Kayaks are not canoes

Robb Y    Lifestyle Activities, Outdoor Activities, Water Sports     canoe, kayak, kayaking, whitewater rafting

Kayaking is not canoeing. However, it is similar, albeit with a few key differences.

A kayak is the older, more traditional relative of the canoe. First used in the Arctic more than 4,000 years ago, its primary role was as a fishing and hunting vessel, but it was also used for general transportation.

As a boat, it sits lower in the water than a canoe and it rarely has a seat. By using stretched sealskin and whale fat over a wooden frame natives created for themselves a waterproof layer. read more

The Future of Skydiving

Robb Y    Airborne Activities, Lifestyle Activities     airborne experiences, skydiving

Skydiving is evolving. There’s no other sport that is moving so fast, and changing the way we think about what’s possible in life.

So where did all this start?

Well, first attempts were disastrous. Goofball cloaks and umbrella jumps did little to encourage the uptake of what should have been a life-saving invention. read more

Venice Style

Robb Y    Lifestyle Activities, Water Sports     city tours, dinner cruise, romantic gift ideas

It’s a long way to Venice. Known as ‘the city of bridges‘ it is the classic romantic European city. Depicted in novels and films as a place of intrigue and passion, it’s a popular stop-off for travelers to Europe.

Once there, there is only one way to travel around the myriad streets, and that’s by boat. The stylish may float in sports craft but the truly romantic will always opt for a Gondola cruise. These boats have helped Venetians get around for 500 years, and at their most popular there were around 1,500 in use. read more

It’s wine time

Robb Y    Food & Wine, Lifestyle Activities     city tours, things to do, wine tasting

California, thanks to its great climate and fertile soil, produces fantastic wines. With a tradition of harvesting great grapes dating back to the 1700s, it has real pedigree. But to ignore the rest of the world’s wine producing regions would be a foolish move. In fact, there is so much wine grown around the globe, it takes real experts to tell the difference between a Californian Chardonnay and wine from Chardonnay! read more

Fly-by in a biplane

Robb Y    Airborne Activities     biplane flight, city tours, flying

Booked to fly overseas? Well, I think you probably already know what type of plane you’ll be flying on. The size, model number and color may change, but let’s face it, most modern passenger aircraft look very similar.

But this wasn’t always the case. Before the almost total adoption of the jet engine, turboprop and propeller engines powered passenger aircraft. And where now there is one aerofoil wing, there once were two. read more

Food 101 Classes

Robb Y    Food & Wine, Lifestyle Activities     cooking classes, learn to, life lessons, things to do

Here’s some food for thought.

Do you usually find yourself relegated to potato peeling during family cookouts? Do you find the world of spices confusing? Fear not, help is at hand. Experiencegifts.com offers suggestions of dozens of cooking classes to help improve your kitchen skills, and impress your friends and family.

Fresh ingredients, master chefs, and a couple of hours of culinary boot camp will soon have your cooking up to standard. Are you in the mood for Thai, Chinese, Indian or French cuisine? Well, there are more than enough options to choose from. For example, the Philadelphia Asian Cooking Class will teach you the finer skills of sushi and dim sum. And if you want to wash this down with your own signature soda, there’s Barleycorn’s Craft Brew, in Massachusetts. read more

Reach For The Sky

Robb Y    Airborne Activities, Uncategorized     flying, scenic flights

When US astronauts first made it to the moon they got to gaze back on the world, and it was a deeply moving moment. Alan Shepard famously said he cried when he looked back at Earth. The experience of flying over our world is unique, and you don’t have to be signed up to NASA to enjoy it.

There are regular scenic flights from airports across the US, organized to help you get the most dramatic of views, be it of cities, or of the countryside. From short trips, to longer more extensive flights, planes fly out of Florida, Georgia, Minneapolis, and from runways across the states. read more

Burning Rubber

Robb Y    Driving Experiences     drag racing, dragster ride, drive a dragster

Fans of dragster racing will tell you, ‘it’s all about the speed’. Early racers in the 1930s pushed their cars past the benchmark 100mph, before moving from the Mojave Desert to the newly-founded Santa Ana drag strip.

Today, the need for speed remains at the forefront of racers’ minds. Races take place over the famed quarter-mile and race days see fans congregate in their tens of thousands.

Drag racing was born in the US, and now race fans can even get behind the wheel of these wonderfully powerful machines. read more

A Life Less Ordinary

Robb Y    Airborne Activities, Food & Wine, Lifestyle Activities     learn something new, learn to, life lessons, self improvement, things to do

A change is as good as a rest. So why not learn how to do something new, something challenging, and see where it leads you?

We’re not talking about getting a new haircut or wardrobe: We’re going deeper – think of health and happiness; wish fulfillment; aspirations realized; and lives lived to the fullest – so much is possible, with just a little inspiration.

From flying lessons in a Cessna 172, to trapeze lessons or cooking classes, there are options to invigorate mind, body and soul. If planes and helicopters are too much to handle, sign up for the trapeze class – you’ll still be soaring above ground, only safely harnessed, and doing a couple of back flips while you’re at it. read more