By Lark Ellen Gould Forget Paris. Head to Fiji for the romance. The South Pacific sprawl of some 333 islands considers itself the most romantic place in the world and there may be something to that thought. Unlike many foreign and exotic spots where couples can tie the knot, a wedding in Fiji […]

    By Lark Ellen Gould Did you know there is an island in the East China Sea where the women weather icy ocean waters and hold their breath for multiple minutes while diving into the depths for edible sea creatures? Where museums are dedicated to teddy bears and tea, where a rambling bonsai arboretum […]

Think you’ve had a few bad trips lately? Listen to these unfortunate folks who entered Travel Guard’s “Unluckiest Traveler” contest last year. The promotion highlighted just what can go wrong while traveling and putting your head into vacation mode. The point underscored the fact that none of these events is ever expected – the perfect […]

If you have a busy and productive business, chances are you have busy and productive employees. But when the hatchet has to fall, whether it’s hard times, hard knocks or a hard job that requires more skill, it is never a pretty sight. To stay out of court and avoid costly legal fees, you can […]

Ticket sales by travel agents may be surging but travel plans by the American public are on the wane, according to two reports this month. A first quarter ARC report notes the consolidated dollar value of airline tickets sold by U.S.- based travel agencies increased 6.57 percent in the first three months of 2012 compared […]

The rise in Online Travel Agencies, or OTAs, may make for some formidable competition for travel agents these days but a new executive report conducted by IBM shows there is no substitute for the voice and face of human contact when it comes to travel. The report, “Travel 2020: The Distribution Dilemma,” identified the trends […]

  By Lark Ellen Gould The games are on. The 2012 Summer Olympics in London are within cheering distance, running from July 27 to August 12 – close enough to feel the heat but in time enough to make travel plans and still get a room at the inn. The Olympic Park has transformed a […]

    Got romance in mind? What could conjure more thoughts of romance than staying in a Renaissance-era palace that sits but a stone’s throw from the balcony of Shakespeare’s Juliet? The City of Verona, a destination that oozes romance, is now the second city to bear the stamp of Veronese Marcello Pigozzo. The master […]

  By Lark Ellen Gould Call it hosp-pet-ality or call it Fido-friendly fall-out from the economic recession. Either way, dogs are here (and there) to stay if the proliferation of dog-friendly hotels and hotel programs is any indication. It’s not unusual to see business properties such as Hilton, Fairmont, Loews and Doubletree hanging pets welcome […]

If your head is buzzing with such terms as “Instagram,” “Pinterest,” “Klout” ratings, “Smithgrams” (your life in six words of less), and “RockMelt,” not to mention Foursquare, Facebook, and Twitter, worry not. You’re not alone. We feel your pain. Rambling through the world of Social Media is like trying to stand up on a wavy […]