Category Archives: Travel

Interesting articles on travel. It covers tours, places, guides, experiences, reviews and more good stuff for you.

People in Amusement Parks

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I recently returned from a 10 day vacation, where I went to Disney World, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure in Orlando Florida.  On my trip I participated in one of my favorite activities – People Watching.  In an environment where you are surrounded by people, from all over the world and of all age groups you can’t help but notice the way people behave at amusement parks.

 

Whether it be Disney, Universal, or Islands of Adventure, the types of people in these parks are similar, and everyone fits a sort of character type.  There are the parents that brought the kids that are too young to ride anything and got stuck pushing them around in the stroller while trying to dodge the kids running around without supervision.  You have the group of people that are visiting as a team for some sport or event, that all wear matching t-shirts and ride everything as a group, usually clapping and chanting their slogans or mantras as they embark on each new ride.  There’s the couple you are stuck behind in line, that can’t seem to keep their hands off each other and the closer you get to the ride, the heavier the couple gets with the PDAs.

 

Roller coaster loop, disneyland

Roller Coaster Loop, Disneyland

One of my favorites is the father who is trying to get his kid to face his/her fears by riding one of the most intense roller coasters in the park, meanwhile the kid has nearly pissed his/herself in fear, and will resent their father in the future for making them do this.  There’s the overly enthusiastic growth spurt kids, who this year get to ride the coasters that their height wouldn’t allow the year before. There is the young group of adolescent boys whose only interest is riding the girls who are dressed inappropriately for a family oriented amusement park.

 

“Honeydukes” Candy shop in Hogsmeade, Islands of Adventure

“Honeydukes” Candy shop in Hogsmeade, Islands of Adventure

There’s the guy who has has already invested time and far too much money to win the large stuffed animal in hopes of carrying the bulky thing around to impress onlookers. Let’s not forget the incessant photo takers, who stop dead in their tracks nearly causing you to collide into them, just so they can take a picture, and these are the same people that spend more of their time exploring the souvenir shops while taking photos of the scenery. And of course there are the people that only seem to come to amusement parks for the food, and who you never see ride rides, but you can see them throughout the park sitting on a bench devouring a turkey leg or inhaling ice-cream before it melts; meanwhile they stare on at the kids walking around who are actually surprised at how soaked they got after going on a water ride even though they saw beforehand the results of the people that rode before them.

 

Water wet after ride, water ride

Rip Saw Falls Water Ride, Islands of Adventure

How Would You Improve The Bus Transport System?

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Public transport is not popular, even though it exists for a considerable amount of time. Has it reached its top, or is there room for improvement?

 

Why would people choose to travel by car rather than by bus? The main difference is probably the lack of privacy in a bus. It can be crowded, there’s not a lot of personal space and it’s not quiet. In your car, you can open a window, turn up the music as you like and change the position of your seat.

 

Another difference is the travel time. The bus doesn’t stop in front of your house. This is a problem that can’t be solved; if the bus would stop at every corner it would take ages to get somewhere. And even if the bus does only stop a few times, it is still slower than your own car.

 

Then what is the advantage of the bus? There is only one, it costs less in terms of petrol. This is a reason to take the bus for people who aren’t in a hurry to get somewhere, who can enjoy the relaxing effect a bus can have. Longer travel times however mean shorter working times.

 

Is there any advantage left? The bus is much more relaxing than a car. You don’t have to do anything yourself, yet we have the feeling that we have to spend every minute to the maximum.

 

What can be done about this? Letting buses drive more regularly won’t do, it is the travel time rather than the waiting time. And the travel time can’t be decreased, either your walk to the bus takes some time. It is also possible to make driving a car less attractive and make roads smaller; but then there’d be a problem with not enough spaces for the huge amount of buses there need to be. Raising fuel prices is a good one, but that won’t make people happy – we care more about ourselves than the environment. Even if that worked, would buses, trains, ( and taxi’s?) be able to transport all those people who now travel by car?

 

We need something that is environmentally friendly and efficient.. Impossible?

Milan and the Perfect Wrong Choice

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This photo was taken from the so called Old City of Bergamo, Milan, as we looked down at the New City. Most things to do with getting here had gone wrong. I mean from flight to where we stood, this was a mistake… and I was extremely happy about it.

 

I was on this trip with my girlfriend. A well-planned weekend away to celebrate our anniversary, of course it was, everything I do is well-planned (hmm). Everything was packed, tickets ready, passports ready, map ready, we were to go to Milan.

 

Our flight landed on time, so I’ll admit, it didn’t all go wrong. Whilst the sun was still up we got a cab from the airport for a fair price, and ended up at our hotel, which was surprisingly swish considering a budget. Soon after we were unpacked, out the door we are and wandering the streets to take in Milan.

 

The streets were not bustling, even though it was mid-afternoon, we assumed maybe they had a siesta like Spain. Wondering around, we saw few cafes and embraced the stunning architecture whilst it was quiet. It stayed quiet, and while the buildings were impressive, there seemed to be a severe lack of anything particularly remarkable or anything attracting attention. We assumed we were out of the centre a bit. A quick look at the map confirmed that were far from the Old City from which I took that photo.

 

Up the steep hill we went to the fortress of the Old City. We decided to grab a coffee before finding the way up. Classic good old coffee shop had Wi-Fi – I needed to know the shortest way to the top of that bridge. Google search Milan. I was struck by a remarkably unfamiliar map on my phone, this was not Milan, this is not where we were.

 

We had flown into Bergamo, after deciding it was clearly the most prominent airport for Milan. Turns out it’s a 50 minute train ride from the true Milan and we were staying in a city of financial banks nearby. Seems we made the wrong choice.

 

When we walked up to the Old Town, and looked over this view, however, everything was right and I knew it. It was beautiful, the Old Town was beautiful, the hotel was lush. We visited Milan too and it was a storming trip.

 

One mistake, one awesome mistake.

 

Why the Paradox of Choice?

 

Well choice experts believe that too much choice will mean you are less likely to enjoy the end result. That is due to the hypothetical choices you could’ve made. So you must limit your choices.

 

Paradoxically, too little choice and you want have the option for the best result in the first place. What side do you lean to? I can tell you too much choice is most common. So bear in mind that limiting choices will make you happier anyway.

 

We limited the choice to Italy, Milan, and a choice of two airports… picked the wrong one… had a great time and the rest is history…

 

Don’t worry about making the choice; you have to make it first anyway.

Historic Sites Under Threat

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Greece sunk into debt in recent years. We hope to see a vicious Spartan fight against bankruptcy, but German politicians suggested a curt solution: sell the Parthenon, Acropolis and Aegean islands. Should the Greeks continue preserving the reminder of their history, or should they be smart to let go of the ancient sites for the sake of their economy?

 

Cling to the past or focus on the present? This is a countrywide scale of past-present dilemma.

 

Unstable economy is a peril to the historical sites of Greece. There are other factors that endanger historical sites.

 

In just one hour, Mali Islamists has destroyed three Mausolea in Timbuktu. All of it are U.N. World heritage sites and served as religious and historical landmarks. Rebellion seems to be a fast way to eradicate historic sites.

 

Visiting can harm too. Over a million tourists came to Machu Picchu in 2011. The ancient city that survives centuries of calamities and invasion is now an “endangered architectural site”; the influx of tourists contributing to its springing demise.

 

But Ecuador is on track of people coming to Galapagos Island. They are limiting the number of visitors and the length of stays. Fuel consumption and pollution are also regulated to maintain the pristine of the island. Many countries may find it hard to follow Ecuador’s steps since tourism is an industry that feeds economy. Historical sites are competing against money.

 

Political decisions can also affect the duration of historical sites. U.S. cuts funding for UNESCO, an organization that protects world’s heritage sites. Without the priority, historical sites won’t be secured.

 

If they do vanish, we only hope that the memory will remain.

 

What is your favorite historical site?

 

Best Prisons to Live

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Prisons are punishment for misconduct. They are built to maintain order in the society, believing in the premise that getting into prison sucks your privilege to live freely so you wouldn’t want to be there.

 

These five prisons are still prisons in a way that it locks you out of the “real world”, but there are privileges that would make you rethink which would you prefer to be in.

 

Five star prison in Austria

 

Justizzentrum Leoben, modern and futuristic facilities for a prison, good life inside the prison in Austria

People save up for 3 day brief stays in a five star hotel, when these inmates in Justizzentrum Leoben get to stay in a five star facility for years, if not lifetime. What the hell right? The prison is also secured, luxurious and modern.

 

Cebu inmates dance

 

Cebu Dancing Inmates in the Philippines, happy choreography of prisoners inside the prison, thriller, michael jackson, Psy, Gangnam Style

They are the inmates in the viral hit “Thriller“, which has 51.5 million views (so far). Instead of burning time inside the cells, they learn a routine, dance in synchrony, and post it to YouTube. Their latest vid? Gangnam style.

 

Family unit cells

 

Family unit cells, family friendly prisons, inmates won't leave family behind, family and social life inside the prison

Somewhere in Spain, the Aranjuez prison is nice enough to build family unit cells where the prisoners could bond with his/her children. The walls are painted with jolly Disney characters. Playground and nursery are accessible.

 

Community-based the prison

 

Community-based prison in Bolivia, prisoners are free to buy their own cells and property, work, have a family like a normal person

San Pedro Prison in Bolivia is close to normal. No guards, no gates, no bars. Instead, you’ll see children playing around with “market stalls, restaurants, hairdressers and even a hotel”.  On top of it all, prisoners have to work and buy their own cells. Like the outside world, the more money you have, the more advantaged your situation will be.

 

The summer camp prison

 

The summer camp prison, inmates and prisoners live in a paradise, beach tanning, skiing in the winter, ocean view, summer fun

Inmates in Bastoy Prison will feel like in a holiday, whole year round. They have horses to ride around the island of pine trees and rocky coasts. Craving a baked salmon? They have chefs to cook for them. They even have the beach to dip in summer; and the ocean’s view will always be there if they want to relax. Aaah, imagine the sound of that. Ironically, they have a freer lifestyle inside the prison distant from what they can afford outside. No surprise that 20% of prisoners who are released reoffend to come back.

 

Do you approve these prisons?

 

The Ibiza Depression

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People save money for years in order to enjoy the life on Ibiza for a few weeks. A vacation to live up to. But when you arrive there, everything is different than expected. You’re not the only one in the expensive hotel. Your expensive hotel is one of the cheapest in comparison to the others, and your clothes, on which a lot of money was spent, are nothing different from other people’s clothes. You’re normal.

 

You always were normal. But when you’re, for 3 weeks, trying not be, you still are. What did you save all that money for? To live the life, partying all week, to find out it doesn’t help. Ibiza should have been the distraction, but it became the eye-opener. But realizing all this, you think, well, if it’s all for nothing, why not release the brakes and go wild? Which is exactly what people do. Drugs and alcohol, and not a little.

 

The worst part might still be coming back. Back to all, found out, you really are but don’t want to be. Some even end up with addictions, because of all the party drugs and alcohol from Ibiza.

 

The advice experts give to people who have a vacation to Ibiza planned but unable to cancel it? Make an appointment with a psychologist before you go; he will be busy when you return.

 

Have you been depressed from a holiday?

 

Life’s Best: Traveling

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Expand the depth of your love to the intricate culture and nature around. Let it change you, improve you, evolve you; just always to the better of you.

 

Explore & Dare. Meet & Stumble. Move Away, Do it.

 

Travelling is maximizing what is around your life. Go, do it! And participate, take photos, talk to locals. Get lost and see the real details of the place. Drop your job, your worries, your judgment. Start with zero feeling, and fill it with novelty, pleasure, and all-new experiences.

 

Complete the chapter, and with excitement, tell the story to friends, family, whoever. Incite their spirits. And then do it again, do more, go more to where you haven’t traveled before.

 

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.“  - St. Augustine

 

Where do you plan to travel next?

 

Typical Gestures in Various Cultures

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Traveling is in almost every person’s bucket list. But culture is a huge account and it must not be overlooked. Being a travel enthusiast, I’ve learned from research that the typical gestures that we know means differently in other countries. Better to be wary about it than be in a disadvantaged side.

 

The “Okay” Sign

 

Okay fingers, number three, hole in hand, gesture

This is a sexual insult for Greeks, money for Japanese, obscene for Spanish, faggot for Venezuelans and Turkish, zero or worthless for French, and asshole in Mediterranean countries.

 

Unwelcoming Wave of Hands

 

hi, hello, high five

Waving of hands is commonly welcoming as it denotes hi or hello. In Indians and Chinese people, it means no or go away. In Japanese people, it means I do not understand or I do not deserve this.

 

Despicable Thumbs Up

 

thumbs up to the sky, beautiful hand, nice

Although the thumbs up gesture is universally known to bear approval or appraisal in general, it is an insult to the people of Iraq, the biggest kind actually. Don’t do it there, as well as in Greece, Russia, Sardina, Italy, most of Latin America and West Africa because it’s like the fuck you sign for these countries.

 

Speak Now or Stop

 

Stop sign, open palm, show of hand, gesture

Country singer Taylor Swift has an album called speak now. But Asian countries literally expect you to speak now when you raise your hand with your palm exposed. In the west, it means stop.

 

A Pointing Finger

 

direction, you!, pointing on someone or something

A pointing finger is rude across different cultures. Especially in Nepal, it means “wait and I will have something against you!”.

 

Prohibited Handshake

 

firm and cool handshake, interaction, touch of hands, man to man hand shake

In Islam and Judaism, handshake is prohibited among people of opposite sexes. And since left hands are used to wipe your ass after pooping, it is considered the dirty hands for Middle Eastern countries; so never shake using left hand in their territory.

 

The V Peace Sign

 

red nails, beautiful nails and hands

This is the peace sign. It is also used to indicate cuteness in photo for Asian countries such as Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan and Vietnam. At times, it could be a war sign in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland and United Kingdom.

 

“What are you looking at?”

 

Blue eyes in focus, gorgeous eyes closed up zoomed in, eye contact, turquios

How rude it is when you talk and the other person is not looking at you. It is as if that person is not listening. Eye contact is really important in our conversations or mere interactions. Yet, staring is considered rude in Zimbabwe, Japan, China, and few other Asian countries as well. Staring or eye contact at women is also forbidden in Arab countries.

 

A Different Kind of Headshake

 

breath in, smell, man guy chin up, nod, nodding, shave

Shake your head up and down – you’re saying yes. Shake your head sideways – you are saying no. In some middle eastern countries, it is the other way around. Same applies in Nepal and Greece.

 

Keep Your Soles of Feet Out of Sight

 

beach sand on shoes, lying on the beach, beautiful sunny day, relax, man

In Arab countries and Egypt, it is rude to display your soles of feet. This is the reason why when you sit, you should not cross your legs. In India, feet are so unclean you should apologize if you touch anybody with it.

 

Good to know isn’t it?

 

Loath these Laws

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A new law in Japan can jail people when their waistline went above 33.5 inches for males and 35.4 inches for females. Although the intent was good – aiming for a fitter and healthier race, its passing into a law is still bizarre.

 

In accordance to that, I listed a few of world’s laws that are strangely appearing:

 

House of Parliament, England, ridiculous funny law in england, tourist spot in England, UK, tourism in England, Traveling in Europe

You don’t die in the House of Parliament in England. Sorry, it’s the law.

 

Homosexuals in Singapore, law restriction in singapore, gay people are not allowed in Singapore, gay commercial ad

However, if you are a homosexual living in Singapore, you are not allowed to live.

 

Guy Skirt, law against men wearing girl's clothes, forbidden to wear skirts for men in Italy

No worries homosexuals in Italy, you may live. But you can’t wear a skirt.

 

I See These Whales, the forbidden whale seeing, law in England about whales, whale seeing, jumping whale out of the water, giant blue whale

If you find a whale on the British coast, good for you! But you only get to keep the body. The Royal Prerogative 1324 gives rights to the royal family – a dead whale’s head belongs to the King while the tail for the Queen!

 

A Bear in a Beach, bears forbidden in Israel beach, Polar bears, endangered polar bear, polar bear in water, cute animals

Talking of animal-human interaction laws, bringing bears in any beach of Israel is forbidden.

 

A Forbidden Kiss in european train, romantic kissing in the escalator, us against the world, couple in the train, France law

Hold on! You can’t kiss there. French and English train stations forbid kissing.

 

Starting-A-Car Frustration, law against anger in driving, woman's car problems, car repair hassle, shiny red car

Well, in Denmark you can kiss. But before you start your car, you have to check your lights, brakes, steering, and then honk your car.

 

Flush It, toilet flushing law forbidden, Quiet the Toilet, law forbidden toilet flushing, restroom design, clean toilet, white toilet, convenient toilet in public

Not flushing a toilet in Singapore costs $100, so always double check! On the contrary, it is illegal to flush your toilet after 10 PM in Switzerland.

 

Dare Defy My Majic Wand? law forbidden use of magic, witchcraft painting, making a potion, witch's and wizard's wand, brewing chemicals, sorcery

Pretending to know witchcraft or any sort will imprison you in Ireland.

 

Chinese Graduates, law of chinese government, chinese reading books and magazines, Chinese intelligence, Chinese schools, college and universities

So you want to go to college. But there’s one rule – you have to be intelligent. Yup, no room for dumb college students in China.

 

As Long as You're in Underwear, You're Good, models in underwear in mall, male model underwear, wearing underwear is required by law, naked outside

You can’t leave your house without underwear. That’s how much they love underwear in Thailand.

 

Shut Your Mouth, law against speaking, shouting in the woods, echo, scream when no one is around and nobody can hear, release, catharsis

Shit! I can’t shout offensive words in the Mexican public.

 

Video games are banned, Video games not allowed in Greece, PlayStation Xbox and nintendo banned in greece, red vs black color of controller dualshock

Electronic games are banned in Greece.

 

Gun and Horse in Action, prisoners free in law, cool poster, cowboy in a hat and horse pointing a gun

Oh Canada! It is mandated for ex-prisoners to be given a handgun, bullets, and horse. Apparently, you need these things just to get out of town.

 

Jump Shot of Prisoner Escapees, happy to escape prison, wanted pictures, men in prison, inmates, law allows escape of prisoners, watching the inmates, guards

In Denmark, you don’t wait to be an ex-prisoner, for it is legal to escape. It is however illegal to get caught. The penalty: you finish your term in prison.

 

Ashtray is Deadly according to law, dirty ashtray, dangerous ashtray, old ashtray

So what will keep you in prison? An ashtray. Turned out it is a deadly weapon for French lawmakers.

 

Which law is the most ridiculous?