Poor Transylvania.  It gets such a bad rap as a result of its place in literature (home to Count Dracula and a prominent location in the horror genre), and the reality is that it’s a perfectly lovely region in Romania.
Still, I can’t blame them for wanting to capitalize on their literary heritage during the Halloween season, with special tours and events that capture the unique flavor of the season and the location.  And indeed they are trying to capitalize on their destination’s popularity with a number of Dracula tours, specially themed for the Halloween season, and lasting from a few …read more

Even when you’re traveling in a country known to be expensive, there are still ways to save a few pennies here and there.  Multiply that by several family members, and the savings really add up!
In Luxembourg, that small and expensive Grand Duchy situated next to Belgium, France, and Germany, families can save a bundle with the Luxembourg Card.
The card features include unlimited FREE use of trains and buses, along with FREE admission to 56 tourist attractions, including museums, castles, sightseeing trips, and more.
The Luxembourg Card is priced depending on the number of days that it is good for.  You can …read more

It’s not officially even fall yet, but for snow lovers it’s not too early to be thinking about this winter’s ski vacation.   And if you’re looking for a ski vacation destination that’s modern and exotic, but still has great prices, take a look at Turkey.  Yes, Turkey.  I thought of it only as a warm weather destination, but it offers some great skiing areas as well.
With altitudes on par with the Rockies or the Alps, Turkey offers a November through April snow season, with modern facilities for downhill skiing, cross country, heli-skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing.  The ski resorts offer everything …read more

It only happens every 10 years, so if attending the Oberammergau Passion Play has always interested you, it’s time to start your travel planning today.  The play, a reconstruction of the life and death of Christ, is getting ready for it’s 41st season in the Bavarian town of Oberammergau.  The play was first performed in 1634 as a result of a vow made by the village during the Bubonic Plague.  The village promised that if they were spared from the plague, they would perform a passion play every 10 years.  The prayers were answered, and the Passion Play began.
The play …read more

The slow travel trend is gaining momentum, as travelers seek to find time to make a deeper connection with the places they visit and the people who live there.  Seeing the world from the seat of a bicycle charm anyone looking to slow down the pace, and Lonely Planet’s new cycling guides will help you discover how to do that.
Replacing its out-of-print cycling guides, these newly revamped edition include complete information on each country.  You’ll find information on the environment, climate, bike friendly restaurants, accommodations, route descriptions and elevation information, maps and charts with GPS coordinates, bike maintenance directory, …read more

Recent statistics released by the US Department of Commerce showed a drop in US travel abroad.  The drop of 1% is the first decline since 2002,  Travel to Canada declined by 7% and increased to Mexico by 4%.  Interestingly enough, though the number of travelers was down, spending was up by 7% setting a new record for the fifth consecutive year.
The top five countries for American spending are:

Mexico
United Kingdom
Canada
Germany
Japan

We set new spending records in Germany, Japan, Italy, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Australia, Netherlands and Argentina.
Since I’m currently traveling in Europe, I found these numbers interesting.
I think they indicate that …read more