Yountville, California embodies many quintessential visions you undoubtedly have when planning a Napa Valley excursion. It all started in 1836, when George Calvert Yount founded the town planting Napa Valley's first official vineyard. Today, vines stretch from the Mayacamas mountains to the Napa River. Yountville's compact layout, clustered around Washington Street, is also perfect for biking not only on the existing street grid but along the ever expanding Napa Valley Vine Trail which when com

The first thing I did the next morning was look out of the window. It was totally blue! After I had my breakfast and dressed, I walked outside. It was magical with the amazing blue sky and the high mountains of the Southern Alps. Totally different than yesterday, when it was raining and cloudy and you couldn't see a thing.

I packed all my things because my plan was to drive to Lake Tekapo today, but first I had to get a icescraper because it was quite impossible to get the ice off my windows (I

Any flight that leaves at 1:20 in the morning is already doomed as far as I’m concerned.  It can only go down hill from there, especially when the airplane seat back doesn’t seem to want to recline backward.  But this one’s worse than that.  Not only do I arrive in Shanghai at six in the a.m. with seven hours until my onward connection, but I have to change airports—not terminals—to do it.  Fun fun fun.  At least I get something of a view of Shanghai in the process, though not exactly like cruis

Balboa Park is one of San Diego's largest and most historic vacation destinations. While touring California, this place just can’t be overlooked, so make sure that you stop over and take a scenic view that will give a revitalized feel to you. The total area of this mammoth park is 1,200 acres and it is an urban cultural park named after Vasco Nuñez de Balboa, who was a Spanish maritime explorer.

This park is often referred as the “Smithsonian of the West” for its concentration of cultural institu

by Cristóbal Ramírez

Zurich, Switzerland has footpaths so tidy, cobblestones so perfect, a lake so clean, urban sounds so harmonious and subdued that it’s almost enough to make urbanites used to other cities miss the comforting chaos they might expect. Indeed, more than one might be tempted to toss a bit of litter onto the ground to see what could happen. Please do refrain.

As for the rest of it, this burg that many tend to associate with little more than banks and insurance companies can actual

The fam and I wanted to make a weekend getaway to an awesome East Coast beachfront hotel, but we had a troika of conditions:

• We wanted to stay in a laid back locale that was...
• Outside of New Jersey (we live 12 miles west of New York City in the Garden State and we were pining for a non-Joisey Shore destination), and...
• We didn’t want to spend too much time driving to get there.

Looking at a map, the mid-Atlantic region of Delaware or Maryland met our travel math needs (less than a four-hour journ

Ever since the first commercial canopy zip line tour came into being in Costa Rica in 1999, the zip line industry has soared quickly into big business with dozens of zip lines all over the country and across the world. Zip lines are probably the all-time favorite adventure tour in Costa Rica for visiting tourists. There are dozens of zip line tours – more often called “canopy zip line tours” or simply “canopy tours” – all over the country.

I recently took a friend, who is a bit of an anomaly, on

In Cuba's capital these days, the dining scene has improved and evolved immeasurably in recent years. Here's just a quick sampling of some of the best in the city these days, both state-owned and privately owned:

Al Medina

Once upon a time, Cuba had significant Arab immigration, and this Lebanese eatery in a restored colonial-era school in Old Havana provides good, exotic fare (as a change of pace from the ubiquitous Cuban) amid exotic decor. Calle Oficios 12 between Obispo and Obrapía.

La Bodegui

We began this adventure by purchasing a Porsche Macan S and picking the car (which we named Max) up at the Porsche factory in Zuffenhausen Germany... we're now on our official maiden road trip. This segment of the series is dedicated to our adventures while touring the Innsbruck, Austria area. 



The Drive from Salzburg to Innsbruck

We left Salzburg before noon and headed straight to the “famous” Grossglockner High Alpine Road, and this time a “suggested” side trip lived up to the hype.

This

Last week I had occasion to send a technology team from my Our Russia Magazine to Moscow. Sasha and Natalya, my partners in the new media experiment, were scheduled to meet with Skolkovo science city executives and other key technology people in town. As it happened, they stayed at a wonderful hotel I knew of, Mamaison All-Suites Spa Hotel Pokrovka, so I thought a review here on Tripatini might be helpful for any of you headed to Russia's capital.

The Mamaison brand part of a group of upscale b

Napa Valley is a gourmand's paradise. A quick 45 minutes north of San Francisco (sans traffic) over the Golden Gate Bridge, across the barren hills of San Rafael and Galinas, and then onto Route 37 along San Pablo Bay and its cooling breezes that ultimately moderate The Valley's ideal growing climate.

The City of Napa is the Valley's southernmost gateway to endless wine tastings thanks to more than 400 vineyards spanning roughly 50 miles anchored by posh inns and retreats along with an extreme

In this day and age, for every person who takes care about what he or she eats, it seems many more are still fairly careless about it. But even those who watch what they eat may not realize that conditions while flying in a commercial jetliner – especially longhaul – can present issues when it comes to certain foods. And so, there are some you really might want to avoid in order to make your flight as comfortable as possible. Some of these may seem like no-brainers, so consider this simply a re

by Phil Paoletta

Whether it’s a mild cold, a stubborn case of the runs, or occasionally something worse, many of us have had the unfortunate experience of getting sick on the road. Illness of any kind can derail or even ruin your trip, which is why it’s important to avoid catching something in the first place. Some of these tips will seem like no-brainers, but you’d be surprised how easily they can fall between the cracks in the whirlwind of travel. Stay mindful, though, and stay healthy.

Do S

We love off-season travel because of the reduced crowds and bargain accommodation rates. Last winter we drove from San Francisco to the town of Mendocino to attend its annual Crab, Wine & Beer Days – a fun family experience – especially if you savor the taste of freshly cooked Dungeness crab.

Getting to Mendocino

Starting at San Francisco’s iconic Golden Gate Bridge on Highway 101, the drive to Mendocino takes about three hours. The last half of the trip from Cloverdale along Highways 126 and 1 w

New York City may not be the official capital of the United States, but it is certainly our cultural capital. From museums to live theater, galleries to concert halls, historical landmarks to innovative cuisine, New York has it all. Even New York's architecture – both historic and brand new (One World Trade Center) attracts visitors – rivaling Chicago in its draw. What better way to experience the jaw-dropping landmarks of New York City architecture than from a relaxing architecturally-themed cr

The thrill of seeing a wild animal in its natural habitat, even if only for a moment, is unparalleled. Some animals are very nice and often stick around for a while – like monkeys. Others are so fast – wild cats, for example – that many times you’re not sure if you saw it or not.

The Costa Rica rain forest is full of wonders and wildlife – you just need to know how to look. Costa Rica is home to more than 5 percent of the world’s biodiversity: 208 species of mammals, 870 kinds of birds, 1,250

After arriving at the superb Bethany Beach Ocean Suites by Marriott in Bethany Beach, DE (read about our excellent adventure here), the fam (two teen pups + my wife Sue) and I thought that it would be wise to dine in the hotel on our first night rather than venture out to explore the town’s eateries.  Not that there weren’t lots of great choices in the area, but after driving for almost four hours from northern New Jersey and then unwinding for the rest of the day in our awesome rooms, we prefer

When we think of tourism security, we tend to think about either criminal acts that often plague the tourism industry such as: pick-pocketing, room invasions, or con artists, or about "traditional" acts of terrorism such as a bomb.  Rarely do we consider the hidden forms of terrorism that can have an impact on the tourism industry. These forms of terrorism are often not detected until it is too late and while bombs are public killers actions such as bioterrorism are often silent killers.

The