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Nature & the Environment

Activity Do Something Different History Middle East Nature & the Environment Special Interest The Thinking Traveller World Culture

Vamos a la Nabta Playa

Fair warning:  chances are good that you won't be able to visit Nabta Playa, but we know that our readers are curious types.  And, there are plenty of other things to do in the desert. The Nabta Playa archaeological site, one of the earliest of the Egyptian Neolithic Period, is dated to circa 7500 BC This…
2021-11-150Comments

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Adventure Alternative Lifestyle Do Something Different History Inspiration Nature & the Environment North America Special Interest The Thinking Traveller Unusual World Culture

Go your own way

You often hear stories of the "tin foil hat" wackos who hide in caves and have three years worth of tins of beans, just to protect themselves from their goverments.  Given today's state of affairs, maybe they're right. In an abandoned Marine Corps base in the Southern California desert lies Slab City, home to a makeshift…
2021-11-140Comments

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Adventure Alternative Lifestyle Design and Art Do Something Different Europe Health Life of Luxury Mindfulness Nature & the Environment Places Special Interest Sustainability Technology The Thinking Traveller World Culture

Here’s looking at Loo, kid

Loo =  toilet (UK) Public works are often joyless, utilitarian, just-get-it-done affairs.  Whether it's a road, or a bridge or even public restrooms, it makes you wonder why a little je ne sais quoi can't be in the building specifications. Happily, though, that's not always the case.  And here are some fine examples of where good taste…
2021-11-120Comments

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Activity Adventure Asia Do Something Different Fun History Nature & the Environment Rest of World Special Interest The Thinking Traveller Unusual World Culture

Fun is universal

Politics aside, we're all human, right?  And, as humans, for the most part we all seem to innately know that we must get along just to survive.  We've seen the history to know what happens when we don't. Here, we feature a video from the National Geographic of a few young athletes who are invited…
2021-11-120Comments

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Adventure Alternative Lifestyle Design and Art Do Something Different Fun Nature & the Environment North America Outdoors Special Interest The Thinking Traveller Unusual

Aria of the desert

Isn't it a delight when you run across something so unusual, so unexpected and somewhat puzzling, as well?  We here at Matouring love that kind of thing - it gives us faith that not is all normal all of the time. Here is an example: Marta Becket's Amargosa Opera House.  Located on a barren junction of…
2021-11-110Comments

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Activity Design and Art Do Something Different Europe For Women Only History Nature & the Environment North America Special Interest Technology The Thinking Traveller Travel Solo Unusual World Culture

Stave awake

Talk about accuracy.  Have you heard of Stave churches?  When the Viking finally converted to Christianity (11th to 12th century) they certainly did it in style. The churches themselves are made entirely of wood, often without even nails or screws. Their name comes from the unique post-and-lintel system used in construction—thick wooden posts known as…
2021-11-100Comments

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Activity Caribbean Design and Art Do Something Different Fun History Life of Luxury Nature & the Environment Relaxation Special Interest The Thinking Traveller Unusual

Message in a bottle

Sending out an SOS . .  Some things are just not meant to be. The beautiful island of Montserrat is known for many things - breathtaking - almost otherworldly - scenery, surrounded by glorious seas, world-class architecture and, at one point, one of the top recording studios in the world. George Martin (probably the fifth…
2021-11-100Comments

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Adventure Design and Art Do Something Different History Inspiration Middle East Nature & the Environment Special Interest The Thinking Traveller World Culture

Prosaic mosaic

As we humans (supposedly) get smarter, we should also do smart things.  That's not always the case, but here it is.  In 2010, workers encountered an especially impressive mosaic while digging the foundation for a new hotel in Antakya, Turkey. They found an ancient mosaic measuring 9,000 square feet, making it the largest intact mosaic ever…
2021-11-060Comments

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Activity Adventure Do Something Different Fun Nature & the Environment North America Outdoors Relaxation Special Interest The Thinking Traveller Travel Solo World Culture

Dive light in

Deep blue waters that glow in the dark come night-time sound like something out of a fairytale. However, that's exactly what the world's bioluminescent bays offer, and they make for a pretty spectacular sight. The eye-catching effect is actually the result of a high concentration of plankton which, when they move, causes the waters to light up…
2021-11-040Comments

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Activity Adventure Do Something Different For Women Only History Mindfulness Nature & the Environment Special Interest The Thinking Traveller Travel Solo Wilderness

Not just G adventures: 5G!

The more you travel, the more you want to travel.  And each time you go, you want even more.  More adventures, more variety, more experiences, more personal. If this sounds like you, our affiliate friends G Adventures are the travel guides for you.  Never the typical tour, they have the choices to take you way…
2021-10-310Comments

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Adventure Asia Design and Art Do Something Different Europe Fun History Nature & the Environment Special Interest The Thinking Traveller Travel Solo World Culture

Wonders worth searching for

Many of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World collapsed into rubble a long time ago. The Colossus of Rhodes and the Lighthouse of Alexandria, both of which were destroyed by earthquakes. Some of these wonders perhaps never existed at all, like the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. We are going to take a look at…
2021-10-310Comments

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Activity Adventure Do Something Different Europe Fun Health Nature & the Environment Special Interest Technology The Thinking Traveller Wilderness

Have you packed your bike?

Look!  It's a Saab! Let's face it, exercise is a must-have if you want to slide your way into a healthy old age.  Walking is a natural first choice, and it requires no major equipment outlay. But, riding a bicycle takes your exercise - and fun - to another level entirely.  Bikes these days are…
2021-10-310Comments

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Adventure Do Something Different Fun History Nature & the Environment Special Interest The Thinking Traveller Unusual Wilderness

Hole-y crap!

Planet Earth holds some of the strangest, natural tourist destinations in the solar system.  Earth is perpetually bombarded with debris from outer space. Luckily for us, most of it burns up during entry through our atmosphere and we enjoy this bright burn in the night sky in the form of fleeting meteor showers. But on…
2021-10-300Comments

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Activity Adventure Do Something Different For Women Only Fun Life of Luxury Middle East Nature & the Environment Partytime Special Interest Technology Unusual World Culture

Watch your step

We think this is a good thing:  recycling is the way forward.  And here's an unusual and creative take on it. A massive new theme park is being built in the Middle East - on an oil rig. The project, called The Rig, will be spread over a whopping 1.6 million sqft in Saudi Arabia…
2021-10-290Comments

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Adventure Africa Do Something Different Inspiration Nature & the Environment Outdoors Special Interest Spend Wisely Sponsorship Sustainability The Thinking Traveller Volunteering Wilderness World Culture

Climate games

More and more, it's hard to support those individuals who are unconvinced about climate change when, thanks to technology, we can see it before our very eyes.  And, even if we turn out to be incorrect, will we not have moved humankind a few steps forward into a better world? YouTube is striving for a…
2021-10-290Comments

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Adventure Asia Design and Art Do Something Different Europe Fun History Nature & the Environment North America Outdoors Partytime Places Special Interest Technology The Thinking Traveller World Culture

Dome sweet dome

As we travel the world, not only do we become familiar with the unfamiliar, but we also, over time, see past the obvious and start to focus on the unremarkable or the unusual.  Sometimes it's a reflex action, other times it just drifts into our conciousness. One of those times is when you start to…
2021-10-280Comments

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Adventure Europe Health Mindfulness Nature & the Environment Special Interest Sustainability Technology The Thinking Traveller World Culture

No Smoking

Climate naysayers, look away.  Other people are making things happen. Flights between London and Rotterdam will be operated by a 19-seater Dornier 228 aircraft. The plane, powered solely by hydrogen, is currently under development at ZeroAvia’s facilities in Kemble in the UK. The company says it is ‘well advanced’ in preparing it for flight testing at Cotswolds…
2021-10-270Comments

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