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Giving Back: South Africa

In times of upheaval, the kind of travel that people tend to contemplate are family trips and journeys that make a difference. In Africa, that may mean volunteering to help build schools or medical facilities, joining a special conservation adventure that includes rhino-darting , or choosing tour companies that funnel part of their proceeds back into the communities in which they operate. Indagare member Krista Krieger recently traveled to South Africa with CC Africa’s Friends of Africa Foundation and wrote about her journey: “The purpose was twofold: we wanted to go on a great wildlife safari but we were also there to give back to the local communities.” Days were split between game-viewing drives at the renowned Phinda Private Game Reserve (the only place where travelers can witness rhinos being tranquilized and tagged) and and visiting local schools, built with funds that the member and her friends helped raise.

Indagare Exclusive: Participate in special four-day trips that allow you to assist a teacher in a local school for a half-day and learn about other community outreach programs affiliated with the acclaimed Singita lodges, including the new Singita Pamushana, in Zimbabwe.

Cultural Calendar: Exceptional U.S. Museums

In recent years, some of the country’s most exciting museum openings, many in buildings designed by cutting-edge architects, have been in cities that are not immediately identified as major art capitals. Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art debuted in a glowing new building designed by Diller, Scofidio + Renfro and the Denver Art Museum unveiled an addition designed by renowned architect Daniel Libeskind, while San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park now has the DeYoung Museum in a spectacular all-copper building by Herzog & de Meuron. Luckily, the ambitious exhibition programs match the facades. Read about the museum shows everyone will be talking about this autumn, from major retrospectives to solo debuts, all across the U.S.: Cultural Calendar.

Family Getaway: American West

The realization that she had not visited many of the most impressive sights in the American West prompted one Indagare member to plan a week-long family vacation to Wyoming and Montana this summer. “We wanted to find comfortable and relaxed places but ones that would also provide an authentic and pure way of experiencing this part of the world,” she writes. En route discoveries included a special cabin resort right on the Madison River where “everything took place outside and under the stars,” a great guide in Yellowstone Park and fly-fishing and horseback-riding lessons in untouched wilderness.

This Month’s Dream: Great House Barbados

“A perfect way to spend a week with friends” is how one Indagare member described her week-long stay on Barbados at the Great House, a special private villa in Turtle Bay. The property easily accommodated the three families, on the island to celebrate a birthday, and proved the perfect base for beachy relaxation and activities, which were easily accessible thanks to the fact that a boat and captain come with the house.

New on Indagare

In-depth destination reports on the Turks & Caicos and the Chilean capital Santiago, including where to sleep, eat and shop. Remember: hotels with a Indagare Plus symbols offer members preferential rates and benefits. Plus: a review of a cool new restaurant on New York’s Bowery, a special chef’s table, hosted by Tom Colicchio, and member postcards on a honeymoon in Las Ventanas, a relaxed family escape to the South Sea Island resort on Captiva, a special boutique hotel in New York City, and an insider’s favorite finds in Los Angeles.