Browsing: travel advice

If you have ever done any air traveling in a post-911 world, the three most dreaded words tend to be “TSA Security Checkpoint”. Well, fear no more. The agency, in a recent press release, has offered some relief to travelers who are wary of taking off their shoes and being groped just to fly home to visit grandma.…

The thought of a home stay in India can ignite romantic images of cultural exchange. A comfortable room in a private residence, adorned with traditional fabrics and décor, can offer a warm contrast to a stark hotel room. Instead of room service, you can enjoy a homemade chai and paratha at the breakfast table while engaged in dynamic conversation with the owner.

A home stay (or “homestay”) is typically defined as an accommodation where a …

Dear Travel IQ: My husband and I are making our lifelong dream a reality: this summer, we’re going to Italy! And not just Italy – we’ll be making our way through Germany, France, Belgium and England! Unlike my husband, though, I’m pretty worried about “fitting in”: I don’t want someone taking advantage of us because they know we’re tourists. On top of that, I sometimes have social anxieties about standing out in a crowd. …

Trying to impress that special someone? Consider these steamy Spanish stays to wine and dine your sweetheart.

1. Ski and Spa at Sant Roc Hotel, Solsona:

If romance and an adrenaline rush are one in the same for you and your sweetie, then a stay near the Spanish Pyrenees Mountains is the way to go. At the foothills of the Pyrenees, Solsona is an ancient village made up of stone houses and snug cafes. Spend …

–Five Destinations from the Author–

1. Mayan World:

This year it’s all about the “Mundo Maya” or “Mayan World,” which is mostly centered in Guatemala, Belize, southern Mexico’s Yucatan region and Honduras. As the Maya calendar comes to a close at the end of 2012, the Mundo Maya gears up with spiritual celebrations and specialized tours focusing on Mayan culture. Trek through the emerald Petén jungle to …

“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 …

Valparaiso, for want of a better word, is a shanty town on the coast of Chile. Starting from its docks, sitting in that all too commonly found water, colored grayish brown by the offal of container ships, it extends up scattered hills away from the sea. The city grows up with them; it’s a bit all over the place – disjointed and beautiful. It makes up a sort of patchwork cloth of a city, with …

Bed, treats, water dish and leash: Pooch needs a suitcase too. More and more people are packing up their dogs and taking them on vacations.

Pet lovers want to travel with their dogs for both practical and sentimental reasons. Many dog-loving travelers head to California resorts for a trip to share with their four-footed furry friends. The mix of tourist-oriented hospitality, year-round warm weather and miles of beaches in California creates an exceptionally dog-friendly state. …

Over 10 million Americans travel with their pets every year, according to the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA). Most of the travel (76%) is done by car, but that still leaves a whooping 2.4 million pets flying somewhere every year.

When it comes to traveling, sometimes it’s the simplest and most basic mistakes that put your pets at risk. So if you already know what to do to keep your pet safe, maybe it’s …

I’m not a man designed for transport really, be that public or otherwise. My limbs are longer than they should be, my posture is terrible, and I have trouble sleeping in anything other than a bed. So it’s no surprise that my least favorite bit of traveling is that spent in actual transit. And as most know, an unhealthy amount of most traveling is exactly that: mastering the art of sitting still for hours at …

Excuse me.  Sir!  You there.  I have a request.  No, not you nice man.  You go on about your day and enjoy your vacation.

I’m speaking to the other gentleman, the one who is so incapable of controlling his impulses that he just chucked that small boy overboard.  Oh!  That was your son, and you were just playing?  I see.

Well, I’m also talking to that lady over there who thinks it’s funny to draw …

Now what, you may ask, is the interest of learning a small measure of French? Those of you who have traveled to France can relate to the frustration of waiting years to use your high school French knowledge, only to be rebuffed with English by a smug crêpe seller. Moreover, they only speak French in that one European country — Paris, or something. Mandarin Chinese is much more practical.

French, the language of love and …

Sometimes you might feel an irresistible urge to see a specific European city or visit a particular continental site, and nothing short of that will do. More often than not, however, it is a certain type of trip that travelers crave. So here are three affordable Eastern European variations on classic vacation themes.

A Habsburg Holiday: Zagreb is an economical alternative for anyone who adores Vienna or Budapest. It’s geographically closer to those cities than …