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The Thinking Traveller

The Thinking Traveller

Been green

We often have - often romantic - visions of the Sahara desert as a "destination" for our travels.  And rightly so,  as its wonders are legend and plentiful.  But it takes a certain kind of traveler to do that. But, this singular place on earth was not always the stark vision that we have in our…

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Pssst . . spread the word

Having worked in the travel industry, we know the complexity of buying airline tickets.  Supercomputers crunch numbers from (sometimes) thousands of travel suppliers, with literally millions of possible flight combinations. How do you even hope to get an edge?  Well, there are a plethora of "experts" out there who will be happy to provide advice .…

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São Paulo es la leche!

São Paulo es la leche! = São Paulo is the milk! Welcome to one of the world’s most populated cities. Check out the best spots to visit in Brazil’s exciting hub of business, culture, creativity and hospitality. São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, with a city population of about 12 million and almost 22 million in its…

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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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Bags are a drag

Travel is wonderful / a nightmare.  For every delightful aspect, you'll find an equally annoying one.  And, surely one of the most frustrating is dragging your luggage around. Well, we're quite pleased to introduce you to a new affilliate friend, Radical Storage. They provide travellers with luggage storage solutions so that you can enjoy your holiday…

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Bonjour, eh?

In Canada, we move at our own pace. It doesn’t take long to drive around this tiny French territory of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, but it’s taken what seems like forever to get here. The new car ferry between a southern Newfoundland community and the last remnant of France’s once vast North American colony began operating in August,…

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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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You’re on track: DIY rail opus

If you visit our site often, you'll know how much we love trains and the railways.  In these days of a worrisome climatic future, and the growth of the global population and diminishing resources, we need to be efficient.  Rail is just that . . and more. Recently, probably the longest train trip has been…

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Roamin’ palace

In certain parts of the world, history sometimes pops up out of nowhere, to the point of where you can literally trip over it.  Europe is certainly one of those places:  tread carefully, as you might be standing on a 6th century prince. In 1960 a man was laying a water pipe underneath the quaint…

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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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12th century DIY

Looking for a new home improvement project? Well, we have the projects for you! A choice of seven.  Perfect for any level of skills.  Building materials are easy to find.  Good bones to start of your project.   Includes helpful videos. What could possibly go wrong? Read more here courtesy of AtlasObscura.com You'll want to visit…

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No fun Kofun

Japan is a glorious place, with charming people and an endless supply of things to see and do. But, one of the most intriguing are the Mozu / Kofu burial tombs just outside of Osaka.  The only problem is that you can't actually see much of these marvels.  (Still worth visiting, though.) Although the iconic Mozu Tombs…

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Guilt-free sea

You'll probably be asking what a cargo ship has to do with cruises.  Well, right now, not much.  But, watch this video to see what the smart boffins are doing now to help create a better world. Dubbed ‘the Tesla of the seas’ this fully-electrified, fully-autonomous cargo ship is already making waves. How does it work?…

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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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Muscat love

Muscat, Oman, is likely another one of those places that you've heard of, but have never visited.  Well, let us tempt you with a tour to remember. Discover the main attraction of Wadi Shab, a magical waterfall within a cave. Take a 40-minute hike to reach the destination, where you can also dive into a couple…

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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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