Mark Rogers’ travel assignments have taken him to 56 countries. Rogers is currently a favored freelancer with USA Today. He’s well-known in travel trade circles for his coverage of Hawaii, California, the Caribbean, the South Pacific and Asia, as well as Mexico, where he is based. In 2013, Rogers received the Golden Deer award from the Mazatlan Tourism Board, as Travel Writer of the Year. Rogers has also won the CTO Worldwide Travel Writer/Photographer Award for Best Feature Article in a Trade Publication, for his cover story on St. Lucia; and the Marcia Vickery Wallace Memorial Award for Travel Journalism, given by the Jamaica Tourist Board for his Hurricane Ivan coverage. In 2009 he created his own travel marketing company, go! Destination Marketing, with such clients as the Jamaica Tourist Board, Sandals Resorts and the Thailand Tourism Authority.
If the Baja Peninsula was a novel, a good title would be, A Tale of Two States. Baja Sur is the southern part of the 750-mile peninsula, and Baja California, often referred to as Baja Norte, occupies the northerly half. These two halves couldn’t be more different. Baja Sur Baja Sur contains the tourism powerhouse, Los Cabos, which occupies the...
Here’s how to spend a perfect day, taking in the best of West Hollywood, California. Start your day with breakfast at Caffe Primo, a European-style coffee house favored by celebrities. If you’re in an adventurous mood, try their Crab, Swiss and Tomato Frittata. Fully caffeinated, head over to the Pacific Design Center, a striking building affectionately referred to as “The Blue Whale. The...
When traveling families consider what to do in Southern California, most plans gravitate toward Disneyland and Universal Studios, with a side trip to one of the standout beaches and a visit to the LA Zoo. Not too many families throw Venice Beach into the mix, a beachfront district on the Westside of Los Angeles. This is a mistake, since from my own experience Venice Beach...
Most families will visit Santa Monica for more than a single day, but if a day is all you have, here’s an itinerary that will enable you to pack a lot of experiences into 24 hours. Santa Monica has 38 hotels from the budget-friendly Sea Shore Motel to the luxurious Shutters on the Beach. All of these hotels are located within four miles of the beach,...
Experience the best of Beverly Hills with one day of living large. Beverly Hills is a singular place. It’s a fact that to enjoy it the way it should be enjoyed, a sizeable amount of disposable income is necessary. Fine dining, fine shopping, fine service – it’s all waiting in Beverly Hills. Morning in Beverly Hills Begin with a bang having breakfast at The...
Few cities can compete with Los ‘Angeles, California’s, selection of compact ethnic neighborhoods offering diverse dining opportunities. Its conceivable that this itinerary could be done in one dedicated day, but it would be more enjoyable spread out over two or more days, since these neighborhoods are notable for their cuisine, and there are only so many meals a person can enjoy in one...
Hollywood is so slick and so quick that it’s easy to forget that Los Angeles, California, is a great travel destination for families. Families come in all shapes and sizes, but imagine this is a family with two parents and a couple of grammar school age kids. First, do yourself a favor and pick up a rental car if you’re flying into one of...
Los Angeles, California’s high culture is often overshadowed by its dyed-in-the-wool celebration of popular culture, from its Hollywood studio tours to its Grammy Museum. Culturally minded travelers will find they have a surprising number of venues to choose from, where they can exchange an escapade with Mickey Mouse for some quality time with Van Gogh. Morning of LA culture The day should start with...
West Hollywood, California, is LA’s design and trend central, where boutiques, art galleries, cafes, restaurants, and nightclubs line the streets. In some ways it can be likened to New York’s West Village, since it’s both hip and LGBTQ-friendly. WeHo, as it’s often called, may be the most accommodating neighborhood for gays south of the Castro in San Francisco. Beginning in...
Venice, California, also known as Venice Beach, has a fantastical, anything can happen atmosphere. The seaside setting is a lively one, with such easy to satirize sites as Muscle Beach, where weightlifters pump iron under the sun, in full sight of passersby. Venice is right down the shoreline from Santa Monica, a much more reserved town when compared to the...
As far as LA goes, Santa Monica, California, is probably the best choice for those who want a city/beach vacation. Santa Monica has 3.5 miles of coastline and an appealing laid back atmosphere. It’s also more tranquil than neighboring Venice Beach, and much closer to downtown LA and West Hollywood than Malibu. Santa Monica is a particularly good choice for...
Los Angeles, California, was founded way back in 1781, but the city and its environs really made a splash in the early 1900s, when Hollywood became the center of the motion picture industry. Like New York on the opposite coast, Los Angeles has become a magnet for dreamers. In addition to would be movie stars, Los Angeles has also drawn...
Beverly Hills, California, has a strange calm – it’s like being in the world’s biggest bank vault, so big the walls can’t be seen; one with its own sunshine, meticulously maintained infrastructure, and very beautiful people. It embodies the phrase, “If you have to ask the price, then it’s too expensive for you.” It wasn’t movie money that made the...
Mexico is many destinations in one. It’s easy to imagine a traveler making a dozen visits to Mexico and only beginning to scratch the surface of possibilities. Beach Resorts If it’s a beach resort experience you’re looking for, there are numerous options on both the Caribbean and Pacific coasts of the country. Travelers can choose to go upscale with posh...
Around midnight I was touring the rough side of Santo Domingo with a local radio personality. He took me to a ramshackle club where the locals danced Cuban son. A woman with a tough face and a kind smile offered to teach me the dance. As we took a solo spin on the tiny dance floor, a gent got up and drew a circle of lighter fluid on the floor around us. The gent struck a match and my partner and I danced in a ring of fire.
Haiti. In 2014 I fell in love with the place, a country of constant surprises. It looked like they were finally going to begin welcoming visitors again. Then their politics went to hell when they were unable to finesse an election. Poor Haiti can’t catch a break. But it’s an amazing country.
I like traveling with the right companion, especially my wife Sophy. As a travel writer I’m used to traveling alone or with a group of fellow writers, who I’m often meeting for the first time. This can be good or really bad. Most times, alone works for me, especially in an urban or semi-urban setting.
There’s always two trips I take. The trip in my imagination, before I even leave home. And the real trip. Sometimes the one in my imagination is more fascinating than the real one.