Best Authentic Fishing Village Near Amsterdam

Michelle CunninghamAugust 11, 2016Bloggingday trip from amsterdam, monnickendam, netherlands

Everyone has heard of Volendam and Marken. But if you truly want to enjoy an authentic fishing village and avoid the crowd of tourists, then your best bet is to visit the town of Monnickendam. Monnickendam is easy to get to by bus from Centraal Station. Or if you’re feeling…

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Five reasons to visit Brazil to watch the Copa America 2019 (part 1)

Brazil is a paradise of football. Here are 5 reasons why you should go to Brazil to see the Copa America 2019 this summer.

1. Brazil is a vibrant tourist destination

As a tourist destination, Brazil will bring unforgettable scenarios, especially for those who follow the Copa America 2019.

The tournament is held in 5 cities, each of which has its own unique characteristics that you will never forget.

Sao Paulo: Sao Paulo is widely known as the city of culture, food, and entertainment. You can enjoy the food at the restaurant at Jardins, Pinheiros, or Avenida Paulista and visit museums, antique fairs, theaters to see performers, etc.

Porto Alegre: Located near Buenos Aires and Montevideo, Porto Alegre is one of the most famous tourist attractions of Brazil. You can immerse yourself under the sunset on the Guaiba River, enjoy food in the city center, and have lunch in a gau oven for tradition.

Salvador: The main attraction of this city is Pelourinho district, the place that brings tourists back to Brazil’s ancient times.

Rio de Janeiro: This is the main destination of tourists coming to Brazil. It offers beautiful beaches and some historical sites of Brazil such as Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf Mountain) and Christ the Redeemer Statue.

2. Experience the Copa America

Traveling, discovering other cultures, and making new friends are unique experiences that make you vibrate. At Copa America, you can meet people from all over South America as well as football fans from Japan and Qatar.

In addition, visiting Brazil when the tournament is taking place, you can feel the exciting atmosphere of this great sport event in the largest country of South America.

If you go to Brazil for such a big sports event, you will understand why Brazilian football is not merely a sport but it is also a culture.

Michelle Cunningham June 10, 2019 Travel for sports eventbig sports event, Brazilian football, the Copa America 2019 Read more >

The Best Travel Apps To Use In 2019 (Part 2)

Hostelworld

Hostelworld does all the usual things that you expect an accommodation booking app to do, including searches, filters, and descriptions. This app offers full-screen interactive map, making it easy to work out whether there is any hostel you like near where you want to be, while all-important reviews are only a tap away.

You can get Hostelworld for both iOS and Android.

Airbnb

Airbnb helps you rent individual rooms, couches, or entire apartments from locals. If you stay with local hosts, you will still be able to get the social aspect of a hostel.

Airbnb is available for both iOS and Android.

Culture Trip

Culture Trip is really a chatty friend who provides you the tips of insiders on the local hangouts and many other things to do. This app publishes more than 1000 short articles per month, across a range of topics such as culture, art, film with the aim of giving travelers a quick immersive dive into the city of their choice.

All you need to do is to create a wishlist of cities you want to explore, and this app will serve up everything from bike trails in the U.S. to hotels in Tokyo. Use it before and during your trip in order to have unexpected and fresh looks at cities beyond the usual tourist traps.

Skyscanner

Skyscanner is a favorite travel app for finding cheap flights. It searches millions of flights from over 1,200 sources and suggests you the best options available (maybe the cheapest route, or the easiest one). In addition, the handy chart feature shows you the cheapest time to fly to your destination and sends you notification of price changes.

TripIt

This app helps organize your upcoming trip. You just have to forward your flight, car rental, hotel, and restaurant confirmation emails to plans@tripit.com and it will automatically transfer all the information to your master itinerary and you will be able to view view all your upcoming plans easily at once.

Michelle Cunningham May 27, 2019 Travel AppsAirbnb, Culture Trip, Hostelworld Read more >

The Best Travel Apps To Use In 2019 (Part 1)

There is a variety of travel apps cluttering up the Apple and Android marketplaces these days. And that’s really a problem because most of them are terrible and no one wants to pay for a worthless app.

If you’ve planned a trip for the year 2019, instead of wasting a week of your life downloading useless junk, consider these 10 great travel apps:

Drops

This app turns learning language into an audio-visual game, with easy-to-follow illustrations. Drops features more than 30 languages and dialects, for example, Arabic, Mandarin, and Icelandic. It also offers daily scheduled lessons which will enhance your next trip.

It’s totally free to use within daily time limits, however, a premium subscription allows users unlimitedly access to the app with its full range of topics and its mix of languages.

App in the Air

App in the Air aims to be an one-stop app for all things related to traveling, including loyalty programs, departure times, and boarding passes. The app helps you a lot by showing you in real-time how long to wait at security, check-in, and baggage claim. Moreover, this app, which can be connected to Siri, helps you measure your bag using augmented reality to see whether it will fit in your plane’s overhead bins or not.

AirHelp

Have you ever endured the pain of a canceled or delayed flight? If yes, AirHelp will be right up your alley. Both EU and US laws provide for compensation in these cases, though the details differ. However, it is such a complicated process, and in fact, fewer than 1 percent of passengers entitled to compensation ever get it.

AirHelp makes the process simple and help you do those things in a few minutes while still waiting at the airport. Just provide your flight information and some details about the problem, and the company will take care of the rest. If the claim is successful, they will take 25 percent of the payout and you will get the remainder.

Michelle Cunningham May 15, 2019 Travel AppsAirHelp, App in the Air, Drops, travel apps Read more >

The Best Traveling Destinations For Sports Fans (part 2)

Luzhniki Stadium – Moscow

With a long history, Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow is the national stadium and also the largest stadium in Russia. It has been renovated and is a landmark on its own. In terms of dining, Olymp Junior with its close proximity to the stadium is a great choice, offering delicious Russian and Azerbaijani cuisine.

Where to stay: The Swissotel Krasnye Holmy has panoramic city views, an award-winning bar, and a stylish indoor pool. While enjoying the spectacular city, you can relax with a cool cocktail at the City Space Bar & Restaurant on the 33rd floor.

Carrara Stadium – Gold Coast, Australia

Carrara Stadium – also known as Metricon Stadium, the home of the Gold Coast SUNS – is one of Australia’s greenest and most contemporary stadiums. Inside Carrara Stadium, you can find various take-away food options such as pizza, chips, fish, and sushi. However, you need to give a try to the hot beef pie – the beloved snack in Australia.

Where to stay: The RACV Royal Pines Resort Gold Coast which is not so far from Carrara Stadium is set on a 27-hole championship golf course. You can also enjoy drinks or light meals by the pool or have a full meal in one of the five restaurants of the resort.

Camp Nou – Barcelona, Spain

It is undeniably easy to life in Barcelona, Spain with lively beach culture and glorious climate that dare you to live your life in the sun. For adventure, the Gothic Quarter is a great option, but for a soccer game at the largest stadium in Europe, go straight to Camp Nou which is best-known as the home to the football team of Barcelona. A sandwich with botifarra sausage, a popular alternative to the classic hot dog, is one of the most beloved snacks in this city. Where to stay: The Flateli Roger 6 is a stylish apartment which is only a short walk from Camp Nou stadium. With two separate bedrooms and a fully-equipped kitchen, it’s ideal for a group of friends or family to stay in.

Michelle Cunningham May 3, 2019 Sports travelingAustralia, Camp Nou - Barcelona, Carrara Stadium - Gold Coast, Luzhniki Stadium - Moscow, SPAIN Read more >

The best airlines to consider when traveling with children

Whether your children are 2 or 12, navigating air travel with them is a feat. So what you can do: Choose the airline that can really work for you.

It is found that children under 12-year-old usually get bored before the minute 50 into their long-haul flight. Therefore, it is suggested to choose an airline which will help keep kids entertained. So, here are some of the best.

EMIRATES

Emirates airway has teamed up with psychologist and boredom specialist Dr. Sandi Mann at the Central Lancashire University to find a way to keep kids entertained on a plane. She has identified five areas that you can blend together to help your kids have the perfect experience. Active: walking up and down the aisles. Passive: listening to music or watching films. Creative: drawing, or coloring books. Interactive: chatting, or reading books. Sensory: refreshments. The airline can help make it easier by providing soft toys, and a huge range of TV, games, and movie options. See emirates.com.

QANTAS

Kids can join the Joey Club of Qantas airway and have an activity kit for the flight. Moreover, you can print out themed activity sheets that are available to download off Qantas’ website for on-board coloring-in fun. Their entertainment selection, specially designed for younger children, is broad. And if you have to stop over in an airport, look for Matilda in Qantas lounges’ Joey Club zones. And if you want to inspire them to really love flying, you can buy a mini outfit of their choices, such as Qantas captain or cabin crew uniforms at the Qantas Shop. To purchase, please visit qantas.com.

AIR NEW ZEALAND

Apart from the Jet Cadets Kids Pack and a various range of entertainment on screen, the Economy Skycouch is the factor that really sets Air New Zealand apart. Three seats can turn into a bed, meaning ample room for children to spread out and use as an area to play. And if they are all worn out, they can get some naps. They also offer a menu for fussy eaters as well as bassinets to pre-book. Visit airnewzealand.com.

Michelle Cunningham April 19, 2019 Travel with kidsairnewzealand, emirates, qantas Read more >