Blogs

In an example of great partnering, Family Travel Forum (FTF) and the Society of American of Travel Writers
teamed up to work with and announce the lucky bloggers who earned the 2012 Teen Travel Writing Scholarships, awarded by both of these respected  professional travel content organizations.

The fierce competition attracted more than 6,300 students ages 13-18, educated in US or American-International schools or home-schooled, all of whom applied for the merit scholarships. 

This is the  sixt

I travel a lot which means I'm away from home and it also means that I think about home safety and security.  I have a few things that I do but I'm always on the prowl for tips and useful information on keeping my home safe.  I live in a condominium and recently received a notice under my door that our building had two break ins.  Both break-ins occurred when the home owners were out of town.  This means that someone must have known they weren't home.  You couldn't get any closer to home than th

WHEN OFF THE JOB: TRAVEL AND LEISURE In order to see the world, we need time away from our jobs. That we can all agree upon, whether we call it holiday, vacation, quality time, or something else. But how we handle that free time of travel and leisure, and how much of it we have avaliable differs wildly, a new survey shows.

Net travel agency Expedia’s study “Vacation Deprivation“, in which over 8,000 people in 22 countries have answered questions about their holidays, how they want to spend it and

I saw this at the Asian Civilization Museum in Singapore:

I sat there for a few moments, thinking about what this meant. Why do people like me, travelers, choose to be so far away from the people they love, first and foremost, our families? It seems like a cruel way to pay back those who helped raise us, helped us become the people we are today.

I rarely meet other travelers who keep in touch with their family as well as I do. Part of that is natural - I'm closer to my parents than most peopl

por Javier Pedreira

En la actualidad todos asociamos la palabra aerolínea directamente con aviones a reacción como el Airbus 320 y el Airbus 340 y familia. Si acaso algunos, los más aerotrastornados, también pensamos en turbohélices como por ejemplo el ATR-72. A lo mejor, haciendo un poco de memoria, pensamos en aviones míticos como elConnie o el DC-3.

Pero sin embargo, la primera aerolínea del mundo en cobrar por sus vuelos no utilizaba aviones sino dirigibles. Se trataba de una empresa alem

Exploring a dynamic portfolio of wine is always rewarding, but when you add in unsurpassed hospitality offered by the winery owners, assistant winemaker and informed staff, you know you’ve arrived at Barrister Winery.  This charming winery, tasting room and entertainment center is located in an old warehouse within the historic Davenport art district of Spokane. In fact, this winery is perfectly situated in a hundred year old brick and massive wooden beam structure, once a car dealership storage

My cousin is probably the most efficient family traveler I know. She has her work cut out for her with 2-year-old and 4-year-old girls. Like a well-oiled machine, she’s ready for every contingency as if preparing for a survival operation. Sticky hands or nowhere to wash before eating? She pulls packets of wet wipes from a handy pocket of her carry-all, akin to Mary Poppins’ bottomless carpetbag. Hungry? She keeps Ziploc bags of healthy snacks and small juices or waters at the ready. Cold? Hot? O

The area along Alabama’s gulf coast is unique with great beaches and wildlife refuges. More than 370 species of birds have been identified on the refuge during migratory seasons. The largest are usually ospreys and several species of herons. At the other extreme, seven species of hummingbirds have been identified. Mammals such as red fox, coyotes, and armadillos are also present. “Bon Secour” loosely translated means “Safe Harbor.” The area is diverse making it a great habitat for birds, the end

Once again I can say that "I survived WTM London." World Travel Market, the leading global event for the travel industry is held every year in November at London's Excel conference center. WTM is a vibrant must-attend four-day business-to-business event, presenting a diverse range of destinations and industry sectors to travel professionals from over 160 countries. By attending WTM, participants gain immediate competitive advantage for their business and stay abreast with the latest developments

Given Priceline's recent purchase of Kayak for $1.8 billion in a cash-and-stock deal, the question is either completely relevant or incredibly irrelevant.

But it's a fascinating question, and Hotelmarketing.com was bold enough to ask it.

Their disclaimer was that the question was probably "nonsensical," but their point is that Online Travel Agents (OTA), like the giants mentioned above, are under attack by airlines, hotels and car rental companies who simply don't want to share their booking rev

Every year, when spring and the Tet  holiday come, if you go on an excursion to highlands and the northern mountainous provinces, you will be glad to see blooming peach trees and plum and to discover the mysteries in the Hmong minority’s customs and habits, to welcome New Year, usually celebrated in early January in the lunar calendar.

The Tet holidays last 12 days, with many community activities, and the most typical is the Gau Tao festival, one of two important events each year to pray for good

by Andy Jarosz

Double agents, high drama, betrayal and plenty of high-tech gadgetry. The Good Shepherd, directed by Robert De Niro and released in 2006, had all the magic ingredients of a classic spy film. With Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie providing the obligatory glamor it was no surprise that the movie became a box-office success. What is perhaps less obvious, even to those who may have watched The Good Shepherd on more than one occasion, is that many of the scenes were shot in the Dominic

Simply step outside any five-star hotel, and take the taxi which awaits at the doorstep to anywhere you'd want to go in Cairo. Unfortunately, there is perhaps no more expensive way to get about in this great city. Common taxis are much more affordable, and better yet, take the longer trips on the metro and leave the taxis for short hops.

There are three main types of taxis in Cairo. The first type is the old black and white taxis. These have no meter, and the price of the trip depends on the le

What is Vin de Pays d'Oc?

Wines of Pays d’Oc are simply more adventurous bucking French wine making convention. Elevated worlds above table wine (Vin de Table) but perhaps not entirely conforming to AOC (origin of control) standards...there is plenty of room for distinctive creativity in the Vin de Pays category. Grown in the South of France's Languedoc Roussillon, over 56 Pays d'Oc grape varieties thrive in world renown terrain stretching from the Spanish border to the Rhone delta. Growing condi

Before I left Mt. Cook, I took one last look at the amazing view. Staying longer was no option, because there was so much more to see in the South. Early in the morning, when my car windows were still frozen, I decided to drive more south, towards Oamaru.

I drove along a few beautiful lakes that New Zealand has to offer: Lake Aviemore, Lake Benmore and Lake Waitiki.

Around noon I arrived in Oamaru. Best described as a sweet little town. I rang the doorbell at the hostel, that was situated just off

After having been closed in mid-June, the Dhikala Safari Zone will again open for tourist form 15^th of November as scheduled every year. It is the most famous tourist zone among all the four tourist zones of Corbett Park. One can perform jeep safaris and canter safaris here but having jeep safari here one needs to have a night-stay permit and canter safari can be done staying outside the core area of national park.

The biggest tourist attraction in the area is Dhikala Forest Lodge. The forest lod

One of the most amazing things I’ve learned how to do is scuba dive. It’s the closest thing to flying I’ve ever felt, and given my fear of heights (or, rather, falling from them), it feels a whole lot safer. When you get your buoyancy worked out right, being weightless under water, drifting here and there looking at cool sea life and them looking at you is pretty cool in my book.

If you don’t know how to scuba dive, or don’t have the equipment, snorkeling is just as fun. Besides, most of the colo

Route map through the Canadian Southern Gulf Islands and the San Juan Islands of Washington.
(map modified from the original on Wiki Commons)

I went to one of the top 1,000 places to see before dying. As I keep coming back, there are probably still 999 to go. Seeing the San Juan Islands of Washington automatically includes memorable activities such as sighting eagles, fishing, crabbing, beach walking, nature parks, sailing, kayaking… you get the idea. What I like to do in the San Juan Islands

We’re pleased to welcome back to the InsureMyTrip blog a great friend of ours, travel writer and icon Johnny Jet!  This week, Johnny is sharing his thoughts on cruising, a very popular travel choice among InsureMyTrip’s clients.  Next week, stay tuned for Johnny’s post about navigating the sometimes stressful experience of holiday travel.

In 2008 I went on my first cruise (Celebrity Solstice) in almost 1