Good times in Louisiana Cajun country

By Glenda C. Booth
Posted on January 26, 2017

Each year, the town of Mamou, La., like many in the Cajun country of Louisiana, holds a colorful and raucous Mardi Gras celebration on the day before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent.© Philip Gould/Lafayette TravelLet the good times roll, they say. In French, “Laissez les bons temps rouler.” And roll they do in southern Louisiana’s Cajun Country.Locals ... READ MORE

Sites to see in Stockholm (via Iceland)

By Saul Schwartz
Posted on January 22, 2017

Last fall, Iceland-based Wow Airlines initiated its new route from BWI to Stockholm, Sweden, through Reykjavik, Iceland. With fares beginning at just over $200 each way, I declared to my wife, “Wow! How can we pass this up?” At such low fares, we did have to pay extra for all drinks, food and entertainment in flight. While fares are somewhat higher now, the Wow stopover option... READ MORE

Vacation bliss in the colorful Cook Islands

By Giovanna Dell’Orto
Posted on January 17, 2017

Swaying in a hammock hung from coconut trees, floating down a cyan-blue channel, or swimming in a cloud of tropical fish, all I could think was, this place is too perfect to be real.Aitutaki consists of a handful of small islands encircled by a lagoon in the middle of the South Pacific. It’s the paradise you always dreamed of, but never quite believed could exist: uncrowded,... READ MORE

Visitors love Scotland’s misty Isle of Skye

By Michelle Locke
Posted on January 09, 2017

Bonny Prince Charlie saw Scotland’s Isle of Skye on the run. He was fleeing government troops after his Highland rebellion ended disastrously at the 18th century Battle of Culloden.My visit was hurried, too, although due to nothing more exciting than a tight schedule — no redcoats on my tail.Luckily, even a short stay is long enough to glimpse why the Misty Isle of Skye is one... READ MORE

Dutch heritage colors Caribbean Curacao

By Victor Block
Posted on December 28, 2016

Boats line a pier in Willemstad, Curacao, forming a “floating market” that delivers fresh produce and other goods from Venezuela to the arid but lovely Caribbean island.© Fotos593I knew that the Caribbean island of Curacao is unfamiliar to many people from the United States, but the flight attendant’s announcement still caught me by surprise.As the plane prepared to... READ MORE

Swimming with dolphins and stingrays

By Fyllis Hockman
Posted on December 20, 2016

Their bodies were sleek and graceful, the skin soft to the touch, their demeanor welcoming even if a bit skeptical. Still, they were more used to this than I was. But I spread my arms out as instructed and flapped them in the water.Romeo and Paski, two of my dolphin snorkeling companions, then swam under my outstretched limbs, and we laid back into the water as though sunbathing. Then we... READ MORE

You don’t need a car to enjoy Dallas

By John Lumpkin
Posted on December 08, 2016

Asphalt and concrete have defined Dallas since a north-south “central expressway” was envisioned in the early 1900s for a stretch of railroad right-of-way. Travel by anything other than an automobile can be challenging and sometimes impractical.However, there is a promising alternative — call it “Walking Dallas.” The development of the Uptown neighborhood,... READ MORE

A walking tour through Japanese history

By Victor Block
Posted on November 29, 2016

Neon signs crowd the streetscapes in modern Tokyo, a city of more than 13 million people. Elsewhere in the city and around the country, well-preserved elements from Japan’s storied history remain, from the imperial palace to Buddhist temples.Photo by Luciano Mortula/Dreamstime.comThe traffic-clogged streets, towering skyscrapers and dazzling lighted billboards could be in Times Square ... READ MORE

Air and hotel deals no longer easy to find

By Ed Perkins
Posted on November 15, 2016

If you’re looking for the best airfare or hotel deal, you can’t trust a single online source. The exact reasons are different for airfares than for hotel rates, but the net result is that the Internet is no longer able to provide what it once did: Easy and accurate one-search airfare price comparisons and quick identification of the best deal.The key factor for airfares seems to ... READ MORE

You can learn to lead a safari, sort of

By Charmaine Noronha
Posted on November 07, 2016

It’s not just a safari. It’s a master class in the untamed world, a behind-the-scenes education with experts who are the talking Google gods of wildlife. That’s what it’s like on safaris that let tourists learn alongside locals who are training to be guides. The guides, members of Kenya’s Maasai tribe, spend three weeks on a training mission traversing East Africa’s Maasai ... READ MORE