Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for international travel
A Different Kind of River Walk
By Linda Tancs
Morecambe Bay, just south of England’s Lake District National Park, gives new meaning to the phrase “to walk on water.” Every year from May to September, intrepid travelers brave the shifting sands in a six-mile walk from Arnside Promenade to Kents Bank Station–dependent on the tides, of course. If it sounds dangerous, make no mistake–it is. That’s why this centuries-old jaunt is led by an official guide with an ancient moniker, Guide to the Kent Sands. Best to wear your shorty shorts and plimsoles or sandals. Leave the fancy gear at home.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it on sites such as StumbleUpon, vote for it, or bookmark it. Thanks for your support! Travelrific® was featured as Blog of the Day on NJ.com!
Share this:
Secure Flight Means Tighter ID Requirements
By Linda Tancs
The Transportation Security Administration recently announced the implementation of its Secure Flight program, an initiative from 9/11 requiring airlines to collect precise identity information to match up against the no-fly and warning lists. The program requires that a party present ID at check-in that matches the name given to the airline when making a reservation. Of paramount concern is whether a problem will arise if a driver’s license or passport omits a middle name or middle initial or some other hiccup in identity that is otherwise revealed on a boarding pass, or vice versa. Perhaps it’s too early to tell what the ramifications of the new rule will be, which ultimately will apply to both domestic and international travel (international rules taking effect in late 2009). The best advice? Have the appropriate ID handy when making that reservation or when instructing your travel agent.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it on sites such as StumbleUpon, vote for it, or bookmark it. Thanks for your support! Travelrific® was featured as Blog of the Day on NJ.com!
Share this:
Going Green in Madagascar
By Linda Tancs
Recent reports indicate that Madagascar, the Indian Ocean island off the coast of southeastern Africa, just got a little greener. As in frogs–200 new species of them. Not all of them green, of course, but if you put them all together it might look like a small treetop. The way things are going, it may well be the only way to get the feel of a canopy in this idyllic island nation. Word has it that the protected forests are being plundered. In fact, rainforest destruction there is among the highest on the planet. And that gives our amphibious friends really something to croak about.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it on sites such as StumbleUpon, vote for it, or bookmark it. Thanks for your support! Travelrific® was featured as Blog of the Day on NJ.com!
Share this:
Live Like a Novelist
By Linda Tancs
Fans of mystery writer Agatha Christie will be pleased to learn that her beloved Devonshire home, Greenway, has been reopened to the public after refurbishments restoring it to its original condition. Deeded to Mrs. Mallowan (her married name) in 1938, she resided there with her husband for over 20 years, transferring the property in 1959 to her daughter. Now owned by the U.K.’s National Trust, a cottage on the grounds can be rented. Timed tickets are available for tours of the main house. Who knows, maybe you’ll find your muse there. As Christie once said, “Everything that has existed, lingers in the Eternity.”
If you enjoyed this post, please share it on sites such as StumbleUpon, vote for it, or bookmark it. Thanks for your support! Travelrific® was featured as Blog of the Day on NJ.com
Share this:
Konstanz Blooms
By Linda Tancs
Each spring over a half million bulbs start blooming in Mainau, an island in Lake Constance, Germany. For gardeners, this event is no doubt topped with the orchid show in the Palm House. The springtime bonanza, planned and cultivated by the late Swedish prince Lennart Bernadotte and run by his children, attracts over 1 million visitors a year. Those without a green thumb need not spare themselves a visit. The 111-acre site, open year round, also boasts an arboretum, a children’s playground, a butterfly house and what else–a castle. Get there via the scenic route by boat from Meersberg and Unteruhldingen.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it on sites such as StumbleUpon, vote for it, or bookmark it. Thanks for your support! Travelrific® was featured as Blog of the Day on NJ.com
Share this:
A Head in the Clouds
By Linda Tancs
If you fancy the idea of experiencing life amidst the treetops like Swiss Family Robinson, then a trip to Costa Rica should be on your short list. At Monteverde Cloud Forest, you can commune with nature along the Skywalk, a series of suspension bridges and integrated walking paths atop the forest canopy–that’s in the clouds, of course (hence, the name). Orchid lovers will swoon over nearly 1500 species supplying a great part of the world’s florists. The walk will take about 2 hours. If you’d rather zip along, then you might want to take Sky Trek (a bit of a misnomer if you ask me), a zip line that zig zags through 10 different cables at about 500 feet. The less adventurous would do just as well taking the tram. They say that 90% of all rainforest life is found in the canopy. With all the flora and fauna converging on this ecosystem, it gives new meaning to the phrase “workplace diversity.”
If you enjoyed this post, please share it on sites such as StumbleUpon, vote for it, or bookmark it. Thanks for your support! Travelrific® was featured as Blog of the Day on NJ.com!
Share this:
Earth Day Celebrations
By Linda Tancs
Happy Earth Day. Kermit the Frog says it’s not easy being green. Earth Day advocates surely don’t agree. This year’s events will show you why. Listen in at Travelrific Radio.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it on sites such as StumbleUpon, vote for it, or bookmark it. Thanks for your support! Travelrific® was featured as Blog of the Day on NJ.com!
Share this:
A Carpet of Color
By Linda Tancs
American painter Georgia O’Keeffe once remarked, “I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way – things I had no words for.” Well, if colors could speak then there’d be a torrent of conversation taking place now through May at Keukenhof Gardens, a kaleidoscope of tulips and other flowering bulbs in the Netherlands near Amsterdam. Now in its 60th year, they say it’s the most photographed spot in the world. And why shouldn’t it be, with 7 million bulbs swaying in the breeze. Gives new meaning to the expression, ‘spring is busting out all over.’
If you enjoyed this post, please share it on sites such as StumbleUpon, vote for it, or bookmark it. Thanks for your support! Travelrific® was featured as Blog of the Day on NJ.com!
Share this:
Frogs and Flowers
By Linda Tancs
Gunung Gading National Park in Borneo sports two interesting attributes: frogs and flowers. Its amphibious distinction owes to what some might describe as an other-worldly population of frogs. Considering the folk wisdom that the presence or absence of frogs is a barometer of environmental health, this can only signal good things. Its floral fame arises from its status as the home of the world’s largest flower, Rafflesia tuan-mudae. At full bloom this giant flower streches nearly one meter in width. The catch, of course, is to find it in bloom, an infrequent and short-lived event. Don’t let that stop you from exploring this national treasure southwest of Sarawak. From the peak of Mount Gading you can make like Lewis and Clark and survey all the flora and fauna the region has to offer.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it on sites such as StumbleUpon, vote for it, or bookmark it. Thanks for your support! Travelrific® was featured as Blog of the Day on NJ.com!
Share this:
Spring in Willingen
By Linda Tancs
The last drifts of snow are melting away at the foot of Ettelsberg in the skiing mecca of Willingen, the Sauerland region of Germany. But that doesn’t have to portend a mass exodus from the area. The spring thaw exposes a countryside rife with nature parks, hiking trails, and moorlands, not to mention a slate mine and even a milk museum. Take it all in from the panoramic views atop the Hochheide Tower, the highest point of elevation in northwest Germany. The closest airport is the Paderborn-Lippstadt airport (approx. 50 km). Other airports are at Dortmund (97km), Düsseldorf (160km), Frankfurt am Main (175km) and Hanover (200km).
If you enjoyed this post, please share it on sites such as StumbleUpon, vote for it, or bookmark it. Thanks for your support! Travelrific® was featured as Blog of the Day on NJ.com!
Travelrific® Travel Journal 