Browsing: North America

We rev up the 600 horses in the ancient engine, which at first sputters, then coughs, then spurts to life.

I’m sitting in a 68-year-old fighter plane from World War II, an AT-6, nicknamed “The Texan” by the cocky young pilots who flew her. I’m going to do some stunts, in tandem with Dennis Van Swol, the vastly-more-experienced pilot who’s sitting in the second cockpit behind me.

As we turn onto the runway at the …

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We’ve all had it happen to us — you think you’ve packed everything you need for your vacation, only to discover at some point along the way that something, or several things, have been left behind. Or worse, your luggage gets lost altogether in the endless abyss of airline travel only to appear again (if you’re lucky) two weeks later, looking like it’s been to the moon and back, which it very well may have. …

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Some come to Las Vegas to get rich quick and others come to get hitched quick. It happens once every five minutes. Celebrities, including Frank Sinatra, Joan Collins, Paul Newman, Elvis, Cary Grant, Elizabeth Taylor, Angelina Jolie and Britney Spears all took vows in Sin City. Getting married is as simple as playing the slot machines. There are no blood tests or waiting periods, making Las Vegas ideal for couples who want to elope. In …

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It’s the Spanish moss you notice first. Draped over the live oak trees which fill the many squares in Savannah, Georgia, it hangs in ragged festoons from each of the branches. It creates a mood. A relaxed, sultry, southern mood. A Savannah mood. A pleasant mood that you can enjoy for your entire stay.

Savannah is the largest city in Chatham County, Georgia but still feels like a small, sleepy Southern town – and the …

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Some of early-America’s greatest painters and writers called this one of the most beautiful spots in the world. On the map, it’s only two hours north of Manhattan. But it may as well be a world away.

The Kaaterskill Clove is a Catskill Mountain ravine of stunning beauty, with dense forest and thundering waterfalls. And the biggest of those waterfalls — Kaaterskill — is higher than Niagara.

This region is a place of Technicolor surprises …

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Santa Catalina Island is a slice of tropical life nested in Southern California. Once you arrive in Avalon, you can forget all your worries and play as if you’ve landed in the Caribbean.

You will find Catalina Island listed as a stop for a number of cruise ships on their way to Mexico from Los Angeles or San Diego. It is also just a short ferry ride from the Southern California ports of Marina Del …

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Inspiration for your next trip can come from many places — websites, guidebooks, other people’s travel tales and even classic Disney cartoons. Those idealized landscapes, the sweeping opening shots set to iconic music — no trip could ever be as perfect as it seems in a Disney movie, could it? Here are seven trips to try out and see if life is as wonderful as art.

An African safari (The Lion King)
Perhaps …

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San Francisco has a lot to offer to both tourists and locals. Take a ride on a cable car, be awe inspired by the ingenuity of the Golden Gate Bridge, eat a noodle bowl in Chinatown- there are so many places to explore and experience. These sites attract thousands every year, but they may not be the type of memories everyone is looking for. Are you a resident of San Francisco who wants to find …

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Polar bears, beluga whales and Northern Lights await in Churchill, Manitoba. This rugged town on the shores of Hudson Bay offers the perfect place to explore Canada’s North. Connected to the Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic Ocean, Hudson Bay is the second largest bay in the world. Churchill was founded in 1689 as a fur trading post for the Hudson’s Bay Company. With no main roads into the town, access is by train or by …

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The sound of crashing waves on the beach, compliments of the Atlantic Ocean, lick my ears as I awaken to embrace another resplendent day in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Despite the fact that I am visiting this dazzling island primarily for business to attend the International Destination Expo, I’ve still found an opportunity to shave some time away for myself in order to soak in the unrivaled hospitality extended by almost every individual I have …

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Travel is full of enthralling encounters, of moments that stick with you forever — a glimpse of a wild gorilla, an African sunrise, your first sight of the pyramids.

But those moving moments wouldn’t seem so spectacular if they weren’t peppered with less exciting experiences. For every lion kill there’s a lame museum; for every gargantuan sculpture there is a giant ball of yarn. Here are eight utterly underwhelming tourist attractions, places that have you …

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Don’t laugh.

Often, when I travel, one of the first places I seek out is the local cemetery, and not just during Halloween season. Why? Because there, believe it or not, you can learn a lot about the place you’re visiting — about its people, about its history, about its lifestyle, and about its colorful characters and legends. You can be moved to tears, of course. But you may also find yourself laughing out loud, …

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The beauty of Canada is undeniable, with its cascading mountains, huge lakes and flowing waterfalls, but beyond Montreal, Niagara and Vancouver, there is another part of Canada that people often forget. The Okanagan Valley has all the scenery of its fellow states and has also become a region known for its wine and food. It’s not a surprise considering the fish, fowl, fruit and vegetables grown throughout the area.

You can easily find Inniskillin (which …

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Here’s a great secret – you don’t have to spend a fortune to spend time in Hawaii.  Don’t get me wrong – if you want to stay at first class properties, fly in the front of the plane and eat at some of the world’s finest restaurants, Hawaii will certainly afford you the opportunity.  However, it is also possible to visit Hawaii, see the sites, eat well and experience the Islands up close and personal …

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