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As I read our recent article The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, I daydreamed about vast plains and endless trails. They led me to euphoric moments where I breathed in the pure air of the New England mountains. As my heart raced, I listened to the soundtrack of distant running water and chirping birds. These images were vibrant, as if I was right there, hiking on Mount Washington.

Located in New Hampshire, Mt. Washington is one of the highest peaks in the northeast. It reaches approximately 6288 feet, making it one of my hiking goals to conquer. I have always wanted to take on this rewarding challenge.

I found a great travel deal that offers a challenging hike, comfortable bed, amazing breakfast, and packed lunch for the journey. The Mt. Washington B & B is offering a fantastic two-night hiking package. In addition to a hearty breakfast and comfortable place to rest your head after a grueling hike, The Mt. Washington B & B also offers a guidebook to the mountain and the comforts of home.

Although Mt. Washington’s weather is erratic, it continues to remain a popular hiking destination. The most popular trail is the Tuckerman Ravine. It is approximately an 8-mile climb.

For the New Year, will you take on the challenge of hiking Mt. Washington’s vast plains and endless trails?  I certainly can’t wait to breathe in that pure New England air.

With an early start to the day we found ourselves back in the car searching for a place to explore among the streets and neighborhoods of San Francisco.

We parked the car in front of the Cliff House, which is nestled on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. As we peered down the hill we found remains and residual damage of the Sutro Baths from a fire in 1966. The Sutro baths were seven bathhouses built by 24^th mayor of San Francisco, Adolph Sutro.

In 1896 the Sutro Baths opened to the public. This ground of ruins was once the world’s largest indoor swimming pool formation. The facility offered seven different swimming pools, in which the public could choose the temperature they desired within the salt-water baths.  The facility also offered a choice of a fresh water bath.

Swimmers and bathers, dressed in their matching bathing suits, could enter the pools by way of trampolines, toboggan slides, diving platforms or swings. It was a place of swimming and diving competitions and beauty contests.

Although we were not wearing the proper attire, it was a beautiful place for exploration and imagination. We found ourselves exploring the alluring cave, examining the rotted track and jumping from structure to structure to explore the mechanisms used to stabilize the concrete.

Everyday the price for flying and additional fees slightly increases. Baggage fees, pet fees, and airline meals are greatly overpriced. As a traveler, I would rather spend my money on exploration and spontaneity. So I choose driving across country instead.

As you explore the depths of the road, the act of traveling becomes part of the vacation and not something to simply endure. Traveling by car allows for the journey and the destination to be the vacation.

I drove across country this past summer, and one of the many reasons why I prefer to travel by car compared to by plane is because of the spontaneous stops.

As I traveled the country, I decided to cross into Missouri from Illinois via the Mississippi River. I stood on the Ste. Genevieve ferry and reminisced about the story of Huck Finn and his adventures along the Mississippi River. As I watched the twigs float by and felt the cool breeze wisp across my face, I pictured Huck Finn on his raft drifting across the river beside me.

Take it from a traveler that often takes the wrong turn, spontaneity is freeing.  It presents a new layer of traveling. As I took unintended turns, I instantly rerouted myself along another path towards my destination. Every unintended turn became a spontaneous new adventure and a shift in a new direction.

I often sit on the San Francisco transportation and allow myself to be carried to a new destination. I find myself daydreaming of my recent adventure across this beautiful country.

My mind retraces all the amazing and memorable moments and I wish that sometime soon I will again be on the road. Traveling is not only an adventure for me—it is a time to be free of the daily stress and daily uncertainty of what am I going to do with life? I feel that more often than not I am ‘boogled down’ by uncertainty; I am driven by the need to endlessly search for a tangible answer. However, traveling makes me feel as though this answer is right in front of me, as if this answer is unimportant, a mere speck of what is truly out there. When I travel, this mere speck is just a weightless distraction left behind.

As I was nearing the end of my trip across the country, I found myself at Seven Falls in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was enchanting. The color of the mountainside against the beautiful blue sky and forest green trees on my way towards the entrance, promised an unforgettable afternoon.

Entrance fee was $9.25, but well worth the hike and afternoon out of the car.

Seven Falls is located in the South Cheyenne Canyon. It received its title based upon the water that cascades from 181 feet in seven distinct steps. The water falls from the southern edge of Pikes Peak and allows for a picturesque, tranquil sight.

In addition to the waterfalls, Seven Falls has 2 hiking trails: Trail to Inspiration Point and Trail to Midnight Fall. The Trail to Inspiration Point is a mile long, intermediate hike that is the location of the original gravesite of Helen Hunt Jackson. Helen Hunt Jackson was a writer of the 1800s. She is best known for her interest in the mistreatment of American Indians by government agents. This hike was a great way to stretch my legs and breathe heavy as the hill sat in front of me. The sun was beautiful as it set upon the mountainside and the clouds swiftly moved across the evening sky.

Seven Falls is a gem of this country. It is a secluded area, with rushing water as its soundtrack. It is a great place to become in touch with nature and breathe in the amazing fresh air that this earth has to offer.

It makes my list for the top 10 places to visit in America. What’s on your list?

Forgive me for the brief hiatus in your Travel Deal posts.  Though great bargains are all around us, adventures of my own—traveling across the country and building a new foundation to call home—have prevented me from posting.  But now I am back, situated securely on the West Coast, where I continue to dream about future travel plans and the beautiful wonders that sit under the same moon as I do each night.

One of my close friends has the habit of announcing his ideas for new and strange places to live. Tonight he threw out the idea of Singapore. I contemplated his suggestion for a moment, and finally thought, what do I really know about what Singapore has to offer?

Singapore is an island between Malaysia and Indonesia in Southeastern Asia. Singapore plays an important role in the finance and trade development of the world and relies heavily on their exporting process.  The nation houses a diverse population, with English as most common language. Their unemployment rate is 3%, they predict their economy to grow of 3-5% in 2010. Their climate is generally tropical, all things that Americans highly consider in today’s world.

Expedia is offering an amazing deal to Singapore: with 10 nights in the Orchard Parade-A Far East Hotel and including a flight from the states, you can be exploring the depths of Singapore for just over $2000.

So what does Singapore have to offer the frequent traveler or an every-so-often tourist? Well, first of all you are on an island.  There is something incredibly romantic, and even slightly fantastic, about island-living.  Even the word island calls up an enchanting image in my mind.

In Singapore, you can spend your days on Orchard Road, indulging in the extravagant tastes of Louis Vuitton and Chanel. Or you can take a ride on The Singapore Flyer and pinpoint the locations you want to travel to. Take a walk through the beautiful botanical gardens in the early morning when the dew is just rising or spend your evenings indulging in some of the wide varieties of ethnic food that Singapore has to offer.

Singapore was founded in 1819 and since then has made remarkable improvements towards the betterment of their country. It is a continuously developing territory that holds a promising future of greatness and success.

Happy travels.

Day 10 of this road trip across the country and I find myself in the center of Memphis, Tennessee.  I spent over twelve hours in the car yesterday and drove through 5 states; it was liberating and quite astonishing.  I am sure I am not the first person to do such a thing, but I never really thought that I would travel that much in a twelve-hour period.

I am currently sitting beneath the balcony where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968.  The sun shines down upon me on a very different era of this nation; our African-American president, Barack Obama can attest to that.  He plainly demonstrates the advancement of Black Americans everywhere and the growth of our country as a whole.

I visited the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis at the Lorraine Motel, the exact location where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot.  Admission was $13 dollars and for an extra $2, I purchased the audio tour, which I highly recommend.  It clearly guided me through the museum and allowed me to stop or pause when I wanted to read further into what they were speaking about. The museum offered a great display of our nation’s struggles with civil equality.  Displays of segregation, the sit-ins, the riots, the protests, the lynchings, the KKK, the marches–all this and more was made visible, present.  Both the desire and willingness African-Americans had to fight for our country and the terrible reality of our history of oppression were prominent throughout the museum.  I was overwhelmingly impressed with this museum and am so happy that we asked Camille, a local, for her recommendations.

Before walking to the museum, we ate brunch at a local hotspot on the corner of Second Street and Union Ave: Cockados.  A quaint, welcoming restaurant that offers bottomless mud coffee and an amazingly decadent dish of bananas and peanut butter sandwiched between two French toast drizzled with maple syrup, whipped cream and blueberries.  Cockados is a great way to welcome yourself to Memphis.  This is also where I received the museum recommendation–as opposed to going to Graceland.  Clearly, we took their recommendations and are 100% happy with our choice.  I was very impressed with Memphis and had a great time there.  After the museum and before getting back into the car, we took a stroll down Beale street and sat outside with our large beers, live music and 7-year-old street performers.  Memphis was not only beautiful, it was also rich with history and culture.  But enough for today.  The road still stretches in front of us, so we head north… safe travels.

Now that I have begun my journey across the country and have my destinations planned, I find myself breathing easy and at peace with my choice to leave my home state. Maybe it is the rush and excitement of an amazing adventure coinciding with new discoveries and sites, but my happiness has almost entirely overwhelmed the feeling that there is something I’m missing.

Another two weeks of unknown routes, friends, new knowledge and self-discovery still lie ahead.  These weeks are sure to promise long days of driving, sunburns, fast food, hot weather, and many moments of being lost; I welcome even these inevitable inconveniences for the mere pleasure of learning about my country and myself.

Today’s discoveries took place in Washington, DC.  In all my 24 years, I had never been to DC and have never explored the ‘Mall.’  Today I had the opportunity to walk the long distance of the National Mall towards our Nation’s Capital, then back towards the Washington Monument, and over to visit Lincoln on his Memorial.  I popped in to see the Obama’s with hopes to play a quick game of basketball (actually I stood outside the gate like every other tourist and snapped pictures). I visited the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and later hit up the National Museum of American History where I had the chance to view the flag that inspired the Star-Spangeled Banner, our national anthem. Today was a full day of walking, sun burns, and almost endless amazement.  Although our country is young compared to other nations, I felt proud to be standing in front of all the sites that proclaim our heritage.

Traveling for over two weeks and moving across the country puts me in a position of unemployment and quickly very conscious of money. So, needless to say, I plan to travel in such a fashion that will leave me with funds to begin a new life, in a new state.

Today, I got a heavy dose of history, national sites, with the added perk of self-discovery – all for the price of $19.60. The museums were free and because I chose not to rent scooters or bicycles to get from one site to the other, it was an extremely inexpensive day. Of course, I could have spent more money (you can always spend more money) but if you want to explore for cheap, all you need to do is pack some water, a lunch, sunscreen and good walking shoes.

Tomorrow will bring a new destination with new discoveries.  It will also bring me one state closer to the eventual goal, so stay tuned for more tips, lessons, and stories from my trip.

August 1st, a marker in the year that could represent summer concluding, back to school shopping for the kids, classes reconvening, or summer excursions approaching. Whatever this date may represent to you, it is always beneficial to have a vacation lined up, it creates excitement and anticipation.

Do you have children and feel like you have been bombarded with play dates, pool parties, floaties and pigtails all summer? Do you need an adult vacation away from the kids to reconfirm your adulthood and step away from the apple juice? I have found an all-inclusive 4-night excursion to Riviera Maya, Mexico.

All your meals and drinks are included in the price, as well as snorkeling, windsurfing and kayaking. Enjoy a few blissful nights on the white sand and playing in the baby blue water to replenish your energy.

If you are opposed to leaving the children with the grandparents, or if you happen to feel that they should be rewarded for their angelic behavior, I have found a 7-day pass for Disney World in Orlando, Florida. This pass will grant you entry into all the parks including Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom for a week. The Disney pass is $234 per adult and $201 per child. Spend the last few weeks of summer together as a family visiting with Mickey Mouse and all his friends.

I came across another great site, the Suite 101 Budget Travel section.  It provides informative articles on how to budget for Disney World and beyond.  Check out this article on 5 Cheap Places to Eat at Disney, written by feature writer Michelle Snow.

Whatever this date represents to you, whether it be about celebrating your adulthood or spending some time with the children before they go back to school, there is no better time than now to take a moment to breathe in the fresh summer air.  I am sure the memory will be much appreciated when winter hits and the atmosphere turns cold enough to burn your lungs.

Enjoy the rest of the summer months and breathe deep.

Since 1985 and the up rise of Thailand’s economy, Thailand has become a newly industrialized country.  Thailand is the 50^th largest country in the world. They export approximately $105 billion a year and aid in economic support to neighboring countries.

Thailand is now a popular tourist attraction, renowned for its beauty, architecture and rapid development. I have found an unbeatable deal via Travelzoo for your travels this week: an 11-night package in Thailand for only $1299. This deal will include a roundtrip ticket from Los Angeles, ground transportation, visits to Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Phitsanulok, Sukhothal, Lampang, Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai.  Breakfast sleeping accommodations, sightseeing tours and transfers are all included, as is an English speaking tour guide.

If you do not know much about Thailand or what you might do during your free time, I suggest you start exploring now!   This is the best way to learn about a country and its culture.  If you are into meditation, I recommend going to a temple (they are very prominent in Thailand) and breathing in the Thai air.  Or check out the amazing coastline at sunset.  Thailand is the largest rice exporter, so you might enjoy visiting some rice fields.

Whatever you choose to do, I hope you enjoy the vast difference between the advancing landscapes.  Breath in that Thai air and quiet your mind.

As I drove to work the other day, I was attracted to a story on National Public Radio (NPR) about a man who runs with bulls.

I listened to this story and pondered, does this man actually run with bulls? Who would do such a thing? After my shift ended and I found myself still contemplating the insanity of this concept, I Googled ‘running with bulls’. To my surprise I came across an array of Google results, and more specifically, came across the location where this story was set.

Running with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain is a highly popular event that is part of the San Fermin festival, the most renowned festival in Spain, which honors Saint Fermin, the co-patron of Navarre. This festival occurs every year beginning July 7^th – 14^th.

In this event, players run with 6 bulls and 9 steer. The bovine competitors run from their “off-site corrals” to the bullring where they will be slaughtered. Side streets are blocked off and barricades are used to make a direct route for the bulls. Many injuries occur but from the description I heard on NPR,  the event can also be euphoric, exciting – a real once-in-a-lifetime experience.

With this being said, I thought what an interesting idea for this week’s travel blog. Do you need a little, or a lot of excitement in your life? Do you do outlandish and outrageous events similar to this one and feel like this would be an amazing experience? If so, I have found a reasonably priced ticket to Spain through Expedia, this flight is around $1600, but please hurry because the festival ends on the 14^th and you may miss your chance to run with the bulls in Pamplona.

If you are looking for a hotel deal, I found a great deal at a beautiful, modern facility: Suites Mirasierra Pamplona. This hotel looks beautiful and clean and offers is close to the city’s center. I found the deal through hotelscombined.com for about $116/night.

Happy 4th of July. I hope everyone is enjoying their Independence Day. Stay tuned for next week’s ‘Travel Deals to Satisfy Your Wandering Mind.’

For me, Italy is a familiar country that has a strong hold on my heart.  After living in Rome for 4 months, I quickly became addicted to the atmosphere, the speed, the rich history and the overwhelming sense of a beautiful ancestry.

I was fortunate enough to be able to travel to Venice, Florence, and the Island of Capri.  I knew that Italy would be a place I would return to again and again.  When I came across a 6-day package with visits to Rome, Florence and Venice, I knew I would have to focus this week’s edition of Travel Deals on my favorite destination.

This package includes 2 nights in Venice, 2 nights in Florence and 2 nights in Rome.  You will stay in first-class hotels located in the city’s center.  You will be provided with 6 breakfasts and 3 dinners, which include wine (and you have to try the wine!).  The package also includes guided tours and free admission to sights.  Each of these cities is rich with history and historic sites – so much so that I recommend narrowing your focus according to field of interest.  Interested in architecture?  Then I suggest you try to visit the churches and cathedrals.  If you’re more of an art-nerd, you might want to spend an afternoon in one of the many beautiful museums.  Foodies could spend years in all of these cities and still leave without tasting every delicious morsel they have to offer, so I suggest you choose a place to start.  How about a pastry shop?   Maybe you’re more of a shopper – there’s a place for that, too!  The sheer amount of options can be overwhelming, so I suggest you try to make a schedule around the guided tours so you can prioritize and manage your time.

From my own experience, I highly recommend taking a gondola ride through the canals of Venice.  This ride offers a great way to see the city while floating through the water (plus, they can be extremely romantic).  Prices range from $65- $123.  Gondolas hold up to 6 people and rides will last at least 50 minutes.

While in Rome, please go to the Colosseum; it is bursting with history and makes the past really come alive.  I remember seeing a portion of it as I was exploring one of my first days in Rome.  I literally got goose bumps and felt flooded with awe.  I also recommend walking over any bridge that crosses over the Tiber River in the evening after the sun has just set; the lights from the city are magnificent.

I spent my time in Florence alone, my focus was to see the churches, they all held their own antiquity and were independently engaging.  I picked up treats and snacks at many of the random markets along my way.  I recommend seeing the Duomo, Florence’s cathedral church.  Also, I walked through many piazzas, but I particularly recommend the Piazza Della Signora, where you can see “The Rape of Polyxena,” a structure constructed by Pio Fedi.  I stood in front of this piece for over an hour amazed by the details and the passion pulsing from this lifeless formation.

This package is a total of $1799. The flight goes from New York to Venice, but like any deal, you can alter the city from which you depart.

As I left for Boston this weekend and began my journey down I-89, I began to think about the curse of many travelers: money.  I started wondering, how expensive will this trip be and how can I budget better?

Well, I recently received an email from a friend cluing me into some great ways to aid the escape from our mundane day-to-day routines. According to Lisa Grossberg, general manager of the historic Buckingham Hotel in Manhattan, the average hotel guest spends a third to half of their funds on dining. So my fellow travelers, instead of this entry of Travel Deals to Satisfy your Wandering Mind informing you of amazing trips and escapes, I want to let you in on some of my useful dining habits I use to cut my costs and travel cheap, which allows me to plan more adventures throughout the year.

First, it always helps to bring a cookbook.  There are so many out there with simple yet extravagant recipes. Do you enjoy Italian? Giada De Laurentiis, is my go-to girl for great Italian recipes. How about a fun 30-minute recipe? Rachel Ray makes eating and cooking a fun adventure every time. Inside these books are beautiful, fun and delicious recipes, try something different from what you cook at home and have fun with it. Plan out these recipes with your travel companion before you depart. Figure out all the ingredients you will need and once you arrive, visit the local grocery store and stock up. If you are traveling for a week, your grocery bill will range from $100-$550, depending on the type of meat you purchase and if you want wine/beer/alcohol. Compare this to 7 nights of dining out and you will be sure to save over $500.

Now in order to cook while you are on vacation, you must book a room with a kitchen. Many of the early-to-mid century hotels in larger cities, such as the Buckingham Hotel in Manhattan can accommodate travelers with this luxury.  Because this asset is becoming more popular, many hotels are advertising their extra amenities, so be sure to book this before you depart.

If you enjoy the occasional drink while on vacation, stock up on the booze while at the grocery store. Buying a bottle of vodka will cost anywhere from $15-$45, as opposed to the one drink that will cost you anywhere from $7-$16 dollars. Do you enjoy wine while you dine out? Buy a nice bottle and bring it into the restaurant.  Most restaurants will allow this, though they may charge an opening fee, it is still a great way to save up to $40 dollars.

Unfortunately for my wallet, I absolutely love dining out; I love the atmosphere, the service and the chance to dress up and look nice. If you feel the same, then I recommend dining out once or twice, it is a part of the traveling experience and like noted above, bringing in your own bottle of wine can cut a large portion of the bill.

I hope this helps if you are anxious about extra expenses. Traveling can be cheap, you just need to know how to cut your costs, find the deals and budget where you can. With these hints you can save up to $1000 just on food costs. So happy traveling (and eating) and bon voyage.

Another week has gone by, and I’m here yet again to bring you the best travel deals from around the internet.  Check out these fun ways to boost the economy, while satisfying your pulsing desire to travel and see the world.

Newport, RI

I have come across an amazing hotel deal located in Newport, RI.  I visited Newport last year for the first time while competing in the Newport, R.I. marathon (where I ran half).  I would like to commemorate running my first marathon a few weeks ago, and I think this deal is quite quaint and perfect. From June – September you can sign up to stay at the Hyatt Regency Newport Hotel and Spa for $200 mid-week.  Parking, in-room wireless internet, two complimentary signature cocktails, 20% off services at the Stillwater Spa and shuttle services to downtown Newport are included in your package.

The Hyatt is located on Narragansett Bay where you can window shop, enjoy a nice relaxing lunch on the water, or travel to art galleries that offer pieces from the 18^th, 19^th, and 20^th century.  Newport, R.I. is a beautiful, picturesque town that allows tourists to feel simultaneously at home yet away from home.

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Costa Rica

In addition to this great hotel deal, I have also found an 8-night Costa Rican trip for only $798; it even includes an adventure through the rainforest!

With this package you will be purchasing roundtrip airfare, 3 nights at the Trapp Family Lodge in Monteverde, 2 nights at the all-inclusive Barcelo Playa Langosta on Tamerindo Beach, 3 nights at Villa Tecca near Manual Antonio National Park, and tours of Moneverde Cloud Forest.

When you are exploring the rainforest on your walking tour, I recommend holding the beautiful creatures that you come across, (as long as they are not poisonous).  They are vibrant in color and are such a different composition from what we have here in America. When I was lucky enough to visit the rainforest in Costa Rica, I held an enormous, yet alluring spider, it was extremely scary but the resulting picture made the fear more than worth it.

Costa Rica is tropical. The air is hot and thick, but as you explore the rainforest you will run into cool patches of air and breathtaking creatures – it is truly an amazing place rich with color and light mist.  Enjoy your stay.

I hope everyone enjoyed their Memorial Day and spent last weekend embracing their travel fantasies.

As I sit in Muddy Waters, a local coffee shop in Burlington, VT, I realize what fantastic activities Burlington has to offer. For the next ten days, Burlington’s 2010 Discover Jazz Festival will ensue, presenting artists such as Sonny Rollins to The Wailing Souls. Artists will bring music composed in various areas of the world such as the Netherlands, Jamaica, Guinea, and New Orleans to Burlington, VT.

One can also find over two-dozen artists and groups spattered around the Burlington area by checking out the Flynn Theatre, the FlynnSpace, the Church Street Marketplace and City Hall Park.

I have found some great hotel deals to consider when planning your trip to Vermont.  Stay at the Courtyard by Marriot on the Burlington Harbor for $229/night through Priceline. The views of Lake Champlain are breathtaking.  I recommend taking an evening walk on Burlington’s lake-side bike path.

Or if you would prefer to stay in a more scenic area, Stowe Mountain Lodge has rooms for $181/night through Orbitz.   Start your vacation by taking a guided hike in the morning or playing a round of golf before heading into Burlington for a relaxing dinner with a hint of jazz.  Stowe Mountain Lodge also offers kayaking and canoeing, massages, tennis and brew tours.   It’s the perfect place to escape for a week; enjoy the beautiful views of Stowe as it sits right outside your window.

Need some advice on places to eat in Burlington, VT while enjoying the jazz festival? Leunig’s Bistro on Church Street has outdoor seating and jazz all day, everyday throughout the festival. American Flatbread, which boasts a great brick oven pizza and an amazing beer list, also has outdoor seating and live music throughout the week. Bluebird Tavern, a great place for tapas (a wide variety of appetizers from the Spanish cuisine), is also offering an array of jazz artists.  Half Lounge, Halverson’s and The Skinny Pancake are a few of my favorite places to eat in Burlington, and they too, will have music playing every night.

Burlington, VT is a beautiful place to visit and reside. I hope these deals help sway your decision to make a spontaneous trip up north to indulge in a bit of jazz.  Happy listening.

With graduation season upon us, you might be searching for that perfect gift to congratulate a loved one on their accomplishments. What better way to reward years of hard work than with a trip to somewhere new and exciting?

I have found a deal through Travelzoo where your graduate can stay in Cabo, Mexico for four nights in a luxurious villa. They can celebrate their new-found freedom with surfing, horseback riding, sunning themselves on the beach, and testing the guacamole at one of Cabo’s many excellent restaurants.  They can look forward to sipping wine on a private terrace in the evening and enjoying mid-night swims in the tri-level infinity pool.

If Cabo is a little too “Spring Break” for your accredited scholar, how about a 6-night stay in Scotland? This travel package includes a rental car, which offers the freedom to explore the surroundings at their own pace, 4 nights in a choice of B&Bs, and a night in 4-star Atholl Palace Spa Hotel.

While in Scotland, be sure your graduate explores the Edinburgh Castle, which offers amazing views of the city.  They also might do well to check out the Scotch Whiskey Experience, which is not just about tasting – this event allows your grad to get a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the classic beverage.  If they are into ghost and goblins, check out the Edinburgh Dungeon where witches, executioners and grave-robbers frolic, and if that is not enough, they can take the ghost tours through the underground vaults, an experience that is sure to leave you with goose bumps.

Want to give them the gift of multiple destination in a single week? I have found a Mediterranean 7-night cruise with stops in Naples, Rome, Florence and the French Riviera.   Although this package does not include airfare, it is a great deal that offers a $100 air rebate.  Cruises provide amazing food and entertainment 24/7 as you travel from place to place.  They also offer live shows, games, entertainment, chocolate buffets and seemingly endless amounts of food.   To make it even more enticing, cruises provide a perfect outlet for your glamorous needs – if you want, you can dress up every night and feel like a million bucks.

Graduation is wonderful milestone, so why not choose a vacation package to commemorate the accomplishment?

Memorial Day is a time to commemorate those who have died serving our country. We celebrate with fireworks, barbecues, and parades that initiate the new summer. With Memorial Day only two weeks away, I wonder how you envision celebrating this year: on a boat fishing, exploring a new city, or barbecuing with close friends?

Either way, I have found some great deals to satisfy any celebrator’s needs.

First, I found a flight from Philadelphia to Miami through OneTravel. Miami hosts Urban Beach Week, one of the biggest beach parties that welcome over 300,000 people. If you are into hip-hop, soaking up the sun and starting your summer with 300,000 other people, Florida is the place to be.

Another amazing location to celebrate Memorial Day is in Washington, DC. Travelzoo is offering airline tickets for as cheap as $108. The city offers an amazing variety of events to accommodate any individual. From parades, to concerts, to motorcycle rallies, to Chestertown’s Tea party festival.  In my opinion, the capital city would be a perfect place for a weekend getaway with the family.

And for one more option – which I think would be the ultimate celebration – try traveling to Dallas, TX for a weekend getaway. I have never visited Texas, but there is something about the state that lures me. Is it the cowboy/cowgirl image I envision, or the warm weather and country western atmosphere I believe bombards Texas? I am not sure, and maybe these depictions are far-fetched, but either way I have found a flight through Travelzoo for $158.

Much like the other options above, the city of Dallas celebrates with a parade, but even better, Dallas also offers an annual art festival that includes the work of over 200 different artists, wine tasting, and live music.

However you choose to celebrate Memorial Day, I hope you will consider these great deals and always remember the fallen soldiers.

As I have become an adult, I have noticed that my taste buds have changed, specifically with wine. I began to notice this when I lived in Rome, Italy in 2007. Wine is the staple of Italian heritage and I was living in the center of it.

Surrounded by wine and growing to like it, I realized that it was not only about the different grapes, but the different tastes and attributes that made the wine so special and tantalizing. Drinking wine in Italy was not about reaching a certain state of intoxication, but studying the wine, smelling it, tasting it, swirling it and finding the perfect dish to accentuate its hidden characteristics.

For this week’s post I have found a romantic, wine-incorporated excursion that is likely to leave you just as intrigued by wine as I am. Spend 6 nights in the 1,000-year-old Borro Estate, located in northern Italy for only $899.00.

Spend your days on this 1755-acre vineyard participating in cooking classes, horseback riding, fishing or wine tasting. If by some chance you get bored, or would like to take a 45-minute drive to Florence or Siena, use the car that is included in this package to enjoy the landscape and beautiful views that Italy is so famous for.

People often shy away from wine because of fear. Fear of the taste, fear of inadequately drinking it, fear of the unknown. The best way to understand and learn about wine is to experience it. I recommend wine tasting, it is a great way to see what aspects of wine that you do or do not like. Do you like dry wines? Do you enjoy full-bodied wines? Do you prefer wines with a floral, aromatic taste? Do you prefer sweet wines with a chocolate nose?

Wine is an art form; begin to broaden your horizons at Il Borro where you can indulge in wine tasting and the wine atmosphere.

When I think of Africa, I close my eyes and see orange sunsets illuminating the classic thick-trunk blooming-only-at-the-top African  trees with giraffes and elephants grazing in the distance. However, I have recently carried an image of men running around a field chasing after the same ball.

The FIFA World Cup is an intense, ceremonious event that brings both competition and an economic surge to South Africa. It will begin June 11^th in Johannesburg, South Africa. The World Cup is an “international association football competition” that occurs every 4 years. Over 150 teams are eliminated during the “qualification phase,” where you compete to merely play in the World Cup. During the World Cup 32 teams challenge each other for the title.

For one month this summer, South Africa will host this year’s World Cup.  For those of you interested in seeing the biggest event in soccer in person, I found a few flights to Johannesburg, South Africa through Expedia. These flights range from $1315 to $3000, depending on when you want to travel. However, I will warn you that, due to demand, flights from June 11^th – July 11^th, are going to be much more expensive.

I have also found some great excursions to spend your days while staying in Africa.  You can experience the competitive aspect at night and the gorgeous landscapes by day.  Get out of the hotel and take a wine day in Cape Town, where you can sample wines from Chardonnay to Shiraz in the famous Stellenosch and Paarl Valley wineries.  This 8-hour excursion costs approximately $95.00.

Also, if sightseeing strikes your fancy, I have found a Cape Point sightseeing tour. The Cape of Good Hope is “a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of Africa.” The Cape offers amazing views of the Atlantic Ocean as the water rushes into the rocky edges, if following the equator, it is the point where you begin to travel more east as opposed to south.

Africa is the second largest continent in the world. It has 53 different football (which we in the States still call soccer) teams and over a thousand different languages are spoken across the region. Africa is a beautiful place where giraffes, lions, and elephants run freely.  If traveling is not enough of an adventure, why not venture to South Africa when there are over 2 million screaming fans and one badly-abused ball?

Greece, located in southeast Europe and surrounded by the Aegean, Ionian, and Mediterranean Sea was the site of the first Olympic games in 776 BC, and today is the locality of debt, crisis, stress and anxiety.

Greece’s current economic crisis has them asking for a $61 billion bail out from the IMF due to their government finance troubles, consisting of unaccounted funds and inadequate documentation. Although their squandering has put a dark shadow over Europe and other euro users, it gives travelers the opportunity to travel cheap. Because of this debt, Greece is inadvertently lowering their prices to attract tourists in hopes to regain some financial stability.

With this said, I have found an affordable and enchanting deal to not only help out this beautiful country, but to explore the allure of a newfound land.

Europe Destinations is offering an eight-night trip including airfare and hotel accommodations in Athens, Mykonos, Paros and Santorini. With this trip you will have the opportunity to explore the largest city in Greece and stay on three of Greece’s islands.

I recommend trying a few of Greece’s famous dishes; the classic Greek salad, and fasolada, a bean soup known as “the national food of the Greeks.” If you are a habitual cooker and enjoy the flavors that herbs add to a dish, thyme, oregano, and olive oil are extremely prominent in the Greek cuisine. Greeks frequently use olive oil because it is easy to obtain due to their olive trees that stretch across the region.

Although Greece has encountered a time of hardship and financial uncertainty, it should not manipulate or sway your desire to explore a land of antiquity. Greece was the land of the Olympics, drama, philosophy, the Greek Gods, and the infamous Odysseus, consider this trip and everything Greece still has to offer