Browsing: Activities

Whether you’re an occasional wanderer or a travel obsessive, there will probably be days when your hotel room leaves you uninspired. Even the excitement of investigating bathroom freebies wears off after a while – well, just how many shower caps, sewing kits and mini soaps does one person need in their life? Luckily, the travel industry has responded to the weariness brought on by muted colour schemes, ill-fitting bath robes and identikit corridors, in the …

Read More

Like buying farm-fresh produce from roadside stands, tasting wines at wineries is the best way to get the straight scoop. It is a good way to expand your knowledge about wines and have some fun in the process. This is true whether you are touring wineries in your neighborhood or around the world.

Whether you want to research the best wines to serve with a chicken dinner or just have some fun, a wine tasting …

Read More

Maybe it’s the fact that I’m from the western United States. Or maybe it’s because of growing up in a throw-way generation of disposable everything and pre-fab houses, but here in Spain, and in Europe in general, I am impressed by what is ancient and still relevant. 1,000-year old buildings are no biggy for Europeans, but in my eyes they are wonders. How can they still be standing? And as is the case with many …

Read More

Fourth of July. Independence Day. July 4th. Whatever you call it, it is one of the few truly American holidays and the Brits are still a little miffed! While the big cities and metropolitan areas put on spectacular shows, the true taste of Americana lies in the small town celebrations that take place all across the country. You are never far from a bicycle parade, a baby-kissing politician, some fireworks, and the bright …

Read More

Most tourists believe that a trip to Hollywood guarantees a glimpse at some of Tinseltown’s biggest celebrities.  The truth is that unless you know where to look, the only stars you will be gazing at will be the celestial ones in the night sky.

B-list and below stars often want to be photographed for publicity purposes and they show up at restaurants and clubs where they know the paparazzi will find them.   A-list stars, such …

Read More

I know you. You would rather watch the History Channel than American Idol. Old copies of National Geographic are some of your best friends and occupy precious countertop and desk space in your home. You have seen Indiana Jones I and III (but not II) several times. You are not a tourist: you like to immerse yourself in the cultures you visit, to experience a destination from an insider’s point of view. You sometimes wish …

Read More

Rail travel in Europe is one of the most interesting ways of crisscrossing the continent. For many years, travelers have enjoyed the convenience of boarding the train and relaxing as the small villages, large cities, countryside, rivers, houses and castles rushed by in a blurred panorama besting any travelogue. Getting a good grip on the complexities of the European rail system, the Eurail Pass system and the options available will help to ensure that your …

Read More

If you are an avid photographer, and your local neighborhood is starting to be a bit too familiar for you and your camera, it just might be time to consider a photography tour. A truly one-of-a-kind experience, photography tours give you a hands-on opportunity to develop or refine your skills as a photographer while traveling to some of the most amazing destinations across the globe.

Prospective photography tour participants have many options. Whether you’re a …

Read More

Is normal travel becoming a yawn? Well why not try a new era as well as a new place. Head to the Roman ruin of Jerash to experience gladiators battling it out or joust-it-up with the knights of Kaltenberg Castle; from local festivals to historic re-enactments, the world is full of wacky ways you can journey back in time, not just across oceans.

Up Helly Aa Festival, Shetland Islands, UK

Pillaged, plundered and then settled …

Read More

For Fathers Day, relive the fun of outdoors life with the family, camping in the mild Mediterranean climate experienced at the Majove Narrows Regional Park in Victorville, California. It’s a place where summer temperatures hit boiling point and winters see snow on the mountainous region.

It’s a place reminiscent of simpler times like in Mark Twain’s famous book, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” Most everyone is familiar with this American novel that is known worldwide …

Read More

When it comes to tropical paradises, few places beat Thailand. According to April Cole, a director at Journeys Within, a tour company specializing in Southeast Asia,‘the key with planning honeymoons is that you’re providing people with an extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime trip -because that’s what a honeymoon is. A trip the couple will look back on forever. And that’s exactly what Thailand provides.”

If you need more reasons to head to Thailand, here are four additional ones:…

Read More

The most memorable experience from when I first visited Darwin back in 1995 was the ‘Beer Can Regatta’. Who in their right mind makes a raft out of empty beer cans to race through crocodile infested waters for the prize of nothing more than bragging rights for a year?

The place is full of similar crazy ideas, and yet after spending more and more time up there the ideas somehow seem less crazy. I don’t …

Read More

 

African safaris are a dime a dozen, especially those in fenced in National Parks or Nature Reserves where tourists are taken on conveyer-belt type game drives. That’s as good as it gets, I thought, and as such lost interest.

That was until I recently discovered the Selinda Reserve in Botswana’s Okavango Delta where game are free to wander across its 320,000 acres of unfenced wilderness. I’d heard much of Selinda ticking all the proverbial green …

Read More

You’re the kind of person who enjoys the senses, who wants to be pampered, or who wants to make a healthy lifestyle a part of your everyday life. You take candle-lit baths (or wish you could), enjoy aromatherapy and appreciate the stress-relieving effects of a good massage. When it comes time to vacation, you’re not just thinking sun and surf but health, diet and a mud bath! You are exactly the kind of person who …

Read More