Space.  The Final Frontier.  The mysteries of it have romanced men and women for decades, but up until recently, space was the purview of an elite group of scientists and aviation experts.

With citizens now accepted for space travel, albeit at a price tag in the $20-35 million range, space tourism looms as a very real possibility.  American Dennis Tito was the first Space Tourist, spending nine days in space back in 2001.  Since then, five others have made space their destination, including one woman, with visits ranging from 11 to 15 days.  In October 2009, Guy Laliberté (founder and CEO of Cirque du Soleil) will make the trip.

Now’s your chance to sound off about what you would do.  If money were not part of the consideration, would you take a vacation in space? Vote below and feel free to expand you answer in the comments.

[micropoll id="194594"]

Share on Facebook

The August edition of Travel + Leisure lists its annual World’s Best Awards, and while the list has some familiar faces, it also sports some new entries as well.

The Top 10 Best Cities in the World for 2009 are:

1. Udaipur, India (in photo)
2. Cape Town
3. Bangkok
4. Buenos Aires
5. Chiang Mai, Thailand
6. Florence
7. Luang Prabang, Laos
8. New York
9. Rome
10. San Francisco

Top 10 Cities in the US & Canada for 2009 are:

1. New York
2. San Francisco
3. Quebec City
4. Charleston, South Carolina
5. Santa Fe
6. Chicago
7. Savannah
8. Victoria, British Columbia
9. Montreal
10. Seattle

The results are tabulated based on magazine readers voting on favorite hotels, cities, islands, spas, cruise lines, airlines, tour companies, and car rental agencies.  Pick up the August edition of Travel + Leisure to read the full results.

What do you think of these results?  Is your favorite city on the list?

Photo credit: MysteryBee @flickr

Share on Facebook

Vacation is rapidly coming to an end, and tomorrow I’ll find myself winging my way back to the United States.  Although I’m sorry to be leaving countries that I’ve come to know and love, a part of me is looking forward to getting back into my old routine.

On this trip, I was able to visit three new countries:  Switzerland, Croatia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina, as well as spend time in Italy (quickly growing to be my favorite place in Europe).

It’s time to do a new map representing how much of the world I’ve visited.

I’m keeping count of the countries based on the Century Club’s official listing of countries of the world, and think that I’m approaching 22-ish or so.  I’ve got a couple more trips planned this year, so am hoping to add a few more countries to the  list.

Here’s what MY map looks like:

Create your own visited map of The World or Like this? try: Triposo Travelhacks

Share on Facebook

One of the highlights of my vacation has been the opportunity to visit Dubrovnik, Croatia.

I’ve been interested in Dubrovnik for years, long before Croatia separated from the former Yugoslavia.  The area was, at least I was led to believe, the area the maternal side of my family hailed from.

I have lots of restaurant, hotel, and attraction recommendations that I’ll be sharing over the next couple of months.

Photo credit:  personal collection

Share on Facebook

This is a frequently asked question.

Q.  Where are you going on vacation this year?

A.  I’ve already managed a couple vacations so far this year — a long weekend in Las Vegas and two and a half weeks in Italy, to name just two.

I tend to stay around Seattle during the summer time, because it’s so darn nice here during this time of year.  I do have a couple long weekend kind of trips planned, one to San Francisco in July and one to Las Vegas in September.

I will probably do a girls getaway weekend in October, probably somewhere warm and relaxing.

My next major vacation time will be around Thanksgiving, and I’m still considering options.  I haven’t ruled out “crossing the pond” and London is on my short list.

That’s where I’m going – how about you?

____________________________________________

Share on Facebook