Great Trip Ideas

With the ready availability of cheap fares, whether cheap airplane tickets, discount hotel rooms, or cheap vacation packages, now is the time to plan a really special trip.

The following are some terrific trip suggestions:

• If you are looking for an adventure trip, consider trekking to the Everest Base Camp. Start in Kathmandu Valley and climb through Sherpa villages to Tengboche Monastery where you can enjoy panoramic views of the rock star mountains of the Himalayas.



• If you are into "foodie" trips, check out Chengdu in China which last year was honored as a UNESCO City of Gastronomy. If you are visiting Chengdu on a food safari, visit the Chuan Chuan Xiang hotpot restaurant. Grandma Jin’s Handmade Noodles is another must stop.



• If you want to take a road trip, consider a ten day, 820 mile Ireland clockwise road trip starting from Dublin. The Emerald Isle makes for a mystical, yet affordable, setting for a long drive.



• If an eco trip is more your style, consider Borneo. Its Sipadan Island is where divers swim with exotic fish life including batfish, clownfish, lionfish, harlequin, and ghost piefish. Animal lovers can interact with primates at the Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary a rehabilitation center of displaced animals for life in the jungle



• If a tropical island sounds appealing, check out Palu (a Pacific island nation) highly regarded as a destination for undersea exploration.



• If a budget trip is a must, then think about Morocco. In Marrakesh food connoisseurs can enjoy meals at the vegetarian Earth Café for between $5 to $8. Travelers can ride camels up Sahara dunes at sunrise for $20.



• If a gambling trip sounds interesting, consider France which offers almost 200 upscale casinos some of which are located along the romantic Riviera.



• If a kid friendly trip is in the making, look into Vancouver, Canada. Outdoor activities, including hiking and kayaking, are available in the city at affordable rates. Several kid friendly music and theater festivals are planned for the summer of 2011.



• If a revolutionary trip better piques your interest, check out Che Guevara’s route in Bolivia. Bolivian trails welcome backpackers who can eat and sleep well on $25 a day. On one of those trails guests can relive a Che Guevara journey on "La Ruta Che," which follows the guerrilla fighter’s path as he pushed the socialist revolution in South America.



• If a volunteer trip sound appealing, then consider Cambodia where opportunities for visitors to help Cambodians are many. Guests can do everything from human rights work, to digging wells and latrines, to teaching everything from English to hospitality to hairdressing.