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Memorial Day Travel / Travel Deals / Hawaii Travel / Kauai Travel / Theme Park Travel / → All Tags

Three Last-Minute Travel Deals for Celebrating Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day weekend is only days away. If you aren't sure how to mark the start of summer, consider staying stateside. There are plenty of places where you can enjoy the patriotic three-day weekend whether you want to spend it cruising, vegging on the beach or hitting the rides at a theme park.

Check out three last-minute Memorial Day vacays in the U.S. of A.

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Sports Travel / Marathons / Running / Active Travel / Berlin Travel / Kauai Travel / Nevada Travel / → All Tags

Three Upcoming Marathons with Great Scenery

The real, -Berlin-Marathon

We know this is hard to hear in August when you're still barbecuing, hitting the beach and doing all those other summertime activities, but it's fall marathon training time. We found a couple of upcoming marathons that'll warm up both racers and spectators who love a good running competition in a great travel destination. Be sure to register ASAP and wear sunscreen while you're out training for these Big 3 marathons coming up:

· E.T. Full Moon Midnight Marathon
At this Nevada marathon, you just might run into E.T. About 2.5 hours north of Vegas, the course goes down Highway 375, a.k.a. Extraterrestrial Highway, which organizers say has one of the highest number of reported UFO sightings, and is right outside of Area 51. But if you see an alien, it most likely will be one of the racers, who tend to dress up for the occasion. The August 21 event includes a marathon, half-marathon, a 10K and 51K—in honor of Area 51. Online registration closes on August 19.

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Volunteer Travel / Garden Travel / Kauai Travel / Hawaii Travel / → All Tags

Exotic Voluntourism At The National Tropical Botanical Garden in Kauai

Love nature and digging in your garden? Have we got a volunteer vacation for you! The National Botanical Garden on the island of Kauai in Hawaii has been dedicated to preserving tropical plant diversity through research, education and by creating a safe haven for at-risk plant species for more than 30 years. Their headquarters at The McBryde Gardens features native Hawaiian Flora, orchids, palm trees and flowering trees that were wild-collected from tropical regions around the of the world.

Visitors to this eden are able to explore the garden via paths and bamboo bridges that cross over the park's natural streams and waterfalls. The garden is always looking for volunteers for the long-term or on a "vacation and volunteer" basis. There are endless opportunities available year-round using a variety of skill-sets. But that's not to say you need any special skills to help out, the garden's staff provides on-the-job training for newbies.

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Jaunted in Hawaii / Hawaii Travel Videos / Shira Lazar / Kauai Travel / → All Tags

Coastin' It Up!

West Coast web media princess, and Jaunted Embed, Shira Lazar rushed off to Hawaii for a couple days at the bequest of So Much More Hawaii. We will be bringing you her travel videos between June 1st and 5th, in hopes of creating a glorious on-the-fly travel guide using as much point oh social webbing as we can. Enjoy.

Finally, I get to talk about one of my all-time favorite escapes in Hawaii: Kauai.

This is my fourth time on the island and it never fails to make me zen out and escape reality completely. If you’re looking for the idyllic Hawaii that you may imagine or see in movies and pictures, then look no further.

While we know the North Shore like the back of our hand (not to boast or anything), we did experience one first on this trip: a boat ride along the Na pali Coast, courtesy of Kauai Sea Tours. We had heard this was a must-see and do. The coast is known for its beauty and history, but is also pretty much inaccessible except by kayak, boat or helicopter.

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Honky-Tonk-Surf-Towns / Surfing / Active Travel / Summer Travel / Beaches / Kauai Travel / → All Tags

Honky Tonk Surf Towns: Hanalei Bay, Hawaii

Hanalei Bay is a two-mile crescent shaped epitome of a surf town on the north shore of Kauai. It features a low-key attitude, great surf during the winter months and that all-important picturesque setting. There are even lifeguards to keep you safe after even the most gnarly wipeout. (Maybe that's why our readers love it so much?)

If you work up an appetite from all the surfing and sun, check out the nearby taro plantations. The starchy Hawaiian vegetable is a staple for islanders, though cooked up as poi, it doesn't always impress visitors.

The Hanalei Wake-Up Cafe has more mainland fare. The walls are covered with pictures of great and not so great surfers, and plastic chairs and an outdoor balcony make this place an ideal hole-in-the-wall breakfast spot. We recommend the Over the Falls French Toast, but get there early as the place closes by 11:30 am.

Finally, check out the Princeville Resort if you need somewhere to stay. Even when surrounded by stunning ocean views, who doesn't love an infinity pool?

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Hawaii Travel / Waterfalls / Kauai Travel / → All Tags

Adventure Travel Gone Wrong on Kauai

Adventure travelers already know that Kauai is Hawaii's best bet for waterfalls, and that it's blessed with copious rainfall (making Mount Waialeale one of the wettest places on Earth). But most of those waterfalls are on private property. And while waterfalls may be pretty to look at, they aren't necessarily as safe as plunge pools.

With guidebooks printing detailed maps for bushwhacking through private property to get to these waterfalls, Kauai's cataracts have gotten crowded and, according to the rescue workers in Kauai County, dangerous. The worst offender is probably Puhi Falls, a mild-looking waterfall just 20 feet high--that still manages to send one jumper a day to the local hospital.

The guidebooks have likely resulted in two off-the-beaten-path deaths already, albeit not at Puhi, after falling off a trail to some hidden cascades. County officials are incensed, as are private landowners, but that's not yet stopping the popularity of Kauai's plentiful falls.

Alex Salkever is the editor/founder of Hawaii travel blog Hawaiirama.com

Related Stories:
· Two Hikers Die on Kauai [Hawaiirama]
· Danger Lurking in Beauty [Star Bulletin]

[Photo: eNil]