After having seen Athens and Corinth, I couldn't resist visiting one of the other great city-states of ancient Greece: Sparta.
Sparta needs no introduction. It's a star player on the History and Discovery channels and that schlocky pseudo-historical film 300. While I ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Learning
Sparta: Greece's ancient warrior city
After having seen Athens and Corinth, I couldn't resist visiting one of the other great city-states of ancient Greece: Sparta.
Sparta needs no introduction. It's a star player on the History and Discovery channels and that schlocky pseudo-historical film 300. While I ...Ten bizarre travel diseases that can ruin your next vacation
On some level, catching a weird disease or picking up a little-known tropical parasite on your travels gives you bragging rights. "Look at me, I'm so hardcore!" Trust me, I've been there. But with Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR TB) making headlines worldwide, I'd like ...The Athens War Museum
This is a Heckler & Koch MP5 9mm submachine gun with gold plated parts. It was given by the Defense Minister of Kuwait to former Greek Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou, probably as a thank you for his nation's help in liberating Kuwait during Operation Desert Storm. ...10 free things to do in Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona, Spain, is full of fun things to do and interesting sites to explore. Luckily, the city features many experiences for the budget traveler with free museums, walking tours, beaches, parks, museums, dance shows, and more. Use this list to help you save money while ...Adventure travel with a purpose in Israel's Negev Desert
Travel can be such an incredible, life altering, experience, both for us, and the people that we interact with on our journeys. But seldom is that more clearly defined than in the case of an upcoming special trip from an organization called Bustan, which works closely with ...Trek the Colombian Andes in El Cocuy National Park with Mountain Madness
Acclaimed Seattle-based adventure travel company and guide service Mountain Madness debuts its newest trip on February 4th: an excursion to Colombia's El Cocuy National Park. Although Colombia is often characterized as being mostly tropical jungle or coastline, the Andean ...The Acropolis: Greece's most famous monument weathers the crisis
Visiting Greece and not visiting the Acropolis is unthinkable. Set atop a high rock overlooking Athens, the temples here were built primarily to honor the city's patron goddess Athena in all her attributes. The buildings here are some of the best examples of Greek ...Stand up paddling with stingrays in New Zealand's Murderer's Bay
Though Captain James Cook was the first European to set foot on the islands of New Zealand in 1769, he was not the first European to "discover it". That honor would belong to Dutch explorer Abel Tasman who sailed past the country while navigating the Southern Ocean for ...The ultimate guide to Carnival in Rio: parties and parades
What's Carnival in Rio de Janeiro without its lively parties and parades? Now that planning, packing, and logistics are taken care of, it's time to think about the important stuff: your social calendar. In this second installment of the ultimate guide to Carnival in ...Food poisoning! What to watch out for in 2012
For many people--myself included--one of the most enjoyable aspects of travel is experiencing how other cultures eat. Even if you're only traveling as far as the other end of the state, chances are there's a regional specialty, street food, farmers market, or restaurant ...10 best times to break your travel budget
While it's smart to plan a budget and make wise spending decisions, there are times while traveling when a splurge is in order. Don't think of these instances as wasting money, but as investments into your personal happiness and enhancements to your travel experience.
If ...Hotel in Vancouver, Canada, puts a new spin on in-room iPads
No need to worry about tipping your tour guide on your next trip to Vancouver, Canada, as the OPUS Vancouver hotel has recently added iPads to each of their 96 guest rooms to act as personal tour guides of the city. While the trend of adding tablets to hotel rooms is not a ...Athens day trip: Acrocorinth, one of Greece's greatest castles
Greece is justly famous for its ancient monuments. The Acropolis, Delphi, and other Classical sites are the reason most history lovers come to this ancient land. The medieval period, however, produced many equally impressive monuments and it's a shame they're so often ...Greek museums face the economic crisis
It's not easy being the caretaker of Greece's heritage these days. Greek museums are facing budget cuts, strikes, reduced staff, even loss of visitors due to riots. The National Archaeological Museum had many rooms closed during the peak tourist season last summer due to ...10 ways travel can boost your resume
While many people view travel as a fun hobby or interest, it can actually help gain experience and improve skills that are of interest to employers. While you shouldn't put travel under work experience unless you had an internship or job abroad, you can create a separate ...Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: From steel town to scenic city
While many people still visualize Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to be an old steel city, the hilly town has certainly changed a lot in the last 30-40 years. My first impressions when arriving were that the lit up hillsides, public art, modern architecture, colorful bridges, ...The ultimate guide to Carnival in Rio: planning, packing and logistics
Attending Carnival in Rio de Janeiro tops many a bucket list, and for good reason. Not only is Rio Carnaval one of the world's sexiest festivals, it's also an important cultural event for the people of Brazil. Last year, more than 4.9 million people participated in the ...Three unexpected treats on Oahu's North Shore
Last October, when my wife and I visited Oahu for a week, we spent the first few days happily exploring the attractions and activities we'd plotted before the trip: the artfully educating exhibits at the Bishop Museum; the snorkeling splendors of Hanauma Bay; the ...Upcoming travel blogger conferences for 2012
If the word "conference" immediately conjures images of tipsy, poly-suit clad conventioneers, comic book geeks, or coma-inducing workshops, you obviously haven't attended a travel blogger gathering.
'Tis the season for some of the year's biggest travel industry blowouts. ...New series: Our past in peril, Greek tourism faces the economic crisis
This is a sculpture of a fallen Greek warrior from the temple of Aphaia on the Greek island of Aigina. Made in the 5th century BC, it's an important example of Early Classical Greek art. This was a time when Greek artists began imitating life with realistic poses and ...
