MICHIGAN TRAVEL NEWS

Latest Local & International Travel News, Guides, Information & Planning Tips

This semester I took a service learning social work class. One Saturday, we were given the opportunity to visit the neighborhood of Cato Manor, which is an 'informal settlement' in Durban. It is rumored to be the poorest portion of the city. People have built houses out of various materials in extremely close quarters; one wall will support two houses and so forth. I felt that the area had a certain spark to it, though. The community was extremely tight night. People were uncommonly friendly towards us. The area smelled of food and constant campfires. Continue reading "Service Learning Field Trip" »

What does your name say, in Chinese, about your character, your wealth potential, your mind and intelligence?

Hilton Hotels can help you figure that out, through a "Be Hospitable Traveler" program designed to promote better international understanding during the upcoming Olympic games. Among other things, the site includes videos from Chinese athletes with tips on cultural differences, even how to correctly use chopsticks.

The campaign actualy focuses on traits good to keep in mind on any international travel experience: awareness, character, thoughtfulness.

But even if you're not leaving home, you can have fun with the name translation game.

Continue reading "Have Chinese name will travel" »

HASTINGS -- Don't make haste when heading to Hastings.

Instead, enjoy a leisurely drive through the scenic countryside of rolling hills, lakes and woods.

Then, arriving at Historic Charlton Park, 2345 S. Charlton Park Road, you'll be relaxed and ready to enjoy the park's historic village and Thornapple River and Lake.

Continue reading "Park shows life 1800s style; museum shows life in miniature" »

OLD MISSION PENINSULA -- The drive out Old Mission Peninsula stretches 18 miles from base to tip along scenic highway M-37 near Traverse City. The transformation begins at about mile seven.

The altitude begins to climb. To both west and east, you start catching peeks of deep blue bays beyond fields patterned with grapevines and trees droopy with ripe, red cherries.

Continue reading "Linger longer on Michigan's new scenic heritage drive: Old Mission Peninsula" »

GRAND RAPIDS -- Do flooding rains, soaring gas prices and sinking dollar values have you running for cover this summer?

This vacation, don't just bury your head (or other body parts) in the sand -- take a photo of it. That's what a vacationer did last year to win The Press' 11th annual Summer Scrapbook photo contest, which kicks off today.

Continue reading "Press photo contest kicks off; Crystal Mountain getaway is grand prize" »

If your family, like ours, has taken road trips with dogs ranging from an 10-year-old diabetic border collie to a 2-year-old super-charged Shiba Inu, we're not alone.

More than 36 million households travel with their pets, according to PetFriendly.com. Those travelers spend an average of $1,060 per trip and, at an average of 2.4 trips per year, this equates to more than $91 million spent by pet owners, according to the site.

Continue reading "Grand Traverse Resort near Traverse City joins pet-friendly lodgings" »

SOUTH HAVEN, Mich. -- Some weekend wanderers are lured to Michigan's southwest pocket by her coastal towns and really big lake. Others prefer to head for the batch of comfy inland communities.

Here are some options to help plan a trip to the state's left lower corner:

South Haven

Oblivious to lightning streaks and patches of puddles, the 42-foot Mariposa snuggled close to the dock. On the lower deck, Capt. John Shaul reviewed safety procedures and assured his sail mates that the wicked weather would soon pass.

Continue reading "Michigan's southwestern corner perfect for weekend wandering" »

Author's Note: This entry is much more intense than the updates of my travels. The following reflects my personal feelings and emotional journey rather than my exciting experiences.

HIV/AIDS has impacted Africa more than any other continent in the world. Sub-Saharan Africa, an area that constitutes for ten percent of the world's population, hosts seventy percent of the planet's AIDS inflicted (Roberts 2001: 37). When interviewed for a television segment on the AIDS pandemic, one South African commented about his defeated position of the present situation.

"What is the point of having struggled for this new democracy if half of all the young people are not going to be there to enjoy it?...The tragic reality is that AIDS is the new apartheid." (Roberts 2001: 37-38)

The spread of HIV/AIDS can be stopped; it is a preventable disease. But South Africans, and the rest of the world, have to cooperate and participate en masse for spread to decline.

Continue reading "HIV/AIDS in South Africa and KwaZulu-Natal" »

It's likely a sign of these fuel-conscious times that the S.S. Badger, the car ferry running from Ludington to Manitowoc, Wisconsin was the most clicked on visitor attraction on the state's tourism web site, www.michigan.org. The ferry ride takes four hours, with free movies, organized children's activities, snacks, sunny food and more offered en route. Continue reading "Car ferry experiences popularity surge" »

I've rarely felt luckier than when I won one of my most memorable vacation weekends in a drawing at The Homestead Resort. The ski/golf/lake resort has a fairytale feel, as did winning a ski trip that a young (poor) newlywed would not have been able to afford.

Now, the Homestead's offering a variety of prizes -- winners picked in a drawing -- to encourage people to check out their newly designed website.

Continue reading "Visit The Homestead's new website and (maybe) win" »