Americans love their grim descriptions of things and places. It's in films, magazines and movies. And just take a sample of some of Netflix's titles. Need we say more? It's a national obsession. And it's not new. In 1936, on the occasion of a speech by the nationalist Gen. Millan…
We're unashamed tech geeks here at Matouring, and probably our biggest thrill is aircraft. We love flying. Maybe not so much the squeezed seats and no legroom, but more about the aircraft themselves. Since the time of Covid 19, air travel (and most travel, to be fair) plummeted. No-one wanted to…
Yawn. Maybe you've already been around the world and have seen it before and done it before. Or perhaps your partner loves to hang-glide through enemy airspace on your holidays. Or, you might just want a bit of relaxation and "you time." Perhaps you just need a little time away (I…
When most people think of South America, it's usually Peru or Chile or Colombia. They're all fabulous places and if you haven't already been, we seriously suggest that you look into this most varied and truly wonderful part of the world. For those not in the know, nestled between the Caribbean, the South…
At last - the Cuba embargo is lifting! Delta Airlines intends to restart Miami International Airport (MIA) and José Martí International Airport, Havana (HAV), two times per day, starting on April 10th, 2023. Atlanta-based Delta tried to start operations in Cuba in 2016 after 55 years when the US Federal Government dropped restrictions on commercial passenger…
Well, let us once again, remind you of why living in this time in space is not bad at all. Technology brings us all together and not only can we explore our planet, but we can also find ways of saving money to do it. In this case, how does cheap flights with…
In the early 1860s, a few Westerners had seen China — but nearly all of them had seen it for themselves. The still-new medium of photography had yet to make images of everywhere available to viewers everywhere else, which meant an opportunity for traveling practitioners like John Thomson. “The son of a tobacco spinner and shopkeeper,” says…
China - probably by the sheer need to do so - continues to burst forward into the future in its technological breakthroughs. As of December 2021, China's population stood at 1.413 billion.[2] According to the 2020 census, 91.11% of the population was Han Chinese, and 8.89% were minorities. China's population growth rate is only 0.03%, ranking 159th in the world.[3] China…
For those not in the know, Mauritius is a small, multi-cultural island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, northeast of Reunion and southeast of the Seychelles. Mauritius also controls Rodrigues Island and the remote, sparsely populated Agalega and Cargados Garayos (Saint Brandon) islands. As luscious and serene as most of Mauritius is, there is a wilder side for those of you…
For those not in the know, the The Schengen Area is an area comprising 27 European countries that have officially abolished all passport and all other types of border control at their mutual borders. Being an element within the wider area of freedom, security and justice policy of the EU, it mostly functions as a single jurisdiction under a common visa policy for international travel purposes.…
As of this writing, at least where we live, it's cold and snowy, and it looks like it will stay that way for some time. Grey, wet and miserable. The sun goes down at 5:00pm and stays that way until April. Yuk. Boy, would we sure would like to be somewhere warm…
You know that, at times, you want to spoil yourself. You've worked hard, saved and have laid plans to relax and see the world. Part of that plan is to splurge when you can, make every minute count and create truly, truly unforgettable moments. Well, we have that for you, courtesy of our…
When you mention the word Iran, it usually strikes a certain response from many people. And, alas, much of that is true. It is a country that has had more than its share of troubles. But, like anywhere, it is also filled with beautiful people, beautiful scenery and beautiful stories. We…
If you're a history lover like we are, you search for "must see" locations, or even those that could be considered off-the-beaten trail. And, there are so many choices, that you will likely run out of breath or out of money before you even consider yourself "informed." This post highlights a beautiful, but haunted…
We here at Matouring love to travel. Trains, planes and automobiles get us where we want to go. And we have been lucky enough to travel to places new and old. (We prefer the latter.) And, if you are fortunate enough to travel, you will probably be able to watch the progression…
If you have no interest in automobiles, skip to our next post. We're being a bit selfish. Spend some time on our site, and you'll periodically see posts about SAAB cars. We love them, and have owned almost a dozen of them - including a classic 900 cabriolet to this day. And…
Travel often include flight. You either love it or you hate it - sometimes both at the same time. We generally love it, despite the occasional hiccup. The number of flights performed globally by the airline industry increased steadily since the early 2000s and reached 38.9 million in 2019. However, due to…
If you're fortunate enough to be able to travel, and you have already traveled afar, you may wonder what to do if you feel like you've been there and done that. Where should you go next? Especially since there are 195 countries in the world - that's a lot of ground to cover, in more…
This post may seem a bit late when we think about the subject matter. But, we had never imagined that we would still be discussing this to this day. There is not much to say about the aggressions that are continuing in Ukraine, as of this writing. We here at Matouring deplore…
Attention skiers. It has been reported that European alps are predicted to have the highest loss of mass in at least 60 years. Not good. So the Guardian has picked this week a feature on the sustainable ski resort of Laax, a greener, more environmentally-conscious alternative to other ski resorts. Ice melting…