BLOOMFIELD, N.J. – Allison O'Sullivan, managing director of the Women's Travel Club, divides her company's top destinations into three categories.
There are traditional favorites such as London, Paris and Rome; more recently discovered favorites such as Croatia, Prague and Patagonia; and then there are exotic locales – such as Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.
Uzbekistan and destinations like it are increasingly popular. “It's a whole new world between Russia and China,” O'Sullivan said. She said her tours to the region include “desert towns, ancient markets, magnificent mosques and minarets but you're in modern buses and new Boeing airplanes. It's the Silk Route, so there are gorgeous carpets and jewelry; caviar is $10, and hotels are small and friendly.”
The Women's Travel Club is offering a trip to Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan Oct. 30-Nov. 10, $3,710 per person, double occupancy, plus airfare.
For travelers looking for more affordable destinations, O'Sullivan recommends Portugal and China as outstanding values. Portugal tours start as low as $950, including air, hotel for four nights and some meals; a “Beijing Blowout” tour starts at $899 including round-trip air from New York and six nights in China.
Details at (800) 480-4448 or www.womenstravelclub.com.
Motorcycle museum has big plans
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – George Barber said he plans to nearly double the size of his motorcycle museum and add a motocross track at Barber Motorsports Park, which was built with $70 million of his own money, according to The Birmingham News.
Barber, a dairy and real estate millionaire, said ground likely will be broken next year on an expansion that would add at least 100,000 square feet to the museum and enable the display of hundreds more motorcycles. The existing 140,000-square-foot museum allows for the display of less than half of Barber's 1,200-bike collection, widely regarded as the world's best.
The Barber park and museum, in its sixth year of operation, has been a tourism magnet. A study by the Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitor's Bureau estimated its economic impact at $372 million since its opening.
Kayaking with the kids
Sea Kayak Adventures offers summer kayaking getaways based at God's Pocket Resort, a wilderness lodge perched on a tiny island just north of British Columbia's Vancouver Island. Though such trips are slated for late June through early August, a July 7-11 itinerary is designed especially for families with teens, putting parents or grandparents and teens out on the water each day in search of whales, sea lions and seals.
The fee of $1,699 includes accommodations, meals, kayaking gear, guides and boat shuttle to the resort from Port Hardy on Vancouver Island. Teens receive a 10 percent discount. Tax is additional, as is transportation to Port Hardy.
No kayaking experience is required, but all participants should be physically fit. (800) 616-1943; seakayakadventures.com
Travel deals
Save up to 40 percent on all-inclusive vacations at Occidental Grand and Allegro resorts in Mexico, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic. Plus, children ages 3 to 12 sharing a room with their parents are free at Allegro Resorts. Savings and valid dates vary. For example, a family of four pays $849, including taxes, for seven nights at Allegro Playa Dorado in the Dominican Republic through Aug. 31; the rate typically would be $1,946. Book by May 30. Info: (800) 858-2258, occidentalhotels.com.
Several ResortQuest properties in Hawaii are offering free nights. Rates vary by date and resort. For example, pay for three nights at ResortQuest Kaanapali Shores on Maui and get the fourth night free (value of about $246 in late May). Also, stay at least five nights and receive a 2-for-1 luau dinner and a $100 dining credit. The deal is good through June 12 at most Maui properties and through June 30 on other islands. Info: (866) 774-2924, resortquesthawaii.com.
Free stuff
The “Official Santa Fe Visitors Guide” covers spas, museums and galleries as well as the city's soon-to-be-completed convention center. (800) 777-2489; santafe.org
Tourist attractions in each of the state's nine regions line the pages of the “West Virginia Travel Guide.” (800) 225-5982; wvtourism.com
Washington Irving, William Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie and Samuel Gompers lie at rest in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, according to the “Westchester County (N.Y.) 2008 Travel Guide.” (800) 833-9282; westchestertourism.com
