source: forbes traveler

But, Mardi Gras is only one of many festive Carnivals taking place all of the world this week. Street parties, parades, and people donned in vibrant colors, feathers and beads are a part of Carnival celebrations from Aruba to Trinidad and Tobago to Rio de Janiero.

It seems like every year I’m wishing I was celebrating Carnival, but because the dates vary year-to-year, it always sneaks up on me and I miss it. However, I’ve discovered that Carnival isn’t just celebrated in February, but its held throughout the year around the world.

For instance, Carnival is being celebrated February 23-24 in Aruba, Trinidad/Tobago, Rio de Janiero, New Orleans, Dominica, and Guyana. But, I can still catch Carnival celebrations in Jamaica, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, and the Cayman Islands during the month of April. St. Lucia in June; Barbados in August; and St. Kitts, St. Croix and the Bahamas in December and January. Go here for a listing of more 2009 Carnival dates.

Carnival and Rio go hand-in-hand. If this is the spot where you want to celebrate Carnival next time, you can get your trip planning started early. We’ve got you covered, with a a list of Rio Carnival Dates from 2009 to 2030. Talk about pre-planning!

Carnival isn’t just a Caribbean or South American celebration, Carnivals take place in Venice, Germany, Canada, and the U.S (hey, even ATL celebrates Carnival!). Forbes Traveler has some great photos of how various countries celebrate Carnival. Check it out.

Trinidad

But now I have no excuse to experience the mother of all parties. I’m grabbing my beads and going to shake my “tailfeather”….somewhere…somehow…sometime soon. Question…where should I go for the most ‘unique’ Carnival experience? I know this question will be open for debate…but we welcome it!

JetSetters, have you experienced Carnival? If so, tell us where and your best experience. If you’re like me and you haven’t, where you’d like to celebrate Carnival if given the opportunity?

Share your thoughts.

Norwegian Cruise Lines has $99 inside cabin staterooms available on their November 3rd and November 10th cruises only!

$99 – Inside Cabins
$159 – Outside Cabins
$429 – Balcony
$1129 – Suites

Cruises sail from Miami – Nassau – Great Stirrup Cay – Grand Bahama Island.

I’d like to take this time to say that, if I lived in Florida as opposed to the middle of the country I’d travel much more frequently. Who couldn’t use a $99 vacation?!!

I looked near and far – read all the email newsletters – checked out all the event sites – looked at EVERY ning community site we belong to – “Googled” my fingers off and I am now ready to present to you the Hottest List (self-proclaimed) of Summer and Fall 2008 Festivals.

Bahamas Junkanoo Summer Festival
Date: June 12th – August 19th
Place: Grand Bahama Island, Nassau, Bahamas

Reggae Sumfest 2008
Date: July 17th – 19th
Place: Montego Bay, Jamaica
Performers: Lil’ Wayne, Keisha Cole, T-Pain, Elephant Man, Beenie Man and more…

Party in Palm Springs
Date: July 25th – 27th
Place: Palm Springs, California (Palm Springs Wyndham Resort)

Adamari Caribbean Summer Festival 2008
Date: July 27th
Place: Long Island Queen Mary Park – Long Beach, California
Price: $50 in Advance, $60 at the gate, $100 VIP, 9 & under Free
Performers: Shabba Ranks, Lady Saw, Junior Reid, Cham, Felisa Marisol, Richie Kupone and more…

The 5th Annual Turks And Caicos Music and Cultural Festival
Date: July 28th – August 4th
Place: Turks and Caicos
Performers: Lionel Richie, LL Cool J, Anita Baker, Ne-Yo, Rickey Smiley and more…

Barbados Crop Over
Date: July 28th – August 4th
Place: Barbados

Caribana
Date: July 31st – August 4th
Place: Toronto, Canada

A.T.I – R.T.I Weekend (A.K.A Jamaica Independence Weekend)
Date: July 31st – August 4th
Place: Negril, Jamaica

Lollapalooza
When: Aug. 1-3
Where: Chicago, IL
It will cost you: $190-$205/three-day pass
Headliners: Kanye West, Gnarls Barkley, Radiohead, Lupe Fiasco, Rage Against the Machine and more…

Anguilla Summer Festival 2008
Date: August 2nd – 12th
Place: Northern Leeward Islands – Anguilla, BWI
11 days of carnival and boatracing activities

The London Notting Hill Carnival
Date: August 22-25, 2008
Place: London, England (Notting Hill)

Labor Day Getaway Weekend
Date: August 29 – Sept 1, 2008
Place: San Juan, Puerto Rico

BumberShoot
Seattle’s Music & Art Festival
Date: August 30 – September 1, 2008
Place: Seattle, WA – Seattle Center
Featuring: Keyshia Cole, T.I., Stone Temple Pilots, Neko, Estelle, Adele, Jakob Dylan, !!! and much much more….too much to list!

Mr. Caribbean International 2008
Date: October 6 -13, 2008
Place: Hedonism III

Bermuda Music Festival
Date: October 1-4, 2008
Place: Bermuda
Performers: Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Steve Harvey, Bill Bellamy, Aaron Nevile and more…

That’s all I got! If you venture out let us know about. Upload your pictures to the Jet Set Community www.TwoJetSetDivas.ning.com

Contributing Source: Black Beach Week.com
They know about every happening event! Sign up for their newsletter here…make your life easier!

Bottom Bay, Barbados

But, when my auntie asked me for suggestions on where to go for her birthday celebration in September, instead of shying away, I accepted the challenge of helping her research location options.

My aunt is a seasoned traveler in her own right, she’s traveled to a variety of places from Egypt to Hawaii. We’ve also traveled together to Russia and Aruba. She’s a laid back traveler, and enjoys a mix of relaxation, cultural experience, and fun activities. She would be taking this trip with my uncle, so I wanted to find some places that they could both enjoy.

Island love
Her only requirement was that she wanted to visit an island and get some beach time in. After reading an advertisement in Conde Nast Traveler about Caribbean Getaways, I knew these locations would be up her alley – Turks & Caicos, Barbabos, and St. Lucia. When I presented the three locations, Auntie wasn’t too familiar with Turks, and seemed to be more interested in Barbados and St. Lucia. So we forged ahead with Barbados and St. Lucia, and started looking up travel deals on sites like Kayak, Cheap Caribbean, AA Vacations and many others.




The Best of Barbados
Through my research, I found out that Tourism Board for Barbados was promoting a country-wide Best of Barbados vacation package. The package details are…
Book either a 5-night all-inclusive or a 7-night special Best of Barbados package and receive the following:
- $200 airfare credit per person ($300 per person for travel in September)
- First night free
- Free full breakfast daily
- $25.00 (USD) voucher for dinner for two at Oistins Fish Fry
- Free car rental day with the rental of two or more days at participating car rental companies
- Buy one, get the second half price on all participating ground activities
- High value discounts at participating Bridgetown retail stores

My auntie was really interested in this deal, but I told her to do some reading up on Barbados to see if it was an island that she’d be interested in visiting. I was so proud of her! She did some great research and found things she liked such as:
- The fact that Barbados has a lower probabilities of Hurricane occurrences.
- The dollar is strong here. According to XE.com, $1USD = $1.99 BDS (Barbados Dollar)
- There are some interesting cultural ties between Barbados and South Carolina which will be exhibited in October.

She even found this little video about Barbados on YouTube. Go ‘head, Auntie! She’s so savvy.

So, I think she’s set on Barbados and will be booking the trip soon. It was nice being a part of the planning process, but great to see her ultimately make decisions based on her own research and preferences. Learning about Barbados makes me want to go now! Maybe next time. Stay tuned in the future for the final details of Auntie’s trip plans. I’ve given her the assignment of sharing her Barbados experience with us when she returns.

StarTreks:
Looks like Auntie’s not the only one with Barbados on her mind. Celebrity Bajan, Rihanna returned home to Barbados this week for a fun vacation with “friend” Chris Brown.

source: concreteloop

If you’d like to be a part our next “Get Me There” post…we’d love to hear from you!

Submit to us via email your top travel ideas and preferences, and we’ll try find some great destination/event options to match your style! Remember it’s up to *you* to do final research and trip planning, but we’re up to the challenge of helping you get started in finding some great places to visit!

Needless to say, my childhood memories of songs like “My Favorite Things”, “So Long, Farewell”, and of course “Sound of Music”, came flashing back when I read a news story about one of the real-life daughter’s visit back to Austria to celebrate the opening of Hotel Villa Trapp.

The Sound of Music was based on a true story about Baron Georg von Trapp and his family who end up fleeing Austria to avoid the Nazi regime in the late 1930s. As depicted in the movie, the family always sang and played instruments, and fled to America to tour as ‘The Trapp Family Singers’. Most of the family still lives in Vermont today.

When the von Trapp family left their life behind in Austria, they left a villa in Salzburg, which was eventually seized by a Nazi security chief. After the war, missionaries gained possession of the home.

The Villa has now been converted into a hotel, Hotel Villa Trapp, and is scheduled to open to the public in October.This landmark is sure to draw many visitors to Salzburg, Sound of Music fans and those who want to learn more history about the real von Trapp family.

If you decide to stay at the Hotel Villa Trapp, and want to see more, Salzburg Panorama Tours offers Sound of Music Tours. You can check out the city tour of Salzburg, as well as a visit locations featured in the movie such as Mirabell Gardens, Residence Palace, and Rock Riding School. For a more off the beaten path tour, check out The Hills Are Alive Tours.


If you can’t get to Austria, you can get a little Sound of Music in the U.S. at the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont. You can stay at The Villas at Trapp Family Lodge where the website boasts, “the 2,400-acre resort with sweeping mountain views provides accommodations in an Austrian-style Main Lodge with 96 rooms and suites, 100 2-bedroom Guest Houses and 16 luxurious 3-bedroom Villas. Talented chefs prepare European specialties in The Dining Room, The Lounge and the Austrian Tea Room, complemented by nightly entertainment. First-class facilities are available for meetings and weddings.”

Whether it’s in Austria or Vermont…If you’re a fan of the movie like me, add a little music to your travel plans.

You can sail virtually anywhere in the world! Many popular destinations include the Caribbean, Hawaii, Bermuda, Alaska, Canada or even Europe. Once you’ve choosen a destination your next important decision is which cruise line to sail. There are many to choose from, each one offering something special.

Top deck of a Celebrity ship

If you want to experience a few days of fame, consider Celebrity Cruises, where every passenger receives 5-Star treatment in a well executed effort to make your experience most memorable! Each vessel in Celebrity’s fleet in unique and was created by some of the world’s best architects and designers.

Royal Caribbean Show

Or make it a family vacation and give Royal Caribbean a try. They set sail to many of the most requested destinations, have plenty of on ship entertainment for adults as well as teens and children. (I’ve sailed Royal Caribbean before and there were LOTS of activities on and off the ship to choose from!)

Norwegian Cruise Lines Ship

There is also Norwegian Cruise Line who is breaking away from the norm. They offer “Freestyle Cruising” where your are literally free to eat, wear and “do what you wanna”! No more assigned seating when dining, dress codes or figuring out the proper gratuties. You can’t beat getting out of doing math while on vacation.




The benefit of cruising is that you can visit many locales on one trip! Not only that but for those of us who prefer to have the trip planned out…this is the way to go. You can pick your activites ‘A La Carte’ and not have to worry about making seperate arrangements or figuring out currency.

When you’re ready to book that cruise whether you are a First-Timer or Veteran Cruiser try Direct Cruise Lines, the largest cruise only agency in the industry!

It’s almost here…Spring. A time of renewal, spring cleaning, and the pre-summer get-a-ways! So renew your travel vows, spring clean that suitcase, and get outta here! Here’s some ideas to get you there.

Expedia Spring Sale
Deals including 4 nights + air:
Bahamas – from $734
Cancun – from $764
Jamaica – from $487
Las Vegas – from $442
Los Cabos – from $579
Miami – from $484
Puerto Rico – from $529
Riviera Maya – from $737

Want to make sure you avoid any wet t-shirts this spring? Forbes Traveler features great places for grown-ups to break such as:
Zihuatanejo, Mexico
Costa Rica
Barbados
Turks & Caicos Islands
Kauai, Hawaii
Lisbon, Portugal






According to the NY Times spring travel, especially this month should be carefully planned and timed in order to catch the best deals. Easter falls earlier this year and spring vacations for school-aged children and college students may also fall earlier as well. Thus, causing a crunch in vacation time and increases in prices at some destinations.

I don’t know about you, but I’m so over winter…and ready to spring off to somewhere sunny and relaxing. So check out these deals and start planning your spring-time getaway. Don’t forget to send us a postcard!!

For an inside look at the Springtime sakura zensen (the cherry blossom front) in Japan, check out our discussion board.

Forbes Traveler features a yummy collection of its 10 Signature Drinks from around the world. If you’re adventurous enough, follow that drink!
This round’s on me…

1. Singapore – Singapore Sling
2. Denmark – Akvavit
3. Cuba – Mojito
4. Brazil – Caipirinha
5. Spain and Portugal – Sangria
6. China and Japan – Sake
7. Peru and Chile – Pisco Sour
8. Iceland – Brennivin
9. South Korea and Japan – Soju
10. Italy – Negroni

Jay-Z and Beyonce yachting near St. Tropez

We see them in the latest celebrity news column…. sun-kissed celebs, looking ever so relaxed on their yachts or on the beach.

Ever wished you could JetSet to a luxurious hotspot for some celebrity treatment? Now we can’t promise you a yacht, but you too can travel to the same locations as the stars, at a fraction of the expense.

Two celebrity-frequented destinations are St. Tropez, France and the island of St. Barths in the Caribbean.

Saint-Tropez
Through their lyrics and online vacation photos, celebrities such as Diddy and Jay-Z, have given us many visuals of the luxury lifestyle that can be had in St. Tropez (or Saint-Tropez). However, they aren’t the only celebrities that make this village along the French Riviera their top vacation spot. Celebs such as Oprah Winfrey, Quincy Jones, Barbra Streisand, Jack Nicholson, Robert DeNiro, Beyonce, and Elton John have visited St. Tropez. The best time to catch celebs like these is in July, prime beach-lounging season. The Hotel Guru has located some inexpensive and mid-priced hotels in St. Tropez, such as Hotel Les Palmiers (with rooms from 86-187 Euros/night)and La Ponche (rooms available for 155 Euros/night).

St. Barth
St. Barth (also known as St. Bart or St. Barthelemy) has also become reknown for its influx of famous visitors. This tiny island is only eight square miles in size. St. Barth, which is located in the eastern Caribbean near St. Martin, has a significant French influence. The best time to go ’star’ gazing is the two-week period starting before Christmas through the New Year.

Penelope Cruz kayaking in St. Barths

The island has attracted celebs such as Denzel Washington, Clive Davis, Usher, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Mariah Carey, Penelope Cruz, Kimora Lee Simmons, Enrique Iglesias and his tennis star girlfriend, Anna Kournikova. International models love St. Barths, as it was the location for a Victoria’s Secret photo shoot. Because this island is small, demand for lodging is high. However, The New York Times provides some affordable ways to visit St. Barts.

Woe is me. This Victoria’s Secret photo shoot on this yacht in St. Barths is so not fun.