Leaf peeping in the northern hemisphere

by Brenda Yun on

Let’s face it: autumn is here. But why not embrace the fall by heading to the hills and enjoying the turning of the leaves from green to fiery red?

It’s no secret that New England is one of the world’s top fall foliage destinations, but I bet you didn’t know that there are several other places in the northern Hemisphere where you can see the trees in their autumn glory. An additional bonus? Fewer people travel in the fall, and prices tend to be cheaper too!

Here are a few of the world’s best places to check out fall foliage:

In the USA:
Arizona Highlands — Arizona might have deserts and canyons, but the higher elevations around Flagstaff and its White Mountains have really photo-worthy foliage.

The Great Lakes Region — The Lakes region is famous for its huge expanse of fresh water, but the trees in fall paired with the blue of the water makes fall a great time to travel north.

Maine — This whole state is ablaze with fall colors come October. Just ride the I-95 north and breathe in the New England air. It’s no wonder the state slogan is, “Maine: The Way Life Should Be.”


In Canada:
Vancouver Island — Canada’s western isle is teeming with fall colors — from the city of Victoria, British Columbia’s capital, to the wilderness of Strathcona Provincial Park.

Prince Edward Island — Leaf peepers can hike, bike or take a horseback ride through the uncrowded trails on Prince Edward Island. Additionally, Charlottetown rings in the fall with its Fall Flavours food and wine festival.

In Europe:
High Tatras, Poland — Poland’s eastern mountains are great for skiing in the winter, but the fall offers fantastic opportunities for hiking. Zakopane makes a good base for fall excursions.

Lot Valley, France — Walk, bike, or drive around Lot Valley’s orchards and vineyards, which glow with autumn colors. The region is great for active bird watching or just a quiet weekend retreat.

Bruges, Belgium — Take a stroll around Bruges’s canals or drink a Belgian beer while admiring the trees. This is one of the few places where the city offers just as many photo-worthy fall shots as the outskirts.

The Swiss Alps — While this mountain range is famous for its skiing, fall offers great opportunities for multi-day hiking or road tripping along winding mountain roads as you admire the warm colors of the hills.

Lake Bled, Slovenia — Take a boat onto Lake Bled and take in the perfect blend of the area’s clear waters and the trees’ fiery hues.

[via SkyScanner.net]

Ghent proclaims regular vegetarian days

by Sean McLachlan on

The Belgian city of Ghent, long famous for its well-preserved medieval architecture and excellent art museums, may soon become a favorite destination for vegetarians. According to the BBC, Ghent has become the first city in the world to have a designated “Vegetarian Day.” Public sector workers are asked to give up meat every Thursday, and in September schools will follow suit by serving vegetarian-only meals every Thursday in their cafeterias.

The move is designed to tackle obesity and reduce the city’s carbon footprint. The meat industry is a major source of greenhouse gas, much of it coming from animal flatulence (no, really) and the city council hopes this program will become a model for other cities.

Belgium is already one of the greener nations of the world, with an efficient recycling program and a goal of having 6% of all electricity generated by renewable sources by 2010. Ghent has the largest pedestrian center of any Belgian city and boasts numerous vegetarian restaurants. As part of the new program, the city government is giving visitors free guides to veggie eateries, and there’s a copy (in Dutch) online that also includes information on the vegetarian lifestyle. An unofficial English guide to vegetarian dining in Belgium can be found here.

Record influx of visitors to U.S. in 2008

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Last year, 58 million international visitors came to the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. That’s an increase of nearly 4 percent from 2007. To sweeten it up a bit, 13 of the top 25 arrivals markets saw new records set. In the last month of the year, nearly 4 million people came here from abroad – down 7 percent. The fourth quarter was down 6 percent year-over-year.

So, we saw most of the action in the first nine months of 2008.

The first three quarters were grand, last year. Seventeen of the top 20 arrivals markets were up from 2007, with one flat and two down. Visitors from Canada were growing at a double-digit rate, though trips from Mexico were down. The rest of the world was up 9 percent for the first nine months of 2008, relative to the same period in 2007.

It all changed at the beginning of October, though. Only 12 of the top 20 countries sent more visitors than in the first quarter of 2007. Canada and Mexico were down, and visits from the rest of the world dropped by 3 percent. You can check the arrival stats monthly by clicking here.
Canada sent 18.9 million people to the United States last year, most of them by land. But, air arrivals grew at a faster rate – 8 percent compared to 6 percent. Another 13.8 million people visited the United States from Mexico. The total is down 4 percent from 2007, with air arrivals down 9 percent.

A total of 25.3 million people visited from the rest of the world – i.e., countries other than Canada and Mexico. While this is up 6 percent from 2007, it’s still 2 percent below the record set in 2000. Since 2003, the number of guests arriving from overseas is up 33 percent.

Western Europe shows no signs of slowing down. Last year, that part of the world brought 12.2 million tourists to the United States, a 12 percent gain year-over-year. This group comprised 48 percent of all overseas arrivals. But, they slowed down in December (by 3 percent). France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Sweden, Belgium, Denmark and Norway set arrival records.

  • Germany: 17 percent
  • France: 25 percent
  • Italy: 23 percent
  • Netherlands: 20 percent
  • Spain: 27 percent
  • Ireland: 8 percent
  • Sweden: 18 percent
  • Switzerland: 15 percent

No records were set in the United Kingdom. Visitors from the country to which we once belonged were up 1 percent for the year but down 14 percent in December. Thirty-seven percent of Western European arrivals come here from the United Kingdom.

And, there’s a hell of a lot more of this available, thanks to the U.S. Department of Commerce Office of Travel & Tourism Industries.

Check out some of these wacky laws, place names and signs from around the world!

2009 is the year of the comic book in Brussels

by Scott Carmichael on

When it comes to exports, Belgium may be better known for its fantastic beer and chocolates, but one of its most successful export products is actually comic books.

Some of the most popular comic book names in the world are from Belgium, including the Smurfs (by Peyo), Tintin (by Herge) and of course Asterix and Obelix (by Goscinny et Uderzo).

To celebrate their success in the comic book world, Brussels has been chosen to host the 2009 year of the “comic strip”.

With over 36 events and 2 comic book walking tours, it shouldn’t be too hard to find something comic related in the city. A calendar of events can be found here.

All of this is of course in addition to the many other things Brussels has to offer. Visitors to Brussels can find a one-stop source of activities at Brusselsinternational.be.

Travel sans visa coming for European, Caribbean, Mauritius, and Seychelles nationals

by Brenda Yun on

A mutual agreement allowing Europeans, nationals from four Caribbean countries, and citizens of two island nations in the Indian Ocean is expected to be passed and approved by the end of March, which will allow for hassle-free and smoother travel.

If you hold a passport from any of the following countries, it means you’re that much more free to travel between those listed sans visa: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the Bahamas, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Mauritius, and Seychelles. The maximum continuous stay in any one country will be three months (90 days).

I have a feeling this means we’ll be seeing more speedos and nude women on the beaches of the Caribbean very, very soon.

[via South Florida Caribbean News]