Blogs

People go to Majorca in the summer in search of beautiful beaches and great weather, but if you are also looking for fiestas and local culture, summer is the perfect time to visit as there are all kinds of fiestas and events taking place on this beautiful and lively island!  Many towns and villages have their own particular fiestas and open-air dances, not to mention music festivals where national groups and reputed international artists come to play.

In Majorca, summer kicks off on the eve of Sa

As the plane is landing at Chinggis Khan International Airport in Ulaan Bator, I look down at the dirt tracks swirling through the pastures surrounding the runway.  They look something like a beginner’s guide to chaos theory, the likely paths and the harder ones, converging and re-converging according to some logic or design.  I figure this must somehow be the map to the Mongolian persona if not history.  I mean, you’ve gotta’ give these guys a lotta’ credit, not just for conquering half the kn

There are as many reasons for moving to Costa Rica as there are foreign residents living here. Every year, millions of tourists come to Costa Rica on vacation. Some choose to stay longer and make the leap to move here permanently.

The small, country town of Atenas Costa Rica, is one of the leading places that have captured the hearts of foreign residents.

“I love living here,” said Atenas resident Anna Hunt, who is originally from Poland. “One of the main reasons we picked Atenas is because we wan

Our goal in taking a month-long cruise around Hawaii and Tahiti on the Golden Princess was to experience – and then write about – how a major cruise line like Princess caters to its suite passengers. It was one of our most enjoyable projects.

Suites for two

Over the past ten years, we have photographed and written about suites in B&Bs, hotels, resorts, and on cruise ships. It is our writing practice to always consider our subjects from a “couples” perspective. In that light, we have found many sui

Perched squarely at the confluence of the Connecticut River and Long Island Sound, Saybrook Point Inn and Spa isn't the first property to take advantage of this coveted location. Originally occupied by Native fishing encampments, the Pease Hotel was the first property built in 1870 to accommodate overnight visitors to Old SayBrook Point. Lasting until the 1950's, this historic gem was then replaced with Terra Mar Hotel featuring modern amenities expected by 20th century travelers. Then the Tagli

Fertility Tourism: Selling Women’s Eggs for Bucks and Travel. How right is this?

“Female Eggs For Sale” may not be a sign you’ll see any time soon, but for all intents and purposes that’s what the global market for harvesting and selling women’s eggs is all about.

The in vitro fertilization market is a billion dollar industry that touches almost every country in the world. It touches the wealthy neighborhoods of London and reaches  into the Americas, Asia and the IVF capital of the world, Cypr

Indira Gandhi International was clean and surprisingly well ordered, which was good because we were both hellishly tired. After clearing customs, we collected our luggage and then found an ATM so we could get some rupees. That done, we wandered over to the parade of men waiting with name boards. My name was on one of them, and I was thankful we’d arranged our airport transfer in advance of arriving. After shaking hands with Rahul, we were led past the trolley boys and babbling taxi wallahs towar

Estos colores son tan naturales como poco vistos. Azules, turquesas y verdes con una película en Technicolor. Provocan un cortocircuito en la mente, pero uno se acostumbra pronto a lo bello y a lo bueno. Cuando salga del archipiélago de Bocas del Toro, en el noroeste de Panamá y a pocos kilómetros de Costa Rica, todo le parecerá pardusco, viejo, comido por el sol. Son nueve islas en total y multitud de islotes perdidos como si una mano gigante hubiera echado puñados de tierra en mitad del Océano

On June 12 one of the planet’s most anticipated sporting events kicks off in Brazil’s largest city, São Paulo. And over the course of the following 30 days, 64 World Cup matches among 31 teams will rotate among a dozen of this country’s other cities. Rio de Janeiro totally. Salvador certainly. Fortaleza for sure. Capital Brasilia it goes without saying. But what do you know about Natal, Cuiabá, and Porto Alegre?  Here’s a quick primer on some of the lesser-known and (to most non-Brazilians, at

ANALYSIS: TRAVEL ADVERTORIALS. With tourism being a multi-billion dollar industry collecting the spending from 1 billion tourists in 2012, the hunt at travel agencies, airlines and hotel bookers for new customers is at the boiling point. The media has of course seen the trend, and the number of glossy magazines, websites with amazing photos and travel phone apps is increasing by the minute. Being a part of all this, the Traveling Reporter as well as, most likely, every other travel website edito

The tourism industry is highly vulnerable to crises be these man made or nature made, be these crises of a political, health or natural variety.  Almost since the start of modern tourism, tourism professionals have had to take into account that the media devotes a great deal of time and space to disasters, especially if these disasters result in the loss of life, cause suffering, and produce some form of economic damage.  During the period of time when the media focus in on the crisis, media cov

Driving seems like a straightforward enough business. You get behind the wheel, turn on the car, and then proceed to go places. Most driving laws, while varying slightly from place to place, are no more than common sense, and most people will have no difficulty driving in countries other than their own. However, there are some obscure (and some not so much) corners of legislation where common sense goes to die. Here are some of the world's most bizarre driving laws.

Here a whale, there a whale, e

I needed to be in Boston on business through Memorial Day weekend.  Rather than stay at a conventional hotel in a typical part of town (Financial District, Seaport District, Back Bay, South End), I wanted to do something a bit more creative, inventive, and fun.

I checked out a bunch of bed and breakfasts, but they were too quaint.  “Hip” hostels were an option, but the reviews were all horrific.  A furnished corporate apartment seemed like a cool move, so I researched the available options.

The of

I visited Tunisia before the disturbances which resulted in the overthrow of the government. However, I believe the country is now safe for tourists, as several tour companies are now advertising trips there again. I would, however, advise consulting your Foreign Office or equivalent to check the current situation.

If you look at a map, Tozeur seems to stand on the bank of a lake. However, that lake, the Chott Jerid, last held water around about the time the Dead Sea first called in sick.

We’d com

The warm water waves of Costa Rica are far less crowded than the beaches of Southern California, Hawaii and Australia, yet have all of the exciting action a surfer could want.

The southern Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica is full of top Costa Rica surfing spots.

The popular Caribbean town of Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica, is home to the most powerful wave in the country – Salsa Brava, a thick Hawaiian-style barrel wave that builds in deep water and pours over a shallow coral reef lining the coast. It is

Puerto Lobos is a study in contrasts.  If (the more developed) Bahia de Kino feels like “land’s end”—per Lonely Planet—then this is off the map, though that is changing with the new highway, as previously mentioned.  My only visit two years ago, the road had just been paved to here—from the north down the coast—shortening the distance from the big city of Caborca (pop. 60,000) and transportation links to the rest of the country.  Now that link to the links is even shorter, as there’s a bus thir

During the early 1800s, central and western New York State were called the “burned-over” district because so many religious groups were formed during this time period. The term came from the idea that there were so few of the unconverted population (referred to as the "fuel") left to be converted or "burned" that the area had been “burned-over.” The Mormon religion is the best known of the many religious groups formed during this time period; but the Oneida Society also began during this perio

Irvine, California, is fast becoming an attractive destination for visitors who are looking for an exciting variety of leisure-time activities. Conveniently located in the heart of Orange County, Irvine has long been known as an easily accessible location for business meetings, but it also offers visitors many other opportunities for fun with friends and family, including top-notch hotels, an endless variety of wonderful restaurant options, beautiful parks, and many cultural events and venues.