Travel&Vacation

function printAnchor(urlPrefix) { document.write(“”); } mboxCreate(‘st_bookmarks_horizontal’); With the growing popularity of online video-sharing websites like YouTube, thousands of travelers are making their vacation videos available to anyone with Internet access. A recent search on YouTube turned up more than 160,000 videos tagged as travel-related, while newer travel-only video sharing sites, Travelistic and TravelerVideos.com, have nearly 6,000 each. -8&hl=en&tab=wv” target=”_blank”>Google’s video search functionality (in Beta) enables visitors to search multiple video-sharing sites at once. The quality of these amateur videos can be hit or miss, but many are good enough to provide useful previews of attractions, tours, hotels, and more. For example, a quick search on
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DUBLIN, Ireland (AP) — Like many Irish-Americans, I’m curious about my roots. Unlike most Irish-Americans, my surname, Nephin, gives little hint that I am of Irish descent. But I have proof. In County Mayo, in Ireland’s rugged west country, sits Mount Nephin, a half-mile-tall peak. It was here, 18 years ago, that I’d proposed to my wife Kathleen. But bad weather and lack of a road had prevented us from reaching the top that day. After driving as far up as safety would permit in the fog and rain, I’d opened the car door, plucked some small flowers and presented them and the ring to Kathleen. Now we were making a return trip, and this time we were determined to get to the top. And as long as we were back in Ireland, we also planned to sightsee, celebrate our wedding anniversary, and run
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function redirect(urlPrefix) { window.location(urlPrefix + “http://www.smartertravel.com/blogs/today-in-travel/the-best-new-eco-getaways.html?id=2520270″); } function printAnchor(urlPrefix) { document.write(“”); } mboxCreate(‘st_bookmarks_horizontal’); Outside magazine has published a list of the best new eco-getaways. You can find the winners in the March issue or in this USA Today article. What qualities make a getaway “eco”, you might ask? Based on this list, it looks like everything from energy-producing elevators and solar panels to the chance to hunt free-range elk. Free range elk? Yup. At the Lodge at Sun Ranch in Montana, you can sleep in luxury cabins with dramatic mountain views, eat local organic food, get a massage, fish for trout, go horseback riding, or shoot elk. A
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function printAnchor(urlPrefix) { document.write(“”); } mboxCreate(‘st_bookmarks_horizontal’); Romantic getaways are supposed to be relaxing and stress-free. But for many people, planning that weekend trip is anything but. There’s just so much to do: coordinating dinners, flowers, and romantic touches; finding a hotel that will pamper you and your sweetie; and, once booked, ensuring everything goes off without a hitch. Thankfully, many hotels now put together packages that do everything for you—Champagne, chocolates, massages, and more. One phone call and you’re done, right? Not so fast. While you may save time by booking a romance package, you may also end up paying more than you should. Consider the “Romance Package” at the Hilton Chicago. Available for $299 (when I
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(Tribune Media Services) — York is a highlight for any visit to Britain — by far the best stop between London and Edinburgh. It has a huge church and, locals love to add, "A giant bell." On my last visit, a deacon led me up stairs halfway up the bell tower and we came to a room — vacant except for a fat lifeless rope hanging from the ceiling. Like a kid, the deacon began pulling the rope. As he reached and reached, pulling ever higher and ever lower, I readied my ears for a thunderous ding-dong. Suddenly he clenched the rope and soared high above me and clanging rang throughout the town. Back on the medieval wooden floor he winked at me and said, "In York, our bell is so big it rings the ringer." And we continued our tour. York’s Minster, or cathedral, is the
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ST. JOHNSBURY, Vermont (AP) — Degas had his ballerinas, Monet his water lilies. For Stephen Huneck, inspiration comes on four legs — its teeth dug into a stick, or tugging on a piece of rope, or playing on a beach. The eclectic Vermont folk artist, who started out whittling wooden sculptures of dogs and now specializes in dog-themed furniture, woodcut paintings and children’s books, has carved out a unique niche with his whimsical reproductions of Labrador retrievers and other dogs. And his Dog Mountain studio and dog chapel — on a picturesque 175-acre hillside farm in rural northern Vermont — have evolved into a kind of doggy Disneyland, drawing animal lovers and their pets from all over, with some coming to mourn. To Huneck, dogs are more than man’s best friend. "I really
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DENALI NATIONAL PARK, Alaska (AP) — It was near the end of a six-hour bus tour of Denali National Park that we got a good, long look at a bear eating his way through a field of berries. Elsewhere in Alaska, my husband, two sons and I had watched whales spouting near Juneau, eagles along the Chilkat River, and waterways in Ketchikan and Skagway so full of salmon they could barely move. But we’d headed to Denali knowing that the park’s 9,400 square miles are home to just 350 brown bears. We hoped to see them, but we were prepared for the possibility that we might not. And therein lies an important point to keep in mind if you’re planning a trip to Alaska this summer. There are no guarantees you’ll see wildlife, but you can improve your chances if you’re patient and if you put yourself
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function redirect(urlPrefix) { window.location(urlPrefix + “http://www.smartertravel.com/blogs/today-in-travel/save-money-on-spring-break.html?id=2513446″); } function printAnchor(urlPrefix) { document.write(“”); } mboxCreate(‘st_bookmarks_horizontal’); Spring break season begins on March 1, and nearly a third of people polled are planning a trip. Those who take their spring vacation in April will benefit from lower prices than those who plan to travel in March. So says this quarter’s Expedia Travel Trendwatch. The report also features a calendar of peak and off-peak travel days, which can be a handy tool for finding the most affordable days to fly, no matter which month you’ll be spring breaking. There’s also advice about where to go to make the most of the U.S. dollar. Mexico,
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function printAnchor(urlPrefix) { document.write(“”); } mboxCreate(‘st_bookmarks_horizontal’); If you’ve been thwarted by a travel insurance provider in the past, you’re not alone. Sometimes, collecting on a claim can be as much of a hassle as the actual incident (illness, accident, etc.) itself. To make sure you won’t have an unpleasant surprise, follow these steps: Be a smart consumer. If you’re considering travel insurance, read the policy thoroughly (including all the fine print) before you buy. Compare offers between providers. If you have questions about what’s covered, call a company representative and find out. Ensure your chosen provider is reputable. Check its rating with the Better Business Bureau. Look at the company’s professional memberships (e.g. Travel Industry
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SEWARD, Alaska (AP) — There are thousands of glaciers in Alaska, and seeing some up close will surely be a highlight of any trip you might be planning to the 49th state this summer. You can see glaciers from the deck of a ship, paddling in a canoe, by floatplane or helicopter, or by driving and hiking to a park. Here are some options: FROM YOUR CRUISE SHIP Most Alaska cruises include a day at sea sailing past glaciers. Some itineraries take you past the Hubbard Glacier, others take you through Glacier Bay. Photo opportunities abound. This is a regular part of your cruise, so you don’t pay extra and you don’t have to sign up for anything. You’ll likely see the glaciers calving — where sections of them crack and float away or crumble into the sea. Calving is a normal process for
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