Archive for Category: "Cultural Immersion"
Know Before You Go: How to Dress in the Middle East
Does traveling to the Middle East as a woman mean wearing a burqa (or an abaya)? Not necessarily. In the Middle East, following dressing etiquette can be essential to your travel experience. But the customs and rules vary from country to country. For example, Saudi Arabia employs very strict dress code standards for both tourists [...]
Travel to Support Marriage Equality: A Guide to the 50 States
Today the U.S. Supreme Court heard its first day of arguments surrounding same-sex marriage rights with the focus on Proposition 8, California’s ban on same-sex marriage. According to Marriage Equality USA, 48 percent of Americans live in 21 states (or counties or cities) that recognize various forms of legal relationships for same-sex couples. However, 30 states [...]
How to Be Irish All Year: St. Patrick’s Day Parades & Beyond
St. Patrick’s Day, a holiday that originally paid tribute to the bishop who introduced Christianity to Ireland in the 5th century, has evolved into a celebration of all things Irish. More than 34 million U.S. residents claim Irish ancestry, according to a U.S. census poll. That’s more than four times the population of The Republic [...]
How to Rent a Frank Lloyd Wright House for Your Vacation
Frank Lloyd Wright might be the most famous American architect, but outside of Falling Water his landmarks aren’t widely visited. Turns out, you can choose one of his houses as your next vacation destination. Alex Thurnher highlights Frank Lloyd Wright-designed homes that are now having a second act as vacation-rental properties and bed and breakfasts. [...]
In Honor of Pope Francis: Four Travel Shortcuts in Rome
White smoke is coming from the Sistine Chapel today, indicating that the Cardinals have chosen Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina the 266th pope. In addition to making headlines around the world, the announcement has caused a sudden boost in travel to Rome. Approximately 300,000 papal pilgrims were expected to visit the city for the [...]
El Salvador: Five Days in ‘The 30-Minute Country’
Most of the American tourist dollars going to Central America often end up in Costa Rica, where coffee junkies and surfing students like to hang out. But many of Costa Rica’s neighbors offer some of the same experiences for a fraction of the price – and it’s also more likely that you’ll be the only [...]
Exploring Ireland’s ‘Wild West’: Galway, Connemara and Inis Mór
Many a visitor heads home from Ireland after sampling the sights—and the Guinness—in Dublin, Kerry and Cork. Ask the Irish though and they will tell you not to miss West coast: the Celtic culture of Galway city, the romantic moors of Connemara, the fierce cliffs of the Aran isles. In honor of the Gathering and [...]
Travel Tip: The Gathering
It’s not often that an entire country gets together to honor its heritage. I’m talking about Ireland, which is celebrating something called The Gathering this year. The idea behind The Gathering is to bring together those with Irish heritage—or those who just want to learn more about it—from all over the world. There are hundreds [...]
