Skip to content Skip to sidebar Skip to footer

Spend Wisely

Category image

Spend Wisely

Even the building is McChic

Who doesn't love Paris?  The home of art, style, fashion, history and style. Especially the latter.  Paris is SO chic that even its McDonalds is skinny. Close to Gare Saint-Lazare in Paris, it is located in a timberframe building and extremely narrow. The interior of this restaurant is very special too. Decorations in the same…

Read more

Miles of tiles

Many specialist skills, those creating and molding incredible pieces over the decades, have long since disappeared into our overall void of mass-manufactured sameness.  But, fortunately, there are those who still carry the torch of the artisan.  Saied Hussain has been hand making tiles out of cement for over 50 years. He says he’s one of the…

Read more

Uh . . . coffee-flavoured coffee?

Nearly every expat or regular visitor can remember their first words in Spanish. They may not be the first you were taught, or learned from a self-teaching course pack, but the ones that most stuck in your head, or the first sentence you were able to pronounce without hesitating. But did you know that there's more…

Read more

A penny for your plots, my dear

Buying a home is pricey, unless you plan on moving to the small town of Legrad in Croatia, in which case, it’s unbelievably cheap - as low as 1¢ US. Legrad once had the second-biggest population in Croatia, but when the Austro-Hungarian empire collapsed, new borders were formed. And the town — which is on the…

Read more

Liechtenswhere?

One of the only two doubly landlocked nations in the world, the ‘Principality of Liechtenstein’ is unquestionably a European country worth exploring. As of July 2010, the nation accommodates a meagre population of 35,002. It is widely acknowledged as a tax haven and was accused of assisting wealthy Germans in tax evasions involving millions of Euros. Liechtenstein…

Read more

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…

Read more

Never too small

There's a wonderful series on YouTube called Never Too Small.  It's short videos created by clever (usually young) people who, by choice or by necessity have taken an often tiny space and turned it into a comfortable and sensible dwelling. What we like about this channel is that, although the individuals have likely been forced…

Read more

Go FlixHound – and leave the driving to us.

We often write about modern modes of travel, such as trains.  Most of the world use them daily.  They're efficient, fast, inexpensive and ecologically a good idea. Buses are another good alternative to automobiles, as you can transport dozens of travelers, in comfort, to locations where flights may not exist. But, in both cases, the good ole'…

Read more

Where blue equals orange

We're uncomplicated, here.  Some of the most simple things make us the happiest.  In this case, we're really excited about a new joint venture that's just been announced. Canada's Air Transat and the UK's Easyjet have created a new cooperative to combine Air Transat and EasyJet flights to open up travel to over 130 additional…

Read more

Harvey, get serious!

For those of you who are vaguely aware of Harvey Nichols (Harvey Nick's) in London, you might recall them as being targeted toward a more upper-crust audience.  Perhaps a bit dry. But, if you haven't had a look lately, you're in for a treat, especially if you're the playful type, no matter what your age.…

Read more

From Zanzibar to Berkeley Square

Good news for world travelers! British Airways’ customers will be able to fly to more destinations across Africa, thanks to a new codeshare agreement with Kenya Airways. Customers flying to Nairobi with British Airways will be able to seamlessly connect onto 20 destinations across East and Central Africa, including Douala, Zanzibar, Lusaka, Mombasa, Addis Ababa and Entebbe,…

Read more

Go 2 Africa

Please join us in welcoming our new affiliate friends, Go2Africa.com Since 1998 they have been planning trips the length and breadth of the continent. The secret to their success?  Their commitment to first-hand knowledge of every destination, lodge, and activity that they recommend. Collectively, they spend more than 365 days a year on safari to…

Read more

Packing hacks for adventurous women travelers

Oooh . .  I totally need this blender.  And I can't leave without my stuffed muskrat collection. Responsible and ready for anything: it can be done, with our pick of the best products that help make traveling lighter on the planet - and your backpack. Take the essential items that will make your trip safer,…

Read more

Views, glorious views

In this time of uncertainty and - sometimes - guilt about traveling, you can never go wrong if your destination is Europe's Nordic countries - in this case, Denmark and our new affiliate friends, Dancenter. The people of the north have a long history of taking care of their health, and - in this day…

Read more

Chiribiquete

When people think of Colombia, it is usually of marvelous places such as Bogota, or Cartegena or Medellín - all genuinely wonderful destinations that you must put on your list. But, there is a relatively unknown part of Columbia that goes beyond into an almost magical realm:  Chiribiquete. Chiribiquete National Natural Park is the largest national…

Read more

The reasons four the seasons

As the seasons pass, so does control of them.  In this case, we're talking about The Four Seasons hotel chain. Bill Gates (you, um,  know him from Windows and stuff) will take control of the Four Seasons hotel chain after his investment firm agreed to acquire a stake from Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal’s Kingdom…

Read more

Got Aeroflot?

To many, Russia is an alluring, slightly foreboding dream destination.  Perhaps too many films make the wrong impression of the country, but the pull to visit there is strong, and for good reason. One romantic option for travel in Russia is possibility of riding the historic and pricey Trans-Siberian Express from Venice to Moscow -…

Read more

Bloom where you’re planted.

To many of us, this may come as a surprise, especially in this day and age of corporate efficiency. For decades, KLM Airlines have been creating miniature ceramic collectibles of Amsterdam canal houses, and they share them with loyal customers.  Each house is a miniature replica of an existing house, almost all of them in the…

Read more

Let’s eat here

After the world has been decimated by Covid-19, now that the fog is clearing somewhat, it's time to focus our thoughts on those businesses and their employees who have been so profoundly impacted.  In other words, when you can, buy local. Eating locally produced food on your travels may seem like small potatoes, but the…

Read more

Elizabethan manner

We here at Matouring love the UK.  One aspect of the land is the sheer amount and breadth of its history.  (We have plenty of articles here on our site which you can peruse and enjoy. But, just because its history stretches back thousands of years doesn't mean that it's mired in the past.  Hardly. …

Read more