Wine tours, chocolate tastings and marijuana vacations? If Matt Brown and James Walker have their say, Colorado could soon become the Napa Valley of marijuana tourism, making pot tastings and pot travel packages the norm.

The two friends, who worked in medical marijuana for years, began finalizing plans for the first marijuana tourism company – My 420 Tours – after Colorado voted to legalize pot via Amendment 64 in November. They’ve now launched their first major travel package around World Cannabis Week, which is sold out and culminates with April 20 festivities. April 20, or 4-20, is a popular pot-themed day of celebration.

(Photo: eggrole / Flickr)Tickets, which sold out last week, range from $499 to $849 for a three-day or five-day VIP experience. The package includes accommodations, cooking classes, happy hours, workshops, and entrance to a number of concerts and parties, such as the High Times Cannabis Cup. Those normal travel package activities will just happen to include marijuana.

“People are going to

(Photo: xelemendez / Flickr)

This red-necked nightjar was found by Spanish photographer Xelemendez. A robin-sized bird, often called “Goatsucker,” it is most active at dawn and dusk. It gets its unflattering sobriquet from the Spanish word Chupacabra, meaning “suck goat” -- this came from ancient lore that it sucked the milk from the teats of an obliging goat.

This particular specimen looks to be laughing. Perhaps someone told it about the lore. The whiskers around its beak help capture large flying insects, such as moths, during its crepuscular hunting. Xelemendez does not say what lens he used, or if his feathered friend was a captive specimen.

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Swimming with dolphins off Oahu. (Photo: Wild Side Specialty Tours / Flickr)

Travel and philotherianism (love of animals) often go hand in hand. Folks venture to Alaska to see whales, to Africa for lions, to the Galapagos for blue-footed boobies. I once edited an article on Australia and New Zealand that mentioned so many four-footed natives that the piece turned into an animal glossary.

But other popular destinations, best known for their views or ruins, their beaches or cuisine, offer a bonus of animal encounters. So keep your eyes peeled for these following species in unlikely places.

Oahu’s dolphin swim teams

You pretty much have to turn in your human card if you don’t love dolphins. I’ve held onto them while they swam in Mexico, and fed them at a Hawaiian resort that had impeccable stewardship credentials, but those were captive situations. And while sightings are not at all uncommon off Hawaii or Southern California, the only place I've ever been able to swim with these sleek, graceful creatures in the wild has been off Oahu. Dive from the bow of an

Bagpipes, kilts and a signature Dewar’s cocktail were in full sway Monday as Virgin Atlantic celebrated the inaugural flight of its first short-haul, domestic arm – Little Red. The flight departed from London Heathrow Airport en route to Edinburgh, Scotland.

(Photo: Courtesy of Virgin Atlantic)Little Red will operate 26 flights per day within the UK, including routes to Manchester and Aberdeen. The move, rather than merely being focused on city-to-city service, is intended to improve connectivity as well as adding more traffic and customers to the Virgin network. Sitting in Little Red’s first row – Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson.

One of Branson’s goals for Little Red is to help Virgin Atlantic compete properly with British Airways.

“It’s been 30 years since we first tried to get permission to fly domestic routes,” Branson said. The hold-up, he said, had been waiting for slots from Heathrow, which only recently became available with the demise of British Midland Airways. The result, said Branson, “A few crumbs came on

(Photo: Jean Claude Photo)Watch the characters Michael Emerson plays – i.e. Harold Finch on CBS’ “Person of Interest” and Ben Linus on the former ABC series “Lost” -- and there’s definitely something they have in common – their brilliant minds are always at work. The same could be said for the actor, himself. Which leads one to wonder… how does he spend his vacation? And, might The Machine have come in handy on his honeymoon?

What’s something you never fail to pack in your suitcase?
Prescription medicine.

Carry-on or check-in?
I’m a big fan of checking luggage, even if it’s small enough to put in the overhead container. I want to be civilized; I don’t want to be struggling, pushing fat things into skinny places over people’s heads. I want to just zip in and sit down.

Window or aisle?
Aisle.

What’s your idea of the perfect vacation?
We take so few, my wife (actress Carrie Preston) and I. Quiet time somewhere where the world can’t get at us.

Tell us about a vacation you’ve taken that’s come close thus far.
I

(Photo: jeremyvillasis / Flickr)

Jeremy Villasis traveled from his home in Thailand to Malaysia to see the Formula One Grand Prix, in Sepang. Because of the circuitous layout of Formula One racetracks, the events are notoriously difficult to photograph. Ether you are in the right place at the right time, or you’re not. Also, there are often long lulls, when the race has to be stopped, or before it gets started. The promoters don’t want race fans to get bored, and what could be more entertaining than … CLOWNS?

It has been going on for a long time: clowns actually got the huge crowds at the ancient Roman Coliseum laughing before the gladiators were brought in for the main event. Not much to laugh about, after that.

Do you have your own travel photos to share, clowns or otherwise? Join the Yahoo! Travel Flickr group, or look us up on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest. You can also download the Flickr app.

(Photo: Mema Small / Flickr)

Every year, countless photographers stand at Artist Point in Yosemite Valley and capture their very own image of El Capitan (left) with Bridalvail Falls spilling from Cathedral Rocks. Yet, one in a million will capture a remarkable moment in time, when the valley reveals its true splendor.

On April 3, 2012, photographer Mema Small captured one of those elusive moments. The moment arrived as scattered spring storm clouds briefly parted and allowed the setting sun to light the falls. Patience and good fortune are fundamental elements in photography, but luck favors the prepared. Knowing when to be at a special location and being ready when Fortuna smiles are keys to capturing The Moment.

Do you have your own compelling travel photos to share? Join the Yahoo! Travel Flickr group, or look us up on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest. You can also download the Flickr app.

(Photo: Courtesy of Legoland)

Three million Lego bricks. That’s not what it took to build the first Legoland Hotel, which opened Friday in Carlsbad, Calif. It’s the number of bricks composing the 3,500-plus Lego models inside the three-story, 250-room hotel that’s Legoland California Resort’s newest addition.

Why this is important? Because the hotel’s target guest ranges in age from 2 to 12.

(Photo: Courtesy of Legoland)“In the parks, we call children the heroes,” Peter Ronchetti, general manager of Legoland California Resort, told Yahoo! Travel. “Parents will find that in Legoland Hotel, as well. All of the design, finishing touches and play areas are designed around children, making it the most child-friendly environment in a hotel. Ultimately, children come first.”

Legoland Hotel General Manager Frank Idris told Yahoo! Travel he noticed this aspect of the hotel during his interview process. “When I looked at the original story book for the hotel, I was blown away with how much theming was generated for the property,” says the former