Turn Right

24/11/2021

American skies are about to become a lot friendlier to fully vaccinated travellers. On 8 November, the United States will implement a new air travel policy that removes the ban on international travel from 33 countries (including the EU, UK and India) and changes the country-by-country approach in favour of a requirement for all fliers to be fully vaccinated. This marks the first time in 18 months that vaccinated visitors from many countries have been able to travel to the US.

24/11/2021

For those of you who have never been, Miami is a unique experience. The different cultures that mix in the area accompanied by the free spirit of the city itself (which may or may not have something to do with drug money helping to fund the initial infrastructure. But Vegas did the same thing and everyone loves that place!) makes Miami feel unique to pretty much any other city you can visit.

24/11/2021

Boasting one of the world's highest vaccination rates, Malta is now welcoming back visitors safely with cash incentives and a recently launched Nomad Residence Permit.
The Mediterranean island-nation of Malta may be small but its response to the pandemic has been mighty. Once enforcing some of the strictest restrictions in Europe, the country has finally been able to open its borders and welcome back visitors safely, boasting one of the world's highest vaccination rates.

23/11/2021

Paris, Rome, Barcelona... Europe's cities are bucket list destinations, and rightly so. But the continent's small towns are a dream, too, with all the beautiful architecture and much of the culture you'll find in the big hitters, only with fewer crowds to share them with.
Here are some of the prettiest small towns across Europe, from humble fishing towns to hilltop medieval power bases.

23/11/2021

There's an ancient beauty to the stairway and it comes from the fact that Preikestolen – like nearly 300 other natural stone staircase projects in Norway purpose-built over the past two decades – has been crafted by teams of Sherpas from Nepalese communities living in the shadows of Mount Everest.

There was a time when Norway's mountain paths would only see a handful of local visitors. But social media has changed all that, and over the past decade, the country has seen such a dramatic spike in overseas travellers keen to Instagram its viewpoints that something has had to give.

23/11/2021

Despite ranking as the smallest continent in terms of size, Europe is arguably the most adventurous and historic continent on earth. Besides the history, the continent is also blessed with lots of beautiful places which feature scenic views, rich culture, and mesmerizing sky colors. These cities, in particular, are so beautiful, they make us want to pack our bags and get on the next flight.

23/11/2021

The rolling, vineyard-covered hills on the Italian border, the elegant and eco-friendly capital city of Ljubljana, the perfect tranquility of Lake Bled, the snowy valleys in Triglav National Park and the warm waters along the Adriatic coastline — the nation definitely punches way above its weight.

23/11/2021

Nearly 50 years later, their travel guide empire, Lonely Planet, is still chugging along.
As much of the world is slowly reopening following the coronavirus pandemic, travel is front of mind for so many of us. The hope is that 2022 will see families reunited, loved ones catching up after long stretches apart and hoarded vacation time used on once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

17/11/2021

Around the summer solstice, Estonians (and other cultures in the region, from Finland to Latvia) celebrate the Midsummer Festival, which means people take off from work, go to spend some time in the countryside and party all night (which is very short, because of how little darkness there is).

In Tallinn, walking around the compact Old Town is a great way to see architecture, history and lots of food, pubs and cafes. We stayed at Tallinn’s most musical hostel and found the city’s best cafes for digital nomads.

What we also liked about the Baltic region, especially in summer, is that it was easy (and picturesque!) to get from Estonia to Latvia.

17/11/2021

Peru is an affordable destination for travel if you skip the hyped super-touristy path that has now become a mainstay in ‘wonders of the world’ and bucket lists.

Peru is much more than Machu Picchu, which has come to be such a bucket-list item that you’ll find long lines, strict rules and crowds.

The cost of heading up to Machu Picchu for a few days will also set you back a few hundreds of dollars (even thousands, depending which level of excursions you buy) as everything is priced for tourists, and even the train has a different prices for foreign nationals than for domestic travelers.

So, what to do in Peru, and why should you go there? Peru is massive, and for that reason, it can’t possibly be all touristy.

Get out to places like Arequipa, Iquitos, Mancora, Huaraz and Puno, if you want to skip Cusco, with its higher prices geared toward foreign tourists.

In Lima alone you can see authentic Peruvian-Chinese culture, a city park with rainbow fountains and heaps of other things to do in Lima on a modest budget like trying ceviche, ice cream made from local fruits and beer bars in Miraflores.

17/11/2021

Tenerife has its own culture that’s similar yet different to that of mainland Spain. There are interesting outside influences (like an accent influenced by Cubans) and local cuisine as well.

For a coliving experience, if you’re traveling while working remotely or looking to stay in a house among some experienced travelers with a professional mindset, check out Nine Coliving, which was by far the best thing that happened to us in Tenerife!

With more time, you can island hop to Gran Canaria, which is worth a visit to see some awesome sand dunes in the south and the spectacular views along the roads in the southwest.

17/11/2021

In going back to Spain, we had no idea what to expect from Tenerife, a volcanic island famed for Carnival and the highest point in all of Spain, El Teide.

Summer is a great time to go, as rainfall is typically lowest during summer months, and this will be a pretty great time to travel there and enjoy the nature!

To get there, we had a layover and quick stop in Madrid that got our rusty Spanish back for the next few days we’d have in the Canary Islands.

In Tenerife, we spent some time in the absolutely lovely and relaxing town of La Orotava, working our legs on the hilly streets.

17/11/2021

Oh, and don’t forget the national artistic treasures all over the São Bento Train Station. This is a great sight to see, and it’s free.

We loved Porto and wished we had more time during summer to explore the nature not too far away. We continued on to the capital city of Lisbon, just a train ride away (book in advance for sure!).

12/11/2021

Scenery in Myanmar is truly stunning, and we didn’t see the half of it because the country is so big.

We stuck to the triangle of major traveler destinations and found lots of safety, comfort and friendliness from locals.

Our ideas of what was cheap and what was expensive got totally warped in Myanmar, with what food cost and what the entry fees into the most popular landmarks cost us.

When I think of cheap travel that gives you a bang for your buck AND packs in an amazing travel experience, I think of Myanmar.

This beautiful country is one of the places where you can spend the longest amount of time and be traveling in one of the cheapest places on Earth.

12/11/2021

Medellin and Guatape, Colombia: Best for backpacking
There are so many things to do in Medellin and its neighboring town Guatape that make them excellent destinations for any time of year.

Medellin is known as having ‘eternal spring,’ meaning it’s slightly cooler in Northern Hemisphere winter time, and a bit warmer in summer.

12/11/2021

As for rainfall, it’s slightly “lower” in fall (September - December), but, as it rains mostly every day anyway, every month of the year is a fair time to visit Medellin and the surrounding region.

Despite what you may have heard, Medellin is an awesome place to be as a traveler, from heaps of types of accommodation for every budget, to delicious food options ranging from Colombian to other types of South American for every taste bud.

You can eat great early, late and for inexpensive prices. One of our favorite things to do is to try Colombian coffee at some of our favorite cafes near El Poblado and take the free city walking tour.

12/11/2021

As for the rest of the region and to get out of the city, two of our favorite weekend or two-day breaks are Guatape and Santa Fe de Antioquia.

Guatape is easy to get to from Medellin and even if you don’t speak Spanish, people will help you navigate the bus station.

Santa Fe de Antioquia is also a simple bus ride away, and we recommend staying in a hostel with a pool so that you can cool off from the year-round heat and sun!

11/11/2021

Currently, Hong Kong has seven MPAs, six of which are moderately protected marine parks, the other being a fully protected marine reserve. In total, these comprise approximately 40.5km2, or less than 3%, of Hong Kong’s waters. And, while plans are in place to increase that figure to 5% by 2023, it still leaves the territory lagging way behind international standards, where 30% is the benchmark.Moreover, though fishing is illegal in Hong Kong’s sole marine reserve, and recent legislation will prohibit commercial fishing in all but two of the marine parks by April 2022, there are question marks over whether these measures go far enough to safeguard Hong Kong’s biodiversity, as well as how strictly they are being enforced.

11/11/2021

Here’s why you see swallows everywhere in Portugal
When André Apolinario was a child, his parents had an argument over a bird’s nest. The swallows' nest was a fixture on the facade of their house in Gaia, Portugal, had to be removed by workers who were making repairs. Once removed, the birds who had visited annually never returned.
The swallow (andorinha, in Portuguese) is a symbol of Portugal so subtly synonymous with the culture that travelers may not even notice it. Swallows hang out in Portugal for some of the same reasons humans do: warm weather and great food. When the chill sets in and insects begin to run thin, they head farther south.

11/11/2021

The Yarra River, known in the local language as Birrarung, runs through what is now the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. It remains an important cultural site for the Woiwurrung and Boonwurrung people.On the other side of the Yarra is the Koorie Heritage Trust, located within Federation Square, where Rob Hyatt is the manager of education and visitor experience. Through his work, he’s become aware most people aren’t aware of the Aboriginal cultural offerings in the city.
“There’s an appreciation of suddenly understanding Melbourne has an Aboriginal history,” he said of those who take the center’s tours. “But also that the culture is still alive in the Melbourne area, whether it’s through Aboriginal people telling their stories on our tours or at other sites, like the Botanic Gardens, Bunjilaka [Aboriginal Cultural Centre at Melbourne Museum] and those sort of places.”

11/11/2021

The surprising history of America’s ‘pick-your-own’ farms
From wartime to the Great Depression, here’s how farmers turned hard times into a billion-dollar agritourism industry.
It’s become something of a tradition. As autumn peaks across the United States, urban Americans head to the countryside to pick through craggy branches for crimson apples or zigzag through corn mazes on frosty mornings.
These short road trips to farms for Instagrammable fun have become more popular in the past 20 years, feeding an agritourism industry that’s grown from pennies to billions of dollars.
Yet snapshots of overflowing apple crates or toddlers clambering on toy tractors don’t capture the complex history of pick-your-own farms. That history stretches from the depths of the Great Depression and illustrates how farmers harvested fortune from hardship.
Friends at the farm
People have long exchanged labor for a cheaper grocery bill, but the proposition of pick-your-own produce appeared around the turn of the 20th century. Soon after, entertainment met economics.

11/11/2021

Exploring like a local
Lindblad Expeditions has introduced generations of adventurous travelers to the Galápagos, a scattered group of volcanic islands some 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador. In 1967, explorer and naturalist Lars-Eric Lindblad led the first-ever international tourist expedition to the remote archipelago made famous by Charles Darwin. Following the voyage, Lindblad funded a study assessing the potential impacts of tourism on the Galápagos islands. Based on the findings, Lindblad began advocating for stronger environmental protections and financed the Galápagos’ first two national park rangers.
As a leader in sustainable tourism, conservation, and exploration in the Galápagos for more than a half century, Lindblad Expeditions is uniquely positioned to give you a local’s-eye view of this wondrous UNESCO World Heritage site and Biosphere Reserve. Each Lindblad-National Geographic Galápagos voyage is accompanied by knowledgeable expedition team members, such as naturalists, undersea specialists, and certified photo instructors (CPIs). Most are Galapagueños from the archipelago’s four inhabited islands: Santa Cruz, San Cristobal, Isabela, and Floreana. This local connection opens a window into the lesser-known human story of this famously isolated wild place.

11/11/2021