Mayercraft 2009: The Artists

Yes. It's true. I was one of those crazy people who went on John Mayer's cruise. Both years. But come on, you have to admit it - a cruise to somewhere tropical, music and comedy shows going on all the time, and copious amounts of alcohol? That spells fun!

A bunch of people have asked me what artists other than John Mayer were on this year's Mayercraft cruise. The answer? Tons of awesome ones! Here they are:

O.A.R.

8 Day Wander in Ireland

One of the major sources of stress for me recently has been our lack of hotel rooms for our trip to Ireland. I know that sounds totally lame, but I'm one of those people who likes to have things planned months in advance, especially when it comes to international travel.

Up until yesterday? The only thing we had booked was our flights. We were still trying to figure out where to stay, and for how long, and we had so much else going on there was no real time to sit down and figure it out. I finally came up with a couple of options and asked BF which ones he was down with, and we figured out what we're doing!

Places I've Been: San Gimignano, Italy

This blog is entirely about one of my favorite places in Tuscany: a small, off the beaten path town called San Gimignano. It's a pretty popular tourist town, but people traveling on their own (without a tour or a rental car) don't go as often because it's not as easily accessible as other Tuscan towns.

Photo taken from ilpalio.org

DiscoverAmerica.com

The LA Times Travel blog announced the launch of a new website today: DiscoverAmerica.com.

I, for one, am extremely excited about this blog, as there are so many parts of our awesome country that I've never seen. The site gathers information from all sorts of sources - travel guides, Google, etc and puts them all in one place. Then, each page has information on attractions & activities, hotels, itineraries, brochures, articles, and even where to shop and eat, too.

There's also my favorite feature - an interactive map that tells you all sorts of things. You can measure distances between different locations, randomly pick a spot to check into, and even has links to book your trip. Also, it includes all the US territories as well!

Such an amazing resource for anyone who wants to travel around America, I am SO glad that this site exists.

Travel Photo Tuesday: Malibu, CA

Ok, ok, so it's sort of a cop out to post a photo from Malibu, since we live so close to it. But it's been a busy week, already, and I am barely sneaking this one in as it is!

I took this on Sunday, when we were enjoying a gorgeous, but chilly, day. Summer is on its way!

Travel Photo Tuesday: Florence, Italy

I took this photo years ago - 2002 to be exact. It was towards the end of my semester abroad, and we were showing visiting friends around the town we'd adopted as our own. This was a sort of hidden rose garden, and it quickly became one of my favorite places to be!

Travel Photo Tuesday: Cabo San Lucas, Mexico (again!)

I loved our recent vacation so much that I figured it warranted two "Travel Photo Tuesday"s! This photo cracks me up - the pelicans are so cute... sitting on the rock covered in poop. Oh, pelicans.

Travel Photo Tuesday: Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

I got back from my cruise to Cabo San Lucas last Tuesday, and looking at this photo makes me wish I were still there. This was taken from the top deck of our boat as we were leaving the port. Such a gorgeous day!

Travel Photo Tuesday: Washington DC

Washington Monument in DC - it was an absolutely gorgeous day in October and we packed as much of DC as we could into 8 hours.

Travel Photo Tuesday: Boston, MA

We took a water taxi to the airport the last time we left Boston, and it so great! There were some really great views of the skyline, and we had lots of fun balancing in the boat to take the photos we wanted.

Budget Travel

Of the three or four travel magazines I subscribe to, my favorite is Budget Travel. I love them best because they have the most articles I feel I need to save - travel tips, travel stories, travel websites, travel photos, travel resources, the list goes on and on.

And recently, I started subscribing to their blog, This Just In. Some of the entries are long. Some are short. Every entry has something to learn. It's such a great resource for keeping up with travel and deals that are going on.

The article I just finished reading that inspired this post was this one: Vanish With A Trace. As a "victim" of lost luggage, I understand just how frustrating and time consuming it can be to have your things misplaced by an airline. While I'm not sure if I would use a service like the ones they reviewed, it's nice to know that there are options out there for travelers!

Anyway - if you're looking to subscribe to a travel magazine, I would highly suggest Budget Travel. And if you don't want a physical magazine? You should definitely be following their website and blog!

Travel Photo Tuesday: Farmer's Market in Montreal, Canada

The last day of my trip to Montreal, my friend took me to a giant farmer's market close to where her apartment was. Everything was so vivid and fresh that I wish she'd taken me my first day there so I could've gone back more than once.

Things to do: Afternoon Tea in Victoria, Canada

I am one of those people who thoroughly enjoys tea. I love tea - the flavors, the process, the tradition, the cute little pastries and sandwiches you get with it, everything.

And when I think of afternoon teas, one of the places that comes to mind is the afternoon tea served at The Fairmont Empress hotel in Victoria, Canada.

The Empress is a gorgeous hotel, and their afternoon tea feels so sophisticated and fun. I highly recommend splurging on this treat if you're on Victoria or in the Vancouver area.

Travel Photo Tuesday: Costa Maya, Mexico

As I get ready to go on Mayercraft 2009 to Cabo San Lucas, I find myself looking at all of the photos I have from other "tropical" vacations. This is one of my favorites - from a secluded beach in Costa Maya, Mexico. The weather could not have been more perfect that day, and the water was calm enough for all of us to go play. My only regret was that we didn't get to stay longer in this spot.

Awesome Resource: GoGo In Flight

Another great advance in technology - Internet access is now widely available on airplanes!

A co-worker of mine recently emailed me in flight, and let me know about this website when I asked him how he was emailing me while in coach. Apparently, GoGo In Flight serves numerous airlines and enables you to get wireless on the plane.

It looks like there is a very limited offering of this service so far - American Airlines offers it on flights to and from JFK to San Francisco and Los Angeles, but there are a handfull of other airlines that will be offering it soon.

Prices:
For laptops: $9.95 for flights under 3 hours, $12.95 for flights over 3 hours
For PDAs: $7.95

Overall, this is great if you're a workaholic or as addicted to blogging and Facebook as I am. Downside? You're now reachable even in flight, when it used to be your only reprieve!