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Mindfulness

Mindfulness

Ærø …dynamic!

It can be done. It can be done. The tiny Danish Island of Ærø was awarded the designation of the EU’s most sustainable island. All it takes is willpower. The island has been experimenting with renewable energy since the 1970s, and today, produces more electricity than it uses. Watch the BBC video below that demonstrates…

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Bangkok walks!

A marvelous thing about our world and our planet (with all of its residents) is how much change happens every minute of every day.  Not all of it is necessarily good, but there is so much good in humanity that, sometimes, it's nice to simply celebrate the good. For example, Bangkok is a sprawling, diverse and…

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лед лед Ana (Ice ice Ana)

лед лед Ana. (ice ice Ana.) In 1993 the 2,500-year-old mummified remains of a woman were discovered in the frozen Ukok Plateau in Siberia. Known as the 'Ukok Princess' or the 'Ice Maiden' in the media, she is thought to be one of the most significant archaeological finds of the 20th Century. Watch the video, below, courtesy…

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Left high and dry

The planet is in trouble. We keep hoping that we'll be writing less and less about how the earth is being decimated by human beings.  But, so far, that just isn't happening.  Between the floods and the fires and other related disasters, things don't seem to be changing. So, witness another example of this trend in…

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Hi. Checking or check-in?

All companies, including airlines, just love to make money whenever and wherever they can.  They're creative, and look for any tie-ins that they can to squeeze that little extra out. The video, below, is a really good discussion of airlines selling miles to banks, generating most of their profit from frequent flyer programs rather than…

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Wherefore art now?

This may sound trite, but art is art, isn't it?  Artists follow their muse to amaze / amuse / surprise us with what the human mind can conjure up.  We may not always "get it" but there never seems to be a shortage of those who create something compelling. Interestingly, there are also those who…

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Roadkill

It is almost certain that you recently interacted closely with an invisible giant, as the Harvard landscape ecologist Richard T T Forman has described it. Others have called roads ‘the single most destructive element in the process of habitat fragmentation’, declaring that ‘Few forces have been more influential in modifying the Earth than transportation.’  But, the engineering…

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Can you vouch for that?

As if the Covid-19 pandemic isn't confusing enough, you sometimes have to deal with in-progress trips that seem to be slow-progress or no-progress.  And you paid for them, already. When the coronavirus hit in 2020, many travelers had no choice but to cancel upcoming flights. Willis Orlando, senior product operations specialist at Scott’s Cheap Flights (affiliate friends…

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Moscow, now

Russia, in particular Moscow, has so many magnificent buildings, structures and the accompanying history that goes with them, that it should definitely be on your "must see" list if it isn't already. One thing that the Russians should be proud of is their capacity to rehabilitate forlorn structures into the original magnificence that they once had. The…

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Finally!

If you visit our site, you'll know that we are huge proponents of rail travel.  What's not to like?  High-speed, comfort and better for the environment. Most countries have highspeed rail options in place, and have had for many years.  But there has always been one rather glaring exception - the USA.  Train travel works there…

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It’s 1984 again . . and again

We here at Matouring.com are of an age when we've seen (and even experienced first-hand) some of the half-baked ideas and horrific outcomes on the world stage and in world politics.  It feels like we're there yet again, but, unlike before, we have the power to collectively act and make a difference. George Orwell (with his books…

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All the way the paper bag was on my knee

The bile-high club. As we write this, in this time in space of humankind, we're seeing all sorts of odd and bizarre performances from people when it comes to travel.  Opening doors of moving jets (and jumping from them) punching air attendants, being duct-taped to seats.  The list goes on-and-on - and we hope it stops…

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Be a better traveler

By default, just because you're reading this (and have visited our site,) we can assume that you're a smart, aware, thoughtful, curious and fun human being.  But, we always have room for improvement, it's safe to say.  The choices we make on the road can have a big impact on the people and places we encounter…

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Weekly . . perhaps, weakly

The week is the most artificial and recent of our time counts yet it’s impossible to imagine our shared lives without it. Among many collective discoveries during the pandemic confinement of 2020, Americans learned just how attached we are to our seven weekdays. As complaints about temporal disorientation mounted that April, we focused not on the clock…

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Close to the edge

Close to the edge, down by the river.  Down at the end, round by the corner. Seasons will pass you by. There are few places as mystical and magical as Iceland.  Still relatively untouched, the landscape shapes its people, and they respond in kind by returning the favour. You've all seen images of Iceland's volcanoes, but have…

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Och aye the noo

Och aye the noo = An archetypal example of an overt Scotticism is "Och aye the noo", which translates as "Oh yes, just now". But, it doesn't stray too far from its roots.  And, luckily for us, we are learning more and more about history - Scottish in this case.  Read more here courtesy of NationalGeoraphic.co.uk Booking.com AutoEurope…

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Get in line

As you'll know, the skies are full of aircraft, flying here and there.  If you live near an airport, your knowledge is supreme. But do you know which are the busiest routes in the air?   This knowledge could help you plan more efficiently the next time you travel. Read more here courtesy of SimpleFlying.com.   With that many flights,…

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A flock of Airbus

In this day and age of diminishing everything, it's good to know that the clever people are still trying to do their best to make a better world. For example, Airbus has demonstrated how formation flying can aid sustainability with two of its test A350s flying across the Atlantic Ocean. Dubbed the quote-unquote “final demonstration,” Airbus is…

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Think Cadillac

Here's another heart-warming story of people looking out for each other. In the late 1970s, former Heritage board member Leroy Looper (1924-2011) and his wife Kathy turned the rundown Cadillac Hotel in the heart of the Tenderloin district in San Francisco into a national model for the potential of single-room occupancy hotels. The Tenderloin Museum opened on…

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