Top five U.S. vacation destinations for the end of 2011

Las Vegas reclaimed its top spot in the recent Fall Travel Trends Survey conducted by Travel Leaders. The desert glamour spot had consistently ranked as the top choice of travelers booking a vacation in the U.S., but recently lost that position to Orlando, Fla., and its fantastic theme parks. The 2011 Fall Travel Trends Survey, […]

Six places to go to spice up your traditional Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day is the perfect time to be with family and friends, sharing a great meal, watching parades and football on TV and kicking off the winter holiday season, and of course to reflect on all we have to be thankful for. But, if you’re thinking about adding a bit of spice to your traditional […]

Tips to help business travelers track ancillary fees

As frequent business travelers know, airlines are generating ancillary revenue through an increasing number of fees for items such as baggage handling, onboard food and beverages, in-flight Wi-Fi access and preferred seats. Because ancillary items are often not purchased at the time of ticket purchase, they can be difficult for business travelers – and for […]

Explore Fiji: from snorkeling and rafting to touring gardens and hot springs

Although the island paradise known as Fiji covers a wide 75,000-aquare-mile area swath in the South Pacific, only 10 percent of is actually land. But, that land is exactly what you might imagine the South Pacific to be: lush, mountainous islands surrounded by clear blue water and edged with sandy beaches that are fringed with […]

Berlin after the fall: much to see and do in a city eight times the size of Paris

 It’s been 50 years since East Germany (under the direction of the former Soviet Union) constructed the Berlin Wall, an imposing concrete barrier with guard towers and other defenses designed to isolate the city of West Berlin from East Berlin and the rest of surrounding East Germany. The wall stood until 1989, when the East […]

Lift your spirits with hot-air ballooning on your next vacation

Each October, visitors flock to the world’s most-photographed event: the International Balloon Festival in Albuquerque, N.M. This year marks the 40th anniversary of this celebration of the beauty and thrill of hot-air ballooning. During this year’s event, Oct. 1-9, there are mass ascensions of hundreds of beautiful balloons from Balloon Festival Park on the mornings […]

After 40 years, John F. Kennedy Center a ‘must see’

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. opened on Sept. 8, 1971, and has hosted thousands of performances by great artists from across America and the world during the past 40 years.  The center, located on 17 acres that overlook the Potomac River, is the nation’s busiest arts facility. The […]

What you need to know about using credit cards for international travel

Most credit card users in the U.S. are accustomed to swiping their cards through a machine that reads the information stored on the magnetic stripe, then signing their name on a paper receipt or electronic signature pad. Outside the U.S.– including many countries in Europe, Asia and South America– banks and retailers have switched to […]

Memorial Museum to mark 10th anniversary of 9/11

Memorial Museum to mark 10th anniversary of 9/11

September 11 marks the 10th anniversary of the day that terrorists killed more than 3,000 people at the World Trade Center in New York City; at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., just outside Washington, D.C.; and in a field near Shanksville, Pa., about 60 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. In New York, a new 9/11 Memorial […]

Lovin’ Lucy All Over Again

If you’re one of the many fans of redheaded comedic actress Lucille Ball, you may find it hard to believe that she would have turned 100 on August 6, or that her first sitcom, “I Love Lucy,” made its debut 60 years ago this fall. But given her enduring popularity, it’s not hard to believe […]