From reindeer racing, midsummer pagan rituals and camel beauty pageants to crazy street carnivals, leg rowing races and even Ernest Hemingway’s favorite fete, global celebrations offer travelers unique opportunities to experience a country’s culture, cuisine and spirit.
To help you discover some of the planet’s biggest parties, custom travel company Kensington Tours has crafted a collection of trips exclusively designed to get you behind-the-scenes of the world’s best festivals.
Leg-Rowing Festival, Inle Lake, Myanmar
by yeowatzup/flickr.com
Cruise the waters of time back to a celebration evocative of Southeast Asia centuries ago with a pilgrimage to Phaung Daw Oo – otherwise known as Myanmar’s Leg Rowing Festival. Held upon the shores of Inle Lake, a trip to this spiritual 18-day pageant is true cultural nirvana. Watch as a golden barge holding four Buddhas is towed by ornamented leg-rowers from private boat with expert guide. Take part in the eclectic festivities, from magic shows, dancing, leg rowing races and fireworks to fortune tellers, spiritual blessings and Burmese banquets. To amplify your experience, plan your visit to coincide with Thadingyut, the festival of lights.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Let’s face it - travel is a great way to expand your horizons, but there are some days when it can get pretty spicy.
If you find yourself in need of an extra boost while you’re out there exploring, keep these courage-inducing tips in mind and get ready to push through, do more and be a little more Zen about living beyond your comfort zone.
Read more: 6 Mantras Adventure Travelers Live By
What about you? What goes through your head when you find yourself outside your comfort zone? Use the comments link below to share.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Q&A with travel tips author Jeanine Barone.
Pint-sized, fiercely independent and packing an intense curiosity about the world and its best kept secrets, I first met travel journalist, Jeanine Barone (kindred spirit but no relation), a few years ago in Baltimore where she expertly sniffed out the city’s insider favorites with a fervor and excitement that was contagious. Since then, we’ve explored together in Portugal and Mexico. Today, I’m pleased to share the following Q&A in which we discuss her newly released e-book, ‘The Travel Authority: Essential Tips for Hassle-Free Travel’. With a price tag of only $2.99, it may be one of the best travel deals out there.
1. Tell us a bit about your new e-book and your reasons for writing it?
I wrote the book as a practical guide for avoiding all manner of unpleasant experiences — illness, delayed flights, lost luggage, jet lag and hotel break-ins, to name a few — when traveling.
It’s organized into seven useful sections —with comical images to introduce each chapter — based on major travel topics: health and safety, savvy packing, airports and planes, other transportation (cars, trains and boats), accommodations, insurance and money issues, and recommended gear and products. These are insider tips cultivated from a lifetime of personal and professional travel that will help any and every traveler save money, time and their sanity.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Vacations seem to be all about fun, sun, and escapism. But if you look past the recreation, they can also inspire powerful insights and help you on your path to living a bolder, braver life at home.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
You don’t have to travel solo or stay home just because you’re an introvert—if you take along this advice. (As for the insatiable wanderlust that may result? You're on your own.)
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
We asked Austin-Lehman Adventures’ travel consultant Mindy Vanderhoof what she carries in her travel bag, and why. Learn her list of must haves.
“Every trip is a little different,” says Vanderhoof, “but in this world of fast paced connectivity and limited suitcase sizes, here are five travel essentials I don’t leave home without.”
#1. iPad. It seems you either are or aren’t on the Apple bandwagon. I am on definitely on it. The iPad has everything in a super small, completely packable package! You can e-mail, take notes, play games, watch movies, and listen to music all from one gadget. Not to mention it takes photos and videos. I recommend getting the WiFi 3G model so you can log in anywhere. Also, buy more memory than you think you’ll need: 16GB seems fine… until you take a bunch of video and download a bunch of apps. Better to put forth a little more money and have the storage space.
#2. Flip Flops. This is probably the most low-tech, but important thing that I pack. They take up limited space, weigh practically nothing, and are great for walking around the hotel or a casual dinner. I don’t usually have much spare time when I travel, but I am always grateful to take off my ‘real’ shoes and slip on sandals.
#3. A Pashmina. No matter where my travels take me, these multi-functional wraps come in handy. They can dress up an outfit, keep your neck warm in the cold, be worn as a shawl, or act as a make-shift picnic blanket or beach towel. Available in so many patterns and colors, you are sure to find one that is just right for you.
#4. Classic Black Pants There is nothing better for travel than a fashion classic and you can’t go wrong with a pair of casually elegant black pants. Find a pair that won’t wrinkle and you are even better off. You can stroll the boardwalk, go shopping, have a nice meal, or take in a business meeting and always look the part.
#5. Gum. You never know who you are going to meet or when. You can be ready for anything with a pack of minty gum. Think long flights, and airplane meals: You can pop your ears, or eat garlic without worry. Gum is an inexpensive and failsafe travel essential.
What can’t you travel without? Leave a comment below and let us know.
About the author: Mindy Vanderhoof came to the adventure travel business with more than a decade of independent travel experience and has now traveled to 41 countries. Working in the travel industry she is able to bring her knowledge, passion for travel, and background to help others experience the world.
photo via istockphoto.com
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".