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Travel & Outdoors 
««« Click HERE for Recent Travel & Outdoors An All-Inclusive Vacation is Easy But Not to Everyone's Taste
Susan Glaser
 Every day in Mexico, we knew where we were eating breakfast, lunch and dinner. We knew what activities were on tap. We even knew the price of our evening cocktail. There's a certain comfort level in an all-inclusive vacation, but with comfort comes complacency.
Flying the Fido-Friendly Skies
Tracie Laliberte-Bailey
 My dog and I just returned from an exotic travel adventure. After spending an exhilarating week rolling in the sand and dog-paddling in the surf on the Yucatan coast, I can see why the celebrity lifestyle includes the luxury of vacationing with four-legged friends.
Who Needs a Man to Travel?
Gina Teel
 When it comes to the perfect vacation, Calgary travel agent Marilyn Thompson personally believes in the value of three different trips a year. The first is a family holiday. The second is a getaway with just her husband. And the third sees the couple take separate trips with a gal pal or buddy, respectively.
A 2008 Beer Lover's Survival Guide to Our Planet
Michael Werbowski
 If you seek a refuge from the daily madness which surrounds us, allow me to share some of my favorite watering holes; places where life slows down to a more livable pace and where being civil and sociable and at times downright silly are in style.
Passport Regulations Postponed for Some
Pedro Morales
 People traveling by land or sea to the United States will not need a passport to enter the country for at least another year and a half, according to a federal travel initiative.
Mexico to Keep Discount on Highway Tolls Through 2008
Adriana Arai & Valerie Rota
 Mexico will keep holiday-season discounts on federal highway tolls through all of 2008, helping soothe the burden on consumers who are facing a new fuels tax and higher food prices.
Crime-Wary Americans Shun Popular Strip of Mexico Beaches
Elliot Spagat
 Assaults on American tourists have brought hard times to hotels and restaurants that dot Mexican beaches just south of the border from San Diego.
"Vicinity Read" Passport Card Technology Approved
Associated Press
 Passport cards for Americans who travel to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean will be equipped with technology that allows information on the card to be read from a distance.
Las Vegas & Caribbean Cruising Still Tops In Travel Trends
Nate Leaf
 Carlson Wagonlit Travel Associates has unveiled the 2008 results of their annual Travel Trends Survey in which several surprises emerged.
Destination Weddings Ask Guests for More Commitment
Melissa Rayworth
 It wasn't long ago that attending a friend's wedding meant spending a Saturday night eating prime rib and dancing to cover versions of “Louie Louie” and “Brown Eyed Girl.” Now, it might involve three days in Mexico or a long weekend in Maine.
The Odds and Ends of Travel
Gary A. Warner
 Over the year, I collect little bits of recollections and news ... like one of those giant balls of string in the Roadside America book. Here are a few strands from 2007.
Redacted Air-Traffic Safety Survey Released
Del Quentin Wilber
 NASA yesterday released partial results of a massive air-safety survey of airline pilots who repeatedly complained about fatigue, problems with air-traffic controllers, airport security, and the layouts of runways and taxiways.
Boomers Lead Trend for Adventure Holidays
Natalie Armstrong
 Forget beach holidays and sightseeing. Baby boomers in Canada, Australia and Britain are leading a trend for adventure and educational vacations, according to a new travel survey.
Rogue Writer
Eric Morrison
 After years of churning out superlative-laced copy at the behest of travel magazines beholden to their advertisers, Chuck Thompson wanted to write a book to expose an industry that uses fear and greed to manipulate the realities of destinations across the globe.
Rejecting Winter
Amy Stewart
 I should be in tune with the season, but I’m not. I have not surrendered to the darkness, I have not found stark beauty in bare branches and frost on the windows, and I have not rediscovered the joys of a crackling fire and a cup of hot chocolate. It just didn’t happen for me this year.
Surf’s Up, and So Is the Crime Rate on Baja’s Beaches
Marc Lacey
 In surf shops, on bluffs and even out in the ocean while waiting for the water to crest, Baja California’s surfers have been rehashing a series of recent armed attacks on foreigners, many of whom had been frequenting the beaches here just south of Tijuana for years.
What Makes Puerto Vallarta Quaint?
Jim Scherrer
 Perhaps Vallarta is no longer a sleepy little Mexican fishing village, but due to its abundance of granite cobblestone streets, it does retain its status as being one of the most beautifully quaint resort destinations in the world.
Surfers to Lend Santa a Hand with Baja3000 Road Trip
Santa Cruz Sentinel
 This Christmas, a group of ten surfers, mostly from Santa Cruz, is organizing a different kind of Baja surf trip, one where helping those in need is just as important as scoring the ultimate wave.
Older White Women Join Kenya's Sex Tourists
Jeremy Clarke
 Hard figures are difficult to come by, but local people on the coast estimate that as many as one in five single women visiting from rich countries are in search of sex.
Real Mexican Food May Be Different From What You Expect
Hulig
 Everyone in the USA has spent many enjoyable meals in the local Mexican restaurants in their town or city, but if you live in Mexico or make an extended visit, you'll find some delightfully tasty dishes you never experienced back home.
FUBAR Odyssey Makes Mexico Cruising Look Easy
The Log
 Capt. Pat Rains, cruising guide author and contributor to The Log's "El Reporte" section, was one of the participants in the first-of-its-kind FUBAR Odyssey, leaving San Diego for La Paz Nov. 7. Powerboaters in vessels ranging from 26 to 90 feet in length cruised together to Mexico, arriving in La Paz in time for Thanksgiving.
PV Scuba Achieves PADI Gold Palm Rating
Robin Noelle
 One-of-a-kind education and dive options as well as superior facilities have helped PV Scuba achieve recognition as one of only two dive centers in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to earn PADI’s prestigious Gold Palm 5-Star Resort rating.
The World's First Condo-Hotel for Gay Men, Lesbians and Friends Opens in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Patrick Harrison
 Excited crowds turned out in Puerto Vallarta on Saturday, December 8th for the inauguration of The Private Residences at Casa Cupula, the world's first fractional condo-hotel developed exclusively for the gay community.
Mexico City Takes to the Skating Rink
James C. McKinley Jr.
 Ice skating ranks low on the list of sports in Mexico, somewhere far below bull fighting and slightly above croquet. So it was with some bemusement, wonder and trepidation that residents of this capital flocked this month to an enormous ice rink that Mayor Marcelo Ebrard has constructed in the historic central square.
Crossing a Continent by Water to Another City by the Bay
Patrick Mcgeehan
 The tourist-laden ferries shuttling between Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty cover about three miles in the round trip. But one boat that may soon be plying that short circuit is traveling almost 8,000 miles to do so.
New US Entry Travel Document Requirements
PVNN
 Currently, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers may accept oral declarations of citizenship from U.S. and Canadian citizens seeking entry into the United States through a land or sea border. However, as of January 31, 2008 the rules change.
Revised Passport Laws for Land and Sea Travel Set for 2008
Amanda DeBard
 Passport laws for land travel have changed again, requiring all U.S. and Canadian travelers going to Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative countries by land or sea to show a passport as early as summer 2008. These countries include Mexico, Canada, Bermuda and much of the Caribbean region.
Oaxaca: All Quiet but It's a Changed City
Ceci Connolly
 The last time I was here, I was frantically trying to improvise a gas mask. The city was a war zone: anti-government protesters packing spray paint, rocks and Molotov cocktails; police in riot gear tossing canisters of black tear gas into the crowd.
SENTRI and FAST Lanes Help Business, Tourism and Security
PVNN
 According to a statement made by Ambassador Antonio O. Garza in Mexico City on December 4th, the new SENTRI and FAST lanes will expedite tourism and commerce along the Mexico-U.S. border, while enhancing security for citizens on both sides.
Predictions for a Busy Winter Holiday Travel Season Ahead
Travelocity
 If the record-breaking Thanksgiving crowds were any indication, the December holiday travel season will shape up to be another lively one. But, despite airport crowds and record-high load factors, travelers fared quite well over Thanksgiving with minimal hold-ups at check-in and security.
Mexicans Get Holiday Cheer, Pain on Ice
Olga R. Rodriguez
 Thousands of Mexicans are skating, wobbling and often falling on a giant ice rink set up by the tropical capital's government to bring some holiday cheer to this massive, chaotic metropolis.
Flight Attendants End Two-Day Strike at Click Mexicana
Associated Press
 Flight attendants at low-cost airline Click Mexicana ended a two-day strike Monday after reaching an agreement on wages and other conditions. In a news release, Click said the company agreed to pay a wage increase of 1 percentage point above inflation.
Airline 'Discount' Charges Heterosexual Customers More
WorldNetDaily.com
 Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air have announced a new program that will charge heterosexuals 10 percent extra for their air travel to specific locations during the Christmas season.
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