Travel Industry Journal

Can’t decide whether you want to safari in Africa or scuba dive in a coral reef? Well, one tour company offers a unique scuba sea safari that should satisfy your craving for both land and sea adventures.

One Earth Safaris offers “scuba sea safaris” between Zanzibar, Pemba Island, and Kenya, (where sharks and humpback whales are plentiful) with visits to places like the Samburu National Reserve and Masai Mara National Reserve for sightings of the Big Five (elephant, white rhino, buffalo, lion, and leopard). Company founder Ranjit Sondhi says that seeing the Annual Wildebeest Migration is a must when visiting East Africa. One Earth guests can also track gorillas in Rwanda and Uganda in groups from 4 to 35 people. The company is currently developing plans for an underwater hotel off of Pemba Island.
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Do you believe in ghosts? Whether you do or not, around this time of year we like to give ghosts the benefit of the doubt. Here are some tours that will leave the hair standing on your neck this Halloween.

Alexandria, Virginia: Check out Old Town Alexandria to catch a glimpse of the spirit of Robert E. Lee in his boyhood home, or the 19th-century bride who burned to death just days before her wedding at the House in the Country building on North Fairfax Street. The colonial city’s Ghost & Graveyard Tours take place all year, but they also give special Halloween tours “with a twist” on October 26, 27, 28, and 31.

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Introducing “Tour Guide”: IT’s picks for great ways to get away. Check back in every Tuesday for new posts!

We here at Traveler love to go off the beaten track to obtain a true sense of place, but we also know that traveling can take its toll on the environment. So of course we’re thrilled to find that more and more tour companies are offsetting their carbon footprints, donating to conservations efforts, and overall, becoming more eco-conscious. From Madagascar to Mexico, here are some eco-adventures that make us travel happy.

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We’ve all heard it before: George Washington had wooden teeth, and he once dined with Abraham Lincoln. Womanizer Ben Franklin fathered dozens of illegitimate children. The Liberty Bell cracked when it first rang out on July 4, 1776.

Unfortunately, none of the above facts are true. But these made-up tidbits are often told by private tour guides in Philadelphia and other historic cities in the U.S. Some Philly folks have finally had enough.

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Traveling with a boring guide book? Not happy with the restaurant listing of your Lonely Planet? Annoyed because there’s no word on golf courses/spas/vintage clothes boutiques/ you name it in your TimeOut edition?

Brighter times are ahead.

Take an online trip to Viamigo, the brainchild of San Francisco based creative/journalist� jeff goldsmith, and pick from a vast menu of local guides that you don’t have to lug around: living, breathing residents who are willing to put their arduously collected personal expertise at your disposal. Need a historian to explore the finer nuances of Sicilian baroque? Chances are you might find one on viamigo. Or maybe you feel like sharing your city wisdom with others? Sign up as a guide.
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The bachelor party is seen as a rite of passage for any young man leaving his single life behind and entering into marriage. It is usually left up to the best man to find the perfect place to help his buddy end his single days. It can be a lot of pressure – because it’s gotta be an amazing send off that he will remember forever!

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