Contributor Profiles
Kathleen M. McKenna
Destination Reports
New York
New York is at a new zenith of prosperity and creativity, with exciting new hotels, restaurants, galleries and shops.
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Articles
Leading the Way: Going with an Insider
When Harvard wants to take its alumni to Jordan, it uses Distant Horizons, a California-based outfitter that specializes in travel to Africa, Asia and the Middle East. For more than...
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Green/Eco: Places: Mount Kilimanjaro Climate Change Challenge
“As wide as all the world, great, high and unbelievably white in the sun” are the famous words Hemingway once used to describe Mt. Kilimanjaro. Future generations, though, might have...
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Paris: What's New: Biking in Paris
For a more eco-friendly—and cost-efficient—option, visitors should check out the city’s recently unveiled bike rental program, Vélib. As part of Mayor Bertrand Delanoë’s plan to reduce Parisian car traffic by...
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Barcelona: Books: Ghosts of Spain
A Review with Excerpts Spaniards are not accustomed to silence. “Catch a taxi anywhere in Spain,” Giles Tremlett notes in the introduction to his recently released nonfiction book, Ghosts of...
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Active/Adventure: Pulse: Wildlife Adventure in Yellowstone
With so many remote and exotic options out there, from private villas in Bali to Antarctic camping trips, today’s luxury-minded traveler can often forget that some of the world’s most...
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Aspen: Travel Specialist: Off the Beaten Path
Run by husband and wife team Bill and Pam Bryan, Off the Beaten Path offers a range of outdoor adventures throughout the American West, Alaska, Patagonia, Ecuador, Mexico, Costa Rica...
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Learning: Places: Ultimate South Africa
Any African safari (as long as it’s not a low-budget, mass-market one) is bound to be an amazing experience. In the herd of Big Five vacations, though, the American Museum...
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Family: People: French Tour du Life
One of our Connoisseur members recently used the high-end biking outfitter DuVine Adventures for a custom family bike trip through Provence. She raved about the experience so much that Indagare...
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Arts/Culture: People: St. Petersburg Insider
In 1992, American Greg Tepper was living in St. Petersburg when he noticed a glaring deficiency in Russia and Eastern Europe’s travel markets. Despite a post-privatization surge in luxury hotels...
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Active/Adventure: People: Taking Backroads
Founding a bike tour company was literally a dream come true for Backroads president and Berkeley native Tom Hale. One night in March 1979, he awoke with a midnight inspiration...
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Giving Back: Pulse: The Good Night Foundation
Michael Freed, founder of California’s Post Ranch Inn, sees a natural connection between travel and philanthropy. “As visitors travel the globe and gain a better appreciation for its people and...
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Giving Back: Places: Safaris with A Conscience
Some travel to Africa for the adventure and romance of a safari; others go with a more philanthropic itinerary. For those who want both, there’s Uncharted Outposts, a tour outfitter...
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Family: Places: Expert Advice for Family-Friendly African Safaris
Sandy Cunningham of Uncharted Outposts has brought her own young children to Africa multiple times. Here, she shares advice on favorite lodges for families. How do you tailor the safari...
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Kenya: Where to Stay: Setting: Cottars 1920s Camp
Like other colonial-style lodges, Cottars 1920s Camp, as the name implies, is a safari lodge that recaptures the glamour and romance of an earlier era of African exploration. Its six...
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Kenya: Where to Stay: Setting: Ol Donyo Wuas Lodge
Ol Donya Wuas Lodge, founded in 1992 by Richard Bonham, helped pioneer Kenya’s concession model of conservation tourism. The legendary safari guide, who also owns Sand River Selous in Tanzania,...
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Style: People: Q&A with Michelle Smith
From Punta del Este to St. Tropez, a breezy yet sophisticated look is just as important as the right hotel (or villa). One designer whose new resortwear has a chic...
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Green/Eco: Pulse: Eco Chic on Kangaroo Island, Australia
Dubbed Australia’s Galapagos, Kangaroo Island, seventy-five miles southwest of Adelaide, has a dramatic rocky landscape that’s teeming with Down Under wildlife including wallabies, sea lions, kangaroos (of course) and some...
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Spa/Wellness: People: Q&A with Cinq Mondes Founder Jean-Louis Poiroux
Some spas revolve around a regional or destination-specific theme: wine therapy centers in Bordeaux, for instance, or Caribbean ones, where the treatments contain lots of tropical fruit. For the highly...
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Green/Eco: People: Standardizing Green
For today’s environmentally conscious consumer, there’s an almost dizzying array of companies laying claim to the word “green”. Fortunately, independent eco-certifying organizations like the Rainforest Alliance exist to set some...
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Style: People: Well Souled in South Africa
Mital Shah, a former fashion executive at Vera Wang, discusses her new book, Well Souled South Africa, an exploration of South African style. Her company, which is planning future books...
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Giving Back: Pulse: Soulful Wanderings
Well Souled South Africa was born from what its creator Mital Shah refers to as a “coffee shop moment.” In the fall of 2007, following her mentor’s death to AIDS,...
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Active/Adventure: Places: Call of the Wild in Montana
Safari-goers are well-accustomed to the luxury tent phenomenon, which brought a bit of glamour to the camping experience—predominantly in places like Africa, India and Australia. The Resort at Paws Up,...
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Giving Back: People: Nepal: A Personal Pilgrimage
You might recognize Pallavi Shah from the Namesake. She had a small role in the film, which was based on the novel by her good friend Jhumpa Lahiri, as Gogol’s...
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Leading the Way: Last Seats: Baseball opening series in Tokyo
Calling all Red Sox fans: Kinetsu, the official travel partner of the Major League Baseball association, has just a few more openings on a special series trip to Tokyo this...
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Family: People: How to Do Disney
You Asked: “I am traveling to Disney World in Orlando with two young boys over Easter Weekend—the specific dates are March 22nd-24th and we will be staying at the Wild...
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Green/Eco: Pulse: Seacology: Saving the World's Islands
The very concept of carbon offsets —which allow you to atone for any ecological sins by simply donating money—suggests the dilemma that can occasionally arise between having a green lifestyle...
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Family: Pulse: Fiji Family Excursion
More and more travelers, especially parents taking their children, are looking to combine activity-filled journeys to far-flung places with an educational and/or philanthropic purpose. For environmentally aware families, there are...
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Active/Adventure: Pulse: Dude Ranches and Wilderness Retreats
For those in search of outdoor adventure, Indagare rounded up several top-notch dude ranches—great for families or couples—that still have limited summertime availability. Almost all have a seven-night (Sunday to...
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Active/Adventure: Places: Kenya Safari Deals
Last month’s violence was devastating to Kenya and its tourism industry, a source of livelihood for many. During the chaos—despite the fact that no tourist areas were affected—safari camps had...
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Family: Places: Grootbos Private Nature Reserve
Chic celebrities like Brad Pitt have stayed at South Africa’s Grootbos Private Nature Reserve—located about two hours from Cape Town, between the coastal villages of Gansbaai and Hermanus—but the property...
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Giving Back: Pulse: Global Volunteers
If you’re looking for a full-out volunteer trip, consider going with the nonprofit Global Volunteers, a forerunner in the whole working vacation industry. Founded in 1984 by St.Paul, Minnesota couple...
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Leading the Way: A Mid-Summer Dream in Venice
Few places are as reliably romantic and intriguing as Venice. For those who want their itinerary to be just as magical, Save Venice has organized a four-day excursion to this...
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Learning: Places: Manhattan in Context
New York City arguably packs in more culture than any place in the world—an accomplishment that can be overwhelming for both visitors and residents alike. One tour company Context Travel,...
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Paris: What's New: Grace Kelly Years: Princess of Monaco
Last summer, the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco presented Grace Kelly Years: Princess of Monaco, to honor the legendary actress, who before her death in 1982, was a favorite of both...
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Concierge Tips: London Flower Show
The Royal Horitcultural Society is a U.K.-based charity with one mission: to spread the joy of gardening throughout England. From May 20th-24th 2008, the organization will hold its annual Chelsea...
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Concierge Tips: Dining with Robert M. Parker Jr.
Perhaps no organization has championed the fine wine cause in China more than ASC wines, the country’s leading wine importer and founder of numerous wine classes and clubs, including the...
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Family: Pulse: Galapagos Islands By Sea
Blue-footed boobies, giant sea turtles, slithering iguanas and seals who preen for the camera—the residents of the Galapagos Islands have long fascinated children and adults alike. For families interested in...
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Learning: Pulse: Learning at Sea and by Rail
For those who want to learn in style, Academic Arrangements Abroad, an outfitter that crafts high-end educational journeys around the world, still has availability for a few of its remaining...
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Concierge Tips: Scent of a Dinner
When putting together walking tours in cities around the world, Context Travel works with a variety of guides, from art historians and archeologists to yogis and shopping experts. Now, the...
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Style: Insider Picks: Frequent Flier: Colin Cowie
Renowned event planner Colin Cowie has authored several guidebooks for brides, grooms and those throwing dinner parties. In his latest and slightly broader tome Colin Cowie Chic: The Guide To...
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Active/Adventure: Places: Tanzania: New at Ngorongoro
Tanzania is home to two of the world’s natural travel wonders. There’s the Great Migration in the Serengeti, a semi-annual parade of wildebeest, gazelles and other herbivores, and the Ngorongoro...
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Leading the Way: Food Crisis Conference
In developed countries, the rising cost of food has led to a few inconveniences: organic goods and lavish restaurant dinners, for instance, are no longer so everyday. For those living...
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London: Where to Eat: Newcomers: Apsleys
For its new Italian restaurant, the Lanesborough netted both Nick Bell, former head chef of London’s acclaimed Cecconi’s restaurant and the legendary designer Adam Tihany (whose résumé includes Le Cirque...
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Learning: Places: Dolce Vita at Sea
Many educational guides liken their tours to college seminars (usually with more walking than sitting, though). Using that analogy, the cruises offered by Academic Arrangements Abroad, an educational trip outfitter,...
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Learning: People: India Love
In addition to the big name hotels, restaurants and shops, many of today’s high-end travelers, crave the secret, authentic spots only a true insider can reveal. Fiona Caulfield—author of the...
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Style: Insider Picks: Eva Jeanbart-Lorenzotti on Egypt
Since its launch in 1996, the biannual shopping catalog Vivre (www.vivre.com) has bedazzled fashionistas everywhere with its exquisite collection of clothing, accessories and homeware. Eva Jeanbart-Lorenzotti is the woman behind...
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Active/Adventure: People: Trekking the Ancient Tea Horse Road
The Ancient Tea horse Road, a 4,000 km+ stretch of land that extends from southwestern China into Tibet, was, in centuries past, the highest and one of the most dangerous...
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Green/Eco: People: A Galapagos Guardian
The Galapagos Islands pose a dilemma for travelers. With its amazing wildlife, the region easily makes the list of the world’s natural travel wonders. Yet increased tourism—and the inevitable pollution...
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Arts/Culture: Pulse: Insider Access in Eastern Europe
Vienna has long lured art enthusiasts with its imperial museums and palaces. In 2005, with the launch of Viennaartweek, an international art fair of sorts (no works are actually sold...
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Active/Adventure: Pulse: A&K Special Offer: Two Once In a Lifetime Trips
Renowned adventure trip outfitter Abercrombie & Kent is making a very special, very limited trip offer: the first few people to book their private jet journey “Southward from the Peak:...
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Active/Adventure: Pulse: Botswana Walking Safari
Known for its stunning scenery and endless miles of private nature reserves (as well as its stable government and economy), Botswana offers, in the words of our correspondent, “one of...
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Learning: Pulse: New Year’s Extravaganzas
As the summer comes to a close, securing New Year’s travel plans is becoming even more of a priority. Academic Arrangements Abroad still has some spots available on four spectacular...
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Botswana: Introduction: Basics
Language: Setswana is the national language though English is widely spoken Time Difference: Botswana follows Central Africa Time (CAT), which is seven hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time. Currency: In...
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Botswana: Strategies: When to Go
Winter (which in Botswana lasts from July through October) is the high season: the Okavango Delta is at its most verdant and the desert areas are cooler. November through March...
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Botswana: Strategies: Getting There
There are no direct flights into Botswana from the United States or Europe; rather, safari-goers must first fly into Cape Town or Johannesburg. Air Botswana then flies from these cities...
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Botswana: Strategies: Getting Around
It’s more common to fly from one wilderness reserve to another as some of the swampier areas are inaccessible by car (most operators will arrange all internal flights and transfers).
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Learning: Pulse: China Up Close and Personal
Study abroad programs for high school students rarely inspire envy in adults, but that’s essentially what happened with China Prep. The travel company, which launched in 2006, started off solely...
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Green/Eco: Places: Rhino Darting with CC Africa
Only a few years ago, the African rhino, an occasionally overlooked member of the Big Five, was critically endangered, its long, sharp horns a coveted item on the world’s black...
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Giving Back: Places: Safari with Heart: Doing Your Part at Singita
Ever since Singita Game Reserves raised the bar on safari style when it opened its first lodge in the 1990s, the company has been hailed for its stunning African interiors,...
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U.S./Canada: New York: Hamptons
This summer mecca combines city sophistication with stunning beaches and...
Indagare News Flash
- News: Indagare named Best Travel Website by Vanity Fair. Read an interview with our founder on Vivre.
- Editor’s Picks: Unusual safaris in Africa that allow you to make a difference, including a rhino-darting adventure and Singita safaris with a community component; a round-up of fall art exhibits in the U.S.; Liz Lange’s postcard on a family trip to Wyoming and Montana and a restaurant discovery on the Bowery. Plus: Our insider report on Turks and Caicos and Santiago, with advice on what to do and where to stay, eat and shop.
- Member Advice: Have you been to Madagascar? A member wants advice on whether to go. Offer tips on what’s new and fun in Montreal.
- Coming soon: Insider reports on Bangkok, Boston, Anguilla and Phuket.
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- Postcards: Family trip to Captiva, a hotel for bibliophiles in New York, and a special discovery in Sicily. Submit a postcard.
- Indagare Insiders: Top picks in Delhi from Fiona Caulfield; Colin Cowie’s tips on packing, flying and tipping; the design duo behind Kirna Zabete on shopping the world. Club 55’s Patrice de Colmont on St. Tropez, Eva Lorenzotti on Cairo and Loulou de la Falaise on Paris.
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