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A 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

  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

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

“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

Part 2 of a four-part series by J. Thalia Cunningham.

The capital of North Korea has more than its shares of monuments, but presumably, people live here, too. So one day our tour group visited some places beyond the great monuments and memorials that might offer some insight into what real life in Pyongyang is like.

At a department store, a few women were nosing around the perfume counter. Upstairs we spotted a man and woman at the jewelry counter. Otherwise, we were the only folks in the stor

Is Google’s New Hotel Finder a Game Changer?

I don’t know if Google’s recently-launched  Hotel Finder  is actually a game changer, or, as Google itself said,  “an experiment in finding the perfect hotel.”

But it’s fun to play with.

Eric Leist,  an emerging technologies specialist says  that it’s always interesting to see information we scroll  through linearly, suddenly presented  in a new, visually interesting and user-friendly layout.” 

Google's Hotel Finder does just that: Takes hotel search re

“Its success lies in the fact that it's an insurance plan, not an investment plan or a welfare plan.” -James Roosevelt. As any volunteer abroad would attest, travelling just like everything else comes with its risks, some are foreseeable therefore avoidable but a good number are not. To make sure you are not very highly affected by such risks, it is beneficial to most volunteer to purchase some travel insurance when they leave their countries. This is just in case anything goes wrong shortly bef

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The Hoang A Tuong Castle (Dinh Vua Meo) is located in Na Hoi Tho Hamlet, Bac Ha District. The castle was built at the beginning of the 20th century (between 1914 and 1921). Its owner was Hoang Yen Chao of Tay origin. He was the father of Hoang A Tuong, a tribal mandarin under the domination of the French colonialists.

Covering an area of 4,000m² in which the main building occupies 420m², the castle is a unique construction work, which harmonizes the Oriental and West

Part 1 of a four-part series by J. Thalia Cunningham

While North Korea has not given up its hobby of saber-rattling at South Korea, it has made things a little easier for travelers who want to visit. I've found that getting in via Beijing is pretty straightforward, provided it’s done "properly” -- that is, by obtaining visas and making arrangements through an authorized  tour operator. Yes, tour operator – but don’t despair. The other people in the tour group were anything but boring: They inc

“I'm very strict with my packing and have everything in its right place. I never change a rule. I hardly use anything in the hotel room. I wheel my own wardrobe in and that's it.” - Charlie Watts. How you pack when you leave home for volunteer work, will determine how you get off to work on your project. Many volunteers, especially first time travelers, have a problem in knowing what to carry with them abroad, and how best to do their packing. Add to that the hustles of the airport and being in

Cairo, Egypt has always been attracting travelers, dating back over 10 centuries ago to the time of the Mamluks.

However, the beautiful, hectic, crowded, surprising, enchanting (and every other cool sounding adjective) city of Cairo is still in the eyes of the Egyptians the City Victorious, known officially as al-Qahirah or simply "Masr", the name for Egypt as a whole. Cairo is one of the world's largest urban areas and offers many sites to visit. It is the administrative capital of Egypt and, cl

I recently came across and was charmed by this late-2009 hit from the Philippines' popular band Hale celebrating nostalgia for this sprawling archipelago’s countryside whence most Filipinos come, at least within a generation or two. Bahay Kubo is the sweet, laid-back lead single from this four-year-old band’s fourth album, Kundiman. It’s a bit of a departure for this foursome — their first entirely in Tagalog and focusing on purely Pinoy themes. With a simple story line starring lead linger Cham

• Water—Nicoya’s water has Costa Rica’s highest calcium content. Primarily, calcium strengthens bones and prevents falls from being serious.
• Family -- Centenarians tend to live as a couple, with children or grandchildren from whom they get support.

• Faith -- All but one cen