authentic (7)

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Just ten miles north of downtown Boston, accessible by commuter rail, the Hilton Boston Woburn overlooks marshland in a rather unassuming part of town just off exit 36 on I-95, surrounded by industrial/commercial space and apartment buildings. But the hotel's recent, $16 million renovation elevated what was once a hum drum business class hotel into an entirely new realm featuring historic connections to the surrounding community accompanied by onsite restaurant and local favorite Matadora.

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Woburn

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Your BFF in England

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Customized travel, also known as “bespoke travel,” is my preferred way to travel and I love England, so you can imagine how excited I was to meet Glynn Burrows.

Here’s the pick-up line that won my heart:

I love to travel, and when I travel, I don't want to be like an animal on a cattle-float. I want to go where I want to go to and see what I want to see. I want to experience local life and go down country lanes. I want to wander around little villages and look in tiny churches. I also want to g

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Vote for me?

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Vote for me. Doesn't that sound pathetic? But the truth is I just last week learned that I've been nominated in the Luxe Travel Writers category in a competition on The Luxury Hub website and, of course, I'd love the recognition of winning. In fact, just being nominated is an honor.

I've worked hard over the last couple of decades to help travelers have better trips - first by authoring guide books in the Frommer series, then as the Travel Editor of Ranch & Coast (which I still am), and for the l

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What Is Authentic Luxury Travel?

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When I first started writing about Authentic Luxury Travel no one seemed to know what I meant. Most folks thought that ALT was synonymous with five-star resorts and high-end cruise ships. In those days, I spent a lot of time defining “authentic” as it applies to travel.

But times have changed, and now a whole lot of people endorse the concept while acknowledging that it doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone.

Carsten Becker arranges custom itineraries in Germany and other parts of Europe thr

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Oprah in Australia - Airs January 18-21

Paul Hogan (AKA Crocodile Dundee) promised to “slip a shrimp on the barby” for us and Americans and others flocked to Australia in record numbers. Will Oprah Winfrey have the same impact on Australian tourism?

 

We’ll soon find out. The four shows she taped down under will air January 18 -21, and rumor has it that she waxes lyrical about the place and touts its many attributes.

 

Of course, I couldn’t agree more. For ten years I wrote and revised Frommer’s Australia, which meant that “Oz” became my

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Real Japan in Luxury

9008584679?profile=originalI wish I’d known about The Real Japan when I was traveling in Asia. Instead, I tried exploring this fascinating destination on my own and ended up nearly in tears – OK, actually in tears – when I couldn’t figure out the street signs, the menus, or pretty much anything else. In shear frustration, I signed up for a tour that took me to a series of touristy sites, and I left the country knowing I really hadn’t seen Japan

 

Since then, I’ve learned about Eric Demay and his company The Real Japan. Eric

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One of the great joys of authentic travel is getting to know local people in the area you're visiting.

I've lived in New Zealand and watched tourists rush around the country visiting the same sights that every other overseas visitor is seeing (the places where big buses are stacked cheek-to-jowl in the parking lot).

These experiences don't allow time to meet real New Zealanders, savor a great Kiwi Savignon Blanc, and stand back and absorb the natural beauty of this amazing country.

Authentic luxury
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