This week, we trip on a deal to the places that inspire us.
Why do you travel?
And what do you hope to get out of it?
Plus, you tell us your favorite destinations on the planet.
That and so much more on this week's Trip on a Deal.
Today, Trip on a Deal is brought to you by End Now Productions.
Contact them for your webcast and online video needs at endnow.com.
Hello and welcome to Trip on a Deal from the heart of New York City, Times Square.
You know, this may be one of the most visited destinations on the planet.
I'm loose.
And I'm John.
You know how many people visit New York City every year?
I do not.
47 million.
What gets them out of their cozy homes to heads of destinations unknown?
The New York Times recently had a really inspiring article called Why We Travel.
It's a wonderful look at what inspires us, challenges us, educates us, connects us, and centers us.
When we reach out of our comfort zone to explore foreign lands.
So our mission today to find out from you why you travel and what places have changed you, moved you, and inspired you.
Have you ever been somewhere that inspired you?
Yeah, I've been to Boston.
Tell me why Boston was inspiring for you.
Because I want to be a teacher and all the monuments and all the historical things we saw kind of inspired me to teach about that stuff.
Boston has an incredible amount of history for budding teachers like Kara.
It's one of the oldest cities in the U.S.
The location of major events from the American Revolution, Hello Boston Tea Party, and home to America's first college, Harvard.
For an inspirational overview of Colonial Revolutionary Boston, follow the Freedom Trail.
It's a two and a half mile red brick walking trail that takes you to 16 historic sites.
Get more information at thefreedomtrail.org.
There you can download a free map of the route.
And there's more to Boston than just history.
They have a lot of science museums and aquariums that are really, really intriguing.
Of course on a teacher's salary you have to be smart with your money, so check out Boston.com's great list of 25 things to do in Boston for under 25 bucks.
They include some unique ideas like going to a poetry slam, exploring the Irish Heritage Trail, or kayaking on the Mystic River.
Want to get there? JetBlue Travels is offering a two night getaway with airfare starting at $359 from New York.
What is one of your favorite traveling experiences?
Well, so far I've been to Scotland three times. I would tell them to go to Edinburgh and then go see Edinburgh Castle.
That's probably the most exciting place.
Edinburgh Castle is a symbol of Scotland and it's their second most visited tourist attraction.
It has an incredible history dating back before Christ. And if you see a resemblance to Harry Potter's Hogwarts School,
well that might not be surprising since Edinburgh's own J.K. Rowling wrote much of her early books in the city's cafes.
For more information on this location, check out www.eddenboroughcastle.biz.
And if you want to experience Scotland like the locals, try the Scottish Beer and Whiskey Tour and the claim Scotland.co.uk,
because you quickly realize it's all about the tenants.
Tenants is the beer of Scotland. It's the best beer you'll ever have.
Can't get that here?
No.
There are some places you can go like British pubs or whatever, you can get it, but that's the best beer in the world.
I'll go on record and say that right now.
There's another trip that you've taken that's been inspiring to you?
I actually lived in Italy for four months in Rome and that was incredibly inspirational.
Because I'm kind of a part-time artist, incredibly inspiring, seeing all the greats.
Rome is a great choice. It's one of the most inspirational cities on earth for artists.
In fact, the Don't Miss list includes the Pieta and the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican, amazing,
and the Villa Borghese and the incredible Mousse Capitolini.
You know, some consider the Roman cuisine to be a work of art, too.
That's true.
Want more ideas? ItalyLog.com offers a good list of the top ten things to do in Rome.
Any tips about Rome for people going?
Well, you can't do it in one day.
You have to at least a week, I would say.
A week in Rome sounds nice, doesn't it?
Want enough time to explore? Well, check out this deal from fittours.com.
Eleven days through Italy by train, including round-trip air from New York, starting at only $16.99.
What has been your favorite destination when you've traveled with your children?
Orlando. We got to experience the Space Shuttle launch.
I've wanted to do that since I was a little boy, so it was very cool.
The next shuttle launch is scheduled for mid-May and you can get ringside seats for $120 per person.
Check out viator.com for details.
And you can also order tickets to see the launch directly from the Kennedy Space Center, their visitor center, for just $38.
Details are at ksctickets.com.
Was it an expensive trip for you?
For four, including FBs and everything, that $20 grand.
That's a lot of money.
If you don't want to spend quite that much, you might want to head over to spiritvacations.com for a little more affordable Orlando trip.
Good packages for five nights with air, sample costs from Detroit, $4.39 per person.
Tell me, have you ever traveled somewhere that you found inspiring?
Washington D.C. The Lincoln and Jefferson Memorial.
What time of day is the best time to be there, anything?
I'd previously been at night and no one was there. I found it particularly inspiring at night.
You know, Doug might be on to something. Vacationsmadeeasy.com offers a magical monument spy moonlight tour.
Good title. To all the D.C. memorials, for around $43 bucks you're taken by trolley to the FDR, Lincoln and Vietnam memorials and others.
It's a good chance to see some of America's symbols in a different light, so to speak.
Well, the best trip I've ever had was definitely when I spent a month in Norway on a youth exchange program.
Want to experience all that is Norway? Check out scanemtours.com's Norway in a nutshell tour.
For just $189 bucks, you'll spend a day touring the scenic Bergen and Flamm mountain rail lines, then take a two-hour cruise down the Orleans Ford and drive through Stallheim Canyon.
And of course, you still have to get there and, you know, pack warm clothes.
It's cold in Norway.
Just being able to experience winter, they're all special enough for media.
So our list of places to visit has gotten a little longer today.
It sure has. If you want to learn more about the destinations we talked about today, visit our website at www.trippinadeal.com.
Click on the links.
Yes, and follow us on our Twitter feed, twitter.com slash tripinadeal, and tune in next week so you can trip on a deal.
