“You went to Colombia?” “Isn’t it dangerous?” “Are you missing an organ now?” “Did you make any deals with a drug cartel?”
I’ve come across many different people during my travels this year; interacted with both fellow travelers and locals alike. And I’ve picked up on a fairly common theme. A mere mention of Colombia immediately stirs up the stereotypical fear of drug infested, unlawful country that has nothing to offer but cheap drugs and sex.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Though when a country goes through such a dramatic period in history, filled with drug overlords flaunting extravagant luxury, and sophisticated drug supply chains with the power to control the lives of everyday Colombians, it’s understandably hard to remove that negative image from people’s minds.
But today Medellin is the most vibrant and innovative city in South America.
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Barcelona can be a tough nut to crack. Sorting through the tourist fluff and discovering the city from a local’s perspective can be done, but generally only if you come armed with insider knowledge from someone who actually lives there! And isn’t that what travel should be all about? Getting to know destinations as they truly are, not just settling for what the tourists are shown?
Barcelona is a city of contrasts. It belongs to Spain, but it’s mostly Catalans who live there. There are beautiful beaches, stunning modern buildings and a charming Gothic quarter. And incredible street art! Plenty of street art that appears, disappears and is often buried in smoke. There is a mix of classic architecture, the surrealistic heritage of Gaudí, Dalí and Picasso, world-class dining, and a kaleidoscopic cultural scene; plenty for every traveler to do.
Though if you’re traveling with the hope of mingling with locals rather than tourists you should spend time in Barcelona’s lesser-known quarters. You won’t find Gaudí’s masterpieces, Las Ramblas, or Parc Guell here, though what you will discover is the real Barcelona. Barcelona from a local’s point of view.
The following quarters are worth your time too.
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As autumn ends and winter breaks, many are quick to plot their escape. And who can blame them. When you haven’t seen the sun for months your only course of action is to fly somewhere hot. Somewhere with a magnificent warm climate all year round. Somewhere you can feel the sun on your skin. Somewhere like Malaga.
A fabulous choice of winter sun escapes, Malaga holidays not only offer sunshine all year round, but the city is brimming with culture, entertainment and art. Those who can tear themselves away from the famed beached and bars will enjoy quirky museums, excellent shopping, innovative restaurants and stylish hotels, many featuring trendy rooftop terraces with bar, pool and stunning views.
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Winter in the UK is a magical time of year, and Britain is home to some of the most exciting cities in the world. From Nottingham to Cardiff, Croydon, Gatwick and Leeds, if you have forever been dreaming of a white Christmas, winter the UK may just be the perfect choice of destination this year.
The following are fabulous ideas for what to do in the UK this winter.
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Once overlooked by travelers, the borough of Amsterdam Noord has developed into a thriving artistic community, a spot for dance and music festivals, and an escape from Amsterdam’s chaotic and touristy center.
The borough was once the industrial site of one of Europe’s largest shipyards. From 1922 until 1984 — when the Nederlandsche Dock Company went bankrupt — supertanker, cargo, and passenger ships were meticulously built and carefully launched into the IJ Lake to sail around the world. Now visitors can explore the repurposed buildings and forests for an eclectic Amsterdam experience many tourists haven’t yet seen.
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Knowing how to spend your money wisely is often one of the most difficult tasks of traveling, especially when traveling through a continent like Europe where many of the countries are quite rich. Once you consider the cost of flights, transport, accommodation, activities and food, your bank account can quickly bleed dry!
However, there are many ways to offset the costs of travel, and vacationing in Europe can be very cheap if you know where to look.
The following tips are budget hacks for traveling in Europe for cheap. It is absolutely possible to stretch your money and get the most out of your dollars and cents.
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It is better to be safer than sorry. I know this is an overused cliché, though safety is something which should be taken seriously when traveling. Despite what the media may tell you, the world isn’t actually dangerous or unsafe, though when exploring a new and foreign place, you still need to take certain precautions to minimize the risk of being hurt or losing everything. Finding yourself in an unsafe situation overseas may jeopardize your entire travel experience.
After traveling solo for almost 8 months now, having made my way slowly through South East Asia towards Central Europe, through the countries which make up the former Yugoslavia, and then into Latin America, I’ve managed to pick up a safety tip or two.
Staying safe abroad largely comes down to common sense and being aware of your surroundings, though of course individual destinations will have country specific tips, so when researching for your next trip, be sure to also look into destination specific recommendations for safety precautions to ensure your personal safety while abroad.
Though in general, apply the following rules and you’ll be fine. This is a guide to help fellow solo travelers; my top safety tips for travel which is trouble free.
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Travel is an industry based on and advanced by technology, and today we’re witnessing more innovations than ever. From Virtual Reality, like Oculus Rift to accessing Netflix directly from your hotel room, travelers are increasingly turning towards technology to take the agony out of travel.
Hipmunk asked 1,000 travelers* about the future of travel tech and which new innovations they’d appreciate the most. Spoiler alert, Tinder-for-travel made the cut.
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Washington DC glows at night. After the sun sets, DC is transformed into a completely different city – one where grand, beautiful, and often imposing buildings and monuments are lit from head to toe, often silhouetted against each other from a distance.
Many companies offer tours of the city after dark. From “Moonlight Tours” to “Sunset on the Mall Safari’s”, options for tourists and travelers are unlimited. However with all of the main attractions within walking distance of each other it’s just as easy to take a self guided tour.
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The United Kingdom is a travel destination with limitless number of world-class attractions to visit and things to do for its tourists. Its gorgeous cities, tranquil countryside, dramatic coastlines, historical treasures and intriguing landscapes, make it the famous destination we all love.
If you are looking to have the best from your UK tour, then you must be interested to know about some of the best ways to explore this glorious country.
Here are 3 of the most popular ways people love to explore the UK:
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It is always a thrilling experience to spot a wild animal you have never seen before. And if it is something you’ve always dreamed of seeing, then your delight will be much more.
These days, wildlife breaks have become very popular ways to unwind as watching wildlife is a perfect way to get back to Mother Nature and get away from our busy lives. With so many renowned wildlife destinations in different parts of the world, it is always a difficult job to pick a top three.
The following 3 world beating wildlife breaks should always be in any list of the best wildlife breaks around world:
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To those looking in, Craig and I are living the dream. Partying a SXSW music festival in Austin, trekking to Machu Picchu (Peru), discovering Colombia’s street art scene, diving in Cuba; at almost 30, we packed up our past lives as teacher and tradesman to backpack the Americas and Europe for 18 months, and our first five months on the road have produced incredible memories.
Though we’re often asked why we get to do it while many others have to settle for sitting at home dreaming about it. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You don’t have to settle for living vicariously.
We hope the following helps explain how to take a career break to travel. We imagine young ‘ins are as excited about spring break as we are about our career break!
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The world can be broken down into three different types of people. The first are those people who make things happen. These are the “go-getters” of the world. They know exactly what they want, have a very clear goal, and do everything in their power to make it happen. The second category of people are those who watch things happen. The third wonder ‘what the hell just happened?’
Danny Flood is one of those people who make things happen. A serial online entrepreneur who works from his laptop and travels the world at leisure, he discovered early on that huge lifelong dreams can be practical and achievable with the right plan.
His dream was to support himself without a boss and have the freedom to travel and go and do whatever he wanted. He poured his heart and soul into creating location-independent businesses to give himself the freedom he sought. And he succeeded. Over the last five years he has traveled and lived in over 30 countries, and done everything from exploring the world’s oldest rain forests, to fighting bouts as a boxer in Thailand, exploring the Amazon on a raft, island-hopping via sailboat across the South China Sea, and living in jungle camps in Borneo.
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It’s probably your worst nightmare – traveling overseas and realizing that you don’t have access to your cash; whether it be that the ATM ate your card, or you’ve been targeted as the victim of theft. So it’s therefore crucial that you’re aware of your surroundings when traveling overseas so that your money is safe throughout your trip. It doesn’t matter if you spent years saving for your dream vacation or look out an online loan with Cali Loan Company – no-one wants their money to go missing, especially when it can be spent on enjoying your time abroad.
The following are precautions and steps that you can take in order to keep your money safe. Pickpockets are always targeting tourists, so don’t be careless, otherwise they could swipe your wallet or purse from right underneath your nose.
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Staying safe when on the road is really important, whether that’s looking after your health, your personal possessions or your travel buddies. The last thing you want is something to cut your trip short, so follow these tips for staying safe when travelling across Europe.
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If you are traveling to Puerto Rico with a larger group of friends or family, you want to be able to get around the island together if possible. This starts from the time you arrive at the airport to going to the hotels, the beaches, parties or any other location you may be heading to.
For many people that are in Puerto Rico for a wedding, family reunion or other special occasion, it only makes sense to try and travel together to keep everyone in one spot and save some money on travel.
For this reason, you may want to look into the different coach bus services in Puerto Rico so you can find a service that can transport the entire group to wherever you may need to go.
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A Californian vacation is unforgettable. Boasting perfectly sun-kissed beaches, natural landscapes and attractions which make drivers pull over to the side of the road to stare, California is a vibrant multicultural mix, and you will never tire of exploring here.
The following are 5 things to do in the Golden State.
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Following a few unsuccessful attempts to visit the cave of Lascaux, I am at last getting my 40 minutes of Ice Age glory. After all, Lascaux is to art what La Scala is to opera, or Glastonbury to summer music festivals.
Our group of five is met at an ordinary looking gate on the edge of a hill-side car-park, just outside the town of Montignac in the south west of France. We are led in silence to what seems like a top security portal to some underground WW2 bunker. A couple is holding hands, they look at each other and exchange an excited giggle.
Otherwise, the aura of reverence that surrounds our group is so obviously at odds with the decidedly unremarkable entrance we are looking at. I try to imagine the thousands of visitors that once flocked to this very spot since the cave was discovered in September 1940. The same people who came to marvel were the ones who inadvertently were responsible for the destruction of the prehistoric images. And so in 1963 access to the cave was restricted to only a handful of visitors each week, with only a short time inside the cave itself.
Today we are that handful, this is our week.
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Earlier in the year we reviewed “Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago”; a 90 minute documentary which provides up-close look at the ancient spiritual pilgrimage known as the Camino de Santiago, or Way of St. James.
The documentary itself was fantastic, and you can read our full review, though while watching the journey of each pilgrim unfold, I found myself equally as fascinated with the process of making the film.
How did they cast the travelers who took center stage? What was the budget for this kind of a film? How did the camera crew cope with completing this same trek but with all of their heavy equipment?
Determined to find out what goes into the making of a travel documentary, I decided to consult an authority on the matter. This week’s interview is with Lydia B. Smith, the director and producer of Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago, on what it takes to make a travel film. She takes us behind the scenes.
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One of the best parts about travelling across the globe is the amazing sights and scenery you can see and capture. There are thousands of locations around the world that you can visit to capture some stunning and unique photographs to enjoy for years to come.
Below are some outstanding locations around the world that offer great photo opportunities:
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Most people avoid traveling — not because they don’t want to see the world, but because they seem to think all travel must be expensive, and they fear they simply can’t afford it. So they take their trips close to home to cut down costs, and they miss out on some truly great cities around the world that are just waiting to be explored.
Of course there are some obvious areas where you can focus in order to save money while traveling, like hunting for cheap plane tickets and traveling in the off season, though some of the best money-saving tips may not be the ones you immediately think of when planning a trip.
Dublin is one of the most beautiful and culturally-rich cities in the world, and while it can be an expensive place to visit if you let it, there are a few ways you can cut some corners and save some cash.
Following these simple tips will have you exploring the best this Irish city has to offer with enough cash left over for a round of pints at the pub.
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Geocaching, which is the 21st-century’s technology-enabled version of a treasure hunt, has gotten millions of people around the world hooked. Geocaching challenges have also amassed many followers in Alberta. Eager participants typically use their smartphones to locate watertight hidden containers (or geocaches) via Global Positioning System (GPS).
Geocaches are concealed in public places and the great outdoors, and guidelines such as these from Parks Canada should be heeded to ensure the safety of geocachers who are trying to retrieve the hidden containers.
Once found, a geocache can be exchanged for rewards, as in the case of the 2014 Southern Rockies Geocache that involved looking for “puzzle pieces” that were ultimately exchanged for a bagful of outdoor gear plus loads of cool stuff.
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Phang Nga Bay, off the east coast of Phuket Island is definitely one of the most beautiful parts of Thailand. That means there are plenty of tour operators and options for departure points.
We boarded our ship in the village of Ao Por at the far north east of Phuket Island. It was a pretty little village in its own right, complete with traditional fishing boats, and that gorgeous aquamarine water.
The trip out to our canoeing destination was about an hour by boat, but what a trip! Glorious scenery, stunning rock formations and that pretty sea. I wasn’t really sure how canoeing could improve our experience. But I was willing to give it a try!
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Regardless of which society you are born into, the gist for the majority of the world is that your life will follow a certain mold. There’s this traditional storyline that we’re meant to follow: graduate high school, move out, go to college and/or find a job, get married and have kids all before 25, and this has certainly been the way it’s worked for previous generations.
But that life-path is far from realistic anymore, and one of the greatest regrets in life is being what others would want you to be, rather than being yourself. Because if you settle for the mediocre, allow a life-path to be chosen for you, and think that waiting until you’re retired is the best time to travel the world, you’ve missed out on life and let it fly right by you.
Because one of the other greatest regrets in life is having missed out on all of the things you wanted to do.
This week’s inspiring traveler interview is with Megan Indoe and Scott Herder who believe that you should travel until you retire, and have been traveling South East Asia since 2013 living that very dream.
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People travel to London for all kinds of reasons. Some come to the city because of business they may have there. Others want to see London because it is steeped in such rich history and has some of the most famous sites in the world. Still others come for the sports or entertainment that the city holds.
There is also a segment of travelers that want to come to London because it is known for something else – shopping. London has built the reputation as having some of the finest shopping establishments in the world and people from around the globe come to the area to experience all it has to offer.
If you are coming to London for shopping you may want to look at hotels near Harvey Nichols to get the best place possible.
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