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.

Safer Travels With TrayGuard Antimicrobial Tray Cover, A Potential Way To Prevent Getting Sick...

A combination of many factors including shorter turn-around on flights and reduction of cleaning maintenance  has created an environment that passengers are 100 more times more likely to catch a cold compared to everyday circumstances, confirmed by a study in the Journal of Environmental Health. A new product called TrayGuard, an antimicrobial cover designed for fold down trays, can reduce your chances of getting sick. The product is chemical-free and food safe using a natural silver and copper ion technology activated by moisture in the environment and continually effective, a major advantage over wipes and gels that have to be reapplied frequently. TrayGuard is available on Amazon.com, currently for $15.95 for a reusable 2 pack.   For more information please go to www.trayguard.com .

Malt Shop Memories Cruise For 2012 Aboard Holland America's M/S Eurodam From Ft. Lauderdale, FL., A Great Way To Relive Memories And Enjoy Music Icons From The 50's and 60's...

Inspired by the popular Time Life Malt Shop CD collection and hosted by the legendary DJ Jerry, "The Geator with the Heater" Blavat, we expect this cruise will be an experience to remember. This 7 day sailing  from Ft Lauderdale, FL .from October 27th through November 3rd, 2012 will be to the Turks & Caicos, San Juan, St. Thomas, and Half Moon Cay. Performers on board will include Frankie Avalon, Bobby Rydell, Dion, Ronnie Spector, The Chiffons, The Marvelettes, and many more. For more information please go to: www.MaltShopCruise.Com or call 877-700-6258.

Skytop Lodge In Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains, A Full-Service Family Resort Where Old World Service Still Exists

A recent visit to Skytop Lodge in the Pocono Mountains reminded me of a childhood visit in the 1970's to the Homestead in Hot Springs, VA., a time when staff truly provided personal service. That level of service still exists at Skytop, located within two hours drive of both Philadelphia and New York. Skytop sits on 5,500 pristine acres and features everything one would expect from an exceptional resort; dining that has been awarded Wine Spectator Magazine's Award Of Excellence for 10 consecutive years, a new spa, golfing, beautiful hiking trails, a tree top challenge course, and a full array of both Summer and Winter activities. For more details please visit: www.skytop.com

Free Seat Alerts Now Available To All Travelers Worldwide Via www. ExpertFlyer.com

This appears to be a very useful tool to gain access to better airline flight seating. If you try it please report back to this blog with your results.

 ExpertFlyer.com^® announced today that its award-winning Seat Alerts^® feature will now be available free to any traveler interested in changing their middle seat to a window or aisle seat.  Available exclusively through ExpertFlyer, Seat Alerts will also allow travelers to set an alert on a flight that is completely booked and will alert them via text or email if a seat becomes available on that flight.  ExpertFlyer's Seat Alerts feature currently monitors more than 120 airline carriers worldwide.

A free Seat Alerts account can be created at ExpertFlyer.com and will allow travelers to maintain one active Seat Alert at a time.  Once a Seat Alert has found a better seat or the flight has departed, a new Seat Alert can be created.  This is ideal for casual travelers who only have one flight where they may be stuck in a bad seat at any given time.  Additional active alerts can be purchased for $.99 and paid subscribers to ExpertFlyer will be able to set several alerts at one time at no additional cost.

"Seat Alerts is the fastest and easiest way for travelers to get out of the dreaded middle seat or even find a seat on a flight that is completely booked," explains Chris Lopinto, president and co-founder of ExpertFlyer.com.  "Seat Alerts is a unique feature not offered anywhere else and wanted travelers at all levels to experience a more enjoyable flight whenever possible."

Cafette, A Hidden Dining Gem In Chestnut Hill Philadelphia

This is one of my promised updates on Chestnut Hill, leading to our detailed feature in print in the Spring...One of the better neighborhood dining spots in Chestnut Hill is a BYOB called Cafette, hidden on a quiet block, and best known for their outdoor garden and eclectic dining options. My recent visit for my birthday dinner started with a wonderful spicy vegan black bean soup. Unfortunately my main course, Sole stuffed with crab meat, was dry.  Considering on a past visit I had a wonderful moist Talapia with capers, one of the best preparations  in memory, the dry Sole was disappointing. Also while there is a warmth and relaxed comfort in the small dining room we were seated in with burgundy walls, the service can be a lot more attentive. My date made a point that it was my birthday to our server but was no recognition, our wine bottle was opened but not poured, a corkage fee is charged but only plain glasses are offered, and coffee refills were not offered. On the bright side our dessert was a wonderful piece of lemon curd cake-little did I know that my dinner date has a preference for lemon, even over chocolate :-)
For more details please visit www.cafette.com

Royal Caribbean Expands Partnership With Universal Resorts In Orlando To Sailings From Both East & West Coasts Of Florida......

Now those sailing with Royal Caribbean from both the East and West Coasts of Florida have the option of adding on a stay at one of Universal Orlando Resort's 3 AAA Four Diamond hotels with the added bonus of their Express ride access to skip long lines at their 2 theme parks. We've sailed on one of the featured ships, the Freedom of the Seas, currently sailing to the Western Caribbean and found the ship to be exceptional. One of the things we were most pleased with was, considering the size of the ship, we found very intimate public spaces. For more details please go to www.RoyalCaribbean.com/Universal or call 877-202-5090

Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia's Garden District. #ChestnutHillPA

I've lived most of my life in the beautiful Chestnut Hill area of Philadelphia, 25 minutes North West of Center City, yet we've never done a Destination Report on the area. Since this area is nestled along 1,800 acres of the Wissihickon Valley park, part of Philadelphia's 9,200 acre Fairmount Park, and includes the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania; it has become known as the Garden District of the city.   A current renaissance of development along Chestnut Hill's main street, Germantown Avenue, is bringing new life to this area named a 2010 Distinctive Destination by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. A series of new restaurants and boutiques are are also opening.

 Where to stay...The historic Chestnut Hill Hotel, dating back to 1864, sits on Germantown Avenue in the central part of area. This boutique hotel with 36 rooms, including 4 suites,  has recently undergone a full renovation bringing it up to high standards. Included are large flat screen televisions with premium cable, free internet, workout room, L'Occitaine bathroom amenities,  complimentary continental breakfast, and free parking.  The staff is also outstanding. Recently they arranged for their private car service to get an actress friend not staying at the hotel on time to a performance in downtown Philadelphia after she missed a train.

For more information please go to www.chestnuthillpa.com, www.upenn.edu/arboretum, and www.chestnuthillhotel.com

I will occasionally add timely information about Chestnut Hill in this blog, with a more extensive Destination Report planned exclusively in print for our subscribers.

Welcome To The Travelore Report Blog!

The Travelore Report newsletter has been published monthly since 1971 in print, with 80,000 paid subscribers @$65 yearly. Our editorial focus is on upscale added value travel and travel related products and services, both domestic and world wide. The intent of this blog is to keep our subscribers and world wide contacts updated on our editorial content and to interact with our readers. While we will be posting updates/snip-its on future editorial, only paid subscribers will get our detailed Destination Reports in print.