From the monthly archives:

May 2010

Schlep No More: Ship Your Bags And Travel Like A Jetsetter

by Alan Rider
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If you fly as much as I do, you’ve probably gotten pretty good at traveling light (if not, check out this great packing resource before your next trip).  The fact is, however, that even after you’ve pared your packing list down to the bare essentials you’re still going to end up schlepping a couple of good-sized bags through security checkpoints, aircraft cabins, and rental car shuttles.
Which is where these two travel services come in.  A number of luggage shipping services will pick up your bag (some also handle oversize pieces like golf clubs and skis) at your home or office and deliver it directly to your hotel, allowing you [...]

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Tooth Or Dare? Where To Swim With Crocodiles

by Alan Rider
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Over the years I’ve been fortunate enough to get into the water with some pretty amazing wild creatures, from playful manatees to spouting beluga whales. Now, however, there’s a new interspecies encounter I’m eager to add to my list of extraordinary experiences—swimming with giant saltwater crocodiles!
Much like shark diving, participants are separated from these toothy 20-foot-long beasts by protective enclosures. While these devices add a margin of safety, being submerged in either the clear acrylic “Cage Of Death” at Darwin, Australia’s Crocosaurus Cove or the metal basket used in the Croc Cage Diving Encounter at Oudtshoom, South Africa’s Cango Wildlife Ranch is still bound to get your heart [...]

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Hot Wine & Cold Sauna: 2 Extraordinary Spa Treatments

by Alan Rider
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In my 20-plus years as a travel writer, I’ve been to a fair number of fancy-schmancy spas (I know, tough job but somebody’s gotta do it). And, invariably, I come away convinced that most of the exotic spa treatments they offer—especially the ones using downright bizarre ingredients—are mainly designed to separate well-heeled visitors from their money.
That said, I just heard about two unique spa treatments that I think qualify as truly extraordinary experiences. Not that I actually believe they have any real therapeutic benefit mind you but, hey, these people certainly get points for originality.
The first, offered at Japan’s Hakone Kowakien Yunessun Spa Resort, offers a chance to [...]

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