Sherman's Travel

The 2011/2012 ski season has been a bit of a bummer for bona fide ski bums, since it hasn’t put a dent in last year’s record-setting snowfall. Still, there’s plenty of powder to be had in prime ski destinations, and leading the (snow)pack is Wyoming, which has seen more snowfall than Colorado, Utah, California, or the New England region.

I recently spent several days at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (confession: it was the first time I’d strapped on skis in years), where bluebird skies, fluffy powder, and nearly nonexistent lift lines have surely spoiled me for my times to come out on the slopes. The resort has a reputation as an experts’ paradise – it boasts 4,139’ vertical feet of steep and deep runs, including the notorious Corbet’s Couloir and its two-story drop into a rocky chute – but I was surprised (and grateful) to learn that the resort also has plenty of fantastic terrain for just-getting-back-into-skiing folks like me.

Here with a few more unexpected discoveries that I made, primed for helping other first-timers to Jackson Hole, too: Read more

As Patriots fans mourn Sunday’s Super Bowl defeat, they can at least take comfort in knowing that their beloved team has gone to a better place – or could, anyway. The Aruba Tourism Authority is offering all-expenses paid Aruba trips to the New England players, a move meant to “acknowledge and celebrate the hard work, dedication and season-long success of the team, despite their loss.” As Aruba Tourism Authority’s CEO continues, “We believe there is no better place to recover after a loss than Aruba. After all, we are ‘One Happy Island’.”

Where do the victorious Giants players get to go? MVP Eli Manning is in Disney World on Monday (pictured above), but otherwise the players celebrated on another happy island: Manhattan. The New York Giants Victory Parade 2012 commenced at 11am Tuesday morning at Battery Place and Washington Street, traveling north up the Canyon of Heroes. The Giants may not get to enjoy warm Aruba, but there was no shortage of partying in New York City. How are you celebrating (or recovering from) Super Bowl XLVI?

Be sure to check out our Aruba guide and our New York City guide. Then, use our Travel Search price comparison tool to plan your trip.

If summiting Half Dome is on your adventure travel bucket list, but you’ve been thwarted by the permit system enacted in 2010 – and, more specifically, the legions of scalpers that hijacked the works last season – there’s hope for the year ahead.

A new lottery system was recently announced to obtain permits for hiking the iconic granite formation in Yosemite National Park. Park officials hope the lottery system will curb the frustrating problem of people grabbing large numbers of Half Dome permits and then jacking up the minimal price by fourfold or more.

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Millions of people will be indoors watching the Super Bowl this Sunday, but Liftopia is offering exclusive lift ticket deals to get you out on the slopes – be quick, though, because the offers are limited. Currently, savings range from 20 to 76 percent and you can find deals at over 80 resorts, from Alaska to New England, organized by location.

Liftopia is an online lift ticket retailer that offers deals throughout the year and around the world, from small ski resorts in the Midwest, to big names like Sun Valley and Mammoth. The Game Day sale is Liftopia’s biggest sale yet, but be sure to check out the site (or use their iPhone app!) for great deals on lift tickets throughout the ski season.

Use our Travel Search price comparison tool to find the lowest rates on flights, hotels, vacation packages, and other travel deals.

Lisa Ling, Rick Steves, and Adam Richman are just a few of the globe-trotting celebs who will be appearing at this weekend’s Los Angeles Times Travel Show, held at the Los Angeles Convention Center. It’s the 14th year for the award-winning travel extravaganza, which, with its hundreds of exhibitors from exotic countries and hands-on activities, is almost like a whirlwind round-the-world trip in and of itself.

The show, which costs $10 per day and is open to the public on January 28 and January 29, promises to once again spark wanderlust while providing access to some of the top travel experts in the industry. Countries represented include the adventure meccas of Belize, South Africa, Ecuador, and Morocco, and other exhibitors include a variety of tour operators and travel organizations, including the Adventure Travel Trade Association, Serengeti Pride Safaris, and Extreme Tornado Tours. Read more

It’s the forecast that skiers and snowboarders have been longing for: Big snow is finally on the way this weekend. More than four feet of snow are expected to dump on Jackson Hole, Wyoming – as well as other snow-starved resorts – this weekend, as part of the winter storm fronts that are gearing up to hit the Rockies and the Pacific Northwest. In anticipation of the long-awaited snowfall, two properties in Jackson Hole are offering a 3-night “Storm Chaser” package that includes accommodations, lift tickets, and other perks.

Package deals from Teton Mountain Lodge and Hotel Terra come with a 3-day lift ticket for two adults, a $20 per room breakfast credit, and accommodations, with starting nightly rates from $314 for Teton Mountain Lodge and $339 at Hotel Terra (three night minimum stay required). Considering that adult full-day passes at Jackson Hole cost $85 alone, that’s pretty significant savings. The deal runs through Jan. 31.

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Climbing enthusiasts have yet another reason to consider the South for their next adventure: a 140-foot climbing wall in Historic Banning Mills Adventure Park (about 45 minutes west of Atlanta) that was recently certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s tallest freestanding climbing wall.

The 14-story structure, which received its Guinness certification on December 10, is the newest addition to the nonprofit adventure park. The professionally designed wall, which required about six months of construction, offers challenging routes (all belayed, no free climbing) for climbers of all skill levels, with nine lanes, including two 95-foot rappel walls, four overhangs, a traversing overhang, and a chimney. Read more

This whiskered mug (shown at right) was my last hurrah on Kauai before it was time to board a plane bound for covert Nextpedition destination #2.

Considering that I’m obsessed with any adorable wild creature – let alone one that waddles from the surf onto the beach before my very feet – this, I decided, was going to be a tough surprise act to follow.

When the plane’s wheels rolled down the runway in Honolulu, I have to admit that I still wasn’t entirely convinced that the second leg of my mystery trip could possibly live up to the past four days.

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Just a few days into 2012, tour operators and travel companies in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras – the four countries also known as the Mundo Maya – have ramped up their promotions for the coming year, which marks the end of the Maya Long Count calendar on December 21.

More on the significance of the date below (hint: It has very little to do with the movie 2012), but it also means the coming months will see a surge in Maya-themed packages, trips, and offerings, with varying degrees of value and quality. One that recently hit my inbox appears to exceed the mark in terms of authenticity and adventure, while being supremely affordable: the Maya 2012 Passport, launched by the Belize Tourism Board. Read more

The well known mantra “What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas” usually applies to Sin City’s primary vices: gambling, drinking, strip clubs, and general debauchery a la The Hangover. Now, it will also include target practice with machine guns and sexy “Gun Girls.”

Machine Guns Vegas is a testosterone-fueled shooting range where visitors will be trained to use semi- and full-automatic weapons by NRA-certified women. The “ultra-discreet” gun lounge is located in a 10,000-square-foot facility and will feature a slew of different packages like “The Mafia Experience” (use the choice weapons of Mobsters and hit men like the “Tommy” submachine gun, starting at $99.95 per person) and “Full Auto” (which includes eight different automatic machine guns and an M60, starting at $399 per person).

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