Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for March, 2008
The Syrup is Flowing in Ottowa
By Linda Tancs
If it’s March, it must be Maple Syrup Month. That’s right, the sap is flowing in Ottowa, so go grab a bucket and indulge your sweet tooth. Get ready to wander through acres of maples. You can “maple-ize” anything–even beer. Check out www.ottowatourism.ca for the month’s festivities.
A Little Napa in the Holy Land
By Linda Tancs
Perhaps fueled by Western oenophiles, Israel’s fledgling wine industry is enjoying a surge in interest. And why not, considering that its subtropical climate of hot days and cool nights lends itself quite nicely to the art of winemaking. Although the epicenter of winemaking would be the Judean Hills, wineries can be found from the Golan to the Mediterranean coast. So take a break from the turf and surf and enjoy a wine tasting in a nice cool cellar or lounge. Your taste buds will surely be thankful.
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Passport Cards Offer Convenience for Travelers
By Linda Tancs
Marketed as a less expensive and more portable form of passport book, the passport card gives U.S. travelers returning from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean a wallet-sized form of entry at seaports and land borders to meet the requirements of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. The card does not, however, replace the need for a passport when traveling by air. Like a traditional passport, the card is expected to have anti-counterfeiting features. Each card will also have an embedded radio frequency chip linking non-personal information to a secure government database at border stations. Applications for the card commenced on February 1, 2008 and delivery is expected in the spring. You can apply at any passport application facility. Find the one nearest you at http://travel.state.gov.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it on sites such as StumbleUpon, vote for it on Digg, or bookmark it on del.icio.us. Thanks for your support! Travelrific® was featured as Blog of the Day on NJ.com!
Best Travel Deals Just a Click Away
By Linda Tancs
Want that in-the-know ability that your travel agent has? Well, at least with respect to airfares, you can get it with Yapta. Yapta is your online 24/7 travel consultant, offering a watch service for airfares on several major carriers. And you can enter your confirmation number to watch that fare that you booked two weeks earlier. If the price drops, you’ll be notified. Then, of course, you’ll be notifying the carrier about that refund for the difference. You know, the one they’d never tell you about unless you asked. Yapta requires a download of their software (for free), available in Explorer and Firefox versions. Visit them at www.yapta.com.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it on sites such as StumbleUpon, vote for it on Digg, or bookmark it on del.icio.us. Thanks for your support! Travelrific® was featured as Blog of the Day on NJ.com!
New Era in Flight Sharing
By Linda Tancs
Okay, Virgin really needs to stop pioneering everything or else we’ll need to rename the blog Virgin Travelrific. In his latest endeavor, Branson has unveiled Virgin Charter, a flight charter company offering a less pricey alternative to private flying–those selections being plane ownership (yes, that could get expensive), timesharing (you might lose control over your selections), or jet cards (you prepay for miles you expect to fly). So if you’re looking to fly 20 or so of your closest friends to the pistes in Aspen, VC will find you the charter that puts the smallest dent in your wallet. You could even bid on an empty leg and get a bargain. Check it out at www.virgincharter.com.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it on sites such as StumbleUpon, vote for it on Digg, or bookmark it on del.icio.us. Thanks for your support! Travelrific® was featured as Blog of the Day on NJ.com!
Airline Offers Online Booking Guarantee
By Linda Tancs
Delta Airlines is luring online travel junkies with an offer of a refund or a voucher if another online travel operator offers passengers an identical ticket at a lower fare than that found on the airline’s website. Read the fine print (yes, you knew that was coming!)at www.delta.com.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it on sites such as StumbleUpon, vote for it on Digg, or bookmark it on del.icio.us. Thanks for your support! Travelrific® was featured as Blog of the Day on NJ.com!
Travel and Hospitality Take Hold of Environmental Protection
By Linda Tancs
Following last week’s report on Virgin’s maiden biofuel flight comes news that the airline is furthering its environmental protection initiatives by testing out zero-emissions vehicles on business traveler shuttle services. Virgin also plans on equipping planes with Rolls Royce engines to cut emissions by thirty percent. Not to be outdone, the hospitality industry is likewise jumping into the fray with Sofitel’s announcement that it will use windmills at its U.S. properties to cut its carbon dioxide emissions by two million pounds. Rock Resorts is also promoting green travel through recycling, water conservation, organic foods and a host of other policies. We’ve come a long way since the mere reuse of towels and linens.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it on sites such as StumbleUpon, vote for it on Digg, or bookmark it on del.icio.us. Thanks for your support! Travelrific® was featured as Blog of the Day on NJ.com!
Alluring Bermuda
By Linda Tancs
Legend has it that if you walk through a moongate, you’ll return to Bermuda someday. Chances are, you’d return anyway. Find out why at www.travelrificradio.com.

