Volunteer Your Way Through Central America | Art of Backpacking: Backpacking Independent International Traveler Though Central America is regarded as a cheap area to travel around some countries are more expensive than others and volunteering can be a good way to save funds and stick around for longer. Other benefits of becoming a volunteer English teacher, helping out at orphanages or conservation work include improving your Spanish and seeing sides to Central America that perhaps would otherwise be missed. Along with its beaches and biodiversity, Central America is particularly rich in grassroots volunteer organisations looking for volunteers to lend a helping hand. Skilled hands are particularly welcome but often the only requirement is enthusiasm and a willingness to get those helping hands dirty. Belize Belize Audubon Society BAS cares for nine protected areas in Belize including a jaguar preserve, Mayan human sacrificial remains, coral reefs and the famous dive spot, the Blue Hole. GuatemalaEntreMundos Honduras Conservation Project Utila Iguana El Salvador Centro de Intercambio y Solidaridad
Worlds Best Street Parties/Carnivals New Orleans Mardi Gras. Spend Mardi Gras in the city that spawned jazz and party to one of the world's best festival soundtracks. Photo: Reuters From Venice and Rio to Bolivia's Oruro, some cities really know how to kick up their heels. Natalie Paris chooses the best Witness a street festival or carnival and you are guaranteed a holiday to remember, be it a pre-Lenten celebration of hedonism and repentance, or something altogether more unusual. Here is a selection of 10 of the world's best: Venice. Venice Carnival Advertisement Venice, Italy, Feb 19-20 and Feb 26-March 8; www.carnevale.venezia.it Italy's most exquisite carnival conjures up images of mystery and intrigue: revellers in baroque costumes running along canals; street performers at every corner. Rio Carnival Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, March 5-8 www.rioguiaoficial.com.br/en/ The samba parade is the climax of this riotous display of Brazilian bacchanal. Cologne Carnival Cologne, Germany, March 3-9; www.cologne-tourism.com Nice Carnival
The world’s best secret islands Looking for a romantic spot that's (almost) all yours? Here’s a list from our brand new Best in Travel 2011 guide to reignite your love affair with desert islands, with picks from across the globe. 1. Image by Killer White Fluff As far as you can go in Oz without falling off the map, the Torres Strait Islands are Australia as it might have been if Europeans had never arrived. Permits to visit outlying islands must be obtained at least one month in advance from the Torres Strait Regional Authority. 2. Image by ajari The idyllic Yaeyama Islands are tucked away at the very southern tip of the Japanese archipelago. Japan Transocean Air flies daily from Tokyo to Ishigaki, which is connected to the other islands by regular ferries. 3. Image by Antoine Hubert Most people have heard of Devil’s Island, but few would be able to stick a pin on a map. Access to the Îles du Salut is by catamaran from Kourou and the only place to stay is the clubhouse-style Auberge des Iles. 4. Image by hkinuthia 5. 6. 7.
Backpacking Foods Backpacking Foods for Breakfast What backpacking foods get me going in the morning? I start the day with a hearty breakfast like homemade oatmeal with dried fruit, loaded grits, sweet potato porridge or scrambled eggs. Instant oatmeal and grits are convenient – just tear open the package and mix with hot water – but the former has more sugar than sulfite preserved fruit pieces in it and the latter contains partially hydrogenated oil and artificial flavors. See the ingredients list at the bottom of the page. Breakfast Recipes: Oatmeal RecipesCinnamon Apple Raisin, Fruit & Nut with Chocolate Grits RecipesGreen Grits & Ham, Pizza Grits Supreme Sweet Potato Bark Porridge Rice Pudding For oatmeal and grits, I use the unflavored varieties and fortify them with home dried fruit, meat and vegetables. I vary my "oat meals" by using different dried fruits and other ingredients like nuts and bits of chocolate. Grits can be boring without butter and many folks don’t have a taste for them. Oat Bark
Amazing Places To Experience Around The Globe (Part 1) - StumbleUpon Preachers Rock, Preikestolen, Norway Blue Caves - Zakynthos Island, Greece Skaftafeli - Iceland Plitvice Lakes – Croatia Crystalline Turquoise Lake, Jiuzhaigou National Park, China Four Seasons Hotel - Bora Bora Ice skating on Paterswoldse Meer, a lake just South of the city of Groningen in the Netherlands. Marble Caves, Chile Chico, Chile The Gardens at Marqueyssac Ice Canyon - Greenland Capilano Suspension Bridge, Vancouver, British Columbia Valley of the Ten Peaks, Moraine Lake, Alberta, Canada Multnomah Falls, Oregon Seljalandsfoss Waterfall on the South Coast of Iceland Petra - Jordan (at night) Verdon, Provence, France Wineglass Bay, Freycinet National Park, Tasmania, Australia Norway Alesund Birdseye of City Benteng Chittorgarh, India Riomaggiore, Italy Keukenhof Gardens - Netherlands. Sky Lantern Festival - Taiwan. Mount Roraima - Venezuela. Seychelles East Iceland. Lucca, Tuscany, Italy. New York City.
Backpack Europe on Budget--Backpacking and travel info for budget travelers. The best countries for food Food and travel go together like planes and airports. No matter where you go you'll have little trouble finding at least one culinary experience that will help you understand the local culture. In some countries the food is the highlight, drawing many a foodie to its borders, like a moth to a flame. Here are 11 countries (in no particular order) that your taste buds will thank you for visiting. 1. Thailand Image by jaaron Standing at the crossroads of India, China and Oceania, Thai cuisine is like a best-of of all three’s techniques and ingredients. 2. Image by Klearchos Kapoutsis From olives to octopus, the true taste of Greece depends on fresh, unadulterated staples. 3. From back-alley dumpling shops to four-star banquet halls, China has one of the world’s finest palates. 4. Image by Sunfox From cheese and champagne to snails and baguettes, the French are famous for their foodstuffs. 5. Image by scaredy_kat 6. Image by chargrillkiller Would you like some magic-realism with that enchilada?
Go Backpacking - Around the World Travel Blog BootsnAll What Does a $4 Bungalow Look Like? Just what does $4 buy you in Laos? I stayed in a truly basic bungalow in Nong Khiaw and, though it lacked most amenities, I enjoyed it so much that I stayed an extra day. Another traveler had recommended the Bamboo Paradise Guesthouse, saying it was cheap and clean, but nothing fancy. For 30,000 kip ($3.75 US), I got a bamboo bungalow on stilts with a fan, my own bathroom, hot shower, a large bed, mosquito net, and a balcony with views of the Nam Ou below. There were cheaper options: I checked out a room up the street that went for 20,000 kip per night, but it was just a small, windowless wooden box with a bed and a door. There was plenty of room to move about and the bed was big, but hard — you could feel the springs under a thin layer of padding. A single florescent tube ran through a hole in the wall, providing weak light to both the room and the balcony — efficient, certainly, but dim. Okay, so the bathroom was nothing to brag about. The view was pretty nice.
Top 10 Hideaways & Inns - Travel From the National Geographic book Auberge du Soleil Rutherford, California www.aubergedusoleil.com Napa Valley's magical wine country is the backdrop for this elegant hotel, opened in 1985. The Inn at Little Washington Washington, Virginia www.theinnatlittlewashington.com For two decades, Patrick O'Connell and Reinhardt Lynch have run this renowned hotel in the foothills of the Blue Ridge. Ashford Castle Cong, Ireland www.ashford.ie Located in the heart of County Mayo in western Ireland, this luxurious castle, dating from the 12th century, is as romantic a place as one could desire. Pangkor Laut Resort Pangkor Laut, Malaysia www.pangkorlautresort.com Truly isolated in the middle of the Straits of Malacca, where the only noise comes from clacking palms and the gentle surf, Pangkor Laut is the true definition of paradise. Ojai Valley Inn and Spa Ojai, California www.ojairesort.com
Best hikes, treks, walks, rambles & tramps in the world.