Two chicks with major wanderlust who live to see the world: themselves, through others, or just living vicariously with the latest & greatest gadgets, travel accoutrements - from luggage to skincare
Recent years have seen the discovery of new shipwrecks, reefs and animal gatherings along what Jacques Cousteau called 'the corridor of marvels' in the Red Sea, the number one destination for divers in Europe and the UK. The newly published Dive Red Sea: The Ultimate Guide (Ultimate Sports) brings to life over 100 of the Red Sea's top dive locations, combining the snappy writing, images by award-winning photographers Alex Mustard, Charles Hood, Jane Morgan & JP Trenque, and high quality mapping, and specially commissioned graphic illustrations of the region's most important shipwrecks.
In addition to covering the popular dive sites of Egypt, the authors explore all eight nations with Red Sea coastlines, including the wilder zones of the sea in countries such as Sudan and Djibouti, Saudi Arabia's "forbidden zone", newly discovered wreck dives in Egypt, new dive sites in Jordan's Gulf of Aqaba, whale shark aggregation in Djibouti, and the first major account of Sudan's manta ray site. There are also special sections on the formation, history and natural history of the Red Sea, marine life identification, advice about photography and videography and getting the best from the Red Sea including how to stay safe in the water, even on the most demanding dives. Essential advice on travel, diving etiquette and local culture is included, along with details of marine conservation organisations. For non-diving days, there is coverage of land-based attractions such as Petra and Wadi Rum in Jordan and The Valley of the Kings and Mount Sinai and St Catherine's in Egypt.
If you're the adventurous sort who enjoys your travel off the beaten path, but still digs excellent accomodation, Lonely Planet's Haystack is serving up a unique 'invitation only' booking service that features only properties that have been chosen, visited, reviewed and recommended by a Lonely Planet
author.
"Whenever you go checking places out grumpy hotel owners say "Why do you guys come at such difficult times?" and that's exactly why we do it. We want to see places at their best and worst," explains one of Lonely Planet's intrepid authors. "First thing in the morning when people are checking out is always a good time to see how people handle being busy, plus there's always a helpful cleaner who might let you see a room that you might not otherwise have caught on the grand tour. The most important thing is to avoid the "official tour," where the people at the desk get the manager and you get shown how light switches work or invited for a cup of tea. Sometimes this can mean sneaking around the front desk or talking to people who are staying there or even just breaking up that tour by saying "What about these rooms?" You have to review against what you're being shown, which often means being pretty annoying to hotel staff." Adds another of their authors: "I don't really jump on beds, but I do look closely to see that the bedspreads are clean (I hate gunky-looking patterned bedspreads), suss out the bathrooms for water pressure and mould, test the windows to see if they can be opened and open wardrobes to look for wire coat hangers (yuck!). I often check minibar prices to see if they're extortionate, and I like to look at communal areas to see how guests and guests of guests are treated. I like to say hello to the people who clean the rooms to, you can tell a lot about a place by the greeting that's returned - and I think everyone in a hotel/motel or wherever should be happy to be there, even if it's for work."
In fact, many of their properties were not previously bookable online through any other service. "We are inviting our favorite properties from around the globe to join the service -- whether it's a backpackers in Sydney, an eco-resort in Yap, or a boutique hotel in Rome," says Dan Christian, Lonely Planet's Haystack Product Manager. "Haystack is a unique service in that every property listed is recommended as a great place to stay. Every property review is 100% independent and written by an experienced travel writer." Currently, Haystack boasts over 1000 properties in more than 58 countries, and more are being added all the time. "Haystack will continue to grow daily as more destinations and
properties are added to the site throughout 2007 and beyond."
Filled with attitude, insight, and a fresh perspective on must-see destinations, MTV's new series of travel guidebooks will help some of the 190,000+ college students participating in abroad programs & upcoming fun-seeking Spring Break'ers get the most out of every trip. Penned in a fresh, edgy, irreverent and opinionated tone, the guides provide no-nonsense, insider advice on everything from staying in the best hostels to booking student tickets on-line for the Louvre to buying vintage chic for the chillest nightlife.
The first three in the series, MTV Guide to Europe, MTV Guide to Ireland, and MTV Guide to Italy cover the best places to indulge in a night of flamenco, chill out to jazz, do something other than get high in Amsterdam, surf in the North Atlantic, and indulge your inner sun worshipper on fabulous and unspoiled islands in the Adriatic. The guides' MTV Best icons highlight the most happening places and things to do, while mtvU icons provide handy, practical tips for students studying abroad. "Free" icons point readers to museums with no admission charge, complimentary bar food, and no-cover charge entertainment. Upcoming guides will cover Spain, France, England and American Road Trips in April 2007. Podcasts with the writers are available for download on frommers.com/podcast or iTunes.com.
With a 60th birthday looming, along with the demise of her 33 year marriage, Meg Noble Peterson decided it was high time to see the world. Armed with only a backpack, open ticket, empty journals, and a camera, Peterson headed for Africa & Asia for eight months of deadline-free wandering across Africa & Asia.
Chronicling her experiences in Madam, Have You Ever Really Been Happy?, Peterson covered four continents and 12 countries from the crowded streets of Cairo, to contentious apartheid South Africa, to India's Taj Mahal, to the peaks of the Himalaya. "In 1987, after a divorce, a career, and raising five kids, I decided to escape everyday life and travel around the world," she explains. Traveling on a shoestring and making plans as she went along, Peterson ventured well off the beaten path. She rode on dilapidated buses through Egypt and Zimbabwe and squeezed into hot, crowded trains in India. In Kenya, she encountered roadblocks and Masai warriors, and in Nepal she found romance with an Austrian scientist. Abandoned at 14,000 ft. by their drunken guide, the two climb to Everest Base Camp through the snow and ice, and were almost buried by an avalanche before they reached Kala Pattar at 18,500 ft. "My memoir illustrates that it's never too late to strike out for places exotic and unknown," notes Peterson, now 78. "I didn't let the fact that I was a woman approaching sixty deter me from traveling. I had some of the most exhilarating and thrilling experiences of my life."
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