A friend of mine recently got back from Hawaii. I commented in his blog that Hawaii has a vibe that makes you feel lighter. It’s like the drag of gravity abates. You breathe easier. Your shoulders relax, moving away from your ears. The air smells better, and food tastes better.
“It makes you happy to be [...]
Posts under ‘travel planning’
5 Places That Will Make You Happy to Be Alive
Localyte.com – Local Know-how, or Just Pushing Products?
There’s nothing like expert advice from a friendly person in the know who lives at your destination. The guys at Localyte.com seem to have created their site intending to connect travelers with exactly that sort of local expert.
I’d never heard of the site until one of its creators contacted me, hoping I’d put a widget [...]
American Hotels are a Rip-Off
I was somewhat excited about an upcoming trip to Boston. Then I started researching hotel prices.
Check this out:
1 night in a generic hotel in Boston = $210
Now contrast that to these (bear in mind that I generally travel just slightly off the peak seasons, but not much):
1 night in a British Bristol freighter airplane turned [...]
So You’re Going to Australia … 11 Handy Tips
I know of more than a few wise people who are following my advice and heading really, really far south. Good on ya, as they’ll say in Australia. Rather than just hording my favorite tips for family and friends, I’ll share ‘em with all of you.
1. Airline tickets – Australia’s a bloody big country, and [...]
48 Hours in Flagstaff
Flagstaff has saved the sanity of many people from central Arizona. We know that, even on the hottest, most brain-baking weekends, respite is just two hours away up the I-17. That means you can squeeze relief from triple-digit temperatures into just one weekend.
Here are some tips for desert dwellers looking to get the most out [...]
Airline Update – Phoenix to Jamaica
Wow, check it out! There’s now a new international destination from the Nation’s Least International International Airport (aka Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport).
This one comes to us from US Airways, which is offering seasonal nonstop service from Phoenix to Montego Bay, Jamaica, starting Dec. 17 and running through April 12, 2010. That’s aboard an Airbus [...]
Possums and Parks – A Quick Visit to St. Louis
 Back in the old days before I began keeping my blog, I had to visit St. Louis. My sister-in-law was graduating from Washington University (a beautiful campus – the sort that would feature in a Revenge of the Nerds-style movie) and the wife and I were off to see her into the professional world.
I should [...]
US Airways Doing the Samba from Charlotte, Heading to Tel Aviv from Philly
Note from Wandering Justin: Since I live in Phoenix, which is a US Airways hub, I plan to keep a closer eye on its activities. I won’t regurgitate press releases, but rather analyze what it means from a traveler’s perspective. I am also not an industry expert, just a curious flying enthusiast. Feel free to [...]
Belize – The Right Destination for You?
The cool thing about Central America is that just because you’ve seen one of its countries, you haven’t seen them all. It might be natural to assume that Belize would be like Costa Rica, but with more Mayan ruins. It would also be completely wrong.
So is Belize worth visiting? That depends on you, traveling friends, [...]
S.P. Crater Easy to Overlook, Impossible to Forget
It’s easy to forget or to never even realize it – but much of northern Arizona’s landscape was shaped by fire. Or by lava, if you prefer a more precise word.
Volcanoes disgorged magma onto the surface, forming everything from towering giants like the San Francisco
Peaks to the loaf-like dome of Mount Elden to the mysterious [...]
