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Luggage Review

Filed Under Travel Gadgets & Gear

Roll away luggage is no longer a trend – it’s practically a necessity with modern travel.  How to protect your luggage and travel in style is the modern girl’s dilemma.  But fear not, these stylish yet durable wheelie bags are perfect.  They range in price from $150 to $680, for all budgets, and all will last for years of travel destinations to come.

1. Halsea’s Roller Suitcase is all girly inside, with pink satin lining, but all tough on the outside.  The exterior features leather trim and laminated canvas panels for a unique style that will surely be easy to spot in baggage claim. $335.
2. Tumi has three, count ‘em three layers of super durable plastic.  They call this indestructible wheelie bag, which retails for $395, the T-Tech Polycarbonate Frequent Traveler.  It weighs less than nine pounds, which makes it light.
3. Samsonite Black Label will cost you $615 but boy its vintage look and tested durability is worth every penny.  The 26-inch Spinner Upright is designed after travel trunk styles from the 1930s.  The pink one is truly gorgeous!
4. Heys USA is the bargain wheelie bag, at $150.  It’s so light you will think everything fell out.  It’s a carry-on, too, so you save money by not checking your bag.  It’s only five pounds, and the XCase Exotic comes in fifteen colors!
5. At the other end of the price scale, at $680, we have Titan’s X2 Flash USA.  The 22-inch wheelie has a lifetime warranty, to justify that price.
6. Last, we have the ultra style of Betseyville, with retro bunches of flowers set on gingham, with gilded corners.  Picture perfect at $195.

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Travel Fiction Recommendations

Filed Under Travel Writing and Guidebooks

When we’re not traveling, we love to read all about it, and the best books are about exploring the world.  Here are our favorite picks.

1. White Gold by Giles Milton.  2006. Giles Milton wrote lots of books, but this one is the best.  It tells the horrific story of some English sailors captured by slave traders in the 1700s.  The protagonist, Thomas Pellow, wound up actually becoming a slave of a sultan of Morrocco for 23 years.  Why is this a travel book?  It’s about two decades’ worth of grisly encounters with horrible things, near-death experiences, and an exploration of Islamic culture at a time when decadence prevailed.
2. The Adventures of Ibn Battuta by Ross E. Dunn. 1986.  This one takes place in the 1200s, set in Asia.  Ibn Battuta was the son of a rich Morroccan merchant.  He traveled many of the same routes as Marco Polo, just a few decades later.  This is his story.   He claims to have visited such far-reaching corners of the globe as Egypt, Russia, China, Sumatra, India, and Persia.
3. In Xanadu by William Dalrymple. 1989.  Mr. Dalrymple made a modern-day pilgrimage from Jerusalem to to the ruins of Kublai Khan, near Bejing.  His journey on decrepit buses and the like, takes him to Xanadu.  He’s written about India and the Mughal empire before, but this is his first book.  His impressions are fascinating.
4. Through the Dark Continent by Henry M. Stanley. 1878.  This is the famous Stanley who uttered “Dr. Livingstone, I presume” in 1871.  He took a series of expeditions across Africa and wrote about natives.  Very courageous man, great book.
5. Travels With Herodotus by Ryszard Kapuscinski. 2007.  Travels through India, Africa, and China in the 1970s, contrasted with the same of Herodotus.  Very poetic travel writing.

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Tulum, Mexico

Filed Under Travel Destinations

For your next rustic beach vacation, head to Tulum, Mexico and you get to visit ancient ruins when you need a break from the beach. Stay in a jungle setting but don’t forgo the luxury. Spas, guest houses and luxury hotels dot the countryside around Tulum, Mexico, located on the Riviera Maya.

The ruins at Tulum are just a ten minute drive from downtown, but of course once you get there it feels like a million miles away. These are classic Mayan ruins, even visitable from Cancun, 80 miles away. The ruins are spectacular, not only because they’re perched above the Caribben Sea, but because of the amazing culture they symbolize, one far more civilized than many people realize until after they’ve seen the palaces, fortress walls, and frescoes depicting ancient gods and goddesses. Tulum actually means walls , and this is a fortress city so there are lots of them.

After exploring Tulum, have tacos for lunch, made from breaded and fried fish, shrimp, chicken or beef. Choose from over sixteen different salsas at Urge Taquito, which is on Highway 307 just a few minutes north of downtown. Tacos start at just over a dollar apiece!

While at Tulum, you swim off the white sandy beaches at the base of the fortress. Then sip the local specialty, Tulum Kiss, which has OJ, Champagne, ans raspberry vodka. These are found at hotel Pez in Tulum. Afterwards, head out to Mezzanin, a hotel that features a Friday night beach party with local DJs.

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Beach Getaways

Filed Under Travel

When it comes to escaping from the daily grind, nothing compares to a relaxing beach getaway in the sun. Whether you choose South Beach Miami, the Caribbean, or Mexico and beyond, some beach time will make your world inch to a halt, in the best possible way. Try and find anyone who doesn’t need a relaxing vacation, it’s hard! Here are some tempting beach getaways for your next great escape.

The Caribbean makes a wonderful escape from reality, and there are endless possibilities for the perfect beach vacation. In fact a Caribbean vacation may be the number one remedy for the Daily Grind Blues! There are hundreds of islands in the Caribbean, most with natural white sand beaches, many uninhabited. That means escape not only from your daily grind, but from civilization as well.

Another hot spot for the total beach getaway is South Beach. South Beach, Miami offers beach life plus totally spectacular people watching. You may even glimpse a few stars while you’re at it. South Beach, Miami is a strong star magnet in January and February, when it’s cold up north. Parties, beach events, clubs, all along the beaches come alive as one of the country’s hottest beach spots gets underway and goes all night long.

But if you’re not up to indulging your party animal just yet, the beaches of Mexico offer a multitude of ways to tune out and laze about all day long. Now, we know that Mexico Beaches covers a lot of territory, plus two oceans! We encourage you to explore, research, and dream before going on vacation, and we know that’s half the fun. Go ahead, start dreaming!

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All-Inclusive Resorts

Filed Under Travel, Travel Destinations

Go wallet-less and stay at an all-inclusive resort on your next beach getaway.  When you’re lazing about in a swimsuit all day long, who has pockets anyway?  Leave the wallet safely locked away and enjoy complete escape.  Many Caribbean destinations have all-inclusive resorts, and are well known for great value and hot attractions like world-class chefs.  Not sure if an all-inclusive vacation is for you?  Here’s a run-down of what it actually means to go wallet-less while on vacation.

First, let’s say you’re planning a Caribbean vacation.  Book your days and nights at an all-inclusive and bam.  Your planning is done!  Here’s what you get.

1. prime beach locations
2. famous golf and tennis pros to improve your game
3. fully appointed accommodations
4. premium cocktails
5. water sports
6. tips!!!!
7. meals, of course
8. classes

You get luxury and comfort in some of today’s hottest locations, with prime locations on the best beaches.  No worrying about a tab at the bar, or how much you spend at dinner, or how much that cooking lesson costs, or how much it will set you back for a family parasailing trip.  It’s all included in your one price so enjoy it all!

Exerience tours, spas, casinos, and the best meals, all for the one price.  It makes vacationing very easy, especially if you plan on centering your time around your resort and its dining opportunities and activities.

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Test Drive the Latest GPS Technology

Filed Under Travel Gadgets & Gear

Did you know that now, when you rent a car, it’s harder than ever to get lost?  The latest GPS technology is part of the latest upgrades in the fleets of the following rental car companies:

• Enterprise
• Alamo/National
• Dollar/Thrifty
• Avis/Budget
• Hertz

Here’s a quick run down of the features at each company.

1. Enterprise. They use the Garmin Nuvi 265W and it costs $10 per day.  It’s fool-proof, in that you can’t mistakenly enter a totally new destination while you’re already en route to your real destination.
2. Alamo/National. They also use Garmin, but a different model, the StreetPilot C330, and it costs more, at 12 per day.  The StreetPilot actually made mistakes in directions when tested, and also didn’t give enough warning time for turns, resulting in the driver cruising right on by an exit on a highway.
3. Avis/Budget. Also using Garmin, yet another model, the Nuvi 780 for $14 per day.  Really the best of them all, no complaints by testers.  On newer models, you get real time traffic updates, which means you can avoid traffic jams as they happen.  This makes it the best of them all.  By far!
4. Hertz.  Hertz rents a unit which isn’t for sale in the retail market.  They mount the unit on the dashboard, but it’s not removable.  That can encourage break-ins.
5. Dollar/Thrifty. The Garmin NUVI 660 for $12 per day.   The NUVI 780 is much better, both at giving directions and on a user-friendly scale.

So what are you waiting for, rent that car and tour the US.  You simply can’t get lost!

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Girls’ Getaways

Filed Under Travel

Imagine traveling the world with your girlfriends, sisters, mothers, whomever, and leaving the guys at home. Come on, you’ve experienced so much together already, why not explore far-reaching corners together too? Make it a spa vacation, a beach getaway, or a hiking adventure where you explore some of the most scenic trails ever. The possibilities are endless, with about as many travel plans as there are travelers.

If you’re staying within US borders, you still have a wonderful array of choices. How about a visit to the Southernmost City, a.k.a Key West? Known for awesome water sports, fishing, diving and nightlife on Duval Street, this sub-tropical city 120 miles out from the mainland Florida has a lot packed onto its tiny two-by-four mile island. One of the most delightful things about it is the Key West guest houses. Many are of the historical Conch House style, a mix of Victorian and Bahamian architecture. Each different from the rest, they are part of what makes Key West a unique and special destination.

If you have a sporty group of gals, nothing can be more beautiful than an Autumn trip to Sedona. Sedona, Arizona hiking is famous, with all the red rock and canyons you can handle. Famous trails, landmarks and even a visit to the vortex areas of Sedona can all be planned around the perfect hiking vacation. And then of course to soothe you sore muscles at the end of the day, you must go in for the ultimate girls’ getaway: spa treatment. Book your nights at a spa resort and you’ve got the perfect combination of an active vacation with a little bit of luxury at the end of each day.

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Great Getaways – Start Dreaming Now!!

Filed Under Travel

These days we’re all trying to find a way to get away.  Everyone needs an escape, whether it involves traveling or not.  Every pages on this website is devoted to helping you find your escape.  Whether it’s to your local neighborhood spa, or across the globe to India, Japan, South Africa or elsewhere, we’ve got the perfect getaway ideas for you.  And if you can’t even leave home right now, tell your friends to set a date and arrive at your home.  Plan a travel-themed party, cut loose the refreshments and snacks, and all of you can escape together, right in your living room and for very little money!

If you need a vacation but you can’t get away just yet, click around here and you’ll find deals you can reserve for the future.  Book way ahead of time and you might score a budget vacation in Vegas, for example.  Vegase is on sale these days, with hotels offering things like spa coupons with your room, upgraded dining coupons, and room discounts.  It’s your chance to stay at the fanciest spot on the Strip, and live like kings for a few days!  Shows are even discounted sometimes, too, and with all that money you’ll save, why not go shopping for that glam outfit to wear in Vegas?

So go ahead, you can even escape right now, by dreaming abour your next travel adventure.  You deserve it!

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