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The most challenging aspect of travelling is packing. Forget about language barrier, cultural differences or anything else. Packing is where the real struggle lies. If you're like me and you can never get a suitcase to close however much you try, here are some invaluable tips to help you through one of life's greatest challenges: how to pack a suitcase.

1. Don't over-pack. I cannot stress this enough. Make a list of all the essential things you'll need during your journey. Then revise that list a

You fall in love and get married with the best of intentions. You dream of spending your lives together and often you begin to do so by having children.

But somewhere in the near distance, there are constant reminders, concerns, indifference's and issues that continue to play on your subconscious and tell you that something isn't right and never will be.

You fight it off and continue with your every day life and then it happens. One of you decides that they can no longer exist as part of this coup

Most of us have a fairly clear picture of the procedures passengers go through when they arrive at an airport: check-in, security, boarding, and so forth. And of course we know about many of the various services available at airports, aid to unaccompanied minors and travellers with mobility issues; VIP lounges; customer service desk; transfers; and the like. But today our topic is “handling,” which is basically the servicing that aircraft receive on the tarmac between landing and taking off aga

There are lots of reasons why La Jolla is San Diego, California’s favorite coastal community. One of these is the fact that our community offers so many things to do – including looking at beautiful houses and gardens.

Sometimes this can be a frustrating experience because many beautiful houses and gardens are surrounded by walls and high hedges. However, once a year visitors can find out what lies beyond the entrances by going on the Secret Garden Tour of La Jolla.

That garden tour will take plac

Travelling alone can be the best thing in the world. You get to set your own pace, decide your own destinations, the things you want to see, and you don't have to please anyone else but yourself. It may be true that some things in life are better shared, but there's also much to be said for the pleasure of being on your own every now and then. Here are some things you should keep in mind when travelling on your own.

1. Give a copy of your planned itinerary to a friend of family member. Include fl

Shanghai is an amazing city with more skyscrapers than New York City and many more being built. Also amazing is the luxurious The Peninsula Hotel. The Peninsula Hotels are considered some of the world’s best hotels. They have a program called The Academy whereby people can learn about the local culture and food. When it is scheduled guests can participate in private cooking class with the hotel’s chefs, take a master class in preparing dim sum at Yi Long Court or attend a tasting session of Chin

Sadko

In the Republic of Montenegro you will find Durmitor National Park, a vast natural protected area of 39,000 hectares which was declared Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 1980. Shaped by the action of glaciers and with rivers and underground waters cutting through it, its beauty goes beyond what can be captured in a photo. Dense forests of conifers with important endemic flora and lakes of crystal waters stretch out along Tara River, which possesses one of the most profound gorges in Europ

The USA's national parks are indeed a treasure. But we may not always be within a short drive of one. State parks, on the other hand, are more plentiful, often found within shorter distances and can provide a satisfying alternative for a decent "nature fix." A recent invitation to join a group of friends for a weekend at Turkey Run State Park in Indiana was just the ticket.

As many state parks do, Turkey Run offers a variety of lodging options  - in this case, an inn, cabins, and

High above the 
Rhone Valley, I tried not to look as the bus driver deftly navigated the monstrosity around hairpin turns ever climbing. But there’s a thing about precipices where only a 2 foot high metal guardrail separates you from a vertical drop hundreds of feet into a rock encrusted ravine…it’s terrifying but ever so scenic! In this way, terror and enthrallment propelled my journey ever upward…how far was anybody’s guess…through the clouds? At 4593 feet, I reached 
Leukerbad, a Swiss villag

What, surprised? Yep, it’s true that Mexico’s about more than tequila and beer. In fact, vino here dates back to the 16th century, when vines were brought over from Spain – so never mind Argentina and Chile, Mexico is where this hemisphere’s wine heritage was sown, and the Western Hemisphere’s oldest winery, Casa Madero, is still in operation after 432 years. For various reasons – including, in the last century, the disruptions of the Mexican Revolution, and the beer and tequila preferences of

If you’ve never seen it, the amazing phenomenon of massive arrivals of hundreds of thousands of sea turtles coming ashore all at once to lay their eggs on Costa Rica’s beaches is one of the world’s most spectacular nature events.

They arrive literally in waves, slowly hauling their heavy bodies out of the ocean and up the beach. They wait for the high tide at night, using the high surf to propel them farther up the sand, and the protection of darkness against predators to dig their nests and l

by Cristóbal Ramírez

Mexico City boasts a bevy of cool colonias (neighbourhoods) these days, but the foremost flavour of the decade is turning out to be one called Roma, just west of the historic downtown. This is where chill chilangos (as locals call themselves) come to shop for trendy threads; take in exhibitions and performances; sip mezcal in the pubs; sit at cafés and read or people-watch; and meet some of the capital’s most interesting residents, including more than its share of creativ

My heavily scheduled fam and I had an open August weekend, so I looked for a resort destination in Pennsylvania's Poconos (which is only a one-hour-plus drive from our home in northern New Jersey) where I, my wife Sue, our tween daughter, and teen son could all kick back and enjoy the area’s beautiful surroundings.

After some strategic Binging, I found that our choices included:

• Skytop Lodge (Skytop, PA) - very nice, but we had already been there.
  
  

• Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort (Shawnee on Delaware, PA

    Wikipedia, atn.com.au

Have you been thinking about planning a group getaway with your friends but trying to decide where to go and how to pull it off? How about driving across South Australia's Great Ocean Road? It is one of the most iconic road trips in the world, which takes you along the spectacular scenery of Victoria’s south coast. Hire a passenger van or high occupancy Budget four-wheel drive hire to fit everyone in. This way you all share the costs and share the drive time along with

In Costa Rica there are as many wildlife tours as probably there are kinds of animals in the small Central American country. All of them are very worthwhile, but nearly nothing beats the thrill of whale watching!

There must be something about being in close proximity to a giant intelligent being that is fascinating, especially when we are in such a vulnerable position in a (by comparison) tiny little boat observing these gentle giants on their “turf” … or, rather, patch of ocean.

A real-life

The Danube river, the longest in the European Union and second longest on the entire continent at  2,888 kilometers, passes through 16 countries. This navigable river, which changes its name depending on the country through which it flows, has countless islands, some of them natural and others man-made. Throughout history, some have disappeared or been created due to the actions of man, and others have become genuine centers of tourism and leisure.

Among the islands which have disappeared or h

When staying in Manhattan, some hotels capture the essence of what it's like to actually live here. Visitors may wonder what drives people to pay a premium for the privilege of forsaking their cars and residing in apartments with square footages approximating walk-in closets. Upon checking into a hotel like the Omni Berkshire Place, you quickly realize that having so many views at every turn each day is one of Manhattan's most alluring characteristics.



At the Omni Berkshire Place, you are situ

While planning a recent visit to the Pocono Mountains of eastern Pennsylvania, I was on the hunt for a unique, super casual, and customer-approved restaurant where the fam could grab a tasty dinner.

After some searching, I found Barley Creek Brewery in Tannersville, within spitting distance of where we were planning to set up base.  My wife Sue, who appreciates a well-executed brew, would definitely be in the mood for a tall, frosty one after our scheduled day of water parking in the July heat.  

by José Miguel Rodriguez

Not long ago, this video went viral on YouTube, racking up more than 10 million views. Apart from the fact that the 1,200-millimetre telephoto lens thoroughly flattens both the foreground and background, making the airplanes seem suspended in midair, what on earth are these pilots up to? Specifically, what’s up with the bizarre landing technique

Believe it or not this technique is standard, by-the-book practice when there are strong lateral winds present during landing