A new feature here at Explorations, every middle of the week we’ll provide you with quick hits of some of the most recent travel news, articles, anecdotes, tidbits and more that we think are blog-worthy.  So, without further ado, let’s get to the good stuff…

– Imagine, if you will, a world where airlines are aware of your previous flight experiences, and cater to your preferences.  For instance:

• An airline loses your bag or cancels your flight because of a mechanical problem. The next time you show up at the airport, an agent personally apologizes and offers a free pass to an airport lounge for your troubles.Don’t laugh. Someday it may happen at U.S. airlines.

Welcome to the exciting new world of airlines’ utilizing Customer Relationship Management.  Read more in this interesting article from The Wall Street Journal.

– MSNBC highlights how affordable trips to San Francisco have recently become.

• Shameless Plug Alert: We’ve got an awesome tour of San Francisco, and an even awesomer tour of San Fran and LA.

– The NY Times has a great article on the myriad travel adventure opportunities Costa Rica offers.  From adventure tourism, to eco- and bio- tourism, and the ubiquitous luxury tourism offered by the lush resorts and spas, Costa Rica has something for every traveler.

• Shameless Plug Alert, The Sequel: Recently, Costa Rica has become one of our most popular tour destinations.  Check out all of our Costa Rica tours here.

That’s it for this week.  But feel free to recommend anything you think we may have missed in the comments section… We love feedback!

My Favorite: is a little different.

It’s more about a general feeling than a specific experience.  It’s about that feeling you get when you begin to comprehend that just around the corner lies an incredible site you’ve only seen in pictures–and that you’re about to experience it yourself, live and in person.

I’ve been fortunate enough through my travels to have this experience many times.  I remember driving up to Sugarloaf, Maine when I was younger. As you drive up the winding access road, this 4,000 foot standalone mountain seems to appear out of nowhere once you make that final turn around the corner (appropriately named “Oh My Gosh” corner).  It’s truly incredible.

I had a similar “Wow” moment last year when I traveled to Italy with Explorica and visited Florence.  As we left our hotel, we made a left out of the hotel and walked about 5 minutes, then made another slight turn and all of a sudden, the beautiful Duomo appeared before us, standing tall and bright.  With all the buildings along the narrow streets, non of us were expecting the massive building to appear out of nowhere.

While both of these “just around the corner” moments were memorable, nothing will ever top the morning I first saw the Taj Mahal while I was on Semester at Sea program.  It was in the half-light of 6:00 a.m. that our bus dropped us off a little way from the main gates.  After the short walk, we continued through the main gates.  Having never been there before, I had no idea how far we were from the building.

We turned left and walked through this archway. And as the crowd began thinning out in front of me, the Taj Mahal appeared.  To this day, it is the most breathtaking moment I have ever experienced.

Every week, Explorations will offer all you inveterate travelers a travel tip from one of our expert Program Consultants.

This week’s travel tip is from Program Consultant Mark Ruggiero, and it’s a good one for those of us who sometimes forget to engage all our senses during travel…

Well, it looks like Sarah beat me to the don’t be shy tip, but I want to echo that sentiment.  Take some chances and talk to the locals as you travel.  More often than not, they’ll have great suggestions for places to see and things to do that no guidebook can offer…

One thing that I have learned over my travels is not to take pictures 24/7.

Don’t get me wrong–photos are great travel mementos. But if you come back from your trip and you have more pictures taken than stories to tell and experiences to share, you may be disappointed down the line.

When I travel abroad, I’ll take a couple pictures here and there, but then I want to discover these new locales with my own senses rather than through a camera lens.  Creating your travel stories can be tough when you’ve always got a camera pressed up to your face!

If you’re traveling with friends, share your pictures!  You don’t need to take all the same pictures.  If you spend less time taking pictures and more time exploring, you’ll have better memories and stories to share when you return.

A new feature here at Explorations, every middle of the week we’ll provide you with quick hits of some of the most recent travel news, articles, anecdotes, tidbits and more that we think are blog-worthy.  So, without further ado, let’s get to the good stuff…

– CNN has a pretty informative article about your rights as a flier.  Bottom line: you don’t have very many (at least in the U.S.).  Bonus! learn more about Rule 240.

– The Frugal Traveler (of the NY Times) seeks out “the cheap and chic” in Milan.  Sounds good to me…

– Yahoo! Travel ranks the Top Ten U.S. Tourist Attractions based on number of visitors.  Unsurprisingly, Times Square is tops.  Kind of sad to see D.C.’s  National Mall and Memorials rank below the Vegas Strip…

– The on-again, off-again plan to build a bridge from the Italian Mainland to Sicily is…back on again.  The Financial Times has more.  And check out a computer-generated image of what the bridge may will look like.

That’s it for this week.  But feel free to recommend anything you think we may have missed in the comments section… We love feedback!

One of our main goals with Explorations is to give everyone an opportunity to meet the fine folks who work at Explorica to help teachers take their students on educational tours across the globe.

This week’s featured Program Consultant is Mark Ruggiero.  Here’s some of our favorite excerpts from our recent interview with him:

Where did you grow up?

I was born in Syracuse, New York and lived in the area until I was 12 years old.  My family moved to Amherst, New Hampshire in the mid 1990s.

Where did you go to college?

University of Connecticut in Storrs, CT.  Go Huskies!

Where have you traveled?

The Caribbean, Canada, Brazil, South Africa, Mauritius, India, Myanmar, Vietnam, China, Japan, France and soon to be Ireland!

Which Explorica tours have you taken?

Italian Highlights in July 2008

Favorite breakfast cereal?

Cinnamon Toast Crunch.  After eating all the cereal, I love to drink the milk-leftovers…

If aliens were to contact earth tomorrow, would they be more E.T. or Independence Day?

When I was young, E.T. really freaked me out.  I’m probably going to have to go more in the direction of Independence Day on this one.

If you could live anywhere else in the entire world, where would that be and why?

Cape Town, South Africa.  It is one of the most beautiful cities in one of my favorite countries.  The backdrop of Table Mountain over the skyline is incredible.  It’s also on the ocean and I love being by the sea.

Coke or Pepsi?

Both.  No, seriously.  I like Diet Coke over Coke and Pepsi over Diet Pepsi.

Don’t ask me why but I’ve always been like that.

How far will UConn make it in the tourney this year, and why?

Which team?  I have the luxury of saying that both of our basketball teams are perennial national powerhouses.  We did win both the men’s and women’s championship in 2004 after all (the only school to do so!).

Our men’s team will make a deep run this year.  However, the loss of our point guard, Jerome Dyson, is going to make it difficult.

Our women’s team will go all the way.  They’re undefeated and have a solid team this year.

If the Rocky Mountains have the better slopes, how come most US Olympic skiers hail from the Northeast?

Good question!

While Steamboat Springs, Colorado may hail itself as the home of the most US Winter Olympians, their “champagne powder” isn’t as demanding as the boilerplate conditions that we have here in the Northeast.

It’s often said that if you can ski the hardpack and icy conditions here in the Northeast, you can ski anything.  We are also graced with some wonderful schools and racing clubs.  In fact, Bode Miller, a New Hampshire native and Olympic medalist, used to race against racers in my division when I was younger.

Needless to say, he won.

A new feature here at Explorations, every Tuesday we’ll provide you with quick hits of some of the most recent travel news, articles, anecdotes, tidbits and more that we think are blog-worthy.  So, without further ado, let’s get to the good stuff…

– Travel Everyman Rick Steves offers some sage advice for visitors to France this summer.  The big takeaways:

• There’s a new smoking ban in bars, restaurants and cafes.
• Due to renovations, expect some closings and potential long lines at Versailles this summer.
• Although not strictly enforced, a ‘no-shorts’ dress code has been instituted at Notre Dame Cathedral.
• Rue Cler has become a tourist trap.  Try Rue des Martyrs instead…

– Wow. Apparently taking thriftiness to the max, European airline Ryanair is strongly considering charging for bathroom breaks.

– As a counterpoint to my ‘Wow‘, Harvard Business Publishing blogger Bill Taylor takes a hard stand (sarcasm alert) by claiming Ryanair’s bathroom plan ‘sort of makes sense.’  I’ll let you be the judge…

– Foodie Gregory Dicum has a nice write-up about the abundance of delicious vegetarian dishes available in Thailand.

Shameless promotion alert: Explorica has a brand-new tour to Thailand, Vietnam & Cambodia.  And it looks pretty awesome.

That’s it for this week.  But feel free to use the comments to let us know of any additional travel truffles you may have dug up…

Every week, Explorations will offer all you inveterate travelers a travel tip from one of our expert Program Consultants.

This week’s travel tip is from Program Consultant Adam Barton, and it’s a good one for members of the burgeoning travel literati…

I know that at this point, it’s practically a cliche, but I strongly recommend bringing a travel journal with you on all your journeys.  On the bus, the plane, the train, or during a break at a nearby cafe, bodega, or elsewhere, put the iPod down, place the earbuds in your pocket, and listen–and write–your travel experiences.

Trust me, when you get home from your journeys, you’ll appreciate your live reflections during your trip, and even better than photos or flimsy souvenirs, your written thoughts of your travel memories will be the best memento of all.

Following the lead of fellow world-wanderer Bruce Chatwin, in his great book about traveling Australia, The Songlines, I always carry a moleskine journal wherever the road (or path) takes me.

Taking the time to stop and reflect about where I’ve been–and to daydream about where I’ll soon be going, is one of my favorite parts about travel.  And it could be one of yours too.  Don’t leave home without one!

One of our main goals with Explorations is to give everyone an opportunity to meet the fine folks who work at Explorica to help teachers take their students on educational tours across the globe.

This week’s featured Program Consultant is Adam Barton. Here’s some of our favorite excerpts from our recent interview with him:

Where did you grow up?

Marysville, WA – on a beach of the Tulalip Indian Reservation

Where did you go to college?

The University of Washington

Where have you traveled?

Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, Fiji, New Zealand & Spain

Which Explorica tours have you taken?

Madrid & Andalusia

Favorite band, movie, and/or book…

Led Zeppelin, Dances with Wolves, Autobiography of a Yogi

Favorite breakfast cereal?

Cookie Crisp!

I can’t say I had any for more than 15 years, but I specifically remember loving it as a youth, both because it was cookies…for breakfast…and because it magically turned the milk into chocolate milk.  One drawback of the Cookie Crisp, however, was that it cut the roof of your mouth something fierce!

If aliens were to contact earth tomorrow, would they be more E.T. or Independence Day?

They HAVE contacted Earth, and they are both

If you could live anywhere else in the entire world, where would that be and why?

New Zealand, mastering the art of fly fishing

Which food did you love as a kid that you tried as an adult and found to be absolutely terrible?

Cottage Cheese.  Used to love it, but just thinking about it now turns my stomach.

Why were the Seattle Seahawks so bad this year?

They were haunted by Christian Okoye…

Editor’s Note: Adam is clearly trying to curry my favor by bringing up an iconic Kansas City Chiefs player from my youth spent amongst the wheatfields, loping cows and threshers.

He has succeeded.

Our aim with these My Favorite: posts is to give our well-traveled Explorica employees a chance to share some of their favorite travel experiences with all of you.

This week’s my favorite comes from Senior Program Consultant Alyssa Geiger.  Take it away, Alyssa…

I lived in Berlin for six months a few years ago, and although there are many sights and activities that I would deem ‘Must Visit’, my first trip to the Reichstag left a lasting impression.

The first thing to note about visiting the Reichstag…is that it’s free! Although this can lead to very long lines during peak visiting hours, trust me, it is worth the wait.

Right as you walk in, you notice “DEM DEUTSCHEN VOLKE,” (To the German People) in big letters above the entrance.  Inscribed in 1916, this promise to the German people is currently upheld by hosting the Bundestag –Germany’s parliament.

Probably the most famous part of the Reichstag’s architecture is the enormous glass dome at the top of the building — check it out–it looks like a tornado!

From there, looking out, you can get a panoramic view of the Berlin cityscape.  Then, looking down, you can see the parliamentary set-up of the Bundestag.

A visit to the Reichstag gives travelers to Berlin an appreciation of Germany’s past, as well as a strong glimpse into it’s contemporary culture.

Every week, Explorations will offer all you inveterate travelers a travel tip from one of our expert Program Consultants.

This week’s travel tip is from Senior Program Consultant Alyssa Geiger, and it’s a good one for the Circadian Rhythmically-challenged…

My travel tip is to pack your own alarm clock. This might seem a bit silly to some people-the hotel will have them, right?

Don’t count on it.

Even if the hotel does have an alarm clock, there’s no guarantee that you know how to work it. Some alarm clocks — especially in foreign countries –can be quite tricky.

And if it doesn’t go off-or if the sound it makes isn’t loud enough for you to hear it? It’s just not worth the risk.

And on that note-it’s not a good idea to rely on wake up calls from the hotel either-sometimes their system can get mixed up.

I was on an Explorica tour in Spain and requested a wake up call around 7 a.m. Needless to say…it was a call that never came.

The group left without me for the guided sightseeing that day, and I felt really embarrassed because the group must have thought that I had overslept! After all, they all received their wake up calls either from the hotel or from their teachers.

Long story short–turns out the hotel called the wrong room.  These kinds of things can happen at a large hotel.

So I say don’t leave it to chance — bring your own alarm clock!