Blogs

Like Ibiza, the name Mykonos has become a byword, especially among Europeans, for the quintessential picturesque Mediterranean holiday playground: sunwashed; fetching beaches bathed in the crystalline Aegean Sea; a natural landscape dotted with whitewashed houses (and even a few iconic windmills, 16th-century echoes of Spain’s own La Mancha); and of course the main town, Chora, offering an international famous (and sometimes infamous) nightlife where everyone is welcome, straight, gay and everyt

If you have read Herman Melville's Moby Dick, you're acutely aware that 19th-century Nantucket whaling culture majorly inspired this tale of punishing seas and relentless harpooning made it a perilous livelihood. Nowhere in the plot line are scenes of lounging on the beach, boat regattas, or hitting trendy boutiques and island-to-table restaurants.

But look beyond the azure waters, remarkably similar to the Caribbean or the South Pacific, that greet you upon approaching Nantucket's shoreline just

Richard Mortel

Visitors to Hong Kong Island know about the iconic Victoria Peak and other tourist favorites, but here are three fun things to do when staying at downtown's 550-room Ibis Ibis Hong Kong Central and Sheung Wan Hotel.

The Historic Trams

Take the tram for a step back in time and explore the bustling north corridor of Hong Kong Island aboard one of the city's affordable, fun, historic trams. These double-decker streetcars have been traveling through Hong Kong's busiest thoroughfares

Lounging by the pool and yacking it up can get old, so here is something untypical to do when killing an afternoon in Palm Springs, CA. Open to visitors is a real B-17 bomber from World War II with access throughout from the nose to the tail. This is one of the few displays that let people go inside a restored aircraft that still flies. When seeing this airplane, it brought home a small part of what a relative had gone through behind a .50-caliber machine gun at a waist gunner station over Germa

Our recent “ultimate European road trip” now heads north through Italy's lake country, stopping at Lake Lugano, between Garda and Maggiore. About two thirds of this lake's shoreline is in Switzerland and about one third in Italy, resulting in a blending of their respective cultures which creates a unique as well as charming destination.

Flanked by much two larger lakes, the "lake in the middle" still outshines both with its intimate-feeling setting surrounded by majestic mountains and many pictu

Barcelona

A fun and very popular destination in the recent years, the city is a showcase of the national culture of Catalonia, Spain's ethnically distinct northeasternmost region. There are several tourist attractions that captivate millions of visitors, foremost of which is the Sagrada Familia church, visited by around 3 million people anually (long queues, but definitely worth it). Designed by Antoni Gaudi, it began construction in 1882 and is due to finally be finished in 2026, the 100th an

Sherwood

Up in the Andes mountains south of Ecuador's political capital Quito and east of its largest city and commercial capital Guayaquil, this city named for the the city in Spain that was the hometown of the Spanish viceroy at the time of its founding in 1557 (later than the above two) is so lovely and historic that it’s been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999, and in addition to a growing tourism destination has also become a magnet for expatriates, especially from the USA.

Probably

When dreams come true, they no longer seem like dreams. For me to imagine that, when I first took an airplane abroad alone, to Paris, that I had no friends anywhere in Europe or Asia. Now, years later, another early dream involved weddings. It seemed like the ultimate way to show that you'd been accepted into a culture, to take part in one of its most personal expressions. It was an unmet dream, In fact, until Taiwan, despite all my travels and international friends, I'd never been to a wedding

Some 65 million years ago, a 10-kilometer-wide asteroid crossed into the Earth’s atmosphere and impacted in the Yucatán Peninsula It spelled the end of the age of the dinosaurs. Under the ground, the rocks cracked and turned into lakes, riverbeds and caves. The water did the rest, eroding each little piece of rock and turning it into stalactites and stalagmites, curves, waterfalls, rivers, small beaches and lagoons.

In 2009, 59 hectares of that territory, converted into a natural work of art

Costa Rica has been a popular destination for North American expats for decades. And this happy country recently was again named one of the best countries to retire.

Why is Costa Rica such a great place to live?

Stability & Safety

Located in between Nicaragua and Panama in Central America, and with two coastlines (Caribbean and Pacific), Costa Rica has had a stable democratic government for almost 70 years. Costa Rica also avoided most of the conflicts that plagued its Central American neighbors i

One glance up Princess Street is enough to give anyone a boost. Blokes in kilts play the bagpipes alongside businessmen; locals take their dogs out for a stroll; groups of lads hang out downing pints of beer; and thousands of tourists peruse the shops. The main street in the centre of Edinburgh is quite smart, as are many parts of the downtown.

Though Scottish politicians may be currently locking horns with the mandarins in London over the question of devolution, the atmosphere in Scotland‘s capi

Author's blog

Traveling through space is geography.  Traveling through time is history.  I just finished reading the Travels of Marco Polo and Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux simultaneously; okay, actually I was alternating between them.  As fate would have it, they’re traveling somewhat the same route, at least part of the way.  No I didn’t plan it that way.  If I had, then it wouldn’t be serendipity.  I like that word, and I like the meaning behind it—the happy accident, the brilliant mist

PatricioHidalgoP



For years I had this kinda funny (as in funky, not ha-ha) tree growing right smack in the middle of my front yard in Miami. It was admittedly not a particularly cuddly or friendly looking bit of botany, its trunk dramatically prickling all over as it is with stubby conical thorns. But for me it’s all about the mystique, being as it is a ceiba (English names include “kapok,” “silk cotton,” and “silk floss”). This is a genus of tropical flora which though found as far afield as

The vast majority of visitors to Bath find themselves entranced by the city's elegant architecture and its charming setting, nestling among the hills of the southern edge of the Cotswolds.  Not so Jane Austen, who allegedly hated the city, and had to be dragged there against her will in 1801 when her father moved the family to Bath upon his retirement.  Jane's antipathy towards the city almost undoubtedly provided the inspiration for the main character of her novel Persuasion, Anne Elliott, who

Pilots fly guests to Santa Rosa Island, where they explore forests, beaches, and a historical ranch on foot or in four-wheel-drive vehicles.

To begin this 5 1/2-hour excursion, pilots whisk passengers away on a 25-minute flight in a Britten-Norman Islander, across a stretch of the Pacific to the hilly, grass-strewn Santa Rosa Island. Upon landing, enjoy a self-packed picnic lunch on a secluded beach or on one of the cliffs that overlooks the water. After lunch, visit popular attractions on the

The tour started of with an early morning breakfast and on to our jeepney ride, which would take us to the rice terraces and one of the surrounding villages. Jeepneys are popular means of public transportation in the Philippines. They were originally left over US military jeeps from World War II that were stripped down to accommodate more seating and of decorated with a very vibrant spectrum of colors and several different chrome decorations. One cannot go through the streets of Manila witho

More and more people are beginning to realise that travel insurance is a very important part of any comprehensive plan to have a fun, healthy and successful trip. Plans vary greatly when it comes to what they do and do not cover, but most people will definitely find a plan that fits their needs perfectly. The risks covered by travel insurance plans are very significant, and having coverage would be a very big mitigating factor to those risks. Accidents, emergency evacuation, terrorism, bankrupt

Iceland is the best place in the world to see the beauty of the glaciers surrounded by huge mottled fields with cracks. Holidays in Iceland with amazing Iceland Glaciers will be the unbelievable trip for the any travellers.

Experience, too, the most beautiful, enhancing and charming majestic waterfalls in Iceland. It gives the visitor an opportunity to walk behind the water falls. Holiday in Iceland with majestic waterfalls will be an unexpectable experience for all tourists.

Iceland is a ve

The exuberance of the Amazon’s flora and fauna is unique throughout the world. One of the most interesting and exciting trips that you could ever take in your life is a cruise along this fascinating river. Brazil's Rio Negro river, the powerful tributary of the North Basin, is often the setting for most of the cruises and expeditions departing from Manaus, the most common access path to the Amazon. Personally, we recommend access by boat because, although the aerial view is spectacular, you do n