News | Reviews | Articleshttp://www.skropanic-design.com/blog/en-US2012-02-24T01:45:08ZSquarespace Site Server v5.11.81 (http://www.squarespace.com/)Bon Voyage: Year of the Dragon arrives in San Franciscohttp://www.skropanic-design.com/blog/2012/1/29/bon-voyage-year-of-the-dragon-arrives-in-san-francisco.htmlAdmin2012-01-29T19:39:52ZBon Voyage Travel bon voyage travelThe dragons are coming.

And they'll be marching through the streets of San Francisco — rain or shine — on Feb. 11 in the Southwest Airlines Chinese New Year Parade.

More than 100 marching bands, stilt walkers, floats, martial artists, lion dancers, acrobatics and other performers trek the route through downtown and along the edge of Chinatown. ...

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http://www.redding.com/news/2012/jan/29/bon-voyage-year-of-the-dragon-arrives-in-san/

]]>Bon Voyage: Bus trips pose problems, from mountains to molehillshttp://www.skropanic-design.com/blog/2012/1/22/bon-voyage-bus-trips-pose-problems-from-mountains-to-molehil.htmlAdmin2012-01-22T20:00:00ZBon Voyage Travel bon voyage travelPlanning a bus trip or tour through an exotic mountain area? Greece? Colombia? Trinity County?

No other mode of travel provides me the range of experience — from horrid to luxurious — as the bus. Bus trips through mountain regions can test physical and mental fortitude.

Here's what I've learned about safe mountain bus trips, and how I learned it. ...

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http://www.redding.com/news/2012/jan/22/bon-voyage-bus-trips-pose-problems-from-to/

]]>Bon Voyage: Ahoy, mateys, climb aboard a pirate festivalhttp://www.skropanic-design.com/blog/2012/1/15/bon-voyage-ahoy-mateys-climb-aboard-a-pirate-festival.htmlAdmin2012-01-15T19:57:00ZBon Voyage Travel bon voyage travelBe ye a lady or gentleman o' fortune wantin' to ensure yer place in Fiddler's Green?

In other words, do you want to be a pirate — the fictionalized romantic sort who doesn't kill or hurt anyone, steal anything or hang from a yardarm?

You're not alone. Pirate organizations and social clubs have gained in popularity in recent years throughout the United States and Europe. They host re-enactments, historical lectures, cruises, costumed affairs and plain ol' salty singalongs. ...

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http://www.redding.com/news/2012/jan/15/bon-voyage-ahoy-mateys-climb-aboard-a-pirate/

]]>Bon Voyage: Paint your bag and find it easilyhttp://www.skropanic-design.com/blog/2012/1/8/bon-voyage-paint-your-bag-and-find-it-easily.htmlAdmin2012-01-08T19:55:00ZBon Voyage Travel bon voyage travelI marvel how travelers with standard black suitcases find their bags at baggage claim areas. Baggage conveyors at large airports look like roiling rivers of black suitcases, the occasional blue or red bag diving and resurfacing downstream like scaup.

When I do spot my bag I have to grab it before it dives again or swims behind the other anglers standing around the bank. It's not polite to crowd other fishermen. ...

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http://www.redding.com/news/2012/jan/08/bon-voyage-paint-your-bag-and-find-it-easily/

]]>Bon Voyage: Let is snow -- please!http://www.skropanic-design.com/blog/2012/1/1/bon-voyage-let-is-snow-please.htmlAdmin2012-01-01T19:52:00ZBon Voyage Travel bon voyage travelDry conditions and unusually warm temperatures made for a pleasant December. But some skiers and snowboarders were chomping at the bit, disappointed snow didn't pile up on the mountains early this year. If you're one of them, here are some things you can do while you wait for the perfect snowstorm. ...

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http://www.redding.com/news/2012/jan/01/bon-voyage-let-is-now----please/

]]>Bon Voyage: Hum ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ packing tipshttp://www.skropanic-design.com/blog/2011/12/26/bon-voyage-hum-the-twelve-days-of-christmas-packing-tips.htmlAdmin2011-12-26T19:49:00ZBon Voyage Travel bon voyage travelAir travel at Christmas has a bad reputation, with good reason. Airports are crowded. People carry too much luggage stuffed with presents. Flights are overbooked. Grumpy passengers leave their holiday spirit at home.

Packing carefully can help make holiday travel, and your stay, easier. Delays happen regularly at the holidays, so it’s possible you won’t have access to laundry services or a drugstore. ...

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http://www.redding.com/news/2011/dec/26/BonVoyage122511/

]]>Bon Voyage: Tips from Santa - Track the famous red-eye flighthttp://www.skropanic-design.com/blog/2011/12/18/bon-voyage-tips-from-santa-track-the-famous-red-eye-flight.htmlAdmin2011-12-18T18:35:00ZBon Voyage Travel bon voyage travelNext weekend, the most seasoned of travelers and the man who perfected the red-eye will make his annual trip around the world.

North American Aerospace Defense Command will be watching.

So can you. ...

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http://www.redding.com/news/2011/dec/18/bon-voyage-tips-from-santa---track-the-famous/

]]>Bon Voyage: Enjoy city life sans strifehttp://www.skropanic-design.com/blog/2011/12/11/bon-voyage-enjoy-city-life-sans-strife.htmlAdmin2011-12-11T18:33:00ZBon Voyage Travel bon voyage travelUrban residents may get as frustrated with tourists from towns or rural areas as the latter become with city people when they visit the country. Visitors are often unaware of basics of city life residents take for granted.

Stereotypes of urbanites run from rude to scary. A few years ago, my 112-pound New York friend saw a nervous-looking tourist clutching her suitcase in the rain, trying to hail a cab. When my friend offered to share her umbrella the woman shrieked and ran away down the sidewalk, dragging her suitcase. ...

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http://www.redding.com/news/2011/dec/11/bon-voyage-enjoy-city-life-sans-strife/

]]>Bon Voyage: Be prepared when heading into wildernesshttp://www.skropanic-design.com/blog/2011/12/4/bon-voyage-be-prepared-when-heading-into-wilderness.htmlAdmin2011-12-04T18:29:00ZBon Voyage Travel bon voyage travelOn Nov. 13, a 19-year-old Los Angeles resident froze to death on Mt. Shasta at 9,600 feet. He began his climb barefooted and wearing only a T-shirt and sweatpants.

Those of us who live in the north state may find it difficult to believe a person would go into the wilderness unprepared. But even experienced hikers can forget that the wilderness can be... well, wild. It's possible to get lost in areas you've visited for years. ...

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http://www.redding.com/news/2011/dec/04/bon-voyage-be-prepared-when-heading-into/

]]>Bon Voyage: Applying feng shui to travel may create happier tripshttp://www.skropanic-design.com/blog/2011/11/27/bon-voyage-applying-feng-shui-to-travel-may-create-happier-t.htmlAdmin2011-11-27T18:27:00ZBon Voyage Travel bon voyage travelHoliday travel can feel anything but merry and bright. Traffic on the highways, crowded trains, and plane delays at airports can make the holidays the most often, but least favorite, of travel times.

Last month, after an 11-hour flight, I told a friend who teaches Tai Chi that nothing sucks the Chi (energy) out of me like plane travel. I'm in a metal object shoulder-to-shoulder with people, some of them grumpy or frightened. Together we experience pressure changes and unnatural speeds and heights. I feel spent when we land. It's not just jet lag. ...

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http://www.redding.com/news/2011/nov/27/bon-voyage-applying-feng-shui-to-travel-may/

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