The CONCACAF Champions League has provided a wealth of new opportunities for MLS teams to cut their teeth on the international stage since its 2008 inception, but as fans of teams lucky enough to be in the tournament will tell you, those opportunities are not the only benefits North Americas premier club competition offers.

Along with the added exposure for the teams, the greatly expanded competition (from eight to 24 teams, including preliminary rounds), has offered MLS fans a new way to travel to places they might otherwise never consider going.

Upon arriving, the first thing I remember was wondering, What the heck am I doing here? Sounders fan John Neuharth recalled after arriving in El Salvador. I had spent the last couple weeks convincing my friends and family that no, I was not crazy for traveling to a third-world country with a history of unrest in order to watch a Sounders match. In reality, the country was a wonderful experience.

By virtue of three straight US Open Cup wins, the Seattle Sounders have been regular participants in the competition since 2010. To book their debut appearance in the competition, the Sounders had to travel to El Salvador holding a slender 1-0 lead over Isidro Metapn in the preliminary round, and a small group of fans made the trip to Central America along with the team.

Once we deplaned, we stayed at the airport for about an hour because we’d heard the team flight was right behind us and we wanted to welcome them with scarves up and some songs, Sounders fan Aaron Reed told to MLSsoccer.com. The looks on their faces were priceless when they realized that we were there.

Though Metapn are based in the northwestern Santa Ana province of El Salvador, their stadium did not meet CONCACAF standards, meaning the game was played in San Salvadors Estadio Cuscatln, El Salvadors national stadium and the largest venue in Central Ameica.

Once in the stadium, though the Sounders fans encountered something completely unlike what theyd seen in away venues across MLS.

We got some light heckling when we first arrived at the stadium, but most people just looked at us like we were from another planet, Reed recalled.

The security guard [who was carrying a gun] led us through three empty sections, each separated from each other with a chain link fence and barbed wire, until we got to our section for the match, he continued. We were in a true terrace. It was large concrete slabs with no seats. There was a moat, a chain link fence and an armed guard between us and the pitch.

Having come from Seattle, the ECS members were no strangers to wet weather, yet they were still shocked at the conditions presented by Central Americas rainy season, where torrential rain is the norm throughout the summer.

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Supporters Week: CCL gives fans unique way to travel world

At the end of the summer, two students from the North Hall High School class of 2012 will find themselves heading westward to California.

For the next two years, they will travel the nation, even the world, with The Young Americans, a performing group that puts on workshops for the worlds youth.

Mary Catherine Scozzari and Reed Partrick, two recent graduates of North Hall, have been extended an invitation to join the group and are taking the leap.

Im really excited about being a part of it, said Scozzari. Theres not a lot of people that are willing to take this risk. She and Partrick, who have been friends for a long time, have been on the stage since eighth grade and both have a rooted passion for the performing arts.

And both have known since freshman year that The Young Americans was the end goal after high school. When they were freshman, during the 2007-08 school year, The Young Americans visited their school to put on a three-day workshop.

I knew right then thats what I wanted to do, said Partrick. This has been my dream since freshman year. The two both hosted some of the groups performers and after that workshop, both knew what they wanted to do.

You get really close with (the performers) over those three days and they really impact your life, said Scozzari.

Scozzari and Partrick arent the first Hall County graduates or even the first North Hall graduates to join Young Americans. Andrew Fields, who graduated from North Hall in 2009, has been part of the group. So has Rob Whelchel, who graduated from Gainesville High School the same year.

When the Young American group came back to town this year, Scozzari and Partrick auditioned for the group, and both are taking the leap.

They will stay in Corona, Calif., where the group is based out of, and spend the first year training for the shows. After that time, they will audition to go on three-month tours with the group.

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North Hall students set to travel the world

The Barnstaple branch of Vacation World, in Joy Street

Tony Gussin Saturday, May 19, 2012 8:00 AM

Vacation World ceases trading as staff are in formed by a mass telephone call.

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THE Barnstaple and Braunton branches of Vacation World have shut down after the travel agent ceased trading.

The news was broken to staff at 9.15am on Wednesday via a conference telephone call.

They were also told they would not receive any pay for their work from May 1.

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Barnstaple and Braunton travel agents close down

GENEVA For 52 years, Cole Travel Service arranged tours and vacations all over the world, but especially for folks traveling to Norway, Sweden, Denmark and other Scandinavian countries.

We did Scandinavian travel all over the U.S., said Barbara Cox, who managed the travel agency for 28 years. We are the ones to call for Scandinavian travel. We did so good for so many years. But in the last six years, there was a huge slow down. We still did Scandinavia travel, which is what we specialized in, but it was not enough to keep the business going.

Cox said she would retire now that Cole Travel, at 310 W. State St. in Geneva, will close June 1.

The travel agency shares the same space with The Gift Box, specializing in Scandinavian imports, which will stay open.

Gift Box manager Jane Gaffney said the travel agency space likely would be made into the Christmas room to hold specialty holiday items.

We sell Swedish coffee, medium and dark Arvid Nordquist brand and Lofbergs Lila, Gaffney said. We have chocolate, candies, cookies, Bing and Grondahl and Royal Copenhagen Blue plates. We also serve glogg during the Christmas walk, which we make ourselves from a recipe from the 1700s. And we also carry lutefisk once a year at Christmas.

Lutefisk is a traditional Nordic dish of dried salted whitefish saturated with lye.

The travel agencys original owner, Edythe Anderson, opened the business in 1960 as an additional service to customers of the Gift Box, which opened in 1947.

The current owner, Lennart Jonsson, contributed to the success of both businesses because of his extensive knowledge of Scandinavian countries.

An immigrant from Sweden, Lennart, 87, of St. Charles, said it was unfortunate the travel agency could not support itself any longer.

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Cole Travel in Geneva closes after 52 years

Do you want to travel the world, but are afraid you dont have enough money? Are you nervous about the unknowns of traveling? Sampson California Realty will be hosting a free special event and book signing on Plan Your Escape: How To Travel the World For Less Than the Cost of Living at Home on Thursday, May 31, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Sampson California Realty office at 12702 Via Cortina, Suite 101 in Del Mar. Wayne and Pat Dunlap, a Del Mar couple, rented their home and traveled the world for two years, visiting 51 countries. As a result of their travels, they wrote a book called Plan Your Escape: Secrets of Traveling the World for Less Than the Cost of Living at Home. This step-by-step guide to traveling the world gets people exploring possibilities they never thought of, said Wayne Dunlap. During this fabulous evening, you will learn how to safely realize and afford your travel dreams for trips from a weekend getaway to a month or more.

Wayne Dunlap, a former economics professor and experienced world traveler and his travel partner and wife, Pat Dunlap, will discuss powerful cost-saving tips, including proven secrets the travel industry does not want you to know. Learn how to get the best deals on airfare, hotels, tours, car rentals, restaurants, cruises and more. To register for this event, contact SCR at 858-699-1145 or via email at info@scr-sandiego.com.

Short URL: http://www.ranchosantafereview.com/?p=10079

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Sampson California Realty to host special event on ‘How To Travel The World For Less Than The Cost of Living at Home’

Tourists who want a taste of the Philippines will be spoiled for choice, with tasty dishes from adobo to pinikpikan. But for the busy traveler, perhaps a meal of Chickenjoy or palabok will do just the trick.

The famous Chickenjoy. Laurel Fantauzzo

The list released in May 2012 includes maritime-themed chain Nordsee in Germany, noodle chain Mr. Lee in China, and street snack chain Old Chang Kee in Singapore.

At Jollibee, fast food gets a Filipino twistthe burgers come with a sweet, creamy sauce and the spaghetti comes with hotdogs. But it’s the fried chicken and local noodle dish that star in Travel and Leisure’s list.

“There are more than 700 locations across the country, serving everything from fried chicken and hamburgers to local favorites like palabok, rice noodles with meat sauce, shrimp, and hard-boiled egg,” they say, recommending the Spicy Chickenjoy.

According to Travel and Leisure, “fast-food chains aren’t exactly hidden gems…but they have their own quirky appeal and dish out a quick fix of local culture and cuisine.”

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Travel magazine lists Jollibee among the world's best fast-food chains

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Online Travel Grows in China: An Interview with Tuniu CEO Donald Yu

(MoneyWatch) Life in the U.S. in the debris of the Great Recession is slowly beginning to improve. Consumer confidence, while still sensitive to trouble signs (Greece, anyone?), is creeping up. One sure sign: More American are taking vacations. According to recent data from the U.S. Office of Travel and Tourism Industries(OTTI), 8.1 million people traveled abroad in the first two months of the year. That’s a six percent increase over the same time period in 2011.

Americans who want to travel internationally but not contend with Europe’s unfavorable exchange rate are turning to less expensive destinations. Through February, travel to Central American had risen 25 percent and was up 11 percent to Asia, according to OTTI. Along with affordability, increased travel to these parts of the world was driven partly by the many tourist-friendly cities in the regions.

Most affordable places to retire

TheUN World Tourism Organization(UNWTO) reports that Thailand is quickly becoming a go-to tourist destination. It’s the most popular country in Southeast Asia for international travelers and last year came in as the No. 11 country in the world as ranked by tourism receipts. Malaysia was No. 14 and Singapore No. 15

According to UNWTO, Thailand was one of five international destinations whose tourism receipts grew by more than $5 billion in 2011. The other four countries who saw a similar jump in tourism were the U.S., Spain, France, and Hong Kong.

Although a growing number of Americans are traveling to Latin America and Asia, Europe remains the most popular destination, with travel to the region up 9 percent in the first two months of the year. It’s not just U.S. tourists flocking to Europe — despite its economic woes, Europe draws the largest share of global tourism, at 45 percent. Tourism brought $463 billion into the European economy in 2011.

If Europe as a whole is the most popular region for travel, the U.S. is easily the world’s most visited country as ranked by how much foreign travelers spend. The U.S. last year brought in more than $116 billion in tourism receipts, nearly double second-place Spain ($59.3 billion), according to UNWTO. France ($53.8 billion), China ($58.5 billion), and Italy ($43 billion round out the top five.

United Nations World Tourism Barometer Top destinations by international tourism receipts (based on 2011 data)

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World's top 15 travel destinations

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Brett Tollman Interview at 2012 World Travel and Tourism Council – Video

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Al Faisaliah Hotel Gains International Recognition at World Travel Awards

My son and I disagree on which Scooby-Doo episodes are the best I side with the classics from the late 1960s and early 70s and he prefers the latest Mystery, Inc. episodes. Im not big on Scrappy-Doo, and thankfully Decker hasnt taken to the little annoying pup, either. I find humor in the old episodes as I watch the same bookcase go by five or six times as the Scooby Gang walks down the impossibly long hallway in the haunted house and Decker finds humor in the many ways that the newest animation techniques show Scooby shake and shiver. It really is a good time to be a Scooby-Doo fan, and my sons 5th birthday party this last weekend had a Scooby theme it makes me smile that he loves the Scooby Gang as much as I do.

As the Scooby-Doo franchise has developed over the years, the Scooby Gang has been around the world and then some. China, Hawaii, Transylvania, South America theyve been everywhere! Ive really lost track of every destination thats sported a mystery for the gang to solve. But I can name at least a dozen exotic locations thanks to the latest release, Scooby Doo! 13 Spooky Tales Around the World from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

This DVD is a collection of older episodes mainly the classics from the early 70s involving trips to the Bermuda Triangle and Venice (remember the Ghostly Gondolier?) and episodes from the mid to late 70s that take them to the jungles of Brazil and a temple in Greece haunted by a Minotaur. Whats great about the episodes selected here is that Decker has seen so few of them and has enjoyed each and every one of them as Ive watched them with him and relived a bit of my childhood.

If youre interested in which 13 episodes are included, Ill give you the rundown here:

Disc 1:

The Fiesta Host is an Aztec Ghost, The Harum Scarum Sanitarium, The Spirits of 76, A Creepy Tangle in the Bermuda Triangle, To Switch a Witch, A Menace in Venice

Disc 2:

Shiver and Shake, That Demons a Snake, Lock the Door, Its a Minotaur, The Ozark Witch Switch, The Jaguaro, Moonlight Madness, Ghosts of the Ancient Astronauts Part I, Ghosts of the Ancient Astronauts Part II

If you have an Ultraviolet Digital Copy account, you can add all of these episodes as they are included with the DVD versions. Ive downloaded them to the iPad 2 so he can watch them on the small screen in the car but be aware that downloading the full 13 episodes can take quite a few gigabytes of storage space!

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Travel the Globe With Scooby-Doo! 13 Spooky Tales Around the World

SALEM, N.H.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–

On Call International, the leading provider of medical, security and travel assistance has introduced a dynamic new risk mitigation and traveler tracking tool, Searchlight. This highly anticipated service provides travel preparation, tracking, interactive communications and even social media integration to reduce health and safety risks for students and company employees when traveling anywhere in the world. The Searchlight mobile app grants users full access to the portal including profile, trip details and destination information.

After listening to our customers and researching how we can best help them protect the health and safety of their travelers, we created Searchlight, stated Michael J. Kelly, company CEO. This product does it all for both administrators and the travelers themselves by providing useful and interactive travel information before and during trips, organizing important documents and itineraries and offering a direct line of communication between travelers and administrators. As both a parent of college age children and a frequent business traveler, I am excited to bring something this valuable and unique to the marketplace.

Searchlight is composed of four key components:

Upon booking a trip, users can either add their travel details manually or the trip itinerary can be fed directly from their travel management company. Travelers can easily create a personal profile in the customized online resource center within the secure Searchlight portal, which allows them to designate emergency contacts and store important travel documents such as copies of their passports. The tool then provides travelers with pre-trip advice via email including medical, security and cultural overviews specific to their destination. While the traveler is away, Searchlight also provides tools to locate and communicate with travelers to reduce health and safety risks and can be accessed by a short list of user designated individuals and administrators. These administrators can communicate with the traveler directly via email, two-way SMS text, phone and social media sites, providing complete interactivity between the traveler and the organization.

The global-view dashboard aggregates all of the travelers data into one place. This secured data is available 24/7/365 for a crisis or for regular risk mitigation purposes. All of the travelers data including flight itineraries, hotel and destination information is connected to On Calls risk alerts to provide administrators customizable reporting of travelers exposure by country and region; enabling travelers to receive breaking updates and travel advice.

The information and advisory tools give an overview to travelers upon booking including medical, security, travel and cultural information to help travelers prepare for their upcoming trip. Additional items can include country manner and embassy information. This information can be shared with the traveler via email and is available via the portal at all times granting access to a comprehensive, vetted worldwide provider database. If travel advice changes, Searchlight alerts are issued to travelers before, during and immediately after travel if they are affected by the country or region experiencing unrest allowing travelers and administrators to communicate through the portal or privately through social media sites such as Facebook.

Specializing in worldwide emergency medical evacuations which can cost up to $30,000 domestically and as much as $100,000 internationally On Call Internationals services are designed help fulfill an organizations duty of care obligations and to safeguard employers and educational institutions from unnecessary personnel, legal and financial risk.

Additional medical assistance services range from emergency prescription replacement to worldwide hospital and physician referral and include medical case monitoring and dispatching a physician or specialist in emergencies. The companys 24/7 Nurse Helpline provides medical advice for those traveling and is staffed by U.S.-licensed nurses who assess patient symptoms, identify the urgency of a situation and recommend a plan of care. On Call also provides members with advice related to security concerns, situational security analysis for administrators and assistance during a security crisis.

Ideal for business and academic travelers, Searchlight is an interactive travel risk management platform that combines an online resource center, the global view dashboard, worldwide provider database and automated advisory alerts in a single solution.

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Searchlight, the New Interactive Product and Travel Necessity

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Travel with the 'D' around the world, Vol. 23

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Travel with the 'D' around the world, Vol. 24

The new-look economy cabin aboard Virgin Australia’s A330 domestic flights. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

Historic… The refurbished Harbour Rocks Hotel in Sydney, NSW. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

OUR weekly wrap-up on what’s new in travel.

Latest Airbus

VIRGIN Australia’s first contemporary new Airbus 330-220 will begin service on domestic routes this week. Two of the planes, which will be used on domestic routes between Sydney and Melbourne and Perth, arrived last month with a third expected later this year. The planes have spacious cabin interiors, lie-flat business class seats, leather seating and mood-lighting throughout the cabin. The airline launched its business class cabins earlier this year.

Hotel rocks on

SYDNEY’S Harbour Rocks Hotel has undergone an extensive refurbishment, with a new 40-seat restaurant called Scarlett, HRH wine bar and a gym. Set in a three-level building and six adjoining terrace buildings built in 1887, the 59-room boutique hotel sits on the site of the city’s first hospital. It was turned into a hotel in 1989. Rooms start at $209 a night.

Island by iPod

VISITORS to Norfolk Island will be able to take part in a new self-guided walking tour using an iPod. The tour gives people the flexibility to wander the national park trails at their leisure while listening to recorded, informative commentary about the walk and the plants and birds of the island, off the East Coast of Australia. Construction work has also started on a new purpose-built visitor interpretive centre, which is expected to be open by the end of the year.

Game’s on for a conservation trip

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MATCH Hospitality AG appoints Great Atlantic Travel and Tour as Authorized Sales Agent for the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ …

MEXICO CITY , May 14, 2012 /CNW/ – Mexico’s Ministry of Tourism and the Mexico Tourism Board are pleased to welcome this week, the leaders of the T20 and the WTTC, to Merida and the Riviera Maya for two high level events: the 4th T20 Ministers of Tourism Meeting and the WTTC Regional Summit of the Americas.

Mexico’s Secretary of Tourism, Gloria Guevara , emphasized that these two events are critical in strengthening the tourism sector as a pivotal driving force for the global economy.

Secretary Guevara stressed that these meetings will benefit the image of Mexico at an international level, and will be an opportunity to flaunt to the world Mexico’s rich tourism offering including the Mayan World, the Gastronomic Routes, the Magical Towns, world renowned beaches and archeological sites.

The T20 meeting will be held on May 15th and 16th in Merida, Yucatan. At this forum, the Ministers of Tourism from the 20 most developed economies in the world will discuss the topic of “Tourism: an Opportunity to Generate jobs.”

This meeting will be a key part of the lead up to the G20 Leaders Summit which will take place in Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, on June 18th and 19th. The objective of the T20 Meeting is to devise proposals, harnessing the tourism industry to fuel job creation.

In addition to the Ministers of Tourism from the G20, visiting countries who will participate include: Denmark , Spain , Chile , Colombia , Cambodia , El Salvador , Guatemala , Jamaica and Peru ; as well as international organizations such as the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), International Labor Organization (ILO), International Air Transport Association (IATA), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), among others.

The UNWTO recently reported that in 2011, there was a flow of 980 million international tourists worldwide, representing a 4 percent increase from the previous year. Forecasts indicate that tourism will experience sustained development in the short to medium terms, reaching one billion international visitors in 2012 and 1.8 billion by 2030.

Mexico will also host the 1st World Tourism and Travel Council’s Regional Summit of the Americas, from May 16th through 18th on the Riviera Maya, where more than 500 CEOs from international companies in the tourism industry will gather.

The WTTC is comprised of leaders in the travel and tourism industry globally, and comprises the top executives from the world’s main tourism and travel companies.

The WTTC’s objective is to strengthen the travel and tourism industry, which is responsible for generating 260 million jobs and contributes to nine percent of the world’s GDP.

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Mexico To Welcome Leaders From The T20 And World Travel And Tourism Council (WTTC)

NEWTON, Mass., May 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ –TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site*, today announced the results of its annual summer travel survey of more than 1,800 U.S. respondents. Eighty-six percent of travelers are planning leisure trips this summer, up from 81 percent that traveled last summer.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/49265-tripadvisor-summer-travel-survey-2012-leisure-trips

(Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120515/MM05990)

(Logo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080902/TRIPADVISORLOGO)

A separate survey of more than 1,200 U.S. respondents showed that recently declining gas prices will not have an effect on leisure travel plans this summer, according to 86 percent of U.S. respondents. However, 10 percent now expect to take more trips by car this summer as a direct result of lower prices at the pumps.

Summertime Shell-Out

Memorial Day in Motion

Summer Hotspots

The top five most popular summer destination types this year, according to U.S. travelers:

U.S. regions travelers are planning to visit this summer:

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Summer Travel Forecast Sunny For U.S. Travelers

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Travel Postcard: 48 hours in Warsaw

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., May 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ –HotelPlanner.com, the number one online group travel company, CEO, Tim Hentschel will be speaking on a group travel panel addressing hotel owners from around the world gathering in Las Vegas for an annual convention. Tim Hentschel will be speaking about the growing importance of the online group travel market for hotel owners and management. Some exciting trends in the group travel industry that he will be addressing are:

Online group leads are up through HotelPlanner.com 120% YOY.

Top 5 domestic US group travel markets are shifting order of importance as corporate group travel rebounds. Top 5 group destinations are Las Vegas, Orlando, New York, Chicago, and Anaheim.

Corporate group travel is up 30%, YOY while leisure group travel demand holds steady.

Group hotel rates climb by on average 6% nationwide and over 18% in key markets from a rebound in corporate group travel.

Customizing group contracting terms by group market segments; leisure vs. corporate.

HotelPlanner.com is the leading provider of online services to a global group hotel sales market.Currently, HotelPlanner’s system processes over 30,000 group hotel booking requests per month completely online with assistance from regional planners all around the world with over 10 years of hospitality experience.

CONTACT: Emily Pierce, 1-888-300-3647, ext. 210, emily.pierce@hotelplanner.com

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CEO of HotelPlanner.com to Speak on Group Travel Trends next week in Las Vegas