Archive for the ‘Places’ Category
WHERE THE RUNNERS GO:Marathoners can travel to any of the top 10 U.S. cities and a wide variety of international cities to find their dream race and trip. According to non-profit organization Running USA, there were more marathons held in 2006 than ever before, including five races with more than 30,000 finishers. Racers looking for a European vacation can head to:
Runners hoping to find a race locally have to plan in advance, with the ING New York Marathon becoming increasingly competitive to enter, and the Windy City marathon filling up more than six months in advance. WHERE THE CYCLISTS GO:Cyclists are the second largest growing segment of active travelers behind runners. New York, a hot spot for cyclists, holds its annual Commerce Bank 5-Boro Bike Tour in the city and had a 12,000 participant increase this year with more than 42,000 people from several countries. Cyclists seeking some extra competition may want to try out the Iron Horse Classic in Durango Colorado, where bikers race a steam locomotive. The group tries to beat the nation’s most famous antique train, the Silverton-Durango Narrow Gauge Railway, over a 50-mile route from train station to train station in the high peaks of the Rocky Mountains. WHERE THE SEA-GOERS AND BEACH LOVERS GO:Active travelers looking for a sunny beach vacation to recover from their active lifestyle may want to check out the Baja Peninsula for a week-long sea-kayaking trip or a visit to one of Mexico’s many surf camps. Domestic travelers can participate in one of Hawaii’s many race and trail offerings from the Kilauea Volcano Wilderness Marathon to the always popular Susan G. Komen 5K Hawaii Race for the Cure. Active travel is not limited to single-day events. There are plenty of multi-day tours, from the annual Tour of Colorado (a seven-day bike ride) and the Pan-Mass Challenge (a two-day charity ride) across Massachusetts, to several annual charity group rides in Europe, such as London to Amsterdam and London to Paris (three to five days). Many of these events include festivals with concerts, BBQ, and shopping, offering the active traveler even more reasons to opt out of the scenic drive this year. You can learn more and Book your next adventure with Travelocity.
On the 4th of July, all kids ages 3-11 with Paid Admission, will get a free “Snoopy’s Doggie Bag,” filled with a Hoffy hot dog, a bag of Lay’s potato chips, a Pepsi soft drink and Knott’s Berry Farm Premium shortbread cookies. Better Yet, Adults visiting on the 4th can still take advantage of the Knott’s pay once, visit twice promotion, or as they call it on the farm, P1V2. With every full paid adult admission of $48.95, you can return for a second visit free through December 31, 2007.
At Independence Hall, Knott’s Berry Farm will take a look back at our nation’s history with special appearances by Benjamin Franklin, Patrick Henry, and John Adams. Tour guides dressed in colonial attire will be available to guide guests to the replica of the Liberty Bell, Hall of Flags and the Independence Hall Museum which includes exhibits on Betsy Ross, George Washington and the British Military. The Independence Hall Declaration Chambers will also be open with ongoing performances of the multi-media presentation “A Storm in Philadelphia” an account of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. All the activities scheduled for the 4th of July at Independence Hall are free to the public. Independence Hall is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with activities for the celebration scheduled from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The day wraps up, with a beautilf fireworks show, which is stunning to watch at over Knott’s Independence Hall. The park will be open from 10AM to 10PM, and is great summer adventure in Southern California. It is close to Disneyland and is a little smaller and more intimate than Disneyland, which is also close by.
A survey of  Visa Credit Card holders finds that Americans are planning on spending an average of $1,654 on their summer vacation, making it one of the biggest purchases most people are likely to make all year. The Visa Card Holder  surveyed 1,000 cardholders and also found that 15 percent of respondents won’t be taking a summer vacation this year. On the high end, 4 percent of those surveyed said they would be sending over $5,000 on their summer vacation, making them ‘mega vacationers.’ Visa’s “Travel Wizard” helps consumers decide between necessary and flexible expenses by walking them through the process of preparing a travel budget with an interactive checklist and corresponding travel tips. Users can build budgets for meals, hotels and entertainment expenses and make spending adjustments before traveling. For example, the calculator will automatically estimate the cost of fuel for drivers based on trip mileage or prompt flyers to factor in the cost of food at the airport. With the ‘Travel Wizard’ estimations, travelers can modify excessive transportation, lodging, and meal expenses to plan a more cost-effective vacation. The Summer Travel Budgeting Center and “Travel Wizard” are part of Visa’s award-winning financial education program, Practical Money Skills for Life, and available for free at The Summer Travel Budgeting Center also contains some important tips for travelers to consider before hitting the road this summer. They include:
 Comment: the budgeting suggestions are terrific. The survey is a little loose, and doesn’t consider an important factor: the income of the cardholders. If the 4% of the “mega vacationers” have a high income level, this wouldn’t concern me.
A better measurement would be: What  percentage of family income is applied to vacations?
I think a comfortable range would be 2% to 5% of gross family income. That would mean a family with a net income of $100,000 would spend at a top end $5,000 on their vacations.Â
If you figure total family income of $50,000 a top end vacation would be $2,500. With kids, a plane flight to Disney and a week’s stay there could be really tight. That’s why we encourage using discount coupons and pre-purchasing discount restaurant and fast food Gift Cards at our site ValueDining.com.
Vacations memories are lifelong, with planning and creative cost cutting - they can be wonderful times.
These services will use Boeing 737-800 and 757-200 aircraft. With this expansion, ATA will serve Honolulu, Maui, Kona, Lihue, and Hilo from the U.S. Mainland- more Hawaiian cities on a non-stop basis than any other airline. Also, the new services will seamlessly connect to 15 cities in partnership with Southwest Airlines - namely:
This is great news for those wanting to get to the outer islands more easily. It’s been a pain to fly through Oahu, then change planes (and terminals). Our favorite island is Kauai, simply because of the beauty and wonderful beaches. |
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Knott’s newest crowd pleasing attraction, is the Sierra Sidewinder. Now the wildest thing in Camp Snoopy, Sierra Sidewinder is a ride like no other. It takes passengers over 1,411 feet of track at a dizzying speed of 37 miles per hour, all while rotating on its axis. Though this whirlwind only lasts a little over a minute, it includes a drop of 39 feet, turning riders into human twisters! The kids should eat their free food AFTER this ride!
