Sherman's Travel

Another day, another flight deal we’re dying to jump on. Today’s flavor? NYC and LA to Tel Aviv, Israel, at round-trip rates as low as $869! If you’re looking for the ultimate warm-weather getaway during the cold winter months in the state, Tel Aviv is a perfect option with white sand beaches and a hip downtown culture. Read more

Of all the amazing locations that I’ve written about so far, The Dead Sea is the only place I’ve witnessed first-hand. And boy is it true what they say about this incredible body of water. I dare you to try and submerge yourself fully here. It won’t happen. It’s not uncommon to find regulars out on the water in their beach chairs (yes…chairs) with some sunblock on, reading the morning paper. This Israel tourist hot spot is definitely a site you can’t miss. Read more

We’d love if every cruise we took could be aboard a luxury liner like the Queen Elizabeth, but budget constraints normally keep us from splurging on all that opulence and personal service. However, these amazing, limited time fares – up to 60 percent off – on Cunard’s fall Mediterranean sailings mean you don’t have to sacrifice savings for style.

The best value is the 10-day Mediterranean Moments, where inside cabins start at $699, or about $70/day; the cruise goes from Rome to Southampton and makes calls in Italy, Monaco, and Spain. Other itineraries we love range from the 12-day Holy Land Explorer (Rome to Venice, with stops in Turkey, Cyprus, Israel, and Egypt) from $899, to the 12-day Pearls of the Black Sea (Venice to Athens, with stops in the Greek Islands, Turkey, and Ukraine) from $1,299. Even better: all sale fares also include an onboard credit of $100-$300, depending on cabin class.

To give you some perspective, these fares are comparable to similar itineraries currently on offer from Royal Caribbean, which don’t include Cunard’s luxury perks like white-glove service and formal evenings. Just be warned that all sailings with the exception of the 12-day Greek Isles and Turkish Splendours start and end in different ports, and buying two one-way flights may increase the cost of your airfare. You’ll also have to hurry, as the sale ends August 6! Find all the details at www.cunard.com/sale.

See our cruise hub for more trip-planning information, then check out our cruise deals.

Say Tel Aviv and one of the first things that comes to mind is sand – lots of it. Tel Aviv’s famed Mediterranean beachfront stretches more than ten miles from north to south, and is lined by mainly high-rise beach hotels that at first glance put the definitive stamp on the city’s touristic character. Collectively, however, they’re only one chapter in a far more interesting book whose pages are made up of a tangle of boulevards and side streets turned away from the coastal fray. That’s where you’ll the best Bauhaus architecture, coolest restaurants, and increasingly, the most interesting boutique hotels.

Read more

When it comes to dining trends, there’s retro and then there’s really retro – we’re talking recipes inspired by ancient Roman banquets and even by the Bible, and perhaps not surprisingly, we’re talking about Israel. If anything, it’s the creative “New Israeli” style of cooking that has grabbed headlines in the international culinary press in the past few years, but some of the hottest tables in the Holy Land are actually drawing on the gastronomic charms of a very distant yesteryear to keep things fresh.

Case in point, the bold new ancient menu at Helena, a seaside restaurant that’s not in trendy Tel Aviv or storied Jerusalem but actually inside Israel’s Caesarea National Park. There is an ancient Roman amphitheater here and ruins aplenty, but don’t be content to play the part of the dutiful tourist because to do so might mean missing out on young chef Amos Sion’s adventurous undertaking. Much like Material Girl Madonna consulted ancient scriptures to plug into the mysteries of Kabbalah, Sion (pictured) dipped into recipe books older than the Wailing Wall to concoct dishes that could well be the most memorable thing about your trip to these parts.

Read more

Saving money: a trend that just won’t quit. And although pop culture tells us gays are the trendiest of the lot [buffs fingers on shirt], they’ve only just now got into the crowded flash sale game. Launching today with three week-long sales, Out Escapes carves a members-only gay niche from Jetsetter, Vacationist, Living Social Escapes, and Groupon Getaways, amongst others, with offerings given the LGBT stamp of approval, in addition to offering value-added perks above and beyond the discounts other sites may provide. Cool-with-it allies, you’re in luck, too; nobody’s going to ask whom you sleep with to sign up.

In dollar terms that means the possibility of free round-trip airport transfers, bottle of champers at check-in, comp meals, spa passes, and special guided tours. It also means group trips geared towards gays, like their last-minute Tel Aviv Pride package June 1-10, and an Events platform to securely buy tickets to circuit parties and social/charity outings not necessarily at a discount but again, with potential special perks like expedited club entry. According to the site’s co-founder/travel writing veteran, the ultimate goal is to become a full-service travel portal including a tongue-in-cheek Gay Tripper blog about fabbing it up the world over and social networking “Meet Me Here” component (live July 2012).

But for now, it’s all about the sales. Here’s a peek: Read more

My globetrotting ambitions should have been clear to my parents when at age 13 I chose as my bat mitzvah theme “Around the World with Liz.” The place cards looked like miniature passports, and each table represented a different country. Now that I’m twice as old as I was when I was called to read from the Torah for the first time, I decided to look back on that fateful day and count off how many of those “tables” I’ve actually visited:

Read more

Wine regions have long provided the perfect backdrop for romantic endeavors. Visiting is an inspiring way to get a lay of the land, the grapes, and the locals. Plus, these regions typically have a wealth of romantic accommodations – think chic boutiques, luxury castle accommodations, and wine-inspired bungalows. Herewith, six of the world’s most stirring vino-producing areas:

Morocco:

Morocco is a provocative spot and a tip-top choice among honeymooners, yet few travelers think of wine when they think of this Muslim country. It’s time to reconsider: Morocco produces more than 40 million bottles of wine a year and employs 10,000 Moroccans in this booming business.

Read more

Travel as a vehicle for spiritual transformation is hardly a new notion – seekers have practiced the act of pilgrimage for as long as they’ve looked up to the skies and attempted communion with a higher power. Even in today’s short-attention-span society, setting out to honor the divine or ponder the mysterious is a time-honored tradition that refuses to wane with the changing tides of our technologically driven lives. This list of 10 sacred places (and the accompanying slideshow) showcases points of perceived power and peace around the globe, where the physical appears to meld seamlessly with the metaphysical whether due to awe-inspiring natural settings, reported ties to great gods or holy humans, or long-standing consecration as sites of worship and ritual.

Our list isn’t meant to be comprehensive. Sacred places mean many things to different people – zipping along an open highway, sailing a calm sea, or even hibernating inside on a cold winter’s morning can all bring about their own sort of peace. Where do you go to retreat from the world?

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

As savvy flyers, we’re all for safety precautions, and understand that the need for increased security measures may cause a few inconveniences – you heard very little whining this way when it was deemed necessary to go parched (liquids ban) and barefoot (shoe-bomb scare) through security. But when new security programs increase pilot anxiety and potential flight risks, we’re less supportive. For over a year now, the Israeli Ministry of Transport has been implementing a trial security program, Code Positive, which requires incoming pilots to submit a personal PIN in order to enter Israeli airspace. If the identity of the pilots and planes cannot be confirmed, as was the case last week when the pilots of an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 flight headed to Tel Aviv did not correctly submit their PINs (the second such incident since the program’s onset), planes will be perceived as security threats, subsequently prohibited from landing, and even intercepted by fighter jets. Read more