If you’re tired of the same old restaurant experiences, why not try a restaurant on your next vacation that offers a completely new type of dining experience? One option for a new sort of dining experience is in Los Angeles, California. There, the restaurant Opaque offers a 3-course gourmet meal in a pitch-dark room, where you’re served by blind or visually-impaired waiters. This “Dining in the Dark” might leave you with a whole new appreciation for all of your senses.

If you’re bored with chef cooking tableside, try Ninja in New York. There, in a setting designed to resemble a samurai’s castle, ninjas meander among the tables performing various tricks and ninja feats. Feeling adventurous? The Linger Lodge …

If you’re thinking about setting out across America in an RV this summer, there are some things you should know before you sit behind the wheel. Think before you hit the road. If you’re not an experienced RV driver, then do a test run and rent an RV before you buy one. That way, you’ll be able to tell quickly–and cheaply–whether you actually like the whole experience.

On your test run, be sure to try out different types of campsites. Some offer power outlets and plenty of amenities, while others are pretty bare with little more than an open space to pull over. But one you’ve gotten some experience, you’ll be able to handle yourself no matter where your RV stops. …

Most people know that electrical devices won’t work abroad without a converter or transformer or plug adapter. But which of those do you need, and when do you need them? Basically, most of the Americas uses one voltage, 110, while the rest of the world uses another, 220. Some electronics, usually laptops or camcorders, can support both voltages. Others have a single voltage and will usually be marked as such, either 110 or 220. For these, you’ll need a transformer that converts it to the proper voltage. Your transformer should be able to handle twice the wattage of whatever item — like the dreaded hair dryer — you plug in.

But what you’ll almost always need is a plug adapter. …

Readers have been responding to Annette Lang’s piece on Basic Fitness on the Road, and a trainer writes in with his own advice on staying fit and healthy while you travel.

Dear Peter,

I just read your report on controlling weight as you travel and I have to comment about my experiences with hotel fitness equipment.

I do want to preface this with saying that I work out five days a week when I am at home, so this is important to me.

They told you it was impossible.

They told you Japan was absurdly expensive, that traveling there would bust your budget, that you’d return home broken, tamed, used-up, your bank account empty, your dignity scarred.

Well, even in one of the world’s most expensive countries, a vacation doesn’t have to bring on budgetary meltdown.

We’ll show you how to defy the naysayers and survive your trip to Japan with a few extra bucks left in your wallet.

FIRST THINGS FIRST

Before you can even worry about where you’re going to eat or sleep, you’ve got to buy a plane ticket.

Luckily, if you know where to look, you can get one pretty cheaply. How cheap? Well, during the off …

Most grandparents love traveling with their grandchildren, but did you know that there are more and more companies which cater to grandparents looking to create their ideal intergenerational vacation? Grandtravel is a relatively new term given to grandparents and grandkids traveling together, and it’s a growing trend. Here are some of the many companies getting into the Grandtravel act:

Generations Touring Company offers more adventure-oriented programs, such as volunteering in New Orleans, or forest adventures in British Columbia. Grandtravel is a company that creates packages with summer trips available all over the world. Prices start at $2,000 per person. Grandkids And Me Camp is another summer program, which allows grandparents and grandkids to bond during a camping week …