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IMMERSE YOURSELF
IN ICE CLIMBING CULTURE
Meet renowned climbers and mountaineers, demo ice-climbing gear, and enjoy clinics, courses, and guided climbs during the Mount Washington Valley Ice Fest, Feb. 3-5. The festival, held in North Conway and surrounding areas, features multi-day courses, full-day guided adventures, and clinics for all levels, such as ice climbing 101, ice rescue, ice climbing for rock climbers, and steep waterfall ice climbing. Don’t miss nightly slide shows from adventures around the world, and a chance to meet climbers and guides from New England and beyond, including Sheldon Kerr, a Vermont native who guides trips in Alaska, Colorado, Wyoming, and Norway. $175 per clinic (or $165 each for two or more) 603-356-7064, www.mwv-icefest.com.
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COASTAL CUISINE AT
NEWBURYPORT’S LATEST EATERY
Savor comfort foods from seaside spots around the world, from Thailand to Florida’s Gulf coast, at The Paddle Inn, a new restaurant on State Street in Newburyport’s waterfront district. The restaurant, created by the team that headed up Cambridge’s Trina’s Starlite Lounge, Parlor Sports, and Audubon, offers a casual menu and a surfer theme. Highlights from Chef Suzi Maitland’s menu include teriyaki pulled pork with a Hawaiian twist, coconut beef skewers with Thai chili sauce, and fish sandwiches with the catch of the day. Wash it down with a local craft beer or coastal favorite, such as The Drunken Monkey three-rum blend. The nautical design includes ship cleats under the bar for hanging purses and coats, and handmade shelves that resemble surfboard racks. Open daily for dinner. 978-572-1242. www.paddleinnsurf.com.
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TAKE A CUSTOMIZED TRIP TO EUROPE
Learn how to train like a gladiator, take a private guided tour of the Borghese Gallery, and stay in an 11th century monastery through trips organized by Audley Travel. This UK-founded but Boston-based travel company creates fully customized trips around the world, using local experts (called Country Specialists) who design a trip that suits your tastes, interests, and budget. Audley has just launched its new Europe Program, which provides travelers with itineraries in Italy and will soon offer ones for Spain, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and France. These carefully curated, private experiences offer travelers exclusive access to places that few travelers — or locals — see. Rates vary, depending on activities. www.audleytravel.com.
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VISIT YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE
AND TV SITES
Take a road trip through Tunisia and see several of the sites where “Rogue One: A Star War Story” was shot. Or spend a day exploring New York and discovering memorable spots where “Friends” was filmed. UK-based AttractionTix has created 10 self-guided, themed road trips that take you popular filming locations for some of your favorite movies and TV shows. Travel from London to the west coast of Wales visiting Harry Potter sites, the length of New Zealand to see set locations for “The Hobbitt,” and across California to visit sites from the old and new “Star Trek” series. Each map provides travel distance, journey time, recommended trip length, and suggestions on the best time to travel. www.attractiontix.co.uk/filming-locations-maps.
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TRENDY AND THEFT-PROOF
WALLETS FOR TRAVEL
Take one of these practical and stylish wallets on the road with you. Portland-based Rogue Industries has released a new series of slim, front-pocket wallets for men that are curved on one side for comfort and come with RFID-blocking capabilities for security (Rogue’s WalletGuard shielding is sewn into each wallet’s lining to protect credit card and ID information from being stolen). The wallets, which are part of the company’s Made in Maine collection and produced in Lewiston, are designed to fit the shape of a front pocket, and come in moose leather, bison leather, or genuine football leather from Chicago’s Horween Tannery. Each one holds at least six credit cards, an ID, and cash. $58. 800-786-1768, www.rogue-industries.com.
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HOME SECURITY WITH A TWIST
Keep an eye on your home while you travel with Netgear’s Arlo security cameras and easy-to-use app. These high-definition wireless cameras work indoors and outdoors, have night vision, and connect to a base station that plugs into your router. Like many home security cameras, they capture motion and audio — and can send you notifications when something is amiss — but Arlo cameras can also be programmed to respond to these triggers. You can create a “recipe” so that if motion is detected, for instance, then it will trigger your WiFi-connected hue lights to switch on (and therefore scare away a potential intruder). Use the app to arm and disarm the cameras, set a recording schedule, and view your library of video snippets. $179.99 (base station and one camera). 408-638-3750, www.arlo.com.