Traveling With Debe

Harry Potter comes to Florida

From Travel Weekly-

Harry Potter's world will come to life at Universal Orlando

The village of Hogsmeade, the Forbidden Forest and Hogwarts castle will come to life as part of a new themed environment planned for the Universal Orlando Resort that will be based on the movies inspired by author J.K. Rowling's bestselling "Harry Potter" books.

Slated to debut in late 2009, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter will feature rides and interactive attractions; retail shops and restaurants; as well as a "state-of-the-art attraction" that will bring "the characters and stories of Harry Potter to life in an exciting way that guests have never before experienced," according to Universal Orlando. The resort is working with Warner Brothers Entertainment, producer of the popular "Harry Potter" feature films, to develop the environment.

"Over the years we've received thousands of letters from fans around the world wishing they could visit Hogwarts and the wonderful locations described in each of J.K. Rowling's beloved stories," said Barry Meyer, chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Entertainment, in a statement. "Working with Universal Orlando Resort, we are confident that we'll be able to provide Harry Potter fans with an incredible experience that upholds the richness of J.K. Rowling's books and delivers on the authentic detail portrayed in our films."

Stuart Craig, the Academy Award-winning production designer who has worked on all of the Harry Potter films, is leading the design team for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

"We are going to devote more time, more money, more expertise and more executive talent from throughout our entire organization and creative team -- as well as from Warner Bros., our partners -- to ensure that this entire environment is second-to-none," added Tom Williams, chairman and CEO, Universal Parks and Resorts.

Great book about travel to india and beyond...

I recently finished reading Eat, Pray, Love - One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert.  I had checked it out from our (fabulous) public library in Minneapolis and promptly bought a copy.  It's a wonderfully funny, poignant and readable adventure of Ms. Gilbert's inner and outer journey.  Her style is warm and familiar...like talking to a close friend.  The book is divided into three equal sections for each geographic stopping point, with 36 short chapters each.   A total of 108 (auspicious) chapters are easy to dip into. 

Here's a link to the website for Ms Gilbert and her book - Check out the FAQ's section...very cool (once you've read the book....)

Travel Clothes & Packing Tips

The Disney Trip Countdown widget on my desktop reminds me that there are only 8 days till my next trip to Walt Disney World.  But before that we will be in Buffalo, New York to see family, friends and the Dalai Lama at UB. 

Packing for back to back trips is always tricky.  Differences in weather and activities can leave you staring at piles of hopeful clothes wondering-who gets to come and who stays home?  The best trick is an old stand-by...layering.   Although Chicos is the store that usually comes to mind for travel clothes, I recently found a bunch of great, new favorites at Target. My favorite thing to pack is thin, long sleeve shirts and cardigans that I can roll up and stuff in my small back pack/purse to have for when the sun goes down.  Right now Target has a slew of long sleeve cotton shirts by Cherokee and Mossimo for $7.99, a rayon polo by Mossimo for $12.99 (love it!) and a fine gauge cotton cardigan for $14.99. 

When you are in Orlando, and it's 90 degrees out, it's a tank or t-shirt with shorts or capris.  But at night, after the sun goes down, you need a little something more.  A long sleeve cotton shirt or a fine gauge cardigan are just the trick to keep you comfortable.  Here are some other things that I always bring:

• Rain ponchos-it's a drag to keep buying them when you have 4 at home
• Binoculars-great for animal viewing at Animal Kingdom PLUS we're doing the Backstage Safari tour this time around. Plus, my seats for the Dalai Lama's talk are not as close as I had hoped...
• Pre-printed address labels and postcard stamps-don't laugh!  I like to send postcards to friends and family and my Disney clients!  Having labels pre-printed saves time.  You can grab a pack of generic Disney postcards (best value) and write out short notes while you wait in line for.
• Ziploc bags-I always seem to need these...wet bathing suit, snacks to take on board, small items that could get lost, above mentioned postcards and stamps...
• All relevant power cords & rechargers...'nuff said
• A good book-flying is always an opportunity to see just how much patience you have and how resourceful you can be with an indeterminate delay.  My latest choice is Saving Fish from Drowning by Amy Tan (who will be in Minneapolis at the Hopkins Center for the Arts on September 28)
• DVD player or laptop-along with that good book, another thing that keeps your sanity intact.  If you live in Minnesota, check out Half Price Books for cheap, used DVDs. 

Remember: Rolling clothes does decrease winkles, if you don't wear it at home-you won't wear it on vacation, the reason you are on vacation is to...............(fill in the blank.)

 

On the Road to Sedona

While we were in Phoenix, we took a trip up to Sedona for the day. Luckily, the hotel – Sheraton Wild Horse Pass puts a great magazine in the room for guests entitled Where Phoenix. Their article, The Road to Sedona, (In the August issue) gave us our blueprint for the day. We set out in the morning and stopped in Arcosanti, Montezuma Castle & Montezuma Well before winding up in Oak Creek. TIP! If you are traveling with kids, be sure to pick-up a Passport To Your National Parks - it's a fun book that lists all the national parks, recreation center, forests, etc in the US and has pages for stamps and stickers. It comes in either a small spiral bound format or a NEW 5x7 three version. At each stop, you can have the book date stamped as a memento.

The information center in Oak Creeek gave us great maps and insight into which trails offered the best views. Because of the stops on the way up, we arrived in Oak Creek at 4pm. They do not recommend being on the trails after 7pm because that’s when the predators come out…yes predators. There’s a happy image to carry with you as you strike out into the wilderness. Needless to say I started imagining different battle scenarios, starting at about 6pm…why wait till you’re actually attacked to have all that fun?

But I digress. This is not a posthumous post. We survived out trek, although we did take a wrong turn and wound up further and further way from our starting point. I convinced my husband to hike out to the road and head back. He pointed out that walking down a major highway with no shoulder and blind turns was much more dangerous that the land around Bell Rock Canyon…. Note to self.

I would recommend spending the time to stop on the way up to Sedona. You can stay overnight in Oak Creek or Sedona and have the next day to enjoy the canyons before heading to Flagstaff. The next posts will talk about the side trips…