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Kids start Halloween countdowns weeks in advance and start dreaming about how they’ll dole out their candy stash in the summer. But families who love adventure can plan on celebrating Halloween away from home—just as spooky and possibly more fun in a new place. Day of the Dead in Mexico Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is Mexico’s version of this eerie holiday, however they celebrate for different reasons. In Mexican culture, throughout the country, relatives who have passed on are greatly honored. This is demonstrated by constructing small altars annually with little offerings and trinkets for those who have left this world. Families even hang out in graveyards to ‘visit’ their loved ones and have picnics, or they leave an empty seat at their table at home when they have a meal during the holiday for the deceased ancestor. After a ‘mourning’ period, parades, shows and costumes appear throughout the towns to almost mock death and remember those who have moved on.   On t...

The first memory I have about the “Martisor” is from a very young age, 4 years old maybe. I remember my grandmother giving me this beautiful tiny glass squirrel, brown, with a white nose and two small round black bubbles as eyes. It was tied with a white and red string, and the fascinating thing about it was that you couldn’t wear it on your blouse because it had no needle, same as the other “Martisoare”. It was like a precious toy. I remember how proud I was of it and how special that was for me. Until, obliviously, I lost it. Later, in school, there used to be competitions between girls, of who gets the most “Martisoare” from boys. Popular girls always went back home with their backpacks full. “Martisor” is a tradition that Romanians celebrate every year on the 1st of March. In each area of the country this custom changes slightly, so I am going to tell you about how I know it and how I celebrated it all my life. The Legend says...

I usually like to pretend that I live in the moment, savouring where I am now, what I am doing and of course who I am doing it with.  But really, I live in the future.  I like to make plans and do research about where I’ll go next, how I’ll get there and what we’ll do when we’re there.  I almost never live in the past.  Once it’s done, I’m usually done and on to the next thing. However, in this internet age we record everything and without even realizing it we are digitally cataloging our lives and making our pasts more accessible than ever before.  I have GPS tracks from all my adventures and my photos are automatically time and date stamped and grouped by location.  So I can tell you that I hiked over 700kms this year, took over 6700 photos and that I got lots of likes on Facebook and Instagram.  But of course the numbers don’t tell the story.  Each of those photos tells its own story and each of those ...

The island of Tahiti is an island full of waterfalls, lush green trees, plants and exotic flowers, volcanic black sand beaches (and a few white sand) and beautiful viewpoints. We sailed into Papeete, the capital of Tahiti which is the largest island in French Polynesia. The port area is full of shops and restaurants, but the real Tahiti is found when you leave the city. I was lucky enough to meet my friend that lives in Tahiti a native Polynesian. She drove me around to explore. First, we drove through the valley up the mountain to see a beautiful view (photo below) of the city of Papeete where the ship was docked and Moorea the neighbouring island. If you like hiking this is a good hike, quite steep. I preferred driving up! It was quite a narrow and bendy road, but it was fun, perfect for a 4×4. We then went to one of the black sand beaches where all the kite surfers go to practice (photo above) as it is very windy there! In Tahi...

When thinking about shopping in Singapore, one can easily visualize huge shopping malls with all the luxurious brands and fair share of high end designer wear boutiques. One has to admit that Singapore is quite an expensive city. A single trip to the shopping mall and you’re broke for the month. Well, it doesn’t have to be the same always. You can find great stuff at good bargains here too that are affordable and durable than the stuffs you get from the malls. So where can you find the best budget shopping escapades in this city? Below are the top 10 places where you can do budget shopping in Singapore without burning deep holes in your pocket. Since the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) train stations are the most convenient and easiest means of public transportation in Singapore, I have mentioned them too. Budget Shopping In Singapore 1. Mustafa Centre Mustafa Centre located in Little India offers everything a shopper requires including daily groceries, household items, electronic goods, c...

Winning a national magazine award is nothing to sneeze at, but the staff at Virtuoso felt especially proud when the company’s flagship publication, VIRTUOSO LIFE, won “Best Consumer Travel Magazine” in the 2009 FOLIO awards, beating out competitors like National Geographic Traveler and Travel + Leisure . Exclusive Reading for Luxury Clientele What makes this win even more sweet is that, unlike its competitors, VIRTUOSO LIFE isn’t for sale on the newsstands. It’s considered a “private” or “corporate” magazine that only goes out to the best clients of Virtuoso’s member travel advisors. View the winning issue here . Esteemed Awards The FOLIO awards competition is the largest of its kind, this year drawing more than 2,000 entries from a who’s-who of well-known consumer magazines. Other gold winners included Time, Newsweek, Food & Wine, Field & Stream, Harper’s Bazaar, Golf Digest, and Entertainment Weekly . See the co...

Dear travelettes, I’d like to address a very serious issue. So serious, in fact, that it could decide over whether or not you have your wallet stolen, pay double for a cute new blouse or even become abducted and shot in the head. Ladies. I am not being dramatic, just realistic. I am talking about the immense disadvantages–no, risks!–that come with dressing like a regular tourist. I was going to write down a long list of do’s and don’ts regarding tourist fashion, but instead I thought I’d just present you with a few looks that are great to wear on your backpacking trip because they are practical and make you look like the cosmopolitan lady you are. While I would normally classify a shorts-and-shirt combo under “super-touristy”, this girl has got it right. She’s 100% in the comfort zone yet looking classy. Notable: shorts that are easily combined with various other shirts, light colors, flats to walk around in all day (even a trav...

Ever since I made the decision to quit my job to travel the world indefinitely, I spent the last month of work waking up anxious every day because I was so excited (and maybe a little scared) to leave. I thought that once I hit the road, my anxiety would dissipate. In many ways, it has. In other ways, it’s surfaced and made traveling difficult. But even in these short four weeks, I’ve learned quite a bit about how I personally need to plan my travel experiences in a way that is kinder to myself and my mental health.

Australia has always been famous for its breathtaking landscape, energetic cities, endless road trips and friendly Aussies. Being the world largest island, it has got a unique culture, beautiful bea ches and a large wildlife view to offer its visitors. Be ready to be dazzled by its mesmerizing natural beauty! Below are a few reasons why touris ts keep f lying t o beautiful Australia every year… The Boundless Road Trips If you are an adventurer at heart and love road trips , Australia is definitely the place to be. Over 50% of the roads in Australia are open, making them easily accessible for road trips. You will have the opportunity to discover the real beauty of nature through traveling by road. The trips might easily take a few weeks, thus taking adventure to a whole new level. Mesmerizing Sunrises and Sunsets Australia has some of the best sunrise and sunset views in the world. Make sure to set an early morning alarm if you are planning to visit the East Coast of Aus...

Share or save this post Pinterest Twitter Facebook Before jumping into this Boston travel guide, I have good news and bad news. The good news is: Boston is a really rad city these days. The bad news is: no one really talks like Matt Damon or Ben Affleck from  Good Will Hunting  anymore. (Best not to dwell too much on the latter part, as locals never really appreciated out-of-towners trying to talk like this anyway.) Whether you’re greeted with a “good morning!” or a “good mawnin!” Boston is still one of the best cities in America. Aside from being just a really gorgeous city, Boston is jam-packed historical sites, great food, and unabashed character. For visitors an...