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Jul 10
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New Colorado Beer Tour

By Beer, Taste Vacations No Comments

Great American Beer FestivalColorado is one of the top craft beer meccas in the world. Not only does it boast over 300 breweries including five of the top 50 craft breweries in the United States, but it is also home to the Brewers Association trade group and the American Homebrewers Association.

Even more enticing, Colorado hosts the largest beer festival in the world – the annual Great American Beer Festival with over 700 breweries and 3,500 different beers. The GABF is a three-day event and spawns many affiliated parties, including the amazing Denver Rare Beer Tasting with rare, vintage, and exotic beers from 54 craft breweries from around the country.

Our new Colorado Beer Tour, set for October 6-9, 2016, includes the GABF and the Denver Rare Beer Tasting. But it includes much more. In addition to Denver, we visit the beer cities of Boulder and Fort Collins and have tours and tastings at major breweries including Wynkoop, Avery, Boulder Beer Company, Oskar Blues, and New Belgium. All dinners are included and two of these will be special beer pairing events.

On a beer tour you, ahem, need to be into beer. But we also take walking tours of all three cities, have a bit of downtime, and learn quite a bit about the state and its beer as well.

Please note registration must be completed by July 31 as GABF tickets for Brewers Association members (we have special access) go on sale August 2 and sell out to the public the following day.

And if you can’t imagine vacationing in Colorado without being active or seeing the mountains, consider joining our sister company Zephyr Adventures’ Beer, Hike, and Bike Adventure from October 3 – 7.

Photo copyright Brewers Association

Jun 23
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3 Reasons Why You Should Get Global Entry

By Taste Vacations, Travel Tips One Comment

I live in the suburbs of Chicago where my home airports are O’Hare and Midway… which happen to be some of the worst ranking airports in the country. Lucky me!  As some of you might have seen back in May, here is an example of just how long the lines were for the TSA check point at Midway airport. (Please pardon the expletives, but I’d probably be saying the same thing if I were him!)

Video courtesy of: Sean H.

Fortunately for me though, I applied and received Global Entry last year and have been able to avoid some of the chaos. If you are planning on traveling internationally more than once in the next five years, it’s worth the $100 application fee to reap the benefits of Global Entry status. Here’s why:

    1. Save time and hassle. When you receive Global Entry status, you are automatically given TSA Pre-Check “Trusted Traveler” status as well. This means potentially skipping mile-long lines or hassling with your belt, shoes, and computer to get through security. And that’s not just for international flights, Trusted Traveler status also includes domestic flights so no matter where you are traveling to from the U.S., you have the chance to save yourself some time and frustration. Though you should be aware that having Trusted Traveler status does not automatically let you jump the line every time, but it does significantly improve the odds of being selected for the TSA Pre-Check line.
    2. Get through U.S. Immigration and Customs much faster. As your plane approaches the familiar skies of the United States, you can sit back and relax while your fellow passengers are filling out their blue customs forms.  Then once off your plane, you can skip the processing line and head straight for one of the Global Entry kiosks.  This is where you’ll scan your passport, get your photo taken, scan your fingerprints, and answer a few customs questions via the touch screen of the kiosk. You will get a printed receipt and head to the baggage carousel to pick up your luggage. You then get to skip the next line of people waiting to recheck their luggage by heading to the Global Entry-specific queue, hand them your printed receipt and luggage, show them your passport, and continue on your way.  I can’t tell you what a welcome sight the short Global Entry lines are (if there are even any lines) once you’ve made your third transfer on an overnight flight back to the U.S. from South America.
    3. Get through other countries’ Immigration and Customs faster. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection has partnered with a number of countries to help better facilitate travel for those that are considered “Trusted Travelers.”  Each of the countries listed below has slightly different arrangements so make sure to double check before you go:
    • Australia
    • Canada
    • Germany
    • Mexico
    • Netherlands
    • New Zealand
    • Republic of Korea
    • United Kingdom

To check what the arrangements are for each country, we recommend visiting U.S. Customs and Border Protection website.

 If these benefits appeal to you, you can apply by first visiting the Global Entry website and creating your GOES account. From there, you will be provided instructions on the next steps in the application process.  Take note that you’ll want to do this well in advance of your next international trip as it may take a few months to get your application approved and your interview scheduled, depending on your location.

Jun 17
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How to do a proper tapas crawl

How to Do a Proper Tapas Crawl

By Food, Taste Vacations No Comments

As many people know, tapas are popular Spanish dining style made up of a variety of hot and cold dishes that combine to make a full meal. In Spain, it is not uncommon to gather a group of friends together and go out on a tapas bar crawl, much like a regular bar crawl, where you visit several tapas bars in one night, ordering a different dish and drink at each one.

Taste Vacations’ guide, Jenny Siddall, is a Brit living in the beautiful wine region of Rioja, Spain.  She’s not only an expert in wine, but she can also tell you how to organize your own proper tapas crawl. Check out her tips below:

Stand and eat at the bar. 
The general rule is to have one tapa and one drink and then to move on to the next bar. Tapas is not a seated, comfortable affair but rather a mobile feast!

Be adventurous.
A tapas crawl is a great way to try different wines and tasty morsels, so don’t be timid! It’s a perfect time to try a dish you’ve never had before.

Ask your server what their specialty is. 
Each tapas bar has its own speciality, whether that be Jamón Iberico, wild mushrooms, stuffed peppers, anchovies or seafood.  Some tapas are freshly cooked for you and others are displayed on the bar top.

A good team strategy is essential. 
Nominate someone to be the banker. This person will order and pay while the rest of the team helps pass out the drinks and looks for an open spot a the bar to eat your tapas.  Typically, you will pay after you have finished eating.  How the barman remembers what you have had is the biggest mystery to me! You may want to ask if you can pay right after you’ve ordered to make it simpler and so that you can leave whenever you’ve finished your tapa.

Not only are tapas crawls a great way to try new things, but they are also a fun way to experience the Spanish culture and nightlife. ¡Buen provecho!

Join us on the Spain Food & Wine Tour

 

Jun 07
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Zephyr Introduces New Beer Marketing & Tourism Conference

By Beer, Taste Vacations 2 Comments

Today we at Taste Vacations and Zephyr Adventures announced a brand-new Beer Marketing & Tourism Conference, which will take place March 28-30, 2017 in Asheville, North Carolina.

As you might or might not know, Zephyr has two sides to its business: tours (here at Taste Vacations and with our sister company Zephyr Adventures) and conferences (run by Zephyr Conferences). The BMTC is our seventh and newest conference.

Why does this interest you as a traveler with Taste Vacations? Simply because it reflects our growing connection to the craft beer industry, which will lead to new and better active beer tours in the future.

The BMTC is an industry conference and we think it is timely. Craft beer has been absolutely exploding in the US and now throughout the world. In fact, the growth has been so impressive many breweries simply sell out of their product without doing much marketing.

But there are now over 4,400 breweries in the United States with more coming online every single day. This results in competition – for tap room visitors which are oh so important to small breweries and for shelf space, which is not growing to keep up with beer production. Hence, marketing and tourism are becoming increasingly important.

As the organizer of the conference, we at Zephyr have the great pleasure of interacting with many of these breweries and those connections (and friendships) allow us to provide you with special experiences on our beer tours.

Want to see? Come join our Belgium Beer Tour or, coming soon, a beer tour in Colorado.

May 04
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What People Eat For Breakfast Around the World

7 Delightful Breakfasts From Around the World

By Food, Taste Vacations No Comments

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But what a person has for breakfast can vary greatly depending on what part of the world they are coming from.  I, for one, am in the camp of eating anything for breakfast – eggs, bacon, cold pizza, grilled cheese, leftover pasta, anything!

Typically, an American breakfast consists of eggs, bacon or sausage, toast or pancakes, hash browns, and a cup of coffee.  Or for a lighter fare, some yogurt with fruit and granola.  This all sounds tasty but I’m on the hunt for a more adventurous morning meal, which is why I’ve compiled a list of seven delightful breakfasts from around the globe:

Typical Malaysian Breakfast

Roti Canai is a flatbread that is left chewy in the center but crispy around the edges can be stuffed with egg, chicken, jam or banana. The roti canai featured in the image above is served with curries and sambal.  I crave savory foods (rather than sweet) so this breakfast suits me quite well.

Typical Peruvian Breakfast

Peruvian Breakfast

Image Source: Ang (Flickr)

In Peru, a typical breakfast may consist of triangular-shaped rolls, roasted wheat kernels, mote (boiled dried corn), and tea or coffee. The pictured roll looks quite tasty, don’t you think?

Typical Australian Breakfast

Typical Australian Breakfast - Vegemite

Image Source: Janeen (Flickr)

A typical Australian breakfast consists of fruit, eggs, and toast with Vegemite – a dark brown salty food paste made from various vegetables and spices. I know vegemite has gotten a bad rap of being rather bizarre outside of Australia, but I would still be curious to try it!

Typical Thai Breakfast

Typical Thai Breakfast Jok

Image Source: Amber Hoffman(Flickr)

Jok is a thick rice porridge usually enriched with pork, chicken, or shrimp and is typically eaten for breakfast in Thailand.  The jok featured in the image above is served with ground pork and topped with ginger, scallions, and chiles. Comfort food + a little spice = perfection.

Typical Morrocan Breakfast

Typical Morrocan Breakfast Bessara

Image Source: Par Taste

The typical Morrocan breakfast consists of beghrir which are small, spongy pancakes, and bessara, which is dried fava beans stewed with cumin and paprika. Seems like a delicious way to start your day.

Typical Italian Breakfast

Typical Italian Breakfast

Image Source: Stephen Rees (Flickr)

Caffellate or cappuccino are the main focus in Italian breakfasts, usually served with bread, butter, jam, or even cake. As an avid coffee drinker, I can’t say I mind the emphasis on a nice hot beverage.

Typical Nigerian Breakfast

In Nigeria, you can find fried plantains, a tomato-based stew, and baked chicken for breakfast.  A Nigerian breakfast looks rather like an American lunch or dinner – and I’m definitely okay with that!

With so many delightful options, you may want to consider adding a few more destinations to your bucket list based on breakfast alone!