the Travel Enthusiast
- 19 Jantylerd in Travel Planning | NO COMMENTS
The world’s most livable cities, from a traveler’s point of view
Auckland
Year after year, The Economist as well as Mercer compile lists of the most livable cities on the planet. If you want to move to another city and you want to make sure that you’ll get better living conditions than at your last home, it’s a good list to consult. But just because a city has a wealth of stuff to buy and services, or because it has good roads and little crime does not mean that they instantly become hot tourist attractions.
So what are the advantages of visiting the kind of city you’d like to live in? Are they more tourist-friendly than your run of the mill town, or do they only make the tourist’s job harder? Here the pros and cons of visiting the world’s most livable cities, from a traveler’s point of view. …
- 13 Janandra88 in Amazing Places | NO COMMENTS
The best post-holiday trips to recharge your batteries
Salzburg
Having fun and partying for days and nights on end can take their toll on your body and your mind, so what can you do to get back on your feet after the busy holiday season? Instead of lounging at home and watching travel documentaries, here’s a much more enjoyable way to rest – by traveling!
Of course, if you had a busy and exhausting December, maybe going on a backpacking trip is not the suitable plan for you – but going on a lazy vacation that entails only relaxing and enjoying life will do wonders to perk you up.
So if you are in need of an antidote for the post-New Year blues or if you just want to go somewhere and unwind, here are some of the best post-holiday trips to recharge your batteries. …
- 19 Dec
The creepiest haunted castles in the world
Leap Castle, photo by Mike Searle
Hauntings are a matter of debate, but haunted castle are definitely not. Whether or not you believe in such things, there are lots of people in the world who claim that their castles (their personal ones, or just the ones they happen to live near), have some uninvited guests of the supernatural kind.
It’s not even necessary to believe in ghosts to get a chill down your back when you visit a haunted castle, because the stories themselves are enough to creep you out. These dark and gloomy halls will do their best to satisfy anyone’s obsession with ghouls, and if not, at least you get to scoff at those who are convinced that an errant gust of wind is actually a ghost behind their backs.
Next time you feel like watching a horror movie, why not go to the real thing and visit some of the creepiest haunted castles in the world? …
- 24 Octkachou_n in Amazing Places | NO COMMENTS
The weirdest bone churches in the world
Capuchin Crypt, photo by John Mosbaugh
If you’re a Christian, or even if you have ever visited a church in passing, your image of what a church should look like probably involves mostly neat rows of pews, stained glass windows projecting colorful lights on stone floors, and religious paintings depicting people with benevolent expressions.
Well, you can forget about all of this if you plan on visiting a bone church. Bone churches, common mostly in Europe but encountered in other parts of the world, make great travel attractions if you are not squeamish about human bones used as decorations. So give yourself a few delicious chills and visit some of the weirdest bone churches in the world. …
- 21 Septylerd in Travel Planning | NO COMMENTS
Top 10 historic sites in Europe
Dubrovnik
Europe hasn’t been around longer than any other parts of the world (despite being part of the “Old World”), but quite a bit of interesting history happened to happen on the continent. Wars, revolutions, political coups and the like have left their mark on Europe, and while many of these places don’t always conjure up happy events, from a historian’s point of view they are quite exciting.
Visiting the places where history happened is one of the things that no tourist can or should avoid, and the truth is that Europe’s historical sites are every bit worth a trip. So if you are interested in history or if you’d just like to see some interesting places, here are top 10 historic sites in Europe. …
- 19 Seplizzy_a in Travel Planning | 1 COMMENT
The best Christmas markets to visit in 2011
Vienna
Christmas is not yet round the corner, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not already time to prepare, especially if you have a pre-Christmas outing in mind.
If you are always in a pickle when it comes to buying presents, here’s a fun way to take get the chore done and have some fun while at it (and maybe even pick up some goodies for yourself): go to a Christmas market! Large and lavish Christmas markets are the norm in cities where Christmas celebrations are taken particularly seriously, and since most Christmas markets start well before Christmas, you can easily load up on the gifts well in advance, while you’re having a short beginning-of-winter-break. So here are some of the best Christmas markets to visit in 2011. …
- 08 Aug
The most amazing public pools in the world
Swimming is fun and healthy, but liking to swim does not mean that one must necessarily like swimming in the sea, a lake, river or some other ‘natural’ body of water. And that’s alright, because unpredictable waves, sudden holes in the bottom of a lake or river, or fast flowing water are not everyone’s cup of tea.Luckily for beginners and people who are not all that confident in their swimming skills, there are more than enough pools, private or public, where you can exercise the fine art of swimming, and here’s a list of the most amazing public pools in the world. …
- 28 Juntibi60 in Travel Planning | NO COMMENTS
The prettiest pedestrian towns in the world
Innere Stadt, photo by Cha già José
Nowadays, the best way to describe a city is ‘urban jungle’, with high rise buildings, huge crowds and of course, countless, noisy cars. Even smaller towns are turning into miniature versions of the big cities and their constant traffic and bustle, but not all of them. In some towns, it’s possible to experience the joy of walking on the street without keeping an eye out for cars.
The nostalgia for the towns of the past, as well as the preoccupation with health and protecting the environment has lead to a boom in pedestrianized areas in towns and cities, especially in the old centers with historical buildings. So if you feel like taking a relaxing, car-free walk, here are the prettiest pedestrian towns in the world. …
- 22 Junpapillon in Fun and Travel | NO COMMENTS
Top 5 best zoos in the world
Most people used to like going to the zoo when they were kids. Kids like zoos indiscriminately, but adults might have concerns about the conditions in which animals live and how they are treated. A good zoo is not necessarily a zoo with the most numbers of species, but where the animals are treated right – after all, seeing happy animals is much better than seeing sad, listless ones.If you’re wondering which are the best zoos in the world, which would most likely be pleasant to visit if you are interested in animals, then here are our suggestions. …
- 10 Junevike14 in Travel Planning | NO COMMENTS
Top 5 summer mountain resorts
photo by roblisameehan
The classic holiday destination for summer is usually the beach, but for some holiday-makers, lounging on the sand and taking the occasional dip in the sea is not exactly what they want to do for weeks on end. Mountain resorts have their own charm, and not only in winter – so don’t discount them because of the lack of snow in summer!
In addition to skiing or snowboarding, there are tons of things to do at a mountain resort even in summer, and they are a perfect destination for those who are not too keen on beaches, for example. So here are the top 5 summer mountain resorts that you can visit. …
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