As we often point out here, there are so many places in the world that are perennially bubbling under. You've heard the name, but you don't quite know the "brand", as it were. We here at Matouring love to bring these hidden gem to the surface, so that you, our plugged-in readers never…
History
...comes from some other beginning’s end. * Yes, another post about Rome, the Romans and Italy. We won't apologise about that. You could start at the very top of Italy, and work your way all the way down to Mezzogiorno (see - bet you've never heard of that) and would still have…
We're always on the lookout for the "non-traditional." While our travel radar is usually occupied by the most popular, traditional locations, settings and activities (we're talking about you, Venice) we also long for the unusual, the hidden gem, the "find" that makes our mind tingle and pushes us to go and explore. We…
Since 2019, travel has been, generally, a horror show. And, to be honest, it hasn't gotten a whole lot better since then. Between trying to fire up dormant jet planes, to what once were thriving destinations (now slow and closed, in many places) ramping back up to 100% capacity has been slow-going. And…
Well, here we go again. You know us. We we love travel. We love history. And we love science. This post has all three all wrapped up in a rather exciting bundle...a roaring bundle, as it were. This is all about Niagara Falls. If you've been to that…
We like to present the unusual when we can, as well as the standard favourite spots around the globe, of course. Sometimes these locations are famous or – in this case – infamous in that they’re featured because they might be considered unfortunate. This post is about a place in Colombia, a country that’s had…
We can't be 100% certain, but we're pretty confident that if you visit the Matouring site, you're open-minded and open to almost anything. We suspect that the arts feature in your life. You love music, film, books, travel (of course) and the endless supply of the wonders in the world. If you're…
The title of this post not only applies to life in general, but it also applies to the subject of the post: the Columbia Ice Fields in Banff, Alberta, Canada. One of the few remaining glaciers in North America, this precious resource of Mother Nature is - literally - breathtaking. We've done…
We're not sure if its, hubris, or carelessness or just a mistake, but sometimes, tourists are not as smart as they can be when it comes to spending their money, especially in Europe, where things can often be pricey. Of course, you get what you pay for, as it were, and sometimes it just…
We would guess that there are only a few of our clever readers that would not want to go to Chile. It is one of those South American countries that just seems to call our name. It's far away from most places on the planet, so many casual tourists might give it a…
We have written a few posts in the past about the US state of Ohio. We lived there at one time. It's a pleasant enough place, with Cleveland, Cincinnati and Dayton as its main population centres. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is there. It is mostly comprised of cows…
Our affiliate friends, Wendy Wu Tours, always feature activities that are not your usual offering. We love how they highlight places that might often be missed, or not at the top of the list. In this case, the latest offer is Turkey. Turkey is a treasure trove of fascinating history and archaeological wonders,…
Americans love their grim descriptions of things and places. It's in films, magazines and movies. And just take a sample of some of Netflix's titles. Need we say more? It's a national obsession. And it's not new. In 1936, on the occasion of a speech by the nationalist Gen. Millan…
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…
Ah, Paris. Can you ever get enough of it? We can't. The sites, the food, the museums. Well, how about this? Free museums in Paris. Almost seems too good to be true. But, true it is. You can save your Euros for a sumptuous lunch, instead. Finding…
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…
Yawn. Maybe you've already been around the world and have seen it before and done it before. Or perhaps your partner loves to hang-glide through enemy airspace on your holidays. Or, you might just want a bit of relaxation and "you time." Perhaps you just need a little time away (I…
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…
In the early 1860s, a few Westerners had seen China — but nearly all of them had seen it for themselves. The still-new medium of photography had yet to make images of everywhere available to viewers everywhere else, which meant an opportunity for traveling practitioners like John Thomson. “The son of a tobacco spinner and shopkeeper,” says…
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. …