European Highway Protests

If your thinking about renting a car to tour Europe, think again. If you need a ride, public transportation is the only way to go. Just last Tuesday, highways were blockaded in protest of the rising fuel prices. Read below for more from the Washington Post’s article, Traffic Stops Over Gas Prices.

“LONDON, May 27 -- Hundreds of truckers shut down a central London highway Tuesday, French fishermen blockaded ports and French President Nicolas Sarkozy proposed cutting European fuel taxes as already high gasoline prices soared even higher.

"It's hard to find words to describe the severity of the problem. It's not even a problem really; it's a meltdown," said Peter Carroll, a trucking industry spokesman who, like hundreds of other drivers, parked his rig on London's A40 highway Tuesday morning, shutting that key commuter artery for most of the day.

The truckers, who eventually delivered a petition to Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s office at 10 Downing Street, were protesting as Britain’s national average pump price for diesel hit the equivalent of $9.56 a gallon and regular unleaded hit $8.61 a gallon, according to the Automobile Association.

The protests spreading across Europe signal a growing agitation at skyrocketing fuel prices in nations already accustomed to paying dearly at the pump.

Most European countries long ago chose to heavily tax gasoline, partly to encourage use of public transportation. The British government, for example, charges a $3.77-a-gallon fuel duty and a 17.5 percent consumption tax on top of that -- the highest levels in Europe.

By contrast, U.S. drivers pay an average combined federal and state tax of about 47 cents on a gallon of unleaded and 53.6 cents on a gallon of diesel, according to API, a U.S. trade association.
The current pricing crisis, which has pushed crude oil above $135 a barrel, is pushing even more Europeans out of their cars. The Automobile Association said a recent survey found that 37 percent of its members were using their cars less because of fuel prices.

But for fishermen, taxi drivers, truckers and other people in businesses where using less fuel is not an option, frustration is turning into anger.

'We are being murdered, and you would not walk past a drowning man," said Carroll, speaking after the highway blockade at a protest rally near London's Marble Arch. The drivers are demanding cuts in fuel taxes.'"

For more check out, The Washington Post.

A Free Ride to Travel

Couch Surfing is just the ticket for any avid traveler who is low on cash. It's free. And not only does it provide economic liberation but also an unforgettable cultural immersion. Find a couch anywhere around the world, and make a lifelong friend. Read more below about Dominic DeGrazier's experience from his article, CouchSurfing.com: Finding Friendship and Hospitality Around the World.

Cuban Dominoes and Fried Grasshoppers

The anxiety that rushed through me in waiting helplessly (or so it could be construed for a story) for my Couch Surfing friend was nothing compared to the extremity of emotion I felt the following five days.

I was introduced to a Mexico City that only residents know. I learned how to play Cuban dominoes. I ate and drank at some of the favorite restaurants and local venues of the town.

I consumed fried grasshoppers in a tasty taco. I learned to sip tequila rather than shoot it down quickly. I was talked into going to a beach for the weekend where we feasted with the locals for 15 dollars a day.

Ultimately, a group of Mexican friends had completely accepted me as one of their own.
CouchSurfing.com allowed me to step into the real culture of Mexico City, and to a small hidden beach town on the Pacific.

It didn’t take me months of travel and chance encounters to meet these wonderful people, but merely a few minutes searching a website and sending out a few short emails.
I now have real (read: not virtual) friendships in Mexico City, and I look forward to returning their kindness in the future.

It was truly a blessed experience and I thank my new friends, along with the deftly designed CouchSurfing.com. If you are looking to find a true glimpse of a town and meet locals, there is no better way to do it than with CouchSurfing.com.

Check out GoNOMAD!

Green Getaway

Costa Rica keeps a low carbon footprint, and a large part of its economy is bursting with ecotourism. The lush green jungles and tropical waters are a perfect green getaway. Read below for more from, The New Costa Rica.

“I had spent the last two weeks tumbling through this lush country as a so-called ecotourist. I had hiked through misty cloud forests, hovered over a VW-sized green sea turtle as it laid eggs on a Caribbean beach, and shot through the rain-forest canopy on a zipline that crossed gorges 1,000 feet deep. I had also been peed on by a howler monkey and, finally, spoiled so rotten at a seaside resort that I was ­irritated at how long it had been since anyone had taken my drink order.

Bound to the north by Nicaragua and to the south by Panama, Costa Rica is the science geek of Central America. It has the highest literacy rate and standard of living in the region. While its neighbors were fighting civil wars, Costa Rica—the first country ever to constitutionally abolish its army, in 1949—was studying moss and saving sea turtles. It could be Al Gore’s poster child.

Costa Rica’s green era began in 1970, when, following nearly 50 years of unrestricted logging, lawmakers founded what would become a heralded national park system. The country’s political serenity attracted a group of mostly American entrepreneurs, who by the end of the decade had set up the first lodges and adventure outfitters. It was small business. There were few direct flights into the country and little available money to promote Costa Rica as a destination. The few thousand people per year who came were mostly backpackers and hard-core birders who didn’t mind sleeping in simple spaces in order to enjoy the biodiverse rain forests, raftable rapids, and pristine beaches.

The following day, I left by boat for a port near Limon, where I transferred to a van that would carry my group to Arenal, the site of an active volcano and surrounding cloud forest. As we got closer, we saw signs along the lush roadside advertising lots and houses for sale—mostly in English: lake view, virgin forest. New hotels and spas were under construction. "All of this used to be watermelon farms and things like that," our driver said, somewhat wistfully.

I left this paradise in a Hola! Rent-a-Car with a trunk that didn’t open, setting off south for the beach town of Nosara. (For the record, Kelso departed in a striped black helicopter.) When I arrived in front of my new hotel that night, I was greeted by Luis, the same man who had set me up with the one-way rental in the morning; he was there to retrieve it. This was indeed convenient, but having torn myself from the lap of luxury, I couldn’t imagine anything could console me. I was pleasantly surprised, however, as soon as I was ushered into the aptly named Harmony Hotel.

Three years ago, the land on which the Harmony sits was about to be turned into a condominium complex when American entrepreneur and environmentalist John Johnson bought it in order to save it. Having never been involved in the hotel business before, he hired a team of eco-consultants who designed a 24-room beachside property—including a yoga studio, a juice bar, and a pool—that not only aspires to be environmentally sound but also employs an on-site sustainability coordinator to make sure that it is.”

For more check out Travel and Leisure.

Immersion in Sri Lanka

World Nomads is offering a scholarship oppertunity to be immersed into the tsunami devastated community of Sri Lanka, where the waters ripped through the coasts and left a trace of destruction and heart ache. The selected student will participate in the i-to-i volunteer project in the coastal village of Kosgoda and will stay with a local family for two weeks. This is a great opportunity to enter into the world of travel writing to write an edit your own feature article. Read below for more information about the scholarship from, World Nomads: Travel Scholarships. Hurry up, Applications close: May 25, 2008.

What you'll be doing

* We'll fly you in from your country of residence to Sri Lanka. You'll need to be available between July 6th and July 19th 2008.

* Prior to leaving, you will be mentored by journalist Keith Austin to guide you in how to approach your story.

* In Sri Lanka, you will live amongst the local people of Kosgoda, volunteering to help restore their community whilst interviewing people and seeking out your story.

* You will need to keep a daily diary about your time on the trip and upload this to a World Nomads travel journal, including pictures you've taken.

* On your return you will receive further mentoring from Keith Austin to assist in editing togther your feature story. You will then submit your story to the Sydney Morning Herald for possible publication, and on the World Nomads websites within one month of your return.

* Most of all, you'll be experiencing what it's like to be a journalist in a remote location in one the most beautiful and friendly countries in the world!

Who can apply

* To be eligible you have to be currently enrolled and actively studying at a recognised educational tertiary institution and speak and write fluent english.

* Minimum age 18.

* You should be an exceptional writer with a lust for adventure, ambition to grow your journalism/writing skills and desire to help less fortunate communities in the world.

For more check out World Nomads.

Swim Vacation

Sick of chlorine pools with crowded lanes? Here is your chance to get out of the pool and into sparkling blue waters of the British Virgin Islands. SwimTrek offers swimmers the chance to have an adventurous vacation touring some of the most beautiful waters in the world. Read more below from GoNOMAD’s article, An Open-Water Swimming Vacation in the British Virgin Islands.

"Sure, it’s really nice to go the British Virgin Islands to relax, but in my opinion it’s even better to go to the BVI and swim! Lucky for me there’s an outfit called Swim Trek.

More recently, another company, Swim Vacation has started to offer swim trips to the BVI as well. George "Hopper" McDonough started SwimVacation in 2007 and hopes to add more trips to the Caribbean and North America in the future.

The water was crystal clear – that blue/green/turquoise that you only see on screen-savers and commercials, and best of all, the water and air were WARM. I don’t like cold water, so 80 degrees was just fine. Pools are typically a little cooler to give you an idea of the temperature around the British Virgin Islands in April.

Our base for the week was the exquisitely situated Leverick Bay Resort and Marina on Virgin Gorda, where each room had a balcony overlooking the bay.

After a short introductory swim on the first night, we were divided into three groups according to speed, and each group was given a different color swimcap to wear for the week.

The caps allowed the guides in the boats to keep track of everyone. It just so happened that we ended up in three groups of five. For the next five days, we would swim with our designated group.

It’s not as rigid as it sounds; on other trips people have been known to switch groups as their speeds changed, but that didn’t happen with us.
Most days we did two swims, one in the morning after a healthy breakfast in the guides’ suite, and one after lunch, which we had on the boat while anchored at a prime snorkeling spot.

When we got to the swim’s starting point we were given something to sight/swim toward like “See the road above and behind that little island?” or “the second larger hill to the left of the antenna.”

While swimming, I could always see one of the small support boats or the big boat, as well as my other yellow-capped group members. I felt completely safe even as I rocked and rolled my way through some rougher water.

Swims ranged from 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) to 4.5km (2.8 miles), and the longest total distance for any one day was 7km (4.35 miles).

SwimTrek motto is “Ferries are for wimps. Let’s swim,” but their trips are not competitive events. "

For more check out, GoNOMAD.com!

Luxurious Travel

It’s a known fact first-class travelers get better amenities than coach, more leg room, better peanuts, and fine wines. But it doesn’t end there. In some airports, first-class clients now get to enjoy private nap rooms, spas and catered meals. Read more below from Travel and Leisure’s article, The World’s Most Amazing Airport Lounges.

“Just a few years ago, the comforts that could be found in high-end airport lounges were pretty much the same all over the world. Comfortable chairs (other than the molded-plastic variety); plasma-screen TVs; an open bar; free Internet access…these were the amenities that first- and business-class travelers could expect to find, from New York to Paris to Sydney.

No longer. In these times of heretofore-unheard-of airplane luxuries (fully reclining massage chairs, sleep pods, in-flight manicures), airport lounges have had to step up their game, too. In fact, with amenities like full-fledged spas, private nap rooms, and meals catered by celebrity chefs, airport lounges have become less of a place to kill time and more of a place to linger. Welcome to the age of the happy layover.

Travel-industry insiders see the evolution of the airport lounge as a natural phenomenon. Premium travelers now "have higher expectation…and expect a higher level of personalized service," says Breda Walls, a customer service executive in the Americas for British Airways. Jennifer Wilson-Buttigieg, co-president of New York-based luxury travel agency Valerie Wilson Travel, agrees: "Lounges are no longer just a spot for travelers to wait in between connections; they’ve become an oasis away from the masses."

Of course, airlines are acting in their own self-interest by furnishing their customers with massage therapists, cigar lounges, and private concierges to arrange restaurant reservations and theater tickets. After all, flights are fuller than ever, and delays are rampant—so to keep travelers satisfied, airlines need to keep raising the comfort bar. Part of this equation, suggests Susan Weissberg, chief executive of Wylly’s Professional Travel in Coral Gables, Florida, is the increasing popularity of private planes: "If the airlines want to keep high-end travelers as customers, they have to cater to them or risk losing them to private jets," she says.”

For more check out, Travel and Leisure.

Spa Escape

It's been a stressful week, and right now lounging on the couch with my laptop isn't enough for me to unwind. I would give anything for a day at the spa. New York is known for its mineral spring resorts and healing waters. Read more about the enticing journey through spa city below, from the New York Times Travel article, They Came to New York for the Waters.

"PUNGENTLY sulfurous waters burble up from the ground alongside a concrete 1970s hospital building in Clifton Springs, N.Y., southeast of Rochester, and I’m soaking in them. That is, waters from a mineral spring renowned in the 19th century for healing properties have been pumped from a stream running beneath the hospital lawn into a new spa wing, where I’ve gone more for relaxation than anything curative, and a has prepared a hot bath for me.

In a serene pale-purple treatment room, I step gingerly into the tea-colored water. The vapors clear my head, and I soon feel tingly and light, yet strangely immobile. The sound of the spring outside, gurgling into tiers of concrete fountain pools, mingles with the indoor soundtrack of pan flutes. When a knock on the door comes for my scheduled massage, I’m sorry to let the water drain.

Upstate New York is hardly known as a center of mineral springs. But in the 19th century, the golden age of mineral-water spas, at least 50 New York towns, scattered from Long Island to Lake Ontario, had resorts or sanitariums drawing on water emerging from rocky places underground and laced with elements like magnesium, calcium, potassium, iron and sulfur. “There were more mineral baths available in New York than in any other state,” said Charlotte Wytias, the program manager at the Clifton Springs Hospital’s spa.

The official nickname of Saratoga Springs is Spa City, and a few Victorian hotels there still have wraparound porches for lounging between baths. Only two spas in town still draw on certified mineral water: the privately owned, 20-year-old Crystal Spa just outside Saratoga Spa State Park and the state-run 1930s Roosevelt Baths deep in pine groves inside the park. My husband and I opted for the latter, a sprawling Georgian-style brick complex with black-and-white tiled hallways and bright ceiling lights, built during the Depression and used ever since. Wounded World War II veterans frequented it, and the German government paid for Holocaust survivors’ treatments there.

All sorts of healing powers were claimed for the waters, which often carry a metallic or swampy taste and smell. But primarily, the resorts were places to go on vacation. “Life at the springs is a perpetual festival,” an 1850s guidebook said."

For more check out New York Times Travel.

Huntington Beach: Bring Your Surfboard

You dont have to be an Oakley team rider to catch a wave at Huntington Beach. These smooth waters, are great for first timers. One of GoNOMAD'S writers, Max Hartshorne, had the oppertunity to slip into a wetsuit and sample the waves. Read more about his trip below from Huntington Beach: A Surfer's City:

"Huntington Beach California is the ultimate surfer's paradise. The eight and a half mile long stretch of beach in this city of about 200,000, south of Los Angeles is lit up at night with campfires.

Nowhere else in California's long coast can you legally build a campfire and sit by the warm glow like this.

The waves are steady, and just about perfect for riding. And the surf breaks pretty far out, so when you catch a wave, you're in for a long ride to shore.

I paid a visit to this Southern California city in February, en route to Australia, and did what many people do when they come here. I donned a wetsuit, got on a surfboard and tried to stand up.

My luck wasn't as good as I had hoped, and the waves were tough, crashing down on me and rolling me over.

While my experience learning to surf in Surf City proved that it takes a lot more than a few hours to learn this ancient art, there is much to explore and a wonderfully laid back atmosphere here that I discovered later that day.

The best way to see this sprawling city by the sea is either by bike, blade or four-wheel pedal bike. I rented a nice beach cruiser at Zack's Beach Resorts, right near the city pier, where they charged me $10 for one hour. You can keep the bike for an entire day for $30.

On Saturday mornings you can join an organized "Fun Roll," for a 16-mile round trip skate from Huntington Beach Pier to Newport Beach. It's at a nice and easy pace for all ages and bicyclists are welcome to join the wheeled throng. The group meets afterward for lunch at Huntington Beach.

Huntington Beach is well known for its dog-friendliness, and was recently voted one of the most pet-friendly cities around the world by Fido Friendly Magazine. There is even a special doggie bus that offers bus service every weekend for any dog owner to Huntington Dog Beach.

In 2009 the city celebrates a milestone -- 100 years of existence -- and the events include "1000 Surfboards in the Sand. " This will be a visual art project on the beach that will use surfboards brought in by the public lined up 1000 strong on the beach. A chalk art contest, concerts and many other activities will be held during 2009 to commemorate the one city's 100th birthday. "

For more from this article check out GoNOMAD.

A Trip to Sardinia

One of GoNOMAD.com writers got the oppertunity to travel to Sardinia this past week. On his trip he was able to visit many of the different sites of the area. Read below for more from Sardinia: Notes From a Big Wild Island

Where can you ride a speedy go-kart around a track built to resemble a real F1 track? And skate on a real ice skating rink, play soccer under the lights, dine in 32 restaurants, or stay either on the oceanfront, or in a more intimate hotel setting?

Hint, you won't have to drive anywhere, because it's all in the self-contained Forte Village, an all-inclusive resort on Sardinia's coast.

This place might not be for everyone, but for the person who wants to avoid any driving, have a place for the kids to have fun, and enjoys lots of sports activities and a variety of restaurants and different lodging options, it might be great. Oh, and another great and unusual thing for Italy -- they have free Wi-Fi throughout the property.

For 350 Years, This Parade Has Been the Highlight of Cagliari
Last night we had a late dinner and while we sat at long tables, we learned a bit more about the festival and parade of Sant'Efisio that we had seen in Cagliari earlier in the day. For 350 years this has been a very important event that takes place the first day of May

This parade features elaborate costumes and gold jewelry that is all owned by the families, kept in special places and authentic right down to their shoes. Each village wears its own unique style, a conical hat, or a swept-back beret.

Of the more than 350 villages in Sardinia, just 150 are selected each year to be a part of the parade, and have their oxcarts and horses march before the thousands of cheering local citizens.

For more of this article or others, visit GoNOMAD

7 Tips for Drivers

Previously I have touched on driving skills, especially how to save on gas and help the environment. I have not however, touched on how to drive properly and in control. Perhaps we all should have listened a little more closely to our drivers ed instructors - because if you are like me, the feeling of getting one is awful. An article I happened upon is a bit off the travel topic, however, if you plan on driving to your next adventure, take time to remember the steps below. Here is more from Seven Ways to Drive Like a Pro

1. Look out.

“Drivers tend to fixate on an object that’s too close like the car bumper right in front of them.”

2. Concentrate.
“Driving can be boring,” says Mike Speck, an instructor at the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving in Phoenix, “so we eat, talk on the phone, fiddle with the radio.” Instead, he says, you should be checking side and rearview mirrors, watching traffic ahead, and planning for various “what if” scenarios.

3. Slow down.
If there’s weather, construction, traffic, then take your pedal off the metal. Sudden braking is a recipe for an accident: The weight of the car shifts quickly toward the front tires, throwing it off balance.

4. Don’t panic.
“Often, it turns out that a driver just drives off the road or into another car, without even turning the wheel or using the brakes or gas,” Speck says. Rather than stare at the car that’s sliding toward you, identify an open area and steer in that direction.

5. Watch your hands.
In driver’s ed you learned to put your hands at 10 and 2 o’clock on the wheel. Clark prefers 9 and 3 o’clock, because this position gives drivers a better range of motion and enables them turn the wheel almost completely without their hands getting tangled up.

6. Leave a way out.
The worst place to be on a multilane highway is in one of the middle lanes surrounded by cars, Clark says. You always want to be able to pull onto the left or right shoulder if you need to avoid trouble.

7. Know your brakes.
Go to an empty park­ing lot and practice braking. If your car has anti lock brakes (ABS) you’ll feel them “lock” up when you press hard on the pedal. “This allows the computer to pump the brakes but gives you some steering effectiveness,” Cox says. If you have traditional brakes, pump them to stop in an emergency; to be able to steer, release the brakes completely.

For more of this article or others, visit Health

A Canadian Escape - Anticosti Island

Finding the perfect escape can mean simply talking a hike through nearby woods, or traveling off to the end of the earth in search of adventure. An article I found online could be useful if you are one of those looking to go far away. It discusses Anticosti Island which can be found north of the United States, in Quebec, Canada. So if adventure, peace and quiet, and a great get-a-way are on your travel list, check out more below from Anticosti Island: Quebec's Best Kept Secret

Anticosti is one of the best kept secrets of North America for travelers who appreciate nature and want to get away from stress, noise, rush, traffic,and poluted air. This island, at the mouth of the great St. Lawrence River where it forms the Gulf of St. Lawrence at the Atlantic Ocean, is the perfect discovery for anyone seeking crisp, cool, pristine nature, quietude, clean fresh air, glorious clear skies or mystical fog, hundreds of kilometers of driving on excellent gravel roads with no other vehicles for hours. You'll experience breathing deeply the Christmas scent of evergreen forests, listening to whitecaps lapping the sandy coast, finding intact shells that are impossible to find on crowded beaches, fishing in glass-clear pure rivers, diving beneath waterfalls, hiking deep canyons, photographing huge limestone cliffs and brilliant sunrises.

Anticosti is 8,000 square km, one-third larger than the well-known Prince Edward Island, and is also about the size of Rhode Island, but only 265 people live there year-round.

In 1534 Jacques Cartier, the first explorer, thought he had discovered the Northwest Passage when he navigated the largest of the many rivers on Anticosti. Later this was named Jupiter River. Cartier thought that peat bogs were rich farmlands and encouraged settlers to come, but they quickly discovered that peat bogs will not grow any crops. Settlements became ghost towns.

Residents know, love and care for each other. A resident told us, "Everyone here, including tourists, follow the golden rule, so it works." The island has long been a favorite place for hunting deer and fishing, especially for salmon. Now adventure and outdoor travelers can enjoy exploring the island any time of year. Travel agents offer value-priced packages, which include your transportation from Quebec mainland and, when you arrive in Anticosti, a four-wheel drive vehicle with your personal driver/guide, very clean accommodations or outfitted camping facilities, and fabulous meals.

For more information about Anticosti Island, visit Real Travel Adventures

Cruise Ships - Cause Commotion

I have written before about cruises and the benefits that arise from taking one. I have failed to write about the down side to cruises - especially the really big ones that go to the really big ports. An article I found on SmartMoney talked all about the effects that large cruise lines are having on the ports that they stop at and also the effects it's having on travelers who are not a part of the cruise. Read below for more from Cruise-Ship Gridlock at the Island Ports

With the cruise industry booming (even in this economy), port and resort towns throughout the Caribbean are facing a flurry of cruise crowds. Last year the Bahamas alone hosted more than 2.4 million cruisers, and George Town, Grand Cayman, is regularly visited by up to six ships a day, with a combined passenger capacity of more than 14,000 — well over a quarter of the 22-mile-long island's total population. The largest islands may be able to hold the vacationing masses, but stepping off the ship at smaller ones is "like stepping into a tidal wave of people,"

Caribbean remains the destination of choice for nearly half of the 12.8 million people expected to set sail this year. In addition to old standards like Cozumel and St. Thomas, little guys like St. Vincent, once just a blip on the radar, have seen cruise traffic spike by nearly 70 percent in the past year alone.

While the average Caribbean cruiser spends $98 per port, according to the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association, bars and restaurants usually see less than $8 of that, since they're competing, in part, with the ships' free food. Hotels do even worse. And the size of the crowds alone can make doing business in the ports nearly impossible, turning off the onshore guests who pump money into tourism mainstays.

The cruise lines, for their part, say they're doing plenty of crowd control. They point to an increase in staggered scheduling, meaning ships leave their home ports on various days, avoiding the gridlock that results when everyone sets sail on Saturday and returns a week later.

For more of this article, visit SmartMoney

TvTrip - The True Side to Hotels

I am sure most of you reading this can attest to a time in the past when travel plans were all set and done, but as soon as you pulled up to the hotel you booked months in advance you realize that you made a horrible mistake. Not having a clean, dry, safe, or flee infested hotel is always best, but sometimes the photos online just don't do justice for the real thing. A great new site that has hit the internet, could make any travel hotel plans a bit easier. TvTrip.com is the name of the site which offers photo and video footage of hotels across the world, which give a 100% real representation of hotels. A article on GoNOMAD.com that I wrote has the whole scoop - Check out more from Avoiding Nightmare Hotels: TVTrip Takes the Guesswork Out of Travel Planning

TvTrip.com has taken the guesswork out of the equation. No longer will the average traveler have to stress about the quality and condition of his/her lodging.

This website provides viewers with videos of hotels at their destinations showing exteriors, dining areas, lobbies, rooms, and even the view from the window.

Created in Paris in 2007, former Expedia managers came together and pondered over what was missing from the tourism industry. They came up with the idea of TVtrip and it caught on like wildfire.

Offered in more than five languages and having more than one thousand hotels on-board, this website is designed with international travelers in mind.

Like other hotel websites it is possible for people to book their accommodations on the TVtrip site; however they are not a travel agent or booking company. The site also provides information about services provided by third parties. Mainly it was founded in order to provide knowledge and a firsthand view of your establishment.

Now guests will feel even more confident about their selection due to the video feature of TVtrip. It provides videos of the rooms, as well as the dining areas, pools, meeting rooms, lounges, the outside of the hotel, and even the surrounding town, city or country.

The videos taken are not edited or altered by the hotel. What you see is what you get. Easy to view, unbiased, informative, professional videos give an accurate picture of the accommodations.

For more of this article and others, visit GoNOMAD!

The New Surfers Paradise

The one sport it seems which I haven't tested the waters with, is surf boarding. It seems a rugged sport - sea salt water in your face, the sun on your back, the wind in your hair - you get the idea. Looking through the New York Times I found an article on the new "it" spot for surfers. So if you like to surf, or just want to give it a shot, check out Riding the Waves of Peru

Despite having monster swells on par with those that hit Hawaii's legendary northern shores, Peru isn’t known as a surfing destination, except perhaps by a small band of jet-setting surfers for whom no wave is beyond reach.

That is, unless you happen to be one of the approximately 28 million inhabitants of Peru, South America's third-largest country in area. Then you know very well that surfing has swept the nation recently in a pop cultural frenzy.

And now, as Peru rides a tourism wave propelled by a strong economy and favorable exchange rates for bargain-minded Americans, it is poised to become the new “it” spot on the international surfing circuit. After all, Peru has 1,500 miles of rugged coastline dotted with countless breakers, from pristine beaches tucked around Lima to unexplored pockets up north where some waves are said to last more than a mile. And unlike Malibu, Hawaii’s northern shores and other well-known places, many of Peru’s best surfing spots are often nearly empty.

For more check out New York Times Travel