Abercrombie & Kent’s expedition cruising division is partnering with its sister company, Crystal, to deliver A&K cultural sailings on Crystal ships. 

Starting with a pilot cruise in August 2026, the partnership will see Crystal ships host A&K’s cultural cruises, featuring A&K’s expedition team and shore experiences. 

Parent company A&K Travel Group said the collaboration is a “natural evolution of a vision to create the ultimate luxury travel ecosystem, combining A&K’s six decades of exploration with Crystal’s unparalleled onboard service excellence.” A&K Travel Group acquired the Crystal brand out of bankruptcy in 2022, remodeled the ships and relaunched the luxury line in 2023.

The inaugural A&K-Crystal voyage in August 2026 will be an Italy, Greece and Balkans 12-day sailing from Rome to Venice on the Crystal Serenity. The sailing will accommodate only 50 guests as part of the pilot program. The Serenity normally accommodates up to 740 passengers. 

The voyage, from Aug. 28 to Sept. 8, 2026, starts at $22,200 per person. Reservations are open.

In 2027, A&K will offer six more cultural voyages, including Hong Kong to Yokohama, Lisbon to Portsmouth, a variety of Mediterranean routes and a Canadian itinerary, with capacity expanding to accommodate up to 125 guests per voyage. 

A&K’s expedition team will accompany guests throughout the cruise (at a rate of one guide per 18 guests). There will be a choice of included shore excursions organized by A&K’s global network of local specialists, daily recap sessions with canapes and drinks, and expert-led presentations. 

Shore excursions for the inaugural cruise include a truffle hunt on a Sicilian farmstead, a pasta-making class in Bologna, hiking to the summit of Corfu’s Mount Pantokrator, and a Blue Cave adventure in the Bay of Kotor, Montenegro. 

Guests will have VIP access to the treasures of Vatican City, Rome’s Church of Saint Lorenzo and Ravenna’s Domus of the Stone Carpets. There will be a lavish welcome dinner in Rome and a sendoff in Ravenna that A&K says will be “unforgettable.” 

The trip will begin with two nights at the Anantara Palazzo Naiadi Rome Hotel. 

During the cruise, guests will stay in Crystal’s Sapphire Veranda Suites — or for solo travelers, in Aquamarine Veranda Suites with no single supplement. There will be access to up to eight restaurants and bars.

Each cultural voyage will begin with two nights at a luxury hotel. Pre- and post-cruise land extensions will be available.

It’s August, which means it’s time to dust off your lawn chairs and get ready for the best meteor shower of the summer. The annual Perseid Meteor Shower puts on one of the year’s most dazzling displays of shooting stars, with rates of up to 100 meteors per hour under perfect viewing conditions. This year, fewer meteors will be visible due to light interference from our good neighbor, the moon. But don’t worry—you’ll still be able to enjoy the spectacle. Here’s what you need to know about viewing the 2025 Perseid Meteor Shower.

When is the Perseid Meteor Shower?

In 2025, the Perseid Meteor Shower runs from July 17 through August 29, with peak activity taking place from the late evening of August 12 through the early morning of August 13.

Generally speaking, the best time to see the Perseids is just before dawn, when their radiant, or the point from which they appear to emanate, is at its highest point in the night sky. (When the radiant is lower in the sky, many Perseid meteors will disappear below the horizon.) So set your alarm for 3 a.m.—or grab some friends for a late-night viewing party.

Unfortunately, a bright waning gibbous moon will interfere with this year’s meteor shower. It will rise in the late evening and remain in the sky throughout the Perseids’ peak, creating natural light pollution and drowning out all but the brightest meteors.

The good news is that the Perseids are known for “fireballs,” or exceptionally bright meteors, so you should still be able to see plenty of shooting stars. Per the American Meteor Society, you can expect to see between 10 and 20 meteors per hour during this year’s peak.

Where can I see the Perseids 2025?

The Perseid Meteor Shower is best viewed from the Northern Hemisphere—you can see it from just about anywhere. In the Southern Hemisphere, the Perseids will only be visible in the low to mid-latitudes (closer to the equator).

No matter where you’re located, the key to a brilliant Perseids show is clear, dark skies. Those who live in rural areas are lucky—they might be able to spot shooting stars right in their backyards. But for those who live in suburban or urban areas, it’s worth traveling to a more remote area devoid of light pollution.

For the absolute best Perseids viewing, pay a visit to any of the 230-plus International Dark Sky Places around the world. This prestigious designation is awarded by DarkSky International, a nonprofit that seeks to protect our dark skies from artificial light pollution.

Don’t forget to check the weather forecast, too. Clouds will certainly reduce or eliminate Perseid viewing opportunities, so you might need to relocate to a cloud-free location.

What causes the Perseid Meteor Shower?

Meteor showers occur when tiny bits of rock, ice, or dust from the debris trails of comets or asteroids burn up in Earth’s atmosphere, creating a series of bright streaks across the sky. (No, shooting stars aren’t actually stars at all!)

The debris that creates the Perseid Meteor Shower comes from the comet 109/PSwift-Tuttle, which orbits the sun every 133 years. Fun fact: Perseid meteors hit the atmosphere at an average speed of 37 miles per second.

The Perseids derive their name from the constellation Perseus, which is the radiant point of the meteor shower. If you trace back the path of all Perseid meteors in the direction they originated from, you’ll find yourself in Perseus.

Viewing tips for the Perseid Meteor Shower

Once you’ve identified a dark, cloud-free spot near you, look for a wide-open area with few trees or structures impeding your view of the sky. Simply set up a lawn chair or picnic blanket, lean back, and let your eyes adjust to the darkness. Soon enough, you should be able to watch fireballs streak across the sky.

And one more tip: Don’t worry about binoculars or telescopes. They’ll actually hinder your viewing experience, as they narrow your field of view. The wider your view, the more meteors you’ll be able to spot.

This story has been updated with new information since its original publication date.

LED face masks have long since governed a serious amount of Instagram real estate, coined as the most effective way to prevent the signs of aging, reduce stubborn acne scars, and rejuvenate tired-looking skin. But no matter how many accolades this technology gets, the skeptic inside me has always been suspicious of how effective it can really be: How would I know if it was working if it’s a preventative? Is it something I want to add to my concise and curated edit of beauty products I travel with? Do I want to add it to my list of accessories I pack on every trip?

After years of resistance to the idea, I found myself coming around to it thanks to the under-eye Cryo feature on Shark Beauty’s new interpretation (which costs $350). To look at, the product appears much the same as its peers, but the inside is fitted with cushioned pads that nestle on top of the skin under the lower-lash line. When the device is activated with the attached remote control, the pads immediately cool—creating a calming, relaxing effect that feels enhanced by the glow of the red light that surrounds them. Sessions can last as little as five minutes, adding to this design’s appeal. Suddenly, I’m invested in a daily routine that promises to benefit my overall complexion and visibly depuffs my under-eyes. If I can commit to this for eight weeks, then it seems I can expect to see an improvement in my skin’s brightness, too. What’s more? This snippet of time in the day is a chance to stop, be still, and put down my phone. Surely there’s benefit in that alone?

As someone who travels a fair amount, I’m also willing to see how easy it is to pack this LED face mask from A to B—and whether it feels worthwhile enough to do so. Last October, I checked in for an overnight and over 11-hour flight from London to Cape Town. With the aim of looking remotely presentable upon landing, despite my rule to stay makeup-free in the air, I packed my new companion and promised myself I’d complete a six-minute “session” while on board.

Can you bring an LED face mask on an airplane?

The short answer is yes. It passed security checks and wasn’t required to be removed from my carry-on luggage at the Heathrow scanners.

Is the LED face mask heavy to carry?

The CryoGlow under-eye cooling LED repair mask is surprisingly lightweight to carry and wear. Perhaps this is partly due to the adjustable, comfortable straps and the plush eye pads—which are also my favorite features. However, it is relatively bulky, so make sure you take a carry-on with enough space for this, as well as your other in-flight travel essentials.

Is it embarrassing to wear an LED face mask on an airplane?

This was the part that I struggled with the most, as I was traveling solo and had a middle seat. Being on an overnight flight, I wanted to ensure I didn’t put off my session too long nor omit a red glow throughout the cabin when the lights were turned off. Haunting visions of the people next to me waking from sleep to a frightening sight of me blissfully during a six-minute mini spa session gave me the encouragement I needed. I told my neighbors about my skincare plans pre-takeoff, and they were surprisingly unfazed by it. I guess in this era of beauty TikTokers and “get ready with me” videos, something as menial as a face mask on a flight simply doesn’t elicit wonder anymore. Personally, I’m grateful for that.

Does the LED face mask help with jet-lagged skin?

My verdict is positive—and I used the mask at the beginning and end of my (very long) flight, as I counted it as a session per day. The eye patches really do work wonders, and whether my eyes looked brighter or not, they definitely felt it. The other thing I really love about this mask is that it offers a chance to relax and unwind. There’s nothing else you can do while it’s on, and even just five or six minutes of stillness feels beneficial to the mind, as well as the complexion. While it’s still too early to say for sure whether this product has a lasting positive effect on my skin, I’m absolutely converted to the idea of making it a part of my daily routine.