If you own a second home, vacation home or travel a lot for work, here's an innovative way to find free and luxurious accommodation worldwide, in exchange for swapping your home. International Vacation Home Exchange allows you to travel where you'd like to, when you want to.   Your vacation property is allocated credits based on its rental or possible rental income. Credits are built up every time other members stay in your property. You can then use the accumulated credits to stay in fantast... Read Full Story

I was so shocked and saddened to hear the news that Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett passed yesterday. I grew up watching both of these people and even though I know that life is very fragile and can be taken away at any time, it came as such a shock to hear that they are gone, especially Michael Jackson.Michael Jackson, the music icon was such a public figure and I always felt for him as he was constantly being scrutinized by the media about something. I imagine he lived a sad and lonely l... Read Full Story

Every time I’m standing at the luggage carousel, I am always amazed by the amount of travellers who have black suitcases with wheels for their luggage. Doesn’t that just make the odds of losing your baggage that much greater? You could always slap a hot pink piece of tape on your luggage to try to differentiate it, but why ruin a perfectly nice piece of luggage. I’m proud of my light green original duffel bag that I can spot a mile away. I can rejoice the minute I see it come down the luggag... Read Full Story

If you're on a tight budget, and want to meet people all over the world, check out the latest rage of "couch surfing", www.couchsurfing.org This innovative website offers a listing of friendly hosts all over the world who are willing to accommodate travellers in their homes with a spare bed or couch in the hope that somebody somewhere will do the same for them one day. Couch surfing is a great way to authentically meet the people, experience their cultures, and see their cities and countrie... Read Full Story

When was the last time you remember receiving a postcard from your friends and family traveling abroad? I used to love receiving postcards, but people are now too busy to write out postcards and post them in the mail. Oftentimes the postcards arrive home after the traveller does.I've discovered an interesting site called HazelMail.com which allows you to upload your digital photos as JPEG or PNG files and turn them into personalized postcards, that actually will get delivered in to the receiv... Read Full Story

There are several destinations that pose a risk of altitude sickness, including Cuzco, Peru at 11,500 feet, Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania at 19,340 feet and even certain mountain regions in the States. The most common and mildest form of altitude-related syndromes is Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). Most people who travel from lower altitudes to above 8,000 feet could experience some mild symptoms. The symptoms usually begin 6-8 hours after your arrival, but can take up to 36 hours to show, an... Read Full Story

Adventure travel is one of the fastest growing industries in the tourism sector. It is experiencial, active, gets travellers off the beaten track and interacting with the local people. You might get invited to a village wedding, be a dinner guest in a family home or spend your time volunteering with the local people. It's the type of travel that exposes travellers to the authentic cultures around the world, and broadens their global perspective. There are so many niche markets when it com... Read Full Story

I'm just a few days away from a big European Adventure where I'll be visiting 10 countries in a mere month. Wow..it's making me tired thinking about it, but it will be a lot of fun at the same time. It's not a bus tour, it's an adventure scouting trip where I do all the planning and creating of some of our BikeHike Adventures.As I'm preparing for this European Adventure, though, it makes me think of a few important tips that will maximize my travel experience in each c... Read Full Story

There is still availability in Belize to catch the Whale Shark Season running through June.Whale sharks visit the Gladden Spit area during the full moon period of March (if the full moon falls towards the end of the month), April, May and June to feed on the spawn of the aggregating snappers. This area of deep lying reef was declared a marine park in 2000, and is regulated by the Department of Fisheries and managed by Friends of Nature.There are strict regulations in the whale shark area that... Read Full Story

There are lots of innovative ways to travel during tough economic times. I refuse to let the doom and gloom of the news stop me from traveling.  If you are an RBC credit card holder, you can redeem your travel rewards to purchase an adventure holiday.  For every dollar you spend on one of the RBC reward credit cards, you will earn 1 travel reward which can be allocated towards your adventure vacation. If you spend enough on your credit card, you can pay for both the land and air portion of th... Read Full Story