For its sheer beauty and phenomenal whitewater rapids, the Pacuare River of Costa Rica is one of the world’s top whitewater river rafting adventures. The Pacuare thunders down a long gorge and canyon through primary and secondary rainforest of the Talamanca Mountains on Costa Rica’s Caribbean slope. You have the feeling of being completely isolated in a lost world when rafting down the river. Waterfalls pour in from high rock walls, brightly colored toucans and electric blue Morpho butterflies f

by Nicole Clausing

What to eat for dinner tonight? Tapas to make Penelope Cruz weep? Fusion tacos? Pizza fired in a wood-burning oven imported from Italy? Or maybe just the best turkey sandwich you ever had? The wealth of choice gets overwhelming when you’re in a foodie town like … Orlando.

That’s right; the town best known for a four-fingered mouse who doesn’t eat much of anything has spawned quite a food scene. There is offbeat funkiness to please the toughest San Francisco Mission District hips

When you join up with YL Tours, you're not just visiting Puglia as a tourist, you are participating as a local immersed in some of the many day-to-day pleasures of living in this region. YL stands for Ylenia, the wonderful Puglian lady who graciously hosts your choice of experiences.

One fine example is her fully hands-on Cucina Povera, small group cooking lessons that fully immerse you in every stage of meal preparation. This is “peasant cooking” at its finest using local ingredients whenever po

Due at least in part, no doubt, to the modest size of most Caribbean islands, “mega” structures are fairly few and far between. But one of them is here on the eastern outskirts of the Dominican Republic's capital: the massive (if not downright bombastic) Faro a Colón (Columbus Lighthouse), finished in 1992 for the 500th anniversary of the voyage that, by stumbling onto this island, launched the exploration and colonization of the Western Hemisphere.

Six-hundred eighty feet long and ten stories

“By Tre, Pol and Pen shall ye know all Cornishmen” the rhyme used to describe people or places in Cornwall, many surnames and place names still retain these words as prefixes. I have visited Cornwall throughout my life from a small child to adult with my own family and it still remains one of my very favourite places to go on holiday.

Although the weather can be quite changeable, with sea mists in the morning, the climate is mild and sunny as a result of it’s southerly latitude and influence of t

Some people like to bring a little comfort from home on vacation – like a pillow.  Others want to know their TV shows will be available for them to watch while on vacation. Still others want to leave home behind altogether to learn all new things and broaden their horizons.  This Wine Diva wants to bring her favorite wines with her on vacation AND  learn about new exciting  food and beverage combinations.  Where did I do that?  On a Holland America cruise to Alaska.  Buckle up babe, this ain’t y

Many families hesitate at the thought of extended travel with middle-school and teen-aged children.  In our overscheduled and often frenetic culture, it may be the most powerful gift you can give them.  Emotional and spiritual growth of emerging teens are equally as important as academics and sports. Travel offers the gift of unstructured time away from, the sometimes overwhelming, social pressures of their young lives.

Sure, the initial disconnect from home may be bumpy, but that phase ends whe

por Cristóbal Ramírez

El Océano Pacífico ruge, plateado, azul bravo, mientras una pareja se manosea. Es el deporte preferido (manosearse frente al mar) de muchísimos limeños los fines de semana. Es entonces cuando los boulevares, plazas y bares de Barranco, el barrio bohemio y de moda, registra más agitación. Cuando uno lo visita por primera vez cree no estar en Lima: la mayor parte de sus edificios proceden del tiempo en que la alta sociedad de la ciudad construía mansiones de veraneo al más p

If budget is a concern, and let’s be honest, when you’re traveling with friends rather than family, then consider one of the less expensive destinations for your ski holiday this year. Well, you probably won’t bump into the Beckhams, but the snow is the same color and the skiing is just as good as in the A-level resorts! Here is our selection of 5 winter sports destination that won’t break the bank!

1. Albertville, France

Albertville, the largest region in the Savoy area. The lovely French valley

It’s not uncommon to visit a hotel that wasn’t here last year. It’s less common, though, to visit a hotel that wasn’t here last year … and won’t be here next year. That’s how it is with Scandinavia’s ‘ice hotels’; they’re actually dug out of a snow bank at the beginning of winter, and are gone with the first thaws of spring. And, usually, they’re completely rebuilt the following winter.

The concept isn’t new, of course. For generations, the Inuit of North America have been building their igloos f

Like the lion or the tiger, the jaguar is the “king of the jungle” in the Americas. It is the largest feline in the Americas and the third largest in the world, notes Wikipedia. With a range extending from Southwestern United States and Mexico across much of Central America and south to Paraguay and northern Argentina, there are only an estimated 15,000 jaguars left in the wild, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

“The jaguar is still an abundant species, but is threatened by habitat loss

Ta’er Monastery, Kumbum Monastery in the Tibetan language, is the birthplace of Tsong Kha-pa, the founder of the yellow sect, is one of the six major lamaseries of yellow sect in Tibetan Buddhism. It is 26km away from Xining, the capital city of Qinghai Province and it was built in 1379.

Ta'er is a garden-like architectural complex of blending Han and Tibetan architecture. Its main buildings include eight pagodas; the great golden-tiled hall; a small golden-tiled hall; the grand scripture hall;

Approximately one hour south of Agadir, Morocco, lies the Souss-Massa National Park. The park is one of the final green enclaves before reaching the Moroccan desert, and it has become an important nature reserve protecting endangered species, forming an ideal ecosystem for pink flamingos, cranes and the bald ibis.

In Sous Massa visitors can get close to endless species of wildlife, both flora and fauna.  There is also an interesting swamp and some beautiful beaches in the park; the perfect places

One of the biggest economic drivers of 18th-century Brazil was coffee, and in the same way that Ouro Preto was the backbone of the gold and diamond trade, so was Vassouras the financial and commercial heart of the coffee trade during the 19th century, Brazil's imperial period.

Vassouras didn’t start out that way, however. Its name refers to “vassoura” which is Portuguese for “broom”. Before becoming the most important coffee producing region of Brazil, the hills around Vassouras were covered with

emijrp

Ah, Christmas – for many people, there’s no more magical time of the year. But celebrating this holiday extravagantly goes back only to the 19th century, and in many countries the festivities didn’t take place on December 25 at all, but rather today, on the Epiphany, January 6 (the twelfth day of Christmas, with 12 drummers drumming, as the song goes). In fact, though Spanish-speaking countries have largely jumped on the Yuletide bandwagon with Santa Claus, Christmas trees, and all the

Are you a ski enthusiast and want to get the best ever ski experience? Well, Big Sky, Montana is the place to be!

For every ski enthusiast who has not yet skied in the Big Sky Montana, he is definitely missing out an experience of a lifetime. Big Sky Montana is the final frontier with magnificent 11, 000 foot mountains, mesmerizing scenery and adventure around every corner. Located at the south of the Gallatin Valley, everything in Montana is larger than life in big sky country. 

The area has th

Traveling as a vegetarian or vegan is never easy, but it isn’t as hard as many people think. It takes a little effort, but if you’re open to tasting new and interesting food and up for a challenge, you’ll be amazed at the variety of exciting things you’ll get to try when traveling. The 10 countries below are known for their various cuisine and always helpful locals.

#1. China

Thanks to the historical influence of Buddhism, China has a 2000 year tradition of pure vegetarian food. There are vegetari

A veces el turista necesita un descanso. En Roma, con tanta cúpula y tanto monumento grandioso, se agradece un parón más que en ningún otro sitio. El Trastevere, el único barrio medieval que queda en la ciudad eterna, es el lugar perfecto. En cuanto uno accede a él por cualquiera de los puentes de entrada (Garibaldi, Cestio o Palatino), se empapa de la auténticavida romana. Fuera guiris y fuera colas interminables. Al Trastevere se viene a darse un baño de realidad. A mirar las fachadas desconch

Wanted: Someone to push heavy carts along a narrow aisle dispensing drinks, cookies and conversation, with a smile.

Applicant must be able to evacuate a plane, determine, behind closed curtains, what passengers are most likely to help in an emergency and wonder about the little girl flying alone, sitting next to that suspicious man.

The big question, considering the multiple roles an attendant has to fulfill, is whether fluffing pillows and handing out pretzels compromise the authority flight at