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Explore Chacchoben Ruins and Blue Lagoon in Costa Maya, Mexico
Photos, story by Cassie Hepler When I was planning which cruise to take with Princess Cruises, I was obsessed with the 10 day cruise from Galveston, Texas because it included the Cayman Islands and Belize. As part of the press trip package, we were limited to 7 days so I chose the one that included Costa Maya which borders Belize and shares the same reef territory, great for snorkeling and diving. Costa Maya is also free from high rise chain hotels leaving its lagoons, archaeological gems and coastline free from clutter. And the 7 day cruise still stopped to see Roatan, Honduras so most bucket list items were checked off.…
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Take a Hike and Be Amazed at the Sonoran Desert in Arizona
Story, photos by Jason Nugent Often when people think of deserts, the image that comes to mind is one of a vast, barren landscape with nothing but sand for as far as the eye can see. As someone who has spent time in deserts around the world and has seen that specific view first hand, I’ll be the first to admit that I thought that the landscape surrounding Phoenix would be similar. Boy was I wrong. The Sonoran desert surrounding Phoenix is home to one of the most vibrant, lush landscapes in the Southwest United States. If getting out and appreciating that appeals to you, then I urge you to …
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Hike Point Lobos State Park in Monterey, California Where Land Meets Sea for Spectacular Views
Story, photos by Cassie Hepler Park by the road. That’s the best advice I can give you and best of all, it’s free. Also, get there early or it won’t matter anyway as the park will be packed. Point Lobos State Park in Monterey, California is a scenic coastal area featuring a variety of sea animals and wildlife, hiking, diving and a whaling museum. Point Lobos has been named “the greatest meeting of land and sea in the world” and “the crown jewel of the state park system.” It has diving unmatched on the California coast (check out the Point Lobos State Reserve website for maps and dive site videos), great hiking,…
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Dreaming of Tropical Paradise? Explore Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
Photos, videos and story by Cassie Hepler This time of the year is perfect… perfect for an escape out of dismal, sludge covered chilly Philly! Seriously though, that point of will winter ever end, where is Spring and missing glowing orb called a sun can be daunted on even the most die-hard Philadelphian. This writer has tried to make it a habit to escape most winters for a couple weeks to somewhere warmer and sunnier where the living is easy with sand between your toes. So we reached out to one of our Penn State alums who works as a travel consultant at CheapCarribean.com to help nail down some tropical locations.…
