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Festive holiday escapes in New England
By Diane Bair and Pamela Wright
The Inn at Round Barn Farm in Waitsfield, Vt. offers a four-night holiday package
Maybe the kids are scattered this year, and you’re not inclined to go all-out decking the halls and concocting a multi-course feast. Or maybe you’d just like to escape the bustle and the traffic and focus on the sweet pleasures of the season, without having to make all the magic happen yourself. You could stay home and watch a continuous loop of “It’s a Wonderful Life” with a giant bowl of red-and-green M&Ms, but there’s another option: a visit to one of New England’s fabulously festive country inns and hotels.
FOR GOOD LITTLE GROWN-UPS
If you’ve been really, really good this year, consider stuffing your stocking with a visit to the luxurious Inn at Round Barn Farm. Set in Waitsfield, Vt., near Sugarbush and Mad River Glen ski resorts, this 12-room inn is offering a “country Christmas package” full of all things merry and bright: four nights’ lodging, breakfast, a gingerbread-making class, a sleigh ride for two, and a $25 shopping coupon (for each guest) at participating stores in Waitsfield village. Oh, and they give you a gift. If Santa brought snow, go for a moonlight snowshoe hike. You’ll likely be so smitten with this renovated 19th-century dairy farmhouse, you’ll make a New Year’s resolution to come back. This four-night package is available until Dec.15- 26; $849 and up. 1661 East War- ren Road, Waitsfield, Vt. 802-496-2276, www.theroundbarn.com
SLEEPOVER AT SANTA’S VILLAGE
The Cape Codder Resort celebrates the holiday season with an Enchanted Village, illuminated with more than 100,000 lights.
As a little kid, Diane got lost in a huge department store because she stalked the store Santa as he handed out candy canes. If your kids are similarly Santa-obsessed, they’ll be thrilled with a night at the Cape Codder Resort. Come holiday time, this 257-room Hyannis resort — always big on entertainment — goes the full Santy, with an Enchanted Village illuminated by more than 100,000 lights. Santa’s Village has all the trappings, including animated reindeer, snowmen, and a lifelike St. Nick; they also host appearances by the Cape Cod Surftone carolers on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings.
When the kids get revved up on candy canes and Christmas spirit, head to the indoor wave pool, where they can burn off some energy. (For frazzled parents who need a break from the action, there’s the Beach Plum Spa.) Enchanted Village overnight package offered nightly through Dec. 22; from $119 weeknights, $179 Friday and Saturday nights. 1225 Iyannough Road, Hyannis. 855-861-4370,www.capecodderresort.com
ICE AND COASTAL CHARM
The Samoset Resort offers plenty of reasons to visit coastal Maine for the holidays, including brunch with Santa and a skating rink.
You might not automatically consider the coast of Maine when you’re making winter travel plans, but Samoset Resort in Rockport hosts a season of merry-making that stretches into January, and culminates with Glacier, a bar made from 18,000 pounds of carved ice.
Recently named one of the Top 20 Resorts in the Northeast by Condé Nast Traveler, this 182-room hotel is all cozy coastal charm in December, when its Holiday Happenings season is in full swing. The family-friendly scene includes brunch with Santa, and the joy of spinning around an ice skating rink (weather permitting), with a bonfire and s’mores supplies at the ready. Guests can cross-country ski or snowshoe on the resort’s waterfront golf course, and warm up in heated pools and hot tubs. Skiing and tubing at Camden Snow Bowl are nearby options.
Come January (weekends of Jan. 17 and 24), the ice bar opens. Carved by the hotel’s executive chef Tim Pierce, a master ice carver, Glacier will feature elaborate sculptures and ice-cold cocktails — and plenty of faux fur throws. From $119. 220 Warrenton St., Rockport, Maine. 800-341-1650,www.samosetresort.com
CELEBRATE IN THE CITY
If you live in the suburbs, an overnight or two in Boston can feel like a vacation. The city is a wonderland of holiday happenings, such as Handel’s “Messiah,” productions of “A Christmas Carol,” Black Nativity, Holiday Pops, and a choice of “Nutcrackers.” And there are activities that cost almost nothing, but will put you in a festive mood instantly, like a walk in the Common to admire the Christmas tree and the giant menorah, and a few whirls around the Frog Pond, followed by hot cocoa and a cup of chowder. If you’ve got shopping to do, it doesn’t get any better than this, whether you’re drawn to the boutiques on Newbury Street, Beacon Hill, and the North End, or the big department stores, funky carts, or discount emporiums in the Back Bay and Downtown Crossing. It can be truly merry when the streets are full of cheery shoppers and the shops glitter with decorations.
In the heart of all this is the Fairmont Copley Plaza, the grand dame that gets even grander for the holidays. From the lavish decor to the towering tree in the lobby, this hotel is a gilded home-away-from-home in December. The Twelve Days of Christmas package, offered Dec. 14-30, includes a holiday CD from the Boston Pops and late (4 p.m.) checkout, from $229. 138 St. James Ave., Boston. 617-267-5300, www.fairmont.com
Diane Bair and Pamela Wright can be reached at bairwright@gmail.com.
Travel Tech: A Holiday Gift Guide for the Family Traveler
DECEMBER 5, 2013 – 2:00 PM – 0 COMMENTS
1. Filip Watch, $199.99/$10 month, myfilip.com
If your holiday travels include busy amusement parks or chaotic holiday celebrations, you could save yourself some serious worry with the new Filip Watch for kids. This one-touch solution to separation anxiety is a wearable parent-to-child cell phone—a smart watch. If scared or unable to find you in a sea of parade-watchers, your kids can also hit a button and the watch will automatically text you their location, record ambient sound, and dial your cell. If you don’t pick up, it will go down the line calling up to five trusted contacts. This allows the child to talk to you without having to be responsible for holding onto a walkie-talkie or phone (which would have to be put aside every time they climb on a ride). You can even set up a distance perimeter and know within seconds if your toddler has wandered or mastered the hotel doorknob.
2. Liquid Image Ski and Snorkel Masks, price varies, liquidimageco.com
One if by land, the other if by sea—whether your holiday plans are tropical or quaintly alpine in nature, you can record your brood and all the sea turtles and octopi, or wicked ski bumps and big air jumps, with these Liquid Image Ski or Snorkel Masks that shoot both stills and video. Great audio and a tiny camera between the eyes directing the shot wherever you naturally look make it foolproof for the wearer. Although high-end models are available for serious divers and mountaineers to capture the family fun, impressive models in a modest price range make this a great gift for the teen shredder or first time snorkeler.
3. Kindle Fire HDX, $379.00, Amazon.com
For some serious kid-minded entertainment, the new Kindle Fire HDX will light up their faces and warm their little tech-loving hearts. Lightweight, 3x faster processing and the optional Origami Case“giftwrap” that folds into a stand (and can even be personalized with a favorite family-travel shot) makes this a wow factor gift. With the ability to download movies (plane and train wi-fi usually don’t support streaming), and a battery “book mode” for 17 hours of reading (11 otherwise)—this 0.31″ tablet makes trips with kids fly by. The Freetime control, which lets you tailor the time and which apps or mode (books or games) each child can enjoy per day, nixes any ideas about ignoring the sights for sites upon arrival.
4. Power Monkey eXtreme, $199.50, magellans.com
After packing light with little more than an adapter for a seven-hour wifi/outlet laden coach trip, only to have the outlet malfunction and an accident turn it into nine hours of… fun… I learned my lesson. The aptly-named Power Monkey eXtreme holds serious power for recharging your t(w)een’s tablet and teen’s phone (at the same time). Bonus for families hitting the great outdoors, sailing, or beach camping: the included solar panels recharge the unit—great if you’re heading somewhere off the beaten path where you don’t trust the electricity (international plugs included).
5. Travelon Waterproof Portfolio for Tablet, travelonbags.com
Sure, with the Travelon Waterproof Portfolio for Tablet, you can take your tech to the pool (it floats) and the beach without salt and sand concerns. And no worries in the humidity of the Amazon. (It’s airtight.) But a well-traveled parent knows a simple bout of turbulence can be just as deadly to a pricy tablet as an Act of God. (Why don’t all airlines have lids for their cups?) Zip your Kindle, iPad, or Nook into this puppy and let the kids go wild without fear of scratches, gummed-up screens, juicebox splashes, or drool destroying your tablet.
6. Smart PJ’s, $29.99, smartpjs.com
If your bags are already hovering at the weight limit and the kids are begging to bring their favorite bedtime storybooks, tech to the rescue. Smart PJ’s are comfy, cute dotted jammies in blue, green, or pink, with a free app that loads a different bedtime story onto your device depending on which set of dots you scan.
7. Lytro Light Field Camera, price varies, lytro.com
Getting t(w)eens enthused about a family trip might be harder to accomplish than making the “nice” list. One surefire way is to give in to their need to connect (with the rest of the online world at least) without disconnecting from your family travel experiences by letting them share their perspective while on the road. The Lytro Light Field Camera understands just how quickly your perspective might change. By recording the entire light field, rather than a static two-dimensional shot, it lets photogs create and share living pictures that can be endlessly refocused by the individual viewer after they are taken. (No more woes over Niall being in the shadows while Harry steals all the focus!) This newest mode of digital storytelling will have all their friends talking. Or at least texting
Europe’s best Christmas markets
(CNN) — For something intended to bring pleasure to loved ones and keep the economy of the entire Western world afloat, Christmas shopping in the Internet age can be a peculiarly joyless and atomized activity.
Online shopping is all very well for sociopaths and agoraphobes, but here are eight destinations to put the glühwein and gluttony back into your seasonal splurge.
Just lay off the gingerbread if you like your teeth.
The world’s most Christmassy places
Berlin: Festive fashions and hipster hangouts
You hardly need an extra reason to visit the fashionable German capital, but ice rinks, Ferris wheels, fairground rides and toboggan runs are among some of the attractions competing for attention at more than 60 markets scattered around the city.
The Gendarmenmarkt is considered one of the most beautiful.
Buy: Original works by the next big things of art, design and fashion, idiosyncratic decorations and contemporary jewelry at TrendMafia’s Christmas Design Market.
Drink: With so many markets to see, a currywurst-fueled glühwein (mulled wine) crawl should keep the cold at bay, loosen the purse strings and liberate the legs for an evening of moving and shaking in some already passé Kreuzberg pop-up nightspot.
10 sparkling spots to ring in 2013
Sing along to: Traditional German carols are hard to beat. “Stille Nacht” (the song so imbued with Christmas spirit it briefly halted World War I on the Western Front) and “Oh Tannenbaum” will get the festive endorphins flowing in even the most battle-hardened Yuletide veteran.
Birmingham, England: Glam rock and glühwein
Pretty much every self-respecting British city these days goes Deutsch-verrückt for December, but Birmingham’s Frankfurt Market claims to be “the largest authentic German market outside Germany and Austria.”
Buy: The adjacent Christmas Craft Fair sells an array of local produce for your Christmas table, including organic sausages and homemade chutneys and cheeses. Or you might pick up a Birmingham edition of Monopoly for those long winter nights in with the family.
Drink: Glühwein and German beers aplenty here, but a short walk to The Old Contemptibles pub will get you seasonal English ales including “Ding Dong” and “Elves’ Bells.”
Listen out for: “Merry Christmas Everybody” and “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day,” by local bands Slade and Wizzard. It’s traditional in the UK for these festive glam rock stompers to be played on loop in every department store, as increasingly dead-eyed shoppers desperately scour the emptying shelves.
Nuremberg, Germany: From brat to wurst
One of the most fabled markets in Germany, the Christkindlesmarktdates to the mid-sixteenth century with more than 180 wooden stalls set amid the picturesque surroundings of the Bavarian city’s old town.
Buy: You can indulge your inner child with lebkuchen (spiced gingerbread), locally produced wooden toys and zwetschgenmännle (traditional decorative figurines made of prunes).
Eat: The glühwein here is stronger than average so it’s smart to fill your stomach with plenty of local speciality Nürnberger Rostbratwürste, traditionally served on a heart-shaped tin plate. TheBratwurstküche zum Gulden Stern has been serving sausages here since 1419.
Look out for: It’s hard to miss the Christkind, a local teenage girl dressed in a gloriously Wagner-esque crown and golden robe. Selection criteria for the role include a “willingness to work in any weather.”
Copenhagen, Denmark: A fairy tale festive wonderland
The Danish capital’s Tivoli Gardens fun park this year celebrates Nordic and Russian traditions with Christmas-themed rides, reindeer, an illuminated miniature replica of Moscow’s Saint Basil’s Cathedral and half a million fairy lights.
Buy: You can support the Inuit people of Greenland by buying a sealskin accessory from the Inuit Sila stall. In Greenland, seals are hunted sustainably for meat and every part of the animal is used.
Eat: Aebleskiver are donuts baked in a special pan with round holes. They’re traditionally served with glögg, hot wine flavored with almonds and raisins.
Watch out for: The nisse. These mischievous pixies were traditionally believed to live in attics and barns, bringing good luck to those who cared for them. Many Danes still leave out a bowl of porridge on Christmas Eve to keep them sweet.
Strasbourg, France: Alsatian treats and Christmas trees
With a market dating to 1570, the French border city of Strasbourg has adopted the title of “Capital of Christmas.”
Fir trees have formed a part of festivals in this forested region since pagan times, a tradition symbolized by the largest natural Christmas tree in Europe in the town square.
Buy: Regional delicacies, including foie gras and traditional Christmas biscuits known as recettes de bredele, abound for those seeking gifts for gourmands.
Drink: Alsatian monks, and recently breweries, have been producing malt-heavy Christmas beers — spicy in flavor and amber in color — since the Middle Ages.
Say: Alsace has its own regional language, recognized as vulnerable by UNESCO. Give it a boost by wishing locals “E gueti Wnchte & E glecklichs Nej Johr” (“Merry Christmas”).
Vienna: Grand old aristocrat of Advent
The former Habsburg capital shakes off its otherwise haughty reputation during lavish festivities, with baroque architecture that makes for a stunning backdrop as the decorative lights ofChristkindlmarkt twinkle amid snowflakes.
Buy: The Adventmarkt, in front of the Karlskirche, is the place to go for handicrafts, ranging from stained glass sculptures to handmade wooden instruments, with workshops in glassblowing, leather work and other traditional techniques.
Drink: Weihnachtspunsch, accompanied by roasted chestnuts, is the Austrian capital’s spirit-fortified variation on the hot alcohol formula. The mugs are considered collector’s items.
Watch out for: The Krampus — looking like extras from A Christmas Nightmare on Elm Street, these gruesome goat-headed long-haired monsters maraud menacingly through the markets at night.
Gothenburg, Sweden: Northern lights and smorgasbords
Sweden’s “Christmas City” is a blaze of light, warmth and color in the dark Scandinavian night, with the dazzling, illuminated market at theLiseberg amusement park among the season’s central attractions.
Buy: For cutting edge and playful Scandinavian future design classics, the place to be is the ever-popular Julform Pop-up market. It’s now an annual December fixture.
Eat: You can gorge on a multi-course Christmas smorgasbord, the Julbord, a table laden with dishes including pickled and smoked fish, meats and cheeses, and the hearty Janssons frestelse, a casserole of anchovies and potatoes.
Listen to: Gothenburg’s tourism website has put together a classyChristmas playlist (Cliff Richard aside) featuring hirsute local rockersThe Soundtrack of Our Lives, currently rounding off their last-ever tour with a six-night stand in Stockholm.
Hamburg, Germany: Kinky Christmas fun
Hamburg’s legendarily louche St. Pauli district offers “Santa Pauli” — its ribald take on the traditional German market, with strip shows, drag queens and “sexy angels.” Probably not one for the kids.
Buy: The handmade wooden toys that sell here are not the sort that you’d usually associate with Santa’s little helpers. Those crafted byWaldMichlsHoldi, a long-running family business, are the most famous.
Drink: The Amaretto-laced hot apple wine packs a dangerous punch.
Why its so important to Travel Now Even if You Have Limited Cash..
Posted by travel answer man
There are numerous reasons travel is good for you, especially in economically difficult times. Please share these important tips with your friends and take advantage of them yourself today! Cash in on the great end of the year deals before it is too late!
Travel is great for your overall health! Just one vacation annually might be able to reduce an individual’s chance of a heart attack significantly and eliminate stress. Upon returning from a trip, many travelers admit their deep sleep is significantly improved. While traveling, most people’s blood pressure will drop. You can’t ignore these vital health tips!
It’s great for personal relationships! The anticipation of going on a vacation increases positive emotions about one’s own life. A new travel experience can cause a person to look at the world differently. Most will return from vacation with a much more open mind…a much improved outlook on life. That has got to be a good thing in today’s negative thinking world!
Travel may deposit more money in your wallet. Many people are more creative when they return refreshed from a long holiday. Your day to day performance at work is likely to improve also…rested physically and refreshed mentally. Imagine what you might be able to do! It might even help you get that new promotion or next raise. A “new you” might just be all it will take in the eyes of the boss.
So what are you waiting for? As the world economy has suffered the last number of months, the travel industry suppliers have been forced to re-invent themselves and revise their current strategy. They have lowered prices to levels that have not been seen for many years. This includes the airlines, hotels, resorts, spas, car rentals, cruise lines, trains, restaurants, golf courses, and various sightseeing activities. Go now! Don’t wait any longer…quit procrastinating! Travel is a wise investment in your life.
Holiday Pet Travel
he holidays are one of the peak seasons for travel, and it is the perfect time to take your pet along with you. Whether you are off on a ski vacation, visiting family or perhaps enjoying the magical feeling of a Swiss village at Christmas time, having your best friend along will make the trip more enjoyable.
Be sure to consider your pet’s identification before you leave. Pet ID tags with your CELL PHONE number are great since there will not be anyone at home to answer the phone. You should consider the added safety of a pet microchip. If your pet is separated from you, a shelter or a veterinarian can read the chip, and they can then track you down through the database of the manufacturer of the microchip. If you are going to be spending a couple of weeks in one place, consider buying a second Pet ID tag with the contact information on where you will be staying.
Pet Crates are a great way to keep your pet safe when traveling in the car. Unless a pet is confined or harnessed, its behavior can cause great distraction to the driver of the vehicle. As much as we all like our smaller pet in our lap, it is detrimental to the safety of the pet, the driver, and the passengers riding in the car. A collision, even at a slow speed, can seriously injure an unrestrained pet. The safety of your pet is your responsibility. Be sure and buckle them in with a pet harness or confine them in a crate.
If it is very warm or very cold, don’t leave your pet in the car alone. Be prepared by having a supply of water in portable pet water food bowls in the car. You may not find the brand of pet food that your pet is accustomed to where you are going, so bring extra food with you.
If your pet is larger than about 15 pounds, and you are traveling by air, then you will need an IATA compliant pet crate with special safety features. If you will be staying in a hotel, then the pet crate is the proper place to leave your pet while you go out to dinner. Make sure that the pet crate is large enough so that your pet can stand up and turn around. Be sure to leave an adequate supply of food and water to last for the period that you will be away. It’s also a good idea to place an absorbent pet pad in the bottom of the crate that will keep your pet dry in case of accidents.
Be sure and become familiar with hotel pet policies. Ask where it is appropriate to walk your pet and the areas where your pet is permitted. Always pick up after your pet.
Buy your crate well in advance of your trip so that the pet can get used to it before you travel. Pet crates come in two pieces, a top and a bottom. For a few days leave the top off the crate and put treats and a favorite toy in just the bottom portion. After seeing that your pet is comfortable, assemble the crate and leave the door open. Invite them in with praise and treats.
Flying with your pet is easy these days. Almost all airlines accept pets on board the aircraft. Very small pets can often travel in the cabin of the aircraft with you in an airline compliant pet carrier. Larger pets will travel as checked baggage in a special section of the cargo hold where the temperature and pressure is the same as in the cabin. Be sure to alert the captain of the aircraft that you have a pet in cargo as he will take extra care to keep the temperature and pressure at the proper levels. You will need a health certificate stating that your pet is healthy enough to fly. Be sure to make reservations early as the airlines only allow a limited number of pets per flight. Stay away from medical tranquilizers for your pet and instead give them an all natural pet calmer that will make them less anxious.
You will need lodging on the way. A great majority of pet friendly hotels, motels and bed & breakfasts that accept pets but they do not always accept all types and sizes. It is important to make your reservations in advance and ask about their pet policy. Under no circumstances should you leave your pet in the car overnight.
When traveling, keep your pet on their normal schedule by feeding them and taking them for their “walk” as close to the regular time as possible. Be sure to pack a supply of plastic bags to take along on those walks. If you are traveling with a cat, there are portable kitty litter trays available. Realize that your pet is out of their normal surroundings, so be sure and keep them on a leash and watch them closely. Reassure them should they show signs of nervousness or anxiety.
Be considerate of other people. Although there are many pet lovers in this world, there are some that do not feel comfortable around pets. Respect others by restraining your pet when necessary.
So whether your destination is Grandma’s house, a mountain cabin, or a ski resort in Switzerland, your pet can accompany you with the proper planning. International destinations require special veterinary certificates, however when traveling to most countries, there will be no quarantine of your pet.
Find more articles at http://www.pettravel.com/
New Data Says Carry-On Bags, Checkpoint Top Frustrations
New survey data shows four of the top five air traveler frustrations relate to the checkpoint process, though a majority of travelers are supportive of recent initiatives to improve traveler facilitation by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Commissioned by the U.S. Travel Association to mark the 10th anniversary of TSA, the survey results were announced by U.S. Travel’s President and CEO Roger Dow at a press conference at Washington Reagan National Airport.
“I want to thank the men and women of TSA for a decade of dedicated service,” said Dow. “While we recognize the significant steps TSA has taken to improve security screening, the process still remains inefficient and frustrating for millions of Americans.”
Travelers are generally satisfied with TSA’s overall performance as it relates to security. A full two-thirds, 66 percent, of air travelers are satisfied with the job TSA is doing on security and only 13 percent said they were dissatisfied.
Additionally, a strong majority of air travelers support TSA’s recent efforts to improve the efficiency of the passenger checkpoint process, and they believe that the agency is headed on the “right track” with new initiatives such as the newly launched trusted traveler program PreCheck, the elimination of pat downs for children, software upgrades that replace personal body images with a generic body image and a decision to phase out the removal of shoes.
But while travelers commend TSA for these efforts, they continue to be frustrated with the checkpoint process. In fact, four out of five air travelers reported that their top frustrations with flying are still directly related to the checkpoint process:
- 72.4 percent chose “people who bring too many carry-on bags through the security checkpoint”;
- 68 percent chose “the wait time to clear the TSA checkpoint”;
- 62.3 percent chose “having to remove shoes, belts and jackets at the TSA checkpoint”; and
- 42.5 percent chose “TSA employees who are not friendly”.
In light of the survey’s findings, U.S. Travel makes three recommendations:
- Airlines must allow more opportunities for enrollment in PreCheck and not discriminate against consumers who are not members of their loyalty programs;
- Airlines must work with TSA and the travel industry to decrease the number of carry-on bags going through passenger checkpoints, which is a top frustration for passengers and a major security concern of TSA; and
- TSA must continue to focus on traveler facilitation because travelers are more willing to fly when the hassle is reduced.
“We can reduce the hassle of flying without compromising security,” said Dow. “When we do, more Americans will travel and our economy will benefit. If travelers took just two to three more trips a year, it would generate $85 billion in travel and spending and support 880,000 additional jobs.”
The executive summary of the report can be found here.
traveldoneright 