Browsing: Adventure

Santa Catalina Island is a slice of tropical life nested in Southern California. Once you arrive in Avalon, you can forget all your worries and play as if you’ve landed in the Caribbean.

You will find Catalina Island listed as a stop for a number of cruise ships on their way to Mexico from Los Angeles or San Diego. It is also just a short ferry ride from the Southern California ports of Marina Del …

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Polar bears, beluga whales and Northern Lights await in Churchill, Manitoba. This rugged town on the shores of Hudson Bay offers the perfect place to explore Canada’s North. Connected to the Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic Ocean, Hudson Bay is the second largest bay in the world. Churchill was founded in 1689 as a fur trading post for the Hudson’s Bay Company. With no main roads into the town, access is by train or by …

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Just imagine acres of glorious countryside where hills undulate under a blanket of green and flocks of sheep and cows graze come rain or shine. Think of a destination where the national emblem of the thistle is reminiscent of fierce battles with Vikings from years gone by. This is Scotland, a place for an inherently romantic getaway offering superb scenery. This beautiful country is overflowing with many splendid examples of castles, culture and a sense …

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Shanghai. It sounds so exotic and glamorous. And let’s be frank, when you put those two adjectives together, you are often talking about expensive, as well. But the fact is that China has traditionally been and remains a budget traveler’s dream, as the Chinese RMB  rises in value but the local way of life is cheap, cheap, cheap.

As in any place, budget travel in Shanghai is all about making the right choices. Hostel over …

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I suspect that if you looked up the phrase “finding paradise” in the dictionary, one of the definitions you’d be given would read like this:

“the act of spending five carefree, abundantly sunny days exploring the idyllic Hawaiian island of Oahu.”

The Hawaiian islands are legendary. The image of arcing palm trees casting shade over a fuzzy-haired surfer as he waits for the tide to come in, has become so iconic in American culture that …

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Aruba is best known for its spectacular beaches and surf side sun and fun, but there are many cool and offbeat activities well worth seeking out that you’ll rarely find anywhere. Here are a few of them…

Adopt a Donkey

Donkey Sanctuary Aruba (www.arubandonkey.org ), on the skirts of Arikok National Park, is a non-profit, fully volunteer foundation dedicated to providing a safe haven for wild, injured, and unwanted donkeys on the island. You can …

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Ireland’s lush, green scenery begs to be explored on foot. Despite the fact that it is a relatively small country, many of its best scenery – lakes, valleys, mountains and hills – remain more or less unspoiled and wild. Add to that the country’s numerous national hiking trails and designated camp sites and any adventurous type can easily muck through the island’s rainy climate to enjoy some of the most spectacular scenery in the world.…

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In a world where camping lovers and luxury travelers collided, someone decided to do something about it. Glamping combines the best of both worlds for those who love to sleep under the stars, but want to do it in a comfortable bed; or the couple that is torn between one’s desire to pitch a tent and the other’s need to have a comfortable floor to walk on.

The whole idea of glamping is one of …

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Lisbon is known as the “City of White Light” due to the bright sunshine reflected off of the numerous cobblestone sidewalks and plazas. In fact, Lisbon’s Terreiro do Paco, situated right over the Tejo River is the largest plaza in all of Europe. But for all its “white space,” the Portuguese capital also boasts a good amount of green space and, of course, beautiful beaches. But the trick is to find those spots where the …

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With the US Presidential election just a little over one year away, New Hampshire residents once again get the unique chance to meet most – if not all – of the hopeful candidates face-to-face.  If you’d like to shake hands with future world leaders while touring a quintessential New England state, this fall is the perfect time to visit New Hampshire.

New Hampshire is among the smallest states both geographically and in population, with only …

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Dear Travel IQ: I’ve decided I would like to live abroad for a year. I’m not flush with cash, just nerve. What are my pennyless options?

Signed: Expat to be in Charleston, SC


Dear Expat:

We’ve all felt it: that longing sadness that sinks to the bottom of your stomach as you realize your dream vacation is coming to an end. Just as you thought you were getting a feel for the place, …

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Krakow is a city known for its long and colorful past, and the priceless and awe-inspiring, original surviving remnants from all different periods in its history and the people that came and went over the years. While these magnificent structures and relics are major tourist magnets, and rightfully so, Krakow also has had a boom of modern construction and new attractions to keep things interesting for the millions of annual visitors that come to Poland’s …

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When I arrived in Miedzychod to visit a friend who had relocated there, we went for a drive and soon were turning off the narrow one-lane, main road onto where there was no road at all–only a forest. The car, a creaky red Polish hatchback, crunched it way over the gritty forest floor, through a thicket of spindly pine trees. After parking in a small clearing, we got out of the car, gathered up the …

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Holidays have become all about the destination, not the journey. We cram ourselves into an airplane, jet off for a couple of weeks in a different culture, and often return more exhausted than when we went away. Maybe that’s because we’re forgetting that life is a journey, not a destination.

Yet in today’s fast-paced, instant-access world, there are still amazing journeys to be had if you take a trip on a freighter ship. Deep within …

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