World Tourism Blog

Abu Dhabi Sky Tower

The Middle East houses some of the world’s most impressive and stunningly beautiful structures. Dubai, Doha and Al Riyadh all have residential areas which are sure to impress. However, if you are looking for a luxurious property Abu Dhabi is the first place in the Middle East you should concern yourself with.

The Emirate’s architecture is modern and futuristic, and the architects who designed the hotels, residences and commercial buildings have won many prestigious awards for their work. Abu Dhabi is certainly a great destination for high flying executives with a taste for refined elegance.

In the Shams Abu Dhabi development in Abu Dhabi, the Sky Tower structure is one of the most impressive buildings in the Middle East. The 75 storey sky scraper has residential quarters starting from the 41st floor. These apartments are being sold very quickly, so if you want one you’ll have to get in quick. Architecturally, the Sky Tower is relatively simple in appearance; the structure almost looks like a huge pile of gleaming silver coins.

If you would like to live along the waterfront, you should head over to Harbour Heights in Reem Island. The spectacular 41 storey building is as streamlined and penetrating as a stack of knives. The beautiful building overlooks Reem Island’s bustling harbour, and is fully equipped to handle the most demanding of occupants. The fully equipped residential building has a modern gym containing state of the art machinery. If you are a more spiritual person there is a huge Yoga suite ready and waiting for your display of various asana. After your workout, you can head down to the impressive spa rooms and saunas – you can even enjoy a massage to unknot any worries.

Following on the waterfront theme is the Oceanscape building in Shams Abu Dhabi. The building consists of two offset arcs with a mirror finish reflecting the vivid Middle Eastern sky. This beautiful structure is part of larger development consisting of 10 districts. Oceanscape is a 32 storey building with each apartment facing the ocean. Internally, each apartment is the essence of luxury. The living spaces are configured differently catering to the needs of the occupant. The apartments have 1 to 4 bedrooms and the residents can enjoy the huge private swimming pool.

There are too many impressive residential areas in Abu Dhabi to list here; however, with so many glorious properties available you are sure to find one that fits your style and lifestyle. Abu Dhabi has, without doubt, some of the most beautiful properties in the Middle East.

By  LUCAS LOWECROFT

THE scene was straight out of a Hieronymus Bosch painting. A line of workers in black rubber boots struggled up a steep trail that emerged from the volcanic crater of Mount Ijen on the Indonesian island of Java. On their shoulders, each carried a pole with two baskets of bright yellow chunks of sulfur that had been hacked out of a rock wall near the crater lake.

Step by step, the laborers, some carrying 200 pounds, trudged up to a point directly below the 7,769-foot summit. Other workers would soon take the loads and walk two miles down the slope. Eventually the sulfur would be sold to Indonesian companies that use it to make medicine and other products. For their efforts, the 400 or so workers are paid 14 cents per pound of sulfur. Day after day they do this, inhaling sulfur fumes, the stench of rotten eggs clinging to them.

My wife, Tini, and I started down the trail toward the crater, along with a few other travelers who had come with us to this plateau in eastern Java. “The workers start at dawn and have to stop by 1 p.m.,” said Alim, our guide, who chose to wait at the top. “The fumes get to be too much, even for them.” His warning to us: Be aware of the fumes and climb back up soon, or feel the wrath of the volcano.

Flirting with the fury of a volcano may not sound like the usual tourist fare, but in recent years, these imperious volcanoes have become an increasingly popular draw that is away from the crowded resorts of Bali, which lies just east of Java. Last year, more than 93,000 people visited Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park, Indonesia’s most famous volcano preserve, up 78 percent from the previous year, according to the park’s main ranger station. (Numbers had fallen earlier this decade after terrorist bombings in Bali.) Several high-end hotels have opened in recent years, catering to volcano tourism, including Ijen Resort and Villas, which lies among verdant rice fields to the east of Mount Ijen.

Exploring Mount Ijen and the other volcanoes that form the spine of Java offers travelers a chance to understand how geology has so deeply influenced the lives and culture of the people who reside in the highlands. Over the centuries, eruptions have buried villages, destroyed farmland and filled the air with black haze, contributing to the ancient belief that the volcanic gods must be appeased.

Watching the sulfur workers toil on Mount Ijen is one way for visitors to experience the role Java’s volcanic landscape plays in the modern day-to-day lives of locals. Across Java, there are opportunities to appreciate the sheer physical beauty of the volcanoes: spectacular vantage points from which to watch the sun rise above the lava-spewing peaks, and trails where hardy travelers can lace up their hiking boots and trek across the lunar-like terrain or right up to the maw of some of the most active cones.

To properly explore the volcanic landscape, a west-to-east traverse of the island made sense to us, starting at the ancient temple of Borobudur, which lies in the shadow of two volcanoes, and ending on the far side of Java in the crater of Mount Ijen.

Borobudur, the sprawling stone monument that was completed by Mahayana Buddhists in the ninth century, is ringed by rice fields where people farm as they did centuries ago. The monument, said to have been built from two million stones, is a mandala made to reflect the order of the cosmos.

The nearby volcanoes have shown little mercy to Borobudur. After nearby Mount Merapi erupted centuries ago, the temple lay beneath ash until it was cleared in 1815, when Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles governed Java for the British Empire.

At dawn, we walked from our simple guesthouse in the rice fields to the base of Borobudur. The monument has five square platforms topped by three circular ones, each adorned with bas-reliefs depicting religious episodes and scenes from the Buddha’s life. The statues of Buddha at the top gaze out serenely at the perfect cones of the two nearby volcanoes, Merapi and Mount Merbabu.

Smoke trailed from the cone of Merapi, signaling that it was still active. Among the Javanese, it is widely feared — having erupted dozens of times in the last century — and guidebooks advise travelers to check with local authorities before trying to climb to its 9,550-foot summit. Early the next morning, Golan, a worker at our guesthouse, took us to a point atop a hill where we could see the sun rise over Mount Merapi. The jungle lay before us, the mandala of Borobudur in the center. A thick mist rose skyward from the trees, the moisture of night burning off. We had considered hiking up Merapi overnight, but were warned that the trail could be treacherous in the rainy season.

The drive to Mount Bromo, the most-visited volcano on Java, took a full day. Our driver took us along the west slope of Mount Lawu, an inactive volcano, and we stopped at Candi Sukuh, a temple that seemed to have been the house of worship for a fertility cult — stone statues with gargantuan genitalia stood on the grounds. In the afternoon it stormed, and rain was still falling by the time we arrived at Cemoro Lawang, the gateway village to Mount Bromo.

By EDWARD WONG

Exploring Java’s volcanoes offers travelers a chance to understand the influence of geology on the lives and culture of the people who live in the highlands.

Seaside inns offer incredible views without breaking the bank.

With cooling ocean breezes and miles of striking coastline, Newport was an obvious place for turn-of-the-century tycoons to build their summer mansions. But you too can live like a steel baron at the OceanCliff Hotel, a red granite Rhode Island estate surrounded by 10 acres of rolling lawns that overlooks the graceful yachting traffic in Narragansett Bay. The price, however, is decidedly less aristocratic: just $250 a night.

Oceanfront hotels, with water views and steps-from-shoreline locations, usually command a premium price. But don’t let your budget keep you from getting close to the water. All along the U.S. coastlines, you can find charming inns set right on the water for $250 and less.

Sometimes it takes a little research and flexibility to get these great rates. But it doesn’t mean endless web searching. Now innkeepers are searching out former and prospective guests with social-networking tools to lure them with discounts and promotions. The ’Tween Waters Inn in Captiva, Fla., recently alerted its more than 5,000 fans on Facebook of a summer getaway sweepstakes. Up for grabs: two nights free at the playful resort straddling the Gulf of Mexico and Pine Island Sound.

Travelers can also save money by zeroing in on seashore destinations where small inns and B&Bs are not as common, says Bill Montcrief, president of Select Registry, an association of independently owned inns. The little-known Waimea Plantation Cottages are a bargain on Kauai, where the bulk of guest rooms are found at major resorts in Poipu. Every cottage at the former sugar plantation features a private lanai and barbecue grill for guests to best enjoy the low-key, authentic Hawaiian vibe, for as low as $239 a night during high season. The pool looks out over the shoreline, and a hammock strung between two coconut trees makes for the perfect spectating spot to watch the sun sink into the ocean. Active explorers can enjoy close access to the trails of Waimea Canyon and the mind-boggling beauty of the Na Pali coast.

Lastly, explore all pages of your calendar when planning your trip to the seashore. “On the East Coast, the mid-Atlantic during fall gives the best value because demand is down,” says Montcrief, who is also owner of the Candlestick Inn in the seaside town of North Wildwood, N.J. “Many people don’t realize that the water temperature usually stays above 70 degrees through the end of September.”

On the West Coast, where the weather is less variable, some places have no high season, such as the Agate Cove Inn on California’s Mendocino coast, a farmhouse set on a bluff overlooking the Pacific coast, where rates stay unchanged all year long (rooms from $179 to $329 a night) and every season offers a different attraction: whale-watching in winter, the birth of harbor seals in spring, blackberry picking in summer, and mushroom-hunting walks through the forest in autumn.

By Jennifer Coogan

Set 125 feet on a bluff above teh Pacific, this farmhouse and collection of cottages are well guarded from the occasional 25-foot wave that crashes into the cliff below.

Archaeologists Hope to Put Artifacts on Display in New Underwater Museum

Deep beneath the Mediterranean Sea in Egypt’s ancient capital Alexandria lies a wealth of archaeological artifacts. It’s a treasure trove of 20,000 objects and counting, thousands of years old providing archaeologists the key to unlocking the mystery of ancient Egypt and its rulers.

One of them is the last Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra. Legend has it that when the Romans entered Egypt in 30 BC and after losing the Battle of Actium, Cleopatra and her lover Mark Anthony took their own lives in order to avoid being captured by their enemies. The Romans scattered their belongings and their tomb has never been found. Archaeologists however have isolated three sites in Alexandria where they believe the tomb is located.

But the royal quarters which include a palace and temple complex where Cleopatra is thought to have reigned from have been discovered. Previously, these sites were thought to have been swallowed up and lost more than 1,600 years ago. According to Ibrahim Darwish, General Director of museums in Alexandria, the quarters are from the era of “Ptolemy when the area was controlled and ruled by Cleopatra in 25 BC as well as the Roman period in 643 AD,” he told ABC News.

A French team lead by Frank Goddio has been leading the excavation along with an Egyptian counterpart since 1992 when the dig first started. Egyptologist and underwater archaeologist Ashraf Abdel Raouf is also part of this project and he explained to ABC News that they found “ceramics, bronze coins, small objects that are now in a laboratory and under restoration….remarkable objects,” adding that because “it was in the sea, it’s been conserved as it was sunken. We found pottery, statues as well and the sea conserved them.”

Many of the items that have been brought to the surface are currently on show at an exhibition called “Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt,” at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. There are at least 140 artifacts on display from colossal statues to coins with an insurance value of over 50 million dollars. The exhibition will go on the road in other parts of the U.S. beginning with New York City in February next year.

By LAMA HASAN

One of them is the last Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra. Legend has it that when the Romans entered Egypt in 30 BC and after losing the Battle of Actium, Cleopatra and her lover Mark Anthony took their own lives in order to avoid being captured by their enemies. The Romans scattered their belongings and their tomb has never been found. Archaeologists however have isolated three sites in Alexandria where they believe the tomb is located.

The tables on the Seabourn Sojourn were set. Silverware, from Sambonet, and wine glasses, from Schottzwiesel, were meticulously arranged, and napkins crisply folded. The empty dining room awaited the passengers for the luxury cruise liner’s maiden voyage, set for June 6, from London to the Norwegian fjords.

The Seabourn Sojourn aims to provide a lavish yet personalized experience for the upscale cruiser.

Karlo Buer, the captain of the Seabourn Sojourn, which is the second of three nearly identical vessels released by Carnival Corp.’s Yachts of Seabourn line over the course of three years, said the Seabourn Sojourn distinguishes itself not only by its amenities and sophisticated cuisine but by its extra space and singular attention to details.

The 650-foot ship carries no more than 450 passengers, even though it could carry many more.

“On a ship this size, we could hold up to 1,000 or even 1,200 [passengers], but since we’re in the luxury market, we cannot do that,” Buer said. “This is not about quantity. This is about quality.”

Andrew Magowan, the vice president of Seabourn Cruise Line for Europe , the Middle East and Africa, said the Seabourn Sojourn has one of the highest space-per-guests ratios in the industry.

The Seabourn’s emphasis on space extends from the sparingly furnished main decks to the passenger cabins. Ninety percent of the yacht’s 225 suites include private verandas. Suites range from 295 to 1,182 square feet, and all have ocean views.

By CATHERINE CLOUTIER

The Seabourn Sojourn seeks to provide a luxurious yet personalized and intimate experience for the upscale cruiser.

Adventure travel in the Amazon rainforest attracts tourists looking to explore exotic lands and primitive cultures. Stretching from the Andes Mountains in Peru to the shores of the Atlantic Ocean in Brazil, the Amazon rainforest comprises roughly half of the world’s biodiversity. With so much natural beauty and myriad indigenous cultures, it’s no wonder the Amazon has emerged as a premier ecotourism destination.

Tribal Visits

Witness the ways of life practiced by Amazonian tribes as a highlight of a trip to the region. Numerous indigenous communities exist throughout the dense jungles and snaking rivers of the Amazon. According to Fodor’s Travel Guide, the largest groups include the Korubo and Yanomami clans of Brazil as well as the Matsés of Peru. Some tribes have adapted slightly to better accommodate tourists, but the primitive means of survival and ancient customs remain intact for the most part. Adventure travelers can see how locals have managed to live in harmony with the rainforest over the centuries, free from the development and distractions of the outside world. However, it is not advisable to visit tribes on your own. Fodor’s recommends using a trusted tour company, such as Amazon Adventures of Brazil, if you plan on going to any of the remote indigenous villages in the region. A professional guide will facilitate transportation and cross-cultural communication while taking appropriate safety precautions.

Wildlife

Wildlife abounds in the Amazon rainforest. Tourists will find national parks and nature reserves in many of the countries spread across the Amazon Basin. Professional guides take visitors to popular spots where large concentrations of exotic animals live in their natural habitats. From monkeys and frogs to jaguars and parrots, the Amazon boasts an immense array of wildlife for tourists to discover. Jaú National Park in Brazil and Manú National Park in Peru are two of the best-known places for ecotourism and wildlife observation. Fodor’s suggests wearing boots and pants if you plan on trekking to see wildlife in a park or nature reserve. This will help protect you from bites, stings and rashes.

Canopy Tours

Canopy tours are one way to see the jungle from a new perspective. Travelers move across rough terrain via treetops connected by rope bridges and zip lines. This elevated approach to trekking allows you to spot animals from above and quickly traverse dense patches of the jungle. Canopy tours are also an eco-friendly way of traveling. Much of the environmental impact that would be caused by cutting paths or roads through the forest is eliminated thanks to the raised networks of bridges and zip lines in canopy tour zones. This is an exhilarating way to see the Amazon for adventurous individuals that don’t mind heights. The Canopy Walkway, operated by Explorama, is a prominent option located in the CONAPAC Biological Reserve near Iquitos, Peru. Brazil also has many ecolodges that offer canopy tours, including the well-known Ariaú Jungle Towers resort facility.

Boat Trips

Boats provide the primary means of transportation in the Amazon. The massive Amazon River and hundreds of tributaries connect the various cities and villages in the region. A lack of roads and airports due to the dense jungle makes it necessary for most travelers and residents to get around by boat. Tour companies offering short cruises and long-distance river transportation can be found in most cities. You can take quick trips on smaller vessels or go between villages on larger ships. The G.A.P (Great Adventure People) tour company offers comfortable cruise services out of the Amazonian village of Nauta in Peru. According to Fodor’s, some oceangoing cruise ships also ferry passengers to the Brazilian cities of Manaus and Belém with most trips taking place between October and May. Fodor’s recommends companies such as Princess Cruises and Royal Olympic Cruises for tourists who want to travel with oceangoing ships along the Brazilian portion of the Amazon River.

by David Thyberg

rainforest motorboat image by Sophia Hendrick.

Did you cash in? Last year at this time, well-mannered travelers with spare dollars in their wallets could pick and choose from some incredible recession-fueled deals.

In an effort to lure guests, hotels were offering everything from complimentary upgrades and extra nights to free meals, theater tickets, massages, car washes and gas tank fill-ups. Restaurants were rolling out elaborate Happy Hours, theme parks were selling single-day tickets that could be used for admission year-round, and giving away free tickets for volunteering.

I worried about being a “vulture tourist” by taking advantage of some of these deals that were just too good to pass up. “Don’t worry,” said David Bojanic, a professor of marketing and tourism at the University of Texas at San Antonio. “You’re not taking advantage of them. It’s a buyer’s market.” Besides, he added, “when times are good, prices will quickly go back up.”

While some parts of the economy are getting back on track, Erik Torkells of Tripadvisor said the travel industry has a ways to go. “We’re still a long way from where we were three years ago. There are absolutely still travel deals to be found.”

Last year’s travel deals kept getting better and better, but you may need to do a bit of hunting this time around.

Airfares not so up in the air
Unless you stay close to home, a big part of your vacation budget will still be spent on airfare. In the past year, airlines have made route and capacity cuts that make it harder to get a great fare. While international fares are “stubbornly high,” said Airfarewatchdog.com’s George Hobica, alert travelers may still find deals for domestic travel.

“With winter almost over, this is the first time in memory that the airlines didn’t have panicky —as in $300 round-trip, with tax or so — dead-of-winter sales to Europe.” Domestically, Hobica added, “we are still seeing panicky fare reductions. These are unadvertised ‘strategic’ sales that last only a few hours.”

In other words: pay attention.

Hotels still a great deal
Travelers are still in luck when it comes to hotel prices. According to a report released earlier this month by Hotels.com, hotel rates fell by 13 percent in Europe in 2009, 14 percent in the U.S., and by even more in Asia and Latin America. “We keep using the word ‘unprecedented.’ But most room rates are down to where they were back in 2004,” said Hotels.com’s Nigel Pocklington.

Pocklington sees the rate decline slowing and stabilizing, but said many hotels — especially four and five-star luxury hotels — are continuing to cut rates, while others are adding value by including extra nights, free breakfasts, upgrades and other complimentary amenities.

Last year was the first year a handful of hotel properties in Beverly Hills, Calif., offered a collective deal. This year that deal is back: in addition to free breakfast and a complimentary extra night, the dozen hotels offering “Breakfast in Beverly Hills” are throwing in a free day on rental car reservations. And in Las Vegas, where the average room rate now hovers at just $80 a night, free show tickets, meal vouchers and waivers on property resort fees are often included in the package.

Suzanne Rowan Kelleher of the family travel Web site, WeJustGotBack.com, said she senses stabilization. “We’re not seeing nearly as many blowout deals as we saw last year, when rooms could often be snagged for 40 to 50 percent off regular rates. Now a great deal is when you can snag 25 percent savings or more,” she said.

Yet some hotels no longer need to cut prices. Sasa Nikolic, a spokesperson for the Sagamore Hotel in Miami, Fla., said the hotel last year felt “forced” to offer an in-season third-night-free promotion because both occupancy and revenues were way down. This year is a different story. “No specials are needed; and in fact many weekends we have the two-night minimum stay.”

Some attractions and theme parks still wooing you
In an effort to convince travelers to spend a weekend away from home, some cities with pricey reputations last year created free and low-cost online and print promotions. Those pitches continue in 2010. For example, while New York City is focusing on marketing itself as a classic, iconic destination, the city’s revamped tourist site, NYCgo.com, now has prominent sections listing discount offers at theaters, restaurants and hotels, and attractions and museums with free admission.

Furthermore, many Six Flags theme parks are once again offering significant discounts for purchasing single-day tickets online and offering reduced prices on season passes, which are good for admission at all the Six Flags parks around the country. And starting March 12, SmartDestinations.com is dropping prices on sightseeing passes for Boston, San Francisco and Seattle, while adding extra attractions to passes for several other cities.

Dining deals
The menu is mixed when it comes to restaurants. Since 2001, Miami restaurants have hosted the successful summer “Miami Spice” program, featuring prix fixe lunches and dinners. But for a month last year, 30 restaurants offered the same deal during the first-ever winter program. “This winter, restaurants in town didn’t feel they needed to repeat that offer,” said Jennifer Haz of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau. “It seems as if the economy has gotten better.”

However, Boston restaurants are still feeling the crunch. In the upcoming Winter Restaurant Week (March 14-19, and 21-26), more than 200 restaurants will participate. Like last year, many of the venues offering the three-course, prix fixe meals will be honoring the promotion on Saturday nights, which are traditionally blacked out — and this year the meal deals come with discounts on theater tickets and parking spots downtown.

“We had to come up with these types of deals to make it as affordable as possible,” said Stacy Shreffler from the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Everyone is looking for value.”

And in Seattle, where a new Restaurant Week promotion (actually lasting two weeks) will join the more established month-long “Dine Around Seattle” program, the owners of the Tidbit Bistro vow to keep their special money-saving option on the menu — offering customers a 10 percent discount if they pay their bill in cash.

“It started back in November,” co-owner John van Deinse said. “We wanted to give people a little more money to spend at the holidays. Now, even though business is down, it’s a way we can give a little something back to new and repeat customers who make a point to come here.” Commercial Loan Workout.

Dictionaries typically define hostels as inexpensive lodging, usually for young travelers. But Hostelworld.com, a Web site where travelers can book a hostel stay, is trying to change that definition.

As a spokeswoman for Hostelworld.com, Aisling White has written to dictionaries in the United States and Europe asking them to redefine hostels as inexpensive lodging for people of all ages.

These days, said White, hostels are moving away from their Spartan roots. They still have communal kitchens and bathrooms. But while dormitory-style sleeping arrangements are typical, many hostels offer private rooms as well, and some even have private bathrooms with fluffy towels and hair dryers.

“They’re almost akin to a boutique hotel,” said White, speaking from Hostelworld’s headquarters in Dublin.

One of the main reasons travelers choose hostels is the price. They typically charge a fraction of what other types of lodging cost. As Jim Williams writes in his “Hostelling Handbook,” “The reality is this: suppose you have $5,000 and a lot of time — you have taken a year off school and worked for a while and are taking some time to travel. You could spend this amount in a few weeks at expensive hotels and restaurants OR you could stretch this money and travel for perhaps two years. This is where modern hostelling fits in.”

But, he adds, “You are not paying for a five-star hotel and it won’t be one.”

Hostelling is a venerable tradition in Europe, Asia, and Australia. But while Americans, especially young ones, often turn to hostels while traveling overseas, they are less accustomed to staying in them in the U.S. Here, budget travelers, long accustomed to moving around by car, think first of motels.

The more than 450 U.S. and Canadian hostels in Williams’ handbook are usually occupied by Europeans and other foreigners, not by North Americans, said Williams, who ran a hostel in New York City for 20 years.

Gradually, though, perceptions are changing. White said inquiries on Hostelworld from U.S. travelers rose 20 percent last year, which she attributes to changing amenities.

Hostels cost less than most hotels and motels. The venerable Earl’s Court Youth Hostel close to central London charges about $26 per night; a bed in a two-person dorm room with ensuite bathroom at the Columbus Circle Hostel in New York City is $38.

Hostels also tend to be sociable places. The young Australians, New Zealanders and others who travel for several months or even years at a time use hostels as a place to find jobs, make friends and learn about the area. “I don’t think you’ll ever be lonely in a hostel,” said White.

White is trying to spread the word that hostels are fine places for families and older travelers. In a survey completed in January, Hostelworld.com found that 36 percent of hostel customers were 18-24 years old; 42 percent were ages 25-34, and 9 percent were 35-44. Thirteen percent were over 45.

“Hostels are adapting,” said White. “While there is the party hostel for younger people, a lot of hostels are changing to private rooms to make sure they are accessible to every person who is trying to save money while traveling.”

Online hostel booking sites abound. Hostelworld.com is one of the largest, with 1.6 million visitors a month, according to the research firm comScore. Other top hostel-booking sites, according to comScore, include HostelBookers.com, which advertises no booking fees; HostelsClub.com, which requires a $2.50 fee for each booking and a nonrefundable 10 percent deposit in advance; and Hostels.com, which has a $2 booking fee and 10 percent nonrefundable deposit. Hostelworld charges a $2 fee, but after you make three bookings, you don’t have to pay fees again.

The Hostelworld.com site includes suggested itineraries, mini-tour guides to 60 places around the world, and an iPhone application to make it easier to find and book a hostel room while you’re on the go.

Hostelworld.com carries thousands of user ratings, and uses guest ratings to honor the best hostels worldwide each year. This year, five of the top 10 were located in Lisbon, out of 23,000 hostels worldwide.

“A lot of the hostels there (in Lisbon) have a nice modern feel,” said White. “One or two have dorms and rooms designed by local designers.”

Hostelworld.com’s top U.S. hostel was USA Hostels San Diego, which charges $57 for a private room with twin beds.

Williams recommends using hostel booking sites to find a place, and then doing the booking itself directly with the hostel management. That way, a family looking for a four-person hostel room can ask the staff if theirs is a party place with a nightly pub crawl, or something more peaceful.

“Hostels are incredibly different,” he said. “Go to the original source to get the information.” If you speak to staff in person about room charges, “nine times out of 10 you’ll get a better rate,” Williams added.

And while you’re doing your research, check the user ratings, available on most of the hostel booking sites. They provide some genuine-sounding details and can shed light on the general experience of budget travel.

“Apart from this place being slightly out of the way the only issue was there was a rat living in the roof right above my bunk gnawing through the wall all night long,” wrote a reviewer named Sean on Jan. 18 of the St. Christopher’s Inn in Paris. “I think this is more of a Paris problem rather than the hostel though,” Sean wrote. “It is by far the best value in an expensive place.” Home Security Systems.

In a few days, Vancouver, B.C., will welcome the world to the XXI Winter Olympics.

The world’s cars? Not so much.

In fact, if you’re planning to attend the upcoming festivities in Vancouver or Whistler, you should probably be prepared for travel challenges of Olympian proportions.

More traffic, fewer roads
Officially speaking, there are nine Olympic venues in the Vancouver metropolitan area, plus another six in and around Whistler. Add in a slew of unofficial venues — celebration sites, sponsor sites and other attractions — and the potential for Games-induced gridlock is high.

According to Dale Bracewell, Vancouver’s (aptly named) director of Olympic transportation, the city is preparing for an extra 150,000 daily trips into downtown during the Games. That’s 30 percent above average — at the same time that access restrictions will cut road capacity by 20 percent.

“We’re expecting it to be like rush hour,” says Bracewell, “but for 12 hours a day.” To minimize hassles, keep the following in mind and bookmark TravelSmart2010 for updates.

Road closures/restrictions: Leave the car in the hotel garage. There is no parking at any Olympic venue and precious little in the downtown core. Several major streets will also be reconfigured to provide priority access to buses and Olympics-accredited vehicles.

Pedestrian corridors: Bad news for drivers, but good news for pedestrians, portions of four major arterials — Granville, Robson, Beatty and Hamilton — will operate as pedestrian-only walkways daily from noon to midnight.

Olympic Line streetcar: Vancouver’s first streetcar in 50 years will provide a convenient link between the Canada Line — the city’s new rapid-transit service between the airport, Richmond and downtown — and Granville Island. It’s free through March 21.

Public transit: TransLink, Vancouver’s transportation agency, will offer expanded service on its buses, SeaBus water taxis and the SkyTrain rapid-transit system. All are free for event ticket holders on the day of their event.

Beyond the city limits
Getting to the mountain venues at Cypress (snowboarding and freestyle skiing) and Whistler (alpine, cross-country and sliding events) will also require advance planning.

Cypress Mountain: The road to Cypress is now closed to private car travel and will remain so until March 9. During the Games, public access will be limited to event ticket-holders, all of whom will be required to ride Olympic Bus Network motorcoaches to and from the venue. Roundtrip tickets are $25, available on a first-come, first-served basis and can be reserved here.

Getting to Whistler: Whistler-bound travelers will face a one-two punch of transportation restrictions: Access to the Sea to Sky Highway will be strictly limited and there will be essentially no public parking at the resort itself.

Starting on February 11, permits will be required to travel north of Squamish during the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Travelers with accommodations should have received their permits with their reservation confirmation. Those that haven’t can pick one up at a Permit Office in Squamish; proof of accommodation with confirmed parking will be required.

Visitors with event tickets but no accommodations will need to ride Olympic Bus Network coaches from Vancouver to the competition venues. Trips are linked to specific venues (e.g., Whistler Creekside or the Sliding Center); ski/snowboard gear is not permitted, and the last return trip departs two hours after the competition ends. Roundtrip tickets are $50.

Visitors without event tickets or accommodations, e.g., day-skiers and other visitors, can choose from several companies that will provide bus service between Vancouver and Whistler. Roundtrip tickets start at $70; Ridebooker.com is currently offering transportation/lift ticket packages for $134.

Finally, note that the Sea to Sky Highway is open to all car travel outside the permit hours. However, given the road’s cliff-lined route and its spectacular scenery, it really should be seen in the daylight.

Fast, light and car-free
It sounds daunting, and in some instances, may prove to be so. On the other hand, Vancouver is blessed with an excellent public-transit system and the city and event organizers have worked hard to set up systems to manage the flow of residents, visitors, athletes and officials. In fact, depending on the event, some visitors may be able to rely on public transit entirely, forgoing the need to worry about driving, parking and traffic jams altogether.

That’s what Jeremy Brahm of Portland is doing. Originally, he and his friends had hoped to see three or four events over the course of four or five days. Unfortunately, they only got tickets to one event and minimum-stay requirements made lodging outrageously expensive.

Instead, he says, they’ve decided to do it as a one-day trip — flying into Vancouver Airport in the morning, taking the new Canada Line SkyTrain into downtown, seeing the sights and a hockey game and reversing their steps to catch an evening flight home. “We’re trying to make it as easy as possible,” says Brahm. “We’re bringing our tickets, our wallets and our passports, and that’s about it.” Home Security Systems.

Stop by the Minoru Yamasaki-designed McGregor Memorial Conference Center at Wayne State University in Detroit and its halls are open for a stroll through what’s considered a masterpiece from the World Trade Center architect.

Across the state in Muskegon, at St. Francis De Sales church, a visit most days can get you a guided tour from the head of maintenance at the massive, poured concrete structure from architect Marcel Breuer.

Better known for its Great Lakes beaches for summertime escapes and its wintertime destinations for outdoor enthusiasts, Michigan also is a repository of modern architecture. It offers the chance to do more than just gaze the buildings or snap a few pictures — with many notable buildings open for tours or intimate visits.

The State Historic Preservation Office is behind an effort to highlight Michigan’s modern architecture and design heritage. It’s raising $250,000 to help record oral histories of architects from the time; create driving tours; and research and catalog important projects from around 1940 to 1970. The office is promoting the state’s architecture through a Web site with stories, photos and links to sites around the state.

One of the places that helped establish Michigan as a center for architecture and design was Cranbrook, just outside Detroit. Cranbrook includes K-12 private schools, an Institute of Science, the Cranbrook Academy of Art and an art museum. Cranbrook was designed in the 1920s and ’30s by the renowned Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen, who helped establish a creative culture that attracted designers Ray and Charles Eames and modern architects Ralph Rapson and Harry Weese. Saarinen’s son Eero, himself a prominent architect, lived and trained at Cranbrook.

Reed Kroloff, a former editor-in-chief of Architecture magazine and director of the Cranbrook Academy of Art, lives on campus in a home designed by Saarinen. He’s grown accustomed to finding visitors — curious about Cranbrook and its role as a crucible for modern art, architecture and design — peering the front door.

“Usually, if I’m not in my bathrobe, I’ll give them a little bit of a tour,” Kroloff said.

Gwendolyn Wright, an architecture professor at Columbia University, said Michigan is a showcase for a broad range of modern buildings, from homes and office towers to factories that display the evolution of industrial architecture. Cranbrook’s campus, she noted, illustrates a unique connection between education and the arts.

“You have that sense just on the grounds and with the evolution of the buildings, from the move from craftsmanship that was hand-based … up through the modern kinds of craftsmanship,” said Wright, who has made driving tours of the state while visiting. “You see these constantly feeding back and forth.”

The Alden B. Dow Home and Studio in Midland tries to offer visitors a personal experience — as if they had been invited over for dinner at what was the home of one of the state’s premier modern architects. The son of Midland-based Dow Chemical Co.’s founder studied under Frank Lloyd Wright, and a large concentration of Dow’s work can be seen in homes, schools and churches throughout the city.

“When you come to the Dow house, you sit in the living room. You truly experience the building,” said Dow Home and Studio Director Craig McDonald.

When planning a visit to sample Michigan’s architecture, set aside at least two days for a driving tour of the Detroit area and several more if the itinerary includes Midland, which is about two hours away, or Muskegon, along the coast of Lake Michigan. Frank Lloyd Wright-designed homes can be found in cities throughout the state.

In Detroit, other notable Yamasaki-designed buildings include the Helen L. DeRoy Auditorium and the Education Building on Wayne State’s campus, as well as the One Woodward Avenue tower in downtown. Just to the east of downtown is Lafayette Park, a housing development of townhouses and apartment buildings designed by Mies van der Rohe.

Cranbrook is a quick drive away in the northern suburbs, but you could spend a full day just on campus. Saarinen House, the former home and studio of Eliel and Loja Saarinen that’s an Art Deco masterwork, is open for tours, although the architect’s Cranbrook Art Museum that was built in 1942 is undergoing renovation.

And while many of Michigan’s architectural gems can be toured, others are private homes or just off limits. The most notable is the General Motors Technical Center in the Detroit suburb of Warren. Designed by Eero Saarinen and landscape architect Thomas Church, some of its buildings can be seen from the surrounding roads but there’s no public tours or access to the grounds. Home Security Systems.