Travelrific® Travel Journal

Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!

The Town of Boiled Beans

By Linda Tancs

One wouldn’t normally associate Bangalore, the tech haven of India, with boiled beans.  That is, unless you consider the tale that the name of the subcontinent’s fifth largest city is derived from the term “bende kaalu ooru”–translated as the town of boiled beans.  Not to be confused, of course, with “Beantown,” some 8000 miles away as the crow flies.  Want to fly from Beantown (Boston) to Bangalore?  You could try winning some free tickets with Emirates.

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 The author has not received any compensation for writing this content and has no material connection to the brands, topics, products and/or services that are mentioned herein.

Free Tickets

By Linda Tancs

Unless you’ve won a door prize or cashed in some frequent flyer miles, it isn’t every day you have the opportunity to get free airline tickets.  But that’s just what JetBlue did a few days ago in celebration of its tenth year in service.  And they’re not done; apparently the prizes will keep coming on the 10th of each month in a year-long birthday celebration.  Better keep your eye on their Twitter account for more treats!

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 The author has not received any compensation for writing this content and has no material connection to the brands, topics, products and/or services that are mentioned herein.

Weightless in Seattle

By Linda Tancs

If Virgin Galactic’s $200k price tag is a bit steep to indulge your taste for weightless travel, then consider Zero G, a company offering you a series of parabolic arcs aboard a modified Boeing 727 to create a weightless environment.   Think of it as the adult version of a kiddie bounce house.  Flight locations include Las Vegas, Cape Canaveral, Titusville, Seattle, Los Angeles, New York and Washington, DC.  Put a little spring in your step.

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The Arts Illuminated

By Linda Tancs

There’s more than just The Alamo to remember in San Antonio, Texas.  In particular, the month of March is a celebration of contemporary art, highlighted by the Luminaria on 13 March.  A nationally and internationally acclaimed event, Luminaria showcases every element of the visual and performing arts in one magnificent evening downtown.  Participants include several hundred artists and over 40 nonprofits.  In 2009, 185,000 people attended Luminaria.  Why not?  It’s free.  But with attendance like that, you’d better book your hotel now.

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Bizarre Foods

By Linda Tancs

In Hokitika, New Zealand, they don’t call it the Wildfoods Festival for nothing.  On 13 March you’ll find various and sundry kiwis sampling such delights as worm sushi, pickled grubs, anyway-you-like beetles and crickets, and insect larvae.  Top it off with some udderly divine desserts and wine made with flower petals to wash it all down.  If you’ve got an iron will, you might need an iron stomach to match.

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 The author has not received any compensation for writing this content and has no material connection to the brands, topics, products and/or services that are mentioned herein.

Tourists Help Fund Travel Promotions

By Linda Tancs

As reported previously on this blog, a movement has been afoot in Congress to fund U.S. travel promotion with, among other things, fees from foreign tourists.  This week President Obama signed into law the Travel Promotion Act.  The multimillion dollar national marketing program administered by the Corporation for Travel Promotion will assess a $10 fee every two years on tourists from visa waiver countries .  With a decades-long slip in international tourism dollars from 16% of the market to 12%, the added bump in PR revenue might not be all that significant.  Good thing the private sector is allowed to contribute as much as $100 million to the cause.

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Free Ride for Women

By Linda Tancs

It’s International Women’s Day, a day to celebrate women’s strides in equality, peace and development.  In Greece, it’s an opportunity to ride public transport for free, particularly in Athens.  Check with your local transport authority for benefits.  Happy travels!

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 The author has not received any compensation for writing this content and has no material connection to the brands, topics, products and/or services that are mentioned herein.

Arts and Crafts By the River

By Linda Tancs

The 37th season of Oregon’s Portland Saturday Market,the largest outdoor craft market in the U.S., begins on 6 March.  The event, located at SW Ankeny  St and Naito Parkway in historic Old Town, gives 250 or more artists the opportunity to showcase their handicrafts.  While there you’ll enjoy live music and exotic foods.  The kickoff includes a children’s parade at 2pm.  Are you a master crafter?  Maybe you should think about joining.

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Flower Power in Philly

By Linda Tancs

Winter white will mix with “Rainbows in Flight” at this year’s flower show in Philadelphia.  Now through 7 March at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, the largest and oldest indoor show of its kind has amended its moniker to the “Philadelphia International Flower Show” in recognition of its past exhibitions of landscapes and plants from Asia, Europe, Africa, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.  This year’s “Passport to the World” theme builds on previous celebrations of the world’s flowers and gardens.  Among the many offerings, visitors can experience the Amazon, trek through an Indian wedding,  peek into Zulu culture, enjoy a tribute to the orchid and giant Victoria water lilies and witness exotic displays from New Zealand’s Maori tribe among the popular Casablanca and calla lilies.  All the world’s a stage here, and you don’t have to trot around the globe to see it.

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The Ice Man Cometh

By Linda Tancs

The bogeyman may make sad the heart of childhood, but the Ice Cream Man makes glad the palate when he delivers personalized sundaes to kids before bedtime at Boston’s Four Seasons Hotel.  For that you’ll need to book the VIK (Very Important Kids) package.  What child wouldn’t love their own bathrobe and slippers, complimentary gift from the toy wagon, toy boat filled with treats and a scavenger hunt!  Childhood is a short season, as actress Helen Hayes observed.  The Four Seasons makes it a little sweeter.

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 The author has not received any compensation for writing this content and has no material connection to the brands, topics, products and/or services that are mentioned herein.