Blogs

One of the vexing ironies of travel is that Visitor Information Centers (VIC) do little to nothing to enhance or promote the destination they represent. If anything, they can be a “turn off” for the destination.

Visitor centers are usually some functional building filled with tired staffers surrounded by lots of brochures, a few maps and mundane kinds of information.

Almost never anything interactive

Great places to use the restrooms and buy a Coke and a bag of chips.

Not so with the UK city

http://www.examiner.com/culinary-travel-in-national/love-is-everywhere-on-valentine-s-day

Love is everywhere on Valentine’s Day

Malaysia is an interesting country with many ethnic groups creating a multicultural society. Penang on the northwest coast of the Malay Peninsula is a popular tourist destination for people from many areas of the world. So, it should not be surprising to see Valentine decorations.  Valentine’s Day may have started as a western holiday but it turns out that the Chinese ha

Costa Rica offers to its visitors a wide range of activities and attractions, spread out all over the country; from coast to coast our visitors can find lots of options and destinations to explore in our country.

Tortuguero is one of the highlights, very popular among the nature lovers; this national park offers wide biodiversity of flora and fauna species. Nestled in the north part of the Costa Rican Caribbean Coast, this area offers unique characteristics to its visitors.

Turtle-nesting is one o

Sometimes the best vacation is one where you don't go anywhere at all. For the last three years Ray and I have been spending a week in Palm Springs just like the other tourists going to the Palm Springs International Film Festival. Sonny Bono started the film festival 23 years ago and it keeps getting better every year.

There is a strong link between tourism in Portugal and Porto Portugal attractions. Porto Portugal attractions consists of world heritage sites, Valley along the banks of river Douro and the second biggest metro city in Portugal with full of colors and smell of old noble wine. Porto connects the contemporary world with past through various ways. Porto is the right incorporation of old architecture go in hand with modern architecture. When it comes to Porto Portugal attractions one cannot avoid th

The invitation came via an innocent e.mail from a source I did not know.

Swiss International Airlines, a 10-year-old carrier that had succeeded the bankrupt SwissAir, was inviting me to join a small group of American journalists on a four-night trip that would include one night on the plane and three in Swiss hotels.

With fading memories of my only previous press trip to Switzerland, I jumped at the chance, joining two women and one other man in an adventure so full that it seemed at least a week

Yee Sang is one of those fun recipes that always turns out right.  It is popular during Chinese New Year with people in Malaysia and Singapore because the names mean “abundance” and “liveliness,” both of which are auspicious for the coming year.

Collect the following ingredients but, truthfully, one can pick the items that they best like. If you don’t have one of the ingredients, double up on what you have or substitute.

7 oz fresh salmon, tuna or any white fish of your choice

3 oz  shredded carro

We all know how hurtful those roaming fees can be, but we don't usually notice until we get the phone bill after traveling. Most travelers nowadays rely on their mobile devices to keep them up to date, especially while being abroad. Here some insightful data: according to the Traveler's Road to Decision 2011, the internet remains the leading source for travel planning information in the US. Additionally, it was found that 85% of travelers used the internet as a travel planning source, and 78% wa

Thinking of coming to Costa Rica, and looking for something different? An experience off the beaten path and unique? Check out Costa Rica’s “lost coast” from Dominical to Uvita. This lesser-traveled region along the southern Pacific Coast is a magical place where lush, green, rain forested mountains tumble down to the warm aquamarine sea. It is an exotic paradise of hidden treasures – verdant jungle, rushing rivers, majestic waterfalls, spectacular sunsets, palm and almond tree-lined volcanic da

Not surprisingly, when any country or territory takes the bold step to legalize same-sex marriages the business community subsequently decides it is acceptable to adopt a gay positive attitude. Such was the case in other countries like Canada following the 2005 Same-Sex Marriage Act and it now appears to be the circumstance in Argentina since the passing of the new law in 2010.

While this is a positive outcome of gay marriage there are also some precautions for the LGBT community to observe. Wh

 Who "invented" music   St. Yared or Mozart? 

Born and raised in Ethiopia, Saint Yared is the foremost composer of Ethiopian Orthodox Church song melodies. Yared was born on April 25, 505 A.D. in the city of Aksum (Axum). His father was named Adam and his mother Tauklia.Qine. A very high, elaborate, cryptic, complex form of Ge’ez poetry is credited to Saint Yared of Ethiopia.  It is usually rich in religious,historical and legendary allusions. Nevertheless, Yared’s place in Ethiopian culture is

The title says it all – "Bordeaux World Heritage & Its Wines."

The Lake Charles, Louisiana, Mardi Gras Museum is housed in a building that was once a school. Today the building is the Central School Arts & Humanities Center.  The Mardi Gras Museum is just one of the organizations housed in the building. The museum claims to have the largest collection of Mardi Gras costumes on display – they are fantastic.  Besides the amazing costumes they have animated mannequins that tell the story of Mardi Gras and talking Mardi Gras chickens that are trying to escape b

Nosara Beach is a beautiful beach destination sitting on the north pacific coast of Costa Rica, enclosed by sea on one side and tropical forest on the other. Nosara, a beach Village of Guanacaste Province is actually a base camp for experienced surfers, a hidden place for honeymooners and there are many adventure tours for families.

We decided to go because my brother is living here. Considering the driving time from San Jose - 4.5 hours driving – and the dirty roads for the last 45 kms, when you

REVIEW:

Beaches is the ultimate all inclusive family vacation resort. Voted World's Best 10 Yrs In a Row! This All-Inclusive resort is set on the widest stretch of Seven Mile Beach. The resort is located on twenty acres of some of the most amazing property in Negril with tropical gardens and in my opinion the widest stretch of  Negrils famed 7-mile beach. Beaches Negril is truly a resort in paradise. With something for everyone in the family, this resort is a must see for families, couples, singl

The northern bulge of the city of Boston, the "North End," is the Italian district--some think of it as Boston's Italian Epcot.  Almost every restaurant is Italian.  The street signs are in Italian.  The bakeries are all Italian (connoli, taralli, biscotti, etc.).  Even the pharmacy is Italian. 

But real people, even non-Italians, do live there, and despite the demolition of the  "other" Green Monster (the rusted, green steel overhead highway system that ran right through the city, cutting off t

Located on Lantau Island next to the Hong Kong International Airport, the SkyCity Marriott is more than your average airport hotel.  It is a destination with great culinary experiences awaiting the traveler looking for something out of the ordinary. Located on the mezzanine level with a view of the South China Sea, the Man Ho offers authentic dishes from the Pearl River Delta with a weekday special all-you-can-eat Dim Sum Luncheon.  From their wide selection of dim sum try their Pork and Shrimp

Andrew Curry, Director and Co-author of The Futures Company is a smart guy.

When he discuses the future of travel in Travel Daily News he makes it a point of saying he tries to avoid techno-centric visions of the future, stuff like flying cars and all-wise robots.

These assumptions or projections, he says, simply do not accord with the world as we know it. A look at the future of travel, he says,  has to take into account the infrastructure world,  models and social values that we know and have

Everyone who travels around this coconut runs into hawkers. They try to sell you everything from bongs to plastic models of the Taj Mahal. Many just will not leave a person alone. They follow you down the street putting tubes of tiger balm or fake Rolex watches in your hand. They all know two words in English "good price". Some know how to say "me poor, need money for family." 99% of the time they are selling some POS I have no desire to own. I try to say "no" nicely. The second  time I say it a

Walking around downtown San Jose, Costa Rica, is an outing full of bright surprises thanks to an outdoor art exhibit centered on the message of peace.

Seventy vividly painted larger-than-life doves perch here and there throughout the downtown area’s main boulevards, plazas and parks in the “Peace Parade.” Made of fiberglass and standing 2 meters tall (over 6 feet), the doves were artistically decorated by local schoolchildren and national artists. Each one bears a different message of peace.

Peace