As summer winds down and the autumn season kicks into gear, business travelers will be sharing the road with fewer vacationers. Airlines and hotels are busy rolling out the fall deals and promotions, which means lower prices and some nice breathing room for travelers.
Remember being a kid and excitedly embarking on scavenger hunts through your local park or camping destination? I still remember my 11th birthday party when my mom had arranged for a treasure hunt throughout the expansive park behind the house I grew up in. The thrill of seeking out unknown treats and the challenge and thrill of the chase made for a great time.
More recently I've been learning about the trend of Geocaching... Think along the lines of a global scavenger hunt of sorts, for kids or adults alike. It's a fast-growing activity that over 4 million people around the world currently take part in. "Geo" refers to geography and "caching" to the process of hiding a cache, which historically means a "hidden treasure" or concealed food, provisions or cash.
Late August is a perfect time to take a drive along the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway and stay in Asheville, North Carolina. This city, with its folk music, Southern hospitality, and location in the gorgeous and romantic Blue Ridge Mountains is bound to enchant. In fact, go ahead and play some fiddle tunes while you read the rest of this post: music.
Times are tough all over. Everybody's looking for ways to make their dollars go further (or farther, depending on your grammatical bent). I have a suggestion: Get a motorcycle, and ride the wheels off it.
Motorcycles are less expensive to buy, less expensive to insure, less expensive to operate than cars. You don't believe me? Let's examine a few scenarios.
I've travelled a lot in my life and have been fortunate to see some pretty amazing things, but one place that gets me every time is Niagara Falls. As I stand in awe of its sheer beauty and power, I have this recurring thought: Who was the first person was to stumble upon it? (My second thought is usually that I hope they weren't in a boat!)
This past weekend was a mini vacation for our family and we had three things on the agenda; see the Falls (my son Ethan's first time), take in all that is Niagara Falls (minus the gambling) and pop across the border to check out some of the back-to-school deals.
The summer months are often full of great memories - pool parties, summer hikes, fun on the water (we all want to capture our first time up on a wakeboard!), beach sports and celebratory BBQs to name a few. Back in the day, the only option we had to share our memories was to develop photos and spend hours placing them in albums (Really...how annoying were those clear plastic adhesive pages. I could never get the air bubbles out of them!).
Today, there are a number of quick, easy and fun ways to share our best summer moments. These options are all relatively seamless to put together and very simple and enjoyable for the "viewer".
President Obama and his family traveled to Florida's Gulf Coast on August 16, 2010 to soak up some sun. The family trip is part of an effort to encourage people to visit those beaches that are free of oil.
Best Western is also encouraging travelers to proceed with their summer vacation plans in the Gulf states.
Beaches along the coast in all states are open for business, and popular inland destinations such as New Orleans and Orlando foresee no impact on visitors. It continues to be safe to travel to all states bordering the Gulf.
"From Sea to Sea" is our country's official motto and it fits. At nearly ten million square kilometres in size, Canada is the second largest country on the planet. Its land stretches from the Pacific Ocean in the west across to the Atlantic Ocean in the east and all the way up north to the Arctic Circle. In between, there's certainly no shortage of interesting things to do and see.
In previous blogs, I've highlighted many of those specifics. Today, I'd like to share several fun facts about our home that you may not have known:
Where did the summer go? I know that the official end of summer isn't until the autumnal equinox, September 23 at 3:09 am here in the Northern Hemisphere this year. But Labor Day is the emotional end of summer, when we put away our white shoes and belts and get back to the grindstone. Labor Day Weekend is also a great time for a motorcycle ride, a final getaway before the days get shorter, temperatures drop and the rush toward the end of the year fills our face shields.
As motorcyclists, we have a great advantage over other travelers. We don't need airline schedules, or freeways, or tons of planning in order to have a successful trip. All we need are a few back roads, some good road food and a change of scenery to have a great trip. The journey is the point, not the destination. Still, may I suggest a way to find unexpected destinations for this Labor Day?
As the World's Largest Hotel Chain, we know it is a big world out there
with lots of places to see and experience. Best Western's You Must Be
Trippin' travel blog offers travel tips, ideas and feature destinations
to make your next trip a success. We are also interested in where
you've been trippin' and invite you to share your travel ideas, tips
and destinations with us.
Please wait while my tweets load
Summer Reflection Photo Contest
View full screen >
View past contest photos >
Sam Lowe
Cesar Millan
Chris McGinnis
Jason Fogelson
Bryson Forbes
Amy Graff
Karla Henriquez
