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To most, the name “Philadelphia” is synonymous with Rocky Balboa, the Liberty Bell, and soft pretzels.  But the cradle of American democracy boasts more than its well-known slew of historic landmarks and pop culture references – it is also home to a large number of world class art museums, complete with its very own Avenue des Champs-Élysées leading from City Hall to what is, arguably, the crown jewel in the city’s collection: The Philadelphia Museum …

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In Rajasthan, it’s the colors that strike you first.

It’s the vibrant, striking colors worn by the residents of this ancient – and very proud – region, called “Land of Kings” because of a royal history like no other part of India. The land in which they live is a dry, often-monochromatic desert. But the history of Rajasthan is anything but monochromatic. It pulses with the ebbs and tides of a tumultuous history. And even …

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Here’s one thing I learned on my first-ever camping trip last week: There’s something kind of sexy about sleeping with your husband under a star-filled night sky, watching him wrestle a big rig across the vast prairie, recalling cowboy movies set beside soaring red cliffs.

But I digress. Let’s start at the beginning.

Our amazing adventure in Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon started with an email from Benoit Lafond, CEO and co-founder of Noovo, …

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Since 2015, I have hosted nearly a dozen trips on hotel barges. These are narrow, custom-built vessels that putter along the French canals generally for six nights/seven days. Because the barges are confined to dimensions that will allow the transit of multiple locks, many measuring less than 20 feet wide, staterooms are smallish but adequate…

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It’s August, the peak of the traditional summer vacation season, and Santa wants to know: Have you taken your vacation time?

If not, you’re typical for an American, but not typical in a way you want to be. Let others live boring lives. You don’t have to.

Earlier in the summer, Expedia came out with its 24th Annual Vacation Deprivation Report. It said, “Roughly half of Americans don’t plan on using all their time …

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Heading out to see autumn’s arrival on the landscape is not a popular pastime in Catalonia, Spain, despite the fact that there is plenty to see on the trees come November. During the fall, seasonal tourism has more to do with searching out delectable mushrooms in northern forests and hunting than admiring the way the leaves turn. Low season in northern Catalonia, autumn is an ideal time to find a deal on hotels, avoid crowds, …

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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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