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October Birthdays
for our
ActiveTravels members!
Debbie Barkal
Cullene Bury
Jake Bury
Dan Davis
Robin Eiseman
Sue Hardy
Marney Ives
George Knocke
Dana Volman
Michael Weissel
plus
September birthdays we missed!
Ari Filler
Deb Filler
Michael Knight
Marsha Lewis
Mike Mirarchi
Dan Richards
October Anniversaries
for our
ActiveTravels members!
Lisa & David Hellerstein
Please tell us yours
if we don't have it!
Do you want expert travel advice and inspiration from an experienced and prolific travel writer?
Would you like your very own travel agent who knows you and your travel profile and can make certain that your vacation time with family and friends is well-spent?
Vacations are precious investments of time with your loved ones.
Trust ActiveTravels to provide:
exceptional suggestions on all kinds of destinations
personally-tested travel itineraries customized just for you
an experienced travel agent who can oversee every detail
someone to be
there for you
before and during your trip to ensure all goes smoothly
to find out more!
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Editor's Letter,
October 2016
There was a moment on our second day of safari in Botswana where our guide, Kebby, spotted a leopard. We drove up to a leafless tree where this exquisite animal was perched on a branch, looking intently at the impalas nibbling on grass in the distance. We all grabbed our cameras and binoculars to take in the spectacular sight. After 15 minutes, I was ready to move on, but our guide stayed put. Giraffes passed by, an elephant came close to the land cruiser, startled to find us there, and the leopard moved to another branch. At last, the leopard jumped off the tree and sauntered away in the tall grass.  We must have looked at him for at least an hour, a ridiculous amount of time for some one as impatient as me, always thinking of my next activity, deadline, or goal to achieve. But to truly be in the present, clearing your mind of all extraneous thought and worries to simply stare at a leopard, that is really a moment to savor. In fact, it's the essence of authentic travel. A chance to share a precious moment with loved ones far away from the seemingly endless responsibilities of modern-day lives. Afterwards, I thanked Kebby for staying with the leopard. He noted that it's often the time he'll see a kill, when he stays with one predator like a leopard or lion for a long period of time.
Take time to pause (paws) in your travels this upcoming year, whether it's over a glass of wine at a vineyard, at the beach with a good thick book, in front of a wonderful work of art, or staring at a leopard in the bush. Be sure to build downtime into your itinerary and not just check off sight after sight. Travel is not a contest but necessary time to nurture an often weary body and soul. The vast wilderness of Botswana's Okavango Delta, our main feature in this month's newsletter, is the perfect place to replenish the well. We also discuss some alternatives to hotels in US and European cities as well as the Caribbean; an outfitter who specializes in grandparent's trips to New York; a Quick Escape to the home of Halloween, Salem; and a reminder to always check in before your next flight.
Enjoy reading and, as always,
Happy travels!
Lisa & Steve
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News from the Road:
Botswana
This week, Botswana celebrated its 50th anniversary of independence. We were so enamored with this country and its people after a weeklong stay last month that we hung the Botswana flag on our doorstep to celebrate this momentous occasion. Botswana is one of the rare success stories on the African continent. Under the helm of a democratic leader who understands the value of education, the middle class is growing. Tourism is a significant part of the economy and the locals we met were proud to showcase their land and the incredible amount of wildlife that calls it home.
With a population of only 2.3 million people, Botswana offers one of Africa's least populated wilderness experiences. The country's enviable conservation philosophy endorses low-volume, high-revenue tourism, and significant benefits for local communities who live amongst the wild animals. Unlike Kenya's Maasai Mara or Tanzania's Ngorongoro Crater, which can often be overcrowded, head to that gigantic inland waterway, The Okavango Delta, and you're not likely to see any fellow travelers out on game drives or boat rides. On our first two days of safari at Stanley's Camp, we passed one other vehicle.
Botswana was my 5th safari and by far the most diverse when it comes to terrain. Much of the trip revolved around water, which was a welcome relief to often jarring game drives on rutted roads. As soon as we arrived in the Okavango Delta, we were greeted with roads that were washed-out with water
 . That wasn't a problem with our Abercrombie & Kent guide, Kebby Arabang, who would drive though the streams like he was atop a duck boat, not a Toyota Land Cruiser. The maze of waterways dotted with palm trees on our first two nights at Stanley's Camp reminded me of the Everglades. That is, until you spot a leopard up a tree or a giraffe in the distance. At the ultra-sybaritic Chief's Camp, where each room comes with a plunge pool and outdoor shower, we enjoyed our meals while watching elephants and baboons cool off at the nearby watering hole.
Chief's Camp was also where we would take our first of many jaunts on the waterways, this time via a mokoro, a traditional form of canoe. A guide poled us through the tall grasses on a leisurely paddle during sunset, Botswana's version of a gondola ride. The abundance of wildlife at Chobe National Park, our third stop, was mind-blowing. Best known for the largest population of elephants in the world, over 75,000, you would peer out and see long parades of elephants, including countless babies.
The magical boat ride on the Chobe River, which borders Botswana and Namibia, was so much fun, we asked to go on it two sunsets in a row. We watched as elephants swam across the deep river, joined by large herds of Cape Buffalo,
crocodiles as still as sculpture, and all types of antelope.
Leaving Botswana, we stopped
on the Zimbabwe
side of Victoria Falls to watch the waters of the Zambezi River plunge down one of the widest waterfalls in the world, over a mile long. Then it was on to our last stop, Sanctuary Sussi & Chuma,overlooking the Zambezi on the outskirts of Livingstone, Zambia. We would spend our final day canoeing the river near hippos, warthogs, crocs, and impala. All vivid memories we won't soon forget.
 Kebby's knowledge of the outdoor world was encyclopedic. He knew every mammal, every bird, every tree, even the planets and stars in the sky above. But it was his genuine passion of the subject, seamless communication skills, infectious smile and sense of humor that made him one of the best guides I've ever met. I loved mimicking his Botswana accent, especially when he emphasized the letter r when naming the next exquisite bird like the lilac-breasted roller or southern carmine bee-eater. One of my favorite parts of Kebby's background is that he spent a year working at Disney's Animal Kingdom in Orlando. When people asked where the giraffes were, he would simply say "up the stairs and to the right."
We stayed at 4 different lodges in Botswana and Zambia, all with a distinct feel of their own and all perfectly situated in a pristine chunk of wilderness. Service was impeccable at all the lodges. Servers would greet you by your first name when presenting a rolled-up cool wash-cloth scented with mint, lemongrass, or lavender after each game drive. Dining went way beyond expectations, with fresh fruit in the morning followed by eggs and omelets anyway you like and thick lean bacon, all washed down with strong French-press coffee. Entrees at night included the local game, kudu, beef, fish, chicken, and good vegetarian choices like a tasty wild mushroom lasagna. Dinners were always served with a selection of quality South African wines.
T hose close-up shots of leopards, lions, hippos, rhinos, elephants, and giraffes are now plastered all over Facebook pages and will no doubt appear in next year's calendar. But I also cherished jumping with young children in hand at the Zambian village of Nakatindi; listening to a marimba band play solely for our group as we arrived for lunch at the Victoria Falls Hotel; all those glorious sunsets, especially the one overlooking the Zambezi on the deck of Sussi and Chuma;  heading back to our room at Chobe Chilwero after a long day of game drives and boat rides to find that a bubble bath had been prepared; and all those wonderful stories we shared at dinner with new friends we met on the trip. These are the special moments I'll remember and inevitably the driving force behind another trip to Africa some two years from now when thoughts about taking that long international flight have faded. I yearn to return to that continent and its people more than any other destination. It's my spiritual retreat where I feel most alive.
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Hotel Alternatives We Love!
One Fine Stay & Villas of Distinction
Clients are always asking us what we think about AirBnB and VRBO. We have to be honest when we say that if we can't vet the property in advance, we really can't recommend it. We have heard many great stories of stays at AirBnB but we have heard horror stories as well! We know that sometimes you need a larger space and don't want to pay for 3 or 4 separate hotel rooms rather than staying together in an apartment or villa and enjoying common spaces to hang out together and share a meal.
When shared by multiple people, these hotel alternatives can be surprisingly affordable.
ActiveTravels works with the following companies who offer lodging alternatives that have been vetted and guaranteed to provide excellent spaces for your stays all over the world.
One Fine Stay has a carefully curated listing of apartments in only five cities: London, Los Angeles, New York, Paris and Rome. Their website is excellent and allows you to easily view the various apartments and figure out everything you need to know like location, lots of room photos, descriptions of the apartment, quirky snippets about its owner, and a section called "home truths," where you find the low-down facts that most hotel rooms or Airbnb or Vrbo sites don't admit. For example, for one elegant apartment in the tony and exclusive neighborhood of Primrose Hill, London, one home truth is the fact that a gecko lives in a tank in one of the bedrooms that needs to be fed.
One Fine Stay vets each and every apartment and curates a selection they know you'll love. Fluffy towels, fancy linens and toiletries like you'd find in any luxury hotel are always supplied. Another big plus is the iPhone they provide for you during your stay so you can call to book dinner reservations, use Google maps, and get local information without paying those exorbitant roaming charges.
 This company represents thousands of villas in over 50 locales around the globe. So, whether your multi-generational family wants to travel to the Caribbean, Mexico, Hawaii, France, Italy, Greece or the US, Villas of Distinction will have a great option for you. Their villas range in size from 1 bedroom apartments to 12 bedroom estates. Some are equipped with private pools, butlers, housekeepers and chefs, and some with just a concierge there for you to set up activities, dinners and a grocery delivery to you upon your arrival.
VOD features specific villas for different passions:
- If you love wines, try Gaia in Tuscany which comes stocked with all the local wines. Or, go to Chateau Ventoux, a beautiful home with a private wine cellar in Provence.
- If you've always wanted to travel with your dog but can't find that space that allows it, Villas of Distinction has a huge inventory of pet-friendly homes to choose from in many destinations
- If you're looking for a girls getaway, try their 3 bedroom apartment with a garden in Paris near the Eiffel Tower.
- If skiing is your favorite way to spend your time off, they have an amazing selection of properties from Deer Valley to the French Alps
Not to shamelessly self-publicize (but I will anyway!), here's a link to a recent article in USA TODAY where they quoted yours truly:
Five Myths about Villa Rentals. Check it out!
If you'd like
ActiveTravels to help you navigate these sites, please contact us.
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Tour Operators We Recommend:
Discover New York
We truly enjoy working with our colleagues in New York to help create memorable trips for many of our clients. The tour operator we like most is
Discover New York and we're excited to announce they are introducing special Insider Access Weekends to their portfolio of trips. These include girls' getaway weekends, NYC's art scene trips, foodie weekends, and Broadway, TV and Movie tours.
 My favorite new tour they're offering is their Grandparents & Grandchildren NYC Weekends. If you are a grandparent and you want a little bonding time with your grandchild, this is one-stop shopping! We will work with Discover New York to organize all the details of a short trip to New York City. This
private trip lasts from Thursday evening to Sunday and includes
- A Guided Experience for a Day of Immigration at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, the Tenement Museum and lunch in a NY Deli
- City Highlights Experience and Lunch
- Orchestra Tickets to a Matinee on Broadway
- Tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and a ride in a pedicab ride through Central park
Please contact
ActiveTravels if you're interested in planning a fun trip to the Big Apple!
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Tried & True Travel Tips:
The Importance of Checking In for your Flight
Many people don't quite understand the importance of checking in for your flight in advance. Yes, if you are checking in your bags, you'll still need to go to the ticket counter and go through the whole rigamarole of checking in at the airport. So, why do so before you get there just to duplicate the experience at the airport? There are several reasons to check in within 24 hours of your flights' departure:
- The person who checks in first has an advantage. Many airlines use the time you check in as a tie-breaker when it comes to clearing stand-by lists or issuing upgrades.
- If you haven't checked in, you can get bumped from your flight if your flight is overbooked. This happened to our clients over the summer in the Rome airport.
- If you haven't secured your seat, of course, checking in in advance means you can choose your seats rather than winging it when you arrive at the airport.
- Checking in prior to your travel reminds you to make sure of any schedule changes before you arrive at the airport.
- If you might be cutting it close at the airport, it's good to be prepared with your boarding pass.
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Quick Escape:
Salem, Massachusetts
Less than 20 miles northeast of Boston and four years older is the historic hamlet of Salem. Best known as the place where, in 1692, twenty innocent victims were hanged and stoned to death as witches, Salem flourished during the 17th and 18th centuries as its merchant vessels circled the globe in ships like the three-masted Friendship. A replica of this ship, which
disappeared during the War of 1812, is on display at the Salem Maritime National Historic Site. Nearby, the Peabody Essex Museum stores much of the treasures and artifacts those ships brought home. Back on terra firma, captains built houses on the waterfront, including the one Nathaniel Hawthorne made famous in his 1851 novel,
The House of the Seven Gables. All these sites make Salem an excellent day trip, especially in October, when the town remembers its hallowed past by staging a 24-day event called Haunted Happenings. The numerous haunted houses, concerts, psychic fairs, craft shows, and parades with requisite costume help make Salem the "Halloween Capitol of the World." If you want to spend the night, Lark Hotels recently opened The Merchant, an 11-room boutique hotel located in the former 18th-century home of shipping merchant, Joshua Ward.
Let us know if you want us to help you plan your trip to Salem! Contact
ActiveTravels.
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