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Family Travel

From Tuk-Tuks to Trekking: Thailand North to South With Kids
Thailand can be everything you want, when you want it. Full of culture, nature, food, festivals, and shopping, Thailand has it all. As my son Joshua and I discovered, Thailand is also a perfect exotic kid's destination. From the white sand beaches and clear warm waters of the south to the jungles, mountains, and exotic tribes of the north, there's always something for a kid to do.   Some people love it, others loathe it, but all agree that there is no place on earth quite like Bangkok. Bustling, electric, chaotic, and colorful, the capital of Thailand can overwhelm and excite. For kids, it can be an exhausting playground of sights and smells and tastes. The key to overindulgence, however, is moderation. Continue story

Features

Drenched to the Bone:
Backpacking Northern California's Lost Coast

The first thing I did after leaving the trailhead parking lot at Black Sands Beach was, ironically, to take off my pack, sit down on it-and then remove my hiking boots. The thought of feeling the sand between my toes was just too exquisite to pass up.
I tied my boots to the outside of my pack, hoisted it onto my back, and started up the beach. I was invigorated and ready for adventure. The warm afternoon sun shone down upon my face, and hiking through the sand was like a free foot massage. My two-week backpacking trip on the King Range of Northern California's Lost Coast was off to a perfect start.
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Tours

Learn to Cook and Taste Great Wines on Vacation
If your tastes are a little bit more refined and want to indulge in the cultural cuisine of far off places, start by taking one of the GoNOMAD NETWORK MEMBERS tours listed below. Luxury, class and pampering are a specialty for most of these tours. Don't dare worry about a single thing, just sit back relax and let your taste buds take on all the excitement.  Avid to amateur wine enthusiasts are able to visit wineries from South Africa to Thailand to Spain. Cook like the Italians in private kitchens all over Italy. Leave your recipe book at home, and mix your own ingredients for one delicious and hedonistic adventure. Let the cooking and tasting begin! Continue story and view listings

Alternatives

Glacier Bay Alaska: Catch and Release--into the Frying Pan
Being eaten by a bear wasn't in the script. I was supposed to be the hunter gatherer on this trip! I had come to Bear Track Inn in Alaska's Glacier Bay to "Catch and Cook" the region's bountiful seafood. But here I was half a mile from the lodge and I have just spooked a black bear. In the distance I see a second bear sneak into a dense bush close to the path I was following home.   All I have for company is Lucy, an excitable young retriever much more interested in chasing birds than her bear duties. The meager bright side seems to be that the Bear Track Inn has been accurately named. Continue story

Lodgings

Fiji Just Might be the World's Perfect Vacation Place

What's your idea of the ideal vacation?

Some people like to bake on the beach, sipping cocktails while the sun drains away their office-induced anxiety. Others enjoy mixing up a bit of local culture with their relaxation. And some go traveling to search for adventure. But most vacationers, like all people, defy categorization and enjoy a mixture of activities.   Fiji, an archipelago of 333 tropical islands, can be all things to all people, save perhaps a sherpa interested in bagging a Himalayan peak. With its palm-lined pristine beaches, water sports, grassy highlands, and exotic gentle culture, Fiji keeps everyone happy. Continue story

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Discover Fiji's Forgotten North They call it Fiji's "Forgotten North" but once you've been here, you'll find it unforgettable. Many international travellers are familiar with the glamorous resorts of the Coral Coast of Fiji's main island of Viti Levu, where the capital and international airport are located, and the castaway getaways on the offshore Mamanuca islands. Unfortunately, most miss the persuasive and insidious charms of the northeastern part of the archipelago. Eco-tourism and "soft" adventure seem to be the current sweetheart notions of every third world nation-in-the-sun as the west's travel consultants hustle to provide increasingly offbeat answers to their affluent customers' increasingly strident cry: "Where is there that's new to go? Maravu Plantation Resort, on Taveuni, is a boutique-style marriage of intimacy, immaculate quality and attentive, unobtrusive staff. Each of the 10 well-appointed bures that lie scattered about the working, 54-acre copra plantation is named for a flower. Vuni Tarawau (one of three

honeymoon bures) has an outside shower, made private by a stone wall surrounding a lava-rock floor and a sunning deck with its own banana tree. The white-sand beach (where the dive team awaits to guide you to some of the world's best coral) is a pleasant downhill walk through a grassy palm grove (signs warn walkers to beware of falling coconuts). Dinner can be local coral trout or an exotic Fijian take on international cuisine. The service, primarily

Maravu Plantation & Beach Resort Fiji West Coast Road Matei Taveuni Island, NF Fiji Phone: 679 888 0555 Fax: 679 888 0600 maravu@is.com.fj www.maravu.net by girls from the nearby village, is friendly and helpful. The resort is also a good base for eco-exploration (bird-watching, flower-spotting, mountain hiking).

Market-New Travel Books We Recommend
Twenty-nine Women Answer the Question: Why Go Solo?

Twenty-nine women with their awe-inspiring stories of an adventure travel have contributed their experiences to a collection of essays in A Woman Alone. Each tale is a celebration of each woman's innate curiosity about the far reaches of our globe. We have excerpted the beginnings of two adventures stories that a couple of very different women will go on. Diverse with each resounding voice accompanying each woman's solo experience, A Woman Alone will add fuel to your fire of hoping to wander the world all by your independent self. Continue story

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