So you want to go to Italy - Tuscany

But of course you want to travel to Tuscany. Why shouldn't you? You've seen the movie, you've read the book, now all you have to to is pack up and go. You know everything. Right? Wrong. NY Times writer Mark Bittman seems to find some hidden culinary gems in a little Tuscan town called Lucca (read The Riches of Lucca from the NY Times Travel Section).

Regardless, now is the time to go, as the options for exploring Tuscany at your own leisure have increased exponentially with the addition of famed fly and drive packages:

Tuscany - Montecatini Terme

Tuscany - Pisa

Tuscany - Siena

Journey through Tuscany and Umbria

Highlights of Italy

Happy travels, everyone!

Trips that Will Change Your Life

Ever since Paul Coelho published the Alchemist (or even before that - but I am too young to remember), it was only a matter of time before Life-Meaning-Finding spilled into the travel sector.

I was not very surprised when I saw the NY Times Best-Seller: 1,000 Places to See Before You Die by Patricia Schultz. Well-written, even bought my own copy instead of getting at the local library. Obviously the author had gone to great lengths when researching the book (a little short on pictures, as any good book should be).

It appears it's OK to get inspired from previous works, as witnessed by one of the top 10 travel books on The Economist: Unforgettable Journeys to Take Before You Die by Steve Watkins and Clare Jones (Paperback - April 2006)

Ok, so maybe I should not be so rough on these guys - a simple search on Amazon.com yields a much earlier book, 100 Things to Do Before You Die: Travel Events You Just Can't Miss by Neil Teplica.

And, don't forget: Unforgettable Places to See Before You Die by Steve Davey and Marc Schlossman.

Alright, so I need to go to the library and get more books.

Book review: The Seasoned Traveler

The Seasoned Traveler by George Bauer
A Guide for Baby Boomers and Beyond

This book supposedly targets the senior crowd. I’d say this book could be written for just about anyone interested in travel. It does have some good older crowd tips, but I just think it’s a book designed to be the first to target the senior market.

Here are some good tips/websites.

Best Mature Traveler Websites:

www.adventuresabroad.com
www.50plusexpeditions.com
www.frommers.com
www.gct.com
www.smarterliving.com/senior
www.third.age.com/travel
www.travel.state.gov/olderamericans.html
www.vantagetravel.com
www.wiredseniors.com

What not to buy:

- all products made from sea turtles
- all ivory
- furs from spotted cats/marine mammals
- feathers/ feather products from wild birds
- live/stuffed birds from Australia, the Caribbean, several nations in Latin America
- most crocodile and cayman leather
- most coral

Voyages of Discovery

elderhostel
www.roadscholar.org
InterHostel
TraveLearn
Spiritual:
www.destinationseurope.com
EcoTouring
Garden Tours
Cooking/Eating Tours

The Author’s Favorite Places to Shop in Europe
Dublin
London
Brussels
Paris
Amsterdam
Rome
Prague
Vienna
Salzburg
Copenhagen

Why take volunteer vacations:
- caring for abused animals
- helping scientists with environmental research or other projects
- teaching English or other courses
- engaging in archaeological digs or restoring older structures
- helping at camps for special-needs children
- building infrastructure in impoverished communities
- constructing homes for the homeless
- providing health services in rural regions
- caring for orphaned or abandoned children
- helping a family farm continue to operate
- clearing trails into wilderness

Volunteer Vacations Providers

Earthwatch Institute
Global Ventures
Cross-Cultural Solutions
Sierra Club
American Hiking Society
Travel with a Challenge
www.li-feline.com
www.i-to-i.com
Volunteers for Peace: www.vfp.com
www.orangutan.com
Archaeological Institute of America: www.archaeological.org
www.amizade.org
www.ophanage-outreach.org
www.globalcitizens.org
www.oceanic-society.org
www.conservancy.bc.ca
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/volunteers
www.seniorcorps.org

Top places in America (by state) – not the subject of this blog

Top places in Canada – not the subject of this blog

Top Places in Mexico - not the subject of this blog

The author’s Top Places in Europe

Norwegian Fjords
Cote d'Azur
Yorkshire Dales
Tuscany
The Swiss Alps
Prague
Athens
Scottish Isles
Paris

One of the Author’s Trips to Europe - Six Countries in 16 days:

- London; Paris; Nice; Lucerne; Pisa; Rome; Sorrento; Naples; Florence; Venice; Salzburg; the Rhine