Visit Three Asian Markets

Photos by Jann Segal

Visiting markets in foreign countries can be a real awakening as to how the locals live. Many open air and floating markets are fascinating and exist around the world. Some of the most fascinating can be found in developing countries, but there are certainly no limits. Here are three you might went to check out in your travels to Asia.

Visit Pier 39 in San Francisco and See the Sea Lions

Photo by Jann Segal

San Francisco is a delight to visit any time of year. It is especially nice however, when the weather is bright and sunny, and the many sights are available to enjoy. One such sight is Pier 39  on Fisherman’s’ Wharf, where the seals can be found all day long.

Visit Kuala Lampur and see the Petronas Towers

Photos by Jann Segal

One of the most interesting things to observe and explore on any trip are the landmarks. Some are unmistakable, some are magical, and some make it in movies and become the hallmark of the film. Kuala Lampur's Petronas Towers are all three in one. They are one of the first things you see when you enter the city, and one of the last sights you behold as you leave.

Visit Liverpool and See the Original Beatles Drum Kit

Photo by Jann Segal

Planning a trip to Liverpool can be fun, especially if you are a Beatles  fan, where Liverpool now brings in over two billion a year as the capital of Beatles tourism. Most people make the trip as part of a longer trip to Europe in general or the United Kingdom in particular. The Liverpool portion of this trip may be just a one or two day stay, so you want to make the most of it.

Book your Beatles tours on the Internet. There are many, and you want to find the right one that fits your time frame and interest. Some, like the Magical Mystery Tour, is two hours long, and runs four times daily from the Albert Dock. This “ticket to ride” costs approximately $30 US. The tour concludes at the famed Cavern Club on Mathews Street. These tours sell out quickly, so it’s best to book in advance.

There are also half day and full day tours, which are much more expensive, and include more in a single day if it’s more convenient to tour that way. Black taxi drivers are also an option for a four hour tour, as well as expert Blue Badge Beatles guides like Jackie Spencer, who is top ranking in Trip Advisor.

Book the tours of Paul McCartney and John Lennon‘s childhood homes yourself online if you want to save money. Tours depart from Liverpool City Center or Albert Dock several times a day, depending on the times of year. Standard admission is about $28 US for adults and $10 US for children. The childhood homes are now the property of the National Trust, and are quite popular, so it’s best to book in advance.

Buy tickets to the Beatles Story Museum once you are there. The museum is open seven days a week except for December 25 and 26, and it’s open from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM, with the last admission for the day at 5:00 PM. The cost is approximately $25 US for adults and $15 for children, with different family saver prices. They now have two different locations. The original location is at Albert Dock, and once you have finished there a shuttle bus takes you to the second location, Beatles Story Pier Head at the Mersey Ferry Terminal.

Visit Nikko, Japan to Hear, See and Speak No Evil

Photo by Jann Segal

The Japanese flock to Nikko, Japan especially on weekends. Yet very few American tours do. If planning a trip to Japan, this might just be the highlight of your trip, in an already extraordinary country.

Three Reasons to go to Europe Now

Photo by Jann Segal

With so much happening in the the world today, it seems that Europe would not be a safe bet for travel, right? Well, unless your personal safety is at risk (and for the majority of tourists it is not), the decision not to go right now could be a mistake. You can always avoid countries (or parts of countries) that are politically inconvenient for you if that is an issue. Europe is large enough in geography, cultural diversity, and scope to offer you the vacation you are looking to have, and at a price you are willing to pay.

Enjoy Pomegranate Seed Oil From Turkey

Photo by Jann Segal

Turkey is known for many things and many kinds of wonderful foods that are typical of the Middle East and Balkan countries. They have baklava, various types of kabobs, and many wonderful teas and coffees. But a first time traveler there will be surprised to learn about a secret that is a pure joy on salads: pomegranate seed oil.

Unraveling the Mystery of Higher Airfare

With a government investigation currently underway about the alleged collusion in airline pricing, this author felt it was tine to share some details on how to find a better price in airfare.The results are alarming.

Visit Ljubljana, Slovenia and Take a Music Wakng Tour

If planning a trip to any of the Eastern European capitals that were once part of the former Yugoslavia, one must-see city is Ljubljana, Slovenia. It is charming beyond belief, everyone speaks beautiful English, and it sits at the crossroads of more cultural influences than most people are aware of. Besides the influence of the former Yugoslavia and its the Russian, Slavic and formerly Communist influences that arose with those historic relationships, it has also historically been linked to Austria, Hungary, Italy, and Venice (which was not always part of Italy). So for this reason, the food is a splendid combination of tastes and ethnicity, and the musical heritage is outstanding.

Giving Back to the World in Which We Live

Photo by Jann Segal

Many people like to travel and give to the people in the countries on their journey. It can be rewarding to lighten your suitcase as you go rather than fill it up with souvenirs. Some tour companies allow you to do this as part of their regularly planned activities. If you are traveling solo, you need to seek it out.

Visit South Korea and Tour the DMZ in the North

Photo by Jann Segal

A trip to South Korea is an exquisite experience, filled with cherry blossoms, grand palaces, handicraft streets and whole handicraft villages, as well as an amazing if not somewhat creepy availability to the DMZ of North Korea just an hour outside of Seoul. And a visit to the North Korean Demilitarized zone is indeed worth the effort. No dramatic changing of the guard with the majestic pounding drums and vibrant color guard as seen at the palaces in the South. Instead, it is an active military area, with soldiers training on both sides for a possible confrontation with each other. United Stated military escorts join the bus as they tour the JSA, or Joint Security Area.

Visit Phoenix and see John Lennon's Piano

There is so much to see and do in Phoenix that is cultural. You can mix culture with a little Beatles tourism by visiting the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM).The piano that John Lennon used to compose "Imagine" is on display at the Musical Instrument Museum in North Phoenix. It is not the white Baby Grand piano he used when making the video. That piano is on display at the Beatles Story Museum in Liverpool. This more modest Steinway is part of a private collection and is in the Artists Gallery at MIM.

Tricks for Purchasing Less Expensive Airline Tickets

Photo by Jann Segal

There are many tricks for purchasing less expensive plane tickets, some I leaned from my travel agent mother. Its best not to book a flight for travel during high season if you want to save money.  Shoulder season (spring and fall relative to hemisphere of course) are always the cheapest for hotels and airfare. This is true for organized tours as well. As for booking air, well, I was always taught to avoid Saturdays, Mondays and Fridays, since they have the highest rates. I read recently that for some destinations Saturdays can be a better time to book air, so it’s best to check around. And not all hotels or airlines are created equal when it comes to price.  Some carriers purchase a great hedge contract on fuel and can offer much lower prices than the others. . They all purchase hedge contracts on fuel, it just depends on who has gotten the best one. It is typically reflected in the air fare.

Where to go? Deciding Where to Travel Next

How do you decide where you want to travel? I am pretty much open to going anywhere it is safe and where there will be no health issues for me. Those are my only two criteria. In the US I intend to see all 50 states (only a handful left ...yay!!), but for international destinations, safety and health calls it. I wanted to go to Peru, but had to pass on Macchu Pichu because I get altitude sickness at about 9200 feet and would not be able to leave the higher attitudes to acclimate. So since I didn’t feel like dealing with an extreme headache, I took an Amazon River trip instead. I would love to return to the Middle East, but well, safety and political factors keep putting that trip on hold. Fortunately there is a whole world out there, so I try to see what I can when the country becomes available to visit if it was not before. Some Latin and Asian countries are now open for travel where they were not before, and are getting safer all the time. As for the rest of the US...I am a presidential library buff, and as luck would have it, the states I have not yet seen, and which have little else to draw me, have a presidential library or some other form of presidential history I have not yet seen. 

Mixing and Matching Travel Resources in Asia

I always said I would not write an article about how I effectively combine hotel and airlines points to create great trips. I figured that if I did, the travel industry would change how they do things to make it much more difficult. Well, they have started making things difficult anyway, so I figured there is no time like the present to share with travelers how I created the most exotic and wonderful Asian trip

Explore Africa: A World Like No Other in Zimbabwe and Botswana

Africa is a continent, a whole world in fact, like no other.  There are the charming cities in the southern Garden Route of South Africa as well as their wineries. The scenic Garden Route, starting in Port Elizabeth, eventually leads to magnificent Cape Town. There are the townships in Cape Town and Johannesburg that reveal to us the sordid history of South Africa and how Apartheid forever changed the face of that country – both the good and the bad of it. And of course, there is stunning Kruger Park, the largest of all the national parks, and one of the many homes to the Big Five.

Explore Illustrious Istria

For travelers with a true wanderlust, Istria and the Istrian Peninsula can be a revelation. It can be explored from both Croatia as well as Slovenia, and both sides of Istria are unique. It also has a beautiful Adriatic coastline in Trieste, which is a very industrial Italian city, and one where locals from the region go for shopping.

Visit Bali and see their Sacred Spaces

Indonesia is filled with many temple complexes, and you can certainly get "templed out" if you are not careful. The major temple complexes in  Java, one Hindu and one Buddhist , are among the most important temple complexes in the world. In Bali there are thousands of temples and shrines, Hindu and Buddhist alike. A visit to these monuments will likely bring you a sense of peace regardless of your religion if you go with an open mind and a caring heart. There is a great deal Westerners can learn from the Eastern religions, and the experience of visiting these sacred spaces is at once educational and peaceful. You can see them on your own with private drivers and other transportation arrangements. However, for a very comprehensive two week trip to Indonesia to see them including as visit with a local family and schools, contact Overseas Adventure Travel.

India: Visit the EXotic Temples of Khajuraho

India is perhaps better known for its temples and monuments than any other country in the world. While traveling with Overseas Adventure Travel on the Heart of India trip, weary travelers undertook a long train ride followed by a long bus ride along dry and dusty terrain without any real understanding of what the fuss was all about. Upon reaching the site they understood to be a temple complex, they were told quite plainly, "This is the heart of India."

Lima: Enjoy a Restaurant with a View

Planning a trip to Peru to see the sights but don’t want to mess with the altitude of Machu Picchu? There is plenty to see in and around Lima that will more than satisfy your curiosity for archeological sites. A drive to the city of Caral four hours north of Lima, takes you through some amazing moonscape to see the oldest civilization lever discovered. Another site, Pachacámac, is about an hour outside of Lima, and is the start of the famous Inca trail. But one of the biggest treats of them all awaits you right in Lima.

Photo by Jann Segal