Gifts of Affordable, Unusual One Day Travel Experiences

The spring gifting season looms before us, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Graduations, Weddings, Birthdays, Anniversaries, and on and on. What will you give this year, another pre-wrapped gift box from the mall? Step out of the ordinary and give the gift of a one day travel experience that promises memories to last a lifetime. We’ve found a wonderful site offering imaginative one day excursions throughout the USA for all price points. Cloud9 Living presents an imaginative array of escapes from the ordinary.

Perhaps you’ll want to give your favorite guy an adrenaline rush “by riding shotgun in a NEXTEL cup style stock car driven by one of our professional instructors as you hit speeds exceeding 150 MPH on a real NASCAR speedway.” Or how about an introductory class to glass bead making, or a sunset clambake on the dunes of Cape Cod? Whether it’s adventure or a new experience you’re looking for, Cloud9 Living will set your imagination aglow and the person who receives this thoughtful unusual gift will be beaming with appreciation of your thoughtfulness.

How to Look 10 lbs Thinner in Your Vacation Photos

I always intend to loose a whole bunch of weight before going on vacation so I will look great in the travel photos and feel a little less guilty when sampling the local cuisine. But reality being what it is, it’s the same old me (the good and the bad) in all the photos. Here are some great tricks recommended by professional photographers that will help you look thinner in pictures.

#1 – Turn your body slightly sideways to the camera.

#2 – Move one foot a little forward of the other and point it in the general direction of the person taking your photo. Your weight should be on your back foot. Read more

Find Your Way By Subway – Free Printable Worldwide Subway Maps

It’s a sure bet that with the ever skyrocketing price of gas, more of us will consider getting around by public transportation. In fact, while sightseeing it’s usually the most efficient way to get from site to site. Public transit systems exist in metropolitan cities around the world and most offer traveler passes for discounted fares. It’s a good practice to take a look at subway maps before your trip to become accustomed to the system and to locate major sites in advance. Here’s a wonderful site for locating clear, colorful and informative subway maps across the globe put together by Amedeus – Subway Maps. Each location has a map, information about the local system and fares. There are convenient download files so you can capture the info and study it at your leisure.

A New Trend in Travel Communication – On Demand Interpreters

Communicate with anyone at anytime in any language – wow, what a concept. I daydream about living temporarily in other countries, renting a villa and living like a local. One of my major concerns however, is a nervousness about communicating with only a tourist’s limited vocabulary. What if I have a real emergency, how will I communicate my needs?

An innovative Boston-based company Fone-In offers travelers a simple solution – mobile phone based interpretation in over 80 languages. Simply dial in to connect with a live operator, explain what you need to say and in what language, then hand the phone over to the person you need to communicate with and problem solved!! Read more

Drink Beer, Tour Castles and Munch Chocolates – OK,Where?

What country has more castles per square mile than any other in the world? Here’s a hint…It has been famed since the middle ages for brewing wonderful beer. (Today they proudly produce over 450 varieties.) They are also world renown for producing sublime chocolate. A country about the size of Maryland, they have over 2,000 chocolate shops. Clearly they have their food priorities in order! OK, one more hint… they made the world fall in love with waffles.

Yes, it’s Belgium! A country you’ve probably overlooked while bustling off to London, Paris or Amsterdam, but now that Europe’s fast trains have put Brussels on the fast track (under 2 hours from London) it’s time to take a closer look at all that Belgium has to offer. Read more

Don’t Miss Getting A National Parks Senior Pass

Sometimes age does have its privileges, and one of the best examples is the America The Beautiful Senior Pass sold at US National Parks. When we first heard about this pass we thought it couldn’t possibly be true – but this is one of the rare instances when a great deal proves to be exceptional – and brought to you by the US Government no less – ASTOUNDING!! Here’s the deal:

Any US Citizen age 62 or older can purchase a Senior Pass for a one time administration fee of $10. That one $10 expenditure will allow you to visit National Parks, monuments, historic sites, recreation areas or wildlife refuges, free of charge for the rest of your life!! Even better, your spouse, children or parents,traveling in the same passenger car, will be admitted free as well (for up to 4 adults). Wow, what a deal!

You may also be entitled to a 50% discount on some Expanded Amenity Fees charged for facilities and services such as camping, swimming, boat launching, and specialized interpretive services. Here’s a link for all the details: US National Park Service

Clint and I have used his pass for entry into National Parks in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, in Washington, DC, and Hawaii to name a few. I guess we finally got some great value for all those tax dollars we paid all those years. Be sure to get your share and enjoy our magnificent National Parks for a $10 investment!

A Really Great Site for Planning Travel With Kids

When we traveled to China with our kids in the early 80’s , people thought we were just plain nuts. (You know who you are!!) But it appears we were ahead of the curve, because these days everyone realizes that seeing the world with your children will form lifelong memories, heighten understanding of world cultures, shape values, and form close family ties.

We’ve found a wonderful website to assist with planning travel with your kids. Travel For Kids.com has a wealth of great information to make your next family vacation convenient, informative and entertaining. Here are some of the things I love about this site: They have a section of recommended family friendly hotels throughout the world, a list of tour companies that welcome (and cater to) children, volumes of great entertaining things to do with kids in worldwide destinations, children’s books that are based in your destination so your kids will love to read them before the trip, and of course lots of tips and advice about successful travel with children.

So whether you are Grandparents planning a multi-generational trip, or new parents venturing off for the first time as a family, you’ll find lots of invaluable information on this super website: TravelForKids.com

And here’s one of my best tips for family travel – insist that everyone takes a turn being boss for the day (or afternoon or whatever).  This way each person will focus on where they are exactly, what there is to do there, how much it costs, and how to travel from the hotel to the destination and back again – a wealth of invaluable travel lessons nicely tucked into a day’s activities!

So Do You Know Where Iraq Is?

How closely do you pay attention to the world news? Sure you’re pretty up to date on current events and since you love to travel, you have a good understanding of world geography. But could you put a pin in Saudi Arabia if you had to? When I came across this geography challenge I was embarrassed at how many times it took me to identify all the countries.

Give it a try – it will teach you to pay more attention when the news comes on!!!!
Fun Map Game

Compensation for Bumped Airline Passengers Doubles

Yesterday the US Department of Transportation announced new compensation limits for passengers bumped from flights. Over the past 5 years we’ve all been squeezed onto totally full airline flights, as carriers dramatically reduce the number of flights operated. The number of overbooked flights with passengers bumped even though they have a perfectly valid ticket (officially called Involuntary Denied Boarding), has escalated at an alarming rate. The DOT has taken notice and after 30 years of compensation amounts remaining the same, it has doubled compensation limits.

Beginning in May, passengers denied boarding will be entitled to compensation up to a maximum of $400 if they arrive at their destination within 2 hours of their original flight time for domestic flights or within 4 hours for international flights. If the delay is greater than 2 hours for domestic and 4 hours for international flights, the compensation doubles to a maximum of $800. Read more

Maine Inns and Arts Spring Festival Weekend

One of the reasons I love Spring so much, is that all of a sudden there are dozens of house and garden tours, artist open studios and antiques festivals to temp me away from my ho hum winter routine. This year I’ve found a new offering (well new to me anyway) in beautiful Kennebunkport Maine.

From June 4-8, 2008, Kennebunkport is celebrating it’s 4th Annual “Arts In The Inns Festival”. If you’re not familiar with Kennebunkport, you haven’t been paying attention – it’s where the Bush family has their summer home, and it is a quintessentially stunning New England coastal community with grand Victorian weathered gray homes and Inns. The festival begins on Wednesday with dinners at featured Inns with Chefs and Artists, which continue throughout the festival weekend. Saturday, June 7th, is the highlight with a tour of 16 Inns and Hotels which have artist’s works on display. There are Artist in Residence Cocktail Parties, and my favorite…Lobster Rolls and Blueberry Pie at The Seaside Inn and Cottages. Famous Hinckley Yachts (even Martha has one) has engaged top Chef Sam Talbot to create his version of a traditional Maine clambake. Get all the information you’ll need to have a spectacular spring weekend on the coast of Maine at the Arts In The Inns website.

Anyone want to run away to Maine in June? Send me an email and we’ll all have a great time together.

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