Over the past year, I've visited 8 different countries, half of which I paid for my flights using airmiles. Here are a few useful tips for building up your air mileage for free.

There are many ways to earn air miles for free, and some of the best ways don’t require you to change your buying habits at all. So let’s start off with the most lucrative option, credit cards.

#1 Airline credit cards

The quickest way to build a massive portfolio of air miles is to open credit cards that offer an airmiles b

Whether you are planning your annual employee or shareholder meeting, want to motivate your sales forces, or reward your staff or clients for a great year, Costa Rica is a travel destination that offers limitless possibilities.

With many regular and direct flights, Costa Rica is easy to get to from Canada and the United States. The country offers good value and a large range of hotels, services and activities for group, meeting and incentive travel. Many different climates, destinations, places t

My family lived in Japan for three years while my husband served aboard the USS Kitty Hawk out of Yokosuka, Japan. During those three years we lived on the economy in Mabori Kaigan for some time. It gave us a unique opportunity to view and take part of the local Japanese culture. One of the most interesting traditions is on New Year’s Day.

Before 1873 the Japanese New Year was based on the Chinese lunar calendar but following the Meiji Restoration Japan adopted the Gregorian calendar and it is n

Fireworks in Madrid, Spain ring in the New Year

New Year's Eve in Rio de Janeiro on the Copacabana

In London see the fireworks over Ben Ben and Parlament

New York City, Time Square is the place to be

Paris is the City of Light, and on New Year's Eve, Fireworks fly high over the Eiffel Tower

Sydney, the first major city firework show over the Harbor Bridge and Opera House

Happy New Year to all.

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Each and every one of the 7 islands that make up the Canaries are an irresistible temptation for travellers at any time of year, but in winter in Europe, they’re in a league all of their own. The average annual temperature is more than 20ºC (in fact, UNESCO has classified the microclimate in Morgan, on Gran Canaria, as the best in the world). And it’s precisely for this reason that each year, large numbers of Europeans choose this archipelago as their winter holiday destination.

The Canary Isla

Chris Oakley

If you find should yourself spending New Year’s Eve in a Spanish-speaking country, you may notice that the locals have an interesting tradition of their own for this special night. As the big moment nears, participants will suspend clusters of grapes over their mouths (or have a loose handful of them) and eat one with each clock strike of midnight. These are “las doce uvas de la suerte” (the twelve grapes of fortune), which of course is what everyone wishes themselves and others f

As we drove up into the clouds, it began to look not like Costa Rica anymore. Mist swirled around us. Large-leafed Prehistoric-looking vegetation lurked in the gloom. All windows were up; I was wearing a big fleece jacket, and I was contemplating turning on my car’s heater for the first time ever.

When I told friends and family we were going to the “Cerro de la Muerte” (Mountain of Death) for Thanksgiving at the end of November, the overwhelming response was: “Sounds like fun. Not.” The Mountain

A young girl dancing at the Sunday Night market in Chiang Mai

This is my third trip to the second biggest city in Thailand. In a small way I have become a local. The baristas at Starbucks remember my name. They also remember not to ask me if I want yak milk when I order a black coffee. The owner of my favorite haunt for breakfast asked me if I really needed a menu “you know it by heart” he said. The ENT doctor at the Chiang Mia Ram hospital was gracious and said “nice to see you again, time to va

The opening of Harbor View Hotel in 1891 was a major turning point for Martha's Vineyard. This island, 5 miles off the Massachusetts coast, was definitively transforming from whaling port to idyllic vacation destination.

Today, the Vineyard’s 122-year old Victorian “Grand Dame” is a coveted member of Historic Hotels of America featuring 3 distinct yet closely clustered lodging options. You have classic hotel rooms, many with private porches; the Governor Mayhew Building featuring balconies with e

In nearly every corner of the world, you can find a local, traditional beverage that’s worth to taste. In many of those destinations you could easily arrange an organized beverage trail, but very often it’s best to simply head to the nearest pub and enjoy a drink with the locals – a perfect chance to get a bot of taste of the culture! Here are 5 must-try beverages to get you started.

1. Guinness, Ireland

The first pint of dark-bodied stout with roasted barley and caramel flavour, comes from the br

“Viva Venezia” – The Grand Canal with Dorsoduro and the Santa Maria Della Cathedral

Can a hotel inspire one to travel? In most cases, no. But the Sina Centurion Palace is that unique hotel experience that we all long for… a hotel stay that can change your entire perspective on a city or an area. 

The 19th Century Façade – The building is not old in comparison to Venice architecture.

I recently took a trip to Venice, that city of stunning architecture, long narrow canals, bridges, gondolas, the Car

The end of the year in southern Costa Rica is time for one of the country’s biggest indigenous cultural events. This is when the native Boruca community celebrates their traditional “Fiesta de los Diablitos”, or the Festival of Little Devils. The four-day annual event happens from Dec. 30 to Jan. 2 in the village of Boruca on the tribe’s indigenous reservation in the Talamanca Mountains, 25 km inland from Palmar Norte near the town of Buenos Aires.

The people of Boruca keep their rich ancestral t

Santa, baby! In the spirit of the season, for all you moms and dads out there here’s a quick international round-up of several key Kris Kringle korners -- theme parks built specifically around that jolly old elf and his crew. There are of course countless towns and cities (not to mention shopping malls) in various countries that toss up a little “Santa’s Village” for the kids during the Yuletide holidays, but these four in North America and one in Europe are dedicated theme parks that do their t

Los pueblos blancos son para el invierno. Cuando llega el frío y el campo se vuelve verde,  la Sierra de Grazalema, a media hora de Jerez, se llena de senderistas. En esta Reserva de la Biosfera, que casi se junta con el Parque de los Alcornocales, se arraciman un conjunto de pueblos encalados, con geranios en las ventanas y callejuelas de fuerte herencia andalusí.Arcos de la Frontera, un pueblo señorial y grande en lo alto de un acantilado, es la puerta de entrada a la sierra. A partir de ahí,

Christmas is upon us once again. What is it about Christmas that brings out the inner child in all of us? For billions of people around the world Christmas is the biggest holiday or time-off of the year. The annual commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ is also one of most popular and busiest times of the year to travel. The holiday is most likened to Santa Claus and the North Pole, but while many will spend Christmas in the snow, not all Christmas destinations are filled with white powder,

What are the most ethical travel destinations in the world? The California-based nonprofit Ethical Traveler group has just published its top ten for 2014.

The decision is based on a combination of its human rights and social welfare record,  environmental protection including animal welfare, and its appeal as a travel destination. The list includes only nations in the developing world, so you won't see countries such as the USA or Norway on the list, no matter how ethical and appealing they are.

H

OK, for those who travel a lot, you probably have the packing game down to a science. A routine. You know what to take, how much to take and how to pack it.

Maybe you can skip this article.

But, if images of jumping on your suitcase as your partner quickly snaps the locks shut, or sitting on the thing while you’re doubled over tying the straps is your version of packing, then this primer on how and what to pack may be helpful.

Remember the adage:  “Pack half of what you think you need and bri

The city of Antalya lies on the Mediterranean coast in the south of Turkey, a truly vast country. Sheltered on one side by the Taurus Mountains and bathed by the blue waters of the Mediterranean on the other, in just a few years the region of Antalya has become one of Turkey’s top destinations for spa tourism.

Antalya is a region that enjoys a particularly mild climate. Indeed, it’s safe to say that the sun shines 300 days a year – even in the middle of winter the temperature only rarely drops