Withlocals is an experiential travel company that provides a platform for locals to offer private, personalized tours to travelers. Withlocals’ mission is to connect people with cultures by breaking down barriers between travelers and locals worldwide. I recently had an opportunity to get hold of the CEO, Matthijs Keij, to ask him a few questions. Q. Can you briefly tell us about yourself, your background, and your journey to joining Withlocals as CEO? My name is Matthijs Keij and I’m the CEO of Withlocals. Before Withlocals I have built an […]

The post Matthijs Keij, CEO of Withlocals appeared first on Dave's Travel Corner.

The Legend Indian Hindu mythology has it that Lord Rama built a bridge some 50 kilometres long connecting India with Lanka (now Sri Lanka) off the coast of Tamil Nadu in South India to rescue his wife Sita from the evil clutches of the demon king Ravana. And he pulled off this engineering marvel with the help of his million-strong Vanara (Ape men) army along with magical ‘floating rocks’ and named it Rama Setu. (Rama’s Bridge) Valmiki further goes on to narrate in his epic Ramayana on how  Rama on […]

The post Dhanushkodi – A Tale of Oceans and Ape Men appeared first on Dave's Travel Corner.

There is a slither of daylight creeping through the windows that are covered by heavy red drapes. I stay in bed to keep warm. My room is just as bad this morning as it was in the dark on arrival last night. There’s a draught from the chimney, so I adjust the wood cover to prevent cold air from entering. The hard floor is ice cold when I put my feet down. From my window, the sky is misty over the hills outside. The window is slightly open and I […]

The post “Advancing in a different direction.” The lows and highs of an Indian Ayurveda Retreat appeared first on Dave's Travel Corner.

The Journey (Kuruwita-Erathna route) The journey begins from a small town called Kuruwita located 82 km from Colombo in Sri Lanka. Kuruwita is on the Colombo – Ratnapura main road and situated 9km before Ratnapura. To reach the trail head you approach a small hamlet called “Adavikanda”. The nearest town to this sleepy village is Erathna; one proceeds left at the clock tower in Kuruwita and travels approximately 11 km. The road has signboards and can find the way without trouble. Proceed past Erathna about 1.5 km to reach the […]

The post Climbing the Holy Mountain (Sri Pada), Sri Lanka appeared first on Dave's Travel Corner.

Author Adrienne Brady was born in Burma but grew up in the UK. She has lived a life of travel, among her travels she has enjoyed various ‘home’ bases around the world including Brunei, Dubai, Libya and Singapore. Her travels for the core of this book – detail her various trips throughout Sri Lanka, northern Thailand, Brunei, Libya, the Emirates through to the west coast of Ireland. Her time in Sri Lanka is during a particularly violent time because of the control of the Tamil Tigers – she finds herself […]

The post Danger Zones & Pleasure Zones by Adrienne Brady appeared first on Dave's Travel Corner.

Elephants are a significant animal in most Southeast Asian countries including India and Sri Lanka – the meaning of the word ‘elephant’ varies slightly but all comes down to some sort of Good Luck & Good Energy. Sri Lanka has held on to the love of elephants in Traditional & Religious Culture, dating back over 5000 years symbolizing Wisdom, Power & Wealth. It is estimated that Sri Lanka has the highest density of Elephants in Asia. They have been used in war centuries ago, as a means of transportation, for logging/construction […]

The post Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage in Sri Lanka appeared first on Dave's Travel Corner.

The 2015 Travel World Championship EventEntry Deadline Approaches SANTA MONICA, USA The deadline to enter the 2015 edition of the travel world championship, The Global Scavenger Hunt, is February 1st with only a few spots open for those wanting to compete for “The World’s Greatest Travelers” title and trophy–and chance to earn a free trip around the world with their triumph. Serious travelers are a competitive breed, from: “How many countries have you been to?” and “We’ve been there, did you do…?” to watching TV’s Amazing Race saying, “I could […]

The post The Global Scavenger Hunt Entry Deadline Nears appeared first on Dave's Travel Corner.

While traveling we meet a lot of people with different destinies, dreams, and lifestyles. We forget immediately about the majority of them, but some live in our memories as if we’ve just talked to them. Today we’d like to share the most touching stories of people from different cultures, social classes and continents we collected during our travels. KAREN GIRL This girl belongs to Karen tribe, also known as long-necks. When she was born, her mother put bronze rings on her neck and will add them, until the shoulder of […]

The post Most Amazing People We’ve Met On Our Travels appeared first on Dave's Travel Corner.

It’s not everyday that you get to frolic with elephants and gods. Let me remind you that God supposedly sent Adam to Sri Lanka after his expulsion from heaven, as it was close to what he had left behind. After this visit, I have no reason to doubt this, as Sri Lanka truly is a paradise on earth and I was happy to get a taste of it. A pineapple and coconut shack we found while going to Kandy “Guess what! Change of plans! We are going to Sri Lanka […]

The post Dancing with Elephants and Gods: Kandi, Sri Lanka appeared first on Dave's Travel Corner.

We arrived in Male late last night after a several hour stop over in Colombo Sri Lanka. We were in Sri Lanka early last year for several weeks and would have liked to have explored more this time but we satisfied ourselves with using the free Internet consoles. It was wierd to land at country’s capital city airport (Male). There were no lights here only the darkened ocean. Reminded me of a totally different reason for no lights – when I dropped into Dhaka Bangladesh at night – major city […]

The post Heading to the Maldives appeared first on Dave's Travel Corner.

SANTA MONICA, CA (5 January 2011) – Outside magazine calls it, “One of the 50 Most Amazing Trips in the World,” Peter Greenberg says that, “Unlike The Amazing Race, this challenge is more about your ability to connect with cultures,” while NationalGeographic.com says the travel competition is, “like Survivor, The Amazing Race and the Eco-Challenge all rolled into one except with much more cultural interaction.” The 7th annual Global Scavenger Hunt does bring back the romance of travel and is designed to test Indiana Jones-like participants travel IQ, while traveling […]

The post Deadline and Last Call for 2011 Around the World Travel Adventure Competition appeared first on Dave's Travel Corner.