After relative success with my travel resolutions from last year, I figured that I need to raise the bar a little higher — to stretch a little more in setting some goals for 2008. Here’s what I have so far: Visit two new countries Visit two new states Visit four new cities in countries or states that I have already visited Try a minimum of one new restaurant a month (while traveling), and blog about it Stay at 10 new hotels (inns, resorts, bed & breakfasts, etc.) and blog about it I’ve also set some personal goals, so don’t think that my resolutions are all fun and games! I don’t think I’ve missed anything, so I hope you’ll leave some of your travel resolutions in the comments. _________________________________________________ Technorati Tags: b5media, Flyaway Café, flight attendants, travel, vacation, travel information, travel […]
Read More7 From 2007: Reflections on the Year
With a hat tip to Shai Coggins for the idea, here are 7 from 2007, my personal reflections on the year that is bidding us adieu: 7 Memorable Moments: Getting on an Air France flight, knowing I’d be getting off in Europe Coming out of the metro and seeing Paris for the first time New Year’s at the Needle Road trip to Philadelphia Seeing Jersey Boys Speaking at BlogHer (Chicago) and Blog World Expo (Las Vegas) Meeting some online friends in person 7 Memorable Travel Experiences: Notre Dame Cathedral Night Cruise on the Seine Rodin Museum in Paris and Philadelphia Seeing the Liberty Bell Segway Tour of Diamond Head Dolphin Cruise in Honolulu Visiting Kauai for the first time 7 Important Friendships: Family – whether by birth or by choice Anita – through thick and thin, the best friend in […]
Read More2007: The Year in Review at Flyaway Cafe
Looking back seems to be the thing to do this time of year. So I scrolled back through my archives to look at the resolutions that I made for 2007. I’m please to report that I did pretty well, accomplishing all three of my objective goals: I finally made it to Europe.: Paris (cityscape in photo above). I went to three US cities that I had not been to before: Philadelphia, Madison, and Kauai (in photo below, and yes I know it is an island, not a city, but it counts). I went to two state that I had not been to before: Delaware and Wisconsin. So I’m batting 1000 on my travel resolutions! The end of the year is also a good time to take a look back on the posts that were the most popular over the year. […]
Read MoreWhat to do When you Can't Find a Hotel in Paris
When I headed off to Paris a couple months ago, it was a bit of a last minute trip. I had been wanting to make the trip for quite some time, but had to make some changes to the actual travel dates at the last minute. You can make things work at the last minute, so if you find yourself in this position, don’t abandon your plans, just dig in and make it work. When I set my travel dates, I set them around my schedule, and didn’t pay attention to what was going on in Paris. It turned out that the Rugby World Cup was being held during the time I planned to be there. The downside of that was that all the moderately priced hotels were booked up. In fact, I couldn’t find hotel availability at all, even […]
Read MoreDark Tourism is Alive & Flourishing
While doing some research for some upcoming posts, I kept stumbling over the term “dark tourism.” I had never heard of it before, but it is defined as: Dark tourism is the act of travel and visitation to sites, attractions and exhibitions which has real or recreated death, suffering or the seemingly macabre as a main theme. At first, I found the thought gruesome, and couldn’t imagine why it would appeal to any traveler. But, the more I thought about it, I realized that I had myself visited and written about sites that were considered dark tourism. Dark Tourism would include travel to battlefields (such as Bunker Hill, Gettysburg, Normandy), Cemeteries and Grave sites (such as Ground Zero, Auschwitz, Arlington Cemetery, Jimi Hendrix grave), Prisons, Castles, and Monuments or Memorials to the Dead (WWII Memorial, Vietnam Wall, Astronaut Memorial). For […]
Read MoreView the Night Sky at Kitt Peak Observatory
Boasting over 300 clear nights a year, Kitt Peak National Observatory, located about an hour outside of Tucson (Arizona), offers stunning view of the night sky. Kitt Peak has the world’s largest collection of optical telescopes, 21 in all, and offers a number of viewing programs sure to get you hooked on Astronomy. Daily observatory tours begin at 10 am, 11:30 am, and 1:30 pm, and last approximately one hour. You’ll get to see the telescopes from a gallery, and tour guides will provide you with information about the work going on at the observatory. It’s an informative tour, and the only downside is that there is no telescope observation during daylight hours. Although there is no official charge to visit the observatory, a recommended donation is $2 for adults and $1 for children. It’s worth it! The Nightly Observing […]
Read MoreArt & Wine in Tuscany
The Tuscany region of Italy Continuing with my geography awareness week of posts, I move on to the continent of Europe. There are so many places in Europe that I’d like to visit that it was hard coming up with a destination to discover. Well, actually it wasn’t hard to come up dozens of places that I’d like to visit, what was hard was narrowing it down to one. But finally, I chose Tuscany, in central Italy. What’s so appealing to me about Tuscany is its rich variety of life. From the history and magnificent art of its capital city of Florence, to the small towns and villages in the countryside, and the delicious wine and food of the entire area, it all sounds wonderful! This spring I’ll have the opportunity to spend a time in Tuscany, staying in a […]
Read MoreDown Under in Sydney
Four days into Geography Awareness Week, and now it’s time to go down under, giving me an opportunity to write about where I’d like to go on the continent of Australia. I’m featuring a different dream location each day this week, one from each of our seven continents, so be sure to check out my posts on Antarctica, The Maldives, and Kruger National Park. While most of my dream trip locations have been fairly remote, and appealing to the side of me that loves solitude, my choice for Australia would be a bustling city, full of culture and fun —Sydney. Sydney is the capital of New South Wales, and is located on the southeast coast of the island. It’s the most populated city in Australia, and is the country’s center of finance, media, and tourism. I’d need to spend some […]
Read MoreWhere in the World are the Maldives?
In keeping with this week’s theme of Geography Awareness, I continue with my exploration of travel destinations on all seven continents. Yesterday was Antarctica, and today, I head off for Asia. . . and the Maldives. The Maldives (more officially the Republic of Maldives), is located in the Indian Ocean south of India and southwest of Sri Lanka. It is an island nation, the smallest smallest of the Asian countries in terms of population, and is home to spectacular beaches. Tourism plays a key part of the Maldive economy, and the country now boasts luxurious tropical resorts. A typical resort is situated on a private lagoon, and often a private island. Many times lodging will consists of a building on stilts in the middle of the water, or a cottage on a sandy beach. The water is that beautiful azure […]
Read MoreDo You Take Your Vacation Time?
I was reading the other day that more and more people are foregoing their annual vacation. Some are choosing to work through vacation, opting to get paid out for their vacation days. Other people are continuing to work, just letting vacation accrue in their leave accounts, some at the risk of “using or losing” days. Some people don’t want to lose time away from the “fast track” by taking vacation, believing they are showing loyalty to their job and company by staying at their desks. Still others take time away from work, but work on projects at home rather than taking any actual vacation. To take, or not take, your vacation time has become the subject of numerous studies, leading to a variety of articles and books written on the topic. And guess what? It turns out that taking a […]
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