Fantastic Fall Festivals

For me, Fall is the best time of year to travel. The weather is fresh and brisk, the earth is bursting with abundant harvests, and airfares take a dip between the high summer season and outrageous holiday fares. There’s no better time to venture forth and find a fall festival to enjoy. Here’s a sampling of what’s going on around the country:

Head off to New Mexico for the famous Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta – the first and the greatest display of hot air balloons takes place from October 4-12th.

New York City ushers in even more stars than usual for the annual New York Film Festival from September 26 through October 12th. Or for all you gourmands, check out the New York City Food and Wine Festival – where all the Food Network stars you love so much greet the crowds – October 9-12.

For 44 years Boston has been entertaining fall crowds with the Head of the Charles Regatta – a lot more than row, row, row your boat!  Join the throngs of cheering college kids on October 18-19.

Chicago’s Soldiers Field is jumping this fall with the Country Music Festival on October 11 and 12th.

Head to Denver for the annual Great American Beer Festival where thousands sample over 1,600 American brews from October 9-11th – a whole convention center filled with Beer!

Get your sizzle on in California at the famed Monterey Jazz Festival from September 19-21.

Cruise on down to Daytona Beach Florida for Biketoberfest from October 16-19th.

And for the extreme wild and wacky, it’s got to be Fantasy Fest in Key West Florida from October 17 – 26.

A bit further afield is the Bermuda Music Festival from October 1-4, and the 2008 GPA Grand Slam of Golf from October 13-15.

Or laugh your way to Vancouver British Columbia for Comedy Fest 2008, from September 12-20th.

If none of these hit home, just click on over to What’s On When for a full calendar of events all over the world.  If Wine Festivals should be your desire, have a look at this Fall Wine Festival post on MainStreet.com that’s worth a read.

Tricks to Finding the Best Hurricane Trip Cancellation Insurance

The season for tumultuous weather is here. From June 1st until November 30th, (aka the hurricane season) all eyes are tuned to the weather channel on the lookout for seasonal storms that can totally disrupt your carefully planned vacation. Smart travelers take steps to secure Trip Cancellation Insurance to protect their vacation dollars in the event of hurricane, floods or wild fires – which have all been far too prevalent this year. Many travelers have learned the hard way, all travel insurance policies are not created equal. Here’s what you need to watch out for when securing hurricane or storm coverage:

Purchase coverage before a storm is named. Travel insurance provides coverage for “unforeseen events and circumstances”. Once a tropical storm receives an official name, it’s no longer considered to be an unforeseen threat. Even though you can purchase some travel insurance policies up to 24 hours prior to departure, the company would refuse to pay on a claim for expenses in connection with a named storm in existence before you purchased the policy.

Be aware that before paying on a claim the insurance company will first see what compensation has been offered by the airline, cruise line, tour company or hotel. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT – If a tour company or cruise line offers you an alternative vacation option for the same dates of travel, and you refuse the offer, it is very likely the insurance company will refuse to make payment on your claim. So if you are scheduled for a western Caribbean cruise that turns out to be in the path of a hurricane, and the cruise line offers a cruise in the eastern Caribbean instead, you need to think long and hard before saying no to the offer. Read more

Where To Find Trendy, Friendly, Affordable Hostels

I sometimes grow nostalgic for the freewheeling 60’s when it was a right of passage to throw on a backpack and set off to explore the world. That’s when hosteling was in its infancy in the United States, but well established in Europe and beyond. I’ve often thought I’d like to re-live those days in my retirement years, traveling light, staying in nice hostels and roaming at will until our funds run low. So what’s holding me back?? Well, I’m not quite sure I’ll be able to find hostels to my liking – you know… like the ones Rick Steves is always gushing about. A little part of my brain keeps niggling about bed bugs, thieves and unkempt bathrooms.

Luckily technology is opening up the doors of hostels so we can take a peak inside before booking a bed. HostelBookers.com a well established internet site for locating and booking hostel rooms, has begun to add video tours of hostels listed on their site. This is a terrific site that catalogs hostels worldwide along with customer comments and ratings. The videos are an added bonus, bringing you right in the front door to poke around all the important areas.

Just take a look at a these great looking hostels:
Albergo San Samuele in Venice
The Clink Hostel in London
Citystay Mitte Hostel in Berlin

Have you stayed in a great budget ‘find’ somewhere in the world? Send it along and we’ll spread the news!

Museum, Aquarium and Zoo Sleepovers Are All The Rage For Family Adventures!

Have you ever heard a lion snore, or wandered among sleeping dinosaurs? A new trend has taken hold in museums, zoos and aquariums across the United States – party sleepovers, aimed at fun and learning for children and adults alike. Just take a look at this picture from the Tennessee Aquarium to see how enchanting the prospect of sleeping with the fish can be.

Imaginative sleepover programs will have your youngsters wide eyed with wonder as they spend time cuddled up close to amazing animals and exhibits. Most programs are geared to elementary school aged children and offer opportunities for one-of-a-kind birthday parties, Scouting group adventures and most memorable family excursions. Read more

A Bullring Becomes One of World’s Most Beautiful Hotels!

Download Ravel’s ‘Bolero’ onto your ipod and head off to Zacatecas Mexico to experience the hauntingly beautiful Quinta Real Zacatecas Hotel – a once in a lifetime architectural experience. Located in central Mexico between Durango to the North and Guadalajara to the South, Zacatecas is ringed by magnificent mountains and has charming narrow streets undulating through the city. In 1993 UNESCO declared Zacatecas a World Heritage site for its remarkable colonial beauty.

The legendary San Pedro bullfighting arena (Mexico’s first bullring) operated from 1866 right up until 1975. In 1989, it was meticulously resorted and transformed into an ultra luxury 49 suite hotel. Since then the property has earned a solid reputation for it’s Andalusian charm and refined service. Guests enjoy dining in different tiers that overlook the magnificently tiled center ring that has become an immense patio and major focal point of the hotel. The original bull chambers have been converted into a charming cocktail lounge. An array of modern business services as well as facilities for tennis, horseback riding, swimming and golf round out available recreational activities. So step back into dramatic Mexican colonial architecture and have a real time fabulous vacation stay.

End of Summer Getaway The Whole Family Will Love

It’s not too late for an exciting, adventurous, family friendly end of summer vacation. Just over 2 hours north of Boston lies the Waterville Valley Resort. If you’ve only thought of Waterville when the snow flies, it’s time for a second look. Waterville comes alive with family friendly outdoor summer activities right up to Columbus Day in October.

By the middle of August you may be hearing, “Mom, I’m bored, what’s there to do???”. Here’s a trip that will knock those words right out of their vocabulary! Take a glimpse at just some of the exuberant activities waiting in the mountains and valleys of Waterville:

The Adventure Center is home to The Super Park, a huge facility for skateboards and inline roller blades. It features a 10 foot high half pipe, vertical ramps, street court, pyramids, grind rails, and an outdoor BMX dirt bike track. What more could your free wheeling, airborne darlings hope for! Read more

Edgy Chic Night Clubs – The Latest Trend in Cruising

Move over Vegas, Miami and Ibiza, Norwegian Cruise Lines’ new F3 ships are planning the worlds swankiest, edgiest nightclubs on land or sea. Due to debut in 2010, two F3 series ships now in construction will break the cruising mold. No more lethargic midnight buffets, their unconventional adults only nightclubs will rock the boat all night long. Here’s a peak at the coming party playgrounds:

The Ice Bar – inspired by the famous ice hotels in Sandanavia, this frozen iced vodka chamber is embedded with LED lights that the glow blue, green and purple to simulate the Northern Lights. A limited group of 25 passengers will be decked out in fur coats, gloves and hats as they experience the ultimate chill at 17 degrees fahrenheit. The room is full of life-size sculptures, bar, walls, tables and stools – all made of ice. But fear not, the place will be red hot with the hottest techno beats.

The Posh Beach Club – Adult passengers will be able to purchase a POSH pass for one day or an entire week of frolicking in this luxurious outdoor entertainment complex. By day, guest will laze on white-cushioned day beds and private cabanas along side a 35 foot cascading waterfall, while funky beach music plays in the background and spiked snow cones are served. At night it’s pure sizzle as guests dance outside under the stars all night long or lounge on a POSH bed with bottle service on silver trays. Read more

How To Avoid Taxi Cab Rip Offs

If you’re like me, there’s always an unsettling feeling when you hop into a taxi cab that you’ll be taken “for a ride” on a convoluted route to your destination just to bump up the fare. Here are some basic taxi cab safety tips to avoid this situation:

#1. Do Your Homework. Before venturing off to a new city, check to see how much cab fares should be. There’s a terrific internet site built just for this purpose. WorldTaxiMeter.com makes it easy to enter a destination, then two prominent points within the city (Logan Airport to City Hall Plaza for instance), and the time of day. The site will deliver an estimated fare, the amount of time it should take to make the trip, and a map of the suggested route. It even makes allowances for traffic, airport surcharges, and calculates an average gratuity. And there’s more, the names and phone numbers of reputable taxi companies are listed. This is an awesome site. If you’re at an airport and can’t check online, stop by the Travelers Information Desk and ask them how much an average fare into the city should be. Read more