Ideal-Living Magazine Ideal Living explores where to live and how to live happy and healthy

World’s Best Condé Nast Traveler polled 32,000 readers to come up with its 21st World’s Best Tourist Destinations. Sydney once again topped the list as best city overall. Florence was the best-ranked in Europe and Bangkok took the top spot in Asia. New Zealand was ranked as the best country in the world to visit, scoring an incredible 99.22 points ... Read More »

Avoid Airlines Code-Share Confusion Code sharing is when an airline is listed under one airline’s code but is actually flown by a different airline. The airline flying the plane determines baggage allowances, fees, etc. Always ask at booking to avoid going to the wrong airline counter and that hassle. To check which airlines are aligned for around-the-world fares and, sometimes, frequent ... Read More »

Airlines Since the airlines began discounting fares for roundtrips, passengers have looked for ways to circumvent the rules, and the practice of buying a roundtrip ticket and only using it one way became popular. This practice has high risks, as the airlines consider such a practice fraudulent, impose heavy penalties and may deny boarding unless the appropriate fare is paid. ... Read More »

Up a long and winding road, past Little Switzerland and through the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, aspiring writers from around the world make their annual pilgrimage to Wildacres Retreat, seeking tranquility and inspiration. Some are making the trip for the first time, but for most, the week-long retreat and workshops are something they look forward to every year-almost like ... Read More »

The Ice Hotel, Jukkasjarvi, Sweden Constructed in the late 1980s, The Ice Hotel Sweden is rebuilt each winter with a different design. Located about 120 miles north of the Arctic Circle, the hotel is built with blocks of ice from the Torne River. Usually covering over 53,000 feet, the hotel uses more than 4,000 tons of ice to create the ... Read More »

For many individuals, it’s enough to have one fulfilling, satisfying career. Not so for Reola Phelps and Kent Boesdorfer, two committed humanitarians with a finely honed sense of adventure and the desire to make a difference. When Reola married Kent, she had not one but two careers under her belt: She had already worked with Outward Bound as an instructor ... Read More »

The new “pay as you go” policies adopted by the U.S. domestic airlines make it hard to budget as new charges and changes proliferate. One travel guru called it bait and switch: “They bait us with a base fare and then start packing on the fees.” Read More »

It was 1982, and my young son Kurt and I were working at the Australia Outward Bound School in Tharwa when we heard that Reinhold Messner, the first man to ascend Everest without oxygen, was to give a talk at the University of Tasmania. Armchair Everest groupies, we went to hear him. Read More »

It's a big, beautiful, exciting country, and more of us are staying home to enjoy it. Consider some of the new tours offered in 2008. Read More »

Should you find yourself waiting in London Gatwick Airport, find your way to a Yotel in the South Terminal. These miniature ‘hotel rooms’ range from small pods to standard rooms to cabins with Internet access, bathrooms, work desks and even room service. Minimum charge is for four hours and runs around $50. Overnight costs are around $100. Read More »