Featured Posts (5146)

Sort by

Choosing a Cruise

James and I are in the process of choosing a cruise for December, and let me tell you, it is not easy. Due to the podcast and the website, we want to have as many cruising experiences as possible, so we can't really choose a favorite line and stick with it like most people do. (Although this will really hurt our chances at any loyalty programs) There are so many considerations that my head is spinning at this point. It is difficult to decide what priority to give each consideration. But, I will
Read more…
Let’s face it: women just like to do different things, talk about different subjects, shop and have fun. Without the boys around, the girls can let their hair down, not worry about how they look or how good they are at something – quite simply, they can relax. That is why a women-only trip is chicken soup for the soul.

Trips just for women are nothing new – there are many different companies offering “adventure” or just hiking or biking trips. However there was, until now, a gap in the market fo
Read more…
After a very long day of driving through some of the worst roads we've ever seen (I-86), we arrived at Monticello Casino and Raceway just before nightfall. We took a few minutes to gather ourselves and then made our way into the casino.

I-86-to-NYC-01-300x225.jpg?width=300

Hungry and very tired we made our way around the casino (looking for a lucky machine) and to the food court for a hot meal. The casino workers were very unfriendly (but we are in New York so that should be expected right?).

We ordered some potato pancakes with sour
Read more…
¨La Sabana¨ well known signature of San Jose´s downtown. This park is the biggest and most important urban park in the country. Covers an area of 72 Ha and has been the recreational and sports space for many Costa Ricans during decades.

sabana_sanjose3-300x171.jpg?width=291Officially name ¨La Sabana Metropolitan Park¨, this place represents the green space of downtown San Jose. It was inaugurated in 1977 by the president at the time, Daniel Oduber, who classified it as a Metropolitan Park, worked on planting some trees and grass, re
Read more…
9008643452?profile=original
How Will Google + and Panda Affect Travel?

Hotelmarketing.com  was pretty blunt in saying that Google +, in conjunction with Panda updates, “could be the biggest shift in search since it took off 13 years ago.”

Up to now the mysterious ways of Google’s algorithms  were the greatest source of digital traffic to travel companies and their web sites or content pages.

They were their business lifeblood.

It now seems the search paradigm has changed.

The presence of the +1 button (on Technorati’s content
Read more…

In Costa Rica you can find a big number of places to visit, those are usually divided by tourist regions; among the most popular can be found Monteverde, Manuel Antonio and La Fortuna. This time let´s focus on La Fortuna – Arenal area.

The history of the area began around the 1930´s, when the first inhabitants came to these lands. At the beginning this village was part of the district of ¨Los Angeles de San Ramon¨, but after 1950 the locals decided to be part of San Carlos´ canton, being declar

Read more…

North Korea Travel: Mass Games in Pyongyang

Part 3 of a four-part series by J. Thalia Cunningham


My visit to North Korea centered around the annual Mass Games in the capital, Pyongyang. The Mass Games, or Arirang, were more amazing than anything I saw in the DPRK, and that really is saying something.

 

9008639252?profile=original

Undoubtedly one of the greatest shows on earth, the Mass Games, which are not games at all, is a grand performance in a stadium that celebrates North Korea's national holidays. The 90-minute event pays homage to the Worker's Party, the mil

Read more…

Volunteers Abroad and Vaccinations

“Vaccination is the medical sacrament corresponding to baptism.” - Samuel Butler. No one likes to fall ill when travelling, be it for volunteer work, but more so if you are taking a trip as a tourist. The risk for catching disease is increased when travelling to another continent. It is therefore advisable when you are travelling to any country for you to make sure you have all your immunization shots. Immunization schedules are usual personalized according to an individual immunization history,

Read more…

Marine Tourism In Indonesia's Raja Ampat Islands

Marine Tourism In The Raja Ampat Islands in West Papua is the most ideal place of maritime tourism in Indonesia today. Beautiful views of Raja Ampat, is second to none elsewhere. So far, Raja Ampat is better known for diving marine tourism. And for tourists in our country can enjoy the nautical tourism with a walk by renting speedboad among the small islands which around 700 island in Raja Ampat.

Raja Ampat name reputedly comes from the legend rooted in its territory. It is said that there was a

Read more…

Who would know that there are still some wine regions and vintners in France that American’s don’t know enough about? I do now, and soon you will too. I got an intriguing email on a Monday evening asking if I’d like to come meet one of the most influential and visionary French vintners -- Gerard Bétrand – on his turf – in the South of France., and by the way would I like to attend his annual Jazz Festival while I was there? The catch was… I would need to drop everything and hop on a plane in 24

Read more…
9296553489?profile=originalIstanbul, The Cross, Crescent and Spires w/Video


Istanbul is twice the size of New York city and is remarkably free of crime – safer, perhaps, than most major American cities.

If you’ve never been to a Middle Eastern metropolis, this may be the one to visit first.

Hopefully,  your first glimpse will be the skyline at dusk, and you may  never forget it.

Slender, illuminated minarets pierce the sky, and the domes of the Hagia Sophia, once Christianity’s most revered site, shimmer in the glow of the
Read more…

What? Back to school announcements already? I’m just getting into the swing of things and still have so many plans for summer activities. It’s like seeing that first yellow Aspen leaf. I don’t know about you but I’M NOT READY for fall!

With still a few weeks left of summer break, I’m going to pack it in. Only, I’m digging deep into my wallets and coming up with lint. Thankfully, there are many things to do that don’t involve money. All you need are bathing suits, a creative mind and the  energy t

Read more…

Geneva State Park Campground

geneva-state-park-camp-300x225.jpg?width=300Nice hardwood forest campground with electric on site, offering a shower house with flush toilets situated along northeastern Ohio's Lake Erie shoreline in Geneva Ohio.

This was just a quick 2 night camping trip to get the RV ready for the upcoming trip to New England (shakedown trip #3). We were here on a Sunday and Monday night, and it was very quiet, just what we were hoping for.

We chose site #68, all the way in the far back of the campground, on a cul de sac.

Unf

Read more…

When Volunteers Abroad Commit Crimes

Choosing to be a volunteer is a noble choice for many. There is a lot of good that comes from volunteer work, but sometimes we have a few volunteers who for lack of a better term find themselves falling through the cracks and committing serious crimes while in the course of their volunteer work abroad. 
To get a clear perspective on this we will take an example from a recent crime committed by a former American Peace Corp volunteer in South Africa. According to media reports, Jesse Osmun, 31, wor

Read more…

Nude Beach and Nudist Resort Vacations Are Hot

9008639863?profile=originalA Tripadvisor nude beach survey of 12,000 people finds that 49% of Americans would like to take a nudist vacation themselves. In a similar survey by CNBC two years ago, 40% of respondents said they'd like to try a nude vacation. Now 53% want to do it. In a nation with about 300 million citizens, that would be quite a lot of nudists.

This is not to say that nude recreation is new. As the American Association for Nude Recreation points out, “For centuries skinny-dipping has been widely accepted as

Read more…

  As a frequent traveler between Los Angeles and San Diego, I've watched the "sleepy" little town of Temecula, in fact the entire Temecula Valley, transform into a thriving wine community.  Thornton Winery is a centerpiece of Temecula Wine Country, best known for fine champagnes.  But it's also a destination in itself, and for 22 years has been home to one of California's most successful jazz & wine "pairings."  The 8/7 show in the Champagne Jazz Concert Series featured keyboard favorite Keiko M

Read more…

Located in the district of Sawai Madhopur, in Rajasthan, Ranthambore is one of the biggest national parks in India, protecting the Royal Bengal Tigers. Ranthambore was maharajas’ favorite hunting ground in olden days. Presently the park is a famous tourist spot attracting wildlife photographers and lovers alike to spend exciting holidays. Spread over a vast area of 1,334 square kilometers, Ranthambore is home to the wildest predators. Watching them live in action, in their natural habitat is a v

Read more…
A large number of travelers all over the world would desire to have a gorilla tour; the criticism happens to be how the expense of a gorilla trip is much more than the common amount of money you would spend on a safari in Africa. For the reason that, you may only see the mountain gorillas in Uganda and Rwanda, One particular permit per client costs USD 500. Ask yourself how would you go to see these endangered species without having to spend a lot of your money.

The first guideline is book sooner
Read more…

The English Beat Rocks Temecula!

Much like a gorgeous Bordeaux blend paired with an aged-to-perfection Havarti cheese, Temecula’s Wine Country has many well-known “pairings” - Wilson Creek Winery & their Almond Champagne; Masia de Yabar & their numerous Argentine Malbecs; Thornton Winery & their annual Champagne Jazz Series; and South Coast & their lovely Grapeseed Spa.  There are others, of course (name your favorite), but one “pairing” that has now climbed to the top as one of my personal favorites is without a doubt Wiens Fa
Read more…

Online Fundraising for Volunteering Abroad

“You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give.”- Winston Churchill. Fundraising is a concept that is not strange to many of us; it’s basically a form of raising money towards a given cause.  There are newer more popular ways coming up which a volunteer can use to fundraise; one of them is online fundraising. Fundraising through online websites is a way for you as a volunteer to get more money, and people involved. It also helps you to build a network of well wishers and do

Read more…