Apr 8th, 2013 at 3:00PM:
They started trekking the planet more than a year ago, promising to travel the globe bringing children in classrooms from around the world with them, virtually, as they visited scores of countries and continents. Now their journey is complete and Darren and Sandy Van Soye are back to tell about it.
The story begins in February 2012, when the couple from Southern California started on a ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Latvia posts
Trekking Couple Circles Planet Three Times In 424 Days
Apr 8th, 2013 at 3:00PM:
They started trekking the planet more than a year ago, promising to travel the globe bringing children in classrooms from around the world with them, virtually, as they visited scores of countries and continents. Now their journey is complete and Darren and Sandy Van Soye are back to tell about it.
The story begins in February 2012, when the couple from Southern California started on a ...Survey Ranks 'World's Most Unfriendliest' Countries
Mar 15th, 2013 at 2:00PM:
Have you ever been to a country that just seems to give tourists the cold shoulder? Now, there are some figures behind those unwelcome feelings; the World Economic Forum has put together a report that ranks countries based on how friendly they are to tourists.
The extensive analyses ranks 140 countries according to attractiveness and competitiveness in the travel and tourism industries. ...New Airline Program Pairs Seatmates Based On 'Mood'
Jun 7th, 2012 at 6:30PM: "Do you want your seat neighbor to be like-minded, share hobbies with you or speak a specific language? Do you want to chat, or to rest while flying?" These are the questions asked by airBaltic, the national airline of Latvia who is introducing a new SeatBuddy program.
SeatBuddy is designed to pair seatmates based on three specific "moods": those who want to do work, those who want to make new ...Off-The-Beaten-Path Latvia Nominated The Most Beautiful Country In The World
May 27th, 2012 at 9:00AM: When many people are asked what they think the most beautiful country in the world is, they respond with popular favorites like Greece, New Zealand or Brazil. While these countries appear to be among the top in the world, a contest sponsored by First Choice is showing there are also some off-the-beaten-path destinations that many people find aesthetically pleasing.
The contest, called "Conflict ...The world's most ethical tourism destinations
Jan 18th, 2012 at 3:30PM: Each year, non-profit organization Ethical Traveler conducts a survey of the world's developing nations, analyzing their progress toward promoting human rights, preserving their environment, and developing a sustainable tourism industry. The study, run by Ethical Traveler's all-volunteer staff, factors in country scores from databases like Freedom House, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and ...Travel then and now: Travel to the USSR and GDR
Mar 1st, 2011 at 3:30PM: This year is the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Soviet Union and 21 years since the reunification of Germany. While citizens of the USSR and GDR were unable to travel abroad and restricted in domestic travel, foreign travelers were permitted under a controlled environment. In the early nineties, if you were a foreigner looking to go abroad to the Eastern Europe or Central Asia, you called ...Schengen and the disappearance of European passport stamps
Mar 1st, 2011 at 10:00AM:
Creative new use for border crossing posts at German/Austrian border.
In the late 1980s, an American spending a summer traveling across Europe with a Eurailpass would see his or her passport stamped possibly dozens of times. With a few exceptions, every time a border was crossed, an immigration agent would pop his or her head into a train compartment, look at everyone's passports, in most ...AirBaltic expands, spruces up
Jun 3rd, 2010 at 3:00PM: Yesterday, Latvian airline AirBaltic launched two new routes: Riga-Madrid and Riga-Beirut.
Riga-based AirBaltic is an airline to watch. Little known in North America, the airline is notable for its low starting fares and the inclusion of most of Europe's most popular tourist destinations on its route map. But what really sets the airline apart from the pack is its range of underserved ...The Latvian way to fix the economy? Hot blondes!
Jun 2nd, 2009 at 4:30PM: The world is in a global economic meltdown, but Latvia is suffering a bit more than most other nations - their economy is expected to shrink by 16% this year. Some countries have introduced financial measures to get things back on track, others have been forced to simply sit back and wait for the worst to blow over. Latvia is not one of them - their economic stimulus package is brilliant, and ...Riga, Latvia: the best place you've never been
Mar 10th, 2009 at 3:00PM: A lot has changed since the Cold War ended. If this is news to you, please stop reading immediately. You don't want to drink water from a fire hose. But, if you are in fact aware that the Berlin Wall fell (and that David Hasselhoff provided the soundtrack, to the joy of Germans and the chagrin of Americans), then keep going. You're about to find out why you need to get out to Riga, Latvia.
The ...OK, in Latvia, do not speak Russian
Mar 4th, 2009 at 5:00PM: Language is a funny thing: When you say something wrong, even in a foreign tongue, you don't have to be told you made a mistake. The reaction says it all. It comes in the form of a stony face, a pause, and an answer that in itself is a correction. At least that's what I was thinking about today. I'm writing this from Latvia, a country that has its own language – Latvian – and a de ...Travel sans visa coming for European, Caribbean, Mauritius, and Seychelles nationals
Feb 13th, 2009 at 2:00PM: A mutual agreement allowing Europeans, nationals from four Caribbean countries, and citizens of two island nations in the Indian Ocean is expected to be passed and approved by the end of March, which will allow for hassle-free and smoother travel. If you hold a passport from any of the following countries, it means you're that much more free to travel between those listed sans visa: Austria, ...
