Grand Canyon:

Grand Canyon is the steep-sided gorge carved by the Colorado River in Arizona State of United States. The powerful sources that cause an impact on the Grand Canyon is erosion, first is by water and second is by wind.

Nearly 5 million people visit the 1 mile deep Grand Canyon every year. Planning a vacation to the Grand Canyon national park provides a great relief for you and your family.

The best time to visit Grand Canyon is during the summer, fall and mild spring, but most locals agree that winter is the great time to visit. There are various camp grounds both on the top and floor of the Grand Canyon. Camping at the floor of the Grand Canyon needs a permit from the country office.

The South Island:

The South Island of New Zealand is characterized by grand open landscapes. The island is well known for spectacular fiords, large beach forests, golden sand beaches and broad plains. Everybody can enjoy the travel to south island.

The south island has ten national parks. These parks incorporate world heritage sites, lakes, glaciers, fiords, native forest, coastline, and world class hiking tracks. The fabulous scenery across the south land attracts many people to plan vacation.

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Eos and Maxjet have kicked the proverbial bucket, but the all-business carrier concept isn’t quite dead yet. Silverjet found new life by getting a cash infusion, a promise of more cash, and possibly even a bidding war/buyout offer. Huzzah for them!

But the other remaining trans-Atlantic airline, L’Avion, has figured that it can survive by partnering with others. And it’s linking up with another new airline — the British Airlines subsidiary OpenSkies, which launches flights from Paris (Orly) to New York (JFK) on June 19.

L’Avion will codeshare the OpenSkies flight, but not the other way around, at least for now. L’Avion flies all-business class from Newark to Paris, while OpenSkies flies a plane with business, premium economy, and economy from JFK to Paris. L’Avion’s seats are all forward-facing cradle seats (not lie-flat) while OpenSkies has alternating front-and-rear facing 180-degree lie flat business seats.

For L’Avion’s survival, getting a codeshare with a British Airways subsidiary seems like a smart move. I’m still not sure how they can afford to sell tickets for under $1500 round trip in business class and survive long-term, but the new codeshare may have thrown them a lifeline for the short term.

For last 2 months, I have been visiting place of historical importance in many places of India - in Karnataka, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. It looks like some one has been watching my itinerary and putting some effort to foil my trips. Wherever I go, all well known monuments were wrapped in bamboo poles for restoration work. It first started with the Bhoothanatha temple in Badami.

Then it was Amber Fort in Jaipur.

And yet another famous structure in Jaipur - Hawa Mahal.

And another one was again in south - the gigantic gopuras of Madurai were completely covered.

Fortunately, this will be all, since I have no more monument trip planned in near future. By the time I get out again on the heritage trail, I hope anything that needs to be repaired would be already repaired.

As an American, I’ve always found the best overseas destinations to be the ones less traveled. In general, they tend to be more authentic, friendly and economical than the more popular vacation spots. But I’ve not been everywhere, so help me out - tell us your favorite out of the way holiday spots.

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Belfast, Northern Ireland

Thinking of an urban hell-hole ravaged by warring factions? Think again. Belfast has emerged from its troubled past to become a vibrant and unique cultural center. With its politically-inspired murals and pleasant, green parks, Belfast is a slice of Irish heaven, not to mention it’s easier on the wallet than Dublin.

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Malealea, Lesotho

In the middle of South Africa is the arid mountain kingdom of Lesotho. Though not the easiest place to get to, it offers a great venue for camping, hiking and riding. The Basuto people of the region boast a rich culture and history, and are among the most friendly I have ever met. Be sure to bring your sunscreen though, especially in summer.

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Do you long for all the pleasures of an exotic South Seas vacation at a luxury resort but don’t have the time or energy for hours of flying time to the remote areas of the Pacific? Look no further than the unspoiled waters and coastline of western Mexico known as the Mexican Riviera. The Mexican Riviera is already a popular destination for cruise ships belonging to many of the cruise lines known for luxury travel. These luxury three to seven day cruises set out year round from the west coast of the U.S. and visit Cabo San Lucas at the tip of the Baja Peninsula, plus the quaint ports of Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta on the Pacific coastline. (more…)