Blogs

Our recent trip to Asia solidly cemented my opinion that South East Asia is still very grateful and anxious to encourage tourism.  Thailand, in particular, really set itself apart from any other place we have traveled to.  Our stays at both the Bangkok Mandarin Oriental, and the Mandarin Oriental Dhara-Devi in Chiang Mai, were superlative.  Having experienced these hotels first-hand, I can see why the Mandarin Oriental chain is consistently voted as having some of the top hotels in the World, wi

This year’s Costa Rica National Surfing Championship Finals promises to be one of the hottest surfing events of the year. For the first time ever, seven of Costa Rica’s top male surfers – all of whom are very close in points so far for the season – are vying board to board for the national Open Men’s Division title, making it the most closely fought matchup in Costa Rica Surfing Federation history.

“This is the first time that seven people have the same chances of winning the title,” said Costa R

This post will cover the two most spiritual things I have ever experienced. I was deeply moved by both of them. Bhutan is a deeply Buddhist country. I have mentioned before that if I ever decided to convert, as if I were disciplined enough to try, it would be in Bhutan. I found that the Tantrayana sect of Buddhism appeals to me for some reason I cannot fathom. Maybe it is just that it seems unspoiled by outside influences, much like Bhutan itself.

On the longest touring day in our itinerary we dr

Excerpt from Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet (svd.se).

FAKE PILOT SCAM. Did you think a pilot’s license and training are at least some kind of a guarantee for a safe journey?

Think again.

Nobody could guess the dark secret of Swedish pilot Thomas Salme: He had no pilot’s license. But for thirteen years, he navigated the skies as an airline pilot, much like the character in the 2002 Hollywood blockbuster movie Catch Me If You Can about Frank Abagnale Jr who presented himself as a pilot go gain

As a large and age-old fishing village in Ha Long bay, Vong Vieng attaches great historical and cultural value and has currently attracted lots of tourists.

There are 4 fishing villages in the World Heritage site: Ba Hang, Cua Van, Vong Vieng and Cap La, A village of about 600 inhabitants. After disembarking the mother boat, tourists will be transferred by rowing boats, tender boats, or doing kayaking to enter Vong Vieng fishing village.

It is a magically calm place, an escape from the hustle of V

I am a Carolina girl; I was born in Charleston, grew up in Charlotte and went to school at East Carolina, so I know my Carolinas. I also worked on a cruise ship for five years, and what do cruise ships do? They visit beautiful beaches. Yes, the Caribbean has aqua water, and California has dramatic cliff sides, but I can tell you after crossing the globe you can't beat the Carolinas for the ultimate beach experience.

2012 Gay Vendimia

By Roy Heale

Mendoza is the fourth largest city in Argentina with a population of approximately one million people. It is the acclaimed capital of Agentina's wine industry and famous for the Malbec vintage. Mendoza is nestled in the foothills of the Andes, about 1000 meters above sea level and is also a center for skiing in the nearby mountain peaks during July, August, and September. Attractive streetscapes, the beautiful parks and lakes, and pulsing nightlife are establishing

The good news is that it feels good to be in Thailand, a place I once lived for some ten years or so, depending on how you count it. The incorrigible wackiness and petty racial nuisance of being a “farang” in a foreign land where such things matter is easily overcome by the gentleness of the culture and handsomeness of its people… where such things matter. What I don’t like is the rainy season, and it’s not getting any better. A couple nights ago I had to drive through a flood with water almost

Mark Twain cut right to the bone when he said that travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness.
Just as importantly, travel has begun seriously to give back to the communities and places it sends its travelers to.

For example, on my recent  round-trip to San Francisco (5,426 miles) my plane and I were responsible for spewing .98 tons of Carbon Dioxide (CO2). So Carbonfund,org  sold me $11.33 of carbon offsets, equivalent to my travel carbon footprint. They’ll use the money to pl

Although I'm only getting around to posting this now, during the UK winter our little family spent 2 months in New Zealand visiting friends and family and enjoying the great outdoors in the only way you can truly savour it, camping.  If you are planning to visit the land of the long white cloud during the southern hemisphere summer months, now's a good time to start planning.  Typically the best weather is in late January through February, but you can always expect sudden downpours and changeabl

When one thinks of downtown Los Angeles, the first thought to come to mind probably isn't one of America's oldest and diverse food markets, Grand Central Market. Besides offering some of the freshest produce, meats, fresh fish and more in Los Angeles, the market is a sumptuous walk through "tasty treat heaven."  Living part of the year near downtown L.A., I'll take a bike ride to sample the various food  eateries throughout the small market. Many people may not know that Los Angeles is one of th

Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge is the house of thousands of emerald basilisks, giant bear ants, jaguars, caimans, ocelots, green iguanas, river turtles, monkeys, pumas, bats and prehistoric fishes such as the Tropical Gar. This wildlife refuge is also the abode of rare birds like the northern jacanas, ibises, jabiru storks, anhingas, cormorants and roseate spoonbills. Set near the Nicaraguan border in a remote area, reaching this refuge is not an easy task for you to do on your own, an organized to

FROM ALICANTE TO MALAGA. The journey starts with a heavy walk. I am in Alicante, the south Spanish city along the Mediterranean, which has an old fortress looming on a hilltop, which I attempt to climb. The fortress is called Castillo Santa Bárbara. And the air is hot.

Being May, summer is already well under way in this part of Europe. But the wind is blowing nicely and the view up here on the hill over sea, city and the mountains beyond is incredible. Down below, narrow streets and alleys are wi

Fredericton, the capital of New Brunswick, a Canadian Maritime  province, is not the kind of place where you'd expect a savory, colorful, high-energy outdoor farmers’ market.

But while it’s not Marrakesh or Istanbul, it does have a very cool, complete market with lots of exciting colors and smells.

You can watch the 1-minute Fredericton Travel Video PostCard here.

Outside the air is redolent with smoky barbeque mostly from Elke’s Truck ( Huge Sausages, “Bratwurst With Lots of Garlic $3.50”), 

Sitting among the bluffs of the Missouri River is the quaint little city of Weston. Now the streets are always bustling with tourists and shoppers making their way to shops such as the Celtic Ranch and the Bella Company. What a lot of people do not know is that the town of Weston has ties to the likes of Buffalo Bill Cody and descendants of Daniel Boone, and was once a major river port that supplied Fort Leavenworth.

Although business is booming in Weston it was not always the case. The Missouri

If you are like a lot of travelers – me included – you generally tend to plan where you are going on any trip, as far as location is concerned, and probably also where you will stay. And unless you are going somewhere for a specific activity, or on a planned itinerary holiday, you tend to leave the “what will I do” part until you get there.


That’s all well and fine, but it also means that you’re often left wondering how to get the best information on the top attractions, sights and tours in your

Yes, Bhutan is a happy place. I mentioned before that the government actually does a yearly census to evaluate the level of happiness and look for ways to make people even happier, now THAT is a wonderment.

I also mentioned that there is a US$250 “tariff” you must pay to visit Bhutan. This is actually a good deal because it includes everything except beer and souvenirs. So, it cost us a bit more  . That tariff is actually in place to keep Bhutan from becoming over run with back packers like what

The Mongol Run. Photo: The Adventurists

INTERVIEW: The Adventurists' press chief on adventures, 
risks, attitudes – and how to make the world less boring

ADVENTURE TRAVELS. A 15,000 kilometer drive from Europe to Mongolia in a crappy, practically worthless car. Or what about the Rickshaw Run, a “3,500 km pan-Indian adventure in a 7 horsepower glorified lawnmower”. Or why not try out the rock-hard Ice Run: A journey across a “frozen Siberian wilderness on old school Ural motorbikes to the only town

What do you think the most immediate post vacation activity is?

It’s not paying the bills, but is, in fact, posting photos to a social network: 76% of us do that first thing after we unpack.

Does this matter? Yes, because the travel business has never been better, says Hotel Marketing.com. The savvy web site predicts $162 billion in revenues for 2012, up 74% since 2007.

And Social Media is playing a major role in upping these numbers.

Consider, says Hotel Marketing, that more than half of al