Spiritual and religious-themed tours are becoming more and more popular, whether they're Christian-themed tours, Jewish-themed tours, or yoga-themed spiritual tours.

A couple upcoming spiritual and religious tours have caught my eye and I thought I'd share them with you:

"Journey through the Holy Land - 2010"

This tour is a 10-day tour starting in Tel Aviv with visits many important destinations, such as:

• The ancient fortified city of Megiddo, which many regard as one of the most important biblical destinations in Israel
• Muhraqa, which is the world center of the Baha'i faith
• Nazareth in Galilee, with a visit to St. Joseph's Church
• Mount of Beatitudes
• Garden of Gethsemane
• The Wailing Wall

This tour is offered through Globus, with dates available in October, 2010, and April and May, 2010. You can get more info by visiting globusfaith.com

"Spiritual India"

"Spiritual India" is a 15-day tour exploring the major religions of India, from Buddhism to Hinduism to Sikhism, with the next departure date of November 14, 2010. Highlights of this trip include:

• Delhi
• Amritsar, the spiritual center of the Sikh Religion
• Dharamsala, home to Buddhist monasteries
• Golden Temple
• Rishikesh
• Sailing on River Ganges
• Taj Mahal

This tour is offered through Gap Adventures. You can get more info by going to their website at gapadventures.com

"Shakti Women's Yoga Retreat"

4-day women's yoga retreat held at the Tofino Botanical Gardens on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Guests can participate in daily yoga sessions, as well learn Ayurvedic healing techniques. This retreat is offered September 24 - 27, 2010 through Sacred Earth Journeys. For more info go to their website at www.sacredearthjourneys.ca

        

Want to Win a Trip to Rome for you and 3 of your closest family members or friends? Then you must head on over to the Kohl’s website and enter their "Kohl's Eat, Pray, Love Sweepstakes."

What do you Win?

One grand prize winner will win a 7-day, 6-night trip for self and three guests to Rome, Italy for the premiere of "Eat Pray Love." This fabulous trip includes:

• Round-trip coach airfare for four

• Hotel accommodations consisting of 2 single standard rooms, double occupancy

• 4 premiere tickets to premiere of "Eat Pray Love"

• Ground transportation to and from airport in Rome

• $1000 spending money per person

This trip must be taken September 12 through September 18, 2010, or the prize will be forfeited and an alternate Grand Prize Winner will be selected.

How to Enter to Win this Trip to Rome

To enter, go to http://www.kohls.com/eatpraylove between August 1, 2010 and 11:59:59 PM ET on August 28, 2010 and fill out the online entry. There is a limit of one online entry per email address per day.

Who Can Enter this Sweepstakes?

This sweepstakes is open to legal residents of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia, 18 years of age or older. There are other restrictions, such as being an employee of Kohl's or their marketing group, immediate family, etc. You can find all that out in the sweepstakes rules posted on the site.

Enter soon and good luck!

 

        

Finally, a cruise which combines two of my favorite things: wine and the Columbia River Gorge. American Safari Cruises is offering their "Rivers of the West - Wine and Culinary Tour" which takes passengers on an 8 day/7 night cruise exploring the Columbia River Gorge, leaving from Portland, Oregon and continuing on to Lewiston, Idaho (or, you can choose the reverse), with stops in between for wine tastings, jet boating through Hell's Canyon and kayak tour of the Palouse canyon.

These cruises begin at $4,395 for a double-occupancy stateroom ($4,995 for a single stateroom) during the month of March and early April, with prices beginning at $4,895 during October and November. Wine regions you will explore include Walla Walla appellation, Red Mountain and Yakima appellation, and Columbia Gorge appellation. If you have some time when the cruise ends, don't forget to visit the Willamette Valley, close to Portland, for some outstanding Pinot Noirs.

For more information about this fabulous cruise, go to www.americansafaricruises.com. 

        

Where to go this August? In addition to some of the best vacation spots in August  page on our Top Vacation Spots  website, you might also want to consider some of the fun festivals that are going on around the country this August. 

Some of the more popular festivals this August include:

Vail Internation Dance Festival in Vail, Colorado. Taking place from late July through August 10, 2010, featuring The Paul Taylor Dance Company, BeijingDance/LDTX, The Art of the Tango with Natalia Hills & Gabriel Missé, and International Evenings of Dance with performers from Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The Royal Ballet and New York City Ballet. For tickets, go to www.vaildance.org

Hot August Blues Festival in Cockeysville, Maryland. Scheduled for Saturday, August 21, this festival features Lyle Lovett and his Large Band, Keb' Mo' and black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears. For info and tickets go to www.hotaugustblues.com

Great Falls Balloon Festival in Lewiston-Auburn area, Maine. Located on the banks of the Androscoggin River, with a backdrop of the Great Falls, the Great Falls Balloon Festival from August 20 - 22 draws locals and tourists alike. Thirty to forty balloons are launched during the festival, which also includes food booths and music. For more info go to www.greatfallsballoonfestival.org

14th Annual Sturgis South Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, Mississippi from August 19 - 22, 2010. This Rally hosts bikers from around the country, with music and bike shows, and about a hundred vendors which cater to motorcycle enthusiasts. For more info go to www.sturgismsrally.com.

Music City BBQ Festival in Nashville, Tennessee from August 26 - 28, 2010. Featuring over 100 BBQ cook teams competing for cash and prizes; sanctioned by the Memphis BBQ Network and the Kansas City BBQ Society. Also featuring cooking demonstrations and music on Friday and Saturday nights. For more info go to www.musiccitybbqfestival.com. 

        

Just a quick note to let you know we added a page on August vacations  to our Top Vacation Spots  website. 

On it we list some of the best vacation spots during the month of August, including such popular spots at Paris and London, and some that may be off your radar, such as a Baltic cruise, or an outdoor vacation to Asheville, North Carolina. So, if you're looking for a great spot to visit in August, do check out our website.

        

Just in time for summer! We added a page on our website about vacation spots in North Carolina , including info on Ocracoke Island vacations , lighthouses and outdoor adventure spots in North Carolina.

North Carolina is one of the most beautiful states to visit, and, to prove it, I found this fabulous YouTube video of the Biltmore Estates and the Blue Ridge Parkway that I thought I'd share. The Biltmore Estates is in Asheville, which is quickly becoming one of the more sought-after vacation spots in North Carolina.

        

Up for some great kayaking this summer? Then check out Lake Superior, particularly in Minnesota, where you'll find some of the best kayaking around.  Minnesota has established the Lake Superior Water Trail between the St. Louis and Pigeon rivers. This trail network has a limited number of free camping sites, and several state parks along the trail have camping availability for a nominal charge.

The states of Michigan and Wisconsin and the Canadian province of Ontario contain world class kayaking opportunities as well. Other Lake Superior kayaking adventures with tours that range from a day trek to two weeks can be found along the Apostle Islands, Pukaskwa National Park, Grand Island, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, and Isle Royale National Park.

Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake on earth, contains 10% of all the fresh water on earth, and is known for its potentially deadly storms.  If you're of a certain age, you may remember that song about the Edmund Fitzgerald, which was a victim of one such storm. So, do keep in mind the weather when you book a tour, as the tours along the shore are subject to weather conditions. But, if you're lucky to get out on the lake, you'll be kayaking alongside towering cliffs, over shipwrecks, with many secluded bays that contain gravel beaches for exploration.

If you're interested in kayaking the Lake Superior Water Trail you'll probably want to hook up with an experienced outfitter.  You can find a list of these outfitters by visiting the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources at http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/watertrails/outfitters.html#lswt  

        

Hey, hey, gals, want to win a girlfriends' getaway for you and two of your girlfriends? Well, Unilever, makers of Caress soap, is having a Girls Getaway Sweepstakes with the following Grand Prize:

Trip for you and up-to two (2) female guests to a city of your choice from one of the following fabulous destinations: Miami, Florida; New York City, New York; or Las Vegas, Nevada.  This trip includes:

• Round-trip coach air transportation to destination city for winner and up-to two (2) female guests from a major commercial airport nearest winner's primary residence

• Two (2) nights (one standard room, triple-occupancy) hotel accommodations, dinner and nightclub admission for winner and up-to two (2) female guests

• Ground transportation to and from the destination city airport and hotel, and hotel and restaurant

Who Can Enter to Win this Trip

This sweepstakes is open to all females (sorry guys) who are legal residents of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia, who are also 21 and older at the time of entry. Of course, all employees or their immediate family members or housemates of the sponsoring companies or their ad agencies are not eligible.

How to Enter to Win this Trip

According to the official rules, there are three ways you can enter, but the easiest is the online method:

Go to dancewithcaress.com and complete and submit the online entry form. Online entries must be received by 11:59 PM (ET) on October 4, 2010. One online entry per person or per email address per day.

So, get cracking and enter! And, of course, good luck!

        

Here's one I thought you'd all like - a chance to win a 5-day/4-night vacation for four to either the Disney World Resort or the Disneyland Resort. 

Who Can Enter to Win this Fabulous Vacation?

This win a vacation sweepstakes is open to legal residents of the U.S. and District of Columbia who are 18 or older at the time of entry. 

How Can I Enter this Sweepstakes?

You can enter online at www.rayovac.com now through July 31, 2010.  There is a limit of one entry per person or email address.  According to the official rules, "Eligible participants will be asked to watch a Rayovac commercial, but watching the commercial is not necessary to enter the Sweepstakes and participants may 'opt out' of watching the commercial."

What Do I Win?

Grand Prize: 

One winner will receive a 5-day/4-night vacation for four to your choice of either the Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Resort and includes

• airfare for the winner and three guests
• one standard room accommodation with a maximum of 4 persons per room at a selected Walt Disney World or Disneyland Resort hotel for four nights
• theme park tickets
• Disney Gift Card for $250
• "Magic Wand" themed gift basket valued at up to $100

This trip must be completed by August 1, 2011. 

First Place Prize:

One winner will be free batteries for life, paid out in the form of a cash payment equal to the estimated $6.00 retail value of batteries per month for 50 years (Approximate retail value: $3,600.00.)

Second Place Prizes:

25 winners will receive a $50 Disney Gift Card

Now, go enter and good luck!

        

Okay, who wants to win a 3-night vacation to San Antonio, Texas, home of the famous River Walk?  Well, of course you do.  And, the entering is easy, just fill out an online entry blank at http://www.visitsanantonio.com/visitors/play/festivals-events/festivo-san-antonio-2010/festivo-sweepstakes/index.aspx and you're in the running to win one of three grand prizes:

• Three Nights at the Emily Morgan Hotel
• One dinner for two Casa Rio Mexican Restaurant
• Rio San Antonio Cruise Tickets
• Alamo Helicopter Tours
• Institute of Texan Cultures
• Texas Transportation Museum
• Official 2010 Fiesta shirt and pin plus a piñata and other festive decorations

Or  

• Three Nights at the Westin La Cantera Resort
• One dinner for two at Ciao2 Italian Restaurant
• Rio San Antonio Cruise Tickets
• Enchanted Springs Ranch
• Buckhorn Saloon & Museum
• Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort
• Official 2010 Fiesta shirt and pin and plus a piñata and other festive decorations

Or  

• Three Nights at the Hotel Contessa
• One dinner for two Zocca Restaurant and Bar
• Rio San Antonio Cruise Tickets
• San Antonio Foodie Tours
• San Antonio Zoo
• Witte Museum
• Official 2010 Fiesta shirt and pin plus a piñata and other festive decoration

Now, you'll note there's no transportation, such as airfare, so, yes, you will have to pay for your own transportation to San Antonio.

Who can Enter to Win this Fabulous Vacation?

Lgal residents of the U.S, who are at least 21 years of age, EXCEPT residents of San Antonio and employees of the San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau and yadda, yadda, yadda (it's all in the official rules on the site). 

Anyway, go enter now before it's too late!