Aug-2014
I’ve always been drawn to the forsaken beauty of the California desert, its highways that extend to the horizon, and discoveries just off the beaten path. About half an hour outside Victorville, on the iconic Route 66, the first opportunity to explore the strange world of desert art appears near Helendale. Elmer’s Place, or the […]
Jul-2014
Hurtling through the air on a zip line at 120 km/hr I lost all sense of speed or height. For a moment I felt like I was just hanging, suspended between the two mountains, over 800 meters above the ground. The Volo dell’Angelo or Angel’s Flight runs 1.5 km across a deep valley in the […]
Jun-2014
In Europe there is one little gem of an island that provides amazing hiking all year round – La Gomera. Compared to its more famous neighbours, Tenerife and Gran Canaria, La Gomera is a fairly unknown quantity for most tourists. A volcanic island the shape of an orange juicer, the highlands of La Gomera are perpetually shrouded […]
Jun-2014
Sometimes you need a break. Not next month, not even next week but more or less now. In fact, your left foot is already edging towards the front door. And just imagine: What if this time tomorrow, instead of being stuck in your daily routine, you were busy packing your bags with a ticket-to-go? You’ve […]
Free holiday accommodation on top of a mountain with spellbinding views of the Atlantic Ocean. There must be a catch, right? Well, only a minor one. Spain’s Canary Islands have long been Europe’s year-round holiday playground. But venture beyond the heavily developed beachside resorts into the nearby mountainous interiors and you could be worlds away […]
Jun-2014
Since water out in the desert is in short supply, it makes total sense to take sound baths instead, right? Sure… wait, say what?! The desert in California is home to a number of extraordinary, and sometimes downright eccentric, operations. Some attribute it to geomagnetic forces, while others blame the sun that never stops beating […]
If paradise was a place on earth, the hot springs at The Esalen Institute in California’s Big Sur would be a very strong contender. I, for one, became an instant devotee. A visit to the Esalen Institute hot springs was high on our must-try list as we were planning the Pacific Coast Highway leg of our […]
May-2014
Renting a house or apartment for travels overseas can be surprisingly affordable, even for relatively short stays. Navigating the dizzying array of options can make this possibility seem overwhelming. Faced with cultural differences, language barriers, and the choice between private rentals or agencies, it’s hard to know how to proceed. Limited to a relatively fixed budget, I’ve still found […]
May-2014
While the summer solstice is marked in some way in many countries, in Finland the Midsummer Eve or juhannus is one of the biggest celebrations of the year. It virtually turns cities into ghost towns as people rush off to their cottages across the country for that brief spell of midsummer magic. Historically juhannus was celebrated […]