While on a boat cruise on the Chao Praya River recently I thought to myself "wouldn't it be cool to jump on a jet ski and zip past all these temples, river boat barges, long tail boats, ferry boats, river cruise boats and anything else that commonly floats past the banks of Bankok". A search yielded no results other then one - a tour offered by a local named Many who mentioned a stop at a jet ski center, marina and restaurant. She offered a … [Read more...]
Connecting with Locals and Experiencing Village Life in Thailand
When I travel I try to take advantage of meeting locals and seeking out home stay opportunities. Rather than seeing a country from just my own perspective, often times more superficially, staying with locals allows one to see and experience a country through their eyes. I find experiences more rewarding and despite the usual communication barriers I discover they are also intrigued with my perspectives and are curious about my own travels. My … [Read more...]
Home-stay in Kochkor, Kyrgyzstan
I always enjoy the "real" aspect of living as the locals live - having done home stay in various countries around the world. Before setting out on a 5 day trek into the Tian Shan Mountains of northern Kyrgyzstan, I stopped by the Shepherd's Life tourism office to make trekking arrangements. They also recommended a nearby family who rents out rooms. This elderly couple speak no English - we communicated via a few words in German, Russian and … [Read more...]
5 Top European Adventures You’ve (Probably) Never Heard Of
There are certainly the go to and much loved destinations in Europe. Cities such as London, Paris and Rome quickly come to mind. However, the focus of this list is to highlight some lesser known European locations and adventures. Have you experienced any of these or been to these locations? Suggest some of your favorites: leave comments below. For experiences similar to the ones mentioned below, Contiki Tours (age 18-35) offers a number of … [Read more...]
Unusual, Odd, Uncomfortable or Unique Stays
Recently I spent a miserable night on the island of Trinidad in a hot vehicle parked in the rainforest with the windows cracked to get some air while fighting a random assortment of biting flying bugs. This caused me to think about other interesting nights I have spent including one night next to a partially rotting deer (don't ask) and a frigid night in Spain grossly under dressed for the weather in March sleeping in a dirt field covered in … [Read more...]
Gothenburg and West Sweden – Winter 2013 Updates
The latest selection of inspirational new holiday ideas and travel news from Gothenburg and West Sweden – including festive holidays across the region and a new initiative which allows visitors to sample homestays with Swedes living locally. Gothenburg the Christmas city Feel festivity levels soar with a winter break in Gothenburg, only a short two-hour flight from London. Mixing a warm sense of tradition with contemporary Swedish design, … [Read more...]
Escaping the Monotony! Solo traveling in Vietnam
Being an aggressively passionate traveler, I have a very low tolerance for mechanical life that comes along with the working environment. This leads to frustration with a need to elope, to explore a new destination. I decided to take a few days off and chose to fly to Hanoi. I was both, backpacking solo and traveling to Vietnam for the first time. With great excitement I landed in Hanoi. Hanoi is full of life and to me it came across … [Read more...]
Relaxing in Ubud, Bali
Recently we were in Bali for a week. We spent most of our time in the Ubud area and this article focuses on area attractions and information regarding this region. The closest International Airport is in Denpasar which is about 1 hour and 20 minutes from the town of Ubud. From the airport the cheapest way to get to Ubud is to take a taxi to the bus station in Legion/Kuta and from the station, a bus to the bus station in Ubud. Note that … [Read more...]
Vancouver, Canada – More Info
This is an important section. We cannot possibly cover all that there is too see in Vancouver or what we saw on the rest of our 17 day trip, however the following websites describe the locations we visited in Western Canada and Vancouver in particular. The Vancouver Convention and Visitor's Bureau can be reached at 1-800-888-8835 or (604) 683-2000. For more travel information about traveling in British Columbia call Phone Number … [Read more...]