Compass
A Russian family was recently cautioned by police in Cambodia after being caught begging in the town of Battambang, raising the issue of the growing trend of begpacking and the effect it has on the countries where people practice it.
In recent years, Venice has introduced a number of laws and regulations in order to crack down on the large number of tourists that flock to the city every year, including a tourist tax of up to €10 for day trippers which caused controversy at the beginning of this year. The Italian government has now gone a step further by announcing plans for large cruise ships to no longer be allowed to dock in the city’s historic center, instead being rerouted to the Fusina and Lombardia terminals outside of the city center.
Amsterdam is a city with many recognizable features like winding canals and famous historic buildings such as the Anne Frank House. It’s also one of the world’s most bikeable places, and it’s renowned for its cafe and coffee house culture. But in December 2018, Amsterdam lost one of its most iconic symbols – the I amsterdam sign.
Have you ever wondered what draws people to the morbid places associated with suffering or death? Auschwitz, Ground Zero, and Chernobyl come to mind.
For the past few years, wellness vacations have been on the rise and it’s not hard to understand why: with modern life burdening us with stressful commutes, long working hours, and the expectation of being available 24/7, it’s no wonder that some of us are looking to get away from it all and reconnect with ourselves.
If you ever saw an Aldabra Giant Tortoise, you’d think it was a dinosaur, as they look as if they came from another time period. And, it’s possible that’s true. After all, they can live to be more than 100 years old and weigh up to 300 pounds. Of course, seeing the actual Aldabra is difficult due to the excessive number of restrictions put on visitors.
Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau is promising a crackdown on the number of cruise ships that can dock in the popular Mediterranean city. According to Colau, the city doesn’t have a lot of capacity. However, she also promised citizens that they would have better air quality. Barcelona’s air quality levels often go beyond the regulations set forth by the World Health Organization. Colau said she wants the city to work on every front. Barcelona will also be declaring a climate emergency, and putting forth ideas such as banning highly-pollutive vehicles from coming into the city and boosting low-emission zones. She also wants to decrease plastic use, improve the recycling efforts, reduce speed limits and boost the number of car-free zones. The city of Barcelona is a hot spot cruise destination spot in Europe with over 2.5 million visitors coming here in just 2018. However, cruise ships are also the biggest cause [...]
Travel with us to the summit of Monserrate above Bogota, Colombia. The mountain is part of the Andes and is a focal point in center of Colombia's capital city. It rises to 3,152 metres (10,341 ft) above sea level. At the top of Monserrate sits a 17th century church that houses a shrine devoted to "El Señor Caído" (Fallen Lord). Monserrate is a pilgrimage destination as well as a tourist attraction and the top offers spectacular views of Bogota below.
The island of St. Maarten (Sint Maarten) is the common denominator in the stories of two different families whose lives were changed when they landed on the Caribbean island. Join us to hear why St. Maarten was the backdrop to their positive life transformations. First, we’ll speak to Erik and Emily Orton about their decision to spend a year at sea with their five children. The family of seven spent a year sailing from St. Maarten to New York. The lessons they learned and the adventures they experienced are described in their book, Seven at Sea: Why a New York City Family Cast Off Convention For A Life-Changing Year On A Sailboat. In their book, Erik and Emily remind us that we have the ability to customize our lives, regardless of our perceived constraints. Then, we’ll introduce travel writer Breana Johnson who lived as an American expat on the island [...]
If your goal is to enjoy Vienna, it’s time you stop following online review advice – that’s the message the city’s new tourism campaign.
Hawaii recently passed one of the island’s most strictest vacation rental laws in over 40 years. A bill signed by Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell, aims at limiting the number of bed and breakfast rentals to 1,715. The Honolulu City Council suspects there are close to 10,000 vacation rentals on Oahu with only 770 of them being legally licensed to provide short-term rentals.
Outpost, a luxury pop-up camp, has been set up in Aysen, which is a remote area of northern Patagonia, to help people reach some of Chile’s less traveled tourist locations.
