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From time to time I need some help in keeping up with the twists and turns of travel, so I thought of a few travel "heroes" I'd like to havedrink with and talk travel.

I’d first set a date with Travel Weekly's Editor in-Chief, Arnie Weissmann, a terrific writer whose editorials always leave me wanting more.

TW is the travel industry’s publication of record, and Arnie’s one of travel’s most respected voices. His insights always take me to another level of understanding travel, and he probably has t

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Travel’s Second Class Citizens


Can you imagine the travel industry, limping along in this sclerotic economy, not catering to the needs of an important travel niche market: Single Parents?
This travel cohort feels like second class citizens.
They’re not swingers.
Not looking for wild parties.
They want quality vacations that let them connect with other single
parents, and they want attention paid to them and their kids.
They want the travel industry to know they have needs that are different
from coupl

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Medical Tourism: Beaches and Buttocks

People travel for many reason.
They travel to see the ocean, to meet people or to shop…
and now they’re shopping for a new nose or bigger breasts all while seeing the sights.
Medical tourism is the latest trend in the search for the perfect body or a money saving medical procedure like replacing a hip or getting your teeth straight.
Or for costly medical procedures for the uninsured and unde-rinsured
Some studies say the cost of surgery in India, Thailand and Sou
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A Few Words About Malawi

Danielle Nierenberg is blogging everyday from across Africa for the Worldwatch Institute’s Nourishing the Planet blog. She is also writing with her partner Bernard Pollack at her personal blog: BorderJumpers.


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In Malawi, we visited the Lilongwe Wildlife Centre, a project supported by companies like the Body Shop, providing sanctuary space for rescued, confiscated, orphaned and injured wild animals of Malawi. While touring their facility we met Kambuk (which means “leopard” in Chichewa), who was so

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You can tell when spring has finally sprung when you take a look at the new growth on the freshly prunedvines in the countryside around Montefalco.



New growth - Sagrantino vines


The green is all around you, in the new cereals growing in the fields, the new growth on the trees – that lovely unmistakeable springgreen!



Spring from the terrace




By this time of year the wine makers have pruned their vines carefully to allow maximum exposure for their chosen selection ofgrapes. With the Montefalco Rosso an

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Forty-eight engaging commentaries by "a modern day Mark Twain," sociologist, photographer, and prize-winning travel journalist, Peter Rose. Included are accounts of excursions on land and sea and portraits of places and people from Cape Cod to Cape Horn. There are captivating photos, stories about playing gumshoe in Honolulu, tour guide in Amsterdam and taxonomist in China, descriptions of windjamming in Maine and on the Mediterranean, trekking in Tuscany, exploring Tierra del Fuego aboard the M
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What’s the Difference Between a Kid and a Carry-on Bag?

Judging by the new round of airline fees, probably not much!

Southwest Airlines opted not to charge for carry-ons (other airlines opted out too), but then announced it was doubling the fees it charges unaccompanied kids to fly.



There has always been a fee for “UM’s aka/Unaccompanied Minors, as they’re called in the biz, but Southwest’s jump from $25.00 to $50.00 each way says a lot about the “fee-madness" that has infected airlines everywhere,
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Bruges, Belgium


I posted this at The Travel Doc. I took this photo a few years ago in Bruge, Belgium. This was before digital cameras and I took this the first week of a 5 week trip. I had to wait 2 months to see it. The photo is 3'x4' and hangs framed on my wall. Should my home catch on fire, it would be one of the first things I would grab. Great memories (:

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A Few Words About Rwanda

By Borderjumpers.org, a blog by Danielle Nierenberg and Bernard Pollack


9008542454?profile=originalWe’ve taken some long bus rides in Africa. We spent eight bumpy hours on a bus from Nairobi to Arusha and another eight from Arusha to Dar Es Salaam. The longest so far, though, has been from Kampala, Uganda to Kigali, Rwanda.


Once we finally arrived, we quickly realized, that we've never traveled anywhere quite like Rwanda.


Fifteen years ago one of the largest modern genocides occurred here.


Our visit to the genocide memorial m

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Take Care at the We Care Spa

We Care Spa, Desert Hot Springs, CaliforniaIf you have ever experienced the signs of burnout, then you will have probably dreamt of escaping the stresses of everyday life and heading to a hideaway to unwind.

Such as the private oasis that is the We Care Spa in Desert Hot Springs, California. This is one of the best-kept secrets of the Hollywood starlets, rock stars and power players who come here to experience the intensive cleansing and personal touch of this healing retreat. We Care really does care about yo

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© Topyti

© Topyti

Waking up on the right side of the bed is easy when you’re in a tropical paradise far from the madding crowd. With ocean breezes beckoning you to come out to play, the remote Biras Creek Resort in Virgin Gorda is utterly sublime. Accessible solely by helicopter or boat, the likes of Diane Sawyer,Michael Douglas, Warren Beatty and Catherine Zeta-Jones have all been spotted here basking in the sunshine and indulging in the resort’s lush, home-made ice-cream.

As one of the world’s top luxury

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Two Bunch Palms is an eco-spa situated in Palm Springs that offers a peaceful sanctuary of sacred spaces, natural mineral spring pools, fountains and waterfalls. There is also a tranquil lake, the shores of which are inhabited by exotic birds, natural wildlife and (my favourite) a family of turtles that bathe in the late day sun. The grottoes are the unquestionable highlight of this relaxed environment, while the lithium-rich pool is so soporific that you will notice the healing qualities immedi

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No sooner do we do a piece on Travel Insurance, and a volcano blows, stranding thousands of people and ruining hundreds of vacations.

But don't worry, you read our post, bought insurance and you're covered.

Well, it seems that your claim could be denied, depending on whom you bought the insurance from and whether the company views the disaster as "weather related," usually covered, or "natural disaster," questionable coverage. Or a "trip interruption" or "trip cancellation," which is still being w
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Travel Fees Make Pet Owners Dishonest

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From Blogger Pictures


Airline Fees Make Pet Owners Dishonest

Nothing gets the ire up of travelers more than when their beloved pets are subject to unfair treatment… and fees by the hospitality industry are considered callous indeed.
Which is why Robin Boggs, an Atlanta consultant, jams her pet Chihuahua in her carry on bag rather than pay the pet fee.

She’s been caught twice and fined $150.00, but that doesn’t deter her because she just thinks the pet fees are another airline grab at her purse.
She m
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Having read a recent article in the Associated Press about the lack of knowledge that travellers between 18 to 30 have about the World, I asked myself: is this ‘responsible’? Shouldn’t they know about the destinations they are going to visit? In my view, education before departure nurtures a sense of respect and responsibility towards a countries people and heritage and can have a substantial effect on minimising the negative effects of tourism.

There are many reasons why young people want to tr
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From Blogger Pictures
You have to admire the gall.Ryanair CEO, Michael O’Leary, told Aol Travel that passengers are too dependent on airplane toilets, and said passengers should control the urge to use the airborne lavatories.So he’s asked passengers to change the way they do their business, and use the toilets in the airport instead!O’Leary’s peevishness may stem from the fact that Boeing nixed the idea of eliminating all but one toilet on the plane, so the low-cost airline could add six more se
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The misdirected attempt to declare carry-on baggage "essential" so that it would be subject to the transportation excise tax won't affect airlines at all. It will on add a 7.5% tax on top of the baggage fees that is paid by passengers.Should Schumer and his cosponsors prevail (I doubt that they will), the cost of any carry-on bag will go up by 7.5 percent. The excise tax is a separate tax on top of other taxes and exclusively paid for by passengers, not the airlines.http://www.consumertraveler.c
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Tuscany


Tuscany (Italian: Toscana) is a region on Italy's west coast, on the Tyrrhenian sea. It is one of the most popular places to visit in a country that is itself one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. There are several reasons to visit Tuscany: some of the most important ones are seeing Renaissance art in Florence, eating Tuscan food and tasting the excellent local wines, and after all this enjoying a day at the beach in Viareggio.

Read more about Tuscany at Wikitravel.

See more
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Nicaragua: Now Open to Curious Travelers

After the Revolution: Nicaragua Opens its Doors to Curious TravelersBy Kaleel SakakeenyIn a ramshackle yet proud artisan studio in the dusty town of San Juan de Oriente, a young boy about 15 casts pots using his feet for power on an old throw wheel. The wheel hums, the clay spins and the pottery that evolves is astonishingly intricate yet elegantly simple.His younger sister tends to a new littler of seven puppies, and his even younger brother stares at us with huge brown eyes as we admired the b
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A few weeks ago I was reminded why I started gastrotraveling.com and why I continue working hard to write fresh content. After all, isn’t my tagline simple enough?: “A Better Understanding of Food Through Travel” Well probably not. First of all, here’s what I’m not. I’m not a food critic, columnist, celebrity chef, or culinary expert in any way. What I am is a writer who is extremely interested in learning about the ever evolving way we interact with food and how it makes different cultures uniq
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