I *heart* the week on the Today show where Matt Lauer jaunts around the world, growing his beard (he doesn't shave that week) and finding unique travel experiences for the rest of us.This year, he went to several beautiful destinations - Holland, Thailand, etc. - but the one that fascinated me the most, and has been the most talked about among my acquaintences, is the trip he took to the Seychelles Islands.
If you've never heard of the Seychelles, they are a group (archipeglio) of about 100 islands nearly 1000 miles off of the Eastern coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean. It's often called "paradise on earth" and features those white sand beaches and clear blue/green water that you see in travel photos. Mahe is the largest island, and is where the airport lies. According to the people that Matt Lauer interviewed, the Seychelles give the Galapagos a run for their money as far as wildlife - the Seychelles have more tortoises, for example. Birdwatching and fishing are big here, as well as diving in the reefs.
So I did a search on Kayak.com on just airfares to the Seychelles Islands from the crappy airport of Richmond (RIC). Airfare alone - the best price I saw was $1896, and it left on Friday and arrived on Sunday - so that's 2 days of just travel! (On the way home, it's only 1 day of travel). On the sites that offer packages, you're talking a minimum of $5000 per person.
I guess I'd better start saving.
