Most Popular Luxury Travel Blog

This may in fact be the most popular luxury travel blog in the world:

see About A Luxury Travel Blog

Top 2015 U.S. Travel Sites

http://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/travel-dining/a9764/the-top-5-us-travel-spots-of-2015/

The High Line in New York City is a "Must See"

More visitors in New York City than the Statue of Liberty? Amazing.

If you go to New York City on business, holidays or vacation, be sure to see the New York City High Line, a unique "magical garden in the sky", a kind of "elevated thinking", represented by a garden-like public park built on 1 1/2 miles of elevated former train tracks right in New York City, with spectacular views of the surrounding scenery and architecture.

As written at Great Museums Television, Narrated by Academy Award®-Winning Actress Susan Sarandon, Airing Now on Public Television Nationwide

"(June 2014) -- Great Museums® Television’s newest documentary, “Elevated Thinking: The High Line in New York City,” begins airing nationally on public television in June 2014. New York City’s WNET airs "Elevated Thinking" as part of its series, “Treasures of New York” in primetime on June 17th at 8:00pm ET."

Deborah Berg McCarthy of New York City, youngest sister of one of my best friends, retired architect Lowell Berg, both Friends of the High Line, who I have known for over 50 years, writes at her Facebook site:

"Honored to be involved with Great Museums! Check out the theme song co-written by Doug Katsaros and yours truly! Tune in, June 17th, WNET for High Line program!"

See this absolutely marvelous "magical garden in the sky" at:

• http://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/new-york-city-s-high-line-celebrates-5th-birthday-1.1868812

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76mblYY__PE

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W2Yq1zzxAc

• http://vimeo.com/67218204

and make sure to tune in to WNET tonight at 8 p.m. ET if you have access.

To our way of thinking, "The High Line" may represent a new understanding of how to better blend parks and gardens into an urban environment.

London and Paris Battle for Honor as World's Top Tourist Destination

London or Paris? Which one is Number One?

At the Telegraph, Paris beats London...says France.

Or is it really too close to call?

Holiday Destinations in April from Condé Nast Traveller

Spring on the rise? Ready for a holiday?

At Holiday destinations in April we read at the Condé Nast Traveller:

"In APRIL, the southern parts of Europe start warming up ...."

Read the rest here.

Avebury Viewed as Popular World Heritage Travel Site by Which?

See BBC News - Avebury named second best World Heritage site by Which? where the report highlights that Avebury's key attraction is the "quiet, bucolic setting, the lack of crowds and the ability to wander freely".

"On The Way App" to Map Your Excursions, Tours and Travels and Find Points of Interest As You Go

Find interesting things on your travel route, whether a walk or a drive.

Rachel Lee Harris has the story at the New York Times at:

Mapping Your Drive And the Odd Stops on It - NYTimes.com:

"Ever get to the end of a road trip and realize you were just a few miles away from the shoe of the world’s tallest man but you missed it? Maybe not, but On the Way, a new online travel site for road trippers, was designed to help find such unusual attractions. When you enter your start and destination, the program will populate a map of your route with restaurants, museums and less traditional tourist sites using programming interfaces like Google Places, Foursquare, Yelp and Lonely Planet’s Points of Interest. It can help you find a Starbucks between New York and Washington, but it’s better for local alternatives like Miss Shirley’s Cafe in Baltimore."

Read the whole thing here.

Google Acquires Travel Site Frommers

At Tnooz - "talking travel tech" - Kevin May headlines that Google buys Frommers, destination content in search just got a little bit more interesting, writing:

"Google has made another strategic acquisition in the travel space, snapping up guidebook and online destination content publisher Frommer’s for an undisclosed fee."

Hat tip to CaryGEE.

Travel Destinations of German Vacationers and Travelers, 2012 and 2011

Die Welt in an article by Kira Hanser has the stats for German travelers' vacation destinations, based on data from the ADAC Reise-Monitor / Reiseanalyse 2012, as follows:
(see Die Welt at Das sind die beliebtesten Reiseziele der Deutschen):

2012: America, be happy....

14.6% of all German vacationers
plan a vacation abroad in 2012, as follows:
- 3.7% - USA
- 2.0% - Far East (e.g. China, Thailand)
- 1.7% - Caribbean
- 1.2% - Egypt
- 1.0% - North Africa (Morocco, Tunesia)
- 1.0% - Near and Middle East
- 0.8% - Canada
- 0.7% - the rest of Africa
- 0.6% - Australia, New Zealand, Pacific
- 0.5% - Central America
- 0.4% - South America
- 0.4% - Mexico

In 2011 there were 70,000,000 vacation trips by Germans
at an average expenditure of €868 per person per trip:

- 46.2% by car or recreational vehicle
- 37.2% by plane
- 8.4% by bus
- 5.5% by train
with the rest on cruises, etc.

Top 10 For 2011

German Vacation Destinations outside of Germany in 2011 (top 10)
Spain - 12.3%
Italy - 8.2%
Turkey - 7.4%
Austria - 5.2%
France 3.0%
Croatia - 2.7%
Greece - 2.6%
Poland - 2.3%
Netherlands - 2.1%
Denmark - 1.8%

German Vacation Destinations within Germany in 2011  (top 10)
Bavaria - 6.4%
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern - 6.1%
Schleswig-Holstein - 3.9%
Lower Saxony - 3.6%
Baden-Württemberg - 2.9%
Saxony - 1.3%
Northrine-Westphalia - 1.1%
Berlin - 1.0%
Rhineland-Palatinate / Saarland - 1.0%
Thuringia - 0.9%

and, as a sign of the times
Use of Mobile Internet Access by German Travelers
- weather - 37%
- information about local goods and services - 24%
- mapping and related - 23%
- general information about the travel destination - 23%
- public transportation - 15%
- other tourist-related topics - 15%
- booking of accommodations - 6%
- booking of transportation - 3%
- general booking - 2%

Crete Greece Vacations: OUT OF THE BLUE Capsis Elite Resort

Capsis Hotels & Resorts writes about the Capsis Elite Resort on Crete:

"The OUT OF THE BLUE, Capsis Elite Resort is undeniably, by any measure, the most prestigious address in Crete".

Travel Luxembourg by Bike: An E-Bike Experience in the Hilly North and the Ardennes

Frederika Whitehead has a biker of a posting
at the Bike Blog
at The Guardian
in Luxembourg by e-bike: a natural high

Hat tip to CaryGEE.

The Kieler Woche 2012 16-24 June: Get the Kieler-Woche-App

For the sailor and lovers of Northern Europe's largest sailing festival:





The Kieler Woche this year is June 16-24, 2012, Kiel, Germany. Don't miss it.


And be sure to get the Kieler-Woche-App

New "Old" Formerly Dangerous Destinations Enter Travel Mix

Ondine Cohane has the story at the New York Times in On, Then Off, Then Back on the Map.

Healing Hotels of the World -- Ayurveda Parkschloesschen Hotel

Health resorts are on the upswing for all generations and all nations.

We note with interest that the 5-star Ayurveda Parkschlösschen Hotel in Bad Wildstein, Traben-Trarbach, Germany, where we are domiciled, is now a member of the Healing Hotels of the World, the HHOW, which writes at its website online:

"Our luxury spa resorts offer a blueprint to follow your individual path to health and wellness. Our award winning partner hotels are located on every continent with programs ranging from yoga and meditation retreats, detox, burn-out and stress-relief programs to sophisticated medical spas. It's all about you. Re-discover your deepest joy and passion for a life well lived."

Take a look.

Baltic Travel : Why Riga?, Latvia Superb Video

This is a fantastic video by VFS Films (see about) with great photography.

If you have never been to Riga, Jurmala and Latvia, or the Baltic in general, you are really missing something in terms of world travel. We have been there numerous times and find something of a timeless spirit in the Baltic that is lacking in much of the rest of the world. In the 19th century they once asked a high-ranking Russian general what he would want to be if he were born again -- he replied, "a Baltic baron". It is a fantastic place, in spite of some of its modern problems. There is something primordial and magical about the Baltic.





Why Riga? - YouTube