Many wows await Yosemite Park visitors

By Victor Block
Posted on July 15, 2021

Following the hairpin-curvy road that snakes through Yosemite National Park, every turn elicited another “wow” moment. It was challenging to decide which view was best: dramatic overlooks across deep gorges, soaring mountains or some of the highest waterfalls in the country? Suddenly, I found the answer. I spotted several people pointing binoculars at a cliff rising straight up from... READ MORE

Go to unwind on Virginia’s Eastern Shore

By Glenda C. Booth
Posted on July 08, 2021

With two national wildlife refuges, a national seashore, one state park and three state wildlife management areas, Virginia’s Eastern Shore is “nature untamed,” wrote local author Kirk Mariner. The state’s Eastern Shore stretches 70 miles from Maryland to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. It is flanked by the Atlantic Ocean on the east (“seaside”) and the Chesapeake Bay... READ MORE

Watch out for fake airline ticket sites

By BBB of Central Virginia
Posted on June 11, 2021

With the vaccines rolling out, travel is coming back. That’s great news for summer vacation plans — and for scammers. The Better Business Bureau’s Scam Tracker is receiving reports of con artists who create fake airline ticket booking sites or customer service numbers. If you’re buying airfare, always double check the URL or phone number before providing your credit card... READ MORE

Cowboys and culture on Canada’s plains

By Glenda C. Booth
Posted on June 03, 2021

In the middle of southern Alberta Canada’s vast prairie, multicultural urbanity meets cowboy country in Calgary. The outlaw Henry Longabaugh, better known as the Sundance Kid, himself once owned a saloon in one of its grand hotels. Locals still brag that when the city hosted the 1988 winter Olympics, some Calgarians opened their homes to visitors from all over the world, and others... READ MORE

Stay in a treehouse, wagon or caboose

By Victor Block
Posted on June 01, 2021

So you’d like to get away for a while without driving too far, but the idea of a cookie-cutter hotel doesn’t appeal. Fortunately there are enticing alternatives for a variety of preferences and pocketbooks, from treehouses to houseboats to museum-like houses that allow you to step into chapters of history. It’s no surprise that treehouse accommodations exist in a state that’s... READ MORE

Vaccination surge leads to pricier travel

By Sam Kemmis
Posted on May 26, 2021

The cost of travel will slowly rebound from historic lows as more people receive COVID-19 vaccinations and book long-deferred trips, according to industry experts. This time last year, air traffic in the U.S. plummeted, with 95% fewer travelers passing through TSA checkpoints in April 2020 than in April 2019. This reduced demand led to a corresponding decrease in airfare prices. The... READ MORE

Nashville tempts palate with reopenings

By Ann Cochran
Posted on May 14, 2021

Now that many of us are fully vaccinated, we can finally plan a getaway. Our first trip might be a road trip, perhaps a longer drive than we would have undertaken before. After having to stay put for more than a year, I’m looking for a destination that’s within a day’s drive but feels different from my normal stomping grounds. It only takes 10 hours to drive from D.C. to... READ MORE

Springtime beckons at gardens nearby

By Victor Block
Posted on May 05, 2021

Onlookers gaze in awe at topiary sculptures of riders astride galloping horses and hounds pursuing a frantic fox. Grandparents look on with delight as grandchildren make mud pies and dig in dirt to find ersatz dinosaur bones. Exquisite statuary, ornate stonework and splashing fountains create a scene which could be set in Italy — but isn’t. These seemingly disparate scenes have ... READ MORE

As travel reopens, what you can do now

By Ed Perkins
Posted on April 05, 2021

Everywhere you look, you see signs of a reopening of the travel world. Airlines are ramping up schedules, and destinations are actively seeking customers. Unfortunately, however, the major stakeholders — airlines, destinations and governments — have not put together coherent and unified policies and procedures for reopening. If you want to start thinking about spring or summer... READ MORE

Portugal road trip reveals beauty, history

By Jeanine Barone
Posted on March 29, 2021

Strolling a sandy lane atop tall sea cliffs in Portugal’s Cape Sãrdao with nary a hotel in sight, I found an idyllic, pastoral setting far away from the hustle and bustle of Lisbon, just two hours north. My only company was a white stork gliding overhead. Springtime is especially lovely in southern Portugal, with lavender and thyme blooming, and stork chicks squirming in nests built... READ MORE