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November Newsletter from ActiveTravels

In November, my mind starts to drift to the Southern Hemisphere, where summer is just around the corner. In the November Newsletter from ActiveTravels, we focus on two of our favorite cities south of the Equator, Capetown and Buenos Aires. We also spotlight the outfitter, Lindblad Expeditions, who are known for their naturalist-led cruises to the Galapagos. Closer to home, East Burke, Vermont has always been one of our perennial winter getaways for the family. 
 
Have a Happy Thanksgiving! I’m heading to Toronto next week, where I’ll be blogging live on location. 
 
 

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A Four Seasons Cruise in the Maldives

In my last blog, I mentioned how the new Emirates non-stop from Boston to Dubai will save New Englanders six hours of travel time if they wanted to continue onward to the nearby Maldives. I don’t think many people realize that Four Seasons Resorts operates a 129-foot three-deck catamaran in the Maldives called the Four Seasons Explorer. 22 lucky guests can opt for the three-night cruise northern cruise or four night southern cruise. Since the Maldives is known as one of the top dive sites in the world, it’s no surprise that the Four Seasons Explorer has a PADI Five-Star Dive Centre on-board. You can also simply relax with spa treatments, sea kayaking jaunts, beach picnics, and remote island excursions. Best yet, the cruise connects two of the Four Seasons Resorts in the Maldives, Kuda Huraa and Landaa Giraavaru. Combine all three and you get 7 to 10 days of luxury pampering on a memorable beach vacation. For avid scuba divers and honeymooners, this is hard to top! 

 

 

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Arenal’s Nayara Tented Camp to Debut in December

If you have plans to visit Costa Rica this winter and want a luxurious retreat, consider staying in the Arenal region at the new Nayara Tented Camp. Sister property to the Nayara Hotel and Nayara Springs (16 private villas), Nayara Tented Camp is the brainchild of owner Leo Ghitis who was inspired by the luxury canvas lodges of Africa and Asia. The 29 air-conditioned accommodations, each spacious at 1,496 square feet, have been built at a higher altitude on the hillside to provide unobstructed views of the Arenal volcano. The property is surrounded by creeks and natural hot springs, approximately a 2 ½-hour drive from San Jose Int’l Airport. Transfers are available for an additional cost. Or contact ActiveTravels and we’ll put together a package with another region on the beach, like Manuel Antonio, Osa Peninsula, or Guanacaste. 

 
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Honesty Leads to the Best Travel Writing

Pressured by travel editors to write flowery prose about a destination so that publications can secure those necessary advertising dollars, most travel writing is a bore. Even worse are travel writers who pen stories in return for a free press trip. Their writing is often indistinguishable from a publicist’s press release. Take it from a travel expert. Rarely have I ever encountered a perfect trip, where the travel, accommodations, and destinations are all stellar during the same jaunt. There is always some adventure you’re thrust into willingly or not, some bizarre local you meet that helps define the place, and a slew of mishaps. Place those anecdotes into the article and you have a great read, not unlike the writings of Bruce Chatwin or Paul Theroux. 
 
Rarely do I see a scathing review of a destination, so when I came across this little gem from a writer at the Sydney Morning Herald, I was thrilled. I was researching a trip to northern Sumatra for a client who wants to see the orangutans at Gunung Leuser National Park. Unfortunately, they have to fly in and out of Medan, the third largest city in Indonesia and the focus of this story. 
 
All week, I’ll be sharing with you some of my least favorite misadventures in print. Enjoy. 
 
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Travel Writing Workshop on the Vineyard with Acclaimed Travel Writer Perry Garfinkel

In 1990, I left my job as a broker in Manhattan and booked an open-ended ticket to Sydney, stopping at numerous South Pacific isles along the way. The day before I left, I was at the 5th Avenue Book Fair, when I spotted a book titled Travel Writing, For Profit and Pleasure. More than 1500 stories and 9 travel books later, I can honestly say that the author of that book, Perry Garfinkel, changed my life. Now you have the rare chance to have Perry inspire your life. He’s teaching a 5-day workshop in that glorious travel locale, Martha’s Vineyard, from August 30-September 5. 

 
The 5-day workshop is for everyone from beginners to published writers in all literary niches who want to add travel writing to their portfolio. The workshop will cover: the nuts and bolts of writing style, developing personal voice and self editing; how and where to research story ideas that will sell; the art of the pitch; in-the-field do’s and don’ts; the essentials of interviewing; follow-up after publication; the finances, and more. It will include in-class writing drills, off-site “assignments,” mock editorial pitch sessions, and a chance for the Perry to review submissions individually. There’s also a good chance that I’ll be making a cameo to talk about one of the topics I always bring up when speaking at colleges: dealing with rejection. So come join us! 
 
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Sailing Vacations, Luxury South Africa, and Wellness Retreats in Our December Newsletter

To all our loyal members, we drink a toast to you this New Year! What a privilege to be trusted and allowed into your lives to help make memories for you and your loved ones. We do not take this lightly and we are so very thankful that you have signed up as ActiveTravels members. This month we are so excited as our valued clients travel to all these diverse locales: South Africa, Hawaii, Dominican Republic, Italy, Florida, California, Switzerland, Belize and France. More clients’ travels for the coming year include Cuba, Iceland, Tanzania, Colombia, Costa Rica, India, Israel, Spain and much, much more. Our December newsletter awaits. We are reporting this month about the beauty and ease of sailing vacations, locales to witness the Northern Lights (2017 is reportedly the best year in a decade), the Royal Portfolio’s exclusive South African circuit, and where to go if you need to recharge your body and mind during the coming year. 

Lisa and I wish you a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year! See you in 2017! 

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One of My Favorite Covered Bridges in Vermont Washed Away Due to Hurricane Irene

I spent the morning with my family cleaning up my yard in suburban Boston after Hurricane Irene swept through the area on Sunday. There were more than 5 garbage cans filled with downed branches, including one massive limb that fell two feet from our car and could have caused extensive damage. All in all, we were fortunate as ole Irene was tired by the time she reached here. Vermont took the brunt of the storm in New England. I was saddened to hear that one of my favorite covered bridges in New England, the one that sits over the Ottauquechee River in Quechee, best seen while dining at the Simon Pearce restaurant, was swept away by surging water. In Rockingham, the 141-year-old Bartonsville Covered Bridge was washed away by the raging Williams River. Those bridges are irreplaceable.
 

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