They say that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, and I’m sure that’s true in more ways than I’d ever dare to imagine. But with the Strip’s increasingly luxurious resort hotels, intoxicating nightlife, and fanfare-worthy entertainment, Las Vegas is becoming the vacation destination that you can’t help but tell everyone about. Why have the time of your life in one of the most daydreamed-about places on earth, and not boast about it to your buddies?

Case in point: Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of staying at The Palazzo, a brand-new, all-suite resort hotel and casino nestled between The Venetian and Wynn Las Vegas. Now, I’m not the most ardent Vegas vacationer out there--I generally just tag along for the odd bridal shower or birthday. But I soaked up every second of this trip, and left yearning to return as soon as possible.

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Posted in Bars & Nightlife, Entertainment, Green Travel, Hotel Travel, Las Vegas, Shopping, Spas
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Paris by day is elegant and refined. But you don’t have to scratch too far beneath the picture postcard surface of the City of Light to discover there is a deliciously louche, borderline seedy side to the world’s most-touristed city.

How do I know? Because I have been living here eight years, because I have spent an inordinate amount of time and money in cafés and bars conducting “research,” and because the fruit of that labour – a new book called A Town Like Paris - has just been published.

At the heart of the book is a love story. My love story. I came to Paris from Australia as a swinging bachelor – a young man bent on adventure, determined to foist myself upon an unsuspecting French female population and, in the process, eat my fill of Hemingway’s fabled moveable feast.

Photo of Shay courtesy of Carla Coulson.

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Posted in Bars & Nightlife, Entertainment, France
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I know it's St. Patrick's day and so I'm supposed to be talking about Ireland. But let us broaden our minds. Europe is so expensive these days! So guess what is better than feeling like you're in Europe without actually paying for it? TIme's up. (I suspect you didn't come up with anything.) This is reason numero uno, my friends, to visit Argentina. The capital city of Buenos Aires boast architecture that compares to the finest European cities combined with a Latin spirt that makes the place distinct. A few years ago the early adopters started to head their way to BA.

The seasons are opposite from ours making it a refreshing climate change but given that we're on the same time zone there's no jet-lag. Let me say that again -- the feel of Europe comes without the jet-lag. Reason number two for visiting BA. Not surprisingly it has become increasingly popular. This weekend the New York Times travel section talked about one of my very favorite destiantions.

Photo by IgoUgo member Jim

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Posted in Bars & Nightlife, Shopping, Argentina
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If you're still looking for Mr. Right or Ms. Walks-on-Air this February 14th, you might wonder if your chances would be improved by a visit to Valentine, Texas or Valentine, Nebraska. Recently a single friend suggested I write a travel blog called: You Don't Have to Go to Alaska to Meet the Man of Your Dreams. She wanted me to figure out where the most single men live so that she could vacation accordingly.

The travel matchmaker is in. After quite a bit of research, I have some basic findings to report. If you're looking to meet a single guy, go west. If you're looking to meet a single girl, it's time to visit the East. As this helpful map from National Geographic shows, Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Memphis, New Orleans, and Miami are chockfull of single women.

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Posted in Austin, Bars & Nightlife, California, Dallas/Fort Worth, Las Vegas, New York City, Offbeat, San Francisco, Texas
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Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a seasoned Vegas veteran, there’s never been a better time to visit. As the new year begins, Vegas offers an incredible array of new resorts, renovations, nightclubs, and more. The city has never been the center of so much excitement.

Among the most captivating of these new additions is the Palazzo, which opened earlier this month and is the newest and largest resort in the city. The sister property of the Venetian, it is connected to its neighbor by walks and waterways, and its elegant architecture evokes a similar Mediterranean charm. Its luxurious sports bar and lounge, the 40/40, was created by hip-hop mogul Jay-Z. And with a spacious pool deck overlooking the Strip, suites with sunken living rooms, plenty of premium restaurants, and 50-plus international boutiques, it’s poised to be the premier new hotspot in Las Vegas.

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Posted in Bars & Nightlife, Casinos & Gambling, Culinary Travel, Entertainment, Las Vegas, Spas
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This time of year I’ve got the white stuff on the brain. No, no. Not the Hollywood starlet kind of white stuff—I mean snow, of course. And so I begin to convince (some might say coerce) my friends to take a big ski trip with me.

But in every group there are always a few non-skiers. These poor souls get dragged to the mountain year after year by ski bums who care more about the inches of fresh powder than the amenities. This ski season, to tempt my favorite non-skiing compatriots, I looked up the best on-the-mountain bars. These watering holes are destinations unto their own, affording unmatched alpine views and elixirs to keep you toasty, and all are accessible without skis.

Photo courtesy of IgoUgo member captain oddsocks.

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Posted in Bars & Nightlife, Culinary Travel, Group & Companion, Nature & Outdoors, Ski & Sport
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Karaoke might be the perfect ice breaker for travelers. Whereas 100 years ago, travelers used to gather around the inn piano for a good old-fashioned singalong, we now can find an instant sense of camaraderie beneath disco lights and the LCD screen. Plus, even if you’re a total bomb at the mic, the beauty of karaoke on vacation is that you never have to see any of your audience again.

Today you can find karaoke almost everywhere (except for North Korea, where they banned it in July). Finland, of all places, holds the world record for the most people singing karaoke together at one time (imagine 80,000 people singing heavy-metal hit “Hard Rock Hallelujah” in an attempt to usher in the “arockalypse” to Helsinki).

Photo courtesy of IgoUgo member angelsil.

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Posted in Bars & Nightlife, Cruise Travel, Entertainment
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Born and raised in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, I’m quite familiar with the unspoken rivalry between the two cities, which are separated only by a 35 miles stretch of highway. Dallasites turn their noses up at the prospect of venturing to the city known as Cowtown, and Fort Worth natives have probably been guilty at one time or another of calling their neighbors to the east snobs.

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Posted in Bars & Nightlife, Culinary Travel, Dallas/Fort Worth, Educational & Historic, Shopping, Texas
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Last week, the Godfather of Soul shimmied on up to the big boogie-fest in the sky, and I paid my respects in the only way I could: By roller skating in Redwood City. For this brilliant idea, I can only thank a friend of mine who passed along the news of a roller rink jam tribute to James Brown, with the promise of music and costumes. Even though I hadn’t been on skates in years, how could I turn that kind of homage down?

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Posted in Bars & Nightlife, Celebrities, Entertainment, Festivals & Events
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