Showing posts with label Vacation Getaways. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vacation Getaways. Show all posts
Films have a funny way of touching people, of evoking emotions and of making viewers feel part of their reflective stories. And there are hundreds upon hundreds of films that make us want to be where they're set. Everybody has their own list of memorable destinations in movies. A single list of 10 isn't quite enough to cover a small fraction of it. But I'll give you a taste of the common favorites. Take a peek...
1. Salzburg, Austria (from The Sound of Music) - Captivating audiences worldwide was not only accomplished by Julie Andrews. Rather, the hills that were alive have a lot to do why the film is a family favorite. Salzburg gained international popularity and showed that it was so much more than the magnificent view in the movie.
2. South of France (from A Good Year) - Although it is set in many locations, the most captivating of them is the serene South of France countryside. Vineyards, stone facades and everything old-world France are elementally present at this locale and are masterfully woven as the arresting backdrop of the beautiful tale.
3. Tokyo, Japan (from Lost in Translation) - There was something unreal and fictional about Tokyo in this movie, and yet, there was also something magnetic and familiar. It was full of life, perhaps, more alive than Tokyo really is for first-timer travelers. But you can't but be drawn to the city as the film's plot unravels around it.
4. Tuscany (from Under the Tuscan Sun) - If the gorgeous men in Tuscany isn't enough reason to buy yourself a Tuscan villa, then how about the gorgeous scenery? In this film, it's inviting, warm, and carefree and the sun shines a different way. That's the kind of invitation that's hard to turn down.
5. Phi Phi Ley, Thailand (from The Beach) - If you weren't focused too much on the eye candy that was Leonardo DiCaprio, you'd see that Thailand is nothing like what you thought it is. This specific spot, near Phuket, has a major story arc in the film and its "paradise" status just makes you wanna make your own The Beach moments.
6. Venice, Italy (from The Talented Mr. Ripley) - It was reported that Venice had a massive tourism boom after the release of the film. And why not? The way it was depicted is nothing short of irresistible. Amidst the conflicts of the characters, the city (with its canals) blended right in.
7. Paris, France (from Amelie) - There is nothing more authentic in cinema than seeing Paris through the eyes of Amelie. This off-beat, maybe even unusual, character is strangely relatable. We join her in her daily Parisian life and somehow, we feel like we've been to those places she's been.
8. Highclere Castle, England (from Eyes Wide Shut) - If you could divert your attention for a while from the sexual tension of one of the most popular English destinations. The famous/infamous explicit scene wouldn't be the same if it was shot in a different location.
9. Around the United States (from North by Northwest) - Shot on location at Gran Central Station, Mount Rushmore and various natural scenes across the US, this film made Cary Grant the image of a true American hero. As he navigates through the Midwest like it was all his, audiences were living vicariously through him.
10. New Zealand (from The Lord of the Rings trilogy) - Who knew that New Zealand was so beautiful? The natural backdrop was magical in its own way, and most of it augmented the fantasy that the movie was all about. There couldn't have been more appropriate setting for Middle Earth.
1. Salzburg, Austria (from The Sound of Music) - Captivating audiences worldwide was not only accomplished by Julie Andrews. Rather, the hills that were alive have a lot to do why the film is a family favorite. Salzburg gained international popularity and showed that it was so much more than the magnificent view in the movie.
2. South of France (from A Good Year) - Although it is set in many locations, the most captivating of them is the serene South of France countryside. Vineyards, stone facades and everything old-world France are elementally present at this locale and are masterfully woven as the arresting backdrop of the beautiful tale.
3. Tokyo, Japan (from Lost in Translation) - There was something unreal and fictional about Tokyo in this movie, and yet, there was also something magnetic and familiar. It was full of life, perhaps, more alive than Tokyo really is for first-timer travelers. But you can't but be drawn to the city as the film's plot unravels around it.
4. Tuscany (from Under the Tuscan Sun) - If the gorgeous men in Tuscany isn't enough reason to buy yourself a Tuscan villa, then how about the gorgeous scenery? In this film, it's inviting, warm, and carefree and the sun shines a different way. That's the kind of invitation that's hard to turn down.
5. Phi Phi Ley, Thailand (from The Beach) - If you weren't focused too much on the eye candy that was Leonardo DiCaprio, you'd see that Thailand is nothing like what you thought it is. This specific spot, near Phuket, has a major story arc in the film and its "paradise" status just makes you wanna make your own The Beach moments.
6. Venice, Italy (from The Talented Mr. Ripley) - It was reported that Venice had a massive tourism boom after the release of the film. And why not? The way it was depicted is nothing short of irresistible. Amidst the conflicts of the characters, the city (with its canals) blended right in.
7. Paris, France (from Amelie) - There is nothing more authentic in cinema than seeing Paris through the eyes of Amelie. This off-beat, maybe even unusual, character is strangely relatable. We join her in her daily Parisian life and somehow, we feel like we've been to those places she's been.
8. Highclere Castle, England (from Eyes Wide Shut) - If you could divert your attention for a while from the sexual tension of one of the most popular English destinations. The famous/infamous explicit scene wouldn't be the same if it was shot in a different location.
9. Around the United States (from North by Northwest) - Shot on location at Gran Central Station, Mount Rushmore and various natural scenes across the US, this film made Cary Grant the image of a true American hero. As he navigates through the Midwest like it was all his, audiences were living vicariously through him.
10. New Zealand (from The Lord of the Rings trilogy) - Who knew that New Zealand was so beautiful? The natural backdrop was magical in its own way, and most of it augmented the fantasy that the movie was all about. There couldn't have been more appropriate setting for Middle Earth.
Many of the world's great cities were built along rivers, making them easily accessible for trade and exploration. Today, riverboat cruises remain as one of the most alluring and efficient ways to tour them. Like ocean liners, riverboats represents floating hotels but riverboats rarely hold more than 150 passengers, and they sail past fishing villages and vineyards to dock right in the heart of medieval cities.
In Europe, the Rhine and Danube are the hottest waterways for touring. Tauck organizes a 24-day Grand European Cruise through nine countries to the Black Sea.
The new eight-night Epicurean Adventurer Program from Uniworld starts in Marseille and goes through seven cities, ending in Lyon with a short trip to a Valrhona chocolate factory.
Sea Cloud - the Ritz Carlton of riverboats, with a Michelin-starred chef on board - traverses some of the same waterways but in a different style.
On the 10-night Classic Rhine Golf cruise, passengers schedule tee times all along the riverboats. The 7-night Johnson Strauss Waltz Music on the Danube cruise allows passengers to travel in the company of the famous composer's great-grandnephew, with stopovers for private concerts in opera houses along the way, as well as wine tastings at private chateaus owned by dukes and princesses.
AMA Waterways sails along the Volga-Baltic from Moscow to St. Petersburg.
Pandaw has a new cruise in the works; after years of negotiations with India, the company's boats will in September begin heading down the holy Ganges for 14 nights, just in time for the Festival of Lights that marks the Hindu New Year.
In Portugal, Douro Azul explores the port wine country along the Douro River Valley. Passengers can sit in lounge chairs on the deck of the boat, listening to history lectures as they sail through three UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Don't you try to wait for some time before trying these cruises. ^_^
In January, Tourism Queensland put out want ads looking for a "caretaker" for Hamilton Island on Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Nearly 35,000 people applied. More important, the press picked up the story. "The main objective is to generate media coverage to supplement advertising," says Bill Siegel of the market-research firm Longwoods International.
Struggling tourist destinations are devising all sorts of over-the-top advertising campaigns to make themselves stand out. In August, 10 contestants chosen through a Web competition will scramble around the Netherlands Antilles island of Curacao on a treasure hunt for half a million dollars—a tiny fraction of the tourist dollars the island hopes the move will generate. Such bold promotions have been known to work;
when Starwood advertised "Procreation Vacations" at its Caribbean properties—complete with couples massages and fertility enhancing foods—it led to 43 bookings and $102,000 in revenue. No word yet on how many babies.
Battered and broke, anxious and exhausted, we are desperate for an escape from our day-to-day lives. The travel industry is bracing for possibly the worst season since 9/11. The U. N. estimates that worldwide tourism will fall by up to 2 percent this year, with the Americas and Europe hardest hit. The number of international tourists going to the United States fell 9 percent during the year ending in January, and the amount they spent fell 7 percent. The number going to Britain fell 2.6 percent in 2008, and the number of Brits traveling abroad fell nearly 9 percent in the last three months of the year. Even France - still the world's top tourist destination - saw a 3 percent drop in visitors, most of it coming at the end of the year as the crisis took hold.
But this doesn't mean the holiday has been forsaken. Studies show vacations are one of the last budget items families will cut, and many cling to time off as practically a basic human right. Instead they are traveling faster, cheaper and more creatively.
Someday soon, we hope, this whole economic nightmare will end. Private jets will return to the skies, penthouse suites will be booked solid, three-star restaurant meals will again become standard fare. Until then, it's great to know we can still enjoy a picnic on a makeshift beach.
But this doesn't mean the holiday has been forsaken. Studies show vacations are one of the last budget items families will cut, and many cling to time off as practically a basic human right. Instead they are traveling faster, cheaper and more creatively.
Someday soon, we hope, this whole economic nightmare will end. Private jets will return to the skies, penthouse suites will be booked solid, three-star restaurant meals will again become standard fare. Until then, it's great to know we can still enjoy a picnic on a makeshift beach.
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