According to the U.S. Travel Association, active family travel is one of the fastest growing segments of the $554 billion dollar travel market! Gone are the days when the family vacation where you packed up the woody and headed to the beach. Today’s family is packing the SUV or minivan setting out for adventures—not vacations! They are windsurfing, dude ranching, bicycling, backpacking, scuba diving, white water rafting, mountain climbing, fly fishing, ice fishing, and driving …
Whether you are a mother, daughter, sister or aunt, Mother’s Day is a great excuse to plan a girl’s weekend getaway. For some, that may just mean taking the day off and heading to the local salon, but if you have a little extra time, there are some great options out there for places that know how to treat the ladies. I have some favorites that can satisfy just about anyone.
New York City, New …
Anyone who tells you money can’t buy happiness is wrong. What they mean to say is possessions can’t buy you happiness. Money, on the other hand, can buy you plane tickets and visas and bottles of foreign wine to be uncorked while gazing out over a perfect beachside sunset. Money can take you out to dinner with friends, or buy an espresso at that tiny corner café in Italy, or tickets to the Berlin Philharmonic. …
Ah, weddings. Dreams and decisions. White dress, or ivory? Tie and vest, or cravat? 20 guests, or 200? Chapel or castle in Ireland? Really? With some planning a destination wedding in Ireland seals the deal in an amazing country surrounded by centuries of heritage.
More and more brides and grooms, as well as couples renewing their vows, choose to take a different path than the chicken dinner for two hundred, and celebrate with an intimate …
WINDAMERE HOTEL
The elegant Windamere Hotel, surrounded by tea and cardamom estates, is a gracious Colonial gem with grand views of the Himalayas.
Here old rituals of politeness and respect hold sway, where turbaned staff serve afternoon tea in cosy inviting corners in the library or front parlour where books and newspapers are strewn around. The deep Victorian sofas, immense gilded paintings and framed photographs of stiffly posing people is somewhat reminiscent of an elderly …
In the morning for breakfast a café con leche and a croissant is the standard, after lunch a quick cortado, and maybe an espresso in the evening for a little something to tide the hungry over until dinner time. Café culture is an intricate part of Barcelona residents’ socializing and snacking routine and the city has limitless options for a caffeine fix. Standing at the bar or sitting at a smoky table is inevitably the …
When people think of Easter, the typical images that come to mind are brightly colored eggs, furry rabbits, and overjoyed children wielding copious amounts of candy. However, when that spring day rolls around each year, we experience something much deeper and more spiritual than a simple Easter egg hunt. This beautiful holiday gives us time to step away from the daily grind and appreciate all of life’s blessings. While Easter is both fun and meaningful …
If you’re any sort of rock music fan, pack a bag and go to Memphis right now. Get up! Go! Tennessee’s largest city is heralded as the birthplace of rock and roll and it’s the ultimate musical pilgrimage for any music lover to embark upon.
Once you get there, you’ll be walking in the footsteps of great musical trailblazers like Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and B.B. King, to name but a few. …
Bright colors, authentic Mexican food and the traditional sound of trumpets sounding from the mariachi group, these are but a few of the vital ingredients needed to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.
The annual festival of Cinco de Mayo occurs on May 5th and is a celebration like no other. It is observed across the United States as an unofficial holiday to commemorate an exceptional victory in Mexican history. There are various celebrations across the country …
After a few false starts and many growing pains, Punta Cana on the Dominican Republic’s eastern coast, might truly begin living up to the hype of becoming the “new” ultimate tropical vacation destination. Over the past two years, ambitious plans for massive upgrades in existing accommodations, services, and amenities, plus the completion of many luxurious new resorts have successfully come to fruition largely thanks to enthusiastic European and American investors. Lately, the seascape has been …
You want to go to Australia this winter, but published fares are through the roof. Guess kangaroos, the outback and Crocodile Dundee will just have to wait for your arrival, right? Not necessarily. With a little patience and a good travel agent, you might just luck into one of the real secrets of inexpensive travel… international airline consolidators.
Before we go any further, a word of warning – do not try this at home. …
Dear Travel IQ: I love to watch travel shows and I enjoy eating new foods when I travel. I’ve always been afraid to try street food, however. It’s tempting, but I’m worried about sanitation and catching some type of bug that will ruin my trip. How can I safely join the ranks of adventuresome travelers who seem to eat with impunity?
Signed: Hungry in Chiang Mai
Dear Hungry in Chiang Mai: Sampling local …
In her book “The Possibility of Everything” Hope Edelman recounts the story of her quest to seek out the advice of a shaman in Belize to cure her daughter of a vexing “imaginary friend”. Skeptical of the trip, Hope is persuaded by her husband to make the journey.
1. Several of the writers for Travelhoppers are women, and each of you place travel at the heart of a spiritual journey. Is there something about the …
Quietude is a term unbefitting of Hong Kong, one of Asia’s largest and noisiest cities. But amidst the incessant cacophony of human activity that fuels this bustling metropolis of seven million souls exists a rare oasis of peace and serenity quite at odds with its locale. Nestled among the bamboo and fish ponds of Lantau island, the aptly-named Trappist Haven monastery provides pure sanctuary from the decibel-defying roar of the densely populated city.
The largest …