MJ’s Travel Favorites 3-21-10

My travels this past week took me to Dallas and then San Diego, including one flight delay that reslult in a very, very short night.  Such is the life of a traveler!

I invite you to spend some time reading about all the news that these travelers are writing about.  Get away from your March Madness brackets and discover the world:

• Gadling tackles the question that I, too, have been working on – bargain summer fares to Europe.  I’ve seen a little bit of downward movement in the last couple days, but I’m still hoping there’s something better around the corner.
• PlanetEye Traveler – Atlanta explains bottle trees, and how this traditional method of catching haints has become an art form.  I’m trying to recall if I’ve seen one!
• Consumer Traveler tackles the question of what to do when your luggage breaks down mid-trip.  I’ve had to manage broken zippers, wonky wheels, and a sticky handle.
• And speaking of luggage, Andy at Sharing Travel Experiences shares his tips for packing tips for seven weeks on the road.  While most of us won’t tackle that long of a trip, this advice is good no matter the duration of your trip.
• Euro Cheapo points out that renting a villa may be a more affordable choice than your might first think.  Add up the costs, divided by the number of people, and you may find that a beautiful villa in Tuscany is well within your budget.
• Travel Wonders of the World reviews the book 100 Sporting Events you Must see Live.  This would be a great gift for Father’s Day, graduation, or for any sports fan.
• Go Hawaii lists great suggestions for a first time visit to the Big Island.  There are still a few things on the list that I haven’t seen yet.
• PlanetEye Traveler – Dublin says that Guiness really does taste better when you drink it local.
• Intelligent Travel has a great photo essay called Peeps in Places.  If you don’t know what a Peep is, it’s a marshmallow, gooey, sugary confection, generally seen at holiday times.  Not a lot of redeeming nutritional value, but they’re a wonderful guilty pleasure.  Take a pic of your Peep and submit it.
• Vagabondish reports on a travel trend that seems like something right out of a movie – kidnap travel.  The victim, I mean traveler, is kidnapped and then a wild adventure follows.  The French company invites participants to be creative.
• The Vacation Gals put the Mexico travel alert into perspective.  A little common sense goes a long way to ensuring your Mexico vacation is a great one.
• PlanetEye Traveler – Hawaii tempts me with information about Zip Line tours.  I’ve always wanted to try a zip line, and since I’ll be on Maui several times next month, it might be a case of the right place and the right time.
• Europe Up Close extols the virtues of grappa.  While I’m not a big fan, when I’m in Italy one of the first purchases my traveling group makes is grappa.
• LA Times Travel explains how Skype will be offering wi-fi by the minute as an alternative to expensive per day charges that you can get stuck with at many locations.  It’s not dirt cheap, but it still beats most of the paid options out there.  See if it works for you.

Photo credit:  SXC