“What do you think of Colombia?” my husband asked. Colombia? We were searching for a way to get to South America from the States, and round-trip flights to the most popular destinations — Argentina, Peru, Chile — were surprisingly expensive. Colombia, on the other hand, was half the cost of those routes, and schedules typically involve a stop in Miami before heading to Bogota, an easy three-and-a-half-hour flight. “Sure!” I quickly agreed.
We spent one …
If you’re tired of being clobbered by hotel bills, find traveling alone has lost its allure, or you long to see a city through the eyes of a local, it’s time to go CouchSurfing.
That’s the amazing international initiative where people open up their homes to travelers and show them around the local sights. Although a free bed is certainly a huge attraction, it’s not just a scheme for cheapskates. It’s also the best way …
Scuba diving offers travelers seeking an active vacation the opportunity to view parts of our world seen by very few. Divers are part of an exclusive club, sharing experiences normally reserved for marine life. Like few other activities, diving provides an unparalleled reason to travel and one that will leave you searching for your next marine adventure. If the idea of sharing your holiday with angel fish, eels and sharks, watching turtles gliding along the …
Adventurers have found many ways of conquering the legendary Cape to Cairo route – by pedal bike, motorbike, battered Land Rover or fragile aircraft. But if you really want to travel this fabled journey in style, climb aboard the Rovos Rail.
This South African train bills itself as the most luxurious in the world, and for once it isn’t over-the-top hyperbole. The exquisitely restored carriages cocoon you in a world far removed from reality, in …
If you’ve never experienced an assault on all your senses simultaneously, take a trip to Cairo. Now the political turmoil is easing, yet Egypt’s always hectic capital is suffering from a severe drop in tourism triggered by the uprisings. Which makes it a great time to visit, since there are bargains to be had from the hotels and you’ll have the luxury of seeing its great attractions in almost splendid isolation.
But steel yourself, because …
Asia. The East. The other side of the world. A melting pot of cultures as yet largely unexplored by the West. For the independent traveller, the Asian continent is a figurative Everest, (and a literal one if you happen to find yourself in Tibet.) If you brave the great divide of the Pacific, you’ll find a wealth of unique countries whose cultural hearts beat with the passion of a war drum.
But, if you’ve never …
The Arabian Desert isn’t exactly considered a paradise. Images of the endless dunes of sand conjure thoughts of dying of thirst and being unable to escape the relentless beating of the sun. The silver screen has painted the desert as a mysterious place where adventures come alive. If you believe the tales you have seen in The Mummy, Aladdin, or Hidalgo, then this arid land offers only danger to those who dare …
It’s always fun to come back from a trip with incredible stories — not only for the fond memories, but also (of course) to be able to leave your friends and family in awe of all the exciting details. Exaggeration won’t even be necessary if you decide to partake in any of the following excursions that are possible in Iceland, because they are already so unbelievable as they are. You may even need to somehow …
Volunteering doesn’t always mean you have to go to far-flung parts of the world to assist people in need. Sometimes visiting places with poverty, pain and despair can be a bit too emotionally demanding for younger volunteers who want to employ their skills to help out. There’s a place closer to home that is more suitable for high school graduates to able-bodied 75-year-olds. A place that caters to the welfare of animals that are open …
The call to prayer slices through the breaking horizon with a single elongated chord. Berbers rise from their beds and take to their dust worn prayer mats where their day of devotion once again begins. The incense is lit, releasing streams of white smoke; the smell of religion hangs like a plump cloud. Slowly the market comes to life as the vendors, their white jallaba robes stained red from the earth, haggle over their colourful …
Botswana, with a population of just over 2 million people, is one of the most sparsely populated countries on the planet. If it were a person, standing next to South Africa, boasting nearly 25 times that figure, it might feel inadequate. But the fact that it is so sparsely populated, more than anything, is an undeniable charm. There are few places in the world you can be comfortable with space – a sleepy city or …
After travelling the length and breadth of the country, Heather (my camera assistant) and I headed out of Windhoek going south. It was long and dusty six-hour drive that took us through one of the most spectacular places in the world: mile high paprika-coloured dunes, lilac mountains, endless golden savannah grassland – all dramatically offset by a big sapphire blue sky.
Our tranquil granite and glass boutique-style lodgings – the Sossusvlei Desert Lodge – was …
For 3,000 years, a series of roads connected the East with the West. Long, treacherous and, in some places, nearly impassable, some eight or nine roads for centuries offered the only access between China, India and Europe. These together have come to be known as the Silk Road.
Extending almost 6,000 miles from end to end, the roads were traveled by spice and slave traders, spiritual pilgrims and silk merchants. They crossed mountains, deserts and …
I’ve never owned a Harley; in fact, I have never owned a motorcycle. So why does the adrenaline flow and the blood pump faster when I see one of these shining speedsters drive by?
Maybe that’s why the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee has become such a shrine with non-riders as it has with owners of the iconic machines: The museum, located in the heart of the city’s downtown, is not your everyday museum, just as …
