Fiji Hotel Chain provides and Alternative to Packaged Tourism
The owners of Fiji’s largest budget accommodation chain have decided to counter the burgeoning bus and package tour trade by refocusing on the independent traveler. With more and more visitors being...
View ArticleAlaska & Canada Bicycle Trip Part II
Portland, Oregon September 02, 2001 Victoria and the lower Forty Eight The planned few days off in Victoria turned into two weeks, thanks to the relentless hospitality of my friends Gil and Lynne...
View ArticleMt. Rainier, WA – The Climb
The solar composting toilet at Camp Muir and Mt. Adams as seen from the slopes of Mt. Rainier Introduction We stayed one night at Camp Muir, then crossed the Cowlitz Glacier to Cathedral Gap (10,640...
View ArticleCrater Lake, Oregon – October 2006
Crater Lake Oregon – This stunning lake located in Southern Oregon is the 2nd deepest lake in North America, and is the 7th deepest in the world. It is self contained within the walls of a steep...
View ArticleSummer Shangrila Santa Monica
Summer of Shangri-LA Begins with a Splash! Suite 700, The Courtyard and Ditch Day Fridays make their Debut at hotel Shangri-LA in Santa Monica Sweeping Ocean Views, Summery Cocktails, and Courtyard...
View ArticlePacific Northwest Trips
Pacific Northwest Trips by Lonely Planet is one of 6 books in Lonely Planets new “Trips” Series covering select locations in the United States. These books are ideal for those looking to make a...
View ArticleCanada Experience Part 1: Entering British Columbia and Victoria
It was the summer of 2010 and we wanted to escape our city life in Austin, Texas and visit the Pacific Northwest. We had ten days off and decided to drive from Texas, to Oregon, Washington, and British...
View ArticleSan Juan Sailor
Cold rain and a fierce north wind whipped my face. I tightened my hood, careful to keep one hand on the Zodiac’s helm. I knew almost nothing about sailing, but here I was, at the wheel of a 127-foot...
View ArticleStarting Early with the Philly Cheesteak: The Delicious Icon of Philadelphia
“Philly cheesesteak! Philly cheesesteak! You’re always telling me that you can’t wait until your son is old enough to enjoy a Philly cheesesteak!” Many times my grandson, Laith, would repeat these...
View ArticlePatrick Smith: Airline Pilot and Author
For those who travel often for business or pleasure – airports and planes are an integral part of our lives. Entire online communities have been formed around the airplane – FlyerTalk is the perfect...
View ArticleGreen Travel Tips
Travel can be enjoyable – certainly one way to refresh your spirit and experience other cultures and ways of life. But travel involves transportation – often one of the most “un green” concepts on the...
View ArticleIn Step With The Wind
It’s calm here. The breeze is strong as it passes from Pacific Ocean waters, onto the shore, across the land, and without end back to where the wind did not begin. I am standing on the sandy beach...
View ArticleDispatch: Atom Ant Japanese Houseguest
John M. Edwards receives a strange visitor from the Nipponese “Land of the Rising Sun,” who is, of course, despite a strong yen, ultimately a freeloader. In Westfield, New Jersey, United States, North...
View ArticlePalau Celebrates the Globe’s Ten Best Places to Swim
(Palau, Micronesia — July 8, 2014) There are many idyllic swimming destinations in the world, but Palau’s Jellyfish Lake ranks high as one of the most unusual. According to social media manager Jessie...
View ArticleOutback Beyond: 6 Months in Australia
PART I: QUEENSLAND I landed with a thump on a Quantus long-haul flight, back when smoking was allowed and drinking encouraged, like a character out of a Bruce Chatwin novel. I was ineffably in error...
View ArticleA Trip Through Bigfoot’s Back Yard
Every kid knows about the legend of Bigfoot. Cartoons have been filling children’s minds with hairy-man-beasts for decades! Growing up in the northeast I always thought that bigfoot was a myth that...
View ArticlePhiladelphia State of Mind
For an L.A. girl, Philadelphia beckons with the charms of time – stratums of culture, history, beauty – that result in a city pulsating with energy. Sure, sunshine, palm trees and sandy beaches sparkle...
View ArticlePea Island National Refuge is for the Birds! Humans can visit. [OBX, NC]
Many have been to Pea Island National Refuge when they drive down Hwy 12 in North Carolina’s Outer Banks (OBX) on the way to somewhere else. But, they may not know it. It’s a lonely stretch of road,...
View ArticleAdventure Travel in Quebec
“Blessed are the curious, for they shall have adventure.” I admit I only know a little about Quebec, that francophone region located right in the heart of North America. I am aware that it is Canada’s...
View ArticleCamino de Santiago
The air in the waiting room at the Bilbao International Airport pressed against us, dank and heavy. A greasy stench rose from a counter loaded with plastic containers of Spanish omelets. “Where are...
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