travelwriter

It’s not too late to come and enjoy the ‘Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth’ – the Calgary Stampede!  Starting July 3, 2009, and running for 10 days, the Stampede welcomes an average of 120,000 visitors per day.

The Stampede events include Chuckwagon races, a Rodeo featuring some of the world’s best rodeo athletes, a Grandstand Show featuring music and entertainment, plus animals and agriculture by the corral full.

Tickets are still available; for more information, visit: CalgaryStampede

For the second year in a row, Marriott Golf, is offering ‘a yearlong series of one day events’ to promote family togetherness in golf.

The Marriott International Family Golf Festival invites families to Marriott Golf properties for a fun afternoon of FREE instruction, golf clinics, activities, interactive games, plus a chance to win family vacation prizes!

Plus, after 3 p.m. on the Golf Festival day, children and families can golf for FREE.  An estimated 10,000 children and parents participated in the Marriott program in 2008.

Marriott offers more than 60 golf courses at 44 locations in 13 countries – with more than 1,000 holes of championship golf.  Visit Marriott.com to see a complete list of 2009 Golf Festival Dates .

With over 1,000 personally selected properties in 14 destinations around the world, The Villa Book has it all.

Intrigued?  For more information, visit The Villa Book.

San Francisco has so much to offer vacationers and the Official Visitors Site for San Francisco sums it up well - “Cool fog.  Hot restaurants.  Neighborhoods to explore.  Cultures to experience.  Always more to discover….Only in San Francisco.”

To help plan your vacation, the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau (SFCVB) offers a number of travel planning tools including:

• Visitor Information Kit – general information for travelers
• Access Visitor Information Kit – for travelers with disabilities
• LGBT Visitor Kit – for gay & lesbian travelers
• Official Visitor’s Map

To learn more about planning your vacation to San Francisco online, visit the Virtual Visitor’s Guide.

If you live in the Pacific Northwest, you’re probably already a huge fan of the informative weekly television show, Northwest Backroads.

Hosted by Grant Goodeve (Eight is Enough & Northern Exposure), the show tells unique stories while taking viewers to little-known & well-known destinations throughout the area including Washington, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, British Columbia and Alaska. 

Viewers have been introduced to exclusive wildlife locations, geological anomalies, restorative architecture, and more while being offered travel tips plus links & a travel forum on their website.

Northwest Backroads airs on KING-TV and KONG-TV in Seattle, KREM-TV in Spokane, WA, KGW-TV in Portland, OR, and on KTVB-TV in Boise, ID.  And if you don’t live in the Northwest, you can still learn more by visiting the Northwest Backroads website.

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Near Bryson City in North Carolina, not too far from the junctions of Highway 74 and 28N, lies a cluster of cabins better known as Watershed Luxury Log Home Rentals.

Since 1998, the collection of one to five bedroom ‘cabins’ have provided something for everyone’s budget from value cabins to luxury but all include a hot tub, luxury linens & down comforters, which are so deserved after a hard day’s play.

In the Great Smoky Mountains, ‘play’ can include endless water sports (whitewater rafting, tubing, jet boats & more) or mountain biking (trails + horseback riding, hiking, camping).  Those looking for less action can try their luck at the nearby Harrah’s Casino or at the Lakeview at Fontana Day Spa.

For more information, visit WatershedCabins.com.

Maybe it’s time for Rhode Island. 

There are very few places on earth where you can find fun, culture, restaurants, shopping, plus endless coastline and sightseeing galore but world-class Rhode Island has it all.

From following nature & heritage trails to following a culinary trail, Rhode Island is just waiting to be discovered.  Here you’ll find geotourism opportunities including hiking, walking, plus cooking classes or even a green thumb getaway.

Or how about a romantic gondola ride or afternoon tea for two?  Or maybe sailing, or polo, or seal watching, or exploring lighthouses, shipwrecks or wineries?  So many choices!

Want to learn more?  Order your FREE Rhode Island Travel Guide today or use the Travel Rhode Island Planner (TRIP).

Royal Caribbean is asking you to join the ‘Nation of Why Not’, by offering activities that other cruise ships do not such as onboard surfing and rock-climbing walls.

Instead of asking ‘can I?’ citizens of the Nation of Why Not already know that with 21 ships covering 361,000,000 kilometers of ocean terrain, Royal Caribbean is almost its own independent country where anything goes.

With its highly interactive Nation of Why Not website , potential citizens of the Royal Caribbean nation are invited to learn how to say ‘why not’ in 24 languages, learn about their wildlife, holidays or to explore cool activities like ice skating.

And if you’d like to book a cruise on Royal Caribbean, you can do that, too.

Ordering FREE publications from the Idaho Department of Commerce has never been easier.

Here’s what’s available to help you plan your vacation to the Gem state:

• Idaho Travel Guide
• Idaho Highway Map
• RV and Campground Guide
• Lewis and Clark Brochure
• Outfitters and Guides
• Idaho’s River Brochure

Long famous for its potatoes, Idaho is rich in history and outdoor recreation.  Did you know that Hells Canyon, located on the mid-eastern side of the state, is deeper than the Grand Canyon?  Did you also know that the ‘Niagara of the West’, Shoshone Falls near Twin Falls, drops over 200 hundred feet?

Whatever you choose in Idaho, vacation memories are just a planner away.

The Official Olympic Store for Vancouver 2010 is open and ready for business.

Here you’ll find a vast array of Olympic souvenirs and gifts with everything from gold coins to accessories for your pets.  There’s also clothing, collectibles, gift ideas and the oh-so Canadian Vancouver 2010 Quatchi Puck.

Some of the most popular products include the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games Coin Collection ($29.95 CAD), Vancouver 2010 Park Life for Aritzia Organic Fleece Hoodie ($110), and the Vancouver 2010 Mascot Pack with Mukmuk ($60).

Vancouver, BC, is home to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games.  View Vancouver’s Official Visitor’s Guide here.