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Travel safety for women
Travel safety for woman is the number one concern for students, seniors and world adventurers. I’ve written chapters in my books and spoken at universities and at travel shows about “how to stay safe and travel the world”. Here are ways to be prepared and avoid trouble. 1. We can be aware of our…
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Southern Italy where they’ve perfected the art of slowing down
When our cook, Fausta Solfa, mentioned that dinner would be at 7:30 pm, someone in our group asked: “Is that 7:30 pm regular time or Italia time?” The rest of us started laughing. Four days into our week-long sojourn in southern Italy and we were finally getting used to the pace: be ready by 8:30…
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Travel rip-offs and how to avoid them
Let me share my travel tips of how to avoid theft, frauds and over-paying. 1.) Avoid baggage fees. Depending upon the airline you can pay $15 to $75 for the first checked bag, and more for overweight bags. When possible, pack lightly enough to carry-on one bag or fly airlines that still allow free checked bags (two…
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The italian job… of being a savvy tourist
How to Get the Most Out of Your Italy Vacation Travel to Europe in the summer of 2004 may prove challenging, but with advance planning the rewards are vast and varied and yours to discover, such as walking to the front of the line at the Coliseum in Rome, or finding unique accommodations…
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Black truffles from perigord, tuscany and yes – Australia.
Aroma and the sweet taste of Perigord Truffles…and YES…from Australia. Expensive little fungi that the ancient Romans and Greeks though were an aphrodisiac. Well, I’m in good company; Louis XIV and Napoleon were also extremely fond of them. Black Truffle Cultivation Unlike the Italian white truffles, black truffles have been cultivated for decades. Cultivation…
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Best costumes from Venice during “carnival”
Carnival in Venice is an elegant costume party in the streets, along the canals and in private villas. Locals and visitors spend a fortune on costumes and entry to the 600 Euro Private Balls. Five thousand revelers crowded into St. Mark’s Square and chased away all the pigeons. Approximately 3,000,000 visitors come to Venice each…
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Best costumes from Venice during “carnival”
Carnival in Venice is an elegant costume party in the streets, along the canals and in private villas. Locals and visitors spend a fortune on costumes and entry to the 600 Euro Private Balls. Five thousand revelers crowded into St. Mark’s Square and chased away all the pigeons. Approximately 3,000,000 visitors come to Venice each…
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Cliff jumping in a blizzard in interlaken, Switzerland
My first impression of Switzerland was the clean, invigorating Alpine air and incredible mountain scenery. But I was looking for high-adrenoline adventure. After our 8-hour bus ride from Florence with lots of other students, we checked into a spotless student hostel and bundled up for snow fun. The modern network of cog railways and cable…
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Rome. where the pope has achieved both celestial and celebrity status
Rome and the Vatican I have to say that religious traditions in any country are a fascinating portrait of the local culture and a jumble of natives and tourists all scrambling towards the same goal. Italy, of course, is no different. After we visited the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel last Sunday, we joined…
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Rome. where the pope has achieved both celestial and celebrity status
Rome and the Vatican I have to say that religious traditions in any country are a fascinating portrait of the local culture and a jumble of natives and tourists all scrambling towards the same goal. Italy, of course, is no different. After we visited the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel last Sunday, we joined…
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Florence’s sweet spots and italian men
The hardest part about your first few days in a foreign country is trying to balance your need for rest after a long week with your need to absorb anything and everything all at once. It’s kind of like trying to soak up the culture through osmosis while running erratically from one spot to the…
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First hour, first day in europe at the frankfurt airport
The two weeks before my departure were a whirlwind of activity and emotions: stress, excitement, anxiety, parties, sad goodbyes, painful packing and uncomfortable unpacking. Great. I can order a beer at age 20 here. My jet lag remedy. I’ve heard some people drink a cold beer in a hot shower to minimize the agonizing…
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First hour, first day in europe at the frankfurt airport
The two weeks before my departure were a whirlwind of activity and emotions: stress, excitement, anxiety, parties, sad goodbyes, painful packing and uncomfortable unpacking. Great. I can order a beer at age 20 here. My jet lag remedy. I’ve heard some people drink a cold beer in a hot shower to minimize the agonizing…
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Italy pre-trip anxiety calmed by movies and books
From Student Foreign Correspondent Annalyse. After running around furiously for the past few days, packing, saying goodbyes and re-packing, I’ve finally realized how nervous I am about spending five months in Italy. How am I going to communicate? I do not know more then five words in Italian, yet I am going to be living…
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The top of europe and the alps
I could see France, Germany and Italy from the observation terrace perched above a 14-mile long sea of ice in the Alps. Did I climb there? No it’s easy with the Swiss Jungfrau Railway. If you love mountains and train travel, there’s no place where it’s more reliable, clean and spectacular than in Switzerland. From…