travel Archives • Page 9 of 11 • The Bliss Movement

Asia, Tips, Planning and Packing, Travel, Vietnam

Traveller’s Diarrhea 101: What Is It, How To Prevent It, What To Do When You Get It

You’re walking through a crowded market that lines either side of a narrow street. It’s 40 degrees, hotter than the hottest day back home and vehicles, motorbikes, and humans all weave in and out of one another. And then it hits you. You start sweating, more than you already are, your stomach begins to flip and make the most animalistic noises, and you find yourself clenching your butt cheeks together. You need a bathroom, and you need it NOW. Traveler’s diarrhea (TD); a backpacker’s worst nightmare. My second time back to Southeast Asia, I was hesitant[...]

San Francisco, United States

Baker Beach, San Francisco: A Photo Montage.

"There is magic in the ocean. Be free and dive in." A collection of photos from Baker Beach, San Francisco.[...]

San Francisco, United States

Baker Beach, San Francisco

"The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea" -Isak Dinesen Soft sand hits your feet, sun caresses your shoulders, and the salty scent of the ocean breeze fills your nose. It is one of my very favorite moments, that moment when you step onto the beach and walk towards the sea. Isak Dinesen was correct when he said that the sea can cure anything. All of my day-to-day worries melt away the instant I see the ocean before me. Foamy white waves crash into the shoreline and the sparkling blue water of the Pacific Ocean goes as far as the eye can see[...]

Asia, Tips, Planning and Packing, Travel

What Type of Transportation Should You Take?

Buses, planes, trains, oh my! These days there is every possible form of transportation available to the world traveler. Planes tend to be a popular (and necessary) choice for long, overseas flights. But once you've landed on your desired continent or country you have a few other choices jumping into the mix. Two of the most popular methods of transportation are buses and trains. Other options are boat, car, hitch-hiking, motorcycle, or simply trekking long distances, just to name a few. Now in my perfect world people would still ride horses everywhere... but si[...]

Tips, Planning and Packing, Travel, United States

City Bus Tours: Are They Worth It?

As a traveler and a travel blogger, I’ve come across a million biased opinions on what might make a person a “tourist” and what might make another person a “traveler.” Honestly, I think it’s all a load of bullshit. If we are going to start classifying “travelers” as a notch higher than “tourists” then I think the whole travel society is going in a strange direction. People are seeing the world and I think we should let people see it however they so choose. Take Hop-On, Hop-Off buses, for example. From the streets, you see these double decker b[...]

Italy

Casa di Giulietta, Verona

My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep; the more I give to thee, The more I have, for both are infinite.” -- William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet Although it was four summers ago now, I remember Verona like it was just yesterday. Everyone knows the famous Shakespeare story of Romeo and Juliet. It has been told and re-told, played and re-played time and again and is considered to be one of the most famous love stories of all time. Traveling with two girlfriends from the North to South of Italy, our main decision for stopping in Verona was to see[...]

Alberta, Canada

Whitewater Rafting in Jasper, Alberta

The musty smell of a boys' locker room greeted us as soon as we stepped onto the big yellow school bus. It's a smell that brings back childhood memories of spending the majority of my days in a hockey rink, whether for my ringette practices and games or for my brother and his hockey. But this wasn't a rink, it was a yellow school bus in a parking lot surrounded by the mountains of Jasper National Park. The back was stocked with wet suits and water booties of all sizes and everyone had eager looks on their face. After spending the previous day lounging at Lake Anne[...]

Alberta, Canada

An Afternoon in Rundle Park, Edmonton

As soon as the sun comes out I do my best to be outside. I crave sunshine, summer and hot weather for a good eight months a year. I love spending summer days visiting parks around the city or checking in on what new and exciting things are going on. On one of the warmest days in a very long time, I spent the afternoon at a local arts festival. Once we'd had enough of that scene, we drove to Rundle Park to join others who had decided to spend the afternoon around a BBQ or lounging on the green grass. Rundle Park, in North Edmonton, Alberta, is huge. Filled with fir[...]

Italy, Thailand, Travel

Celebrating Birthdays Abroad

Birthdays. For a lot of people this is the most special day of the year, filled with elaborate plans and huge celebration. Personally, I get a bit overwhelmed by it all. All of the planning, RSVP’s, trying to decide what to do, being expected to do something. It all gets a little tedious. Don’t get me wrong, I love to celebrate the day I was born, but elaborate parties are not my thing. Perhaps that’s one reason why I like celebrating my birthdays abroad. First of all, it is kind of fun to say that your nineteenth birthday was in Florence, Italy and your tw[...]

Ireland, Solo Travel, Travel

On Falling In Love With The World

Three summers ago I fell in love. Not with a man, as expected at my age. That hasn’t quite happened yet. Instead, I fell in love with the world. I dreamed of spending my life living in new countries, exploring the continents, learning new languages, embracing new cultures and meeting new people. Two summers ago, my heart was taken again, by Thailand. Still a part of the world, but a bit more specific. A lot of the young travelers who arrive in Thailand are there for the parties, the cheap prices and the beaches. Throngs of young people migrate to particular a[...]

Thailand

Taste From Heaven: A Vegetarian Restaurant in Chiang Mai.

One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating. -Luciano Pavarotti Taste From Heaven is a restaurant located in Chiang Mai, Thailand. There are three reasons why it is my favorite restaurant in that city. First of all, and an important reason for people wishing to eat there, is that the food is amazing. Every bite is packed with flavor. I have yet to try a dish from there that I didn’t enjoy. The second reason why I love this place is because it is 100% vegetarian. My[...]

Asia, Vietnam

Photo Journey, Driving from Hoi An to Hue.

I am fascinated by the countryside. It doesn't matter what country I'm in, I always feel a pull to be in the country. Open space, fresh air, sky that isn't blocked by tall buildings. So when my friend and I got to Hue, Vietnam, we quickly jumped on the chance to do a tour of the countryside. While it was a tour open to all, it was just the two of us and our guides on our own private tour. We cruised on the back of motorcycles past fields, temples used by small communities, and saw all that the Hue countryside had to offer. Our guides even showed us to their childh[...]