Blogs

“The chase is all,’’ my mother used to say about men. I think of this in the prickly mangrove bush where I've been waiting, curled like a pretzel since dawn, as my subjects take off the second before my shutter clicks.

“Flamingos are tough,’’ says our guide, Colin Ingraham, a master of understatement. They pierce the sky in long, pink-and-black arrows, taking flight each time we come within a certain distance — always beyond the focal length of my lens.

I

Imagine being lifted in a bubble and gently set on a headland by the sea. Famous people casually introduce themselves: “Hi, my name is Cristina [‘Dreaming in Cuban’ novelist Cristina García], and this is Russell [‘Affliction’ author Russell Banks].’’

Far from Negril and Montego Bay, I was in the Jamaican breadbasket of St. Elizabeth parish, among tawny beaches and funky guest houses with names like Irie Rest. Crumpled in my backpack was the paper that brought me here. Once a year in May, sleepy

I cannot believe I am in Beirut.

There is a National Geographic adventure show titled Don’t Tell My Mother. That is how I feel. The name just brings up memories of not so far in the past wars and such. However, at the end of 2010, Beirut is a prosperous and peaceful city. I do not know where the money comes from. This is not an OPEC country. But there is a lot of money on the streets of Beirut. The little research I did indicates the the diaspora from the 1975 to 1990 war has created an influx of

"Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus," a boy learns to his delight at the Macy's Christmas display © 2010 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

One of the most marvelous ways to experience the Holidays in New York, is just to walk around, and take it all in - from the enchanting animated windows in department stores, to the ice skaters at Rockefeller Center, Bryant Park and Central Park. Buy hot chestnuts from a street vendor.

The City twinkles with holiday spirit, particularly as its famed store

I am a travel consultant, a Uniworld Cruise Specialist and a lifelong Francophile. I had the opportunity to sail on Uniworld's River Royale in early November 2010 as my first river cruise experience. This was indeed an epicurean adventure to sail on France's Rhone and Saone rivers.

River cruising is totally different from ocean cruising. You are steps away from the beautiful towns where you can take walking tours, ride bicycles, have an all inclusive food and wine experience with itineraries cate

We'd love to know more about how you travel, and what you think of SunnyRentals.com. Fill out our short 5 minute survey and receive a €30 discount voucher!

Shrimp is king here

Gulf Shores has been much maligned in the press since the BP oil spill. In truth it’s a stunning locale with loads of natural beauty in a relaxed beach side town. Yes the beach clean up goes on but the water and sand are cle

by Tripatini staff

Tiny Costa Rica holds a very special place in Latin America — largely literate and completely armyless as well as beautiful and exciting. And Malpaís, a six-dude band named after a remote beach area at the end of the road on the Nicoya Peninsula coast (literally, the word means “badlands”), is an unmistakable product of the Tico culture and ethos, fusing jazz and rock with local musical and folk traditions. “Boceto para esperanza,” from their first album, Uno (2003), is a mel

Dancing Fountains are a nightly show in the atrium of the Gaylord National Resort : © 2010 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

The opening of the Gaylord National Resort changes everything about a family vacation in Washington DC, Families finally have a true family-friendly, four-Diamond full-service waterfront resort to find rest and respite after a
busy and exhausting day being immersed in the nation's capital, taking in the most magnificent museums and attractions the country has to offer.

So

Amtrak's AutoTrain is wonderfully family friendly, and kids are utterly enamored with trains. At the Lorton,VA station - the northern terminus - there is even a playground.
The train goes to Sanford, FL, just outside Orlando © 2010 Karen
Rubin/news-photos-features.com

The idea of long-distance train travel invariably evokes a sense of romance and nostalgia for the golden years when trains were the high-tech way to travel.

That spirit is still alive here in the United States in perhaps the most une

Our well-travelled staff have brainstormed and come up with an adventure travel Wish List for Santa. Here are a few of our gift ideas and we'd love to hear some of yours.

(1) Small powerful flashlight. Think rural Chinese toilets at night!

(2) A colourful sarong. You can wrap yourself in it post-swim, cover for temple visits, brighten an outfit or use it as a sleep sheet on an Indian train.

(3) Extra camera batteries and storage. You can never have enough.

(4) Camp, water-resistant duffle bag that c

I tend to have rather funny things happen to me when I travel. Perhaps it is because I travel
for fun, usually. I don't mind much, except standing in line at immigration in
a place like Lima Peru. In Lima, at least three jumbos arrive within a half
hour of each other at night, about midnight. The immigration post has a dozen
or so stations, of which two or three are manned. The line snakes back outside
of the immigration room, into an adjoining hallway, where people crush and
elbow their way towards

My wife and I were on the 14th floor of the Hilton Hotel for NYE in Caracas, Venezuela. Everyone in Caracas bought BIG skyrockets, and with no organized program, complete mayhem ensued. That was the most impressive display of community participation in an event I have ever seen. Until now. The night(s) of the November full moon find the city of Chiang Mai, Thailand alive and vibrant in a wonderful celebration. Actually there are two different traditional celebrations happening at the same time.