I had been to Cedar Key some years back and thought it was a neat little seaside town. I promised to go back one day and explore it. Years later, I finally had my chance, so I spent a day and a half working in the area, and when I wasn’t working, I explored. This small island is definitely a great place for those in need of a relaxing spot off the beaten path.... Read More

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After my weekend off I booked a flight from the Big Island to Mau. There was no security or screening here as everyone piled into a small nine-seat turbo-prop plane.  It was a fun flight as you could see into the cockpit and the pilot would look back every once in a while to see how everyone was doing.  The view from this plane was really neat as it flew a little lower and slower than commercial flights, especially when we came into Maui along the northern shore with many waterfalls and junglelike landscape.  Once in Maui, I picked up my rental car and found my way to Kihei. ... Read More

A trip to Sanibel and Captiva islands off the southwest coast of Florida should be on everyone’s list of must-see places in Florida, I’m not the beachy type (I was assigned to go in order to write about the area for the AAA Florida TourBook guide) but found an atmosphere that will erase stress, at least temporarily. The name of the game on both islands is fun: good, clean, all-American fun, as in biking, boating, collecting seashells... Read More

 
 Where can you spend a lazy, quiet Florida beach weekend that’s conveniently less than two hours from Orlando’s thicket of theme parks and a mere 20-minute drive from downtown Tampa, yet far from the crowds that jam Clearwater and Treasure Island? Pass-a-Grille, that’s where. I’m an Orlando resident, and it’s where I head when I need a bit of good ’ol sun-and-sand relaxation.

Pass-a-Grille is actually a little residential community that’s considered part of larger St. Pete Beach. But nestled at the very southern tip of Long Key, it feels like the end of... Read More

     As a native Hoosier (no, I don’t know what the word “Hoosier” actually means), I can honestly say I’ve never been asked to describe Indiana beaches. In fact, most people probably don’t even realize the state has sandy waterfront property.

Well, it does…and thanks to a recent AAA Home & Away magazine fact-finding mission, I’m now keenly aware of not only the beautiful Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore coastline that hugs Lake Michigan in Northern Indiana but also the botanical melting pot that simultaneously exists there. Just 50 miles... Read More

Question: Charlotte Ross asks: We'd like to drive from Kansas City to Lake Michigan.  Any suggestions on where to go that would be about a day's drive (8-12 hours) and have a good beach and things for us to do with my 8 year old grandson?
 
Answer: Vickie Sievert-Leclerc, business support consultant at the AAA office in Dearborn, Mich. says: You will find many beautiful white, sandy beaches anywhere between Muskegon and Ludington, Mich. ... Read More

Question:  David Henning asks:  My wife and I are planning to go to Hawaii in March 2010.  What is a good length of time to stay (7 days, 10 to 14 days)?  We’d love to island hop, so what islands should we visit?  We enjoy the beach, we are not golfers, and we enjoy doing things on our own.

Answer:  Tonya Powell, Vacation Sales Specialist at the AAA office in Chico, Calif., says:  If you were going to visit just one island, I usually recommend five to 10 night stays.  Since you want to island hop, you need to determine how... Read More