Asia Vacations - Travel, Tourism - Info & Review

Fall isn't just about pretty leaves for travelers. Those willing to venture overseas could end up with some major savings, according to Hipmunk, the website and app that studies itineraries and other data to reveal affordable travel deals. Hipmunk recently looked at a year's worth of flight bookings to determine some of the best off-season bargain destinations for the fall season. It analyzed roundtrip flights departing from the United States to international cities between Oct 1. of last year through Sept. 30 of this year. The savings percentage is based on maximum monthly pricing for that destination. Here are select ions from our coverage of some of those recommendations, including the percentage of savings for that destination. The Grand Place, the famed central square of Brussels. CreditMichael Chia for The New York TimesBrussels, Belgium Average November Fare: $824 (-63 percent) "There is literally nothing to do here," the British musician Noel Gallagher once

As the winters slowly settle in the Northern part of India, it could be the time to take a vacation and explore India's picturesque valleys and towns. While treks, cars and bike rides could be suitable options, the aerial view of clouds and the sunset is an unmatchable experience, which is made possible through cable cars. These aerial trams operating on ropeways offer panoramic views of the surrounding valleys and mountains. If you are a traveller who likes some adventure during his travels, then cable car is the greatest way to experience the magnificence of a hill station in a pre-eminent style. Here are five locations you could explore: Darjeeling The Darjeeling Ropeway was started in 1968 by the forest department. The cable car offers enchanting views of the vistas around the town. Passing over dense forests, mountain ridges, tea gardens, waterfalls and rivers, the cable car ride in Darjeeling is truly one of the richest experiences you can have in this Himalayan cit

What's This? It can go anywhere. Image: adam elements By TEAM COMMERCEMashable Deals2017-10-28 10:00:00 UTC Usually, when you think of a travel adapter you think of something bulky and big enough to hog some serious space in your carry-on bag. But if you wanted to get any work (or Instagramming) done while you're away from home, the bulky adapter has always been a necessary evil. Oh, that tiny cube over there? That's just the OMNIA TA502, aka the world's smallest travel adapter. And don't mistake small for less pliable — this baby's got you covered in over 150 countries. Just slide the right plug into place, plug it into the wall, and you're good. The USB ports ensure you can charge all of your iOS or Android smartphones and tablets safely. Best of all? The OMNIA TA502 is on sale now for just $39.99, reduced from the regular price of $49. Translation: you can afford to grab one for you and one for your travel buddy — so they can stop mooch

Would you go trekking in the Himalayas without someone to show you the way? For those who think that travelling with a guide – and possibly a tour group in tow – is not really getting away from it all, the self-guided trek is emerging as a viable option in some unexpected destinations. Expedition travel on the rise as interest in adventure holidays grows – are you fit enough to make the cut? Australian travel company World Expeditions recently announced an 11-day self-guided trek in the Everest region of Nepal. Costing HK$10,235 (US$1,300) per person, the trip is available any time from October to mid-May next year and runs from Namche Bazaar (the so-called Sherpa capital of Nepal) up to the Thyangboche Monastery in the Khumbu region. "There are stunning views of Mount Everest on the trail and opportunities to interact with locals in some of the villages in the region," says Sue Badyari, the company's CEO, adding that self-guided treks allow costs to be kept to a

Young Muslims worldwide are expected to almost double their spending on travel in the coming years, driving a boom in Islamic tourism that will make the sector worth $300 billion, a study said Thursday. Halal travel has grown recently, with airports, restaurants and hotels seeking to provide Muslim-friendly facilities and services, such as prayer rooms and halal food outlets.  Fazal Bahardeen, chief executive of Islamic travel specialist HalalTrip, which carried out the study with Mastercard, said older Muslims typically travel in large families once a year while young Muslims, aged 20 to 36, take multiple trips. "Travel within this young generation of Muslims is booming as consumers with more disposable income seek more exotic experiences and far-flung destinations than their parents," said Fazal. "Their per trip expenditure could be lower than the earlier generation but since they make multiple trips per year, their overall expenditure is higher."  Rea

The job of a lifetime is up for grabs – though if you're interested, you'll be fending off competition from travel lovers around the world. The New York Times is looking for a person to spend a year travelling the world to create a dream itinerary of destinations for its readers. Every year the newspaper selects 52 must-visit places for readers, whether a new starchitect-designed museum or culinary treasures to try, an unspoiled beach, or places to see animals in the wild. However, for the 2018 wish list, it is inviting one ambitious traveller to turn the destinations into a perfect itinerary. They are seeking a correspondent who will go to every destination on the list and tell readers the story of each place and the story of life on the road. The list has been running for 13 years and every January, the 52 destinations are drawn from suggestions made by the newspaper's writers, editors and a wide circle of contributors. Readers are invited to add their suggestio

SINGAPORE, Oct. 24, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Mandarin Orchard Singapore, flagship hotel of award-winning Asian hospitality brand Meritus Hotels & Resorts, was named "Best Upscale Hotel - Asia Pacific" at the Travel Weekly Asia Readers' Choice Awards 2017. Mr Tan Kim Seng (right), Chief Operating Officer, Meritus Hotels & Resorts, with Mr Robert Sullivan, President, Northstar Travel Group More Now in its third year, the annual Travel Weekly Asia Readers' Choice Awards recognises outstanding accommodation, transportation, venue, service, and technology providers in their respective categories. Winners are determined from total votes by Travel Weekly Asia readers and industry professionals across Asia Pacific. Themed "Saluting Brilliance" to toast stars of the travel trade, the Travel Weekly Asia Readers' Choice Awards 2017 saw over 100 industry movers from around the region attend the awards ceremony held on 23 October at Mandarin Orchard

In our new series, we explore what it takes to land—and work—the world's coolest travel jobs. Previous installments featured interviews with an avalanche forecaster, undercover hotel inspector, and a social media influencer. Up next: a paranormal investigator. Ross Allison has traveled to every state in America in search of ghosts, as well as France, Spain, Romania, Mexico, and Japan. He is the founder of the Advanced Ghost Hunters of Seattle-Tacoma (A.G.H.O.S.T.) and the only full-time paranormal investigator in the Pacific Northwest. But Allison will be the first to tell you that there's more to being a ghost hunter than skulking around dark basements with an electromagnetic field (EMF) reader. In addition to investigating cases, Allison teaches "Ghostology 101" at the University of Washington and Tacoma Community College. He leads haunted walking tours and pub crawls for Spooked in Seattle. He hosts annual Ghost Hunters Getaways for the specter-curious (comin

Singapore-based airline Scoot has launched a new route from Singapore to Palembang. The inaugural flight of this route will be on November 23, in the future there will be four flights that travel between Palembang and Singapore in a week. "Palembang is the right choice for us, we want to promote Palembang as a new destination following the other three destinations in Indonesia," said Scoot chief commercial officer, Vinod Kannan. "This is the right choice for a new flight. Singapore and Palembang have historical and cultural relationships. The relationship between Singapore and South Sumatra can be traced back to the Sriwijaya Empire era," explained tourism minister, Arief Yahya. To commemorate the new addition, Scoot is offering a promo for a one-way trip from Palembang. The promo will begin at 09:00 a.m. on October 21 and end on November 5 at 10:59 p.m. with the price starts from Rp 110,000 ($8.14). Read also: Moving to Singapore? What you need to know to

With the eruption of Mount Agung still imminent, here's what travelers need to know. Mount Agung in Bali has been on the brink of eruption for a full month, and officials in the tourist hotspot continue to extend the state of emergency on the island, which is now in place until October 26. The alert level on the volcano remains at a Level 4 — the highest possible — which was upgraded on September 22, and approximately 186,000 people have now been evacuated, according to Bali's governor. Between 750 and 800 earthquakes rock the island every day, and although seismicity (and the magnitude of the earthquakes) decreased slightly at the beginning of October, the activity has begun to spike again in recent days. Officials and residents of the island are continuing to prepare for an eruption. Is it Safe to Travel to Bali Now?  Although an eruption is very likely, many parts of the island would still be safe were the disaster to occur.  According to the Bali Tourism Ho

We have just finished the leg of our travel through southern Vietnam, through Cambodia and up to Bangkok. We took the daytime sleeper bus from HCMC to Can Tho. It was a Futa Bus. It was clean and the service was good. The price of this trip makes it exceptional in my books. $ 5 US each. We took the seated version of this service from Can Tho to Chao Doc for about the same price. Quite good in all. As good a service as Futa was, the better bus for travel is Giant Ibis. We took them from Phnom Penh to Seam Reap. The bus was a large newish coach. It was big and roomy and with wifi and electric plugins. The price was $15 us. We also took Giant Ibis from Seam Reap to Bangkok. It was 7 hours or so, including the border crossing, which they stick handled us through at no charge. This bus is the newer style they are running on their long trips we are told. They have taken out 2 rows of seating and replaced the seats with ones that recline back way way further. And leg room like exe

U.K.-based InterContinental Hotels Group announced Wednesday it is planning to bring two of its hotel brands to China and Asia Pacific in an attempt to capture new breeds of consumers — the wellness enthusiasts and the wealthy. The new brands are Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants, a luxury boutique chain that operates mostly in the United States, and Even Hotels, which focuses on incorporating health and wellness into the travel experience. Bringing the high-end Kimpton label to China and Asia Pacific makes sense given the speedy pace at which InterContinental's business in those regions is growing, the multinational hotel group's CEO, Keith Barr, told CNBC's "Squawk Box." "As urbanization moves out further, you're seeing these markets have incredible demand for hotels across the entire chain scale from luxury down to mainstream," he added. Even Hotels also "fits right into that sweet spot" of China's new policy focus on he

One of the first things you witness while walking bleary-eyed through Taipei's airport is a Hello Kitty immigration desk You pause for a moment wondering if the flight has taken its toll on you, but no, it's really there – complete with Hello Kitty passport scanners. No sight could better prepare you for the bustling hub of activity, technology and brilliance that is Taipei. If you're the kind of holidaymaker who revels in sharing your photographic expertise and rubbing your incredible trip in the faces of your coworkers and friends, Taiwan is most certainly for you. And Taipei 101 is the ideal place to start. This gorgeous structure is the eighth-largest building in the world, standing at an impressive 101 floors and featuring a huge shopping centre and world-renowned dumpling restaurant at its base. In comparison, The Shard in London looks like a cold day in the locker room. From the huge, air conditioned viewing platforms, you can take in the depth and breadth of

Airbnb, the world's leading community-driven hospitality company, is the latest hospitality sector organisation to join the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA). PATA CEO Dr. Mario Hardy said, "We are extremely pleased to welcome Airbnb to the PATA family. With more than four million Airbnb listings worldwide it impossible to ignore the impact that the sharing economy is having upon the travel and tourism industry. It is important that we are able to add this voice to our discussions in the development of a responsible travel and tourism industry, especially when we examine the role of the sharing economy in the dispersal of tourists to lesser-known and emerging destinations.""Over the next few months, PATA and Airbnb will be working together to bring greater insights on topics related to the sharing economy – including its economic impact and the issue of over tourism," added Dr. Hardy. "Home sharing has become an important economic engine for

Bodegas Ricla, a tiny bar just moments from Madrid's famed square, the Plaza Mayor, is known for its vermut en grifo – vermouth on tap – and its home-cooked tapas. The vermouth (fortified wine flavoured with botanicals) is kept in barrels behind the white-and-blue-tiled bar and is served simply over ice, just a slice of orange adding a citrus lift. There's no space for tables, so patrons perch on stools, glasses in hand, or stand, resting their plates on a wooden shelf fixed to the bottle green wall, as they snack on boquerones en vinagre (small fillets of white fish cured in vinegar, garlic, and parsley) or platters of Spanish cheese. The bar has been serving Madrileños this way for more than 100 years. The decor at Bodegas Riclas may not have changed much over the century, but the tastes of its patrons surely have: while la hora de vermut (an appetite-stimulating pre-lunch snack with a glass or two of red vermouth) has been part of Spain's social and gastronomical s

Coron Island Cove viewed from a ridge, often seen in postcards and travel magazines. LOUISE SANTIANO "Visit Coron, Palawan—where nature's the best!Mga luto na matitikmanpasado sa inyong digest;mga isla na mapupuntahansusulit sa inyong budget;mga views na naggagandahansakto sa inyong gadgets…" You probably must have heard that song rendered in a folksy beat on a popular travel show on TV. The singer-composer himself, Jonel Vergara, guided us on a tour of Coron recently, and for two days let us experience every activity and scenery enumerated in the song—from watching the sunset on the peak of Mt. Tapyas to eating cashew nuts on the roadside. This jewel in northern Palawan, one of the province's top destinations, is reportedly surpassing in tourist arrivals the capital city of Puerto Princesa, which boasts the Unesco-listed Subterranean River. The Coron Natural Biotic Area is listed in the Natural category of the Unesco World Heritage Tentative List. A

Vietnam created good impression on regional and international golfers, thus received the largest number of votes to become the most favourable golf destination in the region, said Mike Sebastian, CEO of the Asia Pacific Golf Group (APGG) – the governing body of the Asia Golf Magazine. The result was spurred by Vietnam's meticulous investment in golf tourism. The country is currently home to 40 operating golf courses while other courses which are under construction will be put into use in 2018. The courses are of top-notch quality as they have been developed by the world's leading golf course designers. Notably, Nicklaus Design, renowned golf course design firm with more than 400 golf courses in 43 countries and 39 in the US, has become strategic and exclusive partner of BRG Group, Vietnam's most dynamic operator of world-class golf course. They have joined hands to build a solid future for golf in Vietnam. According to the Asia Golf Magazine, Vietnam will be a m agnet