With plenty of energy still left after a day of skiing, Kim Han Fuller plays in the snow with Clay Brook Hotel & Residences in the background.There’s no sugar coating it. Sugarbush is one sweet ski resort for the whole family.
Our family ski experience there started with “May I help you carry your skis?” and ended with “have a great day!” I later learned the young men and women in the blue jackets are referred to as “Sugar Sherpas,” and it’s clear their role is to ensure you start and finish the day with a friendly greeting. This is just one of the many details that go into making Sugarbush Resort one incredible skiing experience for everyone from families to couples, skiers to boarders and first-timers to old-timers.
We visited Sugarbush on Martin Luther King’s birthday weekend after a blizzard dumped two feet of snow two days earlier. We anticipated crowds, and indeed we joined the exodus of skiers and boarders making “the big schlep” from the parking lot to the lodge. Yet with its campus of base lodges, ski school buildings and ticket sales locations, once to the base we were easily able to find a place to sit, stow gear and suit up, even with six of us.
To read more, visit EasternSlopes.com
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
GIVE ALASKA YOUR BEST SHOT.
From jagged blue glaciers and stunning wildlife to intriguing towns filled with pioneer and Native American history, the opportunities for breathtaking images on an Alaska cruise are endless. But returning home with disappointing pictures of an amazing journey can leave you frustrated.
© Ellen Barone. Alaska’s Inside Passage
To make sure you bring back memorable photographs from your voyage, Vacations Magazine asked me, and pro shooters, Brian Adams and Wayde Caroll, to share a few tricks of the trade.
Check out our tips and learn how to capture memorable photographs on an Alaskan cruise in the article, Shooting The Last Frontier by Alexis Hilts.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
THE WORLD, À LA CARTE
For those of us who can’t imagine experiencing a new place any way but food first, we’re in luck. Michelin, the bible of epicureans on the go for over 100 years, now offers foodies a new way to eat, drink and sleep their way around the planet. For travellers’ with twin appetites for great food and one-of-a-kind experiences, they’ve launched a new culinary travel series, Michelin Food and Travel.
© Ellen Barone.
Michelin Food & Travel experiences are wholly customizable, but here’s a few sample itinerary highlights to whet your appetite:
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
How well do you know your travel style?
Like any tribe, we wanderlusts are a varied lot: old, young, rich, poor, introvert, extrovert, wild, not so wild, and everything in between.
Some of us wouldn’t think of leaving home without a Smartphone and laptop. For others, tossing off the technological tethers is the very essence of a vacation. One traveler’s heaven can be another’s hell.
At best, knowing what kind of traveler you are can be liberating. At the least, it can save a marriage, friendship or a family holiday.
So, what kind of traveler are you? Take this quiz to find out.
1) Baggage
a. The size and heft of your luggage is a running joke in your family. No matter how good your intentions, you still end up paying out at check-in.
b. Where you once saw the wisdom in packing for every condition your trip may require, rising baggage fees and lost luggage stats have you down to a reasonable one checked bag maximum.
c. You are a carry-on only kind of traveler and could teach seminars on how to travel light. You load up the travel vest, slip on your security-friendly shoes and snub your nose at those lesser mortals still schlepping their yesteryear coffin-sized suitcases.
2) Action
a. You worked 360 days for this weeklong vacay and you plan to enjoy every minute of it. From the breakfast buffet to the afternoon museum exhibition and midnight tango lessons, you didn’t travel halfway across the world to just hang out.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
In a world of rising sea levels and plummeting economies it’s easy to lose sight of what’s important. To stay balanced, some of us pack our bags and head out into the wild blue yonder. Others seek security in work or family. A few turn to cheetos, Jack Daniels or repeat episodes of Two and a half Men. Neil Pasricha blogs.
Launched in June, 2008, his site, 1000 Awesome Things, a simple platform for gratitude gone viral, is read by millions of people eager to redirect their attention to the simple pleasures of daily life.
Listen to Pasricha’s amazing story in this heartfelt talk, The 3 A’s of awesome, from TEDxToronto, where he reveals the 3 secrets (all starting with A) to leading a life that’s truly awesome.
Author’s Note: I love helping people learn the ins and outs of travel, but have always wanted to have a blog that covers a wider range of topics, and is relevant to individuals interested in taking the internal journey to a life of meaning.
So I’ve decided to start a new series, The Internal Traveler, featuring topics like happiness, transformation, relationships, and what is right with our world, to help others be informed and inspired in those areas.
This is the first in that series and I’d love it if you’d use the comment box below to share your thoughts, ideas, or suggestions. Better yet, if you have wisdom, insights and experiences you’d like to share, drop me an email —I’d love to have you involved!
Bon voyage,
Ellen
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Good news for budget travelers, the National Park Service announced today that it will waive admission fees on 17 selected dates throughout 2011, encouraging all Americans to make a New Year’s resolution to visit a national park this year.
“Many people have made resolutions to spend more quality time with loved ones and to get outdoors and unplug in 2011,” said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. “There’s no better place than a national park to help keep those resolutions. Parks offer superb recreational opportunities, making them perfect places to enjoy our beautiful land, history and culture, and nurture a healthy lifestyle.”
Salazar noted that with 394 national parks throughout the country, most Americans live within a few hours of a park, making them places for easy and affordable vacations any time of the year.
“In these tough economic times, our fee-free days will give families many opportunities to enjoy our nation’s heritage and natural beauty in meaningful and affordable ways,” he said.
The 2011 fee-free dates will be the weekend of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (January 15-17), National Park Week (April 16-24), the first day of summer (June 21), National Public Lands Day (September 24), and the weekend of Veterans Day (November 11-13).
The first fee free days are centered on the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday (January 15 - 17, 2011).
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".