See Italy Like Oprah How to and the Obamas According to Their VIP Guide News

From the late Marlon Brando's privately owned retreat to Richard Branson's island, former president Barack Obama is doing life after the White House in style, much to the chagrin of his successo. Sure, Italy may be a favorite tourist destination, and you may have even visited more than once, but we guarantee you’ve never experienced it the way the Obamas and Oprah have.

On seperate travel tours (though we wouldn’t put it past them to travel together), both the Obama family and Oprah experienced Italy like true locals thanks in large part to the kind folks at Access Italy.

منذ أواخر عهد مارلون براندو المملوك للقطاع الخاص إلى جزيرة ريتشارد برانسون ، كان الرئيس السابق باراك أوباما يقوم بحياة بعد البيت الأبيض بأسلوبه ، مما أثار استياء نجاحه. بالتأكيد ، قد تكون إيطاليا وجهة سياحية مفضلة ، وربما تكون قد قمت بزيارتها أكثر من مرة ، لكننا لم نختبرها أبداً بالطريقة التي يمتلكها كل من أوباما وأوبرا.

في جولات السفر المنفصلة (على الرغم من أننا لم نكن لنجعلها تسافر معًا) ، فقد عايشت عائلة أوباما وأوبرا إيطاليا مثل السكان المحليين الحقيقيين بفضل الأشخاص الكبار في شركة.

Related: Inside the Luxurious Italian Estate Where Barack and Michelle Obama Vacationed

 Access Italy tour guide Barack Obama Oprah Winfrey
Courtesy of Access Italy

“Access Italy provides unique access to venues that are hardly accessible to the public,” Simone Amorico, co-founder of the exclusive tour company, explained to Travel + Leisure. Through Access Italy tours, guides provide both local and authentic experiences that make “clients feel like they are immersed in the Italian culture," he said.

And it’s because of this unique approach that Oprah named it her “favorite” tour operator. And, although there’s no way to confirm this, we’d love to think she called up her friends Michelle and Barack to personally recommend the service too.

Related: Barack Obama's Tuscan Bike Tour Will Inspire Your Next Italian Getaway

So why did Oprah love her experience so much? According to Amorico, Oprah took part in the tour company’s truffle hunting excursion in Umbria. She also visited the "Godfather" house in Sicily (yes, the very same one featured in the movie), and even visited the offices of the mayor of Rome and checked out its breathtaking views over the Roman Forum.

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Check out these five things to do on your next vacation to Sorrento. 

While Oprah certainly gets the best of the best wherever she goes, it turns out that you can have the exact same experience as the queen of daytime television. “We treat every client like a star,” Amorico said.


For example, the tour company often arranges cooking classes in a private home with a Roman family alongside an expert Italian chef. They reportedly did something similar for the Obamas. Though their travel itinerary technically needs to remain a secret, it’s rumored that the former first family enjoyed gelato making in one of the oldest gelaterias in Rome.

Related: Michelle Obama Shows Us All How to Dress for an Italian Vacation

The company, Amorico explained, hires top tier drivers and guides who they train themselves to ensure the highest level of quality and attention to detail across their tours. And those tours, all of which are private, include a behind the scenes Vatican tour, a gondola ride in Venice, a private dinner on a Roman rooftop with musical entertainment, truffle hunting, and wine tasting in the most exclusive Barolo wineries, or even a boat excursion off the Amalfi Coast. With each package the group will also book your hotels, transfers, make restaurant suggestions, take care of ticketing, and throw in 24-hour on-call service.

And they’ll even throw in tennis lessons, like they did with Ben Stiller as he prepared to film "Zoolander 2," because as it happens Amorico was a top tennis champion in the United States years ago.

As for his favorite tour, Amorico said it will “always remain the Vatican but in a special way,” because they have special access to unique rooms and the ability to visit the Sistine Chapel after hours.

Of course, the tours are for everyone, not just the rich and famous. According to Amorico they are great for “couples and families but also grandparents with grandchildren.” As he said, Italy is perfect to visit any time of year, but the spring and fall are particularly stunning seasons. And hey, as an added bonus, you never know who you’ll run into along the way.

Source: http://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-news/obama-oprah-italy-tour-company

Free travel guide to Cannes France Condé Nast Traveller

Cannes has long been associated with the glamour and pizzazz of its annual film festival, when hordes of star-spotters, starlets such as Sharon Stone and Cameron Diaz and paparazzi descend on this small seaside town. Year-round, Cannes is an exuberant and lively seaside destination, with a good choice of luxury hotels, gourmet dining and pretty, if busy, beaches.

لطالما ارتبط اسم "كان" بجمال ومهرجان مهرجانه السينمائي السنوي ، عندما تنحدر جحافل من نجوم النجوم ، نجوم مثل شارون ستون وكاميرون دياز والباباراززي على هذه المدينة الساحلية الصغيرة. على مدار العام ، تعتبر مدينة كان وجهة ساحلية نابضة بالحياة وحيوية ، مع اختيار جيد من الفنادق الفاخرة ، وتناول الطعام الذواق والشواطئ الجميلة ، إذا كانت مشغولة.

مكان الإقامة

WHERE TO STAY

3.14 HOTEL
5 rue Francois Einesy, 06400 Cannes(00 33 4 92 99 72 25)
http://www.3-14hotel.com/
Located just off La Croisette, the hotel was known as Hôtel Savoy until 2004. It has 96 rooms, 15 suites, three restaurants and a bar located on the roof terrace.

HOTEL DE MOUGINS
205 Avenue du Golf, 06250 Mougins(00 33 4 92 92 17 07)
http://www.hotel-de-mougins.fr/
Only a 10-minute drive from Cannes' city centre, Hôtel de Mougins staff-to-guest ratio of 2:1 ensures immaculate service. The style is upmarket Provençal farmhouse with floral fabrics, white-painted furniture and stone floors. The 51 rooms are set in a landscaped garden.

HOTEL DU CAP EDEN ROC
Boulevard Kennedy 29, 06601 Cannes(00 33 4 93 61 39 01)
http://www.edenroc-hotel.fr/
Set in 25 acres of gardens and dating from 1870, this chic hotel could be mistaken for a private château. It has a wonderful position on the tip of the Cap d'Antibes peninsula between Cannes and Nice. Ask for a room with a sea view over the Mediterranean and the îsles de Lérins. Closed from mid-October to April.

HOTEL LA VILLA TOSCA
11 rue Hoche, 06400 Cannes(00 33 4 93 38 34 40)
http://www.villa-tosca.com/
The hotel, formerly known as Touring, has recently been renovated. Situated on a calm pedestrian street, it has 22 rooms, some with sunny balconies.

HOTEL THOMAS
19/27 route de Valbonne, 06100 Le Cannet(00 33 4 93 69 80 70)
http://www.hotelthomas.fr/
This is a very friendly hotel with an hourly shuttle into the film festival. The restaurant, Chez Alphonse, is situated on the top floor, with a terrace providing a good view over the bay of Cannes. The swimming pool also holds a nice view over the city.

IMMOSOL VACANCES CANNES
20 rue Latour Maubourg, 06400 Cannes(00 33 4 93 94 50 00)
http://www.immosol.fr/
If you rather have a bit more privacy than in a hotel, Immsol Vacances Cannes offers a wide range of flats and villas to stay in, from three nights to one month.

INTERCONTINENTAL CARLTON
58 La Croisette, 06414 Cannes(00 33 4 93 06 40 06)
http://www.cannes.intercontinental.com/
This vast, belle époque hotel has the perfect location in the centre of La Croisette - 800 metres from the Palais des Festivals and within walking distance of every deluxe boutique. The hotel has 338 rooms, including 36 suites, three restaurants and two bars, a lavish health club and a casino. To Catch a Thief, starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly, is just one of the films featuring the hotel.

LA COLOMBE D'OR
Place Géneral de Gaulle, 06570 St-Paul-de-Vence,(00 33 4 93 32 80 02)
http://www.la-colombe-dor.com/
Many of the great names of 20th-century art, like Matisse, Braque and Léger, used to pay for their rooms in this great hotel with paintings that are still on display. The hotel is made up of 16 rooms and 10 apartments, and its restaurant is superb (). It is essential to book for dinner.

MAJESTIC BARRIERE
14 La Croisette, 06407 Cannes(00 33 4 92 98 77 00)
http://www.lucienbarriere.com/
An imposing seafront hotel, facing esplanade Georges Pompidou. The decor ranges from neo-Egyptian to Louis XIV. The Majestic has 305 rooms, the legendary Fouquet's Bar on its premises and an A-list clientele, including Sharon Stone, Kate Moss, Robert De Niro and Michael Jackson.

HOTEL MARTINEZ
73 La Croisette, 06406 Cannes (00 33 4 92 98 73 00)
An immaculately restored Art Deco hotel from 1929. For a hotel with 404 rooms, the Martinez feels remarkably intimate and has faultless service. It has a lovely, two Michelin-starred restaurant, La Palme d'Or, and a luxurious new Givenchy spa opened in 2003, incorporating eight treatment rooms and a sauna. £

http://www.cntraveller.com/guides/europe/france/cannes/where-to-stay

How can a pre-existing medical condition impact my travel insurance premium?

Unfortunately, any medical condition, no matter how minor or severe, will need to be disclosed in your travel insurance application. So ailments such as anxiety and depression will all need to be notified to the insurance provider. You should work on the basis that any health issue for which you have previously consulted a doctor or other professional and/or for which you have ever taken medication is to be regarded as a pre-existing condition.

Insurance providers often regard pregnancy as a medical condition for the purposes of travel insurance, and this means it can sometimes be difficult for women to obtain travel insurance in the later stages of pregnancy

 luggage
How will an insurance provider assess an application given my condition?

When seeking out a policy that covers you for pre-existing conditions, you need to be prepared to answer a lot of questions about your personal medical history, and the insurance provider may require very detailed answers to these questions. They will want to know what medical conditions you have experienced, how severe these conditions have been, how they have affected your day-to-day life, when you last experienced symptoms, what medication you have taken etc.

Don’t be tempted not to disclose a particular condition, or to downplay how severe it is, as this could lead to a future claim being refused. Remember that the insurance provider will be able to access your medical records in the event of a claim, and so it’s likely that any non-disclosure will be identified.

Once you’ve provided all the necessary information, the insurance provider will decide whether to offer you insurance, and if so, on what terms. For someone with a pre-existing medical condition, the insurance provider may decide to:

Offer cover on standard terms in spite of your condition
Refuse to cover the pre-existing condition, but offer cover on standard terms for any new issues that may arise when on holiday
Offer cover with other restrictions or special terms
Offer cover with a higher excess
Offer cover that includes the pre-existing condition, but increase the normal premium, perhaps by a significant amount
Decline your application outright
Where you’re travelling to could also affect the insurance provider’s decision. Most of North and Central America (including the United States); China and Hong Kong; and European countries such as Greece, Malta, Spain and Cyprus, are known for their very expensive medical care. These countries all have a high level of private health care, therefore it costs more to receive treatment.

As mentioned above, an insurance provider can refuse to accept your travel insurance application if you apply with a pre-existing condition. Travelling abroad without travel insurance is not recommended, due to the high costs you can be saddled with if you do fall ill, so you need to do everything possible to try and obtain insurance in spite of your condition. In the event you have been advised not to travel it will be very difficult to get any type of cover without approaching a specialist provider.

If you cannot find an insurance provider willing to offer cover, then your last resort option might be to contact a charity that is related to your condition. For example, a cancer charity may be able to help you find an insurance provider willing to offer cover to people living with a terminal condition.

One final word of warning, whilst the European Health Insurance Card allows UK citizens to obtain a certain level of access to medical treatment in most European countries, this is not a substitute for travel insurance. So whether you are travelling to Europe, or further afield, you still need to make every effort to obtain suitable travel insurance.

Source: www.comparethemarket.com/travel-insurance/content/how-can-a-pre-existing-medical-condition-impact-my-travel-insurance-premium/

European Officials Infuriated by Alleged NSA Spying on Friendly Diplomats

Edward Snowden might have vanished from sight since he supposedly hopped a flight from Hong Kong to Moscow on June 23. But the explosive leaks from the former NSA contractor were in plain sight this weekend, when revelations emerged that the U.S. had allegedly bugged E.U. diplomats in New York City, Washington and Brussels. The news ignited splenetic fury from European politicians, who say the allegations could sour their trade negotiations with Washington. “It is shocking that the U.S. should take action against its nearest allies comparable to measures taken in the past by the KGB in the Soviet Union,” European Parliament President Martin Schulz told reporters at Brussels’ military airport on Sunday, adding that he felt “like the representative of an enemy.” The story broke Saturday on the website of Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine, which has a longer account of the details in its print cover story on Monday. To E.U. officials, however, even the sketchy outline was scandalous enough.

The magazine alleges that among Snowden’s documents is proof that the NSA planted bugs in the offices of the E.U.’s mission to the U.N. and in its embassy in Washington, and that the agency hacked into the E.U.’s computer network, allowing the U.S. to eavesdrop on closed-door meetings and to read internal e-mails. “An NSA document dated September 2010 explicitly names the Europeans as a ‘location target,’” says Der Spiegel’s article, whose first byline is Laura Poitras, the New York filmmaker whom Snowden initially contacted in January, saying he had information to leak. It also says the U.S. hacked into the communications system at the Brussels headquarters of the European Council, a highly secured building where leaders gather for summits, and where each of the union’s 27 member countries has offices. To some E.U. officials, that detail might come as little surprise: five years ago, E.U. security officers traced suspected telephone hacking back to the NSA offices in the headquarters of NATO in Brussels, according to Der Spiegel.

Cairo Protesters Demand New Egyptian Revolution

In the upscale Cairo suburb of Heliopolis, about a 20-minute walk from the presidential palace, the rally was in full swing. “We swear to the blood of the martyrs,” the marchers chanted as they moved toward the palace. “A new revolution from the start!” That, as much as anything, captured the mood of Sunday’s wave of national protests against President Mohamed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood organization. After a year under Morsi, preceded by a generally unhappy 15 months of postrevolutionary military rule, the protesters — angry about a weak economy, deteriorating security and rising Islamism — want a reset. In terms of sheer numbers, Sunday’s anti-Morsi demonstrators had to be pleased with the turnout — in the hundreds of thousands. The figures equaled and possibly exceeded some of the highest peaks of the original revolution against deposed dictator Hosni Mubarak. Tahrir Square, on the edge of downtown Cairo, was packed to the point where crowds extended all the way across two bridges to the other bank of the Nile. And the crowds in Heliopolis were equally massive completely covering the district.

50 Best Android Apps for 2013

From high-end Android handsets like the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4 down to low-cost prepaid phones, you’re not getting the full value unless you load up your phone with some great apps. We’re here to help with 50 app recommendations, from news and weather to productivity and task management. Everything’s in order of price, starting with free apps and moving from lowest to highest.

Japan Spends Millions in Order to Be Cool

Just as Washington shuts its stimulus chest, and with the economies of Europe tightening their purse strings in times of austerity, Tokyo’s wallet is suddenly very fat and visible. The object of its lavish spending this time is culture. Japan’s upper house gave final approval on June 12 for a $500 million, 20-year fund to promote Japanese culture overseas. Called Cool Japan, the multidisciplinary campaign is designed to plug everything from anime and manga to Japanese movies, design, fashion, food and tourism. Overseen by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), the campaign will woo private investors later this year to hit an eventual target of $600 million. It’s unfortunate that the name of a campaign to showcase creative originality strongly echoes Cool Britannia, the pop-cultural flowering that took place in the U.K. in the 1990s, but it’s early days for Tokyo’s own soft-power push. Naturally, there’s a bottom line. Creative content, says Mika Takagi of METI’s international-economic-affairs division, will “help sell goods.” One inspiration, she suggests, is South Korea. In 1998, according to METI, the South Korean government invested $500 million into a cultural-promotion fund. Fifteen years later, its artists dominate the pop-music charts in Asia, its television and movie titles are top sellers throughout the region, and the whole world knows a South Korean rapper named Psy. Even better, South Korean goods — think of Samsung phones or Hyundai cars — have become global successes, with an image that’s modern, young and fun.