Jump out of an aeroplane for fun! Gloria Spittel presents five exciting locations for skydiving…
Travel Journal
Attracting over 1.7 million tourists a year, Costa Rica (Spanish for ‘rich coast’) is quickly becoming the jewel in Central America’s crown. It has the Caribbean Sea to its east and the Pacific Ocean to the west, and a landscape of towering volcanoes, lush rainforests and sparkling coastlines. In addition to a year-round sunny climate, it’s easy to see why this country is quickly becoming a favourite amongst holidaymakers from around the world.
The mountains are calling and I must go,” said 19th century mountaineer and wilderness philosopher John Muir. And the magnetic pull of the mountains is a feeling many travellers are familiar with. There’s nothing quite like a holiday up in the hills with its crisp air, closeness to nature and breathtaking heights. Here are three ideas to help you make the most of your next mountain adventure.
As well as some truly remarkable architecture, Galle offers visitors an opportunity to enjoy a slice of history with its car-free cobbled streets, buildings bearing the architectural styles of its various European colonisers and tiny craft shops nestled amongst the houses like hidden gems. It’s like travelling back in time; and it doesn’t take me long to realise that I have arrived at a very special place.
The Republic of North Macedonia in the Balkan region of Southeastern Europe geographically occupies about two-fifths of ancient Macedonia, which was a famous kingdom in classical Greek antiquity. Now, the rest of the region belongs to neighbouring Greece and Bulgaria.
Forming a complex border between the major cultural traditions of Europe and Asia, Macedonia has been ruled by several conquerors since ancient times – Romans, Byzantines and Slavs, as well as the Ottomans who occupied the land for almost 500 years until the early 20th century.
Americans often spend February 2 huddled in the cold waiting for a groundhog to emerge from the earth, but the French have a much more fun way to spend the day. Every year on February 2, France observes La Chandeleur, a.k.a. Candlemas, a.k.a. a day dedicated to eating crêpes. The Catholic religious holiday is exactly 40 days after Christmas, but it also has origins in an older pre-Christian holiday celebrating the harvest and marking the midway point of winter.
There are a hundred reasons why you shouldn’t embark on your right now. But there are even more reasons why you should. We work hard for those precious vacation days, whether it’s pinching pennies and slowly building up a “Dream Trip Travel Fund,” or just getting enough ahead at work to freely take a few days to yourself.
Unending snowy mountain peaks glisten in the sunlight and for the first-time climber, every craggy profile resembles Mount Everest. Nepal wel-comes about 500 big peak trekkers each year. But there’s more that attracts travellers to this landlocked country. There’s wildlife, mountain trekking, admiring Hindu and Buddhist monuments or simply imbibing the beauty of a tiny nation that embodies the esoteric.
It’s only February… and it’s all too much too soon! Need to escape to get back on track or is the enforced atmosphere of romance stifling you? Whatever the reasons for seeking seclusion, don’t be stymied by cocked eyebrows at the mention of a plan.
Sometimes, the need to retreat into solitude gnaws at the core of our very being. Solitude is not simply the absence of people; it’s also silence or at the very least, quiet uninterrupted space punctuated by the absence of technological dings or earnest mutterings.