Ah, China. A place of so much interest and of so much intrigue. So many of us lust to visit and have the best of intentions but, sometimes the Chinese government doesn't always make us feel welcome. And that is not to point fingers at its people: we're quite sure that…
Do Something Different
We always like to keep you updated on stuff. And some of the stuff may not always seem to relate to travel. But, rest assured, our aim is true. You see, sometimes - most times actually - there is a veritable bee-hive of activity happening to allow you to book your trip…
Let's go forward in time to step backwards in time to learn how the internet came about, and why its origins, which are well known, may actually be more interesting than we might have thought. If you think you know the story, you might want to read on, anyway: you wouldn't be here…
Or did we mean go slow in Slovakia? Either way, you win, especially when you discover this known country, but then find out how much you have to learn - and enjoy - about it. It's another one of those "bubbling under" countries, just waiting for you to search and enjoy.
According to…
We can probably count - on one hand - those of our lovely readers who don't love Studio Ghibli films, the Japanese animation studio based in Koganei, Tokyo. With classics such as My Neighbor Totoro, Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke and more, Studio Ghibli is an eternal film franchise that captivates everyone who watches.…
We assume that, since you're on our site, you like to travel. And, if that's the case, we also assume that you have experienced some of the complexities of travel, especially when it comes to booking tickets with airlines. The rules can often be - to most humans - overly complex and difficult to understand. …
Kosovo is a place that most of us have heard of, but may know little about. We might recall that there were troubles, many based around it unilaterally declaring its independence from Serbia on 17 February 2008. And or course, situations like that (with the associated violence that inevitably occurs) can often cast…
The ancient city of Great Zimbabwe was an engineering wonder. But archaeologists credited it to Phoenicians, Babylonians, Arabians – anyone but the Africans who actually built it. Great Zimbabwe is a medieval city in the south-eastern hills of the modern country of Zimbabwe, near Lake Mutirikwi and the town of Masvingo. It is thought to have been the capital…
Poor Cuba. Still battered by the USA (for reasons that we just can't understand) this beautiful and engaging country teeters on collapse, except for the strength of its people. We have a number of posts here on the site (click here) which should give any thinking person the desire to hop on a…
Bet you never thought you'd see that phrase. But, as always, history is a funny mistress and, let's face it, despite Google and our smart phones, we don't really know much, do we? Our children and their children will laugh at our conceit someday in the future.
So, behold a new finding. …
We present another one of those "now you see it, now you don't" posts. Nothing lasts forever, it appears. And sometimes the powers-that-be appear to be deaf to what the people want.
Here, we're talking about the Stairway to Heaven Trail on Oʻahu, Hawaii, the Haʻikū Stairs. Also known as the Stairway…
If you're looking for the unusual, you'll never go too far wrong if Japan is in your plan. A more playful people probably cannot be found than them. And why not? Why not have fun during your workday, or for your entire life, for that matter? You only live once, in…
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is bordered by Ohio (USA) on one side, and Ontario, Canada on the other. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has…
The world offers no shortage of fascinating, thrilling, silly, scary and sometimes confusing opportunities to behold what other members of your species are up to. We'll cut to the chase on this one, as it's quite a tale, one that could only really happen in the post-1960's movies, or for that matter, anything that…
History is a strange and unusual thing. For example, Turkeys were once worshipped like gods. Or, once , 100 Imposters Claimed to Be Marie Antoinette's Dead Son. Napoleon was once attacked by a horde of bunnies. Yes, supposedly these are all true, but you can never tell on the Internet.
But, one…
Fear not, this is not another modern day 21st century shitpost as the title might infer. We don't do that kind of thing here. What you see is what you get with Matouring. So then, what exactly are we talking about? Today, we feature a little-known, but nonetheless interesting Spanish village…
If you've been around a while, like we have, you'll surely have noticed that the world is not necessarily heading in the right direction . . again. It seems like - just a few years ago - anger and despair, wars and dictatorships were on the way out and "humanity" was on the…
Another history post for you, this time based in Russia. Many of you might remember the Cold War (if not, it was a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term cold war is used because there…
I suppose that we're preaching to the converted here when we talk about how getting out of the house and into nature is such an important component of a healthy life. Your mother probably nagged you endlessly when you were a yoof and now you likely do the same with your offspring. But…
Some things are the stuff of legend. Many are just that - legends, and nothing more. And legends can be a tenuous and fleeting thing. But these kinds of "unknowns" always intrigue us here at Matouring. The more obscure the better, we say, especially when you're the curious type, too. …