As the world becomes more high-tech, we’ve become more dependent on laptops, iPads, cameras, phones and other electronic gadgets. If you’re not staying anywhere too long, it’s easy to end up with dead batteries before the day is over and miss out on some great photos or not be able to check-in on Facebook and make your friends jealous. I’ve...
I’m often asked by my friends what kind of suitcase they should travel with, how any pairs of shoes they should bring and what voltage blow dryer should be packed. What they usually get from me is a lecture as long and as passionate as a Sunday morning Bible-thumping sermon. I’m always happy to share my message: “Carry on shall set thee free”...
I’m sitting in a beautiful hotel room at a ski resort as I write this. It is the best hotel in town and has a cigar bar, billiards room, Turkish bath, amazing views and is right next to the ski lifts.The breakfast buffet is delicious, infinite and included with the room. It’s the most expensive hotel anywhere around at $100/night. I’d pay five times...
Who doesn’t love Indiana Jones? He’s cool, can beat up Nazis with a whip and he keeps museums stocked up with things they didn’t even know they needed. So, on the odd occasion someone compares me to Indy, a smile crosses my lips. As I prepare to travel to parts unknown today, it occurs to me how wrong that comparison is. Dr. Jones crawls out the...
If you happen to be searching for a flight to Europe this week and you’re using a popular site like Expedia or Cheapoair, you might be a little surprised by the carrier that is more than likely going to pop up at as your least expensive option. Turkish Air is sometimes less than half the price of other carriers going to the same destination. What’s even...
I was on the front row of an impossibly sold out show in the sambadrome of Rio de Janiero. Confetti was flying everywhere, samba music overpowered any normal conversations and scantily clad beautiful people danced to the music on the most amazing floats in the world. This party went on and on past the bedtimes of even the most jaded rebel rousers. It was...
Guatemala is beautiful. There’s something to be said for pristine jungles, volcanic mountains, scenic lakes and world famous ancient ruins. It also sounds a little bit like guacamole, which is never a bad thing. I was there a couple of months ago for a fast trip and had an amazing mini-cation. So when my sister called me to ask me about a place that she could...
I’m the Traveling Wizard, aka Bill Wiatrak and a I’m a writer for the new online section of one of Houston’s favorite publications, The Buzz. I travel around the world experiencing other cultures, writing blogs, creating videos, dispensing advice and have adopted travel as a lifestyle, not as a vacation. My mission is to help my readers learn to...
Last November I was buying a bottle of wine in the lovely country of Transnistria. I had crossed the border intent spending my hard earned Transnistrian rubles and sampling Transnistrian food. What? you’ve never heard of Transnistria? That’s because it’s only recognized by two other countries in the world, Abkhazia and South Ossetia. You’ve...
My IPhone is the most important thing I travel with besides my passport and credit card. It has helped me find my way around the world, communicate with others, keep in touch with my friends and given me something to do when I’m stuck on a bus for hours. I don’t know what I ever did without it. I vaguely remember cramming 5 lonely planet books in my pack...