A Geographic Expeditions tour of India, the awe-inspiring Taj Mahal included, is one of 13 itineraries worldwide that are on offer for less.

by Katherine Hottinger on Travel Deals

Before you start leaving comments about how this Deal of the Day is unaffordable, here's a disclaimer: We know, we know. A thousand bucks off a trip that will cost nearly 10 grand for two people from start to finish is hardly bargain-basement.

But if you've got the means, as well as two to three weeks to spend on the other side of the world, delving beneath the surface of a different culture and gaining access to authentic experiences that are otherwise off-limits, you'll want to jump on Geographic Expeditions' unprecedented discounts. GeoEx is one of the world's premier tour companies, employing local experts to deliver unforgettable trips to a sophisticated, inquisitive, and truly interesting clientele. And GeoEx never reduces its prices. Except now.

The tours with price breaks are to Bhutan, China, Ecuador, India, Laos, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, and Vietnam. Prices represent the starting rate for two travelers on a fully booked group tour and do not include international flights. Here's a small sampling:

* INDIA: Taj to Tiger: A 14-day tour of India's iconic attractions, from Varanasi to the Taj Mahal to an elephant safari. You'll pay: $7,770. You'll save: $1,600.

* TANZANIA: The Real Kilimanjaro: A 15-day safari and trek takes a slower, less traveled route up the mountain to reach the "true summit," Uhuru Point, rather than the lower Gilman Point, which is the goal of many other expeditions. You'll pay: $7,815. You'll save: $2,000 on the October 25, 2009 departure.

* TURKEY: Sail the Sapphire Seas: A 16-day cruise and walk along Turkey's Emerald Coast, with stops at Oludeniz's forested lagoon, the partially submerged tombs at Kekova, and the ruins of Aphrodisias. You'll pay: $6,145. You'll save: $1,100. 

The bonus: Travelers who sign up for GeoEx trips have the peace of mind that comes with the knowledge that their visit directly benefits the local community. Local guides, cooks, drivers, and artisans are feeling the pinch of the economic downturn, and GeoEx is hoping that its discounts will attract more visitors, thus allowing these locals to continue earning a living.

Book by: August 15, 2009.

Travel dates: These vary by destination, but fall in the coming autumn and winter through the end of 2009.

How to book: Call GeoEx at 800-777-8183.

by Julia Bainbridge on Travel Deals

We've had to put up with sky-high airfares to Asia for the past few years but now, lo and behold, it looks like this summer will bring some relief to transpacific premium-class fliers.

The welcome news came to Wendy via her favorite business travel guru, Joe Brancatelli of Joe Sent Me, who susses out the best business-class bargains for his site's Steals and Deals section. Joe says that Continental's BusinessFirst nonstop fare sale from its New York City hub (Newark) to four cities in Asia--Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Tokyo--is, on a cent-per-mile basis, every bit as good as the steep business-class fare sales to Europe we're seeing for this summer.

We did a little testing and found the following nonstop round-trip BusinessFirst fares on offer, all including tax:

Newark to Beijing: $3,096

Newark to Hong Kong: $3,288

Newark to Shanghai: $3,188

Newark to Tokyo: $3,296

These flights normally cost anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000. And by the way, our readers ranked Continental's BusinessFirst one of the top ten business-class cabins on transpacific routes in Condé Nast Traveler's 2007 Business Travel Awards. (It did not rank in the top ten in our 2008 awards.)

For travel from: June 3 to August 16, 2009, with a maximum stay of 30 days and a minimum stay of 8 days.

Another way to enjoy Singapore on the cheap? Sample the array of tasty, inexpensive street food.

by Julia Bainbridge on Travel Deals

Asia-bound this summer? If you're flying Singapore Airlines, you can stop over for a night in Singapore for $1 per person, based on double occupancy.

Sure, summer in the Lion City can be brutally steamy, but if you're flying through this major hub anyway, why not spend a night if it means free activities, super-cheap hotel stays, and fabulous food? (And even without this special rate, Singapore is a great-value vacation.)

Package includes: Free ground transport to and from Changi Airport, free admission to attractions like the National Orchid Garden and the Singapore River Bumboat Tour, 50% off meals at certain restaurants, and a free SingTel prepaid mobile card, among other perks. Visit singaporeair.com/ssh to learn more.

Note: Participating hotels are broken into price categories. Category A hotels cost $1 for one night. Category B, C, and D hotels range from $20 to $40 for the first night--still good discounts off the normal rates of $62 to $94. Category E and F hotels require more of a splurge. Click here to find out more about the categories (and scroll down to the bottom of the page for a list of the properties in each category).

Bonus: This deal applies to both departure and arrival stopovers, so you can take advantage of the $1 rate twice if you want to. Another bonus? If you book online, you get a 15% discount (both off the $1 rate and off rates for additional nights).

Book by: May 15, 2009

For travel from: April 15-September 30, 2009

Condé Nast Traveler approved: Our readers have consistently voted Singapore Airlines the best airline in the world, and two of the F-category hotels, the Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore and the Shangri-la Hotel Singapore, have both made the Gold List. 

Yup, that's me at the Great Wall of China, Oct. 2007.

by Wendy Perrin

Okay, I'm hoping Asia aficionados will help me out here. We need to answer this question from reader Megan Carpenter of Washington, D.C.:

"For the young adventurous couple with no constraints except time, what is the best Asia itinerary? We are trying to plan a trip in May, but we have only 10 days for it. (Our busy and growing careers don't allow for a lot of time off.) I lived in Hong Kong in 2002 and my husband has never been, so we definitely want to start our trip there. I've also done Thailand a few times. What else can we do in a 10-day time frame that will allow us to see great new places and have some relaxing time as well?"

Ideas, anyone? (Just click on "Comments" below.)

When I think of my personal favorite spots in Asia outside of Hong Kong and Thailand -- including Luang Prabang, Laos; Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Hanoi and Hoi An in Vietnam; Shangri-La and Hangzhou in China -- there is no way to combine them into one 10-day trip that also includes Hong Kong. You'd be spending all your time in airports.

Still, I've got two possible solutions to this quandary, after the jump:

by Wendy Perrin

"I am taking a 28-day cruise from Singapore to Beijing," writes reader Reneemia37. "Can you suggest a company for shore excursions, particularly in Bangkok, Hanoi, Saigon, Kyoto, Shanghai, and Beijing?   Also do you have a list of private guides for any of those cities?   Any help would be most appreciated."

The best person I know for this is Paul Niskanen of Cruise Masters in Portland, Oregon. He's the Asia cruise specialist on my list of the world's top travel specialists.  I assume you didn't book your cruise through him, which is unfortunate because it means you may need to pay a fee to book the unique private excursions he offers in these ports. Paul's a very nice guy, is very value-conscious, and is expecting your call ... and now's a good time to catch him 'cause he's just back from a cruise from Singapore to Sydney. Bon voyage!

by Wendy Perrin

This question came in from lb8001:

"I want to take a trip-of-a-lifetime dive trip to the Maldives. I emailed and called Lindsey Wallace of Linara Travel, based on your description of him on your 2008 Top Travel Specialists List. Got two emails saying he was very busy but would call, left a phone message after no call 3 days later and still no response. Is there another agent you know of I can contact regarding an extra special Maldives trip?  Thanks!"

Yes, but I don't trust anyone with the Maldives the way I trust Lindsey and, based on the feedback I've gotten from readers, he's worth the wait. Normally he gets back to people within minutes, so I emailed him last night to inquire about the delay. Turns out he's been out of the office because of an unexpected death in the family. He's going to call you this morning, okay? Thanks for your patience!

To read the latest feedback I've gotten about Lindsey, click to the Top Travel Specialists User Reviews that Conde Nast Traveler readers have been posting and scroll down to #27, posted on July 18.

Woe to those planning to climb Mount Everest this year.
Photo: wikipedia.org

by Brook Wilkinson

The Chinese government has shut down Mount Everest until May 10, throwing a wrench into the plans of thousands of climbers hoping to scale the world's highest peak this spring. The nominal reason: "increasing environmental pressures," according to a notice from the China Tibet Mountaineering Association. But given that country's track record on environmental issues, the assumed reason is to forestall protests when the Olympic flame is carried up Everest in early May.

Britain's Independent is reporting that Nepal has also agreed to shut down the south face routes that run through that country; Nepal receives a hefty amount of financial support from China, and recognizes Tibet as a part of China. Last week's protests in Lhasa were the largest in 20 years and spread to sympathetic cities around the world.

If the ban holds, the Olympic flame carriers may be the only people to top Everest this year. Prime summiting time runs for just a few weeks in May, before the monsoon season arrives.

A child crouches by the charred remants of his house in Cambodia, January 24, 2008.
All photos: Journeys Within Our Community

by Brook Wilkinson

As I've mentioned on the blog, I took a trip to Cambodia last December. I was there to volunteer with Journeys Within Our Community, the nonprofit branch of the tour operator Journeys Within, whom Wendy and I recommend for planning travel to Southeast Asia. You'll get to read about my experiences in the May issue of Conde Nast Traveler, but right now JWOC needs your help.

Last Wednesday, there was a fire in a nearby village. It quickly destroyed 36 homes, leaving hundreds of people with only the clothes on their backs. JWOC was on the scene the next day, talking to the villagers about the tragedy. What can you do to help? Read on to find out.

This snapshot of Mt. Everest, taken on a sightseeing flight, is an entry in Conde Nast Traveler's "Live the Cover" Contest.
Photo: Nadine1

by Brook Wilkinson

Question from reader Davecrook:

"I would like to see Mt. Everest without climbing it. What commercial scheduled flights offer the best opportunity to see Mt. Everest? Is the weather during a particular month or time of year clearer than others?"

I brought your question to Jim Sano, a one-time leader of an Everest expedition, and the president of Geographic Expeditions. Geo Ex is one of the best companies in the business for trips to remote areas in Asia and beyond. Here's what Jim told me: 

"The best option would be one of the mountain sightseeing flights out of Kathmandu airport in Nepal, run by a host of Nepalese airlines. The flight approaches Everest from the south and weather permitting, you get a pretty good look. I wouldn't recommend chartering one of the French high-altitude helicopters because flying in helicopters at this altitude is inherently dangerous. In my book, the best time of the year is October or November."

To find out which commercial flights have a view of Everest, read on.

In the Far East, is the U. S. Interstate
Highway  symbol a mark of respect or a
copyright violation?
Photo: Mercury Books

by Stephan Wilkinson

Look at a UN map of Asia and the continent is spiderwebbed with an enormous system of highways, the secret roads of the Far East, Asia, the Indian subcontinent and the various 'Stans.  It's an 89,000-mile network of roads through some of the most inhospitable, motel-deprived, slow-food-eating, gas-station-challenged countries on the planet. 

These are interstates?  Well, not exactly.  Some of them exist only in their national planners' imaginations, some are dirt tracks, some are primitively paved two-lanes choked with jitneys and ancient diesel trucks (including the ones I negotiated in India during a Conde Nast Traveler Great Drive).  A few are, briefly, actual highways.

But wherever there's a road, there's somebody waiting to set a record on it, and Guinness ready to memorialize that feat.  Asian Highway 1 goes from Tokyo to Istanbul and there connects with European autoroutes and motorways all the way to London.  Nobody had ever driven its entire length, until now.

Read on to find out who did it, why...and, incredibly, what kind of vehicle they used.

by Brook Wilkinson

Question from reader Patricia Caballero in Monterrey, Mexico:

"My husband and I would like to take our 11-year-old daughter to Asia next summer for about a month. We would like to find a way to go from one city to another whenever we are ready (in case we decide to stay longer or leave sooner). Any suggestions?"

Wouldn't we all love that kind of flexibility!  Unfortunately, it almost always comes at a price. You can sometimes get away without reservations on trains (as I mentioned in a previous post on Eurail passes), but most cities in Asia are quite far from each other, and flights need to be nailed down well in advance, right?

Not in all cases. You can book a circle-Asia ticket (like the one shown above) and in most cases change the dates, for a fee, depending on availability. Here's how:

There's still only one way to get to the top: on foot.
Photo: wikipedia.org

by Brook Wilkinson

"Mt. Everest Heli Trip is Up Close and Personal." You can imagine my surprise when an email with that subject line appeared in my inbox this morning, from tour outfitter Cox & Kings. A helicopter trip to Everest? Last I heard, the air was so thin that high up that it was too risky for most helicopters to even consider making emergency runs to rescue stranded climbers (in fact, a Kiwi company will soon start testing a pilotless craft for such operations). Would tourists now be hovering at eye-level with the summiteers?

Not a chance. I contacted Cox & Kings for more info, and it turns out that the helicopter trip takes clients no higher than 15,000 feet -- 14,000 short of the summit. Furthermore, the flight path doesn't get particularly close to Everest; your actual destination is the Tengboche Monastery. A thrilling ride nonetheless, I'm sure, but hardly "Everest Up Close and Personal."

The moral here is that, as with any other service, be sure you know what you're getting before putting down payment. I'd jump at the chance to cruise around the Himalayas by helicopters; I'd only be disappointed if I thought I was going to be looking out the cockpit onto Everest.

This view could be yours if you win our Live the Cover Contest.
Photo: Starwood Hotels

by Brook Wilkinson

Ever picked up and issue of Conde Nast Traveler, and imagined inserting yourself into the gorgeous landscape on the cover? Now you can. One lucky reader who enters our Live the Cover Contest will win a trip to the W Retreat & Spa on Fesdu Island in the Maldives, the paradisical location of our July cover shot.

Wanna enter? You've got until August 27th to upload a photo that captures one of your best travel memories. Tell us what made the experience unforgettable and the editors' favorite story-and-photo combo will win a weeklong stay for two at one of the W's overwater bungalows (including airfare and meals, worth more than $17,000).

If you want some inspiration, check out the finalists of our 20th anniversary Dream Trip Contest.

Americans can now attend North Korea's Mass Games, the epic propaganda spectacle put on by dictator Kim Jong-il.
Photo: Geographic Expeditions

by Brook Wilkinson

Question from reader KateR:

"Please recommend someone who does group tours to South Korea. The only ones I've found on my own are private tours, which are way too expensive."

I'm afraid that you've discovered a gaping hole in the American travel market, KateR. The only outfitter that I can confidently recommend that does group trips to South Korea is Geographic Expeditions, and that's only as a twice-a-year departure combined with North Korea (yes, Kim Jong-il has started to let in a very few American tourists).

Once more, with feeling: Bill Murray films take after take for a Japanese Suntory Whisky commercial in the 2003 film Lost in Translation.
Photo: Yoshio Sato, 2003 Focus Features.  All Rights Reserved.

By Beata Loyfman

"For relaxing times, make it Suntory time": Bill Murray's catchphrase from Lost In Translation has been running through my head for the better part of a week. And with good reason. I'm in Tokyo, a city so fabulously frenetic, it's no wonder Sofia Coppola chose it as the setting for her Oscar-winning film about culture shock and alienation. During the past few days, I've shopped the trendy Omotesando Hills, trekked through Shiodome's futuristic high-rises, ate blowfish (yep, still alive), and scouted the city's most striking vistas for Conde Nast Traveler's Room With a View. After all this Times Square-like frenzy, I needed a reprieve.

Thankfully, my colleague The Materialist (as well as the always reliable Fodors) guided me to a quiet pocket of the city called Asakusa.