As the weather begins to turn a bit colder and a bit gloomier in the US, we're already seeking out a winter "light at the end of the tunnel." While doing some wanderlust brainstorming, along with a wide variety of flight searches, we recently came upon the option of escaping the blustery Northern Hemisphere for a little—or a lot—of sunny, summery Southern Hemisphere.

What screams Middle-of-January escape more than a diving trip to some of the most beautiful coral reefs on the planet? We knew that would get your attention. Celebrating its 30th anniversary as being named a World Heritage Site, the Great Barrier Reef lies just off the coast of Northern Queensland in Australia. Don't worry, this is no where near the floods from last year and, we mean, it's more than 600 miles away. ]]> jetflyboy 2011-10-25T12:17:21-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/9/15/7261/42361

There’s still plenty of 2011 left, but we can’t stop looking forward to the new theme park options set to debut next year. We mentioned some of the best rides to hit the parks in 2012, and now it looks like Six Flags is outlining their plans to thrill visitors at their parks next summer.

Six Flags wants everyone to be excited to visit each and every year, so they’re going to start ensuring that there’s at least one new ride and attraction at each Six Flags every year. Obviously, every addition can’t be a world class coaster, but we’re certainly not complaining. ]]> kjb 2011-09-15T08:57:45-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/9/14/101217/626
London's bright blue Barclay's bikes

It may not be the most bike-friendly city in the world, but New York, NY has more than deserved a bike sharing option for years now. Finally, it's getting one!

As with anything involving NYC, there's good news and bad news. The good news is that the city has chosen Alta to run the program, a company that already successfully operates the bike sharing in Washington DC, Montreal, Melbourne and Boston. Further awesome news is that the bike share will be massive, with 10,000 bikes at 600 stations ranging from the Upper West Side to the gentrifying parts of Brooklyn.

Now, for the bad news: we've got to wait until summer 2012 to enjoy the first cycles, and there'll be a $100 annual membership fee involved. As with other bike sharing, you've also got to pay for the time you use with the exception of a free first half hour.

Now for the important question: what color will the bikes be? Hm hm hm?!]]> JetSetCD 2011-09-14T14:30:53-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/9/6/55326/08901

Horrible news. It's time to put those white pants away. That's right—Labor Day has come and gone and as much as we enjoying viewing the outline of your thong (male or female), the look has an expiration date.

Traditionally, white pants season (and relatedly, Sperry Topsider season) lasts from Memorial Day until the very last gasp of summer on Labor Day (ah hem, yesterday). Any other time—wearing white is completely at your own risk. One the other hand, at the beginning of white pants season we rounded up five cities where you can wear white pants year-round.

Now that we've reached the end of the season, here's an encore (plus new additions!): ]]> JetSetCD 2011-09-06T08:26:55-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/8/31/7232/72767

The weather might be cooling down as the calendar flips to September, but that doesn’t mean that there's no longer a need for a refreshing adult beverage or three. If you’re feeling a little thirsty next month there’s always plenty of beer festivals on-tap, but here are three that we think are worth the price of admission:

· Portland Brew Festival:
If your weekend cookout plans fell through, there’s always Labor Day weekend in Portland, Maine. They’re trying to keep it a local affair with over 25 breweries from New England and at least 75 different offerings, so freshness is certainly on the menu. There are three sessions from which to choose—two on Saturday and one on Sunday—and each will set you back around $30. Just be sure to buy before you arrive, because apparently there’s no tickets at the door; it’s the law in Maine!

Brewery supply shops will be on hand to answer questions about which tubes, bottles, and pots you’ll need to brew the good stuff right at home. Admission includes 24—um, that's a lot—different tickets that you can happily exchange for a two-ounce pour of one of the beers on the menu. Atlantic Brewing Company, Baxter Brewing Company, and Sea Dog will just be a few of the breweries in attendance. Oh, and of course there will be a few opportunities to sample an offering or two from our friends over at Narragansett—here's to swimmin' with bow-legged women! ]]> kjb 2011-08-31T10:49:03-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/8/16/113857/553

In case you're still using up Fourth of July fireworks and BBQ charcoal, let us remind you that Labor Day is right around the corner, so time to start planning for either a long weekend getaway or some relaxing on the home turf. As usual, Orbitz has been playing close attention to the cities being searched for Labor Day vacays, and though it coulda been a cool infographic, the site has released a list of the Top 10 Labor Day destinations in the USA: ]]> JetSetCD 2011-08-16T11:38:57-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/8/15/85235/3604

There’s all kinds of stuff to celebrate during the summer, but one of the best things has to be its food. Fresh vegetables and fruits are both delicious—especially when deep fried—so bring your appetites to five of the best fresh fruit and veggie food festivals hitting the country this August:

· The National Lentil Festival:
For those who have overindulged this summer on hamburgers and hotdogs it might be time to bite into something a little healthier. The National Lentil Festival certainly is focused on good-for-you eating, so it’s a good place to start—especially since there’s free admission. It all goes down on August 19 and 20 in Pullman, Washington. Expect wine tasting, beer tasting, live entertainment, and of course plenty of the little legumes. The Lentil Marketplace and Lentil Lane Food Court are two spots where you can sample a little of everything lentil, and be sure not to miss the Little Lentil Sprout Parade.

· Potato Days:
When it comes to food that comes out of the ground, there’s nothing much tastier than the potato, and that’s even more true when the little spuds are fried. Plenty of tubers will be attendance in Barnesville, Minnesota on August 26 and 27, and there’s usually a few fans visiting as well—last year’s attendance was just around 17,000.

This year’s festival features plenty of chances to chomp down on a few food treats, but we’re most interested in events like Mashed Potato Wrestling, Potato Days French Fry Feed, or the Potato Peeling Contest. Potato samples and some events do charge a fee, but general admission is totally free. ]]> kjb 2011-08-15T11:00:02-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/