by Jaheed Singh
Known as a pass-through to get to the Nile and to the Pyramids, the city of Cairo is rarely a place travellers would want to spend time in. The traffic is horrible and the atmosphere is not that inviting especially if 2011’s Arab Spring is still fresh in your mind. However, some say that if you haven’t seen Cairo, you’ve never seen the world.
by Sigrid Salucop
Travel is a very important part of a person’s life. Whether you’ve been out of your comfort zone dozens of times or have stayed there ever since you can remember, one thing is for sure, we still travel one way or the other from point A to point B –be it a short bus ride from school to a long flight to the other side of the globe.
Some people look for sunny places where they can enjoy the water and the sand while the more adventurous take that infamous unbeaten path; like going to Africa not on a safari but to experience rain weeks on end or to see the sun suddenly disappearing in the horizon –without warning- when nighttime comes. Yet others travel to places that remind them of their recent past –the school they went to, the places where they dined with people they used to know or people they still know. These places somehow remind some of us the Beatles crooning, “There are places I remember all my life” or for the more modern, “Photographs” by Nickelback. Continue reading
by Sigrid Salucop
Finding the best (or the cheapest) flights is close to impossible since there is definitely no shortcut to getting cheap airfare. Much like buying other stuff, you would have to shop around.
Buying Early. During peak season, buying early is a good idea but how early is early? Experts say that 30 days before your travel period will land you on fairly affordable airfare. Planning ahead is always a good thing when it comes to traveling during the peak period. Continue reading
by Sigrid Salucop
Chinese immigrants from long ago who have decided to stay in the Philippines for the purposes of trade and a better business environment have retained their traditions even when miles away from mainland China. Continue reading
by Ralph Mckenzie
There are so many places to go to in the Philippines and if you are a Filipino, exploring your own country before visiting other tourist spots in Asia or in other parts of the world is a must. The three main islands in the Philippines include Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Luzon is where the capital is located. Metropolitan Manila may be one of the biggest attractions because the megacity hosts the biggest malls and best bazaars but if you really want to enjoy being in the tropics, going to its beaches is always a great idea. There are many beaches to explore and lots of mountainous regions too. In fact, when a Filipino thinks about the beautiful places in the Philippines, he will not be able to enumerate all of them because for each region or province –there is always a tourist spot –either because of its idyllic beaches, its countryside or its social, cultural and political relevance. Continue reading
by Sigrid Salucop
A country known for being disorganized, the Philippines’ Department of Tourism has organized a rather interesting campaign to encourage foreigners to visit the Philippines. Although there are a lot of photos that show the large cities in the Philippines, I would suggest that a foreigner go to the countryside instead of staying in places in the Metro Manila area.
I love Metro Manila but I do not like the street children who beg for money, I am not proud of the garbage on the side of the streets and I do not like the traffic. It’s true though, it’s more fun in the Philippines if you go to the countryside or to the beaches around the country.
by Sigrid Salucop
About 4000 years ago, Austronesians migrated to the northern part of the Philippines. Identified for its rich culture and its houses made out of corals, the place now known as Batanes Islands is one of the most visited places in the country.
The small province composed of ten islands is located about 160 kilometers from mainland Luzon. It sits in the high seas near Taiwan with the Bashi Channel in between the two. Continue reading
by Sigrid Salucop
Travel in general has inspired a lot of stories and adventure. Those who like it old school say however that planes have taken the travel out of travelling making some of the younger generation think whether it is better to just fly to somewhere or board a ship to somewhere or maybe even walk to somewhere if it is possible. Our ancestors often walked to places then later on rode donkeys and horses. They never called it travel though because they either were doing it to trade with other places or were migrating to greener pastures. Whatever your choice of transportation, it’s what you make out of the experience –the fun things you have done, the cool places you’ve seen and taken photos of, the people you met and the new things you learned.
Whether you are planning to go to the Alps or just going to visit friends and family in another state –that is still called travel. The encyclopedias would agree with this because travel is defined as the movement of individual to relatively distant places. In most cases, we travel because we want to go to a new place and experience their culture, their food and their weather or whatever else there is to experience in the said destination but going to the outskirts of Turkey or flying to Transylvania to research about something is also called travelling. Pilgrimages, fleeing war or going to a certain destination for business are all filed under travel which means it does not entail that you should be on vacation. It’s not just relaxation that motivates us to travel –there are other things that motivate people to travel. In fact, sometimes travel is necessary because commuting to work is also defined as a form of travel. With these said, it means that wherever you go, you are travelling.
For those who want to go all around the globe but do not have the budget to do so, you can start small. You can appreciate all the great things about the place where you live in and when you’re done, you should go out of the country and do the same thing.
by Lucy Manalastas
Monsignor Della Casa is a beautiful country resort situated in Florence. Just 16 miles away from the town, it is a major resort destination both for locals and foreigners. The resort facility is also known for its brand of service and many a satisfied traveler return to the casa every year.
An extraordinary place, the resort boasts the beauty of the countryside and beautiful Tuscan architecture. Whether you are in town to enjoy the Italian sun or just need some time off from the rigors of city life, staying at Monsignor Della Casa is really something that one should look forward to.
by Sigrid Salucop
Alright, the first few words that might pop in your head is “Dream On” but as Rudyard Kipling said, you should dream –well he didn’t say that, he actually said “If you can dream –and not make dreams your master;” and he went on and on about life lessons and such. But it was directed to men wasn’t it? So brace yourselves ladies and get those plane tickets ready. Continue reading
