The World’s Most Rewarding Source of Free Homestays Is, and Remains, Servas
Posted on 03/02/2018, 8:45 PM
Organizations come and go that arrange for you to stay free-of-charge in someone else’s home or apartment in the course of your travels. The latest leaders in this effort are Couchsurfing.com and Globalfreeloaders.com, which are sometimes criticized as having grown too large to be effective. But another such organization—USServas.org—is older by far and careful to hand-pick both hosts and ...
How Not to Do Yosemite in Winter
Posted on 02/20/2018, 9:00 AM
I sometimes think my real job as a travel writer is to be an idiot. It's my job to make mistakes and then report on them so that my readers can have fun, safe, and error-free vacations. This week, I really succeeded: I almost died twice. I just left Yosemite National Park in California. I had thought this column would be about the wonders of Yosemite in winter. And while it is wondrous, the famo...
A Luxury Island Retreat Where Only Women Are Welcome
Posted on 02/02/2018, 3:15 PM
We told you women-only travel was going to be a big deal in 2018. To wit: In September, a private island off the coast of Finland will begin welcoming guests—and dudes need not apply. Christened SuperShe after a networking group designed to empower women, the luxury isle will specialize in wellness offerings such as fitness classes, healthy eating, and artsy activities. Founder Kristina Roth t...
Days When You Can Visit U.S. National Parks for Free in 2018
Posted on 01/04/2018, 9:00 AM
Each year, the National Park system throws open its gates for a few days and spreads the good word by admitting everyone without charging entry fees. It's a great way for low-income families, students, and seniors to experience the parks, and hundreds of thousands of Americans take advantage of the invitation annually. The Department of the Interior has announced the free days for 2018—and they'v...
The Changing Situation of Married vs. Unmarried Folk Is Affecting Tours
Posted on 11/06/2017, 6:00 PM
In a surprising announcement, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has found that fully 50 percent of America’s adult population now consists of unmarried single people. And because another smaller percentage of the population is married people who nonetheless prefer to travel alone, the result is that more than half of our adult population are persons who travel without a spouse. That interesting f...
Toronto’s Remarkable 'Classical Pursuits': Apply Early for A Memorable Vacation
Posted on 09/15/2017, 5:30 PM
The "learning vacation:, a summer week or two of serious reading and discussions, is usually organized by a great, English-language university. Oxford, Cambridge, Cornell, and St. John’s are the names that normally come to mind. At each of these famous centers of learning, many hundreds of Americans now travel in July and August to live in a vacated student residence, attend classes presented by e...
