tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85933561005730512082024-08-31T19:18:34.996+03:00Smart Travel Tips for all travelers.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger121125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8593356100573051208.post-45717666564121422982012-02-25T06:20:00.000+02:002012-02-28T16:57:41.638+02:00

Play the newlywed game. If you're going on your honeymoon, mentioning this when you're making reservations might earn you a modest room upgrade. Hotels have also been known to furnish hungry honeymooners with free breakfast or champagne. One caveat: Hoteliers are becoming hip to the practice of fake honeymooning, so you might have to convince the person taking your reservation that you actually

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8593356100573051208.post-91964632561729964632012-02-21T15:13:00.000+02:002012-02-21T15:13:53.410+02:00

Don't be so cheap you miss a bargain. In San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, and other cities, cabs to the center of town cost $30 or more, and shared-van and bus services cost from $10 to $17. But remember that if you're splitting expenses with a traveling companion, the cost of a taxi might be only a tad more than the cost of the alternatives (which usually take longer); with three or more

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8593356100573051208.post-58622230726550712132009-02-24T06:22:00.000+02:002012-02-21T15:46:33.038+02:00

Work out. Ask if your hotel has an exercise room or provides free use of a nearby club. A workout, even a small one, can do wonders when you're traveling, especially if you are eating heavy meals. Take it easy. On the other hand, don't be a vacation superjock. Unless you are in peak physical condition, do not engage in any strenuous physical activity while on vacation that you do not regularly

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8593356100573051208.post-82000243484337243762009-02-11T06:22:00.000+02:002009-02-11T23:41:09.254+02:00

Take a nap. When traveling to Europe from the United States, make sure you get two to three hours of sleep once you arrive at your destination -- assuming you arrive in the morning or early afternoon. Then you're guaranteed to last through the rest of the day. Don't try to go without sleeping -- it's useless and you won't get as much out of the day.Get some help. When arriving in a new city, head

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8593356100573051208.post-65563187302208350992009-02-08T06:23:00.000+02:002009-02-09T02:24:06.914+02:00

Check that tag. Be alert at the airline check-in counter when the three-letter baggage tag is attached to your bag. Will it be going your way?Do look back. Never, never leave a plane, train, or bus without casting one last glance backward to see whether you've left anything behind in your seat. The same goes for your hotel room, where you should always take a peek under the bed before

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8593356100573051208.post-88037320549436793972009-02-06T06:16:00.000+02:002009-02-06T20:49:20.645+02:00

If you simply want to walk into a hotel without a reservation and get the lowest room rate, picking the time to do it is a no-brainer: 10:00 PM on a Wednesday night in February will usually get you an incredibly low room rate. You may even be upgraded to a suite.For the rest of us, who tend to phone ahead, try 4:00 PM on a Sunday. Why? Because the folks who run "revenue management," the people

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8593356100573051208.post-17156761518451536682009-02-04T06:15:00.000+02:002009-02-04T22:46:06.470+02:00

You thought it would be fun to hopscotch the Greek islands with your kids during August while they were in that nowhere zone between the end of camp and the beginning of school. But you had no idea how hot it could be -- the treeless landscape offers no shade from the incessant sun, and the temperature never seems to dip below 100 degrees F.While hiking to the spot where the Venus de Milo statue

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8593356100573051208.post-72582130255640261262009-02-01T06:14:00.000+02:002009-02-01T11:10:04.863+02:00

Are certain days of the week, and even times of day, better than others for buying air tickets?Absolutely. At one minute after midnight on Tuesday (12:01 am Wednesday) you can often strike your best deal. Airline fare wars are most often started by the weakest competitor over the weekend. By Monday, many of the majors match the fares. Then the fare war starts with an even lower fare offered by

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8593356100573051208.post-86500533898853861402009-01-31T02:19:00.000+02:002009-01-31T02:19:00.863+02:00

Shaped continually by ocean currents, this windswept land of sandy beaches and dunes has an amazing natural beauty. Everyone comes for the seaside, yet Cape Cod's crimson cranberry bogs, birch and beech forests, grassy meadows, freshwater ponds, and marshlands are just as splendid. Local history is fascinating; whale-watching offers an exhilarating encounter with the natural world; bike trails

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8593356100573051208.post-46536771818582120432009-01-31T02:16:00.000+02:002009-01-31T02:16:00.887+02:00

My family first came to South Africa from England three decades ago. Earlier, Nigeria had been home for seven years. And as clichéd as it might sound, once Africa gets into your blood, it's hard to deny her pull. Now it was South Africa's sunshine and opportunities that beckoned.We were immigrants, equipped only with an old car, lots of enthusiasm, and three young children -- "Not enough," the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8593356100573051208.post-17846456353831000502009-01-31T02:15:00.000+02:002009-01-31T02:15:00.735+02:00

When it was standing, the World Trade Center drew thousands of visitors a day to its observation deck towering 110 stories over Lower Manhattan.Today, another observation deck, hardly one story tall, allows visitors a view that was unimaginable before September 11, 2001: a vacant spot in the Manhattan skyline where two of the world's tallest buildings once stood.Part memorial, part demolition

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8593356100573051208.post-32871241005885001352009-01-30T02:13:00.000+02:002009-01-30T02:13:01.651+02:00

As I scrambled down the cliff, I could hear the distant sound of waves crashing against the rocks. But it wasn't until my water bottle fell off my backpack and landed inches from the cliff's edge that I realized how steep a drop it was to the churning ocean hundreds of feet below. I peered over the edge and still couldn't see the bottom.I was in good hands, though. My guide, Josie Nahoe Mulloy,

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8593356100573051208.post-70749579903334575982009-01-29T01:26:00.000+02:002009-01-29T01:26:06.794+02:00

A wealthy businessman I know has a bowling alley in his house, a ridiculous luxury I've never known him to use. It's always seemed more of a status symbol to me, an accessory that cements his reputation as someone rich enough to have his own bowling alley.I've always felt the same way about upscale resorts whose suites include little personal "plunge pools." Sure, they look great in magazine

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8593356100573051208.post-19527519569641108792009-01-29T01:25:00.000+02:002009-01-29T01:25:01.277+02:00

My family first came to South Africa from England three decades ago. Earlier, Nigeria had been home for seven years. And as clichéd as it might sound, once Africa gets into your blood, it's hard to deny her pull. Now it was South Africa's sunshine and opportunities that beckoned.We were immigrants, equipped only with an old car, lots of enthusiasm, and three young children -- "Not enough," the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8593356100573051208.post-83180232273589875992009-01-28T00:16:00.000+02:002009-01-28T00:16:00.144+02:00

One of America's most popular parks, the Shenandoah is a gentle place, draped across the top of the Blue Ridge. Its quiet forests and deer-dotted meadows lie along the deservedly famous Skyline Drive. Meandering across the crest of the Blue Ridge, the drive runs from Front Royal south for 105 miles, with ample places to pull over and gaze down on the serpentine course of the Shenandoah River or

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8593356100573051208.post-21498522296874765782009-01-28T00:14:00.000+02:002009-01-28T00:14:00.838+02:00

The airstrip of Mikumi National Park is clearly in view, but the pilot of the six-seater plane banks to the right and begins slowly circling the grassy plain. The passengers, eager to see some wildlife, wonder what might be causing the delay."It's the zebras," the pilot says, pointing to a cluster of the striped creatures standing near some bushes. "We can't land if they're on the runway."

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8593356100573051208.post-64861240819583863062009-01-28T00:12:00.001+02:002009-01-28T00:12:01.748+02:00

As the ship slowly approaches Isla Magdalena, you begin to make out thousands of black dots along the shore. You hold your breath, knowing this is your first look at the 120,000 residents of Monumento Natural Los Pingüinos, one of South America's largest penguin sanctuaries.Once you get ashore, throngs of penguins waddle across your path. They eye you nervously, then scramble over the rocks on

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8593356100573051208.post-59022962694061179792009-01-28T00:12:00.000+02:002009-01-28T00:12:01.612+02:00

A terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, destroyed Manhattan's World Trade Center complex, whose twin towers were the tallest buildings in New York City and two of the tallest in the world. On that fateful day, hijacked jetliners rammed into the towers, destroying them and surrounding structures. About 2,900 people lost their lives. Called Ground Zero, the fenced-in 16-acre work site that

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8593356100573051208.post-77799605005378380612009-01-28T00:10:00.000+02:002009-01-28T00:10:01.058+02:00

Although Montana is generally viewed as a summer destination, winter is an attraction in its own right. The difference between the two seasons is in the way people travel. While summer travel is geared to the open road, the goal in winter is to ditch the car as soon as possible. Snow and ice take the pleasure out of exploring Montana's vast and diverse landscape, so winter travel is generally

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8593356100573051208.post-79380297196966059102009-01-27T00:03:00.000+02:002009-01-27T00:03:00.449+02:00

As the boat putters upstream, the Shire River is a nearly unbroken expanse of silvery blue. Only some logs floating in the distance break the surface. But as you draw closer, you notice that each log has a pair of eyes, and they're all staring intently at you.Not just eyes, but ears and occasionally a mouth that opens wide in an extravagant yawn. They belong to some of the hundreds of

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8593356100573051208.post-17625219157301912092009-01-27T00:02:00.000+02:002009-01-27T00:02:00.256+02:00

Peter Ackroyd is a man obsessed by London. Of the 17 works of fiction and nonfiction he's produced over the past two decades, the principal subject has been this most diverse of European cities, its past, present, and future, its characters and politics, and, above all, its mysterious allure.In recent years the London-based author has turned the heat up on his passion, turning out biographies on

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8593356100573051208.post-40827999879668269512009-01-26T00:08:00.000+02:002009-01-26T00:08:00.764+02:00

The wisps of clouds that started floating in this morning are thickening, and I'm worried it might rain. I've been waiting to see this place for years, ever since I posted an old calendar picture of Peru's Huayna Picchu -- that famous, oft-photographed mountain that towers over the ruins of Machu Picchu -- on my office wall, and this is my one day to do it. I've woken up at a jarring 4:30 AM to

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8593356100573051208.post-2582510396434944882009-01-26T00:05:00.000+02:002009-01-26T00:05:00.608+02:00

As the motor boat sputters toward Rabida Island, you hear the raspy bark of a sea lion. You scan the rocky beach, hoping one or two of the creatures will come close enough for you to take a picture. But as you step onto the rust-color sand, you realize that what you thought were rocks are actually dozens of sea lions basking in the sun. A few glance in your direction, but most seem unconcerned

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8593356100573051208.post-19907164422716710672009-01-26T00:04:00.000+02:002009-01-26T00:04:00.982+02:00

Wyoming has been a setting for movie-making from the industry's earliest days. Some films have celebrated such locales as Devil's Tower (Close Encounters of the Third Kind; 1977), Hole-in-the-Wall (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid; 1969), and Casper (Starship Troopers; 1997 and The Hellfighters; 1968), but the principal location has been the exceptionally photogenic scenery of Jackson Hole.Some

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8593356100573051208.post-22585070915059240322009-01-26T00:01:00.000+02:002009-01-26T00:01:00.561+02:00

Baltimore does not belong to one writer. Instead, this southernmost of northern cities belongs to many, from Francis Scott Key, who penned the words to the national anthem after watching the bombardment of Ft. McHenry during the War of 1812, to Anne Tyler, a contemporary writer who captures the quirkiness of Baltimore and its inhabitants in novels such as The Accidental Tourist.During the past

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0