Who do you follow for travel?

Nicola delighted about finding a Lonely Planet guide book in New Delhi, India

It’s Saturday so you know what that means….it’s time for Nicola Arnold’s weekly travel blog.

But first it’s time to congratulate her! Nicola will soon be leaving our 21-square-mile island for Canada. She’s got a job and she’ll be in Canada soon (at least for a while before she figures out how to travel again).

Have no fear, though, we’re not losing our blogger! She’ll continue with all of our important travel information every Saturday. And this week? This week Nicola’s helping us find travel information online:

If you made New Year’s resolutions specifically geared towards travel… what would they be?

Travel more? Stay longer? Revisit favourite places? Dare new destinations? Pack lighter? Leave behind technology?

Since I started writing columns for Robyn’s Wandering blog, I began to realize that I was really interested in fueling the fire of my travel passion.

I began to research fervently for ways to get a daily dose of travel writing, adventures and escapism. I did not

Funny ads at the airport that tell traveling like it is

really want to buy magazines, just to hoard them in my closet.

I did not want to spend all my time searching for websites, just to end up hours later having stumbled upon a string of videos on YouTube and emerging from behind my laptop 3 hours later. We all know how easily that can happen!

The Christmas season is over, although Christmas cards continue to trickle in. It is 2011 and perhaps this year will mean a backpacking adventure, a summer road trip, a family reunion in a faraway place, or just a weekend spent visiting a new city.

As a social network, Facebook helps to bring information together in one convenient place. I decided to use it as a tool to become a ‘fan’ of all sorts of travel pages – including Robyn’s Wanderings!! After browsing through travel pages on Facebook, I soon found out that they are designed to tantalize the tourists and travelers of the world.

And it worked on me.

What sort of pages did I add on Facebook to follow? A few examples include:

– Lonely Planet

– National Geographic Traveler

– Frommer’s

– Travel Channel

– Greek Islands (I have a weak spot for Santorini)

– Maldives (one day I hope to visit… and it shall be grand)

A sight in India that you will have to see to believe

These pages send updates on Facebook related to travel and adventures… and many of them are interesting and worth a glance when you have some free time to browse.

If you are interested in 7 Tips for Single Bag Travel (http://www.wisebread.com/vacation-hack-7-tips-for-single-bag-travel) then Wisebread has some hinters. If there is one thing I would still like to perfect this year in travel, it would be to pack lighter. Wise words I try to follow are that once you have laid out what you want to travel with, take half of the clothing and double the money… although it is usually easier said than done!

Japan for one?

 

Japan for one?

 

Yep. You read it. Japan for one on this one-time only basis. Well not really. Ok definitely not, but at least some tour operators are starting to catch-on that people travel solo.

What am I talking about? Have you ever tried to book a tour? They usually try to quote you a double room for the cruise or land-tour as it were. So I’m solo and I have to pay for two?

Uh…not going to happen.

Which is why Tauck Tours has introduced solo pricing for their tours in 2011!!! Can you believe it? Well if not you need to contact CTravel because they have all the details.

Which include this trip to Japan which reveals the essence of Japan through its temples, shrines, Shinto gates, feudal castles, and perfectly preserved villages. In Tauck’s Japan travel on the fascinating island of Honshu to off-the-beaten-path spots, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and the vibrant cites of Tokyo and Kyoto for a full cultural immersion.

Experience ancient traditions firsthand when you stay in a ryokan-style hotel, attend a tea ceremony, and soak in hot spring baths. Tour legendary samurai residences and the Geisha district.

Ride the Bullet Train and a boat across a lake. See the Great Buddha, thatched-roof gassho-zukuri farmhouses, serene gardens, and priceless art treasures.

And Tauck has so many more tours than Japan for those on their own! But you have to contact CTravel to find out more.

 

Italy for Christmas and New Years

 

Still looking for that last minute trip this year? Trying to find somewhere for Christmas and New Years?

Why not spend Three days in Rome. A day in Assisi followed by two days in Florence and cap it off with Verona and Venice? For New Years?

Then, well, enjoy these tours brought to you by Globus and CTravel in Bermuda. They are offering the Italian experience over one of the most festive times of year in this country!

Visit the sights in Rome: the Vatican Museums, Colosseum, and Roman Forum. To enjoying a Christmas Eve dinner with wine in one of Rome’s lively restaurants, and spend time exploring Rome or attending Mass on Christmas day.

You’ll also travel to Assisi, the birthplace of St. Francis, and Florence, home to Michelangelo’s David. Completed in 1504, the artist worked over thirty months for a mere 400 florins (roughly $50,000 today). On this tour, you’ll get a chance to see this famous statue. In Venice, see the famous sights, shop for Murano glassware, enjoy a roman- tic gondola ride, taste sumptuous Italian cuisine, and enjoy a drink in St. Mark’s Square. Celebrate New Year’s Eve in Venice

For a price of $2,149 per person you can have all of this!

Swan's Cruises

Or how does sailing around the Aegean Sea for 15 days for just $2,250 sound?

Cruise through the land of harems to the land of democracy and back again and enjoy the crystal clear blue waters of Turkey and Greece from September 30th next year!

Starting in Istanbul and following the coast line of the multitude of islands that litter this sea, the cruise will drench you in both culture and luxury.

Contact Carl Paiva, the CEO of CTravel for more information on these deals and make sure you check back tomorrow for more adventures!