Andrew Hickey's Blog (35)

Win a Night at the Four Seasons Vancouver and Dinner for 2 TBEX Weekend!

Travel Blog Exchange 2011 is just a few weeks away and that means by now many of you have already decided whether or not you’re going to be making the trek to beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada this June to partake in one of the biggest weekends on the blogosphere’s calendar.

Are you still looking for a place to crash? Unfortunately I’m not familiar with the CouchSurfing situation in Vancouver, but perhaps I can help out a fellow blogger by…

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Added by Andrew Hickey on April 18, 2011 at 11:39am — No Comments

10 Tips for Purchasing Travel Insurance

I get asked about travel insurance from time to time and the first question tends to be “is it actually worth it?” Now while I will never advise someone to purchase travel insurance for a quick getaway, I do believe it is a good idea when planning an expensive trip.

In order to not lose sleep days and weeks before you even depart on a dream vacation, here are a few tips on buying travel insurance.

Most people that purchase travel insurance tend to go for what is called a… Continue

Added by Andrew Hickey on September 23, 2010 at 4:27pm — No Comments

The ABC’s of TBEX

Last weekend pretty much the entire travel blogging community met up about 30 minutes from my apartment (or as you would call it New York City) for the second annual Travel Blog Exchange.

From my last count there are currently 859 blog posts about TBEX online. Actually I just refreshed my TweetDeck – make that 864. While many have commented on what was great, what could have been different and just how much booze they inhaled over the 48-hour period, I felt that as a…

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Added by Andrew Hickey on July 6, 2010 at 10:03am — 1 Comment

New York Food Trucks and Street Food Guide

Believe it or not the most popular question I receive in my inbox from people visiting New York (or who have just moved here) is not about the typical tourist attractions. Instead people want to know where to get their hands on delicious food without…

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Added by Andrew Hickey on June 16, 2010 at 10:56pm — 2 Comments

26 Hours in Paris

Paris, France

When I originally set out on this trip it was suppose to be “24 Hours in Paris”, but due to a pesky ash cloud hovering over the Atlantic, I was stuck an extra two hours in Paris and this is now my “26 Hours in Paris.” Here is my recap from an extreme whirl wind tour of the City of Light.…

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Added by Andrew Hickey on May 23, 2010 at 11:00pm — 1 Comment

Five Tips for Smart European Travel

Preparing for a journey to Europe can be quite daunting for some travelers. What to see, where to go and will you have enough time to fit it all in are just some of the questions probably racing through most people’s heads as they put together the perfect itinerary.

But once all that is squared away, you…

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Added by Andrew Hickey on April 24, 2010 at 8:45pm — No Comments

Five Fantastic New York Biergartens

With the temperatures rising, now is the perfect time to get outside, enjoy the blooming flowers, take in the warmer temps and of course enjoy a drink or twelve. While it is always enjoyable to partake in a few suds after work or on vacation at a hole in the wall, it can

be even nicer to break free and down some booze under the sun. The Big Apple is home to many outdoor Beer Gardens (or Biergartens) that will have you raising…

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Added by Andrew Hickey on April 24, 2010 at 8:25pm — No Comments

Cancun Clubbing 101 for Spring Break

Bulldog Cafe in Cancun, Mexico

Still one of the most beloved and insane locations during Spring Break, Cancun is a coastal city in Mexico

that truly knows how to party. When in Cancun, chances are you will be drinking, dancing and possibly doing other adult oriented activities that we can not mention here. Before you book…

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Added by Andrew Hickey on February 10, 2010 at 10:40am — 1 Comment

Four Places To Eat Down Under The Manhattan Bridge

We don’t need to tell you that hiking across the 126-year-old Brooklyn Bridge is incredibly popular with visitors to New York. But once you walk out the door of Lower Manhattan hotels like Gild Hall or the Millenium Hilton, it’s a more than two miles to cross the bridge and get back. To us, that’s more than enough distance to warrant a snack on the east side of the East River.

Perhaps confusingly, the neighborhood right at the end of… Continue

Added by Andrew Hickey on November 21, 2009 at 8:41pm — No Comments

Three Great NYC Greenmarkets

New York has plenty of restaurants stocked with local, organic, family-farmed, and otherwise sustainable ingredients. But sometimes it’s more fun to go straight to the source — or at least the farmers who actually grew (or raised) what you’re eating. Here are three greenmarkets worth a stop.

Union Square Greenmarket: Opened in 1976, this year-round attraction is by far the most well known greenmarket in the city. Come by early… Continue

Added by Andrew Hickey on November 21, 2009 at 8:36pm — No Comments

USA Is The World's "Most Liked" Country...No Really It Is

Nein, nein, nein! Warum!!! Yup it's true. Germany has indeed been dethroned as the "most liked" country in the world. No longer is the land of giant pretzels and beers the most beloved according to a new survey. So what country is "most liked" right now?

The United States of America.

Yeah I was shocked too. But the results from a summer 2009 survey of 20,000 people in 20 geographically and economically diverse countries… Continue

Added by Andrew Hickey on October 20, 2009 at 12:06am — No Comments

Big City On A Budget: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Big cities usually come with an equally big price tag. But that does not always have to be true. You can find cheap and free things to do in just about every major city in the world. So from time to time I will be featuring a major city that will not put you into debt while visiting it with some tips from a budget traveler.

Toronto, Ontario, Canada is one of the most diverse, fun and safe cities to visit in North America. It is the… Continue

Added by Andrew Hickey on October 18, 2009 at 4:38pm — No Comments

Travel Experts Reveal More Dirt From The Road

When most travelers confessed to me, one topic seemed to come up quite a bit and that was “I have never been to…”. Below are some places that these vagabonds have yet to mark off on their “to see” list.

Johnny Jet, a man you would think has touched every inch of this planet, has yet to make his presence felt at the Grand Canyon.

Nomadic Matt is another globe-trotting individual that has also seen most of the… Continue

Added by Andrew Hickey on October 11, 2009 at 5:51pm — 1 Comment

End Of The Line For This Guilt Trip

The conclusion of travel confessions.

The About.com Budget Travel Guide Mark Kahler stunned me when he said, “Some people are surprised that I will stay on occasion in a luxury hotel or review a five-star property. People with more money still want value!”

It is not what Chief researcher at National Geographic Traveler Magazine Marilyn Terrell does on her ventures that shocked me, it’s what she doesn’t do.… Continue

Added by Andrew Hickey on October 11, 2009 at 5:30pm — No Comments

Sinful Travelers Confess Their Deepest, Darkest, & Downright Bizarre Secrets

First up in the confession booth is Gabe Saglie, Senior Editor and “Travel Guru” at Travelzoo.com, who revealed to me that, “When it comes to hotels, I always check-out with 2 things: amenities and stationary. Amenities are something hotels identify with, and even advertise, especially the upscale hotels. So this started years ago, when my traveling really began to pick up and I found myself forgetting where I’d stayed. Those… Continue

Added by Andrew Hickey on October 11, 2009 at 5:30pm — No Comments

New Routes Coming Soon To An Airport Near You (10 U.S. airlines listed)

Some people get all worked up over the new fall season of television shows premiering, certain individuals get excited about a new motion picture hitting the silver screen, while others might get overstimulated by the combination of baseball playoffs and the return of the NFL football. But yours truly could care less about all of those distractions. Why? Because the announcement of new airline routes tops them all. While my wife (and a few of you) may think I am a loon for caring so much about… Continue

Added by Andrew Hickey on October 11, 2009 at 5:30pm — No Comments

Heavenly Chocolates, Bowls Of Melted Cheese, And $80 Umbrellas? My Trip To Zurich, Switzerland

I was bitten by the travel bug at a very young age. I still remember being about ten years old and writing down a list of places that I wanted to visit. I jotted down the typical “touristy” locales into my notebook (hey remember I was only ten!). Destinations like San Francisco, Chicago, Dublin, and Rome all made the cut. As the years went on my taste in travel changed dramatically.

So my little travel check list saw many changes over… Continue

Added by Andrew Hickey on September 14, 2009 at 2:09am — No Comments

Are You Ready For Some Travel? Five Great Football Stadiums

Ah crisp, cool weather has arrived in New York, the sun is setting earlier, leaves are already starting to fall off some of the trees on my street, and I even wore a sweatshirt outside today in the park. That can only mean one thing…football season is here!

The NFL is back and kicked off last night with the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers squeaking out an overtime victory against the Tennessee Titans. Honestly one of the main reasons I love football is that its the… Continue

Added by Andrew Hickey on September 11, 2009 at 1:22am — No Comments

All You Need Is Love (And A Passport): 9 Infamous Beatles Locales

Today is “09-09-09″, and while that may be catchy enough, it has also been dubbed “Beatles Day.” The reason behind the nickname is because the Fab Four’s entire music catalog is being re-released starting today in proper CD digital format. So that means you can get a hold of all the legendary British band’s popular hits ranging from “A Hard Day’s Night” to “Yesterday” and all songs in between in crystal clear quality.

In honor of The Beatles, which just so happens to be one of my… Continue

Added by Andrew Hickey on September 8, 2009 at 11:48pm — No Comments

Thailand Is Giving You Ten Thousand Reasons To Visit

Do you really need much convincing to visit Thailand? I mean the place is absolutely beautiful. But if you are still contemplating whether or not to venture off to this Southeast Asian country, then maybe the good people at the Tourism Authority of Thailand can sway your decision.

With Thailand facing a 15% decline in foreign visitors this year due to an awful worldwide economy and uncertainty among travelers to visit a country that… Continue

Added by Andrew Hickey on September 8, 2009 at 11:34pm — No Comments