We love New Zealand—the landscape, the activities, the friendly people, AND THE AMAZING CREATIVITY! Witness this:

Posted via web from Travelingking

Congrats to Virtuoso Life for this huge honor! I am privileged to be a member of the Editorial Advisory Board and to have the opportunity to interact with the best and the brightest travel journalists and marketers in the world! Bravo, Terrie Hansen, Elaine Srnka and team!

Some of you may not yet subscribe to Virtuoso Life. If you are interested in receiving a subscription to this award winning magazine, please email barbara@greatgetaway.com with your name, mailing address (no PO Box, sorry!) and home phone number (for verification reasons). Of course, you were born before January 1, 1992, right?

Bragging rights below!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Oct.20.09
Virtuoso Staff

VIRTUOSO LIFE magazine has recently been awarded a Bronze award for Best Travel Magazine in the prestigious Society of American Travel Writers Foundation’s Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition.

As you know, VIRTUOSO LIFE is Virtuoso’s private travel magazine that features extraordinary destinations, cruising, hotels and resorts, tours and custom itineraries available through a Virtuoso travel advisor. It also shows your clients high-quality advertisements from Virtuoso preferred suppliers and tourism boards. The true mission of the magazine, according to Vice President of Marketing Terrie Hansen, is “to communicate the value of using a Virtuoso travel advisor to plan amazing experiences that are customized specifically to each traveler’s needs.” Terrie adds that, “To be recognized in the publishing community for excellence in content and design, while actively promoting our corporate and network value, is a real achievement, and a testament to the talent of our editorial and design team.”

This year’s competition drew nearly 1,200 entries. In the Best Travel Magazine category, the other two winners were National Geographic Traveler and Budget Travel, so clearly there some very heavy hitters in contention for an award.

VIRTUOSO LIFE Editorial Director Elaine Srnka had this to share about winning this honor. “The Lowell Thomas Awards competition is one of the most important in the publishing industry – it’s considered the Pulitzer Prize for travel journalism – so it’s truly an honor to win not just for a single article or issue, but a Bronze for best travel magazine overall. With the bar set so high, the VIRTUOSO LIFE team is hard at work to ensure that the upcoming issues in 2010 are even more impressive – and that they continue to inspire consumers to travel Virtuoso style.”

Meanwhile, a Lowell Thomas judge commented that VIRTUOSO LIFE is “My upscale favorite. The covers introduce themes and the inside articles carried them out. The pictures and the design oozed elegance. Great for the traveler who has money to spend or wishes he had money to spend.”

Posted via web from Travelingking

—-Port of Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland

The Queen’s stateroom aboard the decommissioned Royal Yacht Britannia is boring! Okay, there, I’ve said it and feel so much better!

Today Michael and I spent the day in Edinburgh touring the sights with great guides provided by my friend, Susie Worthy of Noteworthy Events. Susie is a pro, wowing clients with unforgettable life experiences. We spent the morning in the many interesting nooks and crannies of the Edinburgh Castle followed by a luncheon in a private dining room on the grounds of the castle. For our afternoon activity we picked a visit to the former HMY Britannia, permanently docked at the port of Leith, just outside Edinburgh.

Ann Litt, a fellow travel advisor and Anglofile Extraordinaire, left me a message on Facebook, “Wait until you see the Queen’s stateroom!” That got my curiosity going. I inhaled my lunch (is Vegetarian Haggis an oxymoron?) to insure I was back on the coach in plenty of time before departing for Leith. Upon arrival at “THE YACHT” I was giddy beyond belief. “The Queen’s stateroom! Ann said I’d be amazed. I bet it’s opulent beyond belief—maybe a Royal nightie with HRH Elizabeth II embroidered across the bodice? A decadent crystal chandelier or two? Monogrammed velvet bedroom slippers? My mind was spinning with the possibilities!

Carrying the requisite audio player, I began my tour. “Welcome to the Bridge, ladies and gentlemen!” The bridge? Hello? Do I look like I’m interested in the bridge? Come on, folks! I hurried through the upper deck Stop, View, and Listen posts and went down below. I suffered through the officer’s lounge and Officer’s dining room wildly eying my surroundings for a shortcut to the Queen’s Stateroom. I took a risk and darted past Listening and Viewing Posts 7,8 and 9 to—-Eureka!!! #10, “The Queen’s Stateroom!” There it was in all its dullness—-a small twin bed with a writing desk/night table next to it. The bed was covered with floral print sheets and a bedspread that were tailored from some sheets that had belonged to Queen Victoria—very, how shall I put it???? Very boring, faded and dull. In all fairness, there was a mirror at the far end of the room, a closet, and small sofa so one could honestly say the room is, well, roomy…oh, and did I mention, incredibly dull?

The real question about all this is: What was I thinking? How many photos have I seen of Queen Elizabeth and the Royal Family? Dozens. Has she ever stood in a provocative manner or dressed in an “Oh my God, I want a dress just like hers” way? Big NO! I guess this experience qualifies as a true delusion of grandeur!

Posted via web from Travelingking

Posted via email from Travelingking

Hi Travelingking

I read an article entitled Global tourism’s top brass choose Scotland for holiday at http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Global-tourism39s-top-brass-choose.5742432.jp and I thought it may interest you.

Barbara King

Posted via email from Travelingking

Posted via email from Travelingking

via popsci.com

Fifty years of Space Exploration will grow exponentially very, very soon! Watch for the rollout of Spaceship2 from Virgin Galactic! Stay tuned!

Posted via web from Travelingking

via hawaiimagazine.com

Our daughter lives on Kauai and loves all things Hawaiian—including her boyfriend, Jon! In honor of Lauren and Jon, I offer this insider’s guide to a Foodie’s Hawaii
http://bit.ly/asNg1

Posted via web from Travelingking

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Virtuoso Communications <virtuoso@virtuosoemail.com>
Date: Wed, Oct 7, 2009 at 5:21 PM
Subject: Discover a delicious blend of food, wine, and travel in this issue of VIRTUOSO INSIGHTS
To: barbara@greatgetaways.travel

Barbara King Great Getaways Travel 913-338-2244 barbara@greatgetaways.travel Welcome to the October 2009 issue of VIRTUOSO INSIGHTS Sent with our compliments, please enjoy the latest issue of VIRTUOSO INSIGHTS. To access this digital edition, simply click any magazine image, a specific article shown below, or click here to download the issue. In this Food and Wine Issue of VIRTUOSO INSIGHTS you'll find great ideas for pairing delicious culinary experiences with memorable travel. As you savor this delicious read, we hope you find inspiration and ideas for your next journey, and that wherever you decide to go, you rely on us to transform your vacations from do-it-yourself trips to customized travel experiences. The world's finest travel agencies and advisors are Virtuoso®. For weekend getaways to trips of a lifetime, contact us for all of your travel needs. 12:: Spotlight The what, why, when, and how on Mendoza, Argentina. 16:: A Taste for Travel Exciting getaways combined with exceptional cooking classes. 24:: Dinner with da Vinci A masterly repast in France's Loire Valley. 30:: La Dolce Vita Down Under On the culinary scene in New South Wales. 38:: Vintage America Savoring the nation's finest wine regions.

Posted via email from Travelingking