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The island of Ischia, a tranquil and lush island located off the coast of Naples, receives both the benefits and drawbacks of being located near its more famous sister, Capri. While Capri is by far the more popular of the two, Ischia’s idyllic calm more than makes up for it – although it has gotten more touristy in recent years. This island, filled with rich bougainvillea flowers, fresh seafood, and stunning Mediterranean and mountain panoramas alike, is an ideal spring vacation spot, but nowhere is as worth visiting as the tiny town of St. Angelo, located in the Serrara Fontana Province. Once completely car-free, although now mini-trucks are used to help travelers up the winding and steep hill-streets of the town, St. Angelo is a tranquil beach town with unbeatable charm. Here’s a quick guide to what to do and see – and where to eat and drink – in St. Angelo.
 From the Ferry Boat - Photo by Chiara Marra DO: Saint Angelo’s main attraction is its beaches, which open out onto the sparkling Mediterranean, which turns green, blue, or grey depending on the time of day and weather. The town is also full of spas – it’s known for its thermal properties – of which the best is the gorgeous classically-inspired Apollo/Aphrodite. If you’re feeling adventurous, though, head up the hill of St. Angelo – there really only is one main street – and trek up the arduous but beautiful path to Serrara-Fontana, the main towns of the region, and then up to Monte Epemaeo, Ischia’s highest mountain, which offers not just gorgeous panoramas of the town below but also traditional Ischian mountain food for a full meal of something other than customary seafood. For travelers seeking a lighter trek, there’s always the rewarding walk from the Ischian beach of St. Angelo to the Cava Scura – which terminates in a thermal spa for massages, saunas, and mud baths. Or go into town, to the “piazzetta” for some live music, nightlife, and a chance to buy St. Angelo’s famous ceramic works.
EAT: The best restaurant in St. Angelo is easily Emmanuela’s, located in a house right on the beach. Emmanuela’s is a family-owned operation, comprising many generations of skilled cooks and jovial waiters, and they serve up some of the best, freshest seafood in the world. The spaghetti Emmanuela, a mix of seafood in a light tomato sauce, is highly recommended, and is this author’s favorite dish at any restaurant in the world. Also worth visiting is the slightly more upscale Neptuno, in the Piazetta area, for luscious classical decor and fresh fish, the piano-bar La Pirata right in the town square for a slightly funkier vibe, and the restaurant attached to Apollo/Aphrodite for some incredible pasta. Petro Paulo, near the Cava Scura, is another good option.
by Tara Isabella Burton
For those who want to know what life on a traditional New England farm is like, a Vermont farm vacation can provide a very close up look at that very thing.
There are many farms within the Green Mountain State that offer lodging to guests who are curious about how these farms operate on a day to day basis. Sometimes the lodging is as simple as an extra bedroom located within the family farmhouse. Other farms have cabins dotted over their acreage, providing more privacy to visitors. Most farm stays include at least some, if not all, of the meals during the stay.
The type of farm visitors should choose would depend, of course, of the time of year. March and April are the maple sugaring season. During this time visitors who stay on a maple sugar farm can see how the sticky sweet stuff is made from tap to table.
A stay on a dairy farm is another option. One farm has over 150 head of cattle and visitors are invited not only to learn about the daily work involved in such a farm, but to participate in it as well. Visitors can feed the cows, clean the stalls and pet and feed the barn cats. ›Continue reading Vermont Farm Vacations
- A Vacation with the Lancaster Amish
If visiting the beautiful Amish country of Lancaster, Pennsylvania sounds appealing, there is a way to find many of the important elements of such a vacation in one place.
No visit to Lancaster wou... - Amish Country Etiquette
A visit to Amish country has been a popular vacation destination for many years. It gives visitors a chance to see the pristine Amish farms and learn how this group of people manages to not only s... - RV Caretaker Jobs and Tips: Living Cheap
A great way to travel in your RV and enjoy a particular place for a little while is to find caretaker jobs. This is when you are able to park your own RV on private property at no cost and perhaps eve... - RV Caretaker Scams
- Journey To The Past
Tuscany is one of the top destinations in the world for agritourism. The long history of the regions love affair with food and wine dates back to the Etruscan era; although the Tuscans long ago gave up the Etruscan prohibition on women drinking wine. The options for the food and wine aficionado seem virtually endless here. With year round food festivals or sagre, clement weather nine months out of the year and choices of everything from a cooking class for one afternoon to whole semesters for those that have the time.
 Fresh hand made mozzarella - Allstays.com In the early spring, when the rains have finished and the hills are even more lushly green than the rest of the year, the crowds begin. If you have ample time the Italian Sommeliers Association offers a certification program in Florence that could accompany a semester in one of the many culinary institutes of the region. For the typical person that does not have three spare months to learn the intricacies of Italian cuisine, spring is the perfect time to do a week long cooking jaunt in one of the myriad of villas in the Tuscan hills that have been converted to luxury hotels offering cooking classes and wine tours. Sleep the night away in a centuries old villa surrounded by vineyards, enjoy coffee and brioche before heading to a farmer’s market and then spend the afternoon learning to make pasta from scratch, a vibrant tomato sauce and artichoke risotto.
›Continue reading Agritourism in Tuscany
I am sure we have all experienced it. You step out of the airport or onto the beach and you affronted with a mass of souvenir sellers toting their wares. Now it’s not that you’re not interested, in fact some of the items look quite nice, but you are here on holiday and all you want to do right now is relax.
So how do you avoid the endless harassment and still get a good bargain on some souvenirs when you do want buy some. Here’s something I learned a few years back I was backpacking around Malawi. Maybe it’ll work for you on your next trip. ›Continue reading Avoiding Harassing Souvenir Sellers
I love waterfalls, but after seeing the mighty Niagara Falls, I am afraid that any other waterfalls are likely to be the equivalent of a dripping tap compared to the real thing! The lip of the Horseshoe Falls at Niagara stretches for 2500 feet, and there are two more falls besides. More than 675,000 gallons a second pours over the ledge in a foaming torrent and drops 180 feet into the crater below. The best way to see this natural wonder of the world is from the Maid of the Mist boat which takes hardy fools to the very base of the Horseshoe Falls.
 Maid of the Mist - Photo by sailorbill The price of a ticket was very reasonable compared to the rip off Starbucks coffee prices we had to pay here. Wrapped in my souvenir plastic mac I boarded the boat and headed for the bow. With a blast from the horn we were underway and sailed to the foot of the slightly smaller American Falls, which was a mass of huge rocks as the edge erodes about 6 feet a year. We then sailed towards the Horseshoe Falls where the river got surprisingly turbulent. Suddenly rain slammed into us and driving wind swirled my mac in all directions. It felt like being hit by a sudden storm but it was just the effect of the falls. Water poured down the staircase from the upper deck, and spray blew up my sleeves and trickled down my collar. We bobbed around for a while then sailed back to calmer waters. My camera was so wet the lens would not retract, but it was well worth the experience. Back in the sunshine I rung out my sleeves and sat in the sun (with another exorbitantly priced coffee) to dry off. What a spectacle! What a fantastic natural wonder of the world!
By Gillian Birch
A city with an almost mythic image, the city of light, love, and leisure conjures up dreams of romantic walks along the Seine, delicious food in charming cafes, the elegance and mystery of centuries long-gone. While Paris’s many nooks and crannies can take years or even decades to fully explore, here are five moments, foods, streets, sights, and “aspects” of Paris to help encapsulate its magic.
 Ah...Paris - Photo by Thomas Claveirole 1) Cafes at a Sidewalk Cafe
They may be expensive – in Parisian cafes, you’re paying for real estate, not food – but the afternoon coffees sipped on cafe-terraces throughout Paris are the staple of the Parisian experience. The Parisian tradition of intellectual conversation, heated philosophical discussion, and “flanerie” (urban people-watching) all comes down to the Paris that passes you by – or sits alongside you – as you consume that single cup of coffee. Expect to pay 2 euro for a plain expresso and 4 for a “cafe creme,” with steamed milk.
›Continue reading The Magic of Paris
- To See and Be Seen in Paris
"Paris's Chicest Spots for Nightlife, Evening Life, and Seeing and Being Seen"
Paris is an unashamedly, unrelentingly elegant city. The Parisian sense of style - subdued, understated tailored cloth... - Best Ethnic Restaurants in Paris
Traditional French food - creamy bearnaise sauces, melting cheeses, fat slabs of ham and chunks of beef - is always a tantalizing option, but after days or weeks of croque monsieurs and tarte tatins, ... - Five Unmissable Parisian Restaurants
Every Parisian neighborhood, if not every Parisian street, has its own brasserie - the warm, bubbling croque monsieurs (ham and cheese open-faced sandwiches) are consistently tempting! But sometimes t... - Understanding the Magic of Vienna
- Love and the City: A Guide to Romance in the Big Apple
The islands off East Africa’s coast lend themselves to cruising adventures. The important thing to remember is to plan your vacation between May and November when the weather conditions are more favorable. In late summer, which is December to April, the Indian Ocean has frequent tropical storms and cyclones and most charter companies do not operate during this period.
There are several destinations off Africa’s East coast which are particularly suitable for cruising. Your choice of destination will depend largely on your interests and of course your budget, as some destinations are more accessible than others.
The Seychelles is a small archipelago of islands that lends itself to a variety of cruise options. Shorter day or sunset cruises can be arranged from the main island of Mahe or across to nearby islands of Praslin and La Digue. Multiday charters to the far islands can be arranged on a variety of vessels. From luxury motor yachts and deep sea fishing cruisers, to catamarans and diving specific live-aboards. A great travel option is to combine a cruise with a few nights at a resort hotel on one of the islands.
›Continue reading Cruise Options Off Africa Coast
The Grand Canyon is the most visited attraction in the United States, and deservedly so. It is certainly on my list of natural wonders of the world. There are some wonderful opportunities to view this mind-blowing canyon which stretches over 277 miles with the tiny Colorado River lying a mile below the rim like a tiny green ribbon. Whitewater rafting, hiking, mule riding, boating and rafting can all be enjoyed in various parts of this National Park. The newly opened glass-bottomed Skywalk is another way to immerse yourself in the vastness of the area. As we were staying in Las Vegas, the best way for us to experience the Grand Canyon was by plane.
 To be a bird at the Grand Canyon - Photo Allstays.com We booked a small airplane from Las Vegas airport which transported us the 330 miles to the Grand Canyon for a flyover view. We admired the huge Hoover Dam and Lake Mead en route as we flew over. After miles of flat scrubland, desert and trees, the Grand Canyon suddenly appeared before our eyes, the ground simply dropping away and leaving a massive red and orange chasm of beautiful cliffs and natural formations which have been formed over thousands of years. We landed close to the West rim and took a helicopter for a closer look at this spectacular natural phenomenon. We took off and flew over the canyon to experience the extraordinary temples and plunging depths of the red rock faces. Then we descended 4000 feet to the Colorado River, where we viewed this amazing canyon from the bottom. The Colorado River is an amazing green color, apparently due to the algae in it.
 Over the Grand Canyon, from the North side - Photo Allstays.com Back on terra firma we took a coach trip to one of the Visitor Centers which again gave us amazing views of just a tiny part of this mammoth gorge. However you visit the Grand Canyon, it is a breathtaking experience and it certainly puts everything else into perspective.
By Gillian Birch
- Free National Parks
The National Parks are going to free admission for three weekends this summer. On the weekends of June 20-21, July 18-19, and August 15-16, all 147 parks that charge an entrance fee will eliminate the... - Experience Grand Canyon Camping
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Upon entering the Grand Canyon, you soon realize that nothing you have seen before compares to the precipi... - Driving versus Flying
When planning a vacation, one of the decisions that must be made is whether to drive or fly to the destination.
Obviously, there are some locations to which driving are not an option. There are... - The Best Arizona Spa Resorts
- Overcoming travel anxiety
How much money are you willing to spend on an RV rental? This is an important question to ask because you need to stay within your budget. Whether or not you rent an RV for your next trip may very well come down to how much it costs.
To get started, you need to know what you can comfortably afford on an RV rental. Be sure to include all costs that you are going to incur. There is nothing worse than forgetting about additional charges, and eventually learning that you are going to be stuck spending more money than you want to.
One of the main factors that determine the cost of renting an RV is the model that you decide on. Generally speaking, the more people an RV can accommodate the bigger it is. And the bigger the vehicle the more money it is going to cost. The best thing you can do is determine how many people you will be traveling with and then find the cheapest RV that will comfortable accommodate everybody. If you really want to look into the details, consider the RV. For example, if you rent a smaller Sprinter based model like the View, pictured above, your fuel mileage could be 50% better. So even if the rental price is higher, you may save money on your entire trip! ›Continue reading The Cost of Renting an RV
Update: The bill was killed in the legislature. Thanks to the hundreds of people who contacted everyone involved in Maine. It made a difference. There was mention by the lawmakers of a lot of nasty emails and letters. That really doesn’t work by itself and it may only make some more determined to do what they want to do. A firm note with a purpose is all it really takes. – Adam
I have been thinking about visiting Maine for some time. I have been close but have never made it all the way up there while in the northeast. There is a law (HP 98, LD 114) under consideration there that could make it much more difficult for RVers to visit and spend money in the state. The proposed legislation would make it illegal for RVs to park overnight in “any public parking structure” anyplace in the state of Maine. This means you can’t park anywhere but a RV park, campground or mobile home park. No more parking in store lots, any public lot or any business lot even if they give you permission to do so. Violation of the law would be a $100 fine for the RVer and not the business allowing it.
So you may ask what’s the big deal as you stay in campgrounds any way? Well a short black and white law like this doesn’t take some things into consideration: ›Continue reading Anti RV Law in Maine
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