September 2011 Blog Posts (71)

This week Amazing Race travels to Indonesia!

I have to admit, when I first read through the Lonely Planet Introduction to Indonesia, it sounded beautiful and exotic and mysterious and amazing. And it sounded like a place I would definitely NOT take my kids. But, as we all know, families can travel anywhere with a little research and preparation, so I dug a little deeper.

Indonesia is a collection of many…

I think once you get the urge to start traveling and see the world you can never really get enough. I have been fortunate to travel to a lot of places and have lived and worked in overseas locations. While a lot of people enjoy seeing the tourist hotspots such as the Eiffel Tower or Buckingham Palace I tend to gravitate to more historical type sites. Now don't get me…

We're back!

Chilling, shopping and fun were all we had in Bali. In a period of 6 days, we moved from the main tourist beach of Kuta/Seminyak to the green paddy fields of Ubud, and back down to the isolated beach of Sanur. However, the short period of stay meant that we aren't able to explore the less-visited territories of Western & Northern Bali, or even the car-free Lombok island.

On hindsight, we could have skipped some of the…

Hey peeps,

Did you get enough quality beach time this summer? I just wrote a great artcile on the top 10 most beautiful beaches in the world.  The article aims to inspire you with some good travel ideas on the most astonishing though backpacker wallet-proof beaches on earth.

Check it here…

 It all started sometime in June when Rachael and I decided to buy a motorhome and travel around Australia. We'd been living apart for a while now while I finished my intern year in pharmacy and couldn't really decide on a place to settle afterward, so we figured we'd just travel around for a while until we found a good place.

We looked around for a while for a little hiace campervan but they were pretty expensive ($10000 +) for a reasonable one. Then we started to look at Toyota…

The Hawaiian humpback whales were spotted on Tuesday off the coast of the Big Island about 14 miles south of Kailua-Kona. They have returned several weeks earlier than last year when they were spotted on October 20. This annual migration marks the start of our winter season in Hawaii and the charter boats and vacation rental accommodations gear up annually for the influx of visitors that will arrive to see these giants.…

It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.

Today sitting in my chair, exhausted but content, I can vouch for it wholeheartedly. This weekend was amazing, a test of…

A reminder for fellow mile and point collectors out there: The relationship between American Express Membership Rewards and Continental Airlines is coming to an end. Friday, September 30 is the last day to transfer Amex points to Continental. Don’t forget that you can now freely transfer miles back and forth between Continental and United, so this is also an opportunity to convert…

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The basis for most taxes is fairly straightforward. For instance, sales tax is a percentage of an item’s purchase price, and income tax is a blend of percentages of an individual’s taxable income. But taxes on travel are much more difficult to decipher, and industry lobby groups complain that the airline industry is one of the highest taxed businesses in the world. Let’s take a look at two sample itineraries, one domestic and one international.

Itinerary 1: Los…

2 years ago my sister and I took a girl’s trip to Paris. Instead of using public transport to get around, we took advantage of our feet and stamina. With the map of Paris in my hand, we navigated our ways through the major districts of the city with pleasure and ease. It is at that point that I discovered the adventures of soaking in the city life, paying attention to all the small details you find on the way and basking in the glory of such major cities, something which goes amiss on…

The Omkareshwar temple in Madhya Pradesh is on e of the 12 jyotirlingas of India. This temple is dedicated to lord Shiva. The Mandhata Island on Narmada River is where the Omkareshwar temple is located. The Hindu symbol ‘Om’ is the shape of the island. ‘Lord of Om sound’ is the meaning of Omkareshwar. Narmada is one of the holiest rivers in India. The Khandwa District is where the Omkareshwar temple is located.

The formation of the temple has many stories behind it. Of these, 3…

The relevance of Berlin’s past 150 years in relation to where we are today as a society is undeniable.  Much of its history is nowadays buried underground though some of it is hidden in plain sight if you know where to look.  Take for example Hitler’s bunker, tucked away behind apartment blocks on Wilhelm Strasse just one block from the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.  Though the…

The Hanakapiai trail, the first two miles of the epic nearly eleven miles of the Kalalau trail along the Napali offers so much that is Kauai in such a short time that it must be experienced. Mystically enshrouded in morning clouds on a typical north shore day it only enhances the drama. The two of you will be participants watching as the sun climbs in the sky and burns off the clouds to reveal blues and greens  that challenge…

As a kid, I watched movies and television shows that highlighted the magic of New York City.  The romance of places like The Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, and Central Park have been forever etched in my memory.    There is always something to do; dining, sports, shopping, Broadway Theater, music, or just walking the city streets for some of the best people-watching anywhere.  Then, there is the legacy of the attacks of the World Trade Center which have forever…

Lately we’ve had a lot of people asking us about our trip. Just about everything we do is in some way related to getting us out the door and headed south. Friends, family, the UPS delivery guy, dentist, insurance brokers, the friendly man at the hardware store... They all want to know what the hell is wrong with us. Responses range from "Are you crazy?!" to "Holy shit, do you have room for one more?"

Colorado-based VisitMobile, Inc. is bringing the world of destination travel smartphone apps to a whole new level with the introduction of their Mobile Concierge solution.  Mimicking a real destination concierge, Mobile Concierge provides convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs), destination marketing organizations (DMOs) and business improvement districts (BIDs) with a customized smartphone app that delivers real-time trusted advice and insider…