© Ian Muttoo


A friend of mine has grandparents near Toronto. She hasn't seen them in a a decade now because her job took her to California and getting back home is, well, hard.

But sooner or later everyone goes home. And grandparents are a powerful motivation to make the trip - especially as they begin to age...

My friend spent a month in Toronto this past summer. To prepare for the trip she spent as lot of time on 411 Canada, looking for the phone numbers of old friends. It was amazing what she was able to find - people she hadn't spoken to since high school.

She spent a lot of time with her grandparents. But she also got to reconnect with her old life. She talks about it like she's somehow become more whole.

Tourism is not the oly reason to travel.

In my part of the globe (Southeast Asia), it is already the height of summer. Once again it is that time of the year to frolic under the sun. Maybe in a remote beach somewhere? And there's a lot of that in the tropics.

For westerners, it could mean traversing the offbeat tracks where they may not even be airport parking. But then...as I always say, it is the destination that matters more than the journey.

(Check out this remote place we've been to two years ago. The place is called Paguriran Island, here in Sorsogon, Philippines. The beach is remote and undeveloped. It took hours to get there from the city but it was all worth it.)

Have you ever had trouble going there but then the destination is all worth it - a true hidden gem? Makes you all forget that you lost your luggage along the way and that your clothes are total misfits for your destination. However, there could fun in such kind of traveling. Offbeat but all worth the hassle.

Hemingway Bought Paper Here Hidden Travel Gems

A visit to Venice won't be complete without stopping at Antica Legatoria Piazzesi, the oldest paper shop in Italy. I was walking along the back streets when I came across this amazing shop. Traditional handmade decorative papers fill the shop and have been popular since Giuseppi Rizzi opened the business in 1900. Now, one hundred and seven years later, his granddaughter, Lavinia Rizzi is holding down the fort. She inherited [...] Read More


June 1, 2008: End of Paper Tickets Hidden Travel Gems

June 1, 2008 marks the end of paper tickets for the IATA (International Air Transport Association). Goodbye paper tickets, hello e-tickets! According to IATA CEO and Director General Giovanni Bisignani: "If you have a paper ticket, it's time to donate it to a museum. As of June 1, IATA will no longer supply paper ticket stock to 60,000 travel agencies in 125 countries around the world as it has done for decades." Read the [...] Read More


Under The Tuscan Sun Hidden Travel Gems

This past weekend I have been watching Joan Cusak's Local Flavour featuring Italy at the Discovery Travel and Living Channel. Even as a young girl I had to dream of everything Italian. I don't know where I got it exactly (maybe all that pasta i sooo love to eat?!) but I have a penchant for the Italian country, cuisine, culture, people and everything else. You see I've never been to Europe, [...] Read More


For Whom the Bell Tolls: Hemingway Festival in Sun Valley The Flyaway Weblog

Sun Valley Idaho has a well-deserved reputation as being an elegant, upscale ski resort. While it can hardly be considered as a destination for budget skiing, the off-season festivals and events are actually pretty affordable. For example, the upcoming Hemingway Festival on September 25-28 has a $35 admission fee, which allows you to attend some of the free lectures. Other special events throughout the festival are fee-based, but most of [...] Read More


Advice from Ernest Hemingway Biz Plan Hacks

The Positivity Blog always seems to have some good advice from well known people. Today the blog has some wise word from renowned writer ernest hemingway. The first peace of advice is something everyone should take into heart and that is to be a good listener. It is often said listening is one of the most neglected skills in are arsenal. It is amazing what you can learn by being a [...] Read More

Terre-de-Haut, Guadeloupe Hidden Travel Gems

Standing on the dock at a marina in Bas-du-Fort, Guadeloupe, Alain, a Belgian transplant, pointed his finger at a group of islands on the French West Indies chart." You must sail to Terre-de-Haut, it's a mini St. Barts, but not many people know about it," he says. Soon after, my husband, John, and I cast the dock lines off our chartered 41-foot catamaran, Jade Marie, and steered a course of [...] Read More


Barbuda Hidden Travel Gems

We sailed an exhilarating 40 nautical miles north from Falmouth Harbour, Antigua to Barbuda on a 41 foot catamaran. Barbuda is Antigua's small sister island. We anchored between Cocoa Point and Palmetto Point on the southwestern coast. I jumped in the dinghy and captured this photo of the brilliant blue water with our boat bobbing off the beach. Not many people go to Barbuda; in fact, not many people know [...] Read More


Sailing Tahiti Hidden Travel Gems

If you're looking for real adventure, consider sailing across Tahiti. Eileen Ogintz did a piece on her recent Tahiti trip for Tribune Media Services.We are in paradise - really. The fish literally eat out of our hands, the water is so clear I can see seashells in the sand six feet below us and the island nearby is ringed by lush, green trees, some dripping with exotic fruits.Ogintz points out [...] Read More


National Geographic Adventure's Best Adventure Islands The Outdoor Weblog

If you're reading this blog, chances are you are a lover of all things outdoor, like me. You may call me crazy, but I've never thought of islands as being "adventurous". I imagine a beautiful beach, with umbrella drinks under the shadow of a ritzy resort. But, an article in the February 2008 issue of National Geographic Adventure has helped me changed my opinions of islands and help me realize [...] Read More


Winter's Cold Increases Arthritis Pain: A Complimentary Booklet On Knee and Hip Pain Brings Relief Straightfromthedoc

Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, Image# 2058689 Did you know that winter weight gain and cold, snowy weather can exacerbate arthritis pain? Osteoarthritis is the leading cause of hip and knee pain in older adults, and it is affecting younger adults earlier. Active young people with demanding lives often damage their joints and look for relief from arthritis pain in order to continue their activities. Winter is the perfect time for new [...] Read More

© Michal Osmenda


With Valentine's Day coming up this weekend, my wife and I are stranded in our house at the moment at the snowstorm of the century eats up the Eastern US. TV meteorologists and even a few political commentators have coined new terms to describe the storm - like snowpocalypse and snowmageddon. While just being home with my wife is probably an acceptable way to celebrate the holiday, I think boutique hotels make a better setting for a romantic holiday.

What exactly is a boutique hotel? Wikipedia says that they are smaller establishments that provide "intimate, usually luxurious or quirky hotel environments." I think I'd prefer luxurious to quirky.

Paris "the City of Love" would be a nice place to shop with your true LOVE. Maybe someplace like The Paris Eiffel Cambronne, not far from the Eiffel Tower. Of course if Paris is tool cold in February, there's always Bali or Boracay...