marybeth knows travel. She has hiked, biked, dived, danced and trekked across all seven continents – from the depths of the Flores Sea near Komodo Island to the summit of Kilimanjaro.

More recently, she tracked polar bears and snorkeled with beluga whales in the Canadian Arctic, then kayaked among icebergs in Antarctica.

Somewhere in between, four years of studying in Paris earned her two degrees – and a taste for good wine and strong cheeses.

Twelve books (three with National Geographic), countless travel articles, and numerous TV and radio appearances have built her devoted fanbase. She won the esteemed Lowell Thomas, Gold Award for the Best Travel Book of the Year from the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation.

Woman on cliff in front of a monastery in Bhutan
Yesterday’s Video below. A decade or more later. Is Marybeth still GUTSY? Here in Bhutan.
Marybeth in Antarctica with penguins, snowy mountains, and water—just the kind of moment travel expert Marybeth Bond would capture in a travel video.
Kayaking and camping near penguins in Antarctica.

Yesterday….

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Dream on Marybeth.Who offers a romantic getaway that begins on a flight?   Turkish Airlines, recently voted Europe’s Best Airline for the third consecutive year, that’s who delivers. I had the pleasure of flying Turkish Airlines to Istanbul a few months ago and I was amazed at the level of service and pampered pleasure I enjoyed. It felt like the “good old days” of air travel. 

Candlelight dinner, heart shaped desserts the magic of love to the air. That’s my fantasy this Valentine’s Day.
Yes, tiny and flickering candles on board –battery powered in a paper luminary. P1030818

Once we arrive in Istanbul, there’s no shortage of romantic activities to keep the flame alive. We would ride the ferry across the Bosphorus at sunset. We’d walk hand-in-hand near the Blue Mosque, enjoy tea and dessert at a cafe near the Galata Tower and have cocktails under the stars at the rooftop bar at  the Four Season’s Sultanhamet.

I love a deal and there ‘s a special promotion for this fantasy, from February 10-28, 2014. Turkish Airlines is offering a second business class ticket at 50 percent off, with the purchase of one full price business class purchase. The offer is valid for departure from New York, Chicago and Washington D.C. to Istanbul and other Turkish cities. Valid for travel from February 10 – May 31, 2014. Subject to availability as there are limited seats reserved for this promotion.

A massage and a concert on a grand piano in the Turkish Airlines Lounge. The luxury goes on and on.
A massage and a concert on a grand piano in the Turkish Airlines Lounge. The luxury goes on and on.

When it’s time to fly home, there’s one last luxury at the Istanbul Airport; the Turkish Airlines Lounge. Unlike any other I’ve visited, it has a golf putting green, a theater with popcorn, three food stations with chefs preparing everything from kebabs to pizza, a masseur on duty and a grand piano. Great food, great alcohol, space, special service and no extra fees for “upgrading the wine” etc. Let the good times roll.  

  

 

Marybeth Bond