I recently embarked on my second safari tour in Africa with Abercrombie & Kent, a Luxist Awards' nominee for Best Family Winter Vacation as well as Best Adventure Getaway. The safari took me through three of the Sanctuary Retreats camps in Zambia, as well as a night at the Saxon Hotel in Johannesburg. My tour was custom-made, so you won't find the exact same one online for booking, but you can arrange a trip just like mine or with additional features if you'd like to. This article will take you through where we (myself, another journalist and a PR representative) went and what we did, what to expect and what to bring on a trip through Mr. Kent himself's favorite destination: Zambia.

Our tour began with a series of flights. Surprisingly, we were scheduled on an indirect route, flying from New York to Heathrow, then down to Johannesburg, then to Lusaka and then, finally, to our final destination in Zambia. It was a 41-hour ordeal. When you book through Abercrombie & Kent, you will have the option of finding flights and airfare yourself. Many choose to do this so they can control the airline and use their miles for upgrades, etc., but I would add that you'll also have complete control over your route and how long your journey will take. A representative of A&K told me that the usual flight route to Zambia is straight to Lusaka via Heathrow. If you arrange the flights yourself, you could try another option, like New York to Johannesburg on South African Airways.

Regardless, as a fellow journalist once told me as we waited to board a delayed flight to Barbados for the third time, "once you get there, it doesn't matter how you got there."

The same was true of Zambia. We arrived at South Luangwa National Park at sunset and excitedly photographed our first game: a sole, poorly lit giraffe. We couldn't have been more captivated by his beauty and sense of calm. The drivers were patient with us as we snapped away, taking tens of entirely unusable pictures. Then, we drove through a river to reach Sanctuary Retreats Puku Ridge.

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The Bottega Veneta Large Lambskin Shoulder Bag is a lovely big blue bag, marvelously executed and fabulously practical.

This roomy, Italian-made shoulder bag is built for comfort. It's made with ultra-light lambskin, which ensures it won't be too heavy even before you fill it, and the knotted shoulder strap is braided with malleable leather, soft against your shoulder and easy on your hand.

The bag is 21½"W X 12½"H X 12"D, lined in pretty grey suede, and has two center compartments, a cell phone pouch and an inside zip pocket. It closes with a magnetic snap at the top. We especially love the signature Intrecciato detail woven down the middle of the bag, and the way it gathers at the bottom. Tote bags have started to get so boring -- and this is just as big, with a lot more character.

The Bottega Veneta Large Lambskin Shoulder Bag is available from Saks Fifth Avenue for $2,350.00.

The Anya Hindmarch Multi-Glitter Clutch is sparkly enough to blind your rivals at this year's holiday party.

This face of this darling clutch could give a Twilight sparkly vampire a run for their money. It's not just the usual silver glitter, it's a rainbow of dazzling flecks that create this shimmering, metallic effect. Somehow, the red and goldtone clasp adds sophistication to the whimsical sheen, and the simplicity of the shape ensures that this will be perceived as fanciful, but not frivolous.

This clutch is just 9"W X 6"H X ¼"D, so it won't appear over-the-top. Truly, this achieves just the right amount of sparkle to draw attention (and compliments!) without being vulgar and obvious. Furthermore, with its rainbow of glitz, it complements just about any color with ... flying colors. (Sorry.) The gleaming facade also adds texture to an ensemble, and could easily take an LBD from humdrum to fabulous.

The bag is lined in gold metallic nappa. We are in love.

The Anya Hindmarch Multi-Glitter Clutch is available from Saks Fifth Avenue for $395.00.

The Derek Lam Albertine Leather Clutch is a fabulously modern purse, but perhaps it was inspired by the abstract architecture of Vienna's Albertina.

We love the diagonal line the zipper-edged flap creates in a gleaming goldtone, adding edge to this otherwise quite simple black clutch. This 10"W X 5½"H X 1½"D bag is made with soft Italian calf leather and is lined in a pretty peach tone. The zipper isn't the closure; it's a front pocket. The purse actually opens and closes with a magnetic snap.

Asymmetry is best when it's balanced, and this purse achieves that beautifully with a soft calf leather tassel banded in gold. It may just be a rectangular black clutch, but this purse will definitely turn heads.

The Derek Lam Albertine Leather Clutch is available from Saks Fifth Avenue for $690.00.

This week at The Standard Hotel in NYC's Meatpacking District, Moonshine, an eight-week-old brand of clear corn whiskey from a new company called Stillhouse, hosted a tasting for a select group of spirits journalists, led by CEO and co-founder of Stillhouse Brad Beckerman.

Moonshine is an interesting liquor. It's made in small batches in Virginia in a Prohibition-era copper pot still from 100% corn, the traditional ingredient used by both the Native Americans and by bootleggers during Prohibition, and unlike most whiskeys, it isn't aged. Frankly, to the Moonshine folks, the shorter the time between the still and the shelf, the better.

The flavor is highly unusual. Far from the eye-watering "moonshines" you may have tasted in the past (or that vodka your college friend made in the bathtub), the flavor is smooth and well-rounded, and you can definitely taste the corn. The closest thing I can compare it to is the flavor of fresh rum right out of the still -- perhaps because corn has natural sugar -- but it's far, far more palatable. In fact, for an 80 proof unaged liquor, I would say it's an exceptionally well-developed spirit.

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It's time to start curating your holiday wardrobe. There are a lot of beautiful trends to follow for this season's holiday parties, including the classic "sparkle" for which some of us wait all year. Before you let time get away from you and start hearing "we're out of your size," check out the above downright fabulous Elan High Heel Sandals from Delman. They're fresh, demure, feminine and wearable well into spring -- after all, they're open-toe!

The Elan High Heel Sandals come in Silver Hologram, Gold Metallic Fabric with Hologram Effect and Black Moire, and feature Italian fabric, padded insoles and a 4" heel. We'd love to see the silver with a grey dress, creating a perfect monotone look, or the gold with a textured dress of some kind, as it has the structure and sparkle to steal the show if not paired with something bold (not that that would be a tragedy).

The Elan High Heel Sandals, as well as some other great holiday finds, are available from Delman for $250.00. And, for those of you who want to think ahead, check out this preview of our favorites from the Resort and Spring collections!

The Burberry Plissé Leather Tote is a very pretty bag with a lot more character than you usually see in either a tote or in the white family.

Throwing the descriptor "simple" out the door, this bag is lavish in its complexity and style. There's one big pleat in this luxurious plissé leather, artfully balanced with a low logo tag. Rivets trim the edges of this bowler shape, adding both sparkle and strength. What you can't see is the luxurious black lining, as well as the protective metal feet (goldtone, of course). The 13"W X 13½"H X 6½"D bag has multiple interior compartments, and the generous width ensures you won't run out of space.

This "Trench" colored bag is so supple, you'll probably spend as much time stroking and hugging it as carrying it. It will look classic with jeans and modern with your work clothes. This could easily be your go-to bag for the entire season.

The Burberry Plissé Leather Tote is available for pre-order from Saks Fifth Avenue for $1,495.00.

The Marc Jacobs Carnaby Patent Leather Bag is a spirited offering from the house of MJ, featuring a whimsical floral adornment which makes for a bold statement.

Surely inspired by London's cooler than cool Carnaby Street area, this bag mixes classical style with cheeky flair, achieving a deliberate and stylish look. The bag is small (8¾"W X 6¼"H X 2"D), which ensures that the flower doesn't look vulgar, and we love the mixed leather and goldtone chain link strap, which gives this bag just a hint of expensive-looking color.

The bag is lined in an unassuming beige cotton and has several interior pockets. The Italian patent leather is flawless. We'd love to see this paired with black -- or white! -- patent shoes and a great colorblock dress.

The Marc Jacobs Carnaby Patent Leather Bag is available from Saks Fifth Avenue for $795.00.

The Be & D Chain Strap Lambskin Clutch is a quintessential fall bag in luxurious chocolate with equestrian details. It also comes in black, but who could resist this bohemian brown?

This tactile spin on the classic envelope clutch features thick stitching, center ruching and chunky silvertone hardware. The look is clean and sophisticated, and relaxed, while obviously expensive. We are charmed by the chain link strap, and especially by how it attaches to the smart silvertone rings.

The soft brown lambskin clutch is 10½"W X 7¾"H X ½"D; a comfortable size for shopping and lunching. Be wary of the limitations of an envelope clutch, though -- if we saw someone stuffing this thing with objects too large for its delicate width, we'd feel justified in making a citizen's arrest (but we probably wouldn't).

The Be & D Chain Strap Lambskin Clutch is available from Saks Fifth Avenue for $398.00.

The Fendi Mamma Forever Shoulder Bag is a gorgeous purse which simply oozes class.

White bags have been a little overdone, and this Fendi brings a fresh perspective to the concept in an eye-catching shade of pale platinum light blue. It's complemented beautifully by the goldtone hardware, and its classic shape gives it elegance and timeless style (just like your mamma).

The bag is # 13¾"W X 11¾"H X 5½"D and made in Italy from supple calf leather. The lining is a special mustard-colored surprise, and there's an inside zip pocket.

Unless everyone copies this color, which they might, this is the kind of bag you could bring out every three years and never look out of style. It's a perfect oversized pocketbook for the office or for travel.

The Fendi Mamma Forever Shoulder Bag is available for pre-order from Saks Fifth Avenue for $725.00.