Beginning December 28, travelers from the UK will need to test negative, via PCR or Antigen test, no more than 72 hours before departing to the US. The announcement comes after public health authorities in the UK announced the discovery of a new variant of COVID-19 that is believed to be …
Read More »How To See Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in droves to see the Kīlauea eruption
As thousands of spectators converge on Hawaii’s Big Island to see the Kilauea volcano in action, park officials are urging caution – both in light of the active eruption and the worldwide pandemic. Located alongside the famed Mauna Loa in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Kilauea began to erupt around 9:30 p.m. on December 20. At its …
Read More »Hundreds of National Park Service sites will waive their fees in 2021
Though protected lands in the US are open to all, they’re not necessarily accessible to all – except for a handful of times per year, when the National Park Service (NPS) waives entrance fees at every site in the country. This month, the NPS announced six free-entrance days for 2021: January 18 (Martin Luther …
Read More »Best Cycling Route: Blue Ridge Mountains of the USA
The 574-mile route through the Blue Ridge Mountains makes for one of the USA’s legendary drives – every autumn it’s the scene for a drama of change and renewal. The two roads that run down the spine of the USA’s southern Appalachians, Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway, were …
Read More »Amazing Train Journey: The New Mexico Rail Runner
One of America’s great unsung commuter railways, the New Mexico Rail Runner is a regional train that runs down the Rio Grande Valley, connecting the state’s largest city, Albuquerque, with its cultural and political capital, Santa Fe. On the way it crosses wide, high desert, giving views of arid mountains …
Read More »Amazing Train Journey: The California Zephyr
For soaking up the scenic grandeur of the North American continent, nothing compares with Amtrak’s California Zephyr train. This classic three-day journey travels nearly 2500 miles (4000km) across prairies, deserts, the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada on its way from Chicago to San Francisco. Scenery is magnificent throughout – …
Read More »Amazing Train Journey: Metro-North Hudson Line
Depart from New York City’s iconic beaux arts Grand Central Terminal, stopping to admire the ornate astronomical ceiling painting in the vaulted Grand Concourse and to slurp up oysters and a martini at the famous Oyster Bar. Then roll through Manhattan and the Bronx and into the glorious green Hudson …
Read More »Amazing Train Journey: Cruising the Pacific: the Coast Starlight
Trace America’s “left coast” in all its varied splendor. The 34-hour (OK, it’s Amtrak, so maybe more) trip between Seattle and Los Angeles curves alongside crashing Pacific waves, cuts through America’s lushest agricultural land, and passes below snowcapped mountains and towering redwoods. Of all the Amtrak routes, this one offers …
Read More »USA: Why you should take the train to Glacier National Park
The love affair with the motor car is a relatively recent phenomenon in the USA. One hundred years ago, wealthy tourists searching for an antidote to the stresses of city living traveled around primarily by train, courtesy of a rapidly expanding rail network. The Empire Builder train is a surviving facet …
Read More »The Best Places to Travel for Christmas
Tempted to skip town for the holidays? Here are a few places we recommend. Thanks to the incredibly stressful year it’s been, many will be looking to get out of town for the holidays and finally bid adieu to 2020. There is, of course, an obligation to celebrate Christmas in …
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