http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun I love to travel. If you love to travel, let's share info on travel and having fun around the world! en travel travel Mon, 28 Jul 2008 15:45:26 +0200 daily 1 Movie: Back to the Future Location: 1985 to 1955 and back again   This movie is definitely about travel but more of the unconventional kind.  Doc Brown is a scientist extraordinaire and creates a time machine out of an old DeLorean.  The only downside is that it runs on plutonium.  Doc says that the time machine will work if the speedometer reaches 85 miles per hour.  As he and Marty McFly, the typical young adult with a dysfunctional family and a poor school record, are testing out the machine, Libyan terrorists come after Doc Brown. After Doc appears to be hit, Marty jumps into the DeLorean and speeds off.  Without realizing he has gone over 85 miles per hour and Marty finds himself transported through time.  After finally getting a hold of a newspaper, Marty learns that he has gone back in time thirty years to a time days before his parents are supposed to meet.  The one hitch is that the time machine is broken and he must find his way back. Marty begins... Mon, 28 Jul 2008 15:45:26 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/Back-to-the-Future/27/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/Back-to-the-Future/27/ Movie: Serendipity Location: California to New York                 New York to California   Jonathan Trager (John Cusack) is getting married in New York City, however, he can't stop thinking about Sara Thomas (Kate Beckinsale), a girl he met in Macy's a few years earlier.  They experienced a wonderful evening together and decided to tempt fate.  They didn't exchange last names and decided to see if destiny would bring them back together.  If it was meant to be they would find each other again.  Sara wrote her number in a used book and Jonathan wrote his on a five dollar bill.  Now that Jonathan is about to tie the knot, he can't decide if he's making a mistake.  He keeps his search going to find Sara. Sara is living in California and dating a wonderful musician named Lars.  She too can't stop thinking about finding Jonathan.  She decided to travel to New York City with her friend Eve (Molly Shannon) for vacation, but... Thu, 15 May 2008 13:23:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/Serendipity/26/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/Serendipity/26/ Movie: My Best Friend's Wedding Location: New York City to Chicago, Illinois Julianne Potter (Julia Roberts) is traveling to from New York City to Chicago for her best friend Michael's (Dermot Mulroney) wedding.  Still secretly in love with Michael, Julianne is pretty jittery about being in his wedding party and extremely jealous of the bride, Kimmy (Cameron Diaz).  Julianne tries her hardest to break up the wedding by spreading lies and twisting the truth, but Michael isn't noticing Julianne because he only has eyes for Kimmy, the love of his life. Because Kimmy's father fictitiously owns the Chicago Cubs, the viewers get to see a lot of the stadium, including the Cubs' dressing room, press rooms, and VIP viewing booths.  The shots of the stadium are gorgeous and you almost feel like you are in Chicago. In one of Julianne's attempts to sabotage Kimmy, she brings her and Michael to a cute bar which happens to have karaoke.  Kimmy wins the entire... Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:00:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/My-Best-Friend-s-Wedding/25/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/My-Best-Friend-s-Wedding/25/ Movie: Groundhog Day Location: New York City to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania   Phil Conners (Bill Murray) is having the worst day of his life and he keeps experiencing it over and over again.  Phil is a weather news forecaster who's on assignment to see if Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog, is seeing his shadow on February 2 nd .  Being a classic city guy, Phil is not fond of the suburban town.  After his assignment, Phil finds himself waking up the next morning and its February 2 nd again.  Thinking he's in his worst nightmare, Phil starts playing the scene to his own advantage which includes courting his news producer Rita (Andie MacDowell). Phil is not used to the homey town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.  The people are friendly and they know all of your business.  The coffee shop is quaint and the waitress can already anticipate the orders of her customers.  Phil also experiences things he never dreamed of doing , childish things like having a... Thu, 27 Mar 2008 14:44:00 +0100 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/Groundhog-Day/24/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/Groundhog-Day/24/ Movie: Cocktail Location: New York to Jamaica   Cocktail, starring Tom Cruise as Brian Flanagan and Elisabeth Shue as Jordan Mooney from 1988 is one of my favorite romantic movies.  What's not to like? An incredibly cute, smooth talking bartender pursues and dates a girl he meets on the island of Jamaica.  Jordan is there on holiday with her girlfriends.  Brian is working his time as a bartender on the sunny isle.  Like most Americans, Brian is looking for the ultimate get rich quick scheme and while he's waiting for that to happen, he rakes in the money with a dream job (gets all the girls) and a dream location (Caribbean island) while saving money to start his own business. As Brian courts Jordan, the viewers get to see the gorgeous shots and views of Jamaica.  The scenes are always on a jovial people-full beach where men and women are partying and having the time of their lives.  And why not?  "It's Jamaica mon." Brian and Jordan go horse... Sun, 17 Feb 2008 15:21:00 +0100 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/Cocktail/23/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/Cocktail/23/ Movie: Sweet Home Alabama Location: New York to Alabama Melanie Carmichael (Reese Witherspoon) has her dream job as a top fashion designer who just debuted her collection at fashion week in Bryant Park, NYC.  To make matters even better, her gorgeous boyfriend, Andrew (Patrick Dempsey), just proposed marriage.  Now all Melanie has to do is officially divorce her husband Jake (Josh Lucas) who she hasn't seen in seven years.  So Melanie flies down from New York to Alabama to force Jake to give her the divorce she's been asking for.  We first see Mel driving her fancy car down the provincial town roads in Alabama.  The houses/plantations are magnificently shown and those who don't live the grand life are shown in their trailer homes.  The foliage is gorgeous as the weather turns and small lakes and bodies of water may just be in your backyard.  Alabama is portrayed as full of nature and having very small townships.  The people who grow up there rarely move out but... Thu, 03 Jan 2008 13:23:00 +0100 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/Sweet-Home-Alabama/22/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/Sweet-Home-Alabama/22/ Though I've in the past written about my personal trips and the music that reminds me of the places I've been to, alas, my young age has caught up with me. I no longer have any more experiences to write about and I can't yet blog about trips that I have not yet been on.  I have spoken about almost all the places of travel I'd like to write about.  Instead, I'd like to take this blog in a different direction.  It's taken me a while to down at the computer and write this column lately.  I have writer's blog, I guess.  In which direction should I take this blog? Continue with entertainment references or choose something new? Since I used music as an association with travel in the first few months of this blog, TV would be my next choice as pop culture reference; however, the only show that showcases many travel destinations, in my mind, is a personal favorite:  ALIAS.  Sydney Bristow traveled to many an exotic place like Hong Kong, Dubai, Phuket, and South... Wed, 28 Nov 2007 15:50:00 +0100 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/Change-of-Direction/21/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/Change-of-Direction/21/ Location: New Orleans, Lousiana Album: Creole and Cajun Music   I was fortunate enough to visit this fabulous city down South before the horrible Hurricane Katrina destroyed some historical parts.  I stayed in the glorious French Quarter in a small bed and breakfast inn.  When you walked onto the streets, you could see the gorgeous terraces and porches which made up the Quarter.  We did many of the activities one should do when they visit New Orleans (which we learned is pronounce Naw'leans) Though the weather was slightly chilly in the January month, it was warm enough to walk around while being bundled up.  During the day, we visited the Mardi Gras factory where all the costumes and floats are made and stored, an old plantation house (which is tragically not there anymore because of the natural disaster), and took a cruise ship ride in the harbor.  At night we dined on Cajun and Creole cuisine and either listened to that type of music at the local bars (one... Wed, 24 Oct 2007 16:35:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/Like-a-Bird-in-the-Wind/20/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/Like-a-Bird-in-the-Wind/20/ I want to go to Paris.  I always have and I will be determined to get there until the time comes where I am staring up at the Eiffel Tower.  Truth is, that isn't even the reason I want to go there.  I took French as a language when I was a junior in college because I needed to fill some credits.  My teacher would only allow up to speak with a French accent and made us repeat things over if we didn't. As we learned new words like boulangerie and patisserie (French bread shops and bakeries) I knew that would want to one day want to travel there, sit at the cafes and drink café au lait and pretend to fit in with the French people. Aside from the Eiffel Tower, I would want to walk along the Seine and take in the atmosphere and French culture.  I would visit the Louvre and stand in awe at the Lourve Pyramid which stands outside the museum.  Paris has beautiful, historical landmarks which would spectacular to see and discover. From the months of September to December there... Mon, 24 Sep 2007 15:32:10 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/Je-Ne-Sais-Quoi/19/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/Je-Ne-Sais-Quoi/19/ Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Ah, the city of brotherly love! The liberty bell! This was the hot spot chosen for my elementary school trip back in seventh grade.  We would leave from the school building very early in the morning and spend the day in the city of Philadelphia, which is only a few short hours away from New York. After what felt like an eternity on the bus, we found ourselves outside the Ben Franklin Institute.  After touring around the museum, we took a horse and carriage ride to Independence Hall (the State House of Pennsylvania) where we took pictures with the Washington Statue which stands right in front. We took a tour of the Hall and saw the courthouse room and meeting room and the ?exact? chair where Ben Franklin Sat.  It was definitely a historic place to visit and went along with our school curriculum.  After Independence Hall, we went to see the famous Liberty Bell, which indeed has a huge crack in the side of it. The rest of the day was spent... Tue, 04 Sep 2007 13:37:34 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/I-Saw-The-Sign/18/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/I-Saw-The-Sign/18/ After the family's brief stint in Sedona was called to a halt due to some unfortunate snow fall, we relocated a little earlier than planned to Phoenix.  Phoenix was only a few hours away from Sedona, but it made all the difference in terms of weather and topography.  There are fewer mountains because it's primarily a more urban city.  This leg of the trip turned out to be fantastic. The six of us stayed at a local Howard Johnson's.  During the day time we went to a local festival and picked up some root beer flavored hard candy.  Straight from there, we went horse back riding at a local ranch.   My horse's name was Nick.  My brother's was Santa and he kept galloping away from the group. At night we tried our luck at the local entertainment place called Fiddlestick's.  Here we go carted, swung a few hits at the batting range, mini golfed (I won a free game), and won game tickets playing skee ball. Phoenix was a lot warmer than... Tue, 28 Aug 2007 16:29:36 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/From-Phoenix-Arizona-on-the-way-to/17/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/From-Phoenix-Arizona-on-the-way-to/17/ Location: Sedona, Arizona The very last family trip we ever took was to Arizona during the month of January.  It is a winter month and since we stayed in the mountains, we endured cold weather and slight snow fallings.  My parents rented a small ?casita' for the entire family at the Enchantment Resort in Sedona.  The casita had a kitchen, living room, and two bedrooms.  Our accommodations were fabulous and the trip was a success. During the daytime we would hike around the trails of the resort or take a jeep ride to see nature's wonders and mountainous animals. Since this was a small town resort, the regular town basically closed up shop by five pm.  Our one night outing consisted of purchasing flying saucers at a local supermarket because the ice cream shop was already closed for the night. We devoted one day to traveling to the Grand Canyon to see the massive rock formation.  The day started out in a town just outside the national park where we... Mon, 20 Aug 2007 14:50:19 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/Long-Long-Time/16/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/Long-Long-Time/16/ Location: Aruba Each day in Aruba, we would get up early in the morning, lather our bodies in suntan lotion, and walk out of the hotel to the beach.  We would mark our territory with lounging beach chairs and "set up camp."  As the sun would move direction, we would drag our chairs and follow it so we could get the best color on our bodies.  Most days, I would take a walk along the surf with my friend Judith. One day as we were walking back to our friends, an island native man approached us and asked if we wanted to do any water sports.  We said we would go back to our friends to discuss it and we'd be back.  Most of the girls wanted to do some sort of water sports.  As we walked to the shack, they decided they wanted to try parasailing.  Parasailing is when you attach yourself to a balloon type of parachute and you literally fly off the end of a motorboat.  The air fills the balloon and you ?sail? through the air.  When we got to the shack, we... Thu, 02 Aug 2007 13:15:58 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/Kokomo/15/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/Kokomo/15/ Location: Aruba   Aruba is one of the islands located in the Caribbean located right off the coast of Venezuela.  My five friends and I chose this as our destination for our last trip of our college years.  We were on winter break and wanted to escape from the cold New York air.  Aruba would fulfill our desire for warmth, beach, sun, and of course an exotic location.  We decided to plan the vacation for an entire week, staying over a weekend.  Our first luck of the trip started when we got to the airport to leave.  Our flight was scheduled to stop in Miami and then get a connecting plane to Aruba.  As we were each checking in in groups of two, one group decided to ask at the check in counter if there were any possible flights direct to Aruba that had extra seats.  She punched a few buttons on the computer and found that there was a flight leaving in thirty minutes and that if we rushed, we could make it.  Then the girls that there were four... Sun, 29 Jul 2007 14:53:21 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/Harder-to-Breathe/14/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/Harder-to-Breathe/14/ Location: Miami, Florida Soundtrack: Broadway shows and tunes My recent trip to Miami was one aiming for pure relaxation.  On break from graduate school, I wanted a quick getaway of fun , sun, and no stress.  Most of my friends didn't have vacation days from work and weren't able to go away with me.  I opted to visit my grandmother down in Florida because it would only cost me a plane ticket.  I didn't have to pay for a hotel (stay at her apartment) and or food (eat whatever was in her fridge). Miami is a great place to escape to in the winter.  It is relatively warm and though the weather is a crapshoot, one is guaranteed a few nice days even if it was rains a bit. In the mornings I would take a long walk along the boardwalk and watch the people as they marked their territory for their beach spots.  After breakfast, I grabbed a towel and headed down to my apartment building's pool.  I would enjoy the sun beating down on me and wish and hope some... Wed, 18 Jul 2007 14:37:00 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/Angel-of-Music/13/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/Angel-of-Music/13/ I traveled to Las Vegas with four friends the first summer after we turned twenty one.  We were looking for a short getaway to finish off the summer before we returned for our senior year to college.  We decided to stay at the MGM Grand hotel because it was a high end hotel with a low price.  The four of us were able to split the cost of just one room if we shared the twin beds. When we arrived in Las Vegas, we traveled to our hotel which was only a few minutes from the airport.  We quickly changed our clothes, lathered on some sun screen, and went walking along the strip.  We stopped at the most well known hotels such as New York, New York, The Venetian, and the Monte Carlo.  Our favorite hotel was definitely the Bellagio.  The gorgeous glass blown ceiling structure in the lobby blew us away.  We watched the water and lights show at night, which is where they filmed the end scene of Ocean's Eleven. During the day we would lounge by the pool or wade... Thu, 12 Jul 2007 13:04:28 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/Autobiography/12/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/Autobiography/12/ Location: Barbados   Planning this specific trip to Barbados was quite tough.  Two friends and myself decided we would try and get a tropical getaway to a Caribbean island for an inexpensive price.  We booked through an online site which books plane and hotel reservations together.  The flight to Barbados was uneventful but we were extremely tired by the time we got to the Island.  We hopped on a shuttle to our hotel.  When we got there, we showed them our reservation number and the manager informed us that the hotel was booked and we'd be staying up the road at another hotel.              Most people would have been very upset at this mishap, but being three college girls on vacation from their studies, we sort of went with the flow.  Our new hotel was a step down from our reserved one, but quaint and cute.  We had a duplex room with the kitchen, living room, and porch on the first floor and up the steps was a bedroom and... Mon, 09 Jul 2007 13:20:02 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/I-want-to-get-away/11/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/I-want-to-get-away/11/ Jan. 12, 1992   I’m still in Bangkok, trying to get this scam thing straightened out.   Tomorrow I am going on a 1 day tour, but I have forgotten the names of the places, although one is the River Kwat.   Now for the lesson…when traveling for fun…DO NOT DO BUSINESS!!!! Especially before you have seen things!    Rather than spending money on the trip, I tossed my money into a business scam only to lose a good portion of the money that I had.   Please if you are reading this blog, do not do any type of business when you are on a pleasure trip, or you may find that you have fallen into the same trap that I did (and loads of others.) Wed, 27 Jun 2007 14:12:10 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/Backpacking-the-World-Bangkok-and-the-Scam/10/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/Backpacking-the-World-Bangkok-and-the-Scam/10/ TYour heart will also yearn for the tropical setting of the beautiful islands of Hawaii. he second half of the New Zealand/Australia trip was a stop in Hawaii.  Though I have been to different parts of the Caribbean, Hawaii is the most gorgeous place I have been to before in my life.  It is on my list of places I would love to revisit.  The beautiful seascapes, gorgeous views, and elegant sunrises and sunsets are a magnificent and magical vacation getaway destination.             The trip's itinerary began on the island of Kauai.  We got off the plane and immediately hiked Walmes Canyon.  The sites and views were stunning, a major difference from the snowy and cold Australia.  Over the next few days we kayaking on the Wallus river, camped out on the beach, and hiked Fabulous Na Poll.  Since Hawaii is comprised of five major islands, we flew to another one, Oahu.  This is the island on which Pearl Harbor is located.  Visiting this landmark... Thu, 14 Jun 2007 14:18:27 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/My-Heart-Will-Go-On/9/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/My-Heart-Will-Go-On/9/ Aerosmith music may leave one longing for New Zealand and Australia.             Lately I have been reminiscent of my summer trip to New Zealand and Australia when I finished ninth grade.  The memories always spring up when I hear Aerosmith's "I don't wanna miss a thing."  I had bought this CD right before the trip and listened to it on almost every bus ride through the mountains, to the ski resorts, and on the way to hiking destinations.             Traveling from New York to New Zealand and Australia was a long trip, which thankfully I can't fully remember which is why I'd probably be crazy enough to do it again.  Though it took three planes to get there, I truly and honestly recommend a trip to this part of the world.  When New York has their winter, Australia is in the summer season.  Since this was a summer trip, the experience was devoted to skiing and visiting all the different resorts. ... Thu, 14 Jun 2007 14:17:12 +0200 http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/I-Don-t-Wanna-Miss-A-Thing/8/ http://www.blogigo.co.uk/Travel_for_Fun/I-Don-t-Wanna-Miss-A-Thing/8/