A country in the midst of a political transition and geographically placed along the Himalayas, sharing borders with India and Bangladesh and linking a “Golden Triangle” with Thailand and Laos, Burma, now Myanmar, is a fascinating country with the friendliest people in Asia. Yangon I stay near the Sule Paya, a golden pagoda set in […]
“Now, we go to the supermarket”, says Abdullah, with a smile. We know the smile is ironic and that we are not about to walk into a Safeway. My son Rohan, our Malaysian friend Fazila, and I have hired Abdullah to guide us through the labyrinthine streets of Medina El Bali, the ancient quarter in […]
During my freshman year of college, I spent Spring Break in Utila, Honduras. Utila is one of the Bay Islands located in the Caribbean. It is so small that there is no real airport on the island. Instead, I flew to the nearby island of Roatan. Before I left, an overeager escalator chomped at the airport through […]
Much has been written about the ruin of previously unspoiled travel destinations due to the overwhelming popularity of the very things that made them desirable to begin with: Natural beauty unmarred by hotel high-rises; arts as opposed to mass-produced memorabilia; culturally unique traditions that do not mock their practitioners; and economics based on something other […]
Teaching is one of my passions. My name is Manika Bhatia. I am a 12 year old girl, studying in 7th grade at North Gwinnett middle school in suburbs of Atlanta. I enjoy playing basketball, swimming, volunteering with kids, and spending time with friends and family. When I grow up, I would like to be a […]
If by some chance, you find yourself in Holland amidst the endless stream of bicyclists, multi-ethnic food, canals, and cobblestones, I hope you venture outside of Amsterdam to see what else there is to offer. With a landmass of 41,543 square kilometers and an insanely efficient public transportation system, Holland is easy to move around […]
Several years ago, I made the decision like many others, to leave my well guided path of working my way up the ranks in a stable career, to venture off on a new journey traveling around the world and looking for alternative possibilities for earning my way in life. I had no solid idea of […]
I discovered this concept of “volunteering holiday” quite by accident. My former flatmate had booked one a couple of years before, and I had signed up for the newsletter fully intending to go someday.
For years I had the desire to travel abroad and volunteer, but it wasn’t until 2010 I took the leap and finally did it. I chose to volunteer through a non-profit organization called Cross-Cultural Solutions (CCS), and I chose Morocco as my first volunteer country.
On June 24th, I will begin a 6 day climb to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa. The purpose of my climb is to raise money for the O’Brien School for the Maasai, and a women’s group that operates out of a room in the school. The O’Brien School for the Maasai is […]
Continued from part 1… We start our second day crossing the Dudh Kosi (Milk River) on a steel suspension bridge about 50 metres (165ft) above the river – it’s a thrilling feeling with mountains on each side and the roaring river below. As we cross, the wind pushes us to one side and you feel […]
First I would like to kindly thank Sucheta for letting me write a guest entry on her blog! I recently met Sucheta in Nepal where I was re-visiting VIN (Volunteers Initiative Nepal) whom I worked for last year. This year I set up a partner foundation called Friends of VIN (visit our newly launched website Friends […]
The best thing to do when you or a travel companion are gluten-free is to plan ahead. While you have a free internet connection at home, research gluten-free restaurants, write down their addresses, and keep them in your purse. That way, you can look forward to dining out, instead of sticking to basic foods, like […]
My wife Mary and I made our first trip to India last September on a tour which included Agra, Jaipur and New Delhi, known as the Golden Triangle. While we enjoyed the comfort and convenience of guided tours, we arrived in New Delhi early for two homestays to be able to connect with some of […]
It’s not easy to be a vegetarian while on the road. I know that because my husband used to be a traveling consultant. 100% travel, eating out all the time, fly out on Monday mornings and return on Thursday nights, jet lag, one hotel room after another… it is a tough drill. If your client […]
It all started a couple years ago when I went on Wikipedia to search for international holidays, as I was very interested in learn about more than just the well-known ones like Halloween and Valentine’s Day. As I came across a holiday called World Toilet Day, I researched it and read about an agency called […]
