PRUDES: look away now. Inspiration comes from the most unusual places. You can never predict what an artist will do to make a statement or grab your attention. Art comes in all styles, from the Romans to the Renaissance the Impressionists and beyond. And so much of it has been saved for us by museums, collectors and, now, electronic media.…
Your flight tickets will be $550. Your suitcase will be another $212. Give this man, Bruno, a medal. Overpacked and no room in my carry on, this is the outcome of that predicament – the travel coat: a couple meters of nylon from the Flea Market in two perfect tones of forest green, 29 carefully folded items of clothing, 6.8…
If you’re a music fan, then you certainly must know of the Buena Vista Social Club, 1999 documentary film directed by Wim Wenders. The film follows renowned guitarist Ry Cooder and his son, Joachim, as they travel to Cuba and assemble a group of the country’s finest musicians to record an album. But, even if you know the film, you may…
Tripadvisor fans (like us) get around. They every corner of the globe to discover the newest, the wildest, the most obscure and the, well, just plain fun. It’s almost impossible to travel without eating something. And if your budget permits, the lure of “best of” restaurants is just too strong to resist. Here, here to that, we say. So, may…
You’ve got questions? We’ve got answers – especially to ones that you probably thought you’d never find yourself asking. Unless you’re bored, doing research or are an anorak. This particular peculiarity focuses on the urgent need to understand why airline captains sit on the left-hand side of the plane? You’ll find out here, but if you have any other ideas,…
Who doesn’t love Italy? We bet that only a few will raise their hands. Italy, for tourists, seems to bring out all that’s good in traveling. But, sadly, Italy’s official airline, Alitalia has had its troubles in the past and up until now, and, as a result, will be shutting its doors for good. Happily, out of the ashes comes…
Sometimes, we don’t realise how lucky we are. If you’re not familiar with this story, prepare to be amazed. Kowloon Walled City was an ungoverned and densely populated de jure Chinese enclave within the boundaries of Kowloon City, British Hong Kong. Originally a Chinese military fort, the walled city became an enclave after the New Territories were leased to the…
As if Rome isn’t fun enough – may we present to you Mama Shelter, Roma. Created by the owners of Club Med, Mama Shelter goes waaay beyond the normal. Just a short walk from the Vatican, and just 250m from the Cipro Metro station, everything is close and the nightlife is not far away. Treat yourself to some silly playfulness. …
The vast majority of Airbnb rentals go smoothly, but do you know what to do when they don’t? What happens if your host cancels your booking two days before you arrive, or the spacious bedroom shown in a listing turns out to be the size of a closet? Read more courtesy of SmarterTravel.com. As you might guess, we have other…
Although the world is still very far away from inclusiveness, humans are making strides – and that includes new thinking in facilities for the disabled. Technology, of course, is leading the way, especially with new materials and ways of manufacturing. But, you will also find humans and companies really thinking hard about to make those who are less-abled feel freer.…
Do you fully recognise that “they are among us?” Do you fashion yourself as an extraterrestrial hunter? Do you have the knowledge, desire and hardware to search for them? The US Pentagon says there’s no explanation for “unidentified aerial phenomenon” detected by pilots over the years. But scientists use tools such as the SETI Allen Telescope to research the possibility…
The electric interwebs are full of articles and videos about failed attempts on a grand scale. We know that there was thought and planning put into these – there had to be. But, in the cases here, the dreams crumbled in a number of different ways. Rather than ridcule, let’s be glad that we’re able to learn from these examples.…
Ireland is one of the more hip, inclusive, free and charming places in Europe. When you meet an Irish human, you will inevitably strike up a natural and amiable conversation, no matter the situation. The Irish – the same as the Australians – are simply like that. Everyone tends to gravitate to Dublin and Belfast – naturally – but when…
AirBnB, constant bad press notwithstanding, has created a wonderful new model on how to travel. Almost everyone wins. VRBO, an Expedia company (and one of our valued affiliate friends,) have taken the model and successfully given AirBnB a run for their money: in some recent months, they have marched past AirBnB in bookings. But, this post is about something similar,…
This is a simple, but very important request. For those of us who are fortunate enough to travel, this should almost be mandatory. UNESCO has created the Sustainable Tourism Pledge. The pledge takes an industry-first approach to environmental and cultural protection, requiring hotel operators to introduce firm measures to eliminate single-use plastics and promote local culture. The intention is to…
As mother earth spins faster, and more and more of us spin with her, big changes happen. New ideas, new materials, new studies, new pharmaceuticals . . all culminating into new “us”? Very soon, we will be presented with all types of complicated information about the condition of our health, including our individual levels of risk for any number of…
“If looks could thrill it would have been us instead of him” All the children sing. These looks will thrill – at Reserva Alecrim EcoSuite & Glamping in Portugal. The properties, the views, the surroundings, the location – wow! And the bungalows look more like dwellings on the moon. Set by a lake in the Alentejo countryside, Eco Suites Resort offers…
We’re not sure if Sylvia Plath ever stayed at Sylvia’s Restaurant and Lounge in Vancouver, but we’re sure she would have felt at home. The Sylvia Hotel is a designated heritage building – there aren’t too many of those in Vancouver – ideally located on English Bay, beside Stanley Park and just 5 minutes from downtown Vancouver. Built in 1912,…
Whether we want to admit it or not, almost all of us feel a little tingle when we think of Disney parks. The company knows how to push our buttons, and even lead us to new places. But, one of those places – Epcot – in Florida is a bit of an enigma to many. Why is it there? What…
Those with tin foil hats, look away now. People are people and, therefore, unpredictable. Sometimes that’s fine (and fun) but when it comes to wrangling millions of us at a time, that can be . . not fun. In the UK, Transport for London is using aggregated and anonymised data from its wi-fi network to provide real-time data on how…
