For me, luxury travel usually means little more than clean sheets, hot water and black coffee in the morning. Camping on a beach or staying with local villagers makes me just as happy as sipping a cocktail next to an elegantly landscaped plunge pool.
But even though vagabonding travelers like me have been known to sneer at expensive luxury resorts and dismiss their pampered guests as out of touch with reality, I recognize that the luxury travel experience, done well, can be a beautiful thing.
You get the idea. It’s been a long time since I first created Brave New Traveler.
During that time I’ve met some amazing people, celebrated small milestones, and continued to plug away.
Some realizations: creating a sustainable blog model is much harder than it looks. It’s not like you can slap up some content (along with a strip or two of Google ads) and expect the money to roll in.
New US passport regulations go into effect on January 23, 2007. In order to re-enter the United States by plane from Mexico, Canada or the Caribbean, US citizens will need a passport.
Those coming back into the country by sea and land may still use a driver’s license and birth certificate to prove their citizenship. However, that is expected to change in the near future.
Currently about 73% of all US citizens do not have passports, so this may cause a shift in travel patterns over the next few years. Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands expect an influx of American vacationers, since they are the only Caribbean destinations not affected by the new rules.
In August 2007, travel journalist Eva Holland attended the Book Passage Travel Writers and Photographers Conference in Corte Madera, CA. In this article, Eva shares practical tips dished out by the professional Book Passage faculty of travel writers and editors.
Book Passage was a blast.
After four full days of workshops and discussion panels, and four late nights of informal schmoozing, I came away with some great advice, some new friends, and a serious cumulative hangover.
Cayman Islands loggerhead turtle Credit: Janice Blumentha Ecology and conservation experts from the University of Exeter today urge international governments to work together to protect threatened Caribbean sea turtle populations.
The Cayman Islands, a UK Overseas Territory, once supported one of the world’s largest sea turtle rookeries, which comprised some 6.5 million adult green and loggerhead turtles. These populations were driven into decline from the mid-1600s onwards, when massive harvesting of nesting turtles began. Only a few dozen individuals survive today. Read the rest of this entry »
Destin began as a fishing camp, grew up as a commercial fishing center and and now provides some some of the best sport fishing opportunities in the world. The reason is mostly it’s location.
A boat can leave Destin Harbor and be in 60 foot deep water within just a few miles. Within 10 miles, it can be dropping lines in 100 feet of water. And because fishing has always been the lifeblood of the area, the locals have jealously guarded their marine environment and expanded reefs that attract fish to their shelter.
Today, Destin Harbor is home to the largest and best-equipped deep sea fishing fleet in Florida. If you visit Destin, be certain to set aside at least one day to take a charter fishing trip. The captains and crews really know their stuff and will take you where the big fish swim to try your own luck.
