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Every summer during the August bank holiday weekend, a celebration of unique kind and scale, takes place on the streets of west London. The Notting Hill Carnival is an annual celebration of the Caribbean culture – a million people gather to enjoy the spectacle of exotic costumes, dance at the beats of the traditional steel drum bands and savour the Caribbean delicacies -  jerk chicken and fried plantain.

Sunday is the best day to visit, if you are thinking of taking the children to the Notting Hi

I'm writing on a laptop. Yes I am. I have a blackberry, not an iphone. I do not own a kindle, portable tv or an ipad. I resisted the VHS to DVD switch. I love my original nintendo and don't own (and never have) an xbox, playstation or Wii. I, however, am feeling guilty. On my travels there are some essentials. Computer, Camera, phone, Ipod, chargers (wall and car), dvd player, you know the list. I was at the airport waiting for my plane and stopped. In the crowded waiting room, I noticed everyon

BACKWATERS of INDIA

Why: The local slogan for Kerala is ‘God’s own country’. A big statement but, it’s very special. This is south India’s top destination for history, and for pampering and relaxation. The ancient healing art of Ayurveda is available here for devotees as well as stressed out travellers. A bit of pampering in India is a good idea as travelling here is full on and at times tiring.

Famous for: Kerala’s backwaters comprise a network of waterways that are the natural transport web.  T

The latest buzz word eco has unfortunately triggered travel suppliers to saturate the market with hundreds of loosely understood eco holiday-labeled travel products, causing consumer confusion as to what the term ecotourism truly represents. 

Good intentions aside, while travelers want to make responsible vacation purchasing decisions based on ethical environmental standards for sustainability and conservation rather than marketing tactics, some common pitfalls befall most, including:

1. Not understa

Best Picks for  Summertime Travel Novels

It's summer “ and the reading should be easy,” so I came up with a short list of a few travel novels that I personally found especially rich and exciting.

Very often a travel novel is a far better read than a guide book. It creates a vividness and depth of a town or village or city more memorably.

And so, with temps hovering in the 90’s, here are my summer picks for a lazy read. You certainly have your own.

In Travels with a Tangerine, Tim Mackintosh-Smith  s

B&Bs, aka Bed & Breakfasts, are the perfect choice for a couple or a single person traveling. I can't honestly say how it would be to take kids--I've been at a B&B where the owner's two kids controlled the place, but that was the parents fault, not the guests. I guess it would depend on how well behaved your children are.  In all my stays at B&B's I have yet to see other guests bring their children.

Upon arrival, you will be given a tour of the common rooms and shown to your room. Unless you go

Extensively stretched over in the area of West Bengal India, Sunderban National Park is an ideal destination for nature lovers in the form of lush green surroundings, jungle wilderness and goodness of rich flora and fauna beauty abundantly available in the park makes it a wide hub for tourists all around the world. Travelers can experience the marvels of largest Tiger Reserve in Sunderbans.            

Sunderban is spread over in 1330.10 sq km area with three most prominent wild life sanctuaries

San Diego is a great place to be in the summer. The weather is great for snorkeling at The Cove, kayaking at La Jolla Shores, surfing at the Shores, Windansea or Bird Rock, and just hanging out at the beach. There's also lots of fun stuff to do at night.

Take a squizz at the list below and see if you don't agree.

Now through Sept 5 - The Museum of Contemporary Art in La Jolla’s summer exhibit is “High Fidelity: Selections from the 1960s and 1970s” plus “Emperor’s River: Philipp Scholz Rittermann.

To be human is to live for adventure. Many of us will perhaps only visit a destination once in a lifetime. Others will go back to familiar places or seek out new dreams. Here are five adventures that you sure do not want to miss before you leave the planet. I picked five of my favorites: Playing a round of Golf in the birthplace of Golf at historic St. Andrews in Scotland, Scuba Diving in the crystal clear waters of the Red Sea, Sky Diving over Moab in the U.S. state of Utah, River Rafting on Fu

 Arezzo was one of the major Etruscan city, also known for being in a strategic geographical position close to some wonderful places around our Province.

I would like to tell you something about unforgettable places which I know very well like Cortona and Castiglion Fiorentino, which take part at the "Valdichiana" which is one of the four main valleys near my medieval city (Arezzo).

You get from Arezzo to Cortona and Castiglion Fiorentino in 30 minutes by car.

Another example is the short distance,

We have found some more tips how to sooth your skin if you have got sunburned. Cooling the skin also works as a great pain reliever and helps you and your skin to relax

Take an oatmeal bath:

Add two cups of oatmeal to the bottom of a nylon sock. Tie up the sock, and let warm water pour over the pouch. Leave pouch in tub as you bathe.

Another Sunburn Healing Bath:
Fill a handkerchief tied with string or a muslin teabag with the following:

1/4 cup rolled oats
1/8 cup whole milk powder
1 teaspoon tea

A three day holiday was declared in the UAE so people could celebrate the birth of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Mary Ann and I decided it was our three day 4^th of July holiday, albeit a few days early. Never look a gift holiday in the mouth I always say.

Three days obviously is not a long enough time to take an international trip, and with 3 or 4 of those planned to round out the year, we decided not fly anywhere.

We had never been to Abu Dhabi. It is the capitol of the UAE. AD is the largest Emir

I have to confess I’m not a big fan of reality TV, but since all the buzz in our corner of San Diego is about MTV’s The Real World being filmed in Bird Rock – I chose that neighborhood for a long walk today.

Located at the south end of La Jolla, Bird Rock is divided by La Jolla Boulevard. On the east side of the thoroughfare, mid-price family homes predominate, but the ocean side has some stunning houses with fantastic coastal panoramas.

One of these stunners – at 5212 Chelsea Street – is where th

After discovering Chilean olive oils, piscos, fruits, wines and gourmet products at Puro Chile’s Feria Supermarket in Manhattan’s SoHo district, I was eager to participate in the current wine seminar there.

The event, hosted by Mauricio Banchieri Carter, CEO of Puro Chile, was held on July 7^th and was the beginning of monthly tastings of wines exclusively from Chile.  Vicente Pina, certified wine educator and consultant for the Vin de Vin Wine Tasting & Collecting, opened the seminar by announci

A GUIDE FOR VIEWERS AND TRAVELERS

The Ironman 70.3 Triathlon is coming to the Pocono Mountains on October 2, and this is a big deal for both athletes and onlookers. It will be the first Ironman triathlon in Pennsylvania, and because it takes place in and around the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, it features some of the most beautiful scenery in the Middle Atlantic region. Odds are the athletes won't really appreciate it – they'll be focusing on swimming 1.2 miles in the Delaware