Taking off Travel blog

Happy Thanksgiving from all at Park Ride Fly USA. Here are some great images of this holiday season.

Turkey (image: moonjazz)

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Could the roads look like this on Thanksgiving Day?

Happy Thanksgiving Week! Have you already started your Thanksgiving holiday? It’s the busiest time of the year for travel, with many people taking vacation well before the day itself and making a full week of it, traveling to visit family and friends. If you’re one of the early birds, perhaps you traveled this past weekend (a report in the Chicago Tribune lists last Friday as the busiest flying day this season) and already relaxing somewhere while you read this.

Others, if the Baltimore Sun report is anything to go by, will be starting their Thanksgiving vacation tomorrow in what the paper’s Michael Dresser calls the holiday’s ‘inexorable transition from a holiday to a holi-week.’ (Sounds good to me! )

Some, though, prefer to wait till the last minute, and travel on the day itself. As we’ve pointed out before, traveling on the holiday date can be a great way to save money on your trip, though I wouldn’t take that for granted this year.

The AAA says Thanksgiving Day will be the day that most people take to the road. The organization is predicting a 4% rise in traveler numbers for the season, with 38.2 million people driving, 3.4 million flying and just under a million traveling by buses and trains. Return travel this coming weekend is also expected to be congested (though you always have the option of flying and booking off airport parking).

It seems that rising travel costs aren’t stopping people from traveling for one of our most cherished national holidays, but the advice from TripAdvisor’s Jamie Counter is that if you’re also thinking of making a Christmas trip then the best deals are probably already gone.  Flying off-peak and from smaller airports might provide some hope. (Image: Osvaldo Gago)

Vermont's Northeast Kingdom has a geotourism policy.

By now we’ve all heard of eco-tourism, but what about geotourism? This is what some might call ‘the new hotness’, except it isn’t really that new at all. The term itself goes back to 1997, coined by a National Geographic editor who was looking for a way to combine ecotourism with sustainable tourism. It then came out into the open at a US Travel Association Conference in 2002. Since then many eco-tourism destinations and others have been adopting an approach which is more aligned with geo-tourism.

Geo-tourism goes beyond eco-tourism. It is holistic and cherishes the uniqueness of particular places, as well as having the core principles of sustainability. One of the best ways to understand the difference is to check out the descriptions of sustainable tourism and geotourism on the National Geographic’s Center for Sustainable Destinations website. The description of geotourism includes these six points:

• Geotourism is synergistic.
• It involves the community.
• It informs both visitors and hosts.
• It benefits residents economically.
• It supports integrity of place.
• It means great trips.

The National Geographic Society also has a Geotourism Charter based on the following 13 principles:

• Integrity of place
• International codes
• Market selectivity
• Market diversity
• Tourist satisfaction
• Community involvement
• Community benefit
• Protection and enhancement of destination appeal
• Land use
• Conservation of resources
• Planning
• Interactive interpretation
• Evaluation

The full charter is available here. Many countries (and parts of some US states, like Vermont) have used this as the basis for their geotourism strategies and there is also a regular Global Geotourism Conference, which this year was held in Muscat.

(Image: dougtone)

I was inspired by Libby Vertz’s recent post titled If Money Were No Option to think about the trips I would make if I didn’t have to worry about the budget – or the time it would take to get there.

Rome and the Romans

First of all, I would visit Rome, which believe it or not, I’ve never been to (though practically everyone I know has. My fascination with Rome comes as an old Latin scholar, brought up on the language and architecture of a bygone era. Seeing the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Roman Forum and other ancient monuments is on my bucket list. I’d also like to check out other Roman monuments around the world. When I lived in the South of France, I saw a few, but I have yet to tour Roman Britain either – and that’s also on my list.

Bermuda

Like Libby, I’d like to go to Bermuda, but for different reasons. The British heritage and the presence of rum don’t do it for me (you can get that in other islands too), but the nearby Bermuda Triangle does. I’m fascinated by the place after seeing documentaries and reading thrillers featuring weird disappearances. I’d like to see it for myself – as long as I don’t disappear, of course!

Mauritius

Perhaps I have a thing about island nations, because Mauritius is on my list, if only because it looks so darned beautiful. I’ve been seeing photos on brochures ever since I was thinking about my own honeymoon and I’ve never made it. The mix of British, French and Indian culture is sure to be fascinating – and who could resist a visit to the only known home of the dodo?

Africa

The home of my ancestors holds a lingering fascination for me, though I can’t really decide where to go. Should I explore Tanzania (I’m not so interested in Kenya at the moment) and check out the Maasai people (I’ve been told I bear more than a passing resemblance to them, minus the elongated earlobes and beaded jewelry)? That might be a good choice, because I could also take in part of the Serengeti, and I’ve always wanted to see African wildlife in its natural habitat.

South America

South America’s a big place to explore, but since there’s no budget limit, why not? Somewhat predictably, I’d like to take in Machu Picchu in Peru – I get a real kick from ancient cities. Other South American attractions on my list include the Galapagos, Angel Falls in Venezuela and pretty much anywhere in Brazil. I’ve also been fascinated by Tierra del Fuego ever since I read about it in history. Since I love the mountains, the landscape would definitely appeal.

Let’s keep this going, shall we? Where would you go if money and time were no object?

Image: pave_m

As we move into the last quarter of the year, it’s a good time to look back on what’s happened on the blog during the last three months. Here are some of the highlights:

Popular recent posts this quarter:

• The Best iPhone Apps For Travelers
• 2011 Luggage Trends – Suitcase.com Interview
• Layover In Miami International Airport (MIA)
• Five Travel Blog Titles That Grabbed Me
• Luggage Trends – Interview With John Ebb Of Suitcase.com
• A Whistle Stop Tour Of Chicago
• Visiting Nottingham Castle
• Pack It Up! – Online Packing List Tools
• AirTran Top in 2011 AQR Review
• Layover In Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW)

Posts that you talked about:

• How I’m Using Google+ as a Travel Blogger
• Guest Post: Travelling for business in the tropics
• I Can’t Travel Without …
• Guest Post: Improving the Ergonomics of Your Seat
• Guest Post: Travel Insurance: Essential or Extraneous?
• Inside Newark Airport (EWR)
• Travel Blogger Profiles – Want To Be Featured?
• In Praise of the Rucksack – Favorite Travel Accessories
• Natural Beauty – Photos
• 11 Ways Pan Am Travel Was Different

Travel gadgets featured:

• Favorite Travel Accessories: Digital Luggage Scale
• Favorite Travel Accessories: My Nokia Smartphone
• Favorite Travel Accessories: Kindle
• Favorite Travel Accessories: Samsung Netbook
• In Praise of the Rucksack – Favorite Travel Accessories
• Are You Good Tugo?
• I Can’t Travel Without …

Coming up this month, a few more travel blogger profiles, some trip reports from my visit to Jamaica and a guide for business travelers to India.