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

It’s one of those majestic sights that imprinted itself indelibly on my memory forever when I first visited many years ago: a mystical, mysterious forest of columns stretching into the distance of the vast interior space that was – and is – the UNESCO World Heritage Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba. An ancient Visigothic church was transformed into a mammoth mosque in the 8th century, during the region’s long rule (711-1236 AD) by Muslim emirs and caliphs, then subsquently reconsecrated as its Cat

Grossglockner High Alpine Road

Costa Rica has become the darling of the international news media even more than usual lately. The popular tropical vacation destination is being featured in everything from news articles to cute commercials.

Well, roll out the red carpet and get the spotlight ready, because Costa Rica is about to premiere to the world in a new Hollywood feature film.

Releasing today, the new romantic feature film After Words, starring Academy Award winner Marcia Gay Harden (Fifty Shades of Grey, Pollock, Myst

Cape Verde is neither a cape, nor is it verde (green). It consists of ten dry brownish islands in the mid-Atlantic, close to the West Africa coast, with a surface area of a little over 4,000 square kilometers - and they're a real paradise to be discovered. The absence of mass tourism and a warm but not sweltering climate which ranges between 20º Celsius in winter and 24º C in summer are two of its main attractions. And if you add to that the friendliness of its people, its magnificent natural s

The history of a place can tell you a lot about its people, culture and environment, and what makes everything tick. In the case of Nosara, Costa Rica, its unusual and unlikely history strongly influenced how the area developed and how its communities live and thrive today. 

Nosara, and its beaches of Playa Guiones, Playa Pelada, Playa Nosara and Playa Garza, are definitely off the beaten track in Costa Rica. The small towns lie on the Nicoya Peninsula, north of Samara, in the Guanacaste Provi

Summer in northern New Jersey can get pretty hot, sticky, and gross in late July, so the idea of a refreshing excursion to a nearby water park was greeted with thumbs-ups from my wife Sue, our teen son, and our tween daughter.

We had some choices: 

• Breakwater Beach in Seaside Heights, New Jersey (the locale of MTV’s Jersey Shore) was possible, but we had checked it out when the pups were younger, and it was meh:  there weren’t many attractions, and the layout was pretty crunched in (the whole pa

When exploring Florida's coastline, there are definitive contrasts between the sugar-soft sands of Clearwater Beach; historic streets of St. Augustine; and the ever hip South Beach, shaped by Art Deco architecture, galleries, and clubbing. Florida's Gold Coast, a special stretch from Palm Beach to Fort Lauderdale is defined as much by waterfront mega mansions as by small walk able towns anchored by beach front parks perfect for pickup volleyball and reveling in the wide open Atlantic.

In recen

by Cristóbal Ramírez

A number of old European cities and towns are commonly described as having “fairytale” cityscapes. But in many ways, the capital of the Czech Republic, dating back to the 9th century, leaves them all in its pixie dust, with its dramatic spires, colourful storybook façades, vibrant red roofs, and glittering river.

The fantasy in the city dubbed “magical Prague” begins inStaroměstské Náměstí (Old Town Square), where you could get a sore finger from all the picture-taking you’

Let's face it: there's an audience for anything. What some tourists find unpleasant, others may say it's their cup of tea. That same formula also applies to cultural activities and touristic attractions such as museums, even the more unconventional ones.

The Dog Collar Museum, Leeds (UK): The name says it all and attracts nearly half a million pet lovers every year! Located in Leeds Castle, the museums displays more than 100 items dating back centuries and celebrates the last owner of the estate,