News and Tips #23 - Friday, March 27, 2015

In this issue:

-Building Connections and Understanding - Medium
-Europe's 8 Most Picturesque Towns | Fodor's
-How to Cruise Economically - Tips For Stretching and Protecting - Your Cruise Vacation
-This is The Perfect U. S. Road Trip According to Scientists - The Bold Italic - San Francisco
-Top 10 Greenest Cities in the World - EcoWatch
-5 Reasons to Visit Antarctica | Travel Lifestyle of Your Dreams
-Awesome Alternative Accommodation Options in NYC

Building Connections and Understanding - Medium

When people speak of travel as a "force for good", what can it look like from the standpoint of the effect that travel has to break down fears and stereotypes? What sort of benefits - in terms of greater understanding, empathy and connection - can the act of travel bring to the world?
Read more...


Europe's 8 Most Picturesque Towns | Fodor's

From the islands of the Mediterranean to the peaks of the Alps, Europe's postcard-perfect towns continue to inspire travelers with distance architecture preserved from 1,000 years ago. Filled with plenty of charm. many of these treasured areas contain historic ruins, cobblestone streets, and ancient churches to explore. While they may be flocked with tourists during the day, staying overnight in the area can inhance your travel experience...
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How to Cruise Economically - Tips For Stretching and Protecting - Your Cruise Vacation

Economic cycles come and go. Cruise lines and travel vendors are offering deals. How can a smart traveler take leverage the current market?

Work with a travel professional. The amount of information available about cruise vacations can be overwhelming and confusing to anyone who doesn't work in the industry. Travel professionals are trained to understand your preferences, then sort through all the options to find the best cruise for you and...
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This the The Perfect U. S. Road Trip According to Scientists - The Bold Italic - San Francisco

When most people dream of using their vacation days, they fantasize about European castle tours or Caribbean cruises or African safaris - really anything outside of the United States (except maybe Hawaii). But for the most of us who want to burn rubber on the good ol' Interstate System...
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Top 10 Greenest Cities in the World - EcoWatch

This week, Dual CitizenLLC came out with the 4th edition of the Global Green Economy Index, an in-depth look at how 60 countries and 70 cities are doing in developing more environmentally friendly economies, in actual performance and in how experts perceive their performance. We already took a look at the top ten countries - Scandinavia, take a bow! Now we're going to check out the world's ten greenest and most sustainable cities. Scandinavia, an encore!
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5 Reasons to Visit Antarctica | Travel Lifestyle of Your Dreams

Without doubt it's the toughest, more expensive and furthest away continent to tick off your ever expanding bucket list but with all that, Antarctica comes with a special kind of beauty.

The icy continent was my seventh and last continent, so it had big expectations to live up to. I had dreamed of Antarctica ever since browsing Chimu Adventure's website and discovering it was possible to visit as a tourist, but I always thought it would be too pricey for a backpacker to accomplish, now I know that's not the case. If any of you follow my Facebook fan page, you'll see that...
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Awesome Alternative Accommodation Options in NYC

New York City is hands-down one of our favourite destinations in the world.

We love the melting pot of cultures, the Broadway shows, the long walks through Central Park. We love the energy and the noise and the diversity. We love lots of things about NYC - but one thing we certainly dislike is the steep price at hotels.

We're all for paying a bit more for stylish and unique accommodation, but unfortunately, extra dollars don't always equate to extra quality. In 2013 the average room rate was $230 a night. That'll put quite the dent in your travel fund if you want to visit for two weeks like we recently did over Christmas and New Years.
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Celebrating the Year of the Sheep

It's Lunar New Year, a holiday celebrated around the world.

In this edition:
-Asia Prepares for the Year of the Sheep
-Glimpses of Chinese New Year
-Lunar New Year: Asia's big party - BBC - Travel
-Lunar New Year in Korea
-Lunar New Year Celebrations 2015 in the United Kingdom
-How To Celebrate Chinese New Year 2015 in NYC
-A homeward bound motor 'gang' - Chinadaily.com
-How People travel during Lunar New Year - Lonely Planet blog
-Lunar New Year Fireworks - Beijing 2015

Asia Prepares for the Year of the Sheep

No matter where you are, or when, shopping is a major activity in preparing for a holiday:


Lunar New Year is celebrated in many countries around the world.  Most major cities will be holding events.


Glimpses of Chinese New Year

...In this series of images, updated daily from Monday, Feb. 16, 2015 through Saturday, Feb. 21, Associated Press photographers show how the Chinese Lunar New Year is observed across the Asia-Pacific region, illustrating what China's biggest holiday means to the country and its extensive Chinese diaspora...
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Lunar New Year - Asia's big party

On 19 February 2015, more than a billion people will kick-off 15 days of festivities to celebrate the Lunar New Year – one of the most important festivals for people in China, many parts of Asia and in cities and towns worldwide. Although celebrated in different ways around the world, Lunar New Year is a time for families to get together, honour deities and ancestors, and ring in the new lunar calendar. Legend has it that the festival, which has origins dating back to the...
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Lunar New Year in Korea

The Lunar New Year is the largest annual holiday across Confucian societies in the world. 

From China to Taiwan, Hong Kong to Singapore, billions of people across nationalities and languages are united in celebration of "Chunjie" which lasts over a week on the lunar calendar.
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In the United Kingdom...

In New York City...

Chinese New Year falls this year on February 19th, and 2015 happens to be the year of the sheep in the Chinese zodiac, or the ram, if you prefer a bit more attitude.  As the most important holiday in Chinese culture (the Chinese equivalent of Thanksgiving and Christmas, all at once) it is a time for festivities and food.  So get in on the cultural fun!  Here's our roundup of how to celebrate Chinese New Year in NYC.
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With billions of people celebrating Lunar New Year, and many of them travelling to be with family and friends, the resultant traffic is huge.

How people travel during Lunar New Year - Lonely Planet blog

People are determined to get home whatever it takes

Lunar New Year Fireworks - Beijing 2015