Liane Ehlers

Even from afar, a meter-high, colorful Berlin bear greets me at the ship's dock in Spandau, which is only a ten-minute walk from the train station. Starting today, the "MS Thurgau Chopin" will be my floating vacation home for a week. Just let your mind wander, is the motto on the boutique ship that will take me and 46 other guests from Berlin via Hamburg and other cities to Kiel.

According to the British "Economist" ranking, Frankfurt has made it to seventh place among the world's most popular cities in the summer of 2022, ahead of Hamburg (16) and Düsseldorf (22). And yet the Main metropolis is often denied one thing: Atmosphere. On closer inspection, however, this is unjustified.

Steep mountains, deep green valleys and crystal-clear waters ranging from light turquoise to dark blue: the world of Norwegian fjords and archipelagos is an impressive cruising ground where there is something new to discover on every voyage. During a Norway cruise, the chain of highlights does not break. The landscape of the thousand-island kingdom changes around every bend.

Not only since Corona have bicycle tours enjoyed increasing popularity. And what makes a cycling trip, which already provides plenty of exercise and fresh air, even healthier? Cycling vacations "on prescription", combined with autogenic training and a course in healthy eating. The best thing: Most health insurance companies give a subsidy of 150 euros if you apply for it in advance.

Vacation on the doorstep instead of crowds at an airport: When we decide to vacation on Borkum in May, the short and convenient journey is the main reason. After decades, I return to the vacation spot of my childhood. In June, Borkum's Südstrand was voted Germany's most beautiful beach by the readers of an online magazine for the second time after 2018. A good decision!

Our one-week voyage on the "Mein Schiff Herz" - a classic cruise ship with flair - takes us from Madeira to Tenerife. But above all, the name of the game on this tour is "set a course for deceleration". Idleness is the order of the day. Just take a break and stare into the horizon and out to sea. Researchers at Erasmus University in Rotterdam have discovered that conscious idleness is not only very productive for the brain, but also vital.

It doesn't always have to be the Caribbean: a cruise in the Indian Ocean is at least as exciting, wonderfully colorful and breathtakingly beautiful. Island hopping with the Costa Mediterranea is a wonderful way to escape the European winter. Mauritius, the Seychelles, Madagascar and La Réunion are our destinations.

Stavros (44) steers the Landrover through the untouched nature in the hinterland of Rhodes. From the first moment, he reminds me of Alexis Zorba. The hospitable Greek played so brilliantly by Anthony Quinn in the film of the same name. With his broad laugh, his humor and his carefree attitude, he embodies much of what Greece, its people and their hospitality are all about.

The rising sun bathes the apricot-colored sand of the Namib in an incomparable light. For me, the visit to Sossusvlei, a clay depression in the oldest desert in the world, becomes an unforgettable highlight of our trip with the "African Explorer".

Even the approach to the capital Windhoek gives an impressive foretaste of what awaits us. Namibia is a land of extremes: A dry riverbed winds through the glowing red earth, lined with camel thorn trees - the sure sign of underground water. The nature and wildlife paradise is three times the size of Germany, lies between two deserts - the Namib and the Kalahari - and looks different around every corner. The winter nights in July/August are cold, the days hot until sunset. A two-week trip with the "African Explorer" through the driest country in southern Africa is an experience not only for rail fans.

From a bird's-eye view, they look almost like clones on the Emirates landing flight, and somehow they remind me of fried eggs on spinach, the small round islands of the Maldives in the Indian Ocean: green vegetation on the inside, white coral sand all around, and on the very outside the turquoise to sky-blue water and the protective coral reefs - a nursery for many fish. The chain of islands in the Indian Ocean is especially popular with honeymooners and divers. I'm neither - let's see how I can pass the time.

The deceleration on our Danube journey through seven countries already begins on the day of arrival. This is because we have booked an overnight stay in a hotel and this time even the Deutsche Bahn is playing along. So we can explore Passau's enchanting old town and the Veste Oberhaus at our leisure before setting off on the "nicko Vision" in the direction of the Danube delta. Music lovers should definitely treat themselves to a concert in St. Stephen's Cathedral beforehand, as it houses the largest cathedral organ in the world.