Michigan travel: Great destinations for a good cause

by Jamie Rhein on

With Michigan’s economic news sounding about as grim as economic news can sound, Sarah Aldrich has written an ode to seven of Michigan’s small towns. Her recent post at Intelligent Travel captures the essence of each of the towns she adores. Reading Adrich’s missive reminded me of various friends of mine who have vacationed on Michigan’s shores. Everyone of them came back with stories about a wonderful time.

Although Aldrich was “reluctant to share” details about each of the towns she loves for fear that they might become overrun if they became too popular, she decided that Michigan might need a morale boost more than her need to keep these destinations just as they are. Tourist dollars talk. In a way, going to Michigan is do good travel. Your presence at an attraction, an eatery or a hotel puts dollars where they’re needed.

I’ve spent a few tourist dollars in Michigan myself. I’d recommend Greenfield Village and the adjacent Henry Ford Museum to anyone. Both are top notch attractions and well worth whatever money you have to spend. Staying in a hotel in Dearfield easily fits into a budget vacation.

If small towns aren’t appealing, another friend of mine just returned from Detroit and was pleasantly surprised by his experience and what the city had to offer. Even if you are only in Detroit for a few hours on a layover, consider taking a foray outside the airport to take in a smidgen of Michigan’s offerings. Grant has suggestions for what you might do and how to do it..

The message is: “Go to Michigan. The state needs you.” Aldrich would be ever so pleased if you did.

[The photo by daBinsi is of the Point Bessie Lighthouse in Frankfort, Michigan.]

Festivals and more in Singapore

by Annie Scott on


The Lion City (well, island city-state) Singapore, located just 85 miles north of the equator on the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, is busting with relaxing beaches, fascinating culture, and crazy-good food, and whether you already have it on your list or not, it’s a great time to go!

First of all, it’s currently (through July 26) the annual Great Singapore Sale, which means discounts on like, everything: dining, designer handbags, jewelry, and more. Also in July, legendary diamond jeweler Harry Winston will be opening his first Singapore salon in the prestigious ION Orchard. The 1,500 square foot retail salon will feature and elegant, modern lacquer and bronze armoire-style vitrine for viewing the beautiful bling, as well as private rooms for the ultimate exclusive and discreet ice selection.

More July goodness, the Singapore Food Festival is July 17-26. There will be culinary workshops, food competitions, parties, and a lot of local cuisine for all to celebrate and enjoy.

Looking a little further ahead, here’s some more festival action:

  • Hari Raya Aidilfitri, mid-August to late September also known as Hari Raya Puasa, is a Muslim celebration to ring in the end of the fasting month, Ramadan. The festival features shopping, lights, performances, and a total food bonanaza.
  • The Mid Autumn Festival, September 19 to October 17 in Singapore’s Chinatown, is a Chinese-Singapore extravaganza with nightly Chinese opera, street stalls with all kinds of edible and non-edible treats, and the wolrdwide celebration is “an auspicious occasion for gathering and reunion for family and friends.” There will be mooncakes.
  • Deepavali, September 18 to October 25 in Singapore’s Little India, is the Festival of Lights — a Hindu celebration of the victory of good over evil, light over darkness. As you can imagine, this is one of the most visually astounding festivals anywhere in the world, with lights, streamers, colors, dancing, food, flames, and more.

It’s a good idea to check out this website for special deals and great ideas: Visitsingapore-usa.com. They can help you plan Christmas in the Tropics or even arrange for you to be there during Asia’s largest 24-hour dance party, ZoukOut on December 12th.

Have a look at the pictures below for last year’s versions of some of the annual events, and put Singapore on your list already.
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South Africa Gearing Up for World Cup…Maybe.

by Josh Lew on

In a little less than 2 years, South Africa will become the only country on its continent to ever host the FIFA World Cup. That is, unless FIFA decides that the country is unprepared and moves the world’s most watched soccer tournament to one of the alternate locations it has already selected. There are concerns about stadiums and infrastructure projects being completed on time. South Africa has announced that a stadium in Port Elizabeth will not be fully constructed by the time a major tune-up tournament is slated to be played there next summer. In addition, the country is plagued by power outages and high crime rates.

But South Africa seems unconcerned and claims that everything will be ready well before the first shot on goal. To promote themselves to travelers, the country’s tourist organization is beginning a major PR push on the BBC World Services Network. The campaign will include television commercial, documentary-style vignettes about destinations in South Africa and an online, user-generated travel guide. It remains to be seen if these efforts will help the country’s image. It could all be undone if FIFA pulls the plug on South Africa 2010.

Indonesia’s New Hot Spot

by Josh Lew on

No. It’s not Bali or Jakarta. It’s Bandung.

Jakarta’s little sister has a rapidly growing tourism industry. Though most of the visitors are from the nearby mega-city, regional and international travelers have been arriving in ever increasing numbers.

Why?

There’s no surf in Bandung, but…

It’s cool (temperature-wise). Located in the highlands above Jakarta, it is the place to take a break from the tropical, sea-level heat. A two hour drive (that’s not taking Jakarta’s famed traffic into account) means it’s within striking distance for residents and tourists.

Also on Bandung’s plus side: an insanely diverse street food scene and a healthy number of shopping malls. Because of the high concentration of universities, there are some youthful and energetic nightlife venues.

Is there anything wrong with Bandung? If you consider a lack of public transit and an abundance of untrustworthy taxi drivers a problem, then yes, it is lacking in some areas. Popular shopping and eating spots get elbow-to-elbow on the weekend, a by-product of the city’s growing vacation reputation.

The increasing number of visitors to the city shows that, for now anyway, the good is outweighing the bad. Tourists with their mind set on a Southeast Asian vacation will be hearing more about Bandung in the near future.

Top 28 must-see sights (according to Smithsonian)

by Jerry Guo on

Around this time of year, travel publications love to collect and print lists. New York Times had their top 53 destinations for 2008 recently. Conde Nast Traveler came out last month with their list of the best islands around the world. And now in this month’s issue of Smithsonian Magazine comes a list of 28 sights you should see in your lifetime.

They’re broken down by categories: ancient ruins, engineering marvels, artsy locales, seasonal sights, natural wonders, religious monuments, and disappearing destinations. It’s a fun exercise to see how many of the sights you can check off. I’ve only been to a few on this list–I guess my justification is that it’s sometimes more fun to visit places not splashed on some top 10 list. Then again, I’m also running on a student budget.

How many of these 28 destinations have you been to?