We're unashamed tech geeks here at Matouring, and probably our biggest thrill is aircraft. We love flying. Maybe not so much the squeezed seats and no legroom, but more about the aircraft themselves. Since the time of Covid 19, air travel (and most travel, to be fair) plummeted. No-one wanted to…
Adventure
This past week, we wrote a post about Cuba opening up again soon. For many countries, this is not necessarily big news, but for those living in the USA it is, as Cuba has been a banished country for so many decades that it's sad. It's a fabulous country with so much to…
At last - the Cuba embargo is lifting! Delta Airlines intends to restart Miami International Airport (MIA) and José Martí International Airport, Havana (HAV), two times per day, starting on April 10th, 2023. Atlanta-based Delta tried to start operations in Cuba in 2016 after 55 years when the US Federal Government dropped restrictions on commercial passenger…
Well, let us once again, remind you of why living in this time in space is not bad at all. Technology brings us all together and not only can we explore our planet, but we can also find ways of saving money to do it. In this case, how does cheap flights with…
Once upon a time, a clever person, L. L. Zamenhof, pondered how many languages there are (more than 7,100 languages are spoken in the world today) and wondered if there was a better way to communicate? Zamenhof then devised Esperanto, which is the world's most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. It was intended…
China - probably by the sheer need to do so - continues to burst forward into the future in its technological breakthroughs. As of December 2021, China's population stood at 1.413 billion.[2] According to the 2020 census, 91.11% of the population was Han Chinese, and 8.89% were minorities. China's population growth rate is only 0.03%, ranking 159th in the world.[3] China…
For those not in the know, Mauritius is a small, multi-cultural island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, northeast of Reunion and southeast of the Seychelles. Mauritius also controls Rodrigues Island and the remote, sparsely populated Agalega and Cargados Garayos (Saint Brandon) islands. As luscious and serene as most of Mauritius is, there is a wilder side for those of you…
For those not in the know, the The Schengen Area is an area comprising 27 European countries that have officially abolished all passport and all other types of border control at their mutual borders. Being an element within the wider area of freedom, security and justice policy of the EU, it mostly functions as a single jurisdiction under a common visa policy for international travel purposes.…
As of this writing, at least where we live, it's cold and snowy, and it looks like it will stay that way for some time. Grey, wet and miserable. The sun goes down at 5:00pm and stays that way until April. Yuk. Boy, would we sure would like to be somewhere warm…
Those of us who are fortunate enough to be able to travel sometimes grumble at the hoops that we have to leap through in order to get good deals, or whine about how uncomfortable the seats are, or how miserly the on-board cuisine is. Yes, our lives are tough, indeed, Poor us. …
When you mention the word Iran, it usually strikes a certain response from many people. And, alas, much of that is true. It is a country that has had more than its share of troubles. But, like anywhere, it is also filled with beautiful people, beautiful scenery and beautiful stories. We…
Who says that web pages are a thing of the past? Yes, everyone is on their mobiles nowadays, even your grandmother. But, sometimes you just need something bigger, more panoramic, to really get the real flavour of a place, especially if you are longing to visit there. Well, if your trip is still…
If you're a history lover like we are, you search for "must see" locations, or even those that could be considered off-the-beaten trail. And, there are so many choices, that you will likely run out of breath or out of money before you even consider yourself "informed." This post highlights a beautiful, but haunted…
You're almost there. Immerse yourself in this in 360 ˚ Video exploring the caves of Vietnam’s verdant Ninh Binh Province, often referred to as the inland Halong Bay. Float down a calm river past rice paddies and through limestone caves. Click and drag to look around on your PC or mobile. Or don your…
We here at Matouring love to travel. Trains, planes and automobiles get us where we want to go. And we have been lucky enough to travel to places new and old. (We prefer the latter.) And, if you are fortunate enough to travel, you will probably be able to watch the progression…
We here at Matouring often long fondly for The Canary Islands. Just off the coast of Spain, the eight main islands are (from largest to smallest in area) Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, La Palma, La Gomera, El Hierro and La Graciosa. Certainly, they are a destination for almost anyone who loves the sea, rugged coastlines, quaint…
Travel often include flight. You either love it or you hate it - sometimes both at the same time. We generally love it, despite the occasional hiccup. The number of flights performed globally by the airline industry increased steadily since the early 2000s and reached 38.9 million in 2019. However, due to…
If you're fortunate enough to be able to travel, and you have already traveled afar, you may wonder what to do if you feel like you've been there and done that. Where should you go next? Especially since there are 195 countries in the world - that's a lot of ground to cover, in more…
Thailand is so many things to so many people. Historically known as Siam and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning 513,120 square kilometres (198,120 sq mi), with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bordered to the…
We love India, and the Indian people. We've worked and live alongside them for decades. We've visited their country and marveled at the variety there. Even now, half a world apart, one of India's great cities, Delhi, is not too far away. Restaurants, festivals and close friends keep the spirit of…