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Mindfulness

Mindfulness

The Open Travel Index

Our partner OMIO has developed a new Open Travel Index, a handy way to determine if and when you can travel point-ot-point. You can stay updated on the latest travel regulations for your destination based on your current location including border status, quarantine restrictions and testing requirements, as well as find out what safety measures…

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Being in the here and now

Many spiritual teachers have emphasised the notion of being fully present ‘in the now’. Proponents of meditative practices of various sorts tout meditation as a way of immersing oneself fully in the present moment, and not attending to the past or future. The spiritual teachers (including prominent authors) and proponents of meditation typically point to…

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Cuba is on fire!

Cienfuegos means one hundred fires.  And that will surely be the number of flames that light your heart and your soul when you visit this most exquisite city in Cuba. Cienfuegos was founded in 1819, when French colonists settled in around the most spectacular and natural bay in Cuba. Bringing their elegant, classical architecture, wide,…

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True gratitude is a communal emotion, not a wellness practice

In March 2020, Europeans started gathering on balconies and by windows to cheer, applaud and show gratitude to their healthcare workers providing life-saving services during the pandemic. The regular cheering and clapping became a symbol of hope: human solidarity triumphing over fear and enforced isolation. Contrast that scene with another. Following the remission of her…

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A range of possible futures

I have a confession. As a physicist and psychiatrist, I find it difficult to engage with conversations about consciousness. My biggest gripe is that the philosophers and cognitive scientists who tend to pose the questions often assume that the mind is a thing, whose existence can be identified by the attributes it has or the…

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Why we should book now and travel later

Wildlife travel provides crucial funding for conservation and wildlife protection programs, even if your departure date is uncertain. As COVID-19 brought tourism to a screeching halt, conservation programs to protect some of the globe’s most delicate ecosystems began to face a funding crisis. From the open plains of the Maasai Mara in Kenya to the…

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To fly, you really need to roll up your sleeves

Want to take a vacation next year? Prepare to roll up your sleeve. Yesterday, the top executive at Australia’s largest airline said proof of getting the Covid-19 vaccination will be “a necessity” for boarding international flights in the future. “I think that's going to be a common thing talking to my colleagues in other airlines around the…

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Rich Costa Rica

Costa Rica’s reputation as an eco-friendly travel destination has been further cemented with its Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST) standard for lodging and tour operators achieving the Global Sustainable Tourism Council’s GSTC-Recognized Standard status. “As global leaders in sustainability, we are honored to receive the Global Sustainable Tourism Council’s recognition for the Certification of…

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‘Leave No Trace’

The seven “Leave No Trace” (LNT) principles were formed by the Leave No Trace organization as a set of guidelines meant to educate campers and protect the environment. One of the tenets of outdoor recreation—camping, specifically—is the idea of enjoying the natural world while minimizing impact as much as possible. For future generations to be able to…

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Stay at a traditional Japanese house

It had been a packed afternoon of exploring the charming city of Tamba Sasayama, where the vibrant energy of young businesses ran hot through the city. But it was also a relentlessly cold and rainy day. so I was already fantasizing about hot baths and steaming hot pots when we arrived at the 100-year-old traditional Japanese house.…

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A self-isolation silver lining?

Behind the unprecedented disruption of routine life by the recent Coronavirus could lie one of the most profound transformations of our lives: closer connections, greater happiness, and a healthier relationship to work. Despite the anxiety, fear, and illness that is likely to touch each of our lives, there may be a silver lining once we’re…

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Chateau bravo!

With their lofty towers, glittering ballrooms, geometric gardens and all that gilded finery, no one does castles better than France. From the Dordogne’s renaissance piles flanked by dusty olive groves and pretty hilltop villages to the turret-studded landscape of the Loire Valley, French châteaux are a brilliant display of the country’s rich architectural and cultural…

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