Journeys Near and Far

Morocco Therapy: An Antidote to the Economic Crisis

Find out what ails you!

Do you suffer from Acute Furiosis?  Miserableitis?  What about Severe Gloomalgia?

If you do, don't worry!  The Moroccan National Tourism Office has just launched a new site called Morocco Therapy, and it's sure to offer you the solution to your problems. 

I read about this clever new website in the June issue of the UK's Real Travel Magazine.  In the hopes of helping travelers beat the credit crunch, Morocco Therapy is offering bargain trips to Morocco, especially geared for UK Travelers. 

I wanted to share this with you because Morocco is one of my favorite destinations, and the site is fun and entertaining. 

You begin by taking a five-question test to determine which "illness" you suffer from -- but don't worry - it's easy.  You'll be laughing before you reach the end.  Then the site will offer some "cures" for what ails you.

According to Real Travel Magazine, Morocco Therapy will offer an array of good deals for budget-strapped consumers.  They are planning to feature more than 30 UK tour operators, as well as extra touches that add vacation value such as free spa treatments and complimentary transfers from hotels.

[Tip:  Real Travel Magazine, by the way, is fabulous.  If you live outside the UK you can subscribe to the digital version to avoid high postage costs.]

Photo:  The Drâa River Valley, Morocco

Explore 3 New Social Networking Sites

Make Friends While You Plan Your Trips

No one knows if they'll become the next MySpace, but these three social networking sites I read about in the February, 2009 issue of  Budget Travel magazine sound interesting. 

So even though my little black book is overflowing with email addresses of all the friends I've met on my journeys, I couldn't stop myself from checking out something new.  Here's the scoop on some lesser known places where you can make friends while planning your trips:

GeckoGo

GeckoGo is a collaborative travel planning resource for independent travelers.  Begun by a group of friends who quit their cushy day jobs, moved to a new country and worked full time without pay for 12 plus months straight, Geckogo has grown into quite a large travel community.    On this site you can:

• Get travel tips
• Get answers to your questions
• Contribute to the community
• Get recognition by earning points for sharing what you know

The site has a nice forum and I like their destination pages, where you'll find detailed maps and information on the area you are interested in and its attractions.  Just remember, though,  that, like Wikipedia, anybody can update this information so you might want to check another source or two to make sure the information is correct.

I like the site's blog, GeckoGoneBlogging, and even if you do nothing else, I recommend you pay it a visit.  It has some nice interviews, such as with Christina Heyniger of Off the Radar and Polar Explorer Børge Ousland.

20 Travel Blogs You'll Love

Since you all love reading about travel...

I wanted to let you know about a list of the year's top travel blogs posted by Viscape. 

Viscape, a travel blog written to help its readers visualize their escape, explore their dreams and pursue their passions, has written a post called the Top Travel Blogs of 2008.  From the big blogs such as National Geographic Intelligent Travel to some of the smaller individual bloggers who write to share their love of travel, this comprehensive list of 15 blogs should keep you in travel reading for quite some time. 

In addition to Viscape's list which you'll find via the link above, I've added five of my own personal favorites below: 

1.  Smarter Cruising - Travel writer Clark Norton is a cruise expert who has cruised Alaska, Hawaii, Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, the South China Sea, the South Pacific, the Amazon, Patagonia and Cape Horn, and many points beyond.  His blog covers all kinds of cruising tips, news and information.  If you want to take to the seas, be sure to visit this one. 

2.  The Tranquilo Traveler- If you're interested in Central America, you must visit travel writer and guidebook author Joshua Berman's blog, The Tranquilo Traveler.  With its lush photography, travel writer interviews, book reviews and all kinds of travel advice, I know you'll enjoy this one.

3.  Rolf Potts' Vagabonding - I'm a big fan of travel writer Rolf Potts and can always find something interesting and unique posted on his blog.   From topics such as "Packing, Digitally" to "How do You Handle Leaving Life Behind?" there's a wealth of travel advice there.

4.  Johnny Jet's Travel Blog - It's always fun to see where in the world Johnny Jet is.  Between his website, JohnnyJet.com, and his blog, it's easy to keep track of him.  This prolific travel writer reviews travel websites, products and more on his blog on a regular basis - check it out.

5.  Cool Travel Guide - I  like Lara Dunston's blog.  This perpetual globetrotter who is based in  Dubai has traveled to more than 60 countries, is the author of numerous travel articles and guidebooks, and writes in her blog about all that is cool and inspiring about travel.

Photo:  The city of York, England at Christmas.  Courtesy of Freefoto.com, photographer Ian Britton.

 

 

Websites to Visit -- VisitPA.com

Share Your Stories on the Newly Redesigned VisitPA.com Website

The folks at VisitPA.com have just  redesigned their state tourism website.  Launched last Monday, travelers can now share their itinerary suggestions, comments, user reviews and photos with each other -- a fun concept that's completely different than any other state travel site.

As soon as the site launched I went over to check it out.  The site has four main tabs:  Things To Do, PA Maps, Trip Ideas and Travel Tools.  Within each tab are numerous additional choices, under which you'll find a wealth of  travelers' posts about different Pennsylvania locations and events.  Check out the photo gallery as well (where visitors can upload their photos) as there is nothing quite like seeing other people's pictures to inspire you to pick up and go.

There are nine categories for your story such as History & Heritage, Festivals & Fairs, and Sporting Events.  Just click on "Share Your Story" at the top of the page, then type your story in the box and pick which category it best fits in.  The story can have up to 500 characters, and you can upload a .jpg image to go with it. 

The redesigned site has only been up for a week and there are already dozens of traveler stories posted.  I think it's going to be pretty popular.

So if you're thinking about visiting Pennsylvania, or already have and would like to share your story, be sure to click over to VisitPA.com.  The site relies almost completely on user-generated content, so tell your friends about it!  The more people who visit and participate, the better the site will be.

Plan Your Disney Vacation...

... with PassPorter.com

Since I'm fond of PassPorter  Disney guidebook series, I recently visited the PassPorter website and found it to be a great place to start planning a Disney vacation. 

On the website, you'll find updates to the PassPorter guidebooks (saving you money if you don't want to buy an updated book every year), as well as hundreds of tips, ideas and articles about Disney as well as discussion forums and links.

I've been to Disney World dozens of times, but I have a confession:   I've never had to plan a Disney Vacation.  First, my parents brought me there when I was little.  Then, in my early 20's, I worked there as part of the Magic Kingdom College Program, and finally, I spent years visiting my sister who worked there.   As an employee, she had official passes that "got me in" to the parks, so I never had to do the "work" of planning a trip there. 

Last year, however, when I attended the Year of a Million Dreams Florida press event (after not visiting Disney World for about ten years), I realized how much I miss the place, and want to go back again to explore everything that's new in the parks.  So now I'm planning a Disney vacation for the first time.

Helpful to the planning process are the articles on the PassPorter site -- and there are at least a hundred of them, so plan to take some time browsing the list.  Some examples of article topics offered:

• Preparing Your Child for a Walt Disney Vacation by Leanne Phelps
• Money Saving Strategies for Walt Disney World by Jennifer & Dave Marx
• Walt Disney World at the Holidays:  Tips for Surviving the Busy Season by Ann Weber

And on the site's discussion forums, you can ask questions or give advice to other Disney travelers.  The site isn't just for Disney World vacations, though.  You'll find information on:

• Disney Cruises
• Disneyland
• Other places including New York:   In the Fall of 2009 the company expects to have a PassPorter to Hawaii, with PassPorters to New York, Chicago, Washington D.C., Paris, and London on the drawing board.

What's unique about the PassPorter guidebooks are the sturdy envelopes and stickers that allow you to customize the books and store receipts, tickets and other mementos while you're traveling.  It's like having a guidebook, scrapbook, trip journal and organizer all in one. 

If you want to go further with your Disney vacation planning, check PassPorter's list of official Disney websites, or their list of unofficial websites.

Websites to Visit -- VisitScotland.com

In the Land of Lochs, Bagpipes, and Nessie...

... you'll find a wealth of things to do!  And to help you plan your trip, go to the official website of  Scotland's National Tourism organization -- VisitScotland.com.

I used this site to plan my last two visits to Scotland and found it to be very helpful.  In fact, when I decided to visit Scotland during the wintertime, I was concerned that there wouldn't be much for me to do.  Was I ever wrong! 

Right now on this site, under "Holiday Ideas and Experiences", you can explore such things as Scottish weddings, food and wildlife.  Or maybe you're interested in the great outdoors, walking, or golf?   

I decided to look for information on Scotland's seabirds, so I clicked on "Wildlife" and got a general overview of  Scotland's wildlife in the Fall.  From there, I went to "News and Features",  then "Features".  A long list of their latest articles, such as "Winter Wildlife" and "Sea Eagles in Scotland" came up.   At the bottom of the list, I found "Scotland -- Seabird Central", which gave me a nice long story about Scottish seabirds, with links to the places where they can be seen.  That brought me to the Scottish Seabird Center (just 30 minutes away from Edinburgh) which I now hope to see during my next visit.

The site also has a section called "Explore Scotland", from where you can click on a variety of places such as "Dumfries and Galloway" or "Orkney", for example, and learn more about them.  There are even itinerary suggestions, like that of Palms, Poets & Pilgrims in the Dumfries and Galloway section, which will show you the landscape that inspired Scotland's national bard, Rabbie Burns.

Of course, you can also book accommodations here as well as find out how to get around. 

I had just one problem with this website:  I found so many things I wanted to do that I couldn't fit them all into my trip.  The solution?  I guess I'm going to have to go back again!

Websites to Visit -- www.Egypt.travel

In a land where the sun was once worshipped as a god...

... a new website offers visitors the country's most precious treasure!

Do you dream of sun-drenched beaches or superb diving?   Time swept pyramids and ancient civilizations? If so, you're going to love the Egyptian Tourist Authority's wonderfully interactive new site.   The music alone will inspire you to hitch a ride on the next camel caravan heading to North Africa -- and apparently I'm not the only one who feels this way.

Mr. Ahmed El Kahdem, Chairman of the Egyptian Tourist Authority, comments:  "Since launching nine months ago, we have welcomed a staggering 2.2 million visitors to www.egypt.travel."  Enough said!   

If you're planning a trip to Egypt, or if you're an armchair traveler who loves Egypt, or even if you just want to be entertained for a while, here are a few of the things you can do at the site:

• Tailor make an itinerary for a trip to Egypt
• Learn Arabic phrases
• Send an e-card in hieroglyphs
• Download travel brochures
• Watch TV commercials about Egypt
• Look at an events calendar

• Download stunningly beautiful wallpapers and screensavers for your computer

For example, even though I'm traveling to Cairo in October to learn Arabic, I thought it would be a good idea to learn some basic phrases and vocabulary ahead of time.  To get started learning Arabic, I visited the "Want to Learn Arabic Phrases" section.   There I learned some basic phrases and watched and listened to five videos that cover such topics as arriving in Egypt, getting to your hotel, taking a taxi or visiting a souk.   Next, I'm going to use the site to decide what I want to do and see in Cairo and the surrounding areas when I'm not in school.   

I think this site is a great introduction to Egypt, and recommend it to anyone who is interested in the country that's offering visitors it's most precious treasure -- the sun!

[Note:  About the site, Mr. El Khadem adds:  "Through the newly added Arabic lexicon and our upcoming link-up with Google Earth, featuring satellite views of destinations and tourist sights, visitors can now begin their Egyptian adventure... before they go!"   Now isn't that a cool concept?]