Make a trek to Texas, where the town of Marfa has become, as unlikely as it may seem, a center of minimalist art and earth sculpture.
The two-night jaunt, which begins May 10, tours the artistic holdings of the Chinati Foundation, an alternative art space and local artists’ studios.
A recent artwork in the region is “Prada Marfa,” by Berlin-based artists Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset. The 15-by-25-foot “store” is filled with Prada shoes and handbags, which are not for sale – the building is sealed shut.
Participants dine one night at El Paisano Hotel restaurant; the hotel was featured in the 1956 movie epic “Giant,” James Dean’s last movie. The film was shot in Marfa.
Cost: $999 per person, double occupancy ($100 single surcharge), including round-trip airfare from Long Beach, Calif., to El Paso, Texas, motel accommodations, dinners, ground transportation and admission fees. Transportation to Long Beach is not included.
Contact: Sarah Vinci at the University Art Museum, California State University, Long Beach; 562-985-5761, www.csulb.edu/uam.
Float down the Colorado River during the day and listen to chamber music at night on a four-day river trip that begins June 18.
The trip, a benefit for the annual Moab Music Festival held in the fall, includes rafting on serene, flat-water sections of the Colorado River. Chamber music concerts are held nightly. Among the musicians participating are Tim Fain, first violinist with the Rossetti String Quartet, and Christopher Layer, principal pipe soloist and flutist for the Trinity Irish Dance Company. Concerts will range from classical to folk.
Daytime activities include swimming or hiking with a naturalist.
Cost: $2,500 per person, including river craft, guides, all meals, camping equipment and setup and a $1,250 tax-deductible donation to the festival organization.
Contact: The Moab Music Festival, Moab, Utah; 435-259-7003, www.moabmusicfest.org.
Sleep near lions and tigers and rhinos on an overnight camp-out at the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park in Escondido, Calif.
The overnight safaris are offered Friday or Saturday nights, April through October.
Guests stay in tents next to an 80-acre enclosure that is home to giraffes, wildebeests, gazelles, lions and elephants, among others.
The outing includes a guided walking tour of an area of the park where aardvarks, snakes and African crested porcupines roam freely. Families can listen for animal sounds and drink hot cocoa around the campfire after dinner.
Cost: $129 to $199 per adult or teen, $89 to $109 for children younger than 8, and $109 to $129 for children 8 to 11. Breakfast and dinner are included. Transportation to Escondido and park admission fees (of $17.50 to $28.50 per person) are not.
Contact: San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park, Escondido; 619-718-3000; www.wildanimalpark.org.
If you’re flying somewhere and you want to bring a pet without putting it in cargo, you may be able to find an airline that will allow your animal into the cabin.
Many airlines permit small animals in carriers to fly beneath the seat ahead of you where you would normally stow your luggage. The Web site for Sherpa’s Pet Trading Company has detailed information on pet policies for more than 100 airlines.
For example, according to the Sherpa Web site, AirTran allows dogs, cats and birds in the cabin for a $65 one-way fee, as long as the weight of the animal and the carrier combined does not exceed 15 pounds. The dimensions of the carrier must be no larger than 10-by-11-by-21 inches to fit.
US Airways charges $100 each way for transporting a pet in the cabin but requires that the animal be “harmless, inoffensive, odorless and require no attention during the flight.” Frontier and Southwest airlines, however, are among those that do not permit pets in the cabin, unless they are service animals, according to Sherpa.
To check the list of airline policies regarding pets, or for other information about traveling by plane with pets, go to the Sherpa Web site at www.sherpapet.net/airlines/index.php?air_type.
Under the “Links” tab, click “Travel links” and scroll down to the airline list, which is in alphabetical order. Be sure to double-check with airlines before booking to make sure polices have not changed.
Save $2,000 per couple off the brochure rate on a “Cities and Canals of Holland and Belgium” cruise package from Overseas Adventure Travel, which specializes in trips for the 50-plus crowd. For May and June departures, the price now starts at $2,295 per person double, including round-trip air from Washington’s Dulles International or Baltimore-Washington International airports, two nights’ hotel and a seven-night barge cruise. Book by April 30; air taxes are an additional $255. Info: 800-248-3737, www.oattravel.com.
Save $100 per person on wilderness kayaking trips in British Columbia’s Inside Passage. Sea Kayak Adventures is offering the six-day kayaking trip for $1,499 per person double for the June 26, July 3 and July 10 departures. The trip includes lodging at God’s Pocket Resort on Hurst Island, kayaks, boat transport from Port Hardy to the resort, meals, guides and kayaking instruction. Info: 800-616-1943, www.seakayakadventures.com.
Rick Steves’ Europe Through the Back Door hosts free travel classes most Saturdays at 10 a.m. at the Edmonds Theater, 415 Main St., Edmonds.
* Packing light and right, April 22.
* Scandinavia, April 29.
Classes are free, reservations recommended. Call 425-771-8303, ext. 298, or visit www.ricksteves.com/seattle.
The Savvy Traveler offers travel seminars at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. most Saturdays at 112 Fifth Ave. S., Edmonds.
Classes are free, reservations recommended. Call 425-744-6076, 877-225-1994, or visit www.savvytraveleredmonds.com.
Travel classes offered in Everett: Everett Parks and Recreation presents a series of travel classes featuring travel experts from Rick Steves’ Europe Through the Back Door. Classes from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Van Valey House, 2130 Colby Ave., Everett.
* Regions of France with Colleen Schaffer, May 11.
Cost is $5. Registration is required.
For information, call 425-257-8300 or visit signmeup.everettwa.org.
The Herald is not responsible for changes in prices, dates or itineraries. These should be confirmed with cruise lines, travel agents or tour operators.
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