I love world bazaars – souks, suqs, markets. Call them what you will, they're just so much fun to prowl in. By definition bazaars are shopping quarters, especially in the Middle East. They were probably the precursors to our flea markets, shopping malls, and supermarkets all rolled into one. The word seems to have originated…
If you're on a long flight – say anything longer than three hours – stretching, or at least moving around is almost essential. When the flight attendants say it's safe to move around the cabin, take advantage of the advice by getting up and walking the aisle from time to time. Just sitting still for…
If you don't know it already, beer and Belgium go together
If you don't know it already, beer and Belgium go together. Trappist Monastery beers are a unique and terrific little sub-set of Belgian beers, and you could set up a great Belgium tour to include sampling what the monks so lovingly produce. The Trappist monks have been brewing these beers for centuries. Six of Belgium's…
Ten friends, a rustic lodge and days spent on the pristine waters of Great Bear Lake
By Grady Semmens “Well, I guess I actually have to do this now that we’ve come all this way,” says Jeff warily as he eyes the cloud of mosquitoes that tracks our every move and bounces off the nets that cover our heads. And with that, he casts off every stitch of clothing save for…
The kids are all grown up and out of the house. It's time to think about year-round vacations!
The kids are all grown up and out of the house. It's time to think about year-round vacations! It certainly isn't time to mope about the empty nest: now you can start planning to take vacations when other people's kids are in school. No more thinking about kid friendly places. Now you can plan late…
When you're travelling, you have to be ready to be a flexible traveller, even when you've got your itinerary planned down to the last minute. There are just times when it doesn't work out the way you planned. The world is changing quickly all the time and the same holds true from travelling. In fact,…
While it may seem obvious you don't want to be climbing on a plane if you have the flu or some serious illness, people do it all the time
While I have discussed health and travel before, if you're going to travel healthy there are some things to add and there are some things that bear repeating! First, you should be healthy when you leave on your trip. A last minute cold aside, you don't want to be climbing on a plane if you…
Cook it, Boil it, Peel it, or forget it!
Can you drink the water or should you drink only bottled water when you're travelling? Is it safe to drink tap water? Is it safe to brush your teeth with it? These questions come up no matter where you're travelling. In most developed countries, you don't need to drink bottled water all the time. Tap…
From Jerusalem to Rome, from Kyoto to Mecca, from Varanasi to Lhasa, all the major religions of the world have cities of special significance
Just coming off of a trip to Israel, we started thinking about pilgrimage cities of the world. While most people take a pilgrimage for religious reasons, pilgrimage cities are interesting to all travellers. Most have layers of history. There is much to see and learn about in all of them. All the major religions of…
A pilgrimage is a journey to visit a place that has religious or historic significance
Here's a different travel idea for you: why not take a pilgrimage? A pilgrimage? Does that sound a little heavy? It doesn't need to. You're right in one sense, however. A pilgrimage means, most often, to go on a journey to visit a place that is religious or has historic significance and, more often than…