May 17, 2013

New luxury offerings in Anguilla Tradition Sailing Charters Offering daily sailing excursions aboard Tradition, a 50 foot traditional gaff rigged vessel built in the West Indies in 1978. One of few hand-built wooden boats still sailing in the Caribbean, the ship offers guests an exclusive feel with a 12 passenger maximum and managed by a crew of three...

May 15, 2013

Visiting Auschwitz Poland, Part 2 For Visiting Auschwitz Poland, part 1 Mentality at Auschwitz Concentration Camp, Poland The Nazis destroyed evidence of the gas mass killings by blowing up the buildings. Anya told us they liked to use gas because they didn’t have to look at the person while he was being killed. How could the guards do this every day?...

May 15, 2013

  Discovering Australia’s Golden Heritage   If it was 160 years ago, I’d be squatting in mud swirling my pan away hoping to strike it rich. While I can still squat and try my hands at gold panning, the gold rush is no more and my chance of discovering anything more valuable than pebbles and dirt is as slim as winning the national lottery,...

May 14, 2013

On his recently released album Thirty-One Nights flautist and composer extraordinaire Nicholas Gunn weaves a musical story of love, passion, romance, and adventure. The instrumental album featuring Nicholas Gunn on flute and percussion, Chris Fossek on flamenco guitar, and Dana Kemmerle on spoken word vocals tells the story of thirty one nights Nicholas spent...

May 13, 2013

  Peru Travel Specialist Launches New Family-Friendly Itineraries Aracari Travel, an award-winning travel agency based in Lima, Peru, has announced a range of new family-friendly tour itineraries for summer 2013. Responding to increasing demand for family-oriented experiences in Peru, Aracari Travel has developed two itineraries that incorporate the...

May 12, 2013

Jinack Island: A Getaway in Gambia Jinack Island in Gambia It would be impossible to find Jinack for almost anyone except for the native people who have grown up paddling their hand-carved pirogues through the passageways of sandbars, mangroves, and still stretches of water. Luckily for us, a long-time friend of Peace Corps volunteers Yankuba Mane greeted us...

May 9, 2013

Libertyville, IL, April 9, 2013 – Party-loving travelers alert! Tourcrafters is offering a one-week package to two Spanish hot spots that starts at only $989.  Their Barcelona/Ibiza package, which departs every Sunday from May 5 to October 30, includes three nights’ hotel accommodation in Barcelona, a half day tour of Barcelona, round-trip flight...

May 8, 2013

                     Summertime in Florence     Libertyville, IL, April 22, 2013—Florence: the city of Renaissance art, fabulous Tuscan food, great museums, fashion-forward shops, stylish cafés and Italy’s best gelateria. TourCrafters has put together a 4-night, land-only Florence package that starts at $385 and includes...

May 8, 2013

Visiting Auschwitz Poland A memorial site at Auschwitz-Birkenau where prisoners lined up and were shot. A Visit to Auschwitz Poland When I had first seen the sign, it had been a black and white photograph against a background of snow. On a recent November day, the sun sparkled on the words that had struck so much terror…Arbeit Macht Frei. Ahead of me were...

May 8, 2013

A Day About Lap Lap, the Mele Cascades and an Underwater Post Office I woke up to a glorious view over Vila Bay, with blue skies layered with water glistening like scattered diamonds. It was 7 a.m. and already the town of Port Vila was bustling with people, with the Central Market being the center of all activities. There were cafes offering bacon and eggs...

May 6, 2013

Cabbages and Condoms. Not exactly the most appetizing name for a restaurant, but upon learning about it from fellow travelers I was intrigued. The restaurant was located a little out of the way along a dark side street. Considering its name I became slightly suspicious, until a concentration of fairy lights eventually appeared like an oasis in a desert and I...

May 5, 2013

Water Deprived Villages in Cambodia A few years Christine and I traveled through Southeast Asia and met a very compassionate man, Nu Tarth. On our return we posted a story on In The Know Traveler about how he survived the genocide of the 70’s “Killing Fields” to start the Angkor Charity Organization, a non-profit devoted to providing clean water and...

May 5, 2013

Botero Sculptures in Plaza Botero The Morning in Plaza Botero The morning before leaving my week in Medellin, Colombia, I made it downtown to Plaza Botero, which is named after famed Colombian artist Fernando Botero. The hoped to visit Museo de Antioquia for art and its accompanying inspiration. My first couple of days in Medellin were spent divided between...

May 4, 2013

There were important looking people everywhere I looked, handshaking, posing and smiling into journalists cameras. I shrink away into the museum proper, a little shy among the larger press group and explored the interior quietly and found myself inspired by Australia’s newest museum – the Museum of Australian Democracy at Eureka. Today was the museum’s...

May 1, 2013

Odysseys Unlimited Introduces Small Group Tour to Uganda: In Mountain Gorillas’ Midst   Newton, MA, April 11, 2013 – Uganda is the newest destination offered by Travel & Leisure’s six-time “World’s Best Tour Operator” honoree, Newton-based small group specialist Odysseys Unlimited. Uganda’s mountain gorillas Debuting June 3,...

May 1, 2013

Noticing Poverty in Guinea Life in Guinea Without Money Upon arrival in Guinea’s capital city Conakry, my truck friend Jalou took me to his family home. It wasn’t so dismal; they had walls, a couch in their living room, beds in their bedrooms. We went out to meet a friend of his and passed the local market. A large, steaming rubbish tip sat beside...

Apr 28, 2013

“I Am Pride” at West Pride festival West Pride is a cultural city festival for everyone – a place where everyone has the right to be themselves. And be proud of it. Between May 20 and June 2 Gothenburg will be adorned with the rainbow flag. This year’s campaign message is “I am pride”. The message is based on visitor participation to...

Apr 25, 2013

Mariachi Fest This is the XVI celebration of Mariachi Fest in the Magic Town of Mineral de Pozos. This beautiful town with ghostly atmosphere is located in San Luis de la Paz, at the northeast of Guanajuato State. The festival is an important meeting of mariachis coming from different States of the country so that makes an excellent musical, traditional and...

Apr 22, 2013

Thailand Splash and Spice Returns: Bigger and Better than Before Bangkok, Thailand – 11 April, 2013: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and Visa International (VISA), drawing on the success of last year’s first Thailand Splash and Spice festival, have teamed up again to offer visitors an expanded promotion for 2013. The campaign for this year,...

Apr 21, 2013

Best Ice Cream in Dolores Hidalgo, Mexico The Pueblos Magicos in Guanajuato Somewhere between Guanajuato and the San Miguel Allende, Mexico, sits at bit of inspirational heaven, Dolores Hildalgo. Dolores Hildalgo is a proverbial charming Mexican town replete with the assignation of ‘Pueblos Magicos’, one of the thirty or so cities designated by the Mexican...

Apr 14, 2013

Driving through nature’s postcard It’s like clicking through a stereoscope with picture after picture of gushing rivers, snow capped mountains and smooth straight roads. A different image appears at every turn of the wheel, whether static or moving, beckoning us to stop and snap yet another brochure quality photograph where the real talent is not the...

Apr 13, 2013

Overseas Adventure Travel Announces New Southern Africa Adventure for Late 2013     Trip begins at $265 per day and single supplements are free BOSTON, April 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — In response to high demand for safaris and cultural immersion trips in Southern Africa, Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) is launching a new small group adventure...

Apr 12, 2013

Audrey Ngo and I shot this video about Azerbaijan last year. When I realized this year that In The Know Traveler did not have an Azerbaijan stories (one of the very few countries we do not already have a story about), I wanted to make sure we had at least a little something for travelers to consider. We hope you enjoy the video interview with Galil Malikov of...

Apr 12, 2013

I was thinking about a failed attempt to visit Tonga this morning and I pulled this one off of the In The Know Traveler’s youtube channel to present on ITKT in defiance of my failure. While I do not remember the dancer’s name, I do remember shooting the video at the Los Angeles Times Travel Show. Really great visit and an excellent example of...

Apr 11, 2013

Costa Cruises Launches ‘Kids Free’ Promotion on Select Europe Sailings HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (April 8, 2013) — A European vacation is more affordable with Costa Cruises’ “Kids Free” spring and summer promotion that lets families of four sail for the price of two guests. With Kids Free, junior cruisers ages 17 and under only pay...