I recently had the sheer horror of reading New York Times bestseller, Sarah’s Key which is a fictional work based on the Vélodrome d’Hiver roundups in Paris, France. It is a harrowing read, especially if you happen to have a young child. It is also an eye-opening, heartwarming story about family and history and the second world war. The Vélodrome d’Hiver roundups in France were conducted by the Paris police on orders from the Germans. They rounded up thousands upon thousands of Jewish families and sent them to the Vélodrome d’Hiver where they were locked in, barely fed, not given enough water and they waited, many committing suicide, to be taken by train to Auschwitz. Almost none returned. The most shocking part of this very true piece of history, is that a large number of the people rounded up during this time, were small children.

Whenever I read about the second world war, the concentration camps and the horrors that occurred there, I have an increasing need to go visit. I’ve always found there are different types of travelers. Some go to vacation. Some go for the natural beauty. Others, like myself, love to travel to historic places and feel the ghosts of famous dates, eras and events. The horrific second world war is not exempt. I think the most important history lesson anyone can learn, is that if we do not understand history, it is bound to repeat itself. Going to these places makes history real for me, and brings me that much closer to truly understanding it.

Here is some information on travel to historic second world war locations:

- Walking Among Ghosts: Nazi Concentration Camps
- A Trip to the Camps
- Auschwitz Memorial Tour

And some resources on learning more about the atrocities that occurred during the war:

- Auschwitz Virtual Tour

Pleasant Holidays is a California based business and is considered one of the largest American travel companies. As a subsidiary of the Southern California AAA, they are on the front lines of finding great travel deals. The company’s Twitter account is run by their director of strategy and business development, Roseanne, and she tweets frequently about amazing deals and travel packages all over the world. You will also find sale announcements, travel news and tips as well as great engagement with followers. Go follow @PleasantHoliday now!

twitter, travel, usa

This has got to be, by far, the best trip planning application out there. You can clip notes from anywhere on the web or on your computer, and add them to your plans with a simple browser bookmarklet. After that, utilize the drag an drop feature to organize all of your notes and the Google maps integration to locate them. Share itineraries with friends and browse Duffel’s most popular trips. I am hoping they come out with an iPhone app soon so you can synch between the web app and mobile app. Go check out this awesome trip visualizing tool: Duffelup.com and be sure to follow them on Twitter: @duffelup and fan them on Facebook: Duffel

travel, apps, web

No matter where you go, there will be good and bad. I like to focus on the good, though, and there’s no better way to do that than to find local non-profit organizations and get involved. Here are some that I’ve had the pleasure of discovering:

1. The Peanut Pet Shelter of Playa Del Carmen: This place is a haven for feral dogs. It is a no kill shelter and it treats medically, houses and feeds dogs that need a home. During my time spent there, I’ve seen some dogs in pretty horrible shape, obviously cast aside and forgotten, I’ve seen dogs thrive, I’ve seen them die. It’s not an easy thing to do, but Andy and Jen of the Peanut Pet Shelter keep at it, every day. There are some very, very lucky dogs there.

The Peanut Pet Shelter Hosts a wash day every Saturday. If you ever find yourself in Playa Del Carmen, you need to go to the dog wash. It’s the most fun you’ll ever expect to have with a bunch of happy-go-lucky puppies, a few beers and some crazy expats. They welcome everyone and if you happen to fall in love with a particular pup, Andy and Jen will help you with everything necessary to take the lucky doggy home. Plus, you might feel compelled to donate after you meet these wonderful people, and you’re in luck, because it is a registered, tax-deductible charity in the USA and Mexico.

More info on the Peanut Pet Shelter of Playa Del Carmen:

Web Site: peanutpetshelter.org
Blog: Peanut Pet Shelter Goes Pink
Donate: peanutpetshelter.org/donations.html
Buy some cool gear: PPS Store
Find a doggy to adopt: Petfinder
Become a fan on Facebook: Peanut Pet Shelter
Follow on Twitter: @PeanutShelter or @ladiesofpeanut

2. After the Wave Foundation of Thailand: This foundation was set up by the International School Bangkok, to continue the education of young survivors of the tsunami that devastated the region in 2004. It is a registered charity in Thailand and is run by a group of educators, volunteers, alumni and community leaders. it is located in Bang Sak, Thailand.

Children who are supported have lost parents, schooling and health in the tsunami.

Traveling in the areas of Thailand that were hit by the tsunami is emotionally draining. It’s sad for obvious reasons, horrifying because you hear stories about things no human should ever have to experience or witness, and elating because you hear the stories of survival and rebuilding and community. This is one the most beautiful places in the world and the people add to that. The world gave after the tsunami, but it seems to have been forgotten since, and the saddest thing, is that the Thai people are still feeling horrible affects of it’s aftermath.

More info on the After the Wave Foundation of Thailand:

- Web Site: After The Wave Foundation
- Fan Page on Facebook: After the Wave
- YouTube: AfterTheWave
- Donate: afterthewave.org/donate_now.html

3. Make It Right Nola: Another gone but not forgotten disaster in recent history is the flooding of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. I was able to visit 2 years after the event and see that little to nothing has actually been done to clean up huge areas of the city and rebuild. The scenery was still dotted with FEMA trailers and condemned homes with emergency spray paint markings on them, or holes in the roof where the owner climbed out. It was absolutely heart-wrenching and it’s no surprise the areas that have yet to be helped are the poorer areas, specifically the Lower 9th Ward.

Enter Make It Right Nola, an organization that aims to rebuild the Lower 9th Ward. Founded by Brad Pitt after he toured the devastated area, it’s goal is to build 150 affordable, green, storm resistant homes for Lower 9th Ward families.

More info on Make It Right Nola:

Web Site: Make It Right Nola
Donate: Support Make It Right Nola
Get Gear: MIR Merchandise
Facebook Fan Page: Make It Right
Twitter: @MakeItRight_9
YouTube: makeitrightnola9

travel, non-profit, organization

For last minute and affordable holidays in the UK, HolidayHoliday.co.uk is a great web site. But did you know they have a Twitter account with all their great holiday deals and packages listed in their stream? Plus, they are on top of all the latest UK travel trends and will keep you updated regarding delays, cancellations, etc. You’ll also find links to great articles about holidays in the UK, links to specific holiday deals, including cruises and up to date news briefs. Right now, they are extensively covering the ash cloud situation over Europe. For a truly informative Twitter stream and a chance to save some money on your next UK holiday, follow @holiday_holiday

europe, uk, twitter, travel

Any place where you can see royal Bengal tigers, panthers, leopards and something called swamp deer, and end the day with a big bowl of authentic Indian curry, is A-OK in my books. The Kanha Tiger Reserve is located in the Indian province of Madhya Pradesh in Central India. The reserve is part of the Kanha National Park. You can get there from major Indian cities by train and cab, and you can get around by renting an escorted jeep.

Stay in 3 star Indian hotels, jungle chalets, quaint cottages, or the Shergarh tented camp outside the reserve.

For more info on this amazing place:

Kanha Tiger Reserve
Kanha National Park

india, kanha tiger reserve, kanha national park, tigers, wildlife, travel, accommodation, tourism

Anyone who has animals knows how hard travel can be. It’s especially hard when you love to travel more than the average person. Traveling with animals can be downright painful. Twice I had to put my dog in a crate on a plane and I swear, the experience was worse for me than it was for him. It’s also difficult on road trips because you can’t just pull into the nearest motel or hotel when you’re too tired to go on for the night, because so many of them don’t allow animals.

This is why Go Pet Friendly is such a great web site. It’s a beautifully simple, easy-to-use search engine that gives you accommodation listings, campgrounds, activities and other services that are all pet friendly. There’s also so much criteria you can search by including Hotel Star Rating, number of pets, type of pets, etc.

Ths web site also offers trip planning from beginning to end, as well as pet travel gear and books. Go check this awesome web site out, pet lovers! GoPetFriendly.com or follow them on Twitter: @GoPetFriendly or catch up with them on Facebook: GoPetFriendly

pet friendly travel, pets, travel, go pet friendly

Dine Out Vancouver is the best time of year. Screw Christmas, Easter, Halloween. Dine Out Vancouver is where it’s at because you can get a three-course dinner at over 200 fantastic Vancouver eateries for between $18 and $38 per person. Check out the promo vid:

Here are my top 5 Dine Out venues:

1. Banana Leaf Malaysian Cuisine is $28 per person for their Dine Out menu, and I would go for the Roti Canai alone. Check out their Dine Out Menu: Banana Leaf

2. Cloud 9 Revolving Restaurant and Lounge has some seriously spectacular views of breathtaking Vancouver and serves up some lip-smacking dishes. Also at $28 per person, the Dine Out menu includes a to-die-for spinach salad with bacon and goat cheese, Jack Daniels BBQ Beef ribs and a chocolate peanut butter bar for dessert. Check out the other options on their Dine Out menu: Cloud 9

3. Totally worth $38, Raincity Grill offers lots of local, fresh ingredients, great seafood and a beautiful view of English Bay. Their Dine Out Menu highlights great local food from their BC Wild Silverbrite Salmon to their Okanagan cherry cheesecake. Check out their Dine Out menu: Raincity Grill

4. Steamworks Brewing Company makes tasty food and is a great place to enjoy some crisp micro brews. The atmosphere is always vibrant and upbeat and it’s also a great place to check out a hockey game. Here’s their Dine Out Menu, at $28 pp: Steamworks Brewing Company

5. Wild Rice Vancouver has a unique take on Chinese and tapas. The price for their Dine Out menu is a totally reasonable $18 considering this restaurant was featured on a Food Network show a few years ago. Items on the menu include sloping hill cha siu congee – traditional rice soup with housemade chinese bbq pork and gluten free mountain berry teacake. Check out the rest of your options: Wild Rice

If you have any other favorites, we would love to hear about them in the comments!

vancouver, tourism, dine out, vancity, travel, dining

Graham Greene’s book, Our Man in Havana is a humorous novel set in Havana, Cuba in the 50s during the Batista regime. It’s a hilarious story of a man who, almost penniless, accepts a job with the British Secret service and invents agents, documents and plans to keep the job. As his daughter gets used to the amount of money he’s bringing in, he digs deeper and deeper into his lies, until they start to become real.

I have always wanted to visit Cuba and am actually ashamed of the fact that I have not, being as I lived in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico for 2 years and Cuba was literally a hop, skip and a jump away. Cuba is an intriguing place and I’ve heard conflicting reports from everyone I’ve asked who’s been there. Some say it’s amazing, some say it’s sad, some say it’s scary. Whatever it is, it is definitely not what Graham Greene wrote about in this novel. Shortly after the novel was published, Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and the rest of the 26th of July Movement overthrew Batista’s corrupt regime and soon after that, tension with the US and it’s allies arose and an economic embargo was placed on the tiny, Caribbean, island nation. An outdated, silly attempt at dehumanizing an entire nationality that continues, absurdly, to this day.

It is because of this embargo that Americans are restricted from visiting Cuba, though we all know they still do. But did you know it is not actually illegal for Americans to visit Cuba? it is simply against American law for a US citizen to spend money there.

I know I’ll hit up Cuba one day and I would suggest everyone else does as well, even if you’re American. Go check out Jim Wormold’s haunts which really do exist, and are still there to this day.

For more information on visiting Cuba for Americans, click here or here. And check out this travel agency.

For travel info on Cuba and Havana:

GoCuba
WikiTravel
CubaTravel.org
Lonely Planet Havana

graham greene, our man in havana, havana, cuba, travel, tourism

For some seriously fantastic travel-related content and links to travel deals, you need to follow @ResortsLodges on Twitter. Some of the best travel articles I’ve read recently have been from this Twitter stream, like:

- Cheap Eats: The 99 best splurges in the metro under $10
- California Travel: Top 10 Things to Do After the Winery
- 7 Great American Road Trips for a Long Weekend

Go follow @ResortsLodges!

resorts, lodges, twitter, travel