Taking off Travel blog

I’m not much into making new year’s resolutions. In the past, like many people, I’ve made them and then abandoned the ones that didn’t work for me. A few years ago, I had an epiphany: when I’m ready to change something, I will, at any time of year when it seems right to do so, so there’s no need to pick an artificial date in the year to make that change.

But when it comes to travel, there are several things I aspire to, and I’m going to share some of them with you. These aren’t resolutions, but aspirations. They represent the things I want to do on every trip I make, no matter the length of the trip or the destination. Here they are:

1. Get out of the compound. In my experience, you miss a lot when you stick only to the area around your accommodation, especially if that accommodation is of the luxury or all-inclusive kind. Don’t get me wrong; I love staying in hotels or apartments, but it’s always wise to explore. One of the ways I’ve done that over the years is to hop on a bus and ride to the end of the line. You never know what you will find. Once, I was on a train along the Costa del Sol, when I spotted a beach where there were no deck chairs and no tourists. That became my favorite haunt for the rest of the trip.

2. Take a detour. We all make travel plans but it’s good to be prepared to throw these out if an opportunity presents itself. Read more »

We’re just about to start a new round of travel blogger interviews. Before we do, I thought I’d share some of the highlights of last year’s series. Here are the 15 travel bloggers we profiled last year, along with a great quote from each interview.

Annabel Candy

Planning is a waste of time in the end because the best thing to do is just get somewhere with no plans. Walk everywhere so you get to know the place properly and ask the locals for help and advice.

Lea Woodward

There are a few things which set us apart – we’re a husband and wife team, we run our business from wherever we are and we truly have multiple income streams from digital products, to professional services, to selling physical goods.

Marina Villatoro

I find guidebooks to be bad and unhelpful. That’s why I’m actually creating guidebooks for families to make it so much easier to plan, especially with kids.

Andy Hayes

I learned an awful lot about the sorry state of the traveling public, how to pack a carryon like a ninja, every frequent flyer mile and seating trick in the book, and what airports have decent food options (answer: none).

Soultravelers3

I think travel is the best education so wanted to pass these experiences onto my child by traveling as a family. She took her first trip and stayed in her first hotel at 2 weeks old and we started our world tour when she was 5.

Read more »

The concept of marriage is in flux. Once a sacred ceremony that joined two souls in ever-lasting holy matrimony, it has become a commoditized, corrupt, mechanized process that has lost much of its meaning and is waning in popularity, certainly in the West.  In the U.S, 40% of all marriages ended in divorce in 2008. This is a well known fact and undermines what should be, by all accounts, a permanent agreement to stick by your chosen partner through thick and thin.

So how and why has this changed happened? A decline in religion could be one reason. Fewer people going to church means fewer people investing value in Christian beliefs and ideologies, meaning fewer people are getting hitched. In fact in the UK, divorce rates amongst those in their 60s are rising, indicating that even long term marriages are not safe.

The process of marriage and values surrounding marriage vary greatly from country to country and while some may find the divorce rate in the western world surprising, there are other marriage rituals around the world that would seem alien to anyone not familiar with the local cultures and customs. Here are five unique marriage rituals from around the world.

Arranged Marriages, India

Although arranged marriages happen all over the world, they are perhaps most commonplace in  India, in fact in some parts, they are the norm. This takes place when parents select a bride for their son, or vice versa, locking individuals, often at a very young age, into a marriage they have very little say in. Arranged marriages largely came about because the religion and culture in such countries doesn’t encourage dating, and so in most instances, arranged marriages are the only way that couples can meet.

Drive-Thru Weddings, USA

Weddings are usually long drawn out affairs executed with military-like precision,  lasting an entire day, in front of crowds of family and friends, planned years in advance. Perhaps the strangest marriage ritual in the world then, is the ‘drive-thru’ wedding, most common in Las Vegas, where couples will get hitched in a matter of minutes, often without an audience and occasionally under the influence of considerable amounts of alcohol.

Bride Kidnapping, Kyrgyzstan

In what is perhaps the most extreme and deplorable wedding ritual of them all, bride kidnapping in rural areas of Kyrgyzstan. A recent study in fact suggested that half of all marriages in the country are the result of bride kidnappings, a phenomena partly born out of a disorganised legal system that is not enforced on a country-wide basis but dictated by individual villages and towns. Groups of men will plan a kidnapping days in advance, although it is usually the females in the groom’s family that will carry out the kidnapping.

Shotgun Weddings, USA

The term ‘shot gun’ wedding refers the process whereby a father would approach his daughter’s partner with a shotgun, and demand that he ask for her hand in marriage, if she became pregnant. Although the term itself is fairly new , the ideals that founded it are in fact quite old fashioned. Today it’s commonplace, at least in the Western world, for couples to have a child outside of wedlock, and although it may be frowned upon in more conservative, religious communities, today’s shotgun weddings don’t often live up to their names  – thankfully!

Stag Parties, UK

Although it seems routine for Brits, looking from the outside in, the concept of a stag party is bordering on the insane. One of these parties usually consists of the groom to-be going on a weekend away in Europe to somewhere selling cheap alcohol with a group of friends, a few days before the wedding itself. The groom to-be will be forcibly fed a near-lethal mixture of said alcohol, while wearing a humiliating fancy-dress outfit, only to be humiliated further by getting bound to a lamp-post or other immovable object. Grooms have often been known to be no-shows at their own weddings as a direct result of stag-party antics!

Joe is a travel blogger who doesn’t have plans to get married any time soon! He’s looking forward to his Hayes and Jarvis Dubai holidays next year, but won’t be looking for a holiday romance there! (Image: sdmustangclub)

It’s time for our annual roundup of the best of the blog. Before I get to the list, some interesting stats. This year blog traffic increased by over 30% over the previous year. While most of you (79%) visited from the US, we also saw lots of blog readers from Canada, the UK, India and Australia. The post that generated most traffic this year was our profile of JoAnna Haugen, part of our travel blogger interview series. And now, here are the rest of the stats.

Most Discussion

Our most discussed posts this year were a mixture of old and new. This only looks at discussion on the blog but the first post on this list also generated good discussion and sharing on Twitter, Facebook and Google+:

• Do You Speak Brit?
• Three Travel Trends That Tick Me Off
• Six Travel Bloggers You Should Follow On Twitter
• Layover In LAX – Things To Do
• Inside Chicago O’Hare (ORD) Airport
• Would You Work For Free To Save Your Company?
• Layover In JFK – Things To Do
• The Best iPhone Apps For Travelers
• Top Tools For Staying Connected
• Layover In Tampa Airport (TPA)

Made You Look – Most Viewed Posts

Again, there are perennial favorites in here as well as some new ones. In this economy, it’s no surprise that our posts on saving on travel got some attention, but people were also interested in travel trends for the year:

• International Body Language, Gestures & Manners: Don’t Be “That Guy!”
• Beat The System: Killer Priceline Tricks For Hotel Deals
• The Secret To Getting Best Travel Prices on Priceline & Hotwire: Part One
• Why Hotels Hate Priceline Guests & Other Dirty Little Secrets
• Layover In JFK – Things To Do
• Layover In LAX – Things To Do
• New Indy Park Ride & Fly Opens – Travel News
• Six Sensationally Strange Celebrations From Around the World
• The Best iPhone Apps For Travelers
• Japanese Customs, Quirks & Other Fascinating Oddities
• Luggage Trends – Interview With John Ebb Of Suitcase.com

Personal Favorites

Finally, here are a few that I enjoyed writing and you enjoyed reading too.

• Pack It Up! – Online Packing List Tools
• 20 British Expressions You Will Never Hear in the US
• Fun Facts about Valentine’s Day
• Five Fab Facebook Pages for Travelers
• The ABCs Of International Business Etiquette

The holiday season is in full swing, especially in those towns that look like they were built for Christmas (some of them were!).  Here are the top five picks for the best Christmas towns in America based on their look, feel, and, most of all, festive holiday spirit.

1. Solvang, CA
Located less than an hour away from Santa Barbara, the city of Solvang is not your typical California coastal town.  The architecture is modeled after traditional Danish buildings, giving tourists the feeling of Old World charm and quaintness.  During December, Solvang hosts a number of holiday traditions including the Olsen’s Gingerbread House, Danish Silver Gift-Giving, and caroling in Solvang Park.

All the winter festivities come after Julfest, the beginning of the holiday season.  Visitors from across the nation travel to Solvang to celebrate the holidays surrounded by Dutch-inspired architecture like half-timber buildings and windmills.

2. Leavenworth, WA
Modeled after a Bavarian village, Leavenworth’s city center is composed of Germanic half-timbers that house everything from quaint shops to modern Starbucks.  As snow starts to fall in central Washington State east of the Cascades, Leavenworth becomes a winter wonderland.  The city looks like something out of an Old World snow globe: horse-drawn carriages, sleigh rides, carolers, and lighting festivals are just some of the local highlights that visitors can enjoy.  Every part of Leavenworth is infused with holiday spirit: from the hotel accommodations to the restaurants in the town, guests can enjoy a thoroughly festive Christmas town.

3. North Pole, AK
Ever heard of Davis, Alaska?  Unless you lived in the Last Frontier State before 1953, your answer is probably no.  That’s because, nearly 60 years ago, Davis changed its name to North Pole, becoming a national sensation and holiday pilgrimage site.  The most iconic landmark in town is the 42-foot tall Santa statue that stands outside the town’s gift shop, Santa Claus House.  The store lies just minutes away from the Post Office; out of towners send their Christmas cards there to receive the local postmark so that their letters come from The North Pole.

4. Woodstock, VT
Modeled after the Oxfordshire, UK village of the same name, Woodstock has been lauded numerous times for its quaintness and picturesque design.  The village loves to kick off the holiday season in style with the Wassail Weekend, a festival steeped in the winter traditions of old England and the Norse countries.  Today’s festivities are somewhat more up to date, with a parade that features 19th Century period costume as well as Victorian holiday decor on display at local museums.  Plays, musicals, and poetry recitals round out the evening entertainment between late night shopping and enjoying the general splendor of the whole holiday affair.

5. Branson, MO
In a cozy corner of southern Missouri, the town of Branson stands ready to entertain and delight all comers.  From country music spectaculars to family-style jubilees, the city offers so much in the way of Midwest charm and spirit.  The highlight of Branson’s holiday season is their theme park, Silver Dollar City, all decked out for winter.  Lights and snow (sometimes real) edge every building; after picking up a roll filled with molasses, visitors can enjoy a staged shootout between the Hatfields and the McCoys.  Included with the cost of admission is a ticket to view the Marvel Cave, a cavernous subterranean expanse that digs 300 feet down into the limestone beneath the park.  (Image: Kathy McGraw)

Analise Marcus loves seeing how cities and towns across the country celebrate Christmas, whether the festivities last just the season or all year around. She enjoys using a promo code for Travelocity to save on all her holiday travels.