A New Vacation Website Called MyVacations.Com Offers Worldwide Database of Hotels, Restaurants, Cruise lines, Resorts, Tours, & Travel Agents For Vacation Planning.

We recently discovered a fascinating new web site claiming to have the world's largest database of hotels,  restaurants, cruise lines,  resorts, tours and travel agents. We were also pleased to find listings for bed and breakfasts. While they do offer personalized travel planning,  we like that direct links are offered to all of the travel resources we found on the site so individuals can do their own planning  and direct booking.  The weakest parts of the site appear to be shopping recommendations at destinations as well as limited offerings in Europe and Asia; all we hope will be improved as their database improves. . If you use this site please report back to us
with your results.

With The Opening Of The New Barns Foundation Museum In May 2012 The Focus Of the International Art World Will Be On Philadelphia

On May 19, 2012 the Barns Foundation will open on Philadelphia's Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 20th Street, joining the Philadelphia Art Museum and Rodin Museum, to make the city one the greatest destinations for art lovers in the world. The new museum will display the the world's largest collections of Impressionistic, Post-Impressionistic, and early Modern paintings including 181 Renoir's, 69 Cezanne's, 59 Matisse's,  7 Van Goghs, and African sculptures; all in galleries replicating the original gallery layouts of the Foundation's original home in nearby Merion, Pennsylvania.

To celebrate and welcome the Barns to the Parkway the Philadelphia Museum of Art at 26th Street will display Gauguin, Cezanne, Matisse: Visions of Arcadia in Summer 2012. The Rodin Museum at 22nd Street, with the most extensive collection of Auguste Rodin's works outside of Paris, will also open in Spring 2012 after an extensive renovation. 

For more details please go to www.barnsfoundation.org / 215-640-0171, www.philamuseum.org / 215-763-8100 and www.rodinmuseum.org / 215-763-8100. For more information about travel to Philadelphia please go to www.visitphilly.com or call the Independence Visitor Center at 800-537-7676.

                                           Rendering of the Barns Foundation provided by the Greater

                                           Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp.

The Newest Ways To Get To And Travel Within France In Style...

Getting To France-Starting on May 28th 2012 Air France's ultra modern A380's will start 2 daily flights from Los Angeles to Paris-Charles de Gaulle, making it the third U.S. destination served by the wide-body aircraft by the carrier, following New York and Washington. Air France's A380's can accommodate 516 passengers in four classes including 9 in La Premiere/First Class on the main deck and 80 in Affaires/Business Class on the upper deck. The aircraft features 6 bars, a sophisticated lighting system synchronized with time zone changes and advanced noise reduction technology for a serene cabin experience.  Flights on the A380 will additionally start December 5, 2011 to March 24th 2012 from Dubai to Charles de Gaulle.

Travel Within France-On December 11, 2011 the first high speed train will be launched in France not centered around Paris. The TGV Rhine-Rhone will connect Dijon in the Burgundy Region to Mulhouse in the the region of Alsace. 11 million passengers are expected to utilize the new route that will link Alsace to the Mediterranean for the first time,  reducing travel time to Paris.  Domestic trains will feature organic and fair trade menu selections on the bar menu.

A New Web Site Tells You What Prices To Expect In 130 Countries: MyTravelCost.Com

When planning extended travels one of the hardest things to predict in countries around the world is the changing cost of living. A new web site, www.MyTravelCost.com , compiles data from international organizations and national governments about prices in 130 countries. Included information is cost of fuel, different types of lodging, different types of restaurants, transportation, groceries, and alcohol. Links are also provided for factual information about destinations, world currency rates, and comparative hotel booking sites. 

The current most expensive destination in Europe is Switzerland where prices can be 200% over those of the U.S. and 60% higher than in the U.K. One can expect to pay 20-30% more over U.S. rates in the most established European destinations such as France, Italy, and Spain. While fuel has always been expensive in Europe, Greece is currently at almost $9 a gallon.  

If you use this site please report back to this blog with your results.