Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for U.S. travel
Cool Deals Sizzle Caribbean
By Linda Tancs
Perhaps it isn’t cold enough to think of island getaways, but it pays to plan ahead. The U.S. Virgin Islands “Winter Escape” promotion provides hot savings on vacations in St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John.
Book now at a participating hotel through October 31, 2008, for travel between January 1 and March 31, 2009, and receive a complimentary 5th night based on a five-night minimum stay, plus $300 in traveler’s checks and a coupon book with savings on activities and attractions. Participating hotels in St. Croix include The Palms at Pelican Cove, Chenay Bay Beach Resort, Carambola Beach Resort & Spa, Divi Carina Bay Resort, Hibiscus Beach Resort, Sand Castle on the Beach, The Buccaneer, Holger Danske Hotel, Club St. Croix, Colony Cove and Hotel Caravelle. Weekly events on the island include crab races, live jazz and a West Indian BBQ. In St. Thomas, stay at The Ritz-Carlton, Best Western Carib Beach, Best Western Emerald Beach, Bolongo Bay Beach Resort, Holiday Inn Windward Passage, Frenchman’s Reef & Morning Star Marriott Beach Resort, Sapphire Beach Resort, Point Pleasant, Sapphire Village and the Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort & Spa (check out the Big Screen on the Green. Even the Estate Concordia Campground in St. John is in on the deal. Book now. Play later.
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Oktoberfest at the Taj
By Linda Tancs
Get your oom-pah on this weekend at the Taj Mahal. No, not the one in India–the one in Atlantic City, New Jersey. From noon till 8 on Saturday and noon till 6 on Sunday there’ll be non-stop entertainment direct from Germany, along with traditional eats and a shopping marketplace filled with imported gifts, clothes and tableware. The festival is 15 years’ strong and a big draw in the area. Be there or be square.
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Ahoy, Santa Maria
By Linda Tancs
Repeat after me: in 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue. That ship was the Santa Maria, a wooden cargo ship plying the waters in search of a direct trade route to the Indies. In honor of upcoming Columbus Day, why not visit its museum-quality replica in Columbus, Ohio? Tours last 45 minutes and the cost is under five dollars. The anniversary party is on the 10th, but the fun doesn’t stop there. You can even spend a night aboard the ship and experience the life of a 15th century sailor. You’ll get to know the ropes, by and large. Just don’t get pooped.
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Goodwill Traveling
By Linda Tancs
Voluntourism, or the combination of travel and volunteer work, is reportedly one of the fastest growing segments of the travel industry. If the idea of being both a traveler and a change agent appeals to you, then maybe this is the gig for you. Some typical tours include teaching English to children in remote villages or building a home or school. There are lots of programs and organizations to choose from. Learn more here
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Days in Rodanthe
By Linda Tancs
So the movie Nights in Rodanthe got me thinking–what’s on in Rodanthe? Rodanthe, along Highway 12 at the northern reach of Hatteras Island, North Carolina, is a beach goer’s delight. The movie highlights Mirlo Beach (named for a tanker sunk during World War I) and the beach rental, Serendipity. Water sports abound here. There isn’t much else to do, really. Leave the laptop home as internet access is a bit spotty. With all the kayaking, fishing, surfing, and sailboarding that awaits, perhaps that’s by design.
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Swiss Heirs
By Linda Tancs
In 1845 two Swiss residents from the canton of Glarus were sent to the U.S. to purchase land for a Swiss settlement. The prosperous homestead that followed became New Glarus, Wisconsin, a rural slice of the homeland just a hop, skip and jump away from Madison. And for those yearning for the alphorns, yodelers and folk dancers of the old country but unable to afford the real McCoy, this might be the perfect staycation for you. New Glarus is boastful of its observation of the traditional holidays and Swiss-German dialect. And the chalet-laden downtown offers up enough cuckoo clocks, lace, cheese and chocolate that you might even forget there’s no duty-free allowance–or international baggage restrictions–to worry about. For every time there is a season. Yours may be just a hilly, hairpin curve away.
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Do CPAP Machines Cause Baggage Woes?
By Linda Tancs
Statistics indicate that over 12 million people in the U.S. alone suffer from sleep apnea, an obstructive sleep disorder. So it shouldn’t be surprising that travelers want to take their CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machines onboard to use during long flights or at their final destination. Needless to say, one must determine in advance of flight whether the device will be considered part of normal carry-on items. FAA regulations, for instance, permit medical devices as an additional piece of carry-on luggage. But if you can bring it on board, can you use it? International carriers’ policies can vary widely on the subject. Some airlines may permit, or prefer, battery-operated devices and not require medical clearance. Others may require medical clearance by their experts in advance of flight regardless whether the device is powered electrically or by battery. Best not to leave this one up to chance, as any delay in flight arrangements may not be recompensed by insurance when it’s the passenger who is delayed rather than the plane.
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Solitary Confinement
By Linda Tancs
In 1732 German immigrant Johann Conrad Beissel sought out solitude in the Pennsylvania countryside in what is now Ephrata. There he established a reclusive retreat dedicated to the pursuit of spirituality, and the Solitary movement was born. The Solitary lived a monastic life dedicated to prayer and worship, eating a single evening meal off of the lands they tended. Although the last of the order died over a century ago and the lands sold to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, the Ephrata Cloister’s heritage is preserved at various houses and meeting rooms that can be toured on the property. The experience comes complete with guides in the white robes worn by members of the Cloister to hide their bodies. As the song goes, give me that old time religion. Or at the very least, as their website says, a quiet place to visit.
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Garlic is Good for You
By Linda Tancs
That’s what the folks at Two Rivers in Montpelier, Vermont will tell you this weekend at their annual Garlic Festival on Saturday. You’ll even get a free flatbread pizza and salad with your admission. Organized by Food Works, the event includes garlic harvesting workshops, a silent auction, musical entertainment and gardening information, topped off by the Golden Garlic Award, raffle and recognition. Breath mints are optional.
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Fly-In This Weekend at Sheridan
By Linda Tancs
If air flight looks like a distant memory given shrinking schedules amidst rising oil prices, then experience the thrill vicariously in Sheridan, Wyoming this weekend at the Fly-In. Officially starting on Monday, all weekend long over 200 pilots of various craft large and small will delight onlookers at the Sportsman Complex on Keystone Road. Enjoy the action from dawn till dusk.
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