Mariana Strijp writes: Going back to Budapest after nearly 8 years for me is the equivalant to me of my mum telling you that your high school boyfriend is in town – your heart is filled with a mixture of sweet and bitter memory, along with the  possible display of new charm and realisation that your life has moved on from the moment of high school musical glory.

Pretty much similar to the history of Hungary – one of the oldest Kingdoms on the continent and the Kingdom which first in the world in 1849 constituted minorities’ rights and yet the only one that lost 71% of its territory and 60% of its population to the neighbouring Romania, Serbia and Croatia. Read more

Nan Gibbons writes:  My first observation upon arriving at the Cairo airport, after a grueling overnight journey, thousands of miles of travel and enduring the in-flight movie, “Mama Mia,” was, “These curbs look weird.”

Yeah — curbs.

But, I pulled myself together on the shuttle and managed to wrangle up better thoughts. Thoughts like the sky looks dusty, doesn’t anybody heed rules of the road? and Egyptian guys are cute. Read more

When booking your first or next cruise, here are some tips you should consider when booking that can really make your life a whole lot easier for the entire family and get your cruise off to the right start.

Traveling with Children

If you are cruising with children, make sure you do some research into which ship and which itineraries have the facilities and shore excursions that they will enjoy. Some ships cater better than others for children. Ships like the Royal Caribbean oasis of the seas and NCL’s Norwegian Epic have tons of stuff for kids to do on board, with activities ranging from climbing walls, aqua parks and great evening family entertainment. Find out about whether the ship runs a kids club as these allow the kids to socialize with others of the same age whilst also giving you and your partner time to enjoy other aspects of the ship, safe in the knowledge the kids are safe and being well looked after. Read more

Guest blog by Lorraine Boissoneault, Go Girl Magazine

Traveling around the world inevitably means coming down with some form of illness or another. Whether it’s a simple cold picked up from fellow fliers, or the more uncomfortable experience of the local variation of Montezuma’s curse, having a well-supplied med kit is a must for all foreign adventurers.

My own experiences getting sick in distant lands somehow end up being more dramatic than most people’s, with the result that almost everyone I know thinks I am a walking cesspool. I swear I don’t actually get sick that often! Not with the common cold, anyway. When I get sick, I get sick in style, and require more medical attention than just a visit to the closest pharmacy. I could lament my bad luck, but instead, I try to look at the sicknesses as a chance to assess the health care system in each of the countries. As of now, my list consists of three countries: France, Morocco, and China. Travelers heading to these locales – read on and educate yourself. You never know when you might come down with a bad case of dengue fever (no, I have not had dengue fever – yet). Read more

Guest Blog from Mariana Strijp

Kazakhstan

When I got a message for an educational visit thorough one of the networking organisations I belong to, I responded I would like to join and see it with my own eyes. I have been in the international work for many years but my only piece of treasured knowledge of the country was that even Tolstoy did not want to leave, that it was flat as a pancake with the best plain for a Baikonur Aerodrom from the Soviet times and the people democratically elected their communist leader from the same era – Nazarbayev. Read more

Francisca Matteoli is a travel writer (for National Geographic), based in Paris, France, author of various travel books translated in France, USA and other countries, and she started a travel blog a few months ago. View her blog here

Here is a small introduction from her: Read more

Susan Minnich – writes about her Pyrenees Cycling adventure

Solo on my cycle again, again in France, and again thrilled by my trip. (read about the last trip here) This time I rode from the Atlantic, starting in Bayonne/Biarritz, through the Pyrenees and their foothills, across the Corbieres and finished on the Mediterranean, at Narbonne (Gruissan Plage.) My ride included three Tour de France climbs, beautiful days in the Pyreneean foothills, breath-taking valleys, history, culture, and great food … perfect.

My goal was to do the hardest thing that I thought I could accomplish (in France,) while having a lot of fun. I really didn’t know just how hard that would be, and while I wanted to climb some of those famous cols, I had a lot of respect for just how challenging they could be. Fun for me includes riding, sometimes hard riding and climbing, but also meeting people, visiting historic and cultural sites, and seeing a gorgeous landscape.

This ride was all those things: the Pyrenees turned out to be a cycling paradise.

My planning was time-consuming and careful. I did want to succeed!

Unlike my last trip in the Cevennes, I decided not to camp. There would be more climbing and steeper descents, and I preferred to be less encumbered. I booked lodging in two fabulous cycle lodges, chambres d’hotes and small hotels. That was a good decision. It was a tremendous de-stresser to know where I would be staying and that I was sure to eat dinner.

The plan carefully considered mileage and climbing. I wanted a leisurely, if sometimes challenging trip, that left time for visiting medieval walled cities; prehistoric and Roman ruins; abbeys, Romanesque carhedrals, basilicas; and beautiful natural sites. Beauty is always high on my list: art, architecture, the natural environment. I also planned time for long lunches, meeting people and photo stops. In retrospect, I might have made some cycling days longer, I frequently got off the bike before I was ready to srop. But, I also know that I love cycling, and my inclination is not to stop until I am far too tired!

Things I learned, relearned or remembered, were to make it my own trip … not to jump at everything that was recommended to me, but to consider advice carefully, in light of my goals, and then take it … or not. To be flexible, consider my options, and change plans when that suited me better. That happened sometimes when faced with busy roads or stormy weather. And to stick with a plan and decision once made … not to constantly second-guess myself. At some point any given day just will be what it will be.

But first I had to get from Massachusetts, with a border on the Atlantic, to Bayonne, on the other side of that large, cold, ocean….

Read more of Susan’s Cycling Adventures in her Blog http://susancycling.blogspot.com/

Guest post by Larissa of Changes in Longitude Blog – She and husband Michael have ditched most of their possessions and are travelling the world for a year.

Korean women tend to dress in one of three ways:  The Choson-ot (the traditional Korean kimono-style garment, known in South Korea as the hombok), a military uniform, or “regular work clothes”—which kind of looks like typical office wear in the west in the late ‘80s/early ‘90s.  Remember the two-piece dresses with a jacket/blouse and a flared mid-calf skirt?  Bam!  You’re in North Korea circa 2011. (except for the shoes – see below) Read more

Megan Coatley, an avid traveler and voluntourist writes about surfing and sustainable tourism in Costa Rica

In August of 2010, San Diego-born surfer and dedicated conservationist, Travis Bays, opened the doors to the eco- and community-conscious Bodhi Surf School in the tropical paradise of Uvita, Costa Rica. After three years working with Peace Corps Costa Rica, coordinating volunteers and helping community-based organizations that border protected ecological areas to acquire and utilize micro-credit, Bays is now realizing his dream of awakening others to the benefits of surfing and sustainability. Read more

Barbara McAvaney writes of how she began her journey around Australia and what set her to travelling.  She traded her  for a campervan, loaded up her two dogs and set off from Adelaide around Australia.

To my surprise friends turned up to say goodbye. I met the rest of my family out nearer the northern boundaries of Adelaide. Tears flowed all morning for me but they were tears of happiness.

The future is finally here…

My journey began in April, 2010; a journey of growth, understanding and self-discovery, I will not say it has been easy; far from it.  Small steps at first, one day at a time, many trials and tribulations filled with emotional times. Along the way I have upset some people, something I would not normally do, but when you are finding your feet and leading a new, independent life some people are going to get hurt, and to those people I am sorry.

Gradually things do get better as time goes by the hurt is only a shadow of the past, and a new journey is just around the corner. Read more