A New Web Site Called Tripomatic.Com Designed To Plan Your Trip In 15 Minutes Based In The Czech Republic With Impressive European Coverage Now Offers 75+ U.S. Cities With Plans To Expand Into The Caribbean, Mexico, & South America.

While we feel it is a far reaching claim for any one web site to become your single source for vacation planning, we continue to explore new options to expand and hopefully simplify your world wide travel. A very interesting new site is www.tripomatic.com , designed to plan your itinerary in 15 minutes. We explored the site and find it to be a very good starting point for planning your travels since it provides impressive coverage of  sites of interest and activities in the major cities of  Europe and the U.S. including London, Paris, Berlin, New York, Los Angeles, and Miami. Our home base of Philadelphia is also well covered.  Information provided to us says the Caribbean, Mexico, and South America are covered but are not yet active on our searches.  So far our searches have also come up empty for Asia. Dining options are also not yet covered.  Hotel reservations are available through www.booking.com. Travel plans can be shared via Facebook and Twitter and a mobile app is coming shortly. As always...Please report back to this blog with your experiences with this site.

The Philadelphia International Flower Show, The World's Largest Indoor Flower Show Will Take Place March 4th -11th With The Theme "Hawaii: Islands of Aloha"

Since 1829 Philadelphia has hosted the International Flower Show, every year with more spectacular presentations, and this year encompassing 10 acres in the greatly expanded Pennsylvania Convention Center from March 4th-11th. This year the theme of the show is Hawaii: Islands of Aloha that will immerse visitors into a multidimensional sensory experience that will include towering palms, one of the largest displays of white orchids ever assembled, and a 25 foot waterfall splashing down into exotic gardens.   Hula and fire dancing performances will also take place daily.

The Pennsylvania Convention Center is located at 12th and Arch Streets, Philadelphia, PA. 19107. For more information please go to www.theflowershow.com

Natural Habitat Adventures Launches The Most Comprehensive Web Site To Plan African Safaris With Unique Pricing & Satisfaction Guarantees, AfricaSafariPlanner.Nathab.Com

If you are considering an African safari for a vacation Natural Habitat Adventures, with over 25 years experience, has launched the most most comprehensive web site to customize your adventure. A comprehensive collection of nearly 300 luxury camps across Africa's best safari routes in nine different countries is offered. When booking a unique double guarantee is offered, a price matching policy if a lower price is found within 30 days of booking and a satisfaction guarantee providing up to full credit towards a future trip if not happy with your trip. For more information please go to http://africasafariplanner.nathab.com or call 800-543-8917. Please also report back to this blog with your travel experiences.

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.