Libya and Algeria have a lot in common. Both North African countries encompass vast tracks of Saharan desert and their capitals and major cities are on or near the Mediterranean. Both possess some of the ancient world’s finest archaeological sites and both experienced long periods of European colonization.

In a way, the difficulties modern travelers experience in obtaining visas for these countries are a legacy of their troubled modern histories. While one can land in Morocco, Tunisia, and Eqypt without a prearranged visa, Libya and Algeria have strict entry requirements.

Things have recently become easier in Libya with group tourist visas available upon arrival for members of prearranged package tours. Trouble is, airline officials are often unfamiliar with the change and passengers without proper documentation are routinely denied boarding for Tripoli at European airports. Only those in possession of an advance clearance form in Arabic bearing their name and passport number are allowed through.

Is it worth it? Having just returned from 10 days touring the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, I can say yes without reservations. The Libyans are universally friendly and the country is quite safe to visit. Tour group members will have all the rough edges smoothed out for them (there are numerous police checkpoints along the highways). At this time of year, the climate is cool and invigorating. Even the food is pretty good (although less chicken and more fish would be an improvement on the tour circuit).

The ancient cities of Sabratha west of Tripoli, Leptis Magna east of Tripoli, and Apollonia and Cyrene east of Benghazi are nothing short of spectacular. Modern Tripoli and Benghazi have bustling markets and streets lined with Italian buildings dating from before the war. Tripoli’s Medina or old town is very well preserved with numerous mosques and historic buildings, plus an excellent National Museum in the Al-Saraya al-Hamra Fortress.

But Libya’s most memorable sights lie farther south. The old city of Ghadames near the point where Libya, Tunisia, and Algeria meet remains as it was in the time when Saharan caravans passed this way. Ghadames residents moved to an adjacent new city some years ago, allowing the undamaged old town to remain intact. Deeper into the Libyan Sahara are high shifting sand dunes best explored in 4X4 vehicles. The Saharan lakes hidden in this desert must be seen to be believed, while the rock carvings at Wadi Matkhandoush are thousands of years old.

I visited Libya with Caravan-Serai Tours of Seattle, Washington, which has another trip coming up in late February. Expect to pay around US$3,000 per person including all transportation, admissions, accommodations, and meals in Libya. Delta Airlines can fly you to Tripoli from many American cities for around US$1,200 return. Just make sure you have that Arabic group visa clearance form before heading out! Of the 1,117 photos I took in Libya, my 47 favorites are on my Flickr page.

But for locals and people in the know, the way hipper attraction is far out in the bowels of Brooklyn. Dyker Heights draws more than 100,000 visitors each holiday season to ogle the over-the-top home decorations.

The beyond extravagant tradition began in the ’80s on 84th street. It seems one neighbor annoyed others with her lawn displays so they tried to top her. Giant Santas, more reindeer than you can imagine, enough toy soldiers for an army and just as many candy canes and snowmen join the legions of blow up characters and mind boggling lights. It’s Vegas style glitz but still relatively homespun, at least in origin.

The cost for the homeowners must break the bank in electricity alone. To get a chance to take it all in, make your way to Dyker Heights in Brooklyn from 83rd to 86th streets between 11th and 13th avenues. There are even tours that will set you back nearly $60, but for that you can rent a car, hail a taxi or bundle the kids in their pjs, take a thermos of hot chocolate and take a drive. You won’t be disappointed. The decorations stay up until early January.

San Francisco, CA, December 15, 2010 — Triporati Inc., the online travel company that helps consumers find the right destination for their ideal vacation, today named Chris McAndrews as its chief executive officer.

The appointment marks McAndrews’ return to online travel.  From 1997 to 2002, Chris was a senior executive with Preview Travel and then Travelocity, responsible for the vacation package and cruise businesses, supplier relationships, travel planning content, advertising sales and loyalty marketing. He has also served as President, Digital Media, for National Geographic and in top sales and marketing positions with International Data Group. He is a graduate of Harvard College and the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

“Chris is a highly effective leader with a track record of building successful digital businesses,” said Jim Hornthal, founder and chairman of Triporati. “He knows how to create outstanding online consumer experiences, forge winning partnerships, and lead a talented team to new heights, and that makes him the perfect choice for Triporati.”

Triporati is the company behind “Destination Discovery”, which enables a consumer to select and rank their preferred vacation activities and interests and then generate a list of travel destinations that correspond to those preferences. This Destination Discovery matching service, which is currently available at www.triporati.com and on several partner travel websites, relies on individualized ratings of more than 2,000 destinations by veteran travel experts and writers.

“I am very excited to join the Triporati team,” added McAndrews. “Every day Triporati delights consumers who are looking for inspiring — and useful — answers to the question, “Where should I go on vacation?’   This engagement offers unique opportunities for Triporati and its travel site partners to interact with consumers to ensure that their travel planning and booking is just as delightful as their destination discovery.”

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About Triporati, Inc.

Triporati helps consumers answer the primary question of vacation planning: “Where should I go?” Triporati has developed a proprietary expert recommendation engine based on original expert content rankings and ratings across 62 dimensions (activities and interests) that are scored and calibrated by a global team 75 travel writers who have collectively edited over 650 guidebooks published by leading publishers including Frommers, Fodor’s, Rough Guide and Lonely Planet. Triporati is led by a team of online travel veterans from Preview Travel and Travelocity and is backed by venture capital firm CMEA Capital and leading technology investors Ron Conway, Ted Leonsis, and David Pottruck. Users can experience Triporati’s Destination Discovery service at www.Triporati.com, and at co-branded partner sites, including AAA Carolinas, AAA Ohio, and AAA South.

I recommended places on the Yucatan Peninsula for her to visit in her off time, such as the Colonial city of Merida, Tulum, Lake Bacalar, Uxmal or Valladolid near the Chichen Itza ruins.

A recent article in The Economist, entitled Tourism in Mexico, Can’t keep them away, began with “Sun, seas and severed heads.” Mexico, a country that counts on tourism dollars, has had a miserable couple of years, first with the swine flu, then the ongoing drug wars. More than 30,000 people have died in the last four years.

Despite this dreadful spell, tourists are still flocking south of the border. Lured by deals, however, visitors are spending less than they did a few years ago. Places like the Yucatan are considered as safe as France, so European and American tourists don’t seem deterred by the bad press. Most of the violence is centered near the U.S. border, although it has hit elsewhere, including Acapulco, which these days mostly caters to Mexican tourists. Even Chiapas, home to the Zapatista rebels, has turned it’s armed campaign into big bucks, as some of the hottest souvenirs are now Subcommandate Marcos shirts and chotckes.

Mexican tourism authorities are optimistic about a few new highways under construction and research is being done on how to cater more to “Los Baby Boomers,” as aging travelers are looking for different experiences than previous generations of retirees. Officials are also planning to beef up the nightlife, looking to Egypt for some insight. Nighttime sound and light shows at the pyramids may inspire Mexican ruins to maximize their attraction.