Blogs

November means autumn school breaks and Thanksgiving week in the USA. It’s time for your fall family vacation.

This year, be ahead of the learning curve and visit one of the world’s largest “outdoor classrooms” in the sun and tropics of Costa Rica. Imagine discovering animals and plants that you have never seen before with your family... a terrific bonding experience and good school report material too! Costa Rica is one of the safest countries in Central America, and a main reason the nation is

Reviews do matter. A report by SAS noted that positive reviews (less so TripAdvisor-based rank and brand), followed by lower price were the most important influencers of choice.

And lower price or higher ratings don't overcome the impact of negative reviews.

But even in America, it's possible that more isn't better.

Writing reviews is almost a national pastime.  Writing reviews on everything and saying pretty much what we want and being rewarded by some sort of badge or other "atta boy" reco

DisneyParks.com

by Judy Antell


Theme parks are a natural fit for Halloween festivities: On a certain level, you might say it's always a Halloween party at theme parks - plus, most of the rides are already designed to scare the living daylights out of you. In October (and sometimes even earlier), some of theme parks have gently scary daytime Halloween events for kids as well as night terrors for teens and adults. Here's a (non-exhaustive) sampling from across the world (and keep in mind, for

Perhaps, nothing says “comfort food” more than pizza. If you’re traveling to the Napa Valley and crave paper thin, scrumptious pizza napoletana, pay a visit to Napa’s Oxbow Market, where you will find Ca’ Momi Pizzeria and Restaurant.

Ca’ Moni Winery was founded in 2006, created  to pair old world winemaking talents from Italy with the finest Napa Valley grapes. Quickly realizing that crafting great wine was only half the accomplishment; the other was introducing it to the public. After perfecti

por Andrés Figueroa Vásquez

Era una mañana un tanto calurosa en el Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio. Acababa de visitar los predios de la zona y la humedad del ambiente pudo más que yo. Me dispuse a retomar el aliento sobre una de las bancas. Mientras descansaba bajo la sombra y sentía la brisa del mar, me percaté de que tenía hambre. Recordé que después de salir de Portasol había comprado dos paquetes de tortillas tostadas y las llevaba en la mochila.

El ir y venir de las olas me arrulló exquisitam

I’m not much into excessive drinking anymore. The mornings after were just too punishing. But now my weakness is having a glass of wine or beer and then occasionally a snifter of cognac or whiskey as a night cap…which is a big no-no as well for avoiding hangover territory.

I’m always open to new ideas and remedies for easing the negative effects of alcohol consumption not only for this stated purpose but also for fighting similar symptoms associated with travel fatigue. Cutting through the foggy

I set off with trepidation on Monday morning after dire warnings about the worst storms to hit Britain this decade. Stepped out of the front door to find our window boxes had been blown off and lay scattered on the ground - my husband's lovingly nurtured geraniums cruelly tipped out and the plants and roots exposed to the elements.

A tree had fallen across an adjoining road and cars were gingerly driving around it by mounting the pavement.  Empty garbage boxes were strewn across another road. Ou

It was truly a Bella Notte—a “beautiful night” at the Europa Village Winery in the Temecula Valley Wine Country in Southern California, where the winery’s first musical, internationally-themed wine dinner of the fall season took place recently. Europa holds these wine pairing dinners occasionally and they are always exceptional events.

We were with friends from Nebraska who had never before experienced the magic of a wine country evening with such luscious food, exquisite wine, and musical entert

Manaus is a large city with around 2 million inhabitants situated in the heart of the Amazon region and the point where the vast River Negro flows into the Amazon (known by the Brazilians as  Solimões until it reaches Manaus). The city boasts a short yet intriguing history, and one that is inextricably linked with the history of rubber.

Founded in the 17th century,  Manaus would never have been more than just another small Brazilian city if it hadn’t been for an American named  Charles Goodyea

Authentic travelers are adventurous. Unlike tourists, we’re open to the unexpected and crave out-of-the ordinary experiences. It’s not that we never go on tours; it’s that we don’t go on “normal” tours that race from one “top attraction” to another.I want you to introduce you to a delightful friend of mine who has been taking small groups to follow in the footsteps of Franz Kafka.

Yes, that Franz Kafka – the mysterious genius – and Dora Diamant the remarkable woman who kept his literary flame a

Travelers who are looking for a tropical destination on their next vacation might want to consider a cruise.

There are so many benefits to cruising. You get to visit multiple countries, islands or points of interest all on the same trip without hassling with transportation, border crossings or logistics. On a cruise, you unpack once and your floating hotel takes you from place to place. Dining, entertainment, recreation, and nearly your every want and need are taken care of for you.

Costa Rica has

Christos Tsoumplekas

Last weekend the final two races of the Cretan Union Cup Regatta took place off Agios Nikolaos – the first event of this kind celebrating 100 years of Crete Island union with mainland Greece and to honor the Cretan culture.

Cretans have a lot history and modern-day culture to be proud of and, once again, they’ve proven the Minoan’s spirit is still alive on the Island. As November and fall come to Crete, these Islanders prepare for autumn activities: grape gathering, wine a

It's a strange contradiction. We're told visuals drive bookings, traveler interest.

We hear that travelers looking to book will be compelled to do so by rich images that tell the kind of story we want to buy into.

But the visuals we typically see are sterile and empty.

VFM Leonardo, a leader in online visual story telling, reports on the top ten visuals shoppers want to see on a website before they actually book a hotel room or a destination.

The smart money tells us that travelers don't b

1) Las Vegas

Las Vegas hosts their “Howl-o-Week” from October 25-November 3. Here, you can experi

Jungle, mountains, rivers, waterfalls, canyons and gravel roads come together in Turrialba, making this region Central America's adventure-sport capital. Turrialba is the perfect destination for those who wish to enjoy adventure amid lush nature, so it's no coincidence that Turrialba is the cradle adventure tourism in Costa Rica.

You will find a wide range of high-quality adventure sports which employ rigorous safety standards. Turrialba also boasts the natural topography for adventure sports, as

On Boulevard Saint-Germain-des-Prés, sitting a short block away from each other, are rival cafés Café de Flore and Café Les Deux Magots.  They became rivals in the 1920’s and 30’s, when the intellectuals, writers, and artists of the period became loyal to one or the other.  On my recent trip to Paris, I decided to choose my own personal favorite.

Parisian cafés are more than a place to have a quick coffee in the morning.  They are a gathering place for friends, a meeting place for colleagues, an

St. Armands Circle in Sarasota is a surprisingly interesting place to visit. The powers that be have made the history of Sarasota absorbing even to those of us who don't consider themselves history buffs.

Take the 33 statues that are placed among the beautiful landscaping. Beautifully restored, and some of them new, they beckon the visitor to take a closer look at the details of the incredible sculptures. I found myself using up most of my memory card in my camera on photographing these beauties

One hates to split hairs. Especially the hairs of the dead. But a joyful discovery in my local cemetery was soon followed by an almost instant disappointment.

According to a few 19th-century published references, the remains of New York's own Philip Livingston--one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, on July 4, 1776--were buried in Trinity Church Cemetery. And in 1931, another cemetery ambler had recorded the inscription from Livingston's gravestone verbatim:

Written by CheapOair

Now that we’re halfway through October, this seems as good a
time as any to take stock of Travel Trends, and to see where the travel industry was around this time
last year. As always, this will help you get a good gauge of what’s going on,
as well as try to predict where you might land yourself a great travel deal.

September’s top 10 domestic travel destinations were: 

1. DEN-Denver
2. DFW-Dallas
   Fort Worth
3. FLL-Ft
   Lauderdale
4. JFK-New
   York Kennedy
5. LAS-Las
   Vegas
6. LAX-Los
   Angeles
7. MCO-Orlando
8. PHX