One of my absolute favorite scenes in the 2012 movie Life of Pi is when a huge glittering whale jumps out of a sparkling night sea behind Pi’s raft, everything around them glowing from amazing bioluminescence. Another favorite is the illuminated neon forest in the movie Avatar.…

A fair number of folks know that Great Britain is still hanging on to its colony at the Iberian Peninsula's southernmost Iberia, Gibraltar. Fewer are aware that Spain, too, has its own enclaves hereabouts – though a big difference is that they’re not colonies – carved out of another country (those who have been paying attention to the international news, though, might have been hearing about African migrants trying to break into them).…

Whether or not you’re a shopper (and I can’t say that I particularly am), I do love me some good travel mementos. However, I’m not talking about the rubbish you see at the average stand aimed at tourists who barely know where they are (I’ll never forget the joints hawking spangly Mexican sombreros at the Leaning Tower of Pisa).



Whether you’re shopping for yourself or others, there are certain items that will always…

by José Miguel Rodríguez



You think your job is stressful? Imagine, for just a moment, being an air traffic controller. Have trouble imagining? We invite you to read this quick overview through to the end and then tell us: Could this be a job for you



Admittedly, air traffic…

Last fall we traveled back east to New England to be part of the annual fall festival of colors. We put over 1,000 miles on our rental car, and were treated to great weather, superb accommodations, and exquisite dining. We also met some wonderful Americans – in the land where the country began.



There’s a lot to see in Massachusetts. On this trip we…

“Honey, I still don’t see any action in the restaurant!”  



We were sitting on the balcony of our hotel high above the Adriatic with a view directly into a large, empty, open-air restaurant built in a cave which was also high above the crashing surf. For experienced independent travelers we were getting a little concerned. Did we just make a big leap of faith on a…

Sayulita is a beach for adventurers. Age does not matter, and nor does whether you come as a family, a couple or with friends. What attracts tourists to Playa Sayulita is the fact that it places new experiences, from surfing to camping by the edge of the sea and making friends from around the world, within their grasp. In this Nayarit paradise, relaxation is…

I love all of the Balearic islands for overlapping but different reasons, and there’s no question that the third-largest is definitely a change of pace from Majorca and certainly Ibiza. Not that there isn’t nightlife, as well as luxury and touches of glam here and there.…

Costa Rica welcomes rainy season (also called the “green season”) like a parched traveler reaching an oasis after a long, dry desert crossing. Dry season dust is gone and Costa Rica’s landscape springs back to life with lush green vegetation, carpets of blooming flowers, and new animal life.

Costa Rica…

What do you get when you build the world’s highest-altitude glass-walled rotating restaurant overlooking a 360-degree panorama of the Swiss Alps? What if deep below this restaurant carved into glacial ice, you can explore lit passageways connecting large grottos filled with ornate ice carvings, an ice altar for celebrating weddings, and another room…

It’s true that Prague, with its ravishing Old Town, bangin' nightlife, and other allures, is enough to hold any visitor spellbound for an entire vacation and then some. But much of the essence of the Czech Republic flows from the cities, towns, and countryside outside…

by Felice Hardy



Happily, powderhounds in withdrawal don’t have to hang on till December to hit the ski resorts. The Southern Hemisphere is happy to oblige us with some superb skiing on amazing terrain throughout the southern Andes, where the reversal of seasons means of course it’s winter there…

I had some business meetings scheduled in downtown Atlanta, and I wanted to find a top rated hotel in the area that offered character, class, and quality.



The Glenn, part of the Marriott Autograph Collection chain, promotes a boutique-ish vibe and looked appealing.  Ditto the upscale Courtyard by Marriott and swank Ritz Carlton.  While all were within…

The province of Quebec, Canada has so much to offer the tourist that we found the best way to present the many vacation options was to separate them into several categories; this story zeroes in on just one of Quebec’s major attractions – lighthouses.

On the Trail of the…

The best way to actually “see” Dubrovnik is to take your time and spend a few days exploring this remarkable destination, at your own pace, as an independent traveler with an inspired itinerary.

Every year, the whales that live close to the Antarctic waters of Chile make a trip of over 8,000 kilometers to the Pacific coast of Colombia to give birth and rear their whale calves. The best time to see them is between July and October, although they start to arrive in June. You can see them throughout the Pacific coast. Sometimes the whales…

We travel writers, as you can imagine, regularly get questions from people going on holiday. But when someone referred to me by a dear friend asked what she should not miss when she goes to Italy's capital for all of one weekend, I wanted to ask her – “ma sei pazza??”  (Are you nuts?) You could spend every…

Well, New England Patriots quarterrback Tom Brady may be in the doghouse now, but he'll always have Montezuma, Costa Rica.



Sure, Brady was trying to impress a girl – his wife, Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen – when he shocked the world with his …

Between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara runs the US 101, alternating between rolling hills and stunning sea views. Family activities abound at a midpoint in Ventura County West, making for an excellent three day vacation close to the heart of Los Angeles. This area includes Camarillo, Oxnard, and Ventura.



Choose day trips between wine tasting, old airplanes, classic cars, or whale watching, just to name a few, as well as the tourist-friendly downtown shops and…