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No matter where in the world you want to go, we can help get you there. Our experienced travel advisors will take the time to answer your questions and listen to your ideas, before making expert recommendations that fit your budget. We believe extraordinary vacations begin with careful planning; that's why we are devoted to ensuring our clients always have the best possible experience — both before they leave and while they're away.

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This edition of Escape brings you experiential travel journeys designed to help you gain a deeper understanding of local culture, history, natural wonders, people and cuisine. Read on and let your mind wander around the globe. When you’re ready to turn these experiential travel dreams into reality, you can rely on our agency. Here are just a few of the adventures you can read about:

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The Best in Travel, From New York’s Fifth Avenue Hotel to a River Lodge in Bhutan

A host of world-class properties that take luxury stays to breathtaking new heights..

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The Big Idea: Alone in a Crowd

Don’t bother buying a hotel. There’s no need now, as it has never been easier to enjoy the feeling of your own private resort (if temporarily). Call it an owner’s lodge, a royal villa, or the principal’s home: The must-have of the moment is a mansion-size, hotel-run lodging that has access to all of the amenities but keeps you far away from fellow guests.

This trend is influenced by a permanent shift in travel patterns. According to Black Tomato’s Sunil Metcalfe, bookings for eight people or more increased by 35 percent in 2022 compared to 2019. Such group travel now makes up almost a third of the company’s bookings. “The private-villa and private-staff trend that was massive during Covid is on the wane, but what’s stayed is a desire for private residences within desirable hotels,” he says. Adventure specialist Gray & Co. has seen a similar shift: In 2023, multigenerational travel had doubled.

Properties from urban centers to beach resorts are adding offshoots primed for such buyouts: Oslo’s Sommerro offers the smartly named 11-room Villa Inkognito . At Caiman, the resort-cum–wildlife preserve in Brazil’s wetland Pantanal region, the private villa Baiazinha sleeps 12. And on Lizard Island, in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the deck of the Lizard House overlooks a beach David Attenborough is said to have called one of his favorite places in the world.

Need more than just a single structure? Not to worry. Fiji’s Kokomo Private Island has five residences with three or more bedrooms, each perched on a hilltop. At Long Bay Villas on Anguilla, you can book a trio of homes separately or together. One&Only’s new Greek property Kéa Island , meanwhile, looks more like a village of luxury homes than a hotel. And in Africa, the luxury-safari realm’s move toward micro camps, such as Botswana’s North Island Okavango or Tarkuni Homestead (on South Africa’s Tswalu game reserve), is also driven by this trend.

On St. Barts, Eden Rock takes this a step further, offering a catalog of 200 privately owned homes dotted around the island. The program is so successful it has spawned both clones (local rival Hotel Le Toiny has its own portfolio of over a dozen) and expansion. Eden Rock operator Oetker is now offering a similar service along the Côte d’Azur. It’s a reminder of that well-worn piece of financial advice: Why buy when you can rent?

Safari Camp: Loapi, Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, South Africa

You wouldn’t expect to stumble upon six cutting-edge glass, steel, and canvas structures in the middle of the Kalahari Desert. Unless perhaps you’re within Tswalu, South Africa’s largest private game reserve. The Oppenheimer family, which owns it, has been restoring these lands since 1999. While conservation and sustainability are top of mind here, so are privacy and high design. Loapi , the aforementioned collection of micro camps, is the third and newest addition to this 282,000-acre reserve. It offers a private guide, a butler, and a chef who can cook everything from tapas to curries to freshly baked bread.

The views from the rooms and outdoor terraces are staggering: Grassland and red soil meet the low mountains that jut upward into a cerulean sky. The interiors are stunning, too, appointed with intricately carved wood-paneled walls, cork ceilings, and coffee-colored rounded bouclé couches that beg for a post-safari nap. From $2,428 per person

Beach Resort: Kona Village, a Rosewood Resort, Hawaii

When news spread that the posh Rosewood brand would resurrect Hawaii’s beloved Kona Village resort , which was decimated by a tsunami in 2011, there was both celebration and concern. Could the laid-back vibe guests returned for year after year be re-created? By the time it reopened last July, it had Wi-Fi, plus a striking new spa improbably built into the lava flow and a sea-to-table restaurant with an outstanding selection of white Burgundy (both impressive additions).

But the soul of the place lives on at the restored Shipwreck Bar, a beached schooner-turned–watering hole that belonged to the founders. The vessel, where Jim Morrison once infamously consumed a record 21 mai tais, miraculously survived the storm. (Staff joke that the only thing stronger than the drinks is the boat itself.) Take a seat and listen closely enough, and you can overhear guests reminiscing about stays here as long ago as the ’60s. It’s proof that even with modern upgrades, the place can still transport you to the Hawaii of another era. From $1,800

Luxury Adventure: Shinta Mani Mustang, Nepal

You don’t have to leave the remote grounds of Nepal’s Shinta Mani Mustang , the third property in architect Bill Bensley’s eponymous hotel collection, to feel immersed in the culture of this ancient mountain kingdom. Guests can join a monk in the on-site puja room for sunrise chants or partake in a healing session with the resident amchi, an 11th-generation doctor of traditional Tibetan medicine. The surrounding powder-dusted peaks are perfectly framed in each bedroom’s floor-to-ceiling windows, the yak-fur-lined bar serves local apple brandy, and the restaurant’s nine-course momo tasting menu schools guests in the region’s staple steamed dumplings.

But hotelier Jason Friedman, a partner in the project, intended the 29-suite retreat to be a cushy base camp. Guests can enjoy immersive excursions, such as a trek to a medieval village believed to be the last place in Mustang where the pre-Buddhist religion of Bon is still practiced, or a lunch of Thakali curry cooked in a local home. The real luxury, Friedman says, is getting to explore a region few people have ever seen. From $1,800

Natural Immersion: andBeyond Punakha River Lodge, Bhutan

If you’ve traveled to andBeyond’s African camps, you know to expect the unexpected: Makeshift bars set up near watering holes frequented by elephants and zebras; picnics arranged in the bush as giraffes graze in the distance. So how does the seasoned operator transport that experience to the Bhutanese countryside? At first glance, andBeyond Punakha River Lodge ’s six sumptuous, tentlike lodgings may seem familiar to safari-goers, but the ethos is distinctly local. There are no game drives here; instead, tours lean into the Himalayan kingdom’s rich history and Buddhist traditions: archery lessons, treks to sky-high temples, and visits to secluded mountaintop villages, all surrounded by snowcapped peaks. But (spoiler alert) the surprises continue—a breakfast spread overlooking a temple might await you at the end of an early morning hike, lunch can materialize on a cliff surrounded by colorful prayer flags fluttering in the breeze, and drinks appear on a sandy riverbank as the sun sets over the 17th-century Punakha Dzong monastery. Suites from $890

Historic Conversion: La Palma, Capri, Italy

The long-delayed two-and-a-half-year gut renovation of Capri’s oldest hotel , which dates back to 1822, was finally completed last summer. And it was worth the wait.

The 50 or so rooms and suites were reimagined by interior designer Francis Sultana in a palette of pale sherbets. They have every possible amenity—yes, that’s a branded bath pillow—and guests receive a generous gift every night at turndown, from cookies to night masks, as is typical at Oetker-operated hotels. The configurations of the rooms differ wildly, but the splashiest is the 861-square-foot La Palma suite. Social butterflies will prefer the smaller suites on the second floor (numbers 110 to 115) whose terraces have direct access to the new pool.

On an island where sandy beaches are rare, La Palma’s greatest asset is off-site: Its shore club, Da Gioia, is a time- warpishly fabulous hangout offering a jolt of dolce vita glamour, even in midsummer while crowds throng nearby. Book the private cove, which can accommodate up to six people and is thankfully close enough to the restaurant to keep the rosé flowing. And spend at least one evening at the nightclub in the basement, Anema e Core. The branded tambourines you’ll use to tap along to the house band are the best souvenir. From about $2,677

Updated Classic: Maroma Riviera Maya, Mexico

Interior designer Tara Bernerd brought her swaggering style to the multimillion-dollar reimagining of this property , the first of Belmond’s historic North American hotels to benefit from the deep pockets of new owner LVMH.

She met the challenge magnificently. Checking into one of the 72 rooms or villas, decorated in a style best described as Mexican midcentury modern, feels like staying at the beachfront home of a sophisticated friend. The airy spaces are heavy on earth tones, with dashes of turquoise and yellow on details such as the floor tiles—made, like 80 percent of the decorative elements, right here in Mexico. The suites are jam-packed with thoughtful touches, too: Take the branded sunglass-cleaning cloth, or the minibar and its full cocktail-making set, plus unisex cotton caftans (not robes) to wear in the room or on the beach.

The Curtis Stone–helmed restaurant, Woodend, is fine, but the food’s just as good at the hotel’s own all-day spot, Casa Mayor. Make sure to order its Catch of the Day in Molcajete, a tart, corn-studded ceviche of locally caught fish. Better yet, make it two. One won’t be enough. From $1,095

Renovation: Southern Ocean Lodge, Kangaroo Island, Australia

In 2020, wildfires incinerated nearly half of Kangaroo Island, the hardscrabble, beautiful landform off the coast of South Australia. Its premier property, Southern Ocean Lodge , was razed; after nearly four years of renovations, it reopened in December. It’s a credit to the architect, Max Pritchard, that few realize this is a close replica of the original. Suites—the only room category—still project like a tentacle from version 2.0 of the airy, central great room. And a sense of residential comfort still dominates. There are books everywhere. The dining room doesn’t take reservations. (Guests simply call ahead to say when they’d like to eat.) The central bar is self-service. Want wine? Just walk into the cellar and take what you like. At oversize resorts, they call this sort of thing “all inclusive,” but here, it’s just easy, the way it would be at home.

Veterans will notice discrepancies. There are now 25, rather than 23, rooms. The bar is longer. There’s a new four-bedroom suite overlooking the lodge. What hasn’t changed are the daily guided excursions through this resilient landscape, rich with penguins, seals, koalas, and of course, kangaroos. From about $2,200

Aegean Retreat: Avant Mar, Paros, Greece

Don’t be surprised to see general manager Anna Asimakopoulou floating around this small property in the heart of Naoussa, her shaggy dog, Athena, trailing behind her. Like Mrs. Madrigal of 28 Barbary Lane, she’s equal parts warm and firm, which helps the 38-room property stand out from many of its rivals, where service is slapdash at best. Catch the eye of any staffer, and they’ll smile and offer to help without missing a beat.

Its design looks inward, centered on a 180-foot pool—don’t miss the chance to take a selfie or two at the infinity-edged end nearest the ocean. It’s a new build, which allowed extra amenities to be squeezed into the compact footprint. Matsuhisa Paros, Chef Nobu’s restaurant at the hotel, reopened in June, but there’s also an all-day bakery serving homemade Greek pastries right by reception. A gin-and-tonic-focused bar called the Bridge, the newest addition to the property, offers views of the Aegean and the nearby Naoussa port.

As for the rooms, the best will be one of the seven with a private plunge pool, each of which has a superb view over the beach and to the town beyond. From $772

Local Charm: Violino D’Oro, Venice, Italy

Think of this 32-room hotel , which opened in November, as a contrast to the bombastic names that dominate the hotel scene here—one powered by a generosity that only family-run properties can offer. (The jars of candy in the lobby are, dangerously, regularly refilled.) Owner Sara Maestrelli painstakingly restored a trio of buildings minutes from Piazza San Marco, and the gemlike result acts as a tribute to traditional Italian crafts. There’s glass everywhere, from elaborate Murano-blown chandeliers to the keepsake-like key fobs; the headboards are upholstered in custom fabrics by local textile house Rubelli. Even the gold-leather menu holders are made-to-order by Consani e Giannini.

Rooms 21 and 22 don’t connect, but they do share a discreet private staircase, so they’re perfect if you’re traveling in a small group. Or you can dispense with superstition and book room 13, Maestrelli’s favorite, which sits at the heart of the hotel, with its own private terrace hidden from the hubbub below. And yes, there is a golden violin, though it’s easy to overlook, in a glass vitrine right by the entrance. From $865

City Chic: The Fifth Avenue Hotel, New York City

For those craving a cozy antidote to sprawling anodyne luxury, the charming Fifth Avenue Hotel has opened its doors at long last. Owner Alex Ohebshalom and designer Martin Brudnizki have transformed a 19th-century McKim, Mead & White building, plus an adjoining new 24-story glass tower, into a colorful and kaleidoscopically eclectic take on clubby Manhattan hotels of yore. This is hospitality with a point of view—specifically, Gilded Age New York through a heady psilocybin buzz. Rooms hum with color, pattern, and texture, from pink and pistachio-mint walls to hand-painted bone china to a Murano-glass chandelier dangling a rainbow-hued harvest of fruits. Several of the 43 suites come with terraces; the sprawling Flaneur penthouse includes an outdoor soaking tub and Japanese garden overlooking the skyline.

The experience is one of dreamlike intimacy—the feeling that at the end of an ornate, Alice in Wonderland hallway sits your own Flatiron pied-à-terre with 24-hour butler service and an on-demand martini cart in the evenings. In true high-low N.Y.C. fashion, the seductively chic Portrait Bar offers both osetra caviar and a hot dog au poivre. Or head upstairs to Andrew Carmellini’s eponymous café, buzzing with Art Deco glamour, where the longtime star chef continues the reverie, serving his impeccably elevated Italian fare beneath a pair of soaring sculptural trees. From $895

Mark Ellwood

British-born, NYC-based Mark Ellwood is Robb Report's editor-at-large. He has lived out of a suitcase for most of his life, covering luxury in all its forms across the world. Among his favorite…

Paul Croughton

Paul Croughton is the editor-in-chief of Robb Report. He was the launch editor of the British edition of Robb Report in 2016, before moving to New York in the summer of 2018 to take over the American…

Josh Condon

Josh Condon is Robb Report's deputy editor. A former staffer at Details, Gear Patrol, Road & Track, The Drive and Cargo, he has written about the men's lifestyle space for the New York Times, Esquire…

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Gagarin Cup Preview: Atlant vs. Salavat Yulaev

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Gagarin cup (khl) finals:  atlant moscow oblast vs. salavat yulaev ufa.

Much like the Elitserien Finals, we have a bit of an offense vs. defense match-up in this league Final.  While Ufa let their star top line of Alexander Radulov, Patrick Thoresen and Igor Grigorenko loose on the KHL's Western Conference, Mytischi played a more conservative style, relying on veterans such as former NHLers Jan Bulis, Oleg Petrov, and Jaroslav Obsut.  Just reaching the Finals is a testament to Atlant's disciplined style of play, as they had to knock off much more high profile teams from Yaroslavl and St. Petersburg to do so.  But while they did finish 8th in the league in points, they haven't seen the likes of Ufa, who finished 2nd. 

This series will be a challenge for the underdog, because unlike some of the other KHL teams, Ufa's top players are generally younger and in their prime.  Only Proshkin amongst regular blueliners is over 30, with the work being shared by Kirill Koltsov (28), Andrei Kuteikin (26), Miroslav Blatak (28), Maxim Kondratiev (28) and Dmitri Kalinin (30).  Oleg Tverdovsky hasn't played a lot in the playoffs to date.  Up front, while led by a fairly young top line (24-27), Ufa does have a lot of veterans in support roles:  Vyacheslav Kozlov , Viktor Kozlov , Vladimir Antipov, Sergei Zinovyev and Petr Schastlivy are all over 30.  In fact, the names of all their forwards are familiar to international and NHL fans:  Robert Nilsson , Alexander Svitov, Oleg Saprykin and Jakub Klepis round out the group, all former NHL players.

For Atlant, their veteran roster, with only one of their top six D under the age of 30 (and no top forwards under 30, either), this might be their one shot at a championship.  The team has never won either a Russian Superleague title or the Gagarin Cup, and for players like former NHLer Oleg Petrov, this is probably the last shot at the KHL's top prize.  The team got three extra days rest by winning their Conference Final in six games, and they probably needed to use it.  Atlant does have younger regulars on their roster, but they generally only play a few shifts per game, if that. 

The low event style of game for Atlant probably suits them well, but I don't know how they can manage to keep up against Ufa's speed, skill, and depth.  There is no advantage to be seen in goal, with Erik Ersberg and Konstantin Barulin posting almost identical numbers, and even in terms of recent playoff experience Ufa has them beat.  Luckily for Atlant, Ufa isn't that far away from the Moscow region, so travel shouldn't play a major role. 

I'm predicting that Ufa, winners of the last Superleague title back in 2008, will become the second team to win the Gagarin Cup, and will prevail in five games.  They have a seriously well built team that would honestly compete in the NHL.  They represent the potential of the league, while Atlant represents closer to the reality, as a team full of players who played themselves out of the NHL. 

• Atlant @ Ufa, Friday Apr 8 (3:00 PM CET/10:00 PM EST)
• Atlant @ Ufa, Sunday Apr 10 (1:00 PM CET/8:00 AM EST)
• Ufa @ Atlant, Tuesday Apr 12 (5:30 PM CET/12:30 PM EST)
• Ufa @ Atlant, Thursday Apr 14 (5:30 PM CET/12:30 PM EST)

Games 5-7 are as yet unscheduled, but every second day is the KHL standard, so expect Game 5 to be on Saturday, like an early start. 

Endless Sunsets one of five 2024 music festivals that will be held at San Diego's Waterfront Park

T he award-winning San Diego band Thee Sacred Souls will headline the debut edition of the Endless Sunsets music festival at downtown's Waterfront Park on Aug. 3.

The lineup for the seven-hour event also includes the bluegrass-fueled Minnesota group Trampled By Turtles, the Seattle-bred retro-soul band The Dip and the San Diego indie-rock quartet Creature Canyon. The event is open to all ages.

Tickets for Endless Sunsets are now on sale at: outriderspresent.com/event/endless-sunsets . General admission tickets are priced at $50 each, plus service charges. VIP packages, which are for attendees 21 and older, are $125 each, plus service charges.

Endless Sunsets is being produced by Outriders West, the same company that produced last December's sold-out Petco Park concert by country-music star Zach Bryan and Trampled By Turtles.

Outriders West was co-founded by Johnny Shockey. He is also the co-founder of FNGRS CRSSD, the San Diego company that produces CRSSD Fest, the twice-annual electronic-music festival that debuted at Waterfront Park in 2015.

The sold-out 2024 fall edition of CRSSD will take place Sept. 28-29 and will be headlined by England's Disclosure, Canada's Blond-ish and the Italy's 999999999.

In addition to Endless Sunsets and CRSSD FEST, there are at least three other music festivals set for Waterfront Park this year.

SoCal Taco Fest 2024, to be held July 17, will feature a lineup headed by Vanilla Ice, Smash Mouth and Los Amigos Invisibles. Tickets are available at socaltacofest.com .

The reggae-centric San Diego Bayfest, to be held July 20, will feature Sublime, Atmosphere, Goldfinger Barrington Levy and other acts. Tickets are available at: bayfestsd.com/san-diego-bayfest .

And the latest edition of the Boots in the Park country-music marathon, to be held Sept. 14, will feature Jason Aldean, Dustin Lynch, Ian Munsick, Hailey Whitters, Chase Matthew, Joe Peters and Luwiss Luz. Tickets are available at bootsinthepark.com .

By coincidence, the fall 2024 edition of CRSSD Fest will take place the same September weekend that the third annual Mission Bayfest is held at Mariner's Point.

This year's Mission Bayfest lineup features such reggae and hip-hop attractions as Stick Figure, Cypress Hill, Tribal Seeds, Iration, Pepper, Wiz Khalifa. The festival, which takes place Sept. 27-29, is expanding this year from two days to three. Stick Figure, a San Diego-based reggae band, is also performing July 13 and 14 at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park.

Mission Bayfest tickets are available at bayfestsd.com.mission-bay-fest .

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This story originally appeared in San Diego Union-Tribune .

©2024 The San Diego Union-Tribune. Visit sandiegouniontribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

A Groundbreaking Scientific Discovery Just Gave Humanity the Keys to Interstellar Travel

In a first, this warp drive actually obeys the laws of physics.

If a superluminal—meaning faster than the speed of light—warp drive like Alcubierre’s worked, it would revolutionize humanity’s endeavors across the universe , allowing us, perhaps, to reach Alpha Centauri, our closest star system, in days or weeks even though it’s four light years away.

However, the Alcubierre drive has a glaring problem: the force behind its operation, called “negative energy,” involves exotic particles—hypothetical matter that, as far as we know, doesn’t exist in our universe. Described only in mathematical terms, exotic particles act in unexpected ways, like having negative mass and working in opposition to gravity (in fact, it has “anti-gravity”). For the past 30 years, scientists have been publishing research that chips away at the inherent hurdles to light speed revealed in Alcubierre’s foundational 1994 article published in the peer-reviewed journal Classical and Quantum Gravity .

Now, researchers at the New York City-based think tank Applied Physics believe they’ve found a creative new approach to solving the warp drive’s fundamental roadblock. Along with colleagues from other institutions, the team envisioned a “positive energy” system that doesn’t violate the known laws of physics . It’s a game-changer, say two of the study’s authors: Gianni Martire, CEO of Applied Physics, and Jared Fuchs, Ph.D., a senior scientist there. Their work, also published in Classical and Quantum Gravity in late April, could be the first chapter in the manual for interstellar spaceflight.

POSITIVE ENERGY MAKES all the difference. Imagine you are an astronaut in space, pushing a tennis ball away from you. Instead of moving away, the ball pushes back, to the point that it would “take your hand off” if you applied enough pushing force, Martire tells Popular Mechanics . That’s a sign of negative energy, and, though the Alcubierre drive design requires it, there’s no way to harness it.

Instead, regular old positive energy is more feasible for constructing the “ warp bubble .” As its name suggests, it’s a spherical structure that surrounds and encloses space for a passenger ship using a shell of regular—but incredibly dense—matter. The bubble propels the spaceship using the powerful gravity of the shell, but without causing the passengers to feel any acceleration. “An elevator ride would be more eventful,” Martire says.

That’s because the density of the shell, as well as the pressure it exerts on the interior, is controlled carefully, Fuchs tells Popular Mechanics . Nothing can travel faster than the speed of light, according to the gravity-bound principles of Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity . So the bubble is designed such that observers within their local spacetime environment—inside the bubble—experience normal movement in time. Simultaneously, the bubble itself compresses the spacetime in front of the ship and expands it behind the ship, ferrying itself and the contained craft incredibly fast. The walls of the bubble generate the necessary momentum, akin to the momentum of balls rolling, Fuchs explains. “It’s the movement of the matter in the walls that actually creates the effect for passengers on the inside.”

Building on its 2021 paper published in Classical and Quantum Gravity —which details the same researchers’ earlier work on physical warp drives—the team was able to model the complexity of the system using its own computational program, Warp Factory. This toolkit for modeling warp drive spacetimes allows researchers to evaluate Einstein’s field equations and compute the energy conditions required for various warp drive geometries. Anyone can download and use it for free . These experiments led to what Fuchs calls a mini model, the first general model of a positive-energy warp drive. Their past work also demonstrated that the amount of energy a warp bubble requires depends on the shape of the bubble; for example, the flatter the bubble in the direction of travel, the less energy it needs.

THIS LATEST ADVANCEMENT suggests fresh possibilities for studying warp travel design, Erik Lentz, Ph.D., tells Popular Mechanics . In his current position as a staff physicist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington, Lentz contributes to research on dark matter detection and quantum information science research. His independent research in warp drive theory also aims to be grounded in conventional physics while reimagining the shape of warped space. The topic needs to overcome many practical hurdles, he says.

Controlling warp bubbles requires a great deal of coordination because they involve enormous amounts of matter and energy to keep the passengers safe and with a similar passage of time as the destination. “We could just as well engineer spacetime where time passes much differently inside [the passenger compartment] than outside. We could miss our appointment at Proxima Centauri if we aren’t careful,” Lentz says. “That is still a risk if we are traveling less than the speed of light.” Communication between people inside the bubble and outside could also become distorted as it passes through the curvature of warped space, he adds.

While Applied Physics’ current solution requires a warp drive that travels below the speed of light, the model still needs to plug in a mass equivalent to about two Jupiters. Otherwise, it will never achieve the gravitational force and momentum high enough to cause a meaningful warp effect. But no one knows what the source of this mass could be—not yet, at least. Some research suggests that if we could somehow harness dark matter , we could use it for light-speed travel, but Fuchs and Martire are doubtful, since it’s currently a big mystery (and an exotic particle).

Despite the many problems scientists still need to solve to build a working warp drive, the Applied Physics team claims its model should eventually get closer to light speed. And even if a feasible model remains below the speed of light, it’s a vast improvement over today’s technology. For example, traveling at even half the speed of light to Alpha Centauri would take nine years. In stark contrast, our fastest spacecraft, Voyager 1—currently traveling at 38,000 miles per hour—would take 75,000 years to reach our closest neighboring star system.

Of course, as you approach the actual speed of light, things get truly weird, according to the principles of Einstein’s special relativity . The mass of an object moving faster and faster would increase infinitely, eventually requiring an infinite amount of energy to maintain its speed.

“That’s the chief limitation and key challenge we have to overcome—how can we have all this matter in our [bubble], but not at such a scale that we can never even put it together?” Martire says. It’s possible the answer lies in condensed matter physics, he adds. This branch of physics deals particularly with the forces between atoms and electrons in matter. It has already proven fundamental to several of our current technologies, such as transistors, solid-state lasers, and magnetic storage media.

The other big issue is that current models allow a stable warp bubble, but only for a constant velocity. Scientists still need to figure out how to design an initial acceleration. On the other end of the journey, how will the ship slow down and stop? “It’s like trying to grasp the automobile for the first time,” Martire says. “We don’t have an engine just yet, but we see the light at the end of the tunnel.” Warp drive technology is at the stage of 1882 car technology, he says: when automobile travel was possible, but it still looked like a hard, hard problem.

The Applied Physics team believes future innovations in warp travel are inevitable. The general positive energy model is a first step. Besides, you don’t need to zoom at light speed to achieve distances that today are just a dream, Martire says. “Humanity is officially, mathematically, on an interstellar track.”

Before joining Popular Mechanics , Manasee Wagh worked as a newspaper reporter, a science journalist, a tech writer, and a computer engineer. She’s always looking for ways to combine the three greatest joys in her life: science, travel, and food.

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