Austin-Lehman Adventures Founders Outline Top Inn Favorites Included in 2009 All-Inclusive Itineraries
When you’re on a panel of experts, what kind of advice do you give? Dan Austin and Paul Lehman, founding partners of Austin-Lehman Adventures (ALA) that specializes in immersive, active travel experiences, enjoy positions on the Forbes Traveler 400 Experts Panel. As travel authorities, they recently outlined the top 10 favorite inns ALA will utilize on its 2009 all-inclusive itineraries.
“Narrowing the field to 10 really challenged us,” says Lehman. “But it was a good exercise because it was strongly influenced by guest feedback so it gave us an insight into what folks look for when it comes to choosing an active travel vacation.”
As longtime travel veterans and founding partners of ALA, Austin & Lehman have served on the Forbes Traveler Panel of Experts Since 2006. They just completed their nominations for the Forbes Traveler 400 Luxury Hotel List, due out Oct 1.
Lehman notes that while ALA seeks the best accommodations in each of its destinations spanning Alaska to South Africa, in ALA terms “best” doesn’t necessarily mean the most exclusive, the biggest or most expensive.
“We look instead for intimate, locally run inns, lodges, B&Bs and resorts whose unique charm and history give our guests a true feel for the region. Each of our properties offers surprising luxury with an absence of pretension. From claw-foot tubs to wood-fired saunas and overstuffed pillows, we’ll indulge you in all the comforts and then some,” notes Lehman.
Austin & Lehman’s 2009 Top 10 Accommodations Picks:
- Fox Island, Kenai, Alaska: Guests boat-in to log-hewn cabins sited in rocky cove on a private three-square-mile island. ALA’s Alaska: Best of the Greatland.
- Burrowing Owl, Okanagan Wine Region, BC: Dramatic views of mountains and vineyards from the balcony of a charming 10-room guesthouse. ALA’s Okanagan Valley: Canada’s Wine Country.
- Spring Creek Ranch, Jackson Hole, Wyoming: Year-round luxury resort on a wildlife sanctuary enjoys Conde Nast Traveler’s Gold List designation. ALA’s Grand Teton: Valley Floors to Jagged Peaks.
- Hotel San Juan de Dios, Chiapas, Mexico: Gardens and private gardens, antiques and chimneys grace guest accommodations of this one-time hacienda in the historic region of San Cristobal de las Casas. ALA’s Mexico Chiapas: Rainforest to Ruins.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
According to PCWORLD, Over 85,000 phones, 21,000 PDAs and 4,500 notebook computers are left behind in taxis every year. Well, now there is an easy way for someone to turn those items in as well as have them returned.
Founded in 2004, Atlanta-based ImHONEST.com is a non-traditional lost and found service that provides identification and recovery for items of value. In addition to offering an affordable and user-friendly solution for owners to proactively label and register their valuables, ImHONEST.com makes it easy for the finders of lost items to act on their honesty.
Two of the most common reasons that lost items are not returned to their owners are the inability to identify the owner of the lost item and the lack of an easy way to return the found item. The ImHONEST.com system, with its user-friendly label registration and reporting system, solves both of these issues. ImHONEST.com makes it easy for finders of lost items to return the items to their owners by providing:
- Personalized labels containing a unique ID code
- Choice of toll-free and online “found item” reporting
- Over 4,000 drop-off locations at all of The UPS Store® locations
- Pick-up service from any residence or business location
- Support for international shipping of found items
- A gift rewarding the finder’s honesty
In keeping with the company’s mission to promote honesty and aid those in need, 20% of the online purchases of ImHONEST.com labels are donated to charities. Before finalizing an online purchase, customers choose a charitable organization from a list that includes organizations such as World Vision, Doctors Without Borders and March of Dimes.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Travel experts at VirtualTourist.com reveal what not to do on vacation
Although traveling is meant to be one of life’s greatest pleasures, logistics, mishaps, and pure dumb luck can conspire to make the experience practically intolerable. Luckily the members of VirtualTourist.com(TM) (http://www.virtualtourist.com/), not only have great hotel reviews but great advice about ways to avoid calamity, as general manager of VirtualTourist(R) Giampiero Ambrosi explains:
“Every experienced traveler has a war story or two of missed flights, nights spent in train stations, or full vacation days at an embassy trying to get missing paperwork. While there are always situations that can’t be avoided, this is a great checklist to help you avoid some very common blunders. The list may help you avert disaster, but remember that the biggest travel mistake of all is not to keep a sense of humor about your mistakes!
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
iExplore announced today their list of Top Ten Summer World Travel Destinations for Cultural Exploration as determined by vacation purchases of its adventure and experiential travelers.
1. The Pyramids, Egypt
The largest man made structures in the world and are one of the most lasting symbols of ancient civilization.
2. Machu Picchu, Peru
Recently named one of the world’s new seven wonders; this remote Inca citadel has perhaps the most dramatic setting of any ruin in the world.
3. Thailand
Thailand is a rush to traveler’s senses: a bustling, exotic, and vivid culture that never ceases to amaze visitors.
4. Madagascar
Madagascar, the fourth-largest island in the world is a land unlike any other. Madagascar is an enticing destination for those who find its lack of modern conveniences, tourist infrastructure and efficient transport system an interesting proposition rather than a problem.
5. Great Wall, China
The only man made structure that can be seen from space spans more than 4,000 miles across mainland China.
6. Jerusalem, Israel
The old walled city of Jerusalem, a holy site of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, is dominated by historic sites such as the Dome of the Rock, Wailing Wall, and church of the Holy Sepulchre.
7. Taj Mahal, India
The world’s most famous testament of love. This white domed mausoleum made of the finest stones in Agra, India is the finest example of Mughal architecture and Muslim art and recognized for its beauty the world over.
8. Tunisia
Tunisia, the smallest country in North Africa, has a lot to offer travelers including Mediterranean beaches, the Sahara desert, to sets from the film Star Wars.
9. Vietnam
Only in Vietnam is the past and the present encapsulated so perfectly.
10. Japan
Ancient temples and futuristic cities; mist-shrouded mountains and lightning-fast bullet trains; kimono-clad geisha and suit-clad businessmen: Japan offers all of this and more.
iExplore offers guided tours to most of the above destinations. Call 1-800-IEXPLORE (1-800-439-7567) for details and pricing.
Founded in 1999, iExplore (http://www.iexplore.com/) is the leading online resource for adventure and experiential travel, serving over 1,300,000 visitors per month at its website.
Source: iExplore, Inc.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Fairmont kicks off New Year by inviting guests to join in supporting Soles4Souls, with special incentive from adidas
They say all good “soles” go to heaven, and now shoes from the Fairmont Fit program will get a second life with Soles4Souls, a non-profit organization that collects gently used athletic shoes for redistribution to those in need. Starting this fall, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts will donate footwear from Fairmont Fit, a program which offers members of Fairmont President’s Club, the brand’s exclusive guest recognition program, access to adidas athletic apparel for use during their stay. To launch this new partnership, Fairmont is providing a little incentive to begin the New Year on the right foot and stick with those resolutions to get in shape. Guests and community members are invited to drop off gently used athletic shoes at Fairmont locations across North America from Monday, January 19 to Friday, January 23, 2009, and the Fairmont team will do the rest. In recognition of this support, Fairmont Fit partner adidas will offer an exclusive discount card for 15% off adidas merchandise, to be used online at http://www.shopadidas.com or http://www.shopadidas.ca.
Soles4Souls is an international organization that facilitates the donation and redistribution of shoes to people in need in over 50 countries. Donations from individuals, companies and other organizations help Soles4Souls fulfill its mission to impact lives with the gift of shoes. This small act helps provide a basic need; quality shoes help protect feet from cuts, scrapes and contaminants that can lead to potentially serious healthcare issues. Started in 2004 in response to the Tsunami disaster, Soles4Souls has grown rapidly, resulting in over three million pairs of shoes being given away to date.
Fairmont Fit, which has proven extremely popular in its first year of operation in North American hotels, will be expanding to all international locations later this year. Fairmont President’s Club members can order adidas shorts, t-shirts and athletic shoes, all delivered to their room, for use during their stay.* As shoes slowly become worn in, and as seasonal changes of styles are provided by adidas, hotels are left with items that are suitable for donating. Fairmont, long a leader in environmental stewardship and responsible tourism, continually seeks ways to minimize the footprint of its hotels. In support of these efforts, Fairmont will donate footwear to Soles4Souls, and hotels will also donate the gently used apparel to local charities.
“We’re proud to support Soles4Souls’ efforts. The partnership makes sense; with locations around the world, we can provide sizable quantities of a much needed item, but we also mitigate our impact on the planet,” noted Brian Richardson, Fairmont’s Vice President Brand Marketing and Communications.
“We are very pleased that Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and adidas have joined forces with Soles4Souls to make a positive impact on the lives of thousands of people in need,” said Wayne Elsey, Founder and CEO of Soles4Souls, Inc. “This program will not only benefit victims of natural disasters and those living in extreme poverty, but it will help reduce the vast number of shoes that end up in our landfills,” he said.
Fairmont President’s Club is the hotel company’s premier guest recognition program, providing frequent guests with certain benefits and privileges during their stay. Membership is complimentary and guests can enroll online at http://www.fairmont.com, by calling 1-800-663-7575 or at any Fairmont location worldwide.
*The Fairmont Fit program is complimentary for Premier and Platinum level members of Fairmont President’s Club. A $10 fee per stay will apply for Club level members, for unlimited use of apparel during their stay.
About Soles4Souls
Nashville-based Soles4Souls™ facilitates the donations of both new and used shoes, which are used to aid the hurting worldwide. Since its inception, Soles4Souls has distributed more than 3.3 million pairs (or one pair every 23 seconds) to people in more than 60 countries, including Honduras, Romania, Thailand, and the Sudan. The charity has been featured on CNN Headline News, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, ABC News, FOX, CBS, and hundreds of regional outlets around North America. Soles4Souls is a 501(c)(3) recognized by the IRS; donating parties are eligible for tax advantages. Visit www.giveshoes.org for more information.
About adidas
adidas is a global designer, developer and marketer of athletic footwear, apparel and accessories with the mission to be the leading sports brand in the world. Brand adidas is part of the adidas Group, a corporation that also includes Reebok, TaylorMade and Rockport. Some of the players in adidas’ roster of athletes include: Kevin Garnett, Jeremy Wariner, Allyson Felix, Tyson Gay, Haile Gebrselassie, Yelena Isenbeya, Reggie Bush, Tim Duncan, Ryan Howard and David Beckham.
About Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
A leader in the global hospitality industry, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is an extraordinary collection of luxury hotels, which includes iconic landmarks like the Fairmont Singapore, Fairmont Le Montreux Palace in Switzerland and New York’s The Plaza. Fairmont hotels are one-of-a-kind properties where sophisticated travellers can discover culturally rich experiences that are authentic to the destination. Situated in some of the most exclusive and pristine areas in the world, Fairmont is committed to responsible tourism and is an industry leader in sustainable hotel management with its award-winning Green Partnership program. Fairmont’s portfolio includes 56 distinctive hotels, with plans to develop over 20 new properties in the coming years in destinations as diverse as Shanghai, Abu Dhabi and Anguilla.
Fairmont is owned by Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, a leading global hotel company with 90 hotels worldwide under the Raffles, Fairmont and Swissôtel brands. The company also owns Fairmont and Raffles branded Residences, Estates and luxury private residence club properties. For more information or reservations, please call 1-800-441-1414 or visit http://www.fairmont.com
Source: Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Today, a new Microsoft-backed site called PlanetEye launched an innovative online travel planning service that allows users to organize and schedule their travel planning needs under one roof.
Planning a trip can be extremely time consuming, involving visits to dozens of sites and sifting through hundreds of search results before you finalize all the pieces together for your trip. PlanetEye’s goal is to put an end to the frustrating and time-consuming process people suffer when planning their trip online.
The site features a powerful and easy-to-use planning tool, rich geotagged photographs and leading edge mapping technology. They also have extensive travel content from a team of in-house writers and external professional sources.
At the core of PlanetEye’s travel planning service is the Travel Pack that lets travelers “clip” the interesting photographs, attractions, hotels and restaurants discovered on PlanetEye when they are planning a trip or simply putting together travel ideas. Users can look at their Travel Packs as a list or on a personalized map.
It’s easy to introduce local flavor into your Travel Pack by adding PlanetEye’s top-rated selections on where to stay, what to do and where to eat. As well, PlanetEye provides valuable editorial content from a list of “Trusted Sources” to enhance your planning process.
After returning from a trip, you can upload photos to your Travel Packs, rate the places where you stayed, dined and toured, and then share your Travel Pack with friends, family and other travelers. (or opt to keep them private)
Once you’ve created your Travel Pack, you can also book your flight and hotel and car rentals, easily make restaurant reservations (OpenTable), buy tickets to events and attractions (StubHub), book a spa appointment (WaySpa) and more.
Click here to give it a test-drive.
Source: Online Communications
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".