From the monthly archives:

June 2009

Oooh! Sparkly!

by Alan Rider

Cast against the backdrop of all the extraordinary experiences I’ve had over the years, your average hometown Fourth of July fireworks show might seem to pale in comparison.  But, honestly, that doesn’t mean I’m any less interested in being out there oohing-and-aahing right along with everyone else next weekend.  You see, I figure even a bad pyrotechnics display is usually a pretty good thing!
Which is why I thought I’d share this guide to the nation’s best fireworks shows put together by the folks at Travel & Leisure.  I doubt I’ll make it to any of the fireworks spectaculars listed here this year, but you can bet I’m filing them away [...]

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The Great Explorers

by Alan Rider

I know traditional cruises aboard humongous ocean liners are wildly popular but, honestly, their formal dress code, glitzy stage shows, and endless buffets really aren’t my thing.  I much prefer smaller ships that are able to go all sorts of places those floating cities can’t, while offering a much friendlier atmosphere and a more adventurous feel.
Which explains why this new around-the-world cruise aboard the 120-passenger Spirit of Oceanus caught my eye.  The folks at CruiseWest have come up with a 335-day itinerary they’re calling The Voyages of the Great Explorers that will follow the travels of Marco Polo, Odysseus, Leif Eriksson, Christopher Columbus, James Cook, and Magellan.  A fleet of [...]

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It’s All About YOU

by Alan Rider

Take a few minutes to read about some of the extraordinary experiences featured on XTRORD.com and you might get the impression that these stories are all about me.  Well, honestly, you couldn’t be more wrong.
The whole point of XTRORD.com (and this blog) is to encourage you to get up off the couch and live out your dreams.  To go out and have yourself the kind of truly remarkable once-in-a-lifetime adventures that make you think “Man, I’ve always wanted to do that!”
With that in mind, I’ve got a couple of hot tips on ways you can have yourself an experience that I’m pretty sure will blow away any previous trip you’ve ever taken.
First [...]

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I Spy, You Spy

by Alan Rider

While I like a good Hollywood thriller full of international intrigue as much as the next guy, this isn’t about catching the latest summer blockbuster at your local cineplex.  That’s because, as a general rule, I think it’s usually more fun to have your own extraordinary experiences than it is to sit back and watch someone else having them.
Which is why I was psyched to find these three different ways we can all leave our everyday lives behind and live out our own secret-agent fantasies this summer:
For Kids
I was crazy about both The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and Get Smart when I was growing up, especially all the way-cool gadgets (some [...]

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