We had a question come into the office the other day that I thought I would answer for other readers as well. Dear Joel, I live in San Diego and we have an awesome zoo here. Why do you recommend doing a safari in Africa? That is a great question! This is like saying that you have a subscription to a gourmet food magazine, so why would you eat. Traveling to Africa and seeing the Big Five up close and in their natural habitat is something everyone should experience at least once in their life. It is sheer magic. Every moment is...
The simulator was so realistic that one bad move would have us all shaking, and warning sounds and lights would alert us to various dangers and what I called RBF (Really Bad Flying).
Human beings are instinctively obsessed with the past and future, life and death, the yin and the yang. These reasons are why China is such a fascinating place to visit at the moment. I just returned from China and was once again reminded why it is a country that shows you much about your past and gives us a glimpse of how the future will look. So much of what we eat, do, think, and how we live today took root in China many years ago. For instance, pasta has been incorporated into many of the world’s delicious cuisines and...
News sources about what goes on locally and especially abroad are not always accurate, and natural disasters and acts of violence happen everywhere: we just seem to forget or minimize the ones that happen on our home turf.
Before you take a trip, it is always a good idea to talk to friends who have been to the destination, and pick their brains for tips and ideas of what to do, and the best places to stay and eat. Especially if you have a lot in common with them, or travel the same way, their advice can be invaluable. One word of caution. When someone tells you the name of a hotel where you just have to stay, or a restaurant that is the best restaurant in town, you always have to remember that destinations are not static, and the...
It seems that the hit movie, "Frozen" can be used to teach us just about everything: the importance of family, being true to yourself, letting go, and so much more. Not surprisingly, it can also teach us how to travel. Below are the ten things about travel that "Frozen" has taught me.
We travel to places that we perceive to be safe and desirable and limit our travel experiences to exclude places that we perceive as unsafe and undesirable. Sometimes this is because the perception has not caught up with reality. Such was my realization during a recent research trip to Nicaragua. Once a civil war torn nation, Nicaragua has become the darling of the travel industry in Central America. Recently named by Conde Nast Traveller as one of the Top 10 destinations to watch in 2014 and considered a safe haven in Central America by The Economist, Nicaragua possesses abundant natural verdant...
The first rule in posting photos is if you don't have a house-sitter, wait until you get home to post photos of your vacation. You do not want to promote to the world that you are away from home.
When I look back on 2013, it is interesting to review which memories stand outfor me. It wasn’t any of the bigger purchases I made. No, the first and most important things that come to mind are several of the trips I took, and the unique experiences I had in those destinations. A few highlights include watching a cheetah stalk an impala in South Africa, drinking caipirinhas with new friends on the beach in Rio at sunset, and snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Traveling has the power to inspire the mind, heal the soul, and energize the body. It...
Creating the most amazing trips in the world for a discerning group of gays, their family and friends, is no small feat. Our travelers are well travelled and are always wanting the latest, best, trendiest and most sought after destination. As LGBT travelers we are used to being pioneers. With that in mind Zoom scours the world not only for the most up and coming destinations but for how to take Zoomers there in comfort, style and safety. In the last years Zoom has flown to far away places like Japan, South Africa, Nicaragua, Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil (usually at...
