Feeding the Chickens
From the super savvy family travel people at Takingthekids.com, come fun suggestions about family vacations this summer. What caught our attention is the Farm Holiday where kids get to feed the chickens, pluck carrots, pick berries and get to connect with nature and themselves. There are hundreds of farms that offer these agri-trips at Farm Stays US.
For More: Takingthekids.com

2010 Father’s Day Travel Gift Guide
Dads travel and they, like Moms, want to  travel with quality, easy-to-maneuver luggage and accessories that make travel a simpler affair.
Award-winning (Leading Edge Award from Executive Travel Magazine) Travelpro, has a list of pretty interesting and practical travel accessories that could make a dad happy on Father’s Day.
I’d like the Atlantic Compass Spinner Carry-on . The handles on three sides make it easy to “lift and fit,” and the fact that the spinner roll in multiple direction is a huge plus. From Austin House
For More: Travelpro

Winning the Ultimate Chicago Gourmet Weekend
Jetsetter, the invite-only web site, is offering a chance to win a gourmet weekend in Chicago with famed chef, Rick Bayless, of Frontera fame. He’s famous for introducing Americans to great Mexican food, and Jetsetter is known for its first-hand “verified” inspections of properties. Give it a shot.
For More: Jetsetter

Girlfriends’ Getaway Packages
From the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee, comes this fun girlfriends’ vacation deals which run from photography classes, helicopter tours, whitewater rafting to NASCAR fun.
The emphasis is on multiple activities in one location.
The chamber of Commerce is behind the package and runs a series of webinars highlighting past getaways
For More: Girlfriends’ Getaway

Trap
Scam travel web sites are fewer and fewer, but they do exist. Be sure the web site you’re looking at and getting information from is legit.
BusySky.net, CheapClouds.net and CrazyTickets are three defunct web sites that were unreal, says Forbes Magazine.

I remember Denmark well. (Please click the audio player above for this Denmark AudioPostCard)

I lived there years ago when I was the Director of a theatre company, located one of the city’s many picturesque, cobbled streets. It had a nearly hidden entrance, and was wonderfully placed between the elegant National Museum and Christianborg, the brooding, hulking castle that houses the Danish Parliament.

Between rehearsals I wandered the streets and fell in love with the very human scale of this Lilliputian capital of Denmark, the oldest monarchy in Europe. I didn’t have children then, but I do remember thinking how perfect this city was for kids and families wanting a touch of urban sophistication coupled with safe streets and a fairy-tale ambiance…with lots to do.

On a  recent trip, I made a special point of checking out specific things for families, and I’m happy to report Copenhagen is as inviting as it ever was. I was also eager to visit my dear friends, Pia, Vaun and their charming daughter, Liva, who rewarded me with new insights into this vivacious city by the sea.

Getting To Town

Travelers are very relieved to learn that Denmark’s airport is clean, well designed and very simple to navigate. A real plus. In fact, it’s a perfect example of the celebrated concepts of Danish/Scandinavian design with its clean lines, simplicity and lots of glass and sculpture.

• There’s a direct train to the center. It runs every 20 minutes and takes some 15 minutes to get into town. It’s about $3.00.

• Don’t take a taxi. Too expensive. The train is perfect and puts you right in the downtown train station

You’ll want to oriented yourself by standing on the bright, flower-swept plaza, surrounding the Radhuspladsen, another very Gothic, medieval-looking castle, which is actually the city hall. It’s only a five minute walk from the train station.

The plaza is the cross-roads of pedestrian traffic, a perfect place to “people watch.” And if the Danes are not rushing to and fro, they’re sitting on a bench or at an outside café enjoying the long days of summer after too many months of darkness.

Do what the Danes do…sit on a bench or on the steps of the Radhuspladsen. Let the kids run around. It’s perfect way to “take the pulse” of the city.

A Gentle Place…a Gentle Man

You’ll quickly notice the first clue to Copenhagen’s uniqueness: the absence of fiery orators or victorious warriors, those kinds of statues that crowd most public places in most capital cites. The only figure here is one of a solitary, gentle-looking man in a tall hat, sitting on a stool, and gazing somewhat wistfully at the passersby. In his hand is a book; his finger marks the page in one of his famous stories. This is Hans Christian Andersen (the Danes just call him H.C.), Denmark’s famous son and the beloved author of so many sweet tales, including of course the Little Mermaid.

The next thing you’ll notice are the bicycles, the preferred mode of transportation here.

The city is full of them. Hundreds of bikes line stalls, and even more wind their ways through the cobbled streets of the city. Those bright red clunkers that you’ll spot in stalls around town are an ingenious Rent-a-Bike system where you pop a 20 Kroner piece in a slot (about $2.50 US) and rent a bike. Drop It off at your destination and that’s the deal.

• You could opt for a City Safari, a guided bike tour through Copenhagen, certainly a more active, non-traditional way of experiencing the city’s considerable charm. (City Safari. www.citysafari.dk).

• Another fun way to get an overview is with a Canal Tour. Copenhagen is not exactly Venice, but the intricate system of canals is impressive, a reminder of the times when this was indeed a major sea faring, Viking nation, and the city a major harbor. In fact ”Copenhagen” comes from the Danish meaning, “Merchants Harbor, the “Hagen” being “Harbor.”  There are several kinds of guided Canal Tours, most concentrate on the numerous castles and churches of Copenhagen, but some offer an inner city dinner cruise along the waterways. (www.canal-tours.dk). I recommend the canal cruise as a perfect way to get a sense of the town. Departures are across the street from Christianborg (the House of Parliament) or Nyhavn, a sort of “old salt” section of town with sleek slops at anchor and some fun pubs.

Everyone speaks nearly perfect English in Copenhagen, often better English than do our native speakers here. Getting directions is simply not a problem.

The Crown Jewel of Copenhagen: Tivoli Gardens

Like a bright, giddy sun flower, Tivoli Gardens sits smiling in the center of the city, the magic of her colors and movement mesmerizing everyone who comes near her.

Part amusement park, part fantasy world, but very unusual for its location in the middle of a modern city, Tivoli is an 18^th century amusement garden with international pavilions, music, performances, miniature ponds, and some extraordinary pantomime. Harlequin, Columbine and Pierrot strut their stuff at the Chinese Peacock Theatre in the same timeless manner since its Commedia del Arte origins. Dolls and actors come to life in animated fairy tales at the children’s theatre (Valmuen), and when the town hall clock strikes quarter to midnight, three loud crashes announce the display of a powerful fireworks show with wheels, cascades and vivid, blue chrysanthemum bombshells.

There are thirty or so “international” restaurants and plenty of places to sit and have a beer and relax.

• One venerable tradition that still awes locals and certainly visitors is the Tivoli Boys Guard. Since 1872, every day, this group of boys and girls, dressed in the bearskin, red and white uniform of the Royal Danish Guards, stages a parade through Tivoli. They march in perfect unison up to a miniature frigate floating on one of the fairy-tale lakes. Here they escort on board a fairy-tale boy and girl Queen and King who make a loop of the lake, and come to rest on the opposite shore. Enchanting!

Fully trained, the Royal Guards escort the Royal Couple into a Cinderella-like Royal carriage and make a circuit of  Tivoli to the stirring music of Boy’s Guard Band.

In these days of edgy high tech, single-shooter video games, this pageant is nostalgic, charming and in some mysterious way, very reassuring.

Check the web site for special activities. www.tivoli.dk

Must Sees

• The Viking Ship Museum (E-Mail: museum@post9.tele.dk) in Roskilde, a short subway ride from Copenhagen Central Station. By the way, the Danish system of public transportation is superb with clearly marked trains, tracks and departure times. It’s almost impossible to get lost.

The Viking Museum is a collection of five impressive Viking ships with the opportunity for long and short sailing excursions in these original Scandinavian crafts. Watch the boat builders making replicas, visit the “island” where it’s possible to try out Viking skills yourself, and check out the films on the use of these graceful, speedy ships.

• The National Museum is a treat for Mom and Dad as well as the kids. (National Museet www.natmus.dk). The newly designed entrance also captures the essence of Danish Design…the characteristic use of blonde wood, and an emphasis clean, spare functionality with lots of space, glass and light. The Museum has a permanent collection of some very respectable Egyptian art as well as a good children’s museum and of course Danish art from prehistory through the 18^th century.

What’s refreshing is the recent addition of the Children’s Gallery, cleverly designed to introduce and entertain kids relative to art, but in their own interactive terms

Mostly, Copenhagen is a place to stroll. Gardens to sit in and picnics to enjoy…in the city. Families are part of the scenery here, and a short detour down any side street, along a canal, past small candy shops and colorful flower stalls is really what its all about. The ice cream is rich and very good.

There are castles to be seen, of course, and if you have older kids, a trip to Hamlet’s Home may be well worth it.

Helsingør, slightly north of the city is where the brooding, vacillating Hamlet agonized within himself whether to be or not to be.

Kronberg, or Hamlet’s castle ( www.kronborgslot.dk) is actually an old custom’s inspectors’ building located on the strait between Denmark and Sweden, a 20 minute ferry ride away, and easily visible. As far as castles go, it’s interesting enough with some lovely 17^th century tapestries, royal apartments, appropriately winding balustrades and ramparts. But its real power lies in the imagination. Imagine being in the courtyard where Hamlet staged his famous play (“the play’s the thing wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king”)?

The magic lies in the “feel” of the place.

• The Little Mermaid, sitting serenely in Copenhagen’s harbor captures the spirit of this city, and the fairy tale pages of its almost immortal favorite author suggest the key to this gentle place:

“Why have not we an immortal soul?” asks H.C. Andersen’s Little Mermaid, mournfully. “I would give gladly all the hundreds of

years that I have to live, to be a human being only for one day, and to have the hope of knowing the happiness of that glorious world above the stars.”

“You must not think of that,” said the old woman; “we feel ourselves to be much happier and much better off than human beings.”

In Copenhagen, it’s possible, for a while, to have both the joy of fantasy and the happiness of a truly human travel experience.

Please click the player above to listen to this sound-rich, Audio PostCard from Andalusia, Spain

When Europe was groping its way through the Dark Ages, 10th century Islamic Spain, Andalusia, was considered the jewel of the world.
Christianity and Judaism mixed easily with Islam, and no where else in Europe were the arts and sciences as brilliant as they were in Cordova, the capital of Andalusia in southern Spain.
The land is arid, but the cities of Cordova, Grenada and Seville vibrate with color and resonate with Flamenco and Gypsy music.

Cobblestone streets lead past elegant arches and medieval walls.

And In Seville the magic of the Alhambra with its intricate fountains and elegant courtyards has a beauty and grace that Europe only achieved in the later Renaissance.The Alhambra (from Arabic, literally “the red one”) was a favorite of American writer, Washington Irving, who described the Christian “modifications” as a “brick among lace.

Imagine this scenario. You’re boarding your flight, and an announcement is made that there are three free upgrades to First Class. Free. For those whose Klout scores are 50 or higher.

Or you complain to a company about some defect in their product, and you never get an answer. But other people do, you learn. Why? The brand opts to reply only to those customers with high Klout scores, because, they reason, those are the true influencers of public opinion and are the one worth spending time on.

Wired Magazine reports that these examples of Klout scores driving successful transactions are very much in play, like, for instance, the report that clerks at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas quietly check the Klout scores when guests check in. And give those high scorers instant room upgrades, without the guests often even knowing why.

Wired says that Klout’s VP  Matt Thomson, says many companies are already deep into discussions about how best to use Klout scores. He predicts that people with high Klout scores will board airplanes earlier, get free access to VIP lounges, stay in better hotel rooms, and receive deep discounts from retail stores.

The three-year old company’s successful venture into running people’s lives by algorithms is not universally applauded. For example, Jaron Lanier, author of You Are Not a Gadget argues, among other things, that people’s lives are “being run by stupid algorithms more and more (and) the only ones to escape it are the ones who avoid playing the game all.”

Wired’s author, Seth Stevenson, queried Klout in an attempt to boost his scores. He learned the following techniques:

• Tweet much more than he had been
• Concentrate on one topic, be focused
• Develop relationships with those people who have high Klout scores
• Keep things upbeat. Apparently positive content is more appealing than negative

The problem seems then to be that once one backs off from this kind of compulsive behavior, Stevenson learned, Klout scores drop. Fast. So the question remains, do Klout scores finally matter.

It seems they do, if you’re in the business of being “important” which is not the same thing as being interesting, or relevant.
Consider that Justin Bieber has a perfect 100 score, while President Obama, a much more important figure, we would argue, weighs in at 91.
Stevenson also found himself drawn to Tweets from people with low or no Klout scores because their stuff was more provocative.

So, while its true people with Klout scores of 50 or higher may well get perks like free washing machines or the coveted penthouse suite, it could be these people have swapped perceived “influence” in the form of high Klout scores  for real influence in the form of engaging people with ideas and useful information.

Still, an upgrade to First Class is a very attractive carrot to dangle.

Many women  want to travel alone, or with other women,  and not a guy… a fact most men find very difficult to accept.
And while we think there are too many movies and books that give us too many images of women as helpless victims, the truth is that a majority of women say that security issues are their number one concern when traveling alone. Or even with female companions.
But it seems that the joys of travel are so strong, these women would rather travel alone than not travel.
There are real challenges to being female and on the road, like sexual harassment, including being touched or groped or receiving inappropriate or uncalled for remarks.
Women are more likely to be the victims of theft, too.

Smarter Travel has a list of female-friendly places but for those women who don’t want to be confined to a category, there are bits of recurring   wisdom for women traveling solo.

Perhaps the key piece of advice we’ve heard, is to ask directions from other women or women with families, and not from men.
A woman’s take on what’s safe is very different from a man’s.
Mary Bond  is a bit of a legend among women travelers, and indeed among all travelers, because she more or less opened up the discussion about women road warriors.
Her site, The Gutsy Traveler, is filled with all kinds of useful and important tips facts and advice for women (and families) on the road.
Obviously, another important consideration is to be sure hotels are be near easy transportation with well-lighted parking lots and lobby areas.
Some experts suggest women sport a wedding ring to discourage unwanted male attention, especially in male-dominated cultures.
Other women say this is  “sexist” advice, and is giving in to the image of the “helpless woman.”

Experienced female travelers  suggest avoiding unwanted advances simply by remaining silent when approached; not making eye contact and simply moving away from the source of irritation.
Also, remember that what you  think is OK to wear at home or for a night out with women friends,  can be  provocative in other places.
Take your cues from what the local women in the culture wear.
What’s standard dress for them?

Rick Steves has some very good, soft advice for women solo travelers  that include keeping up with the political trends of the destination you’re visiting, getting some language skills in place and the kinds of backpacks to carry to avoid theft.
And there are several all-women tour groups offering women only trip and travel, like Well Arranged Travel.

interestingly,  women are continuing to chose to travel with other women…and happily leaving their men at home. They say it’s a different kind of travel,  and rewarding in different ways. And that the rewards way outweigh the risks.

Or who will turn the tables and keep review sites and their reviews honest?

By now we’ve heard enough to know fraudulent, unverified reviews on heretofore sacrosanct review sites are rampant. In many ways, they’re a violation of the trust travelers place in those sites.
TripAdvisor has been cited by UK authorities and told it can no longer state that its reviews are “honest” or from “real people,”  because there is no way of verifying the accuracy or trustworthiness of posted reviews.

And there are “review bullies,”  hotel guests or visitors to a destination demanding special services, free drinks or other amenities under the threat of writing and posting a negative review if they don’t get what they want.
And since good reviews are critical to a hotel or brands success, destination mangers and hotel general managers are being held hostage to unscrupulous travelers, corrupting the review process.

Kwikchex, the reputation-protection site,  has been the leading force in exposing the dubious practices of review sites posting anonymous and unverified reviews.  Led by co-founder, and gadfly, Chris Emmins, the move to hold review sites to a higher standard is gaining traction.
Writing in tNooz,  Linda Fox reports on a rating system for review sites.

It goes like this:

• Grade 1, Five Stars, goes to to those review sites where reviewers are identified, verified purchasers of the products/servicesbusinesses reviewed
• Grade 2, Four Stars, goes to those sites where the reviewers have provided proof of identification and offer proof of purchase
• Grade 3, Three Stars applies when there is a system in place that enables reviewers to offer proof of purchase
• Grade 4, Two Stars for sites where reviewers only provide e-mail addresses, and no proof of identity or purchase
• Grade 5, One Star, for those sites that do not fulfill one or more of the values contained in 1-4

Is it working?
Kwikchex, moving toward being part of a “global consumer group, ” has already awarded a Five Star status to  Booking.com.
TripAdvisor and Yelp have two stars.
The process has the potential for being very interesting: Reviewing the review sites is an idea whose time has come.

In the land of the Great Gatsby there’s no shortage of towering, masterpiece theatre- like mansions that look like PBS’ Downton Abbey.

But for mere mortals interested in enjoying the sea, shops and charms of Newport, RI, we easily recommend the Cliffside Inn.

This more modest masterpiece built in  1876, sits just above the famous walk way, the  Cliff Walk, that circles the ocean and the sea-facing mansions of towering delight.

The inn satisfies the senses at every turn and stair tread, with, as owner and innkeeper Bill and Nancy Bagwill said, a contemporary interpretation of a Second Empire Victorian masterpiece. Lest you think there’s anything stogy about inn-keeping Bill and Nancy keep their motorcycles parked prominently out front.

This once and future premier inn of Newport does away with the cloying wallpaper, dollies, laces of typical Victorian inns but keeps the “feel” with rich self portraits (period oil paintings of the inns quirky original family), cut flowers strategically placed and fireside teas and wines served to chatty guests, who range from the 30 somethings on up.
With a whopping 90% occupancy, something is working at Cliffside.

Of course, Newport is a world-class destination with its festivals and picturesque harbor and boutique shops. So Cliffside has that going for it.
But what makes it unique, given the many cool, stately Newport inns?
Christina, a guest, and an executive in the food business, said that she could live here all the time.
Leslie from Massachusetts said, “It’s grand…super clean and best of all, I can see the ocean from my window!”
And that could be it.

Or it could be the history.
Like all good inns, Cliffside has its own mysteries, and this one revolves around the “hauntingly beautiful and wealthy” Beatrice Turner (1888-1948) who painted 3000 works of art, including 1000 self-portraits, and rarely left the house or stopped wearing Victorian clothes.
The inn offers guests a book called Beatrice: The Untold Story of a Legendary Woman of Mystery, by Sheldon Bart, and mentioned by the New York Times.
Most rooms look out partially at the ocean, and all the rooms I saw (there are 12 now; 16 planned) are very attractive with window nooks, working fireplaces, and antique-feeling furniture that doesn’t make a heavy statement.

The bathrooms are actually fun. Glass-walled showers, black and white checkered floors, contemporary fixtures and Aveda creams and shampoos
The dining room with its big fireplace has some quirky touches like a tower of tea cups and of course those tastefully placed cut flowers.
Cliffside serves a sit-down, home-made and very ample breakfast including the usual assortment of breakfast sweets(we loved the cardamom muffins), juices and then cooked to order specials from egg wraps to terrific pancakes and their own maple syrup, a definite treat.

Of course the biggest ‘aww’ factor is Cody, Cliffside’s beautiful little Sheltie
who spends a good part of his day waiting patiently for pats and treats by the welcome desk. (note: a few of the Inn’s accommodations are dog friendly)

For an inn that really just reopened in August 2011, the Cliffside Inn’s present speaks of a very promising future .

Please watch our fun,  one-minute Cliffside Travel Video PostCard

Flash Sales Change Travel
Think about it, The Washington Post, asks, do you really want to go to the Shady Hill Inn in Maine because you’ve always wanted to go there?
Or do you want to go there because Sniqueaway.com has a sudden flash offer, and the excitement of “getting” the deal before the clock winds down is greater than your desire to go to Maine?
For More: The Washington Post

Forget Key Word, Search With Images Instead
More than 60 percent of Internet users worldwide start planning their next trip by typing one or more destinations into their search engine. Yet studies argue that 400 million would-be travelers are not sure where they want to go.
So what should they search for?
The newly-launched travel community Pixmeaway thinks their image-based search engine is the answer.
Users click on images from a set of 63 pre-defined motifs, then  Pixmeaway classifies the user into seven travel personalities. Recommendations ( destinations, sights or activities)  are then targeted to the individual preferences of the user.
Very cool, if it works.
For More: Pixmeaway

Welcome “Crowd Sourced” Translations
It was only a matter of time before someone figured out that translations are more reliable (and fun) when crowd sourced.
So Ackuna came up with a “translation machine” powered by humans whose users come from all over the world and provide various translation perspectives on language submitted to the site.
Users can vote on a translation, submit comments of a translation and provide feedback. Even if you don’t know Arabic, you can comment on the quality and accuracy of the English translation, and actaully win badges.
For More: Ackuna

Do Airlines Play Games With Seats?
We know airplane seat seat selection is subject to torturous and inscrutable rules and regulations. But when USA Today asked its readers if they thought the airlines were deliberately withholding seats forcing passengers to “buy up” and pay more, the answer was a resounding, “Yes!”
And then, very often the aircraft is only partially full. The cheaper, available  seats did exist.
For More: USAToday
Trap
When you pay a travel provider up front and in full, more than six months before you travel, beware. Banks and credit card companies typically provide a 60 day period to raise complaints and discrepancies. And check the cancellation policy.

Saying “I Love You” at 35,000 Feet-From  Seat 7B

Why Not?
Flight attendants are not inherently anti-romantic or anti-social, they’re just brainwashed when it comes to using cell phones in the air.
“Please switch off all mobile phones as they can interfere with the aircraft’s rafts navigation system,” is the flight attendant’s mantra.
But there  is no verifiable  reason why one shouldn’t use a  cell phone on a plane.
We’re told it may  interfere with mobile networks on the ground. But that makes no sense.
But if cell phones were so dangerous to the plane’s navigation system, why allow them on board in the first place?
Many phones are left on by mistake (including mine), and some people make furtive phone calls in the air.

There is no good reason why cell phones should be turned off in flight. At least none anyone can prove.
One International Air Transport Association (IATA) study did report 75 incidents of “possible electronic interference believed linked to mobile phones and other electronic devices.”
That was between 2003 and 2009.
Imagine the total number of flights flown in those 6 years!  Seventy-five “possible electronic interferences” is a statistical nonentity.
Birds and weather are greater threats.

Arianna Huffington, the out-spoken founder of the Huffington Post,  blatantly used her Blackberry on a Dulles to LaGuardia flight last year.  According to an irate passenger, she chatted and texted the entire time, openly.
The Washington Post’s Reliable Source reported that the “blog empress”  was confronted by the passenger, and both were pulled aside and questioned when the plane landed.
No one was charged.
The New York Post identified the passenger as Ellis Belodoff (53) who scolded Huffington and heckled her by asking, “Hey, Lady, don’t you speak English?” apparently referring, of all things, to her accent.
Huffington, of course, is Greek-born, speaks English exceptionally well and was not the least bit amused. She reportedly thought the passenger was upset because he didn’t like the snacks.

It’s true that  recent studies have suggested passengers themselves do not want fellow passengers “yakking” on their phones. But that’s a different story.
An MSNBC report noted that airlines in Europe, Asia and the Middle East wire planes for connectivity that allow passengers to use their own phones to receive and make calls.
But, U.S federal regulations still do not allow the use of in-flight mobile calls, and cell phones must be turned off.
Further, says, MSNBC, the government has directed broadband service providers like Aircell/gogo and Row 44 to “block voice calls and disable VoIp functions.”

Oman Air, Egypt Air, Libyan Airlines, Qatar Airways and Royal Jordanian  offer in-flight voice calls. Malaysia Airlines and others are conducting trials before committing to a formal rollout of a mobile phone service. Emirates Airlines says it logs  between 15,000 and 20,000 calls per month from Emirates flights in 2010. A VP says they had one complaint.

Give the people what they want.
In 2009 the Bureau of Transportation statistics asked 1000 households that if it could be proven that there was no safety hazard in using cell phones, would they approve of cell phone use. Forty-eight percent said “definitely,” or “probably.”

If, as it seems likely, more and more foreign and international carriers are adding more and more connectivity, then only those flying US carriers will be out of reach and increasingly out of touch.

No, this doesn’t come from us, but from someone who Tweeted about a new travel-dating site called, Misstravel.com
It’s pretty much a travel dating site…with plenty of innuendo.
The explanatory video asks are you attractive, love to travel, but don’t have the money?
It then explains that there are plenty of wealthy types (all men) like doctors, athletes, bankers, executives and other well-heeled guys who don’t want to travel alone.

To be launched April 24th, the site brings the two groups together.
The descriptions under the names of some of the “gorgeous women” listed as ready and eager to travel are are, well, provocative:
Sheriyna says, “Let’s Go To Paradise Together,” and Mandy is a “Hot Girl (who) Seeks Financially stable man,” and Maryann says she’s “Classy and Sexy.”
All have the tag line, “Ill show you my town. I’ll travel with you. I’ll come to you.”
The guys, or Gentlemen Members like Italian Kisses says, simply, “Italian Kisses,” while Texan323 (44 years old, from Texas and athletic) simply asks, “Hope you have your bags packed.”

The site is the brainchild of Brandon Wade founder of what some say is the largest “sugar daddy dating web site in the world,.”
Wade told me that 10,000 people have signed up already and the site isn’t even officially  launched. That’s about 2K a day.
The press release quotes CNN as saying that only 30% of Americans have passports. The spin is that lots of people don’t travel because they don’t have the money.
But “Who needs money? Beautiful people travel free,” is the simple marketing pitch. Left unexplained is how to define “beautiful” or “attractive.” But then again, not to sign up would be admitting to not being attractive or beautiful.

I asked Wade if he thought the site is sexually exploitative? He said that it’s a dating and travel site, and that implies “people expect chemistry…they are, as consenting adults, often looking to hook up.”
What about liability issues, like sexual abuse? “There are lots of thins we do to protect ourselves,” he said. And referred to the Travel Advice and Safety Tips section of the site.

To which we say, caveat emptor