Budget Vacation Guide 2012: Macedonia

by Alex Robertson Textor on

Since the dissolution of Yugoslavia, Macedonia has hidden beneath the radar. While Croatia and Montenegro receive sustained coverage for their coastlines and Slovenia pops up here and there as a budget-friendly alternative to pricey Switzerland, landlocked Macedonia has received short shrift.

The country remains shut out of major Europe-wide organizations over its very name, which the Greek government contests as a stealthy move toward an eventual invasion of the northern Greek region of Macedonia. It’s a ludicrous proposition, and it has kept Macedonia far more isolated than it should be.

Macedonia’s reputation as a tourist destination has slowly grown over the last few years, and with good reason. The country offers amazingly good value for money. Transportation, accommodation, food, and tourist attractions are all inexpensive. The country’s chief draws are Lake Ohrid, which Macedonia shares with Albania, and its scattered monasteries. Lake Ohrid is starkly beautiful, great for swimming and water sports. It’s anchored by the city of Ohrid, itself spilling over with churches, fortresses, and other objects of historical interest.

Monasteries abound in Macedonia. One of these, Treskavec, is located near the town of Prilep in the south. There are marked hiking trails winding up hills to the monastery. At the top, you’ll find accommodation for the cost of a small donation. A simple dinner is even included in the deal.

If Macedonian tourism taps into its treasures the right way, this country should see its current trickle of tourists become a modest stream.

[flickr image via Rilind Hoxha]

Need status on American Airlines? January is your month!

by Grant Martin on

A combination of promotions on American Airlines makes January a particularly fruitful month for members who want to join their elite ranks. Usually, passengers need to fly at least 25,000 miles to reach gold status on the airline, but a double miles promotion (until the end of January) has reduced that to only 12,500. In addition to that, residents of Illinois, Texas and California can earn an additional round of double miles for flying select routes through the end of March, effectively earning some passengers triple miles.

This means that instead of the normal 3490 elite miles that one would accrue between Chicago and Los Angeles (round trip) a total of 10470 miles can be stacked up — or 40% of the way to Gold Status. And once you reach gold status? A whole host of benefits are available.

For many, this elite status is what helps make traveling easier and justifies a full carriage of longer, more interesting travel in the years to come. Some even go out of their way to take a mileage run and accrue that status, though you should carefully consider your future travel plans (and balance sheet) before you make that commitment. For me, our Huffington Post offices and editors in California were worth making the trip to Los Angeles once or twice this month. And if it fits into the equation of your long term travels then it might be worth your time too.

Make sure you travel before the 31st of January for the global double miles promotion. You have until the end of March until the geographically based promotion runs out.

Exploring the underground caves of Rio Secreto in Mexico

by Jessica Festa on

Río Secreto is a surreal and unique natural reserve near Playa del Carmen, Mexico, that was opened to the public in December of 2007. Visitors to the site are able to hike and swim through the azure waters of a 1969-foot long river that sits inside underground caves. Inside these caves, you will find thousands of impressive stalactites and stalagmites, and once below the Earth’s surface, the world goes silent allowing you to truly enjoy the dramatic scenery in peace.

What’s really great about Río Secreto, aside from being an exotic destination, is the fact that the 100% Mexican-based organization’s mission is based around eco-tourism. In fact, right on their website it says, “All of us involved in Río Secreto passionately support and promote sustainability and social responsibility. Although our company is still very young, we are working to create a culture of environmental awareness and socio-economic responsibility that goes beyond the borders of Río Secreto. Our goal is to share our message and inspire our collaborators, visitors and society at large.”

Tours run daily at 9AM, 11AM, 1PM, and 2PM, and last 3 1/2 hours. The price for adults is $69 while tickets for children 4-11 years of age cost $34.50. To book a tour, click here. For a better idea of what to expect, check out the gallery below.

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10 travel resolutions to make in 2012

by Jessica Festa on

It’s the beginning of a new year and the time when people start thinking of ways to improve themselves in 2012. Instead of just focusing on how to make yourself better, why not think about ways to make your travels more worthwhile? Here are 10 travel resolutions to make this year.

Go green

Eco-tourism is a hot topic in the world of travel right now, and for good reason. There are myriad global issues facing the planet right now, from climate change to resource depletion to land pollution and damaged ecosystems. Instead of just wandering through a region and potentially having a negative impact on the land, educate yourself a bit and participate in environmentally-friendly travel. There are tons of Eco-friendly accommodations, tours, and even entire cities, such as the new Yoyogi Village in Japan. Find a destination and try to educate yourself on how to travel while leaving as small a carbon footprint as possible.Learn a new language

Instead of using obscure gestures and stuttering your way through a translation dictionary, why not take the time to actually learn a new language? Going to Spain? Take a cultural immersion class and learn Spanish. Taking a trip to Ghana? You’ll feel a lot more comfortable interacting with Ghanians if you can speak Twi. Locals respect you more when you speak their language, and it opens up the chance to have more meaningful interactions.

Knock something off your bucket list

Most people have bucket lists, even if they only exist in their minds. “I would love to go skydiving one day” or “I wish I could take a trip to see the Colosseum and learn about Roman history”. What are you waiting for? This year, instead of just letting that bucket list grow, why not scratch some things off. Don’t let work and family hold you back but instead, use your vacation days and include your family in your plans. Also, certain activities, like extreme sports or taking a romantic getaway, don’t always require long-distance travel.

Visit an endangered site

Don’t expect sites like the Belize Barrier Reef, the Tropical Rainforest in Honduras, or the crystal glaciers of the Swiss Alps to be around forever. If you want to see them, go now before it’s too late. Just recently, in October 2011, the beloved Cinque Terre in Italy was damaged by flash floods and landslides, and while it is currently being rebuilt at a swift pace, it is a good example of the unexpected disasters that can happen. You can also check out the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites that are in danger to learn more.

Volunteer abroad

I’m a big fan of volunteering abroad for many reasons. For one, you get to help people in need as well as support a cause you’re passionate about. Moreover, it gives you a unique perspective into the culture, especially since many times you get the chance to live with locals. Each time I’ve volunteered abroad, I’ve used International Volunteer Headquarters as a middle man and found them extremely reliable and affordable. You can also contact NGO’s abroad directly using SE7EN or go on a trip with an international volunteer organization from your home city that plans trips abroad, for example, Habitat for Humanity or UNICEF.

Go out of your comfort zone

You can learn a lot about yourself and what you’re capable of when you try something that’s out of your comfort zone. Are you afraid of heights? Try bungy jumping. Scared to visit a city where you don’t speak the local language? Buy a plane ticket to Brazil (unless you speak Portuguese…then buy a ticket to China). Think you can’t handle the “strange” foods in Asia or Africa? Go there and eat as many new dishes as possible. It may sound crazy, but it’s really inspirational when you realize you can handle uncomfortable situations, as well as eye-opening to people, places, and situations you may never have experienced. I am actually terrified of heights, and when I was in Australia my friends made me go bungy jumping. Literally, they pulled me screaming and crying. While the jump itself was terrifying, I also realized it was a lot of fun. By the end of that year, I’d gone bungy jumping (again), skydiving, and cliff diving, all things that I didn’t think I would ever do but now love.

Take a staycation

By taking a staycation, you can actually add to your vacation time. Instead of waiting until you’ve saved up enough money for a plane ticket somewhere far, you can enjoy a budget-friendly trip for the weekend. Not only that, but it can help you experience your own city and nearby towns, places that often have a lot to offer but many people take for granted. For example, while I often try to hike as much as possible while traveling, I barely go outside when I’m home. Last summer, I decided to change that and began going on local hiking trips around my home state of New York. It’s not only helped me make new friends, but has also helped me to explore a lot of areas that I didn’t even know existed.

Turn off the technology

Thinking about it, this could actually go under “Get out of your comfort zone”. People are literally addicted to technology nowadays. Not that it’s their fault, it’s the world we live in. Business is conducted via Skype and teleconferencing, singles meet their future spouses online, and people post their entire lives on social media. However, turning off your smartphone, ditching your laptop, and turning off the TV can be a really powerful experience. You will learn about a city in a deeper way, without distractions, and will be able to focus on exploration instead of wondering who texted you in the last five minutes. If it’s something you could lose your job over, try doing it for just a day, or even a few hours, and learn what it feels like to be completely disconnected from the rest of the world while being in tune with yourself.

Stop being cheap

There’s a difference between being budget-conscious and cheap. You don’t need to stay in a 5-star hotel to have a great trip, however, you do need to experience the culture, and that means spending a little cash. If there’s something you want to do or see remember that you’re only a visitor in the city, meaning you only have limited time to see the sites. Don’t let cash, or lack of, ruin your entire trip. If you’re really having issues with money but still want to travel, visit a budget-friendly destination, like Thailand or Ghana, and help stretch your dollar further. When traveling through Germany, I was with a girl who was so cheap she would literally hoard bread from the hostel breakfast and eat it for the entire day, and wouldn’t enter anything, a church, castle, museum, or park, if there was any kind of charge. In the beginning I felt bad leaving her, but eventually decided that just because she didn’t want to spend money didn’t mean that I should miss out on great food and interesting museums. We ended up parting ways, and I ended up having a more worthwhile experience.

Attend a major festival

Burning Man, the Full Moon Party, the New York Film Festival, Calgary Stampede, the Winter Music Conference. Whatever you’re into, find a festival that celebrates it and go. I’ve gotten to attend numerous festivals, from Mardi Gras in Sydney to Carnival in Sitges to Crankworks in Whistler, and they’ve all allowed me to be part of enormous celebrations. You meet all kinds of interesting people and get to attend something that people fly from all over the world to attend, sometimes returning year after year. This year, add being a part of something really big to your to-do list.

Adventure Vacation Guide 2012: Queenstown, New Zealand

by Kyle Ellison on

Just as I mentioned in the Adventure Vacation Guide to Chamonix, France, what separates an adventure destination from an adventure capital is the ability to get an adrenaline rush for all 365 days of the year. Although Queenstown may be closer to the South Pole than the Equator, it doesn’t mean that there aren’t adventure activities perfectly suited for every season of the year.

Also, as an added bonus, under the country’s traveler-friendly Adventure Compensation Corporation program (ACC), many travelers to New Zealand are actually covered for any medical costs they may incur while inside of the country. Seriously. I’m not making this up. You hurt yourself, you’re covered. End of story.

So now that you know that you’re covered in the extremely unlikely event of an accident, what sort of adventures can you sniff out in Queenstown? How about throwing yourself off the Kawarau bridge at the AJ Hackett bungy center, the original bungy operation in New Zealand? Or maybe take a jet boat ride through canyons which are way too narrow at speeds which are way too fast?

Extreme sports aside, Queenstown is also within striking distance of Fiordland, the protected and mountainous region which is home to such treks as the Milford Track and the Routeborn Track, a trail which was recently chosen as one of the top ten treks in the world by Lonely Planet.

In the winter months, The Remarkables ski area stoically lurks on the craggy peaks that form the backdrop to the town, the Southern Alps providing some of the best skiing opportunities in the Southern Hemisphere. Lastly, with the New Zealand dollar currently holding steady at $.75 to the US dollar, it’s also a somewhat a cheap way to get your thrills in 2012.

[flickr image via Or Hiltch]