Bee Kalt Travel Insider: What to do when the nest is empty?

I am pondering this question as I spend my first Sunday night alone, after dropping off my youngest child at college. So far, my list includes cleaning the closets, making books from my numerous photos from recent (and not so recent) trips, and attacking the stack of unread travel magazines. I think the most logical answer for me, a travel advisor, is: to travel!

Last week I attended Virtuoso's annual Travel Mart, where I met with our hotel and tour partners from around the world. These are the movers and shakers of the travel industry, and I came home with plenty of ideas of where to travel to next!

Since my elder daughter will be studying in Spain next year, I may want to pop over for a visit. In Madrid there are some beautiful choices of hotels, perhaps the iconic Hotel Ritz Madrid. It is perfectly situated next to Retiro park and within walking distance to the museums. All of the rooms and suites are individually decorated in a classic style.

If I am in the mood for something a little more contemporary, the Hotel Villa Magna would be perfect. A recent renovation has left it more elegant than ever. I don't think I can go wrong with any of the six Virtuoso properties that are located in Madrid.

I will definitely have to fly or train down to the coast and visit the Marbella Club Hotel. It is open year-round so I don't have to worry about when to travel. They have a heated salt water pool, fabulous European spa and their own 18-hole golf course.

Whatever I decide, I know that our Onsite partner, Made for Spain, can provide me with the best tour options and guides in the country. They were voted best Onsite tour company at the Virtuoso Awards Ceremony this year.

The buzz is all about London for 2012. The Summer Olympic Games will be held there next July and August. If you're planning on attending, call us now to secure the best hotels and touring packages available!

I learned about a new gorilla tracking opportunity that will come available in May of 2012. Our partner, Wilderness Safaris, will open a new camp in the Republic of Congo in the Odzala-Kokoua National Park. This area is in the heart of the Congo basin, in a seemingly endless tropical forest. This is a different experience from mountain gorilla-trekking in Rwanda or Uganda. Here, in the Congo, you will have the opportunity to track the Western Lowland Gorilla as well as see many other kinds of wildlife. Sign me up!