Here at Amazing Journeys, we’re lucky have the best jobs in the world—and we think our good fortune is worth sharing. So, when your next journey seems like a distant dream, take a few minutes to explore our WANDERLUST blog—it’s chock full of engaging tales and helpful tips from our travels around the world. Check out the most recent entry (at the top) or search by your preferred criteria. Consider it motivation for your next embarkation.

Ia Orana (“yo-rah-nah”)

Sunday, October 23rd, 2011

Ia Orana is a proper greeting (“Hello” or “Welcome”) in the Tahitian language. This week 36 AJers will will say Ia Orana to each other, and to Tahiti as we embark on an 11-night journey to French Polynesia. Perfect weather is an understatement as balmy days turn into moonlit nights, and where tropical breezes blow while brightly colored fish swim just below the surface of clear turquoise waters.

The pampering begins with two nights at an incredible resort in Tahiti followed by a seven night cruise aboard the luxury ship, Paul Gauguin. Built specifically for French Polynesia, this intimate voyage will glide our group of honorary Jewish single Tahitians through some of the most remote islands of the world. Some of these islands you may have heard of: Tahiti and Bora Bora seems to be familiar to many. But there are 118 islands-about 50 of which are inhabited-that make up French Polynesia. Our journey will also take us to the tiny but pristine islands of Moorea (More-aya), Raiatea (Ry-a-taya) and Taha’a (pronounced exactly how it looks).

The ship is equipped with an array of unique features such as a drop-down watersports marina where passengers will enjoy complimentary kayaking, snorkeling, windsurfing and waterskiing. On board, unlimited complimentary drinks, three exquisite restaurants, Polynesian entertainment and a ratio of one crew member to every two guests will translate into one huge Ia Orana (“Welcome”) and memories to last a lifetime. The word ‘vacation’ cannot be more clearly defined than what is in store in French Polynesia.

To share in the tranquility of these unique islands our new friends will travel from four countries to be a part of this amazing journey: US, Canada, Australia and England. Stay tuned to our Amazing Journeys facebook (www.facebook.com/AmazingJourneys) page over the next 2+ weeks for a front row seat on our adventures.

And then…don’t be left out in the cold yourself. Why not consider joining us on one of our next upcoming Amazing Journeys: Spain, China, West Coast Cruise, India, Music Cities of the South, New Year’s Caribbean Cruise, Alaska…and lots more. Visit: www.amazingjourneys.net

Tags: Alaska, Amazing Journeys, Bora Bora, China, Cruise, French Polynesia, Ia Orana, Jewish Singles, Moorea, Music Cities, New Year's, Paul Gaugin, Tahiti
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Vacations That Change Your Life

Tuesday, October 11th, 2011

Over the past 20 years, (the last 11 years under the name Amazing Journeys) we have taken over 6000 passengers across seven continents to places once only dreamed of . We tag our Amazing Journeys with “vacations that change your life” and there’s a reason we do so.

Together we’ve gone jetboating in New Zealand, hot-air ballooning in Australia, dog sledding in Alaska, snorkeling in the Caribbean, zip lining in Costa Rica, parading at Carnaval in Rio, biking in Europe, off-roading in Iceland and even swimming in Antarctica!

We’ve seen the Statue of David, the Sydney Opera House, the massive Alaskan glaciers, the Aurora Borealis, the Great Wall of China, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, The Grand Canal in Venice and The Grand Canyon itself.

We’ve been kissed by dolphins, cuddled by koalas, snorkeled with sea lions, swam with the stingrays, witnessed the birth of a buffalo and waddled with penguins. And….we’ve been the venue for the introduction of over 100 “happily ever after” individuals who, for obvious reasons, won’t be seen on an upcoming Jewish singles Amazing Journey.

Check out some of these life changing experiences we have provided and shared with our Amazing travelers. If you are one of the lucky one’s who have ‘been there, done that’ then you can attest to the life changing experiences we offer to our travelers and we invite you to come back for more. If you are one of our readers and followers and facebook friends who have yet to travel with us…what are you waiting for? Life is too short to stay home. Get out there with us and experience what it’s like to have, by true definition, an Amazing Journey.

A vacation that will change your life.

Tags: Alaska, Antarctica, Australia / Pacific, Caribbean, Costa Rica, dog sled, Great Wall, Hot Air Ballooning, Jewish Singles, New Zealand, penguins, snorkeling, Vacations, zip lining
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In The Spirit Of The Holiday Season

Wednesday, September 28th, 2011

The Torah explains that Jews have 613 mitzvot by which we should base our good-deeds lives upon. There are mitzvot about foods, holidays and prayers, kindness and cleanliness, honesty, how to treat other people and lots more.

Some of the mitzvahs we should try do are:

Honor your mother and father
Give Charity
Learn
Pray
Visit the sick or elderly
Care for animals

This past weekend in the heart of New York City and just a few days prior to our Days of Awe, an amazing journey of another kind took place thanks to the kindness, generosity and mitzvah of three siblings. Bruce and Steven Stark and Ellen Gabe, owners of Beacon Paint & Hardware (www.beaconpaint.com) hosted their 12th annual Guiding Eyes for the Blind fundraiser; an organization that raises and trains seeing-eye dogs.

After Shabbat on Sept 24th, over 300 supporters gathered in a school yard adjacent to the Museum of National History for music, food, puppy playtime, socializing and a presentation full of accolades to those who helped make the event possible. The food, lighting, staging and even t-shirts were all donated for this worthy cause and by the end of the night over $15,000 was raised for this wonderful cause.

I traveled up from Pittsburgh to take part of this meaningful event. I returned home after the weekend touched and honored to have been invited to take part. This was not an event about loving animals, although those who love dogs were certainly overjoyed. This was an event about helping people in need. It takes tens of thousands of dollars to raise, train and support a service dog and their meanings to the lives of needy people cannot be understated. Bruce, Steven and Ellen know that premise all too well as they had a sister who suffered blindness and greatly benefitted from her beloved service pup.

In the spirit of Rosh Hashana and the most powerful, meaningful time of year for us Jews….cheers to Bruce, Steven and Ellen for all their mitzvahs during this amazing journey of a different kind! And yes, Amazing Journeys passengers were grand supporters as well. Over 40 local (and a couple out of towners) came to the event – and dozens more sent in donations.

Shana Tova to one and all. May this year be amazing; full of love, good health, prosperity, great friends and lots of togetherness.

Tags: Amazing Journey, Beacon Paint, dogs, fundraiser, Guiding Eyes for the Blind, mitzvah, mitzvot, New York, Rosh Hashana, Shana Tova, Travel
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Weeeeeee…….

Wednesday, September 21st, 2011

Everyone loves a good roller coaster. Whether its a fast one or one with corkscrews or one with a 200 foot vertical drop…or one that goes from zero to 80 mph in 3.2 seconds , the need for speed takes many turns on a good coaster. Coasters are the lightening rods for fun at Amusement Parks; the featured fun…the thrills that give you chills…and, the reason that 3-hour wait lines were invented. Over 7 million people attend an amusement park every summer and chances are you were one of them.

Amusement Today, a publication that covers the amusement and water park industries recognize the best parks in 25 categories as ranked by “experienced and well-traveled” fans who know their way around the amusement park world.

This year’s winner is Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio! The honor will come as no surprise to diehard amusement park fans who track these things, seeing as this Park has ranked No. 1 in the annual competition since it began 14 years ago.

In other categories, winners include industry giants like Universal Studios and Disney, as well as family run enterprises like Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari in Santa Claus, Ind.

Curiously, though the results were tallied from an international database of fans, according to Amusement Today, not a single non-U.S park landed on the “best” list.

A sampling of 2011 awardees are:

*Best Amusement Park – Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio
*Best Waterpark – Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort, New Braunfels, Texas
*Best Children’s Park – Idlewild and SoakZone, Ligonier, Pa.
*Best Marine Life Park – SeaWorld Orlando, Orlando, Fla.
*Best Seaside Park – Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Santa Cruz, Calif.
*Best Steel Coaster – Millennium Force at Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio
*Friendliest Staff – Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari, Santa Claus, Ind.
*Best Halloween Event – Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando, Orlando, Fla.
*Best Landscaping – Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Williamsburg, Va.
*Best Food – Knoebels Amusement Resort, Elysburg, Pa.
*Best Outdoor Night Show Production – IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth at Walt Disney World’s Epcot, Orlando, Fla.
*Best Water Ride – Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, Orlando, Fla.
*Best Dark Ride – Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, Orlando, Fla.
*Best New Ride of 2011: Amusement Park – New Texas Giant at Six Flags Over Texas, Arlington, Texas
*Best Indoor Roller Coaster – Revenge of the Mummy at Universal Studios Orlando, Orlando, Fla.
*Best Funhouse/Walk-Through Attraction – Noah’s Ark at Kennywood, West Mifflin, Pa.

Got an opinion? Here’s your chance to cast a vote. What’s your favorite amusement park and why?

Tags: Amusement Park, Busch Gardens, Cedar Point, Disney, Harry Potter, Journey, Revenge of the Mummy, Roller Coaster, Seaworld, summer, Universal Studios, water park
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Live From Pittsburgh…Its Thursday Night!!

Wednesday, September 14th, 2011

Your “Amazing” friend Bill Cartiff is going to be a guest on local radio talk show based in Pittsburgh on Thursday 9/15 from 7:00-8:00pm EST. Tune in from anywhere in the world for a live stream: http://tunein.com/radio/KQV-1410-s34898/

Bill will be a guest on the MIND BODY & SOUL segment of Total Talk with host Nan Cohen and will chat about what else? Amazing Journeys and travelling!

We hope you’ll tune in, and please pass the word to your friends so that others can learn a little more about how we make Vacations that Change Your Life.

After the show, we’d love to hear what you think. Feel free to post your thoughts here!

…and now, back to our show!

Tags: Amazing Journeys, KQV Radio, MIND BODY & SOUL, Nan Cohen, Pittsburgh, Total Talk, traveling, Vacations
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Travel Tips for the Single Traveler: Top Travel Scams

Tuesday, September 13th, 2011

While you’re often safer overseas than you are in your hometown, a few scams seem to pop up all over the world. After leading hundreds of group trips for Jewish singles there are so many travel tips I’ve learned, but one mantra holds true no matter where you are; if it looks too good to be true, it is too good to be true…

*Fake police: Sometimes also the real police, they’ll demand to see your passport and find something wrong with your visa, but then suggest your troubles will all be over if you pay a fine. To them. In cash. Right now. Standing your ground and offering to accompany them to the station will usually see the error ‘excused’.

*Gem or carpet deals: On entry into a store, often prompted by an enthusiastic taxi or rickshaw driver, you will be offered a deal so preposterously lucrative that refusing it seems unthinkable. Think again – those gems are going to be worthless and the carpet you buy may not make it home at all. There are legitimate traders selling both jewels and rugs, and they don’t act like this.

*Airport taxis: Drivers taking you into town might try every trick in the book, from asking you for an inflated fare to driving around the streets to raise the price higher. This is usually harmless, but you should only travel with licensed taxis and, agree on a fee (or meter) before starting out and don’t pay until you get where you want to be.

*Timeshares: You’re approached by an extremely genial young man who offers you a scratchie card, and, lo and behold, you’ve won some sort of prize, which could be anything from a t-shirt and cash to a holiday. What’s the catch? The local insists you must accompany him to a hotel to collect your prize. If you haven’t smelled a rat by now, you need your senses tested.

*‘This is closed’: In some countries everyone from touts to taxi drivers will try to tell you that your chosen hotel, restaurant or shop is closed…but there’s another, even better one you should visit, where they can pick up a commission. This is more annoying than harmful, but always insist on having a look for yourself.

*Motorbike scam: There are so many things wrong with renting motorbikes in foreign countries(especially in developing countries) that just suffice it to say, don’t do it. Or at least, be very wary if you do.

*Would you like some mustard on that scam?: Someone ‘accidentally’ spills mustard on you. The surprising splat of condiment on you is followed by the swift appearance of a stranger who towels you down. In the confusion, valuables are removed from your person, never to be seen again.

*Forget the Motorbike..Don’t let your hormones take you for a ride: Notoriously aimed at male travellers, young local girls approach a tourist and, after some idle chit-chat, you agree to accompany them to a local bar/tea shop. Thrilled at the opportunity to hang with a couple of local lasses, you offer to buy them a drink. On receipt of the bill, the girls are gone, and you are left with a bill that can amount to hundreds of dollars.

Tags: Jewish Singles, single, Travel Scams, Travel Tips, traveler
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Savoring the Charms of Barcelona

Wednesday, September 7th, 2011

If you’re in the mood to surrender to a city’s charms, let it be in Barcelona. Life bubbles in its narrow old town alleys, grand boulevards and elegant modern district in Spain’s most vibrant and famous city. While Barcelona has an illustrious past — from Roman colony to 14th-century maritime power — it’s enjoyable to throw out the history books and just drift through the city.

We are in the throes of promoting our Amazing Journey to Spain and while the charm is fresh on our plate, please enjoy these tantalizing top treats of Barcelona:

Las Ramblas – A stroll down Barcelona’s main pedestrian drag is a freefall into sensory overload. This grand boulevard takes you through an endless current of people and action. As you navigate this one-mile strip, you’ll meander past a grand opera house, elegant cafes, outdoor artists, street mimes, and even a bird market. Be mindful of pickpockets (wear a money belt).
Gothic Quarter – East of Las Ramblas is the Barri Gotic, which centers around the colossal cathedral. The narrow streets that surround the cathedral are a tangled but inviting grab bag of undiscovered Art Nouveau storefronts, neighborhood flea markets, classy antique shops and musicians strumming the folk songs of Catalunya (the independent-minded region of northeast Spain).
Joan Miro – Modern artist Joan Miro lived in the Barri Gotic. His designs are found all over the city, from murals to mobiles to the La Caixa bank logo. If you enjoy his child-like style, ride the funicular up to Parc de Montjuic, and peek into the Fundacio Joan Miro, a showcase for his art.
Pablo Picasso – The Barri Gotic was also home to a teenage Pablo Picasso. It was in Barcelona, in the 1890s, that Picasso grabbed hold of the artistic vision that rocketed him to Paris and fame. The Picasso Museum, in the La Ribera district, is far and away the best collection of the artist’s work in Spain. Seeing Picasso’s youthful, realistic art, you can better appreciate the genius of his later, more abstract art.
Eixample – For a refreshing break from the dense old city, head north to the modern Eixample neighborhood, with its wide sidewalks, graceful shade trees, chic shops and Art Nouveau frills. Barcelona was busting out of its medieval walls by the 1850s, and so a new town — called the Eixample, or Expansion — was laid out in a grid pattern. Over time the Eixample became a showcase for wealthy residents and their Catalan architects, who turned the flourishing Art Nouveau style into Modernisme, their own brand of decorative design. Buildings bloom with characteristic colorful, leafy, and flowing shapes in doorways, entrances, facades and ceilings.
Antoni Gaudi – Barcelona’s most famous Modernista artist, Antoni Gaudi created architectural fantasies that are quirky, curvey and crazy. His works of art are smattered here, there and everywhere around the city, but just like his work, you never know what or where you will see it. Gaudi fans also enjoy the artist’s magic in the colorful, freewheeling Parc Guell, a 30-acre hilltop garden once intended to be a 60-residence housing project, a kind of gated community.
Sagrada Familia – Gaudi’s best known and most persistent work is the eternally unfinished Sagrada Familia, with its melting ice cream cone spires and towers. The Nativity Facade, the only part of the church essentially completed in Gaudi’s lifetime, shows the architect’s original vision. Mixing Christian symbolism, images from nature, and the organic flair of Modernisme, it’s an impressive example of his unmistakable style. The church is supposed to be completed in 2026, which marks the 100th anniversary of Gaudi’s death.Your admission helps pay for the ongoing construction.

From art to food to markets, Barcelona specializes in lively — and that’s why it’s such a hit with vacation travelers. Amazing Journeys’ Jewish singles tour of Spain culminates with three days in Barcelona.

Tags: Amazing Journeys, Antoni Gaudi, Barcelona, Eixample, Gothic Quarter, Jewish Singles, Joan Miro, Las Ramblas, Pablo Picasso, Sagrada Familia, Spain, tour, Vacation
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Top 5 Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Vacation

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011

Here at Amazing Journeys we have been company to truly amazing experiences in all parts of the world. In 19 years of leading Jewish singles to places on all 7 continents, the thousands of travelers we have hosted will attest to remarkable experiences: from zip lining above the clouds in Costa Rica, to dog sledding on a glacier in Alaska…from witnessing the Sumba Parade in Rio during Carnival, to celebrating New Year’s in Hawaii…from riding an elephant in Thailand to marching with the penguins in Chile.

But imagine for a moment if these wonderful experiences in waiting, never happened because of one simple faux pas…one simple misjudgement, one simple moment of carelessness or one simple moment in time that could have and should been avoided.

These five simple rules of engagement can help you maintain peace of mind in your preparations for that long awaited/long earned vacation. Don’t let Murphy’s Law rule. Live by the Vacationer’s Rule where thou art due leisure time away on vacation; to live carefree, to have fun, to leave your worries behind and to “vacate” your life of responsibility for a life of bliss:

1. Mind Your Passport: Really…..don’t just assume that its where you “usually” put it, and make sure that its on your person BEFORE checking your luggage onto a cruise ship or under a motor coach (thank goodness the airlines ask for it before you check your luggage). Case in point: Barbara (names are being changed to protect the innocent) was sure she had her passport in her pocketbook as she checked in onto a recent cruise with Amazing Journeys. After the porters took her luggage for boarding, she realized she packed in her suitcase. The luggage was somewhere amongst 3000 other pieces of baggage in process of being delivered to staterooms and she was denied boarding until her luggage appeared again. Lucky for her, it was before the ship set sail.

2. Lighten Up, Francis: For so many reasons, travelers need to lighten their load while traveling. It can cost you more in checked baggage fees…the more you pack, the more you can lose if your bag gets lost….lighter luggage is greener on the planet as it uses less fuel, less manpower to haul, and less materials to wear & tear, etc. And, it’s easier on you! Even if you have luggage assistance on your tour, somewhere along your way you will have to handle your own belongings and if its too heavy for even you to move, its too heavy! Case in point: Sharon was on her way to meet her Amazing Journeys group at JFK for a flight overseas and the start of a tour of Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. While unloading her suitcase from the taxi, she lost her balance and trying to right herself, tweaked her lower back. She couldn’t right herself and let alone move her luggage into the airport, she couldn’t even stand upright. She never made it to Ecuador.

3. Make Things Right, At Home: Have a checklist of things you need to do to get yourself ready for the trip, that not only includes actual trip preparations (buy sunscreen, pack camera, have enough underwear, etc), but preparations for your leaving and returning to home. Buy an automatic light timer that will randomly turn a lamp on in your home throughout the days and nights, giving the impression that your home is occupied. This is a deterrent for would-be thiefs. Clean all your dirty dishes. Imagine the stench or mold left to grow if your kitchen has perishable food hanging around for a week. Make your bed! Its just nice to come home to an orderly home after a long time away. The last thing you want to do is organize, clean or fix something. And finally, if your home is going to be empty, make sure your main water supply is turned off. Case in point: Sam left for his 10 night Amazing Journey to the Med. One of the pipes leading to his washing machine cracked while he was away causing the water to flow onto his basement floor. And flow and flow it did, flooding his basement and beyond. Because the water flowed continuously for days (he really wasn’t sure when it broke) he had so much water damage in his basement that he needed to gut it all out and basically rebuild it. NOT a fun way to come home from vacation.

4. KISS Your Vacation (Keep It Simple, Stupid): You’re on vacation finally. You’re feeling relaxed, carefree, like a kid again. Just what you wanted! Way to go, dude! But….you forgot one thing. You’re not a kid anymore. The reality check here is make sure that you have your vacation, within your physical and emotional means. Its ok to have a few more drinks than normal, but don’t pound ’em down like you’re at a college frat party. Do you really want to lose a day or more of your precious vacation to a hangover? Speaking of drinking, be careful where you are drinking the water. There are places you want to go where you won’t want to drink the water. Do your research and ask the questions. Montezuma’s Revenge will hurt more than a hangover and ruin more than a day. Finally, its ok to take on new adventures but do so with care. Wear a helmet if you go bike riding or wave-running, wear sturdy shoes if you go hiking and don’t go near any of the wildlife. Also, don’t go where you’re not supposed to. Case in point: Phil was in Alaska with Amazing Journeys and after a full day of Whale Watching and biking, he had 30 minutes before he needed to board our ship. Not wanting to miss a single minute of seeing something he took off for an unscheduled, unsupervised and rushed hike, just so he could say he did. He was so careless in his rushed approach to this hike that he found a secluded rock formation to hike…and then slipped, falling 10 feet into a ditch where no one could see or hear him. His broken rib causing pain and subsequently losing his wind, he had no choice but to muster up strength to get himself out of the ditch and to the ship. All this in 30 minutes! The end result was two days in the ship’s infirmary and an early disembarkation so he could be hospitalized.

5. Buy Travel Insurance! For all the aformentioned reasons and so many more, you need to protect your vacation investment. From lost luggage to a delayed flight or an unexpected need to cancel due to injury or illness to you or a family member…insurance can safeguard what is a significant investment of your time and money. If there is one thing you do to prepare for your trip beyond packing, its this. Buy insurance. Let me say it again; BUY TRAVEL INSURANCE! Its a nominal but extraordinarily valuable addition to your vacation planning and it gives you peace of mind should anything go wrong: Case in point: Just last week, Ethan was booked on our Bermuda Cruise out of Bayonne, NJ. He was scheduled to fly from Columbus to JFK early in the morning on the day of the cruise, but the airports shut down due to Hurricane Irene. He had not purchased travel insurance because he was “sure nothing could wrong..I’m a healthy guy”. Sadly he didn’t get to go on the trip and he lost all his money. Another case in point: Sarah’s luggage came off the belt in Sydney during one of our Australia tours, with a huge gash in the side making the piece unuseable. The airlines shrugged it off as they do, but Sarah had insurance was able to be reimbursed for a new suitcase.

Tags: Alaska, Amazing Journeys, Costa Rica, Jewish Singles, luggage, Murphy's Law, New Year's, passport, Rio, Travel Insurance, Vacation
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SWIMMING AT THE POLES

Thursday, August 25th, 2011

Granted, this is not a common thought to those of us living in a civilized modern world, but if one were to think on such a plane, one would consider the secret of survival in the Arctic Ocean to be to stay in the boat and not go in the water. Right?

Well…given a challenge and the opportunity (and being just a li’l ol’ visitor from the aformentioned civilized world), I decided TO go in the water; to plunge into the 38 degree Arctic Ocean from the northernmost point in the United States, Point Barrow, Alaska. Barrow is the nearest bit of American mainland to the North Pole and when Amazing Journeys took our Jewish singles group there in 2007 after our annual Alaska cruise, we had the opportunity to join the real and official Polar Bear Club. Membership into The Polar Bear Club in Barrow is authenticated by Club member witnesses from a nearby host restaurant who accept a $15 fee for the right to freeze your butt off. The do provide the towel, however. They also provide authentication of such prowlness. The feat must include full submersion into the water and all successful plungers receive a certificate of authenticity and a Polar Bear Club Patch.

For Barrow visitors, going in the water is something of a tradition, a ritual for the young at heart and the easily bored. But swimming is not Barrow’s sole attraction. There is the novelty of 24-hour light in summer and 24-hour darkness in winter. There are traditional Iñupiat Eskimo festivals—Piuraagiaqta to celebrate spring and Nalukataq for the whale harvest. There is the land itself, flat ground and subtle hills rendered treeless by the permanently frozen soil. There are Iñupiat carvings and handmade fur gloves. There are polar bears.

But we were there to see a land rarely seen by most people from the lower 48. We were there to meet the people who are mostly isolated from the rest of the US. We were there to taste a remote culture where entertainment includes blanket tossing and whale meat festivals. We were there to swim (well, I was)….because I could. Although it stung like a thousand needles, inside, I felt exhilaration as I reveled in the idiocy of my actions.

Cold water swimming is not new for me. Not anymore anyway. It was a rare feat to submerge in the Arctic Ocean, but less than three years later, in February of 2010 I had the chance to say that I could be in rare company. First to swim in the Arctic Ocean and now, the even colder (35 degrees) Southern Antarctic Ocean. I had two friends join me in the Barrow swim, but this time I also had two friends…who didn’t really take the word “submerge” so seriously. Antarctica doesnt’ offer an authentication, so they got certificates too – but your’s truly took the plunge yet again.

Sure there is no way to jump into this icy water and be manly about it (yes, we all came out screaming like little girls) – another thousand needles poking my skin….but I am now a swimmer of both poles.!

How utterly cool…in so many senses of that word!

Tags: Alaska, Antarctica, Arctic Ocean, Barrow, Jewish singles group, north pole, plunge, Polar Bear Club, south pole, swim
Posted in Antarctica, Blog, Interesting Things about Interesting Places, North America | Comments Off on SWIMMING AT THE POLES

Summer Time – Amazing Times

Thursday, August 18th, 2011

Summertime conjures up an innate desire in all of us to do something different than we do during the three other seasons. Likely this premise dates back to our youth when summer vacation was the end result…the reward…the yearning of every student each and every school year. As adults we never really shed that urge; to “vacate” somewhere during the summer.

For many of our Amazing Journeys friends who live in New York, that means buying into a share at Fire Island for weekends of beach time, party time and time with friends. For teachers, it means that the job breaks for 2 months and its time to get out of dodge (our friend Bob C from Toronto and Maris J from New York–both teachers–actually spend more of their time in foreign countries than at home during their summer breaks. “School’s out, pack my bags and see ya at Labor Day!” are their summer time mottos). For others, its simply that the weather is nice and the desire to get out of the house–way out of the house–is what they’ve been waiting for. The “summer vacation” impression is so deeply rooted in our souls from days gone by in our youth, we almost have no choice but to succumb to that urge and take that break.

Knowing that the summer is an important travel season to so many people, Amazing Journeys plans 2-3 impressive, destination-oriented and very well attended vacations annually at this time. After a very successful and mesmerizing tour of the Canadian Rockies in July, we just returned home from an amazingly fun and memorable tour through England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and France. 98 passengers from 20 cities and 6 countries shared some special times throughout the British Isles, partaking in their choice of 24 different private tours throughout the two weeks around the towns and scores of relaxing enjoyable activities aboard our Princess Cruises floating hotel.

The town of Edinburgh, Scotland was a favorite of many as we joined the locals in celebrating the annual Fringe Festival and Royal Military Tattoo performance. With hundreds of festive street entertainers, musical performances, local fare, medieval castles and the absolutely incredible theatrical concert of the Military Tattoo celebrating the Scottish heritage, our time in Edinburgh is a memory never to be forgotten.

A few of the other many highlights throughout our tour of the British Isles included:

* A tour of the Guinness Storehouse factory in Dublin

* Entrance into the Eiffel Tower in Paris

* A visit to the Royal Suites in Buckingham Palace in London (where Kate’s wedding dress was on display),

* A speed boat ride on Loch Ness (with many claims of seeing glimpses of Nessie),

* A tour to the Beaches of Normandy and commentary on the incredible story of D-Day,

* Tours of ancient medieval castles dating back to the 12^th century-including the fortress and surrounding land that inspired the film Braveheart and a most meaningful “Political Tour” of Belfast, Northern Ireland. Our two-part journey took us on a guided tour through the Protestant neighborhood with commentary on that point of view, followed by a separate guide leading us through the Catholic neighborhood sharing that viewpoint. Each neighborhood was separated by a wall that, while not monitoring who could cross, was a clear divide between who was welcome where.

Ahh…summer. Its been a great season of travel at Amazing Journeys. And, we’re not done yet. In just over a week we have one last summer getaway with over 40 eager travelers joining us on our 5-night cruise to Bermuda.

Its been a summer of amazingly fun times here at Amazing Journeys, with much more to come. Even though summer is a popular travel season, any season is travel season at Amazing Journeys. Travel in the fall with us to French Polynesia or the Music Cities of the south. Travel in the winter with us on a New Year’s Caribbean cruise or to India. Travel with us in the spring to China or Spain. Or…if you are the quintessential summer traveler, join us in 2012 in Alaska or on a cruise in the Black Sea to Turkey, the Ukraine, Romania and Greece.

Wherever and whenever you want to go, Amazing Journeys will be there for you with a great group of Jewish single travelers, value-added vacation packages, exclusive touring, carefree travel planning and the greatest team of group leaders in the industry.

Make some plans today!

Tags: Belfast, Black Sea, Edinburgh, Eiffel Tower, Guinness, Jewish, London, Medieval, Royal Military Tattoo, Scotland, single, summer, Vacation
Posted in Blog, Europe, Interesting Things about Interesting Places | Comments Off on Summer Time – Amazing Times