Blogs

by Nellie Huang

Spain, a Western European country rich in Mediterranean flavors and Arab influence, is actually a few countries packed into one. With its location in the southern end of Europe and just a hop away from North Africa, Spain serves as Europe’s link to the Arab world. This link has been running strong for centuries: With large swaths having been ruled by the Moors for centuries as al-Andalus (origin of the name of today's southern Andalusia region), evidence of Arab influence is st

Many of us have been fortunate enough to have been on safari in Africa - some of us more than once. An African safari is something that should be on everyone's bucket list.  I have been fortunate enough to have been on a hot-air balloon over the Masai Mara - truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. But all safaris, safari lodges, and games reserves are clearly not all alike. Once in a while you just have to live like a star.

But even if you're not Brad and Angelina, but just have three friends wi

It often seems that at least 90% of foreign tourists only step into one part of Indonesia – Bali, the formally Hindu majority paradise just to the east of Java. But by the time I finally took the ferry across the narrow waterway between the two islands, I'd spent three months in Indonesia, all in Java.

I was truthfully, scared to come here. It features heavily in classical writing about Asia, a tropical paradise, Shangri-la, with an amazing unique culture and perfect artistic light. But something

Remember the proverb about giving a man a fish versus teaching a man to fish? That ancient bit of wisdom was well at work in an inspiring documentary I saw recently about three of my favorite topics: Peru, food, and Peruvian food. I even got to meet its stars, both world famous chefs, and in the process was pleasantly surprised to learn something new about how a little creativity and imaginative thinking outside the proverbial box (another example would be micro-lending) can have implications f

Una cosa hay que dejar clara: no venga buscando grandes monumentos en El Salvador. De todas formas, ¿quién los quiere con esta naturaleza exuberante? Los parques nacionales de Los Volcanes, El Imposible y de Montecristo muestran bosques majestuosos, ríos frescos y miradores donde uno se siente amo y señor de la naturaleza. Los 300 kilómetros de costa del país dan para mucho: sol en Las Tunas, buceo en Los Cobanos y las mejores olas de Centroamérica para los surfistas en Sunzal y La Paz. Túmbese

More than 700 miles of beach on Pacific and Caribbean coasts, warm water, tropical climate, lush rainforest and cloud forest, jungle wildlife, stable country, and friendly people – Costa Rica entices millions to visit every year.

If you live anywhere in the Americas, and most likely even in Europe, then you have heard the buzz about this Central American paradise. Maybe you’ve already visited and promised yourself you’d return. Maybe you’re still looking at websites and brochures, plotting your e

Whether for elegant shopping or hotels, Vienna Austria has become a hot spot in Europe. Hotels of all categories have been transforming and mushrooming for a while, with more and better places to sleep, at (still) reasonable prices. That makes the choice a little harder, and more people are looking for the most popular hotels in town. But does that reasonably narrow your search? The answer is no, as probably a third of all local hotels and B&Bs rank among the top 10 on different sites, and in di

Or, Are Facebook and Twitter a Waste of Time for the Travel Marketer?

How surprising is this: In the second half of last year, fewer that 1% of visitors arrived at a hotel or travel booking site, "via a social media link or a link shared by by a friend," reports Hotelmarketing.com.

Does this mean hotels are wasting their time chasing the Holy Grail of Twitter and Facebook? Could be.

We love our friends' photos and status updates, the report goes on to say, and it's very true that social media

Once a humble Howard Johnson's overlooking I-95, JHouse is now Greenwich, Connecticut’s newest hotel and live-music hotspot. Resulting from extreme adaptive reuse, the property’s exterior footprint is the only discernible clue revealing its HoJo origins. The rest is a tricked out ultramodern architectural gem. A grand glassed entrance with a valet at the ready leads into a bright reception area. At first it feels as though you’re entering a museum and in some ways it is once you look up at the i

Dalmatia.he


by Nelly Huang


Croatia, a land of more than a thousand islands splattered off the beautiful Adriatic Sea coastline in the Balkans of Eastern Europe, is chock-full of intriguing history, Mediterranean cuisine and Slavic cultural heritage. And on a recent visit to its Dalmatian coast, I decided to delve deeper into its less explored side of the country, and so I ditched the crowds on the beach, left the tourist trail behind me, and headed deep into the world of music.

Journey int

Author's blog 

Being number two is not much better than coming in last.  How many people know that the second-tallest mountain in the world is the dismally-named “K-2?”  Quite a few, no doubt, but everybody, literally everybody, knows that Mount Everest is the tallest.  But do you know what the tallest building in the world is?  If you don’t, then you should, because it’s something truly incredible.  It’s called “Burj-Khalifa,” it’s in Dubai, UAE, and at 2717ft/828mt, is more than twice as tall

By Shannon Farley

Costa Rica’s fabulous year-round sunshine, balmy weather and remarkable championship golf courses are fast earning the country the reputation as an “ace” place for world-class golf.

The best part? Located just a few hours’ flight away from North America, Costa Rica’s weather is best when all points north are frozen in winter’s icy grip. Missing the long, verdant stretch of a fairway in December? This tiny Central American nation’s endless summer of sunshine just gets blazing in D

 

Founded in 1698, Jacmel is a beautiful, picturesque town in Haiti, located in the southeast part of the country only two hours driving and 15 minutes by plane from the capital, Port-au-Prince. The road to Jacmel are among the best in the country, and driving there can be an experience on its own, as you get the chance to truly enjoy the breathtaking views of the many lush, majestic mountains, up and down valleys, as far as the eyes can see. Jacmel is also world famous for its art, its annual

FROM TOURISM & MORE'S "TOURISM TIDBITS," JANUARY 2013:

The tragic recent school shootings in the US have underlined once again the fact that too many people see police departments and other forms of security as adding nothing to the bottom line.  For example, from the perspective of too many tourism professionals, security people, be they public or private, are a necessary expense.  These tourism professionals often express the opinion that security agents do nothing to promote the locale and o

Sitting down to eat or drink at an Italian café costs more than standing at the counter and nowhere will charge you more for the honour than Venice, particularly if you're outside, in somewhere like St Mark's Square and there's an orchestra playing. The mark-up on your bill can be over 500%! Here are a few tips that will help you keep within your food and drink budget.

Eating out in Venice is very expensive, but choose to perch at the counter and opt for the dish of the day or a selection of bar

I have tasted Fonseca ports before but was intrigued when I recently experienced an unfiltered variety coming from Portugal’s most widely respected port house. Upon tasting Fonseca Unfiltered Port, you get nothing less than rich black fruit that’s pleasantly flavorful with hints of spice and sweet plum along with just enough tannins to keep it from entirely entering dessert wine territory.

It takes decades of perfecting Portugal’s national treasure to achieve this tasty balance. How does this unf

por Cristóbal Ramirez

Siempre van en bici. Para pasear, ir al trabajo o hacer la compra. Y siempre irán aunque llueva, nieve, relampaguee o el sol se desinfle. Los habitantes de Copenhague están muy concienciados con el medio ambiente y con la salud de su bolsillo (pedalear es gratis). Siendo turista, en cambio, merece la pena echar a caminar. Punto de partida: la Plaza del Ayuntamiento, un característico edificio rojo con una torre y un reloj. Si se atreve a subir los 298 escalones podrá ver

by Andy Jarosz

If ever a movie has perfected the ability of making its audience hungry it’s surely this Mexican classic. Released as Como Agua para Chocolate (Like Water for Chocolate) in 1992 and based on the 1989 novel of the same name by Laura Esquivel , the story is set in the 1910s in revolutionary Mexico. It features sweeping landscapes, smoldering passions (literally) and the most bitter family politics, yet the central theme of traditional Mexican cooking and its power to evoke the wil

Why is that? Well, Peru offers a New Year’s experience to appeal to virtually any and every type of traveler. It’s famously filled with the mystical and the historic. It also offers high culture, unsurpassed ecotourism, and adrenaline-pumping adventure. Add in a plethora of superb hotels, restaurants and spas, and it all adds up to a special occasion you’ll never, ever forget. Another year? Bring it on.

Top Peruvian New Year’s Traditions

To ensure a new year full of good luck and prosperity,

If any holiday is made for Las Vegas, it's New Year's Eve.

Las Vegas is expecting a record 320,000+ out-of-town guests for New Year's Eve parties. Las Vegas will fill its 150,189 hotel rooms on New Year's Eve, Sam's Town RV Park also has a full house.

We will be heading to the Strip for the New Years festivities. At 6pm Las Vegas Blvd is closed to vehicle traffic and becomes party central. Four and a half miles, from the Stratosphere to the Mandalay Bay at the south end of the Strip will host tens