5 Wine-Tasting Tours in Buenos Aires You Can’t Miss

When you think of great wine, which places come to mind?

I immediately imagine the stretching hills of Tuscany, Lombardy, Alsace, Bordeaux, and Rioja. If pressed to think beyond the scope of Italy, France, and Spain, I’d probably jump to either Eastern Europe or South Africa. The former is one of Europe’s emerging wine-producing regions, while the latter is drawing on ancient Greek techniques to craft delicious wines.

I might even argue that the US is up there thanks to our Napa Valley vineyards.

But what about further south, down beyond Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil?

Over the last two decades, Argentina has become one of the world’s most prominent regions for growers and fermenters. In fact, the growth of Argentina’s wine production and exportation has been dubbed the ‘Malbec Boom’.

Here’s what it means for travelers: You can find some of the best wines in the world in Argentina’s Mendoza region, along with its capital city of Buenos Aires.

In fact, you’d be a little foolish not to sample some of its best products while in town.

Want to make a day of it? Here are the highest-rated wine-tasting tours in Buenos Aires.

Top 5 wine-tasting tours in Buenos Aires

Buenos Aire Small-Group Wine Tasting

This two-hour tour takes you deep underground to explore the best wines in Buenos Aires. I mean that literally—this tour is hosted in a subterranean wine cellar.

The tour maxes out at eight guests, which makes it ideal for anyone who wants to ask a lot of questions along the way. Best of all, the host is a certified sommelier who has a serious love of Malbecs and Torrontes.

That means you get a front-row seat to experience and learn more about the varieties that define Argentinian wine. One reviewer even dubbed it ‘Malbec heaven’.

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Bodega Gamboa Small-Group Wine Tasting Tour with Lunch

Want to get up close and personal with a vineyard? Don’t worry—you don’t need to take a bus, plane, or train to Argentina’s Mendoza region.

Instead, this tour takes you from Buenos Aires to a vineyard right outside the city: Bodega Gamboa.

There, you can learn about varieties like Malbec from a holistic perspective. Guests also get to sample a wide range of wines before settling down for a picnic that includes local cheeses.

It’s also a great choice for anyone who wants to escape the city for a few hours.

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Introduction to Wine Culture in Buenos Aires

Want to learn all about Argentinian wine without heading into a cellar or out to a vineyard? Here’s the perfect balance.

This tour connects guests to an experienced sommelier who guides them through the local approach to wine—not just from a production standpoint, but from a social and culinary standpoint, too.

Plus, you also get to experience the ‘picada’. Although distinct in many ways, picada is similar to Spanish tapas. The picada is usually a charcuterie board that comes with cheese and meat.

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Premium Empanadas Cooking Class & Wine Tasting in Palermo

If sipping on wine while snacking sounds a little too light for you, then toss a few empanadas in the mix. Cooking classes are a great way to learn more about local culture anywhere in the world—and who doesn’t love empanadas?

This class focuses first on cooking great empanadas from scratch. Once the dishes are cooked, guests get to sample what they’ve cooked while also tasting some of the city’s best Malbecs.

This is a great compromise for couples or groups that want to learn more about cooking while also getting to sample great wine.

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Wine Tasting at Downtown Buenos Aires Ego Experience

Ego Experience is a highly-rated restaurant in Argentina—and it’s got its very own new wine tour experience.

Ego Experience offers guests a highly curated drinking and dining experience in which dishes and drinks are carefully paired together for an optimal meal. Also, there’s tons of fondu.

If that concept intrigues you, then look into their wine-tasting experience. Guests can pick out their own wines or let the pros design a drink-and-dish for them. If you like unique gastronomic projects, start here.

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Better Listening: Best Headphones for Traveling

Technology goes a long way in making travel more comfortable.

Whether you want to really get cozy on a long-haul flight or simply have an easier time when packing for a trip, gadgets empower us to see the world.

One piece of tech that you might have seen recommended time and time again is headphones. Headphones are a deceptively important part of a great packing travel list.

But do you know how to find the best headphones for traveling—or are you still hung up on whether or not you really need a great pair for a stellar vacation?

Let’s explore, starting with the reason why everyone needs a good set of headphones when they hit the road.

Why do you need a good pair of headphones for traveling?

A pair of headphones protects you against noise pollution while also handing you the reins to your favorite entertainment. And a lot more.

Here’s why you need a good pair of headphones for traveling:

To use your smartphone in public. Anytime you’re using your smartphone to stream videos in public, you should be using headphones. That includes video calls, too. This is one of the tenets of modern etiquette, on planes and off.
For comfort in noisy settings. Noise cancellation helps reduce ambient noise. I’ve also found that noise cancellation helps minimize the insanely loud thrum of a Boeing 757 while 35,000 feet in the air.
Music, videos, podcasts, audiobooks, and more. Who doesn’t love listening to their favorite content while enjoying a scenic train ride? Or surviving a hectic bus ride? Remember—headphones can help you get through sticky (and noisy) situations that tend to pop up when we travel.
For ignoring things that go bump in the night. Even the best hotels can suffer from noise pollution. That’s doubly true when you’re lodging in a city center. In the event a normal pair of earplugs doesn’t work, your headphones can act as a backup to drown out any bothersome noises at night.

The best headphones for traveling

The best headphones are portable, offer a high quality of sound, and have a long-lasting battery life.

Below, I’ve listed some of the best headphones on the market in 2024. All headphones listed below come with noise-cancelling features.

Sony WH-1000XM5

They’re comfortable and they offer one of the best noise-cancellation settings in the industry. And speaking of industry, this Sony product is one of the top choices for audio engineers. Should I say more?

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Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless

One of the trickiest parts about recommending headphones to travelers is battery life. Battery life is notoriously finicky for headphones—and if you’re anything like me, you might struggle to remember to charge your devices while on the road.

That’s why the Sennheiser product is a great choice. Its battery power is almost unmatched, letting you enjoy a great sound quality for longer.

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Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

These headphones were recently optimized for better portability and noise cancellation—which means they should be at the top of the list for travelers. Plus, they have a top-tier call quality microphone, which makes them great for video calls at all hours in any setting.

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Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2e

This high-quality option excels in terms of audio quality, sound design, and noise cancellation. They’re a bit pricey, but they’re renowned for their extremely rich sound quality.

If you’re on the hunt for a great travel option that you’ll also use at home, then this should be your pick.

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Cambridge Audio Melomania P100

These headphones are easy to pack, all without compromising on sound quality or battery. Though the brand isn’t Given their smaller size, the battery lasts even longer with the Cambridge Melomania. Best of all, it’s batteries are fast-charging, offering a bit of forgiveness when you need to prep for the airport in a rush.

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Visitor Tips: The Coolest Tours in Austin, Texas

Austin is weird—I’m sure you’ve heard.

Even those who have never been to Texas are likely aware that the city of Austin stands out. The slogan ‘Keep Austin Weird‘ may have been invented to spur on small businesses, but the phrase has stuck.

While Austin definitely has Lone Star spirit, locals tend to be invested in artsy and eclectic hobbies, too. That stands out compared to the cowboy and Wild West vibes in other cities like Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas.

But just what about Austin makes it so weird?

Is it the range of museums and art installations? Is it a certain sort of fanaticism locals have for life? Is it the range of day trips available around the city? Is it the bats on Congress Avenue? All that live music? Or the barbecue, instead?

There’s no easy answer—but that doesn’t mean there isn’t one. As a former student of anthropology, I like to get in on the ground floor to learn more. And when it comes to expert opinions, there’s nothing like a passionate local.

Want to know what makes this city weird? I suggest taking a closer look at some of the coolest tours in Austin to hear what their knowledgeable, obsessive hosts have to say.

Coolest tours in Austin

Weird Austin City Tour

Want to gain a foundational understanding of what makes Austin so weird? Start here. This tour takes you around the city as passionate local experts discuss its culture, history, and leading musical and culinary traditions.

There’s also a live performance from a band during the tour, which takes you on a front-row journey of Austin’s unique identity.

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Austin Small Group Morning Walk

Greet the day by dodging all those tourist traps. This is one of the most unique city tours I’ve ever seen offered—there’s no big selling point aside from exploring downtown Austin with two goals.

First, avoid tourist traps. Second, learn about the city’s lesser-known stories from a critically acclaimed storyteller. It sounds low-key, but reviewers have dubbed this tour ‘enthralling’ and ‘exceptional’.

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Best of Austin Small-Group Driving Tour

Want to really spread your wings and learn more about the city? This driving tour looks like one of the most comprehensive ways to get to know the city while locking eyes with some of its most iconic landmarks and neighborhoods, along with a few hidden gems that locals adore.

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Austin Walking Food Tour

Get out and about in one of Austin’s most historic districts—and sample some of its best eats along the way. This tour will introduce you to the very best in specialties like barbecue, along with lesser-known favorites like cannoli, breakfast tacos, and more.

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4-Hour Austin Signature Brewery Tour

Great barbecue is only half the story in Austin. If you want to gain a greater understanding of the city’s weirdness, then you’ll need to sample its local beers from its top breweries.

This tour takes you to the city’s three most celebrated breweries and taprooms, ferrying you around Austin in a small group. Along with sampling a range of beers, guests are also treated to a small meal.

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Guided Sunset Bat Kayak Tour

A bat kayak tour—that’s the kind of weirdness I figured would abound in Austin. At sunset every night, bats flood Congress Avenue Bridge.

But this sight has become a tourist hotspot, meaning many tour groups are too large for guests to really enjoy the experience. This option focuses on small groups so that everyone involved can see the bats and follow their group.

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The Brunch Bus: Food Tour with a Live Band on Board

You can find plenty of live music bar crawls around Austin—and I’d recommend you join one or two or five. But none hold a candle to the weird allure of the Brunch Bus.

Just find a seat, jam out with the onboard band, get off when it’s time for some brunch, then do it all over again.

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Countdown of the Best Food Tours in Rome

Who doesn’t dream of eating themselves to death in Italy?

The country is renowned for its culinary delights. Each city offers a distinct twist on classics, from good old-fashioned steaks to saffron-infused risotto. Every cobblestone street seems to yield a new and delectable treat. Every small restaurant has its own Nona in charge of its kitchen.

My favorite Italian eats are swordfish in Sicily and caccio e pepe in Rome.

Though the latter takes second place to Rome’s infamous spaghetti carbonara, caccio e pepe is a local favorite for a reason. And it’s hardly the only dish in the city to be revered by chefs, eaters, and wanderers.

In fact, compared to other Italian cities, Rome’s emphasis on ‘cucina povera‘ has led to dozens of dishes built on humble and fresh ingredients. Caccio e pepe is a great example of this approach to cooking—but it’s far from the last.

If you’re heading to Rome, don’t leave your mealtime up to chance.

Aside from booking tables at well-known restaurants or wandering through food markets, I suggest you also seek out eats with the help of experts who offer tours. These tours are the best way to get in on the ground floor of Rome’s food scene… and also meet a few other travelers along the way.

If you’re looking to eat well in Italy’s capital, start with one of these food tours. I’ve collected the highest-rated food tours in Rome.

Best food tours in Rome

Campo de’ Fiori & Ghetto Street Food Guided Tour

Want to bundle in a bit of sightseeing with your food tour? This selection offers a great balance between sightseeing, sampling local favorites, and exploring one of Rome’s most bustling neighborhoods.

This tour offers a slower pace, which lets you fully soak up the city and your surroundings. That’s an important note, as some food tours pack in a lot of walking and tasting.

Guided City Food Tour by Vespa & Tastings

Assuming you’re comfortable on the back of a Vespa, this tour also delivers on all the wonders of sightseeing… along with the cold, hard reality of Roman driving culture.

That being said, the driver is a local with years of experience navigating the streets—and you’ll be able to explore more hidden gems thanks to the ride. For those looking to sample a large range of eats and get a bit of speed while they do, go with the Vespa tour.

Guided Food Tour with Food & Drink Tastings

It’s not all about the food. After all, Italy is home to delicious drinks like Sangiovese, Aperol spritz, limoncello, and more.

As a bit of a drinker myself (booze is cultural, let me live), I’m always on the hunt for a food tour that focuses on drinks, too. This tour is a bit larger than others, making it ideal for travelers who want to socialize and make friends along the way.

Food Tour with Market Visit

Rome’s food markets should be high on your list of things to do. These markets represent the old guard of cooking and is where the freshest ingredients are exchanged daily.

You’ll see restauranteurs, chefs, and Nonas alike wandering and haggling as you wander through Rome’s largest food market on this tour. Along the way, you’ll sample a shocking 25 unique dishes and bites.

Trastevere Guided Food and Wine Tour

The magic of this food tour is its range of eats, similar to the food market tour above. The neighborhood walking tour covers the most popular restaurants in the Trastevere district, which sees guests sample over 20 dishes.

Tipsy Food Crawl Walking Tour with Dinner

You guessed it—the core of this food tour is soaked in limoncello. Again, I’d like to point out that Italy’s reign as the greatest culinary nation in the world also extends to its drink lists.

This tour lets you sample some of its most famous wines, along with more modern hits like limoncello spritzes.

eSIMs for Travelers: How Do They Work & Where Can You Get One?

It’s easier than ever to use your smartphone abroad… assuming you know how to use eSIMs.

An eSIM is a digitized version of a traditional, physical SIM card. They can be used to directly embed your network’s service into a smartphone (or even a laptop or smartwatch, but that’s a different topic).

Today, most people learn about eSIMs when it’s time to travel.

Not only are they the easiest and most affordable way for you to extend your cellphone plan internationally, but eSIMs are also evolving quickly. They’re more secure, accessible, and adaptable than ever before.

With just a few easy clicks, you can shop around to find the best eSIM for your trip—no matter the country, no matter the length of your trip. Think of an eSIM like a temporary, international phone plan while abroad.

Just like you can select more inclusive plans at home, you can do the same with your eSIM-based international plan.

Still aren’t sure how to get started or whether your smartphone even takes an eSIM card? Let’s explore what you need to know about eSIMs for travelers.

How do you know if your smartphone is compatible with eSIMs?

The vast majority of smartphones used by Americans are compatible with eSIMs.

Most iPhones use eSIMs rather than physical SIM cards, for example. The same is true for many Android devices. Thanks to the fact that most modern smartphones already run on eSIMs, most people don’t need to worry about whether they have an eSIM-ready phone.

But if you’re unsure whether your phone uses an eSim or a physical SIM, you can go to your settings. If there’s a ‘physical SIM’ section, you’ve got a physical SIM in your device.

Another way to determine whether your phone uses a physical SIM is to look for the small card slot on your device. No slot = no physical SIM. If you’re still unsure, I suggest checking out this article from Airalo. (They’re a great eSIM provider that I’ll cover below.)

What should you do if your smartphone uses a physical SIM?

If you have a physical SIM, you need to head to a brick-and-mortar store at your destination to sign up with a network and purchase a physical SIM.

Because this is labor intensive and might even require you to prove that you have a local bank account, eSims are the main way that travelers use their cellphone plans while abroad.

How to get an eSIM

The easiest way to get an eSim for international travel is to purchase one online. Usually, you scan a QR code to activate the plan or download an app to start using eSim services.

From there, you’ll be prompted to finish any required setup—but it’s often minimal.

What to look for in eSims for travelers

Not all eSims are created equally. When you shop around, you should be on the lookout for these features:

Country coverage—make sure your destination is included
Data options—make sure you’re getting all the data you’ll need
Ease of setup—make sure you’re not responsible for handling any complicated setting changes
Phone number options—make sure your number stays the same

Top 5 companies that offer eSIMs for travelers

There are dozens of ways for Americans to purchase eSims. Here are a few of the best on the market:

Airalo is a good choice for those who travel worldwide and want customizable plans. This is the company my partner uses when he travels outside of Spain.
Get Your Guide has a solid range of plans, plus a great FAQ section for anyone with more questions.
Nomad offers a high-value and easy-to-use app that makes it ideal for first-time eSIM users.
Airhub is very easy to use and offers top loading speeds in many highly traveled countries.
AloSIM helps first-time eSIM users gauge how much data they’ll need, along with providing reliable local network services.

Best Themed Tours in Salem, MA: Bar Crawls, Broom-Making, & Fantasy Studio Shoots

Salem transforms into a spooky delight each October.

The quaint city once served as the site of a veritable witch hunt that culminated in multiple deaths over a year-and-a-half-long period in the early 1690s.

Was the area actually plagued by malice thanks to local witches and warlocks?

Probably not—but Salem still carries the legacy of its witch hunt.

The town has served as a set for popular Halloween flicks from Hocus Pocus to The Witch. It’s also gone all-in to showcase historical explorations of the witch trials and broader contexts, making it ideal for history buffs.

And then there’s the town’s diverse list of guided tours.

Salem is home to dozens of unique day trips and experiences that highlight the range and depth of its identity and history. But which are the best themed tours in Salem?

In honor of America’s witchiest city and the upcoming Halloween holiday, here are the witchiest tours in Salem for your wicked interests.

Best themed tours in Salem, MA

History and Hauntings Guided Walking Tour

You’re going to have more than a few choices when it comes to general history and haunting tours of Salem. This highly-rated selection includes seven locations around Salem.

As you wander, a local expert discusses the town’s rich (and macabre) history, along with more modern eerie tales. The added bonus? This tour guide also knows a thing or two about the centuries-old architecture in Salem.

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Voodoo, Vampires, and Ghosts Guided Walking Tour

Dive into the wicked past of Salem with Dr. Vitka, a local guide and paranormal investigator. He’s got history lessons, more than a few strange experiences, and a startling amount of information about real-life vampires who dwell in New England.

If you want to explore the real world of underground paranormal research in Salem, go with Dr. Vitka.

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Hocus Pocus Movie Guided Walking Tour

If you haven’t seen this cult film from 1993, consider this your sign. Hocus Pocus was filmed around Salem, with many of its most iconic settings still standing today.

Fans of the movie shouldn’t miss out. The guide is also a hardcore fan and local, which makes the experience even better.

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Salem Psychic Bewitched Tour with Tarot Reading

It’s like a history tour—except you also get a tarot card reading from a trusted and beloved local tarot reader. The tour also includes a visitation with a psychic, which opens the doors to Salem’s haunted past.

Anyone with an interest in esoteric thought and clairvoyance should start with this tour. Even if you don’t believe it, you’re going to enjoy this tour.

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Salem Boos and Brews Haunted Pub Crawl

Who doesn’t want to hear tales of witchcraft, murder, and secret tunnels with a cool beer in their hand?

This tour includes historical information about eight haunted sites—four of which are pubs. But the general idea is to talk about ghosts, witches, and more while playing some drinking games and socializing with like-minded Halloween fans.

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Witch City Broom Making Workshop

Want to spend a day in the pointed boots of an actual witch or warlock? This workshop takes you into the outdoors to first source all the blessed materials that you’ll use to craft a broom.

Don’t worry—it’s just a souvenir that you can use to tell others about your ghostly visit to Salem. Or play a quick game of quidditch.

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Fantasy Studio Photography Experience

Want to get a feel for what it would have been like to play a witch in Hocus Pocus? Head on this tour to get decked out in the witchiest fantasy gear, then pose for the cameras.

Guests get to choose between four unique backdrops: witch cottage, magick broom, pirate point, and old Salem village. Any groups that have enjoyed their time in Salem should consider booking this tour at the end—it’ll provide some amazing keepsakes for you to remember the best themed tours in Salem.

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