Blogs

 Here's the question: Who has it better? The one who takes off on a business trip every few weeks or the one who stays home with the family?

It's a loaded one - I know. So we'll use lists and we'll figure this out right here, right now.

ADVANTAGES OF BEING THE CORPORATE ROAD WARRIOR:

• You stay in a hotel so you don't have to clean up and you get to throw your towel on the bathroom floor (that would not go over well at home).
• You probably have a few meals on your own so you can just chow down and not

What best way to enjoy a fabulous family holiday than by taking everyone to a theme park? With something for everyone, no matter the age, theme parks are the be all and end all of family entertainment. In order to make the most of your theme park holidays and help your family time run smoothly, here are some tips.

The sun is trying to kill you - Well, not really, but close enough. Specially in the summer, you can never be too careful with the sun. Plus, you'll be running around, having fun, and s

Now that the travel industry is targeting the guy community, I ask myself what makes a place 'gay friendly'? Looking around, I found some statements that make a place gay friendly, of course from the eye of the beholder.

For some, the pass of propositions that either abolish or give marriage rights to gay and lesbians is what determines if a place is friendly or not. For instance, Netherlands is usually mentioned as the top of gay friendly places thanks to its federal inclusive policies when in A

by Andy Jarosz
 

Every so often a movie comes along where its on-screen plot is overshadowed by the story of how the movie was made and the problems that had to be overcome to reach the final cut. The 1982 movie Fitzcarraldo, directed by Werner Herzog, is a prime example.

Manaus' Teatro Amazonas

Using the neo-Renaisssance Amazon Theatre (inuagurated in 1986) in Manaus, Brazil, for part of the filming, Herzog tells the story of Brian Sweeney “Fitzcarraldo” Fitzgerald, an Irish entrepreneur who

In 1975, German band Kraftwerk tried to capture the feel of driving on a motorway with the chorus Wir fahren, fahren, fahren auf der Autobahn ("We drive, drive, drive on the Autobahn"), often misheard as "Fun fun fun on the Autobahn." In fact, this nationally coordinated motorway system earned reputation for being one of the best places to drive in Europe and the ultimate pinnacle of the German driving experience, mostly because of its design and maintenance. 

There's no general speed limit, but

There is a saying in Rwanda, "God roams the world but comes to rest in Rwanda."

And so do 700+  mountain gorillas (over half of the surviving species in the world) who call Volcanoes National Park their home. This is a stunning area surrounded to the southwest by the Nyungwe Forest (the largest montane rainforest in the area) where Colobus Monkeys and 250 species of birds thrive, to the east by the magnificent Akagera National Park, and to the west by the picturesque islands of Lake Kivu.

Imagi

Located in 
Costa Rica’s Central Highlands
 in the Tilarán mountain range, the lofty, cloud-wreathed mountaintop of 
Monteverde
is one of Costa Rica’s main tourism destinations.


Cloud forest
comprises only 1% of the planet’s global woodlands. Monteverde’s rare ecosystem is internationally famous as one of the
most extensive
 cloud forests in 
Central America
 and a “jewel in the crown” of world cloud forests. At 1,800m (5,900 ft.) elevation, this natural sanctuary is blessed with an “eternal spr

For folks of a certain age, “See the USA in your Chevrolet” and “Get Your Kicks on Route 66” were anthems inspiring us to experience the thrill of zipping along the nation’s highways, seeing new sights, eating new foods, and venturing from our home turf – in short, go road tripping!

It was 1961. For me, high school graduation was past, college was months away, and the ink was barely dry on my new driver’s license. I had saved for years to buy my first car – a magic carpet that would take me to p

Where is Azerbaijan? Millions of people learned just that from the annual Eurovision song contest held this past Tuesday through Saturday and they were also in for a televised dose of the charms of a country few of us really know much about. You may recall this country  as one of the gaggle of republics set free by the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, but “free” is of course a relative term. For in all but two of the 21 years since, this land the size of  has been ruled by a dynastic dictato

Are you looking forward to an exciting and extraordinary experience on your next holiday? then don’t hesitate to visit Africa for great Kenya adventure trips and Tanzania camping safaris among other activities. Quite a number of tourists prefer adventure camping safaris because of the various environmental, physical and personal changes that it brings to their lives. It actually breaks the monotony of the usual smooth and predictable daily routine in their lives. Anybody of course preparing to g

Ever since I’ve been traveling to Europe starting in 1977 – well before American Idol or The X Factor – the Eurovision annual song contest has been a big deal for more than a few of my Old World friends and acquaintances (not to mention the local media). I got to watch it several times surrounded by Europeans, and I must say, the enthusiasm generated by this reliably cheesy collection of crazy outfits, over-the-top antics and sometimes downright goofy tunes (here's a 2010 piece I found on it

On a recent Thursday night in the enticing Hillcrest area of San Diego, Planet Rooth Design Haus brought together the seemingly unlikely but totally pleasing combination of high-end whiskeys, gourmet appetizers, and beautiful artisan furniture.  A group of about 40 gathered to partake of it all and we had a unique and completely enthralling evening. 

If there was a highlight in an evening of highlights, it was the setting in Planet Rooth’s intimate studio and gallery, the artistic enterprise crea

The FAA gets it wrong again.

When Virgin Atlantic announced recently that passengers could make calls on their cell phones on VA’s Airbus A330 and Boeing 747 between London and New York, it was another wake up call to the Federal Aviation Administration to face reality.

Although cellphones can not be used during take off and landing, and the price per call is still steep (about a $1.60 per minute and twenty cents per text),  the point is, as we have reported, about 100 other airlines allow an

Travel as we know it has changed in the last few years. We now get our trip recommendations from travel social networks, and upload our holiday snapshots in real-time. When renting a car to drive in the U.S., there are plenty of apps designed to help you make the best of your trip. Feel free to add your favorites in the comments section!

Gas Buddy: This community-based free app promises to find the cheapeast and closest gas stations. Gas Buddy rewards users who report gas prices and gets great re

Being a native San Franciscan makes me somewhat of an expert on the events, the people, and the pulse of one of the most traveled cities on the planet. In the month of June, in the “City By The Bay,” marks the beginning of what I call “Street Fair Season.” Almost every week in June in San Francisco neighborhoods celebrate the arrival of summer with blocked off streets, arts and crafts, and just about every imaginable type of  succulent street food. Get your groove on at these “San Fran” block pa

What could be more fun than splashing down a warm-water tropical river, dodging this way and that and bouncing in and out of waves in an inflatable raft?
Costa Rica
is one of the world’s top destinations for
whitewater rafting. Just last year the
World Rafting Championship 2011
was held in
Turrialba
on the
Pacuare River. More than 300 international competitors came from 30+ different countries to compete for the title. Winners were Japan for the men’s team and the Czech Republic for the women’s

Lake Manyara is Tanzania’s bird watching paradise which stretches for 50km along the base of the rusty-gold 600-metre high Rift Valley escarpment; Lake Manyara is a scenic gem, with a setting explained by Ernest Hemingway as “the loveliest I had seen in Africa”. The compact game-viewing circuit through lake Manyara’s ecosystem offers a virtual microcosm of the Tanzanian safari experience.

As you enter the gate of Lake Manyara as part of your Tanzania safari trip destination, the road winds throug

by Andy Jarozs

In his 1999 documentary series Hemingway Adventure, Michael Palin, the Monty Python star turned traveler (no relation to Sarah, as far as we know), visited Cuba to see for himself the many places on the island that are associated with the famous writer. He even attempts to secure an interview with Fidel Castro himself; it’s too bad that Castro turned him down, as it would have been fascinating to hear the Bearded One’s memories of fishing and talking politics with his old equally

There have recently been some changes to the way toll roads work in Portugal, with roads that were previously toll-free suddenly becoming paid. Travellers headed for Portugal will come across three different types of roads: national roads, highways and SCUTs.

National roads have no tolls and they're tolerably well-maintained, particularly stretches of road connecting main cities. They have the disadvantage of having lower speed limits than highways or SCUTs. Furthermore, they aren't as direct a r