Restless Travel Heart Syndrome

I am back. After a hiatus, exploring new places, and getting the travel legs in shape for the new year, I am excited for what is to come.

What a year and one half we have had in all industries. Travel has been no exception. But, with the opening of 2010, there is a sense that deep in the soul, one must get out. I call this the restless travel heart syndrome.

We have spoken about this before, but we humans must have the freedom to move about. We are a mobile society, and not only with the workplace, but the need to travel, to experience, to learn, to grow. 

Value is important to the traveler today, more than ever. With careful planning, the experience you want is out there.  

As i write, I am inAuckland New Zealand, preparing to embark on a Melanesian Expedition tomorrow with an Australian company, Orion Expeditions.www.orionexpeditions.com .

We will sail out of the harbor in Auckland and head in a northerly direction to the Islands. Most notable among them are the Soloman Islands, much in play during the Second World War as well as Asmany others. We will disembark in Rabaul, Papua New Guinea, some 18 days from now. 

Please follow me along the way. I hope to have some photos, videos and a daily blog about the experience. As the new word in travel is 'experiential' or 'culturious', this adventure will certainly be that.

 

auckland, New Zealand

20 years and counting--sweet smell of VAlencia Oranges.

      Imagine the soft sound of fountains gurgling; the thunk, thunk of the tennis ball hitting the strings of a racket; wandering along pathways surrounded by lush bougainvillea plants; all the while enjoying the sweet mixed aromas of citrus, oranges, lemons. The setting exudes tranquility and peace.Welcome to Rancho Valencia. http://www.ranchovalencia.com

      Tucked into the hills around Rancho Santa Fe, 35 miles northeast of San Diego, I was able to sample and taste what the resort had to offer last weekend.   

      Rancho Valencia was celebrating its 20th anniversary as a club, resort and now a residence villa club. Under the new management of Auberge, the five star resort management company, it offers superb service, excellent tennis on 18 terraced hard courts,  ( golf is just around the corner at one of the terrific golf courses in the area). A new chef , Barclay Dodge, has come on board to satisfy the most finicky palate. His creations are fresh and combine old California with the new.

      Down the road, outside the gates, is the famous Delmar Race Track. Remember Lucille Ball, Frank Sinatra, stars of another great era? They made this their sporting venue during the month of August. Rancho Valencia offers their guests a chance to place a bet at the gorgeous track during the season. And, then there is the beach. About 20 minutes from the resort, you can surf, cycle along the beach front road, or just wander into the boutiques or cafes  dotting the area. What  pure relaxation!

      There is a new entity at Rancho Valencia that I noted earlier, the Residence Club. http://www.villasranchovalencia.com  

      Under the auspices of the Timbers Resorts/Collection, (Timbers Resorts has Residential Clubs around the world, http://timbersresorts.com),  the Residence Villas are available for a fractional ownership. The photo on the left is of one of the villas. The villas are on located on the grounds of the resort, just a short walk from the tennis facility, spa and restaurants. They  include  3 bedrooms, 3 baths, full gourmet kitchen, outside living patio with barbecue and fire pit, jacuzzi, all the amenities of home. Just arrive, enjoy a welcoming glass of Valencia orange juice and you are on your way to a wonderful vacation. As an owner of one of the villas, you are a member of the Rancho Valencia Club, tennis and spa. I will tell you that the combining of the resort and villas services is seamless. An owner just folds into the activities of the resort/club. Do as much as you want or as little. All the services of the resort, like fresh orange juice and the newspaper of your choice each morning at your door, are offered to villa owners as well. Susan Jeffas is the charming residential ownership director. She can answer all your questions.http://www.villasranchovalencia.com/lifestyle/the-team.php 

Can you ask for more at a resort?   

      In this time of uncertainty and stress, it is a real pleasure to find a place where you can unwind, escape for a few moments. The quality and value are there for your money. 

Rejuvenate the soul. Take a peek, you won't be disappointed.

It's all about 'ARROWS'

Have you been on a wonderful cycling tour and gotten frustrated with a very rudimentary procedure, route notes? The pages and pages of notes that are supposed to help you find your way around France or wherever. The constant turning of pages, especially in the 'mistral' winds of Southern France, losing pages and ending up on top of some mountain, wondering where the rest of the group is; of finally getting off the bike, enjoying a cappuccino, letting the world go by, until the guide finds you. 

The answer to this problem  is at hand. A small, but well established cycling and hiking company, ExperiencePlus, based in Ft. Collins, Colorado has the best idea I have encountered yet. They run tours all over the world, check out their website, www.experienceplus.com. They too wrestled with, how to get the travelers from A to B with less hassle, fun and smiles on their faces at the end of the day. 

'Arrows' is the key. On their journeys, they have guides who go out early in the morning before the tour leaves and places chalk arrows on the route for the day. As the cyclist rides on, he or she spots the 'arrow' turns in the correct direction and they are on their way. Speaking with one of the principals of the company, Maria Elena Price, she said, " We want the traveler to enjoy the countryside, stop for a coffee, and not be worried about turning pages. They are not here for a map lesson, but to experience." They even have arrows that point in the direction of the best bakeries, good restaurants in little towns or a note about a fantastic sight seeing opportunity. 

Simple, innovative, and certainly one aspect of your trip, you are not going to forget. 

Oh yes, I did ask about, rain and what happens. The answer is, if it is raining that hard to remove the chalk, they don't ride.   

Do you know the meaning of 'Experiential'?

I apologize for not being around so much. I have been off discovering new products and adventures. Some of the travel has been to experience the adventure and this blog is about the regional ATTA, Adventure Travel Trade Association meeting in Boulder, and what is capturing the imagination of tour companies and travelers today. 

The buzz word in the industry right now is 'experiential'. I am not sure that word is in Mr. Webster's lexicon, but it is all around when discussing travel these days. The meaning is to garner the full experience of your travels---not just the luxurious hotel, or sumptuous cuisine, but experiencing the culture, meeting and working with the locals. This term goes hand and hand with the exploding growth of voluntourism. Small companies to well established tour companies have jumped in with both feet to offer the traveler a chance to give back to the community to which they are visiting.

 Lindblad Expeditions , the well known small ship expedition leader, is offering a chance to go to the Antarctic, winter 2010, to help assist in conducting census activities of penguins. They are partnering with Oceanites, a non-profit Antarctic focused organization that works with penguins and studies the impact of tourism on their environs. Once in a lifetime experience---experiential.

Africa, South America and Australia are hotbeds of newly coined 'experiential' travel. A new magazine is being launched in August, even in this economic climate, AFAR. It is dedicated to 'experiential' travel. If you are familiar with the magazine 'DWELL', it is very similar. Give it a look and we will be following along with adventures that will certainly define the our new travel word.    

CROATIA, undiscovered, untamed.

As the plane descended in the Dubrovnik area, the capitol of Croatia, the stunning coastline is breathtaking. As far as the eye can see, the mountains fall into the Adriatic Sea, little red tiled roofs are clustered into the sheer landscape and the hundreds of islands, large and small, dot the coast line. 

This area of the world, which used to be Yugoslavia, is presenting itself as one of the premier travel destinations. The city of Dubrovnik centers around the Old City that dates back to Roman days. The Old City is completely walled with little shops, churches and lovely meandering lanes to explore. Standing on the wall that encircles the city, the view is one that defies description. The water is a deep azure blue, the little harbors that are below hold colorful boats, some for charter and others are for fishing. It is romantic spot, not crowded in the late spring and late summer into early fall, allowing for plenty of relaxing and sightseeing. 

Cruising up the coastline from Dubrovnik to Split is the way to see this country. On a small ship, you are able to plan where to stop for a picnic lunch at one of the small islands or more extensive land excursions on Islands like Hvar or Brac.  Wine tasting on the island of Hvar is a wine connoisseur's delight, especially when you realize how difficult it is to grow the grapes on pure limestone islands. This wonderful wine is only available in Croatia. It is a treat.

Hiking, biking are readily available. I can't wait to go back. My journey just whetted my appetite for further explorations.

Let me know your thoughts. How about planning a trip to this new destination?       

As if the travel industry did not have enough problems.

As if the travel industry did not have enough problems, here comes the Swine Flu. Agents, tour operators, travel companies, are shaking their heads. Well, it is time for more patience, looking forward into the future, being very realistic. As with the economy, no one really knows when the Swine Flu alerts will be lifted, so get to dreaming. 

What is out there for the summer, fall for travel?  Last minute decisions are being honored by just about everyone in the travel business. 

I have several wonderful trips to the Dalmation Coast (Croatia) and the Greek Islands on board a small ship at a fantastic discount. These are in late August and into Sept.. Africa is a hot spot right now, and again at wonderful prices. So, there are great values out there and the key word is VALUE. 

Great deals to be had, especially on small ships

There are great deals to be had in many areas of travel today. Small ships are often the best. One comes to mind, Cruise West. They are cruising the Alaskan coast and inland this summer. Right now they are making some deep discounts. Some of these lines are also offering air packages as well. It is Alaska's 50th anniversary of statehood and they are very excited to show off their state.