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New Nordic Cuisine

9008640262?profile=originalI think it’s safe to say that not many of us here in North America are familiar with Nordic cuisine. If you’re up for flying to Copenhagen for the First International Nordic Feed Food Conference August 26 -28th, you’ll have plenty of chances to get acquainted with foods that are unique to Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark.

10 years ago, Nordic countries were virtually invisible on the international dining scene. Lower population levels and remote location may not be the best for publicity and
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North Korea Travel: Visit to Downtown Pyongyang

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.

9008639076?profile=originalAt 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

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10. Your co-workers are fluent in Spanish and are getting looked at for a promotion ahead of you because of it.
9. Your customers speak Spanish, and you are reduced to hand gestures and "gracias" as a means of communication and your Spanish speaking colleagues won’t need to be your personal translators.
8. You like to eat at your local Mexican restaurant, and want to order from the menu without stumbling over every last chalupa.
7. You're taking a trip through Latin America and want to be able to c
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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

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Volunteer-Abroad Insurance Tips

“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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Meo King Castle in Bac Ha Sapa, Vietnam

See more with Go Asia Travel

 

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

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9008637287?profile=originalWomen Biz Travelers to Hotels: Pay Attention to Us

It’s pretty official.

A  comprehensive White Paper produced by Cornell University School of Hotel Management,  reported that “women have become the fastest growing segment of business travelers in the United States.”

In data from 2010, women accounted for nearly half of all business travelers  in the United States, up a huge 43% from 2003.

But what they want from their travels, especially their hotel stays, is very different from what men want.

And
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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  9008633870?profile=originaltour operator. Yes, tour operator – but don’t despair. The other people in the tour group were anything but boring: They inc

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Voluntourist Packing Tips

“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

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Room Rates

Typically people will be prepared to spend more on organic foods, organic clothes, artisan foods, hand made craft work yet it would appear that this trend does not apply to environmentally friendly hotels and restaurants. We are finding that what a lot of people want is merely a cheap room, but one that has all the comforts and amenities of a more pricy room. Because we are partially solar powered it is expected that the room rate should be lower because our energy cost is reduced. But what abou
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Cairo, Capital of Egypt

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

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Pop Goes the Traditional Filipino Nipa Hut

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

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The rugged, beautiful Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica was named one of the world’s Blue Zones—where people live the longest. While you may not be able to visit soon, you can take a few pointers from the centenarians who live there.
 
  • 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.

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  • Faith -- All but one cen
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9008633854?profile=originalSouthampton Inn: Among the Stars but Down to Earth


A random drive along First Neck Lane in fabled Southampton, Long Island, New York brings you very close to gorgeous homes with endless driveways,  selling for 20 to 80 million dollars, and that's in a depressed housing  market.

But a few feet away is the Southampton Inn  an attractive, Tudor Style complex that happens to be a very family friendly place with subdued class.

Owner Dede Gotthelf, a warm and accessible woman, makes it clear that while s
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A police checkpoint somewhere in São Paulo.


On my very first flight to Brazil, back in 2008, when I went to visit the country for the first time, I had a Brazilian guy sitting next to me, and he just couldn’t shut up about how corrupt the police in Brazil is. He had quite a few stories about his encounters with the law but I have to admit that at that time, I took the guy’s stories with a grain of salt.

In the mean time I’ve been pulled over quite a few times during my travels across Brazil in th

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Think of a long awaited, and well-deserved holiday, and images of cultural attractions, sandy beaches, azure waters, new flavors and romantic sunsets, crop up our minds. Now think of a holiday with children...ah, well, as much as we love our kids, not exactly the same images come to mind. Nevertheless, a relaxing and enjoyable holiday for the whole family, away from the stress of our usual everyday race with work, school and other duties, is possible with a few insiders' tips.

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1. Don't break the

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On July 25, the Costa Rican province of Guanacaste celebrated the 187th anniversary of the annexation of Nicoya. The people of Nicoya, in a public event called "cabildo abierto", the equivalent to modern referendums, decided to annex the Partido de Nicoya to the Republic of Costa Rica. On July 25, 1824, Nicoya was formally joined to Costa Rica. Since then, the coat of arms of Nicoya states the words: "De la patria por nuestra voluntad" which could be translated as "part of the nation because of
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Buying Great Fake Reviews on Trip Advisor


If power corrupts then as they say absolute power corrupts absolutely.

TripAdvisor, with it's 45 million reviews of some 500,000 destinations is the undisputed leader in shaping people's perceptions of what hotel they should stay in and where.

Good or bad reviews on the giant site can profoundly affect a hotel's bottom line.

So it comes as no real surprise that some hotels are bribing their guests with offers of free rooms, upgrades, and discounts if they po
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“I never kept a diary, but I wrote detailed notes of my travels.”- David Rockefeller. Your volunteer experience abroad, makes up part of your life as an individual; it basically shapes who you are at the present. Most volunteers change their outlook towards life after spending some time working with people who are often less fortunate than they are. It is therefore a good idea to keep a record what the experience brought to you. Once you have documented your experience you can keep what you came

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Silent Waters Villa is a superb location for a family reunion, corporate retreat, destination wedding (seating 54 guests) or just a small group of friends seeking a most unusual holiday experience. Nestled in the hills of Jamaica, overlooking pristine forests and the spectacular turquoise waters of Montego Bay sits a truly remarkable private Jamaica resort property .... an enchanting heaven.

Silent Waters is one of the  most glamorous luxury rental villas in Jamaica.  This award-winning Jamaica

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