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“I believe in the transformative power of travel,” Andrew Zimmern began when he got up on stage. He had just finished showing a clip from a recent episode of Bizarre Foods, the hit Travel Channel show that made Zimmern the travel celebrity he now is.

People were eager to hear what Andrew Zimmern had to say, and even in the sensory-overload setting of the Los Angeles Travel and Adventure Expo, all eyes seemed to …

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As the chef proudly leans across the counter to hand me my lunch, a few pieces of chopped tomato plop onto the floor.

He smiles sympathetically, knowing that by the end of the meal, I’ll be a mess. There’ll be sauce on my shirt, avocado on my jeans, and a splodge of mayonnaise on the floor. I expect he’s already alerting the cleaners: “get ready, a foreigner is eating a completo.”

The completo is practically …

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Seattle is a prime spot for Pacific Northwest and Alaska cruises. Many voyages begin and end in one of the city’s two cruise ports. Norwegian and Oceania cruise lines use Bell Street Terminal at Pier 66. Smith Cove Terminal at Pier 91 houses Princess, Carnival, Celebrity, Holland America, and Royal Caribbean cruise lines.

I’ve visited Seattle on its own and gone on cruises through there too. I’ve somehow managed to miss the major attractions each …

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1. Secure bib.
2. Strip off charred skin revealing white meat.
3.Dunk generously in romesco sauce.
4. Tilt head back and bite sweet onion in half.
5. Savor.
6. Repeat 19 more times.

These are the basic steps to eating calçots, a seasonal Catalan food that is something between a sweet onion and a leek. Millions of these toothsome winter treats are served sizzling off the barbecue from January to April in Catalonia, Spain.…

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It’s been five years since the federal government announced that it would require REAL IDs for travelers over 18. But in just a year from now, the regulation actually is likely to take effect.

Passed by Congress in 2005, the REAL ID Act was the result of a recommendation by the 9/11 Commission that the Federal Government “set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver’s licenses” before allowing people to board …

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Situated at the very heart of Western Europe is a small country named Luxembourg, which is 80km long and 68km wide.

Luxembourg City, the Grand Duchy’s capital, founded in 963, has maintained an atmosphere of contemplative tranquillity, and at its historic core (declared a World Heritage), it reveals a blend of contrasting styles of architecture developed over the past five centuries.

The phrase ‘Dynamite comes in small packages’ is rather fitting in this instance as …

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When we think of river cruises, we often think of couples drinking wine and gazing off their balconies, wandering through the cobblestone streets of Europe, sitting in the lounge for performances and eating meals in a communal dining room. Those are the things that keep me river cruising, but sometimes I want a little bit more. That’s why I love Avalon’s Active & Discovery itineraries. Avalon incorporates everything people like about a traditional river cruise, …

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The story of Glass Beach begins in the early 20th century when, even more so than now, environmental consciousness was far from the forefront of public concern. Located in Fort Bragg, approximately 170 miles north of San Francisco, Glass Beach is a unique spot along the coast.   In 1906, following a devastating earthquake in San Francisco, Fort Bragg residents began using the coastline as an unofficial dump site. For decades, the local community discarded household …

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With 38 states now allowing some form of medical marijuana, and recreational marijuana legal in 24 states and Washington, DC, you may assume traveling with medical marijuana is easy. However, the difference between the various state and federal governments increases the risk and could lead to an arrest or other complication.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration classifies cannabis as a Schedule I type of drug which declares the plant as a substance with currently no …

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Tianzi Mountain and Yuanjiajie  in Hunan Province, China, offer visitors a surreal landscape that served as inspiration for the floating mountains in James Cameron’s blockbuster movie “Avatar.” The enormous limestone pinnacles, draped in vegetation and often veiled in mist, create an otherworldly atmosphere. The unique landscape of towering sandstone pillars, some reaching heights of over 3,000 feet, offer views that indeed seem to belong to another planet entirely.

The area was once a vast sea. …

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If you are addicted to The Fashion Show, if you devour the fall fashion issue of Vogue, if you have an account with Bag, Borrow or Steal (a website where a monthly fee allows you to “borrow” designer handbags and jewelry), if you and your friends have arguments over the efficaciousness of skinny jeans (or boyfriend jeans, or low cut jeans, …), or if you simply love fashion and all that goes along with it, …

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One of the nicest things about the world’s greatest art galleries is that they tend to be in the world’s greatest cities – which is incredibly convenient. Once you’ve walked through kilometres of galleries and squinted at countless treasures until your arty-farty quotient is exhausted, you can soak up the vibe of the city around you. Theatres, restaurants, pubs, clubs, parks and shops galore will inject new life into tired eyes and feet, so you’re …

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Can children go on a river cruise? It depends. CroisiEurope is the only river cruise line to allow children under the age of three without exceptions. Emerald, Riviera and Scenic require that kids be 12 or older. And one company bans kids altogether.

While, as a father, I completely understand the desire to share river vacations with children, grandchildren, or other young people, not all lines (or passengers) welcome children. The good news, however, is …

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Anyone who tells you money can’t buy happiness is wrong.   What they mean to say is possessions can’t buy you happiness.  Money, on the other hand, can buy you plane tickets and visas and bottles of foreign wine to be uncorked while gazing out over a perfect beachside sunset.  Money can take you out to dinner with friends, or buy an espresso at that tiny corner café in Italy, or tickets to the Berlin Philharmonic.  …

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