Spring fever hits early with discounted flights to Europe

by Alison Brick on

Forget the snow, forget the winter. Trade in your down coat for a cardigan, and hot tea for iced tea (in your mind, if nowhere else). It’s time to start thinking about spring.

The springtime sales on European flights have started. American Airlines has a slew of cheapies from the US — including San Francisco-London for $569 (after taxes) and Chicago-Frankfurt for $527 (after taxes). Book your ticket by February 10, and travel outbound by April 2, and inbound by May 2.

American has also extended its companion ticket offer to the UK and the Caribbean for AAdvantage members. Book the qualifying ticket by March 31, then use the 2nd ticket by December 31. It’s not without a little spending, though. The companion flight might be free, but you’ll still have to pay the taxes and fees.

Delta also has discounted Europe flights from either New York City or Atlanta, including JFK-Madrid $454 (after taxes) or Atlanta-Milan $598 (after taxes). Book by February 2, and travel February 2-April 2.

And Travelzoo tips us off to Air France’s New York City-Dublin that’s a mere $328 (after taxes). Travel through April 2.

Indulge in Romance at Badrutt’s Palace

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Skip out on the usual box of candy and fistful of roses plopped on the kitchen table and do something interesting for a change. This year, kick around a seven-night ski trip to Badrutt’s Palace in St. Moritz for Valentine’s Day. Doesn’t Switzerland sound better than another dinner at your local favorite restaurant?

A four-course dinner, by candlelight, at Le Restaurant, completes the experience. Executive Chef Frédéric Breuil’s Valentine’s Day menu includes warm goose liver with braised cabbage, winter vegetables and sherry sauce, truffled salsify soup with ravioli, grilled chicken breast with prawns and basmati rice and leeks. The experience ends with heart-shaped chocolates filled with raspberries and raspberry sauce.

Dinner is priced at approximately $160 per person (not including liquor), and the seven nights on the slopes will set you back $5,600. If you need to come up with a quick idea, and money’s no problem, here it is. You have two weeks … pull the trigger.

12-Year-Old Climber Sets Sights on Seven Summits

by Kraig Becker on

The Seven Summits are the tallest mountains on each of the seven continents, and climbing them all is considered one of the premiere achievements for climbers and adventurers the world over. The concept originated with a man named Dick Bass who was the first to successfully gain this achievement back in 1985, and since then, dozens of other climbers have followed in his footsteps.

Currently, the youngest person to have climbed the Seven Summits is Samantha Larson, who accomplished the feat at the age of 18 when she topped out on Mt. Everest back in 2007. But there is another young climber looking to snatch that record, as 12-year-old Jordan Romero closes in on the mark.
Jordan, who was recently interviewed by Outside Online, caught the climbing bug when he reached the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa, at the age of 10. After that, he made it a goal to go after the remaining summits as well, and has now successfully reached the top of Elbrus (Europe), Aconcagua (South America), Denali (North America), and Kosciuszko (Australia). That leaves Mt. Vinson in Antarctica, and Everest in Asia, as the two remaining mountains in the traditional Seven Summits. This summer, Romero will climb a mountain called Carstensz Pyramid in Papua New Guinea. Carstensz is considered the tallest mountain in Oceania, often replacing Kosciusko as the seventh summit. Jordan’s covering all his bases and climbing both, making this a Seven Summits plus One.

If everything goes as planned, the young climber will be on Everest by the time he’s 16, and finishing off his quest. Jordan says that the most difficult challenge is actually fund raising, and he estimates he’ll need roughly $180,000 to complete the Seven Summits, the bulk of which will be used on Everest and Vinson. Good luck Jordan!

M&M’s Valentine’s Day Contest

by Brenda Yun on

Most would argue that red is the color of love and therefore the color for Valentine’s Day, but the M&M’s chocolate company begs to differ. While to most green is the color of envy, it is Ms. Green who will have you seeing some green ($1500 to be exact) — as well as experiencing two nights in quintessentially romantic Paris.

The only thing you have to do is visit the contest website and write a 150-word essay explaining why you and your sweetie need Ms. Green’s help to heat up your romance this Valentine’s Day. (No purchase necessary!). The sight adds, “Brevity is the soul of wit, darling,” so I’m guessing my essay, which went something like, “I would really like a holiday” is neither witty nor the kind of brevity they’re looking for.

According to the always long-winded contest rules, you must be 21 years or older to enter and live within the 50 United States. The top five essays will be selected based on the following criteria: Relevance, Creativity, and Style and Panache (???), and then judged one more time by a separate panel to select the winner. The prize includes two roundtrip ticket to Paris, a two-night stay in the city, and $1500 to spend on romantic dining and activities.

Seems rather straightforward, my friends. You must submit your essay by February 12, so think green (or red) and get to it!

Running Around The World

by Kraig Becker on

Back in February of 2000, Serge Roehteli, along with his wife Nicole, set out on an amazing journey to circle the globe, running the entire way. The plan was to cover more than 25,000 miles, on six continents, crossing 37 countries in the process.

Serge, an experienced ultra-runner, estimated that it would take him five years to complete the project that would see him running the equivalent of a marathon every other day, through all kinds of different conditions and across a myriad of terrains. Nicole would serve as his support crew, riding along side him on a motorcycle, carrying all of their gear and supplies. She also filmed their travels, capturing every aspect of the journey. Those video tapes are now the basis of a new film entitled Beyond the Epic Run.

You can learn more about Serge, Nicole, and the film at their website, where there are blog entries with more details on the run, and promises of updates on the release date and screenings of the movie. Other ultra-runners, such as Dean Karnazes, weigh in on the Epic Run as well, and there is plenty of video posted, such as the trailer for the film that you can watch below.

Plenty of people have traveled around the world, and for many it is the ultimate trip. But for Serge and Nicole it became something even bigger than that. It was a challenge of will and determination unlike any other. The film will allow us to go along with them, and experience their amazing journey.