When arriving in Singapore don’t be alarmed by the intense heat and humidity. It will hit you like a brick wall the moment you step off the plane. It is something that you will definitely have to get used to, so pack appropriately.

If you go to Singapore make sure to make time for a day trip to the Singapore zoo. We caught a great elephant show and at the end you even get to have some up close and personal time with the elephants. The zoo is mammoth and the enclosures are a lot bigger and better than most other zoos. It’s a great time to spend a day.

Even though Singapore is known for its ultra hip and modern scenery, it has a tropical and wild side. If you’re looking for a different Singapore experience, try the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. This is a chance for you to see untamed and abundant rain forest. We walked up the MacRitchie Trail and saw all kinds of fabulous wildlife. There are so many different kinds of plants, insects and animals around you that you will want to walk slowly so you can take it all in.

After trekking through the natural side of Singapore, why not go shopping in one of Singapore’s many malls? My favourite was Orchard Road. There is nothing you won’t be able to find on this road. There are malls, hotels and eateries galore. The stores are both international and local and stock everything you could think of. It is shopping heaven.

Another great place for shopping, and particularly great for bargain hunting, is China Town. You can find great trinkets and knickknacks in the China stalls for great prices, and they don’t have that mass produced feel.

While traveling through Salzburg, Austria, we had the opportunity to visit the largest system of ice caves in the world. Eisriesenwelt made a great day trip and gave us a chance to do something that was not typical or on the itinerary for our group.

It was fast and convenient to get to the caves from Salzburg. We took a cable railway and got there in about half an hour. The cable was incredibly full of people but we were pretty used to crowded transport by this point in our trip. When we got to Eisrieswelt, we didn’t have to wait long for a tour guide to be available because a tour starts roughly every six minutes.

When we reached the entrance to the caves, we were given a lamp. During our guided tour there was additional lighting inside the caves that highlighted the ice sculptures and gave them a cool effect. It was frigid, however, and I’m very glad I had my warmest coat on as the temperatures were below freezing even though it was June.

The tour through the caves was interesting and informative. Our guide was excellent and very knowledgeable. He told us how the ice caves are made completely out of ice and rock. The caves are like a labyrinth and make up an area of over 40 km. And, even though the caves’ formation started over 100 million years ago, they are still developing today.

The only disappointing part of the tour was that we were not allowed to take any pictures. The caves were so beautiful I would’ve wanted to take some pictures. Instead I opted to purchase a postcard of the cave in the gift shop. At least I have something to remember it by.

Last summer I took a month long trip to Italy. I used a car hire italy service. We managed to visit Rome, Florence, Capri, and Venice before having to go back home. Florence was my favourite stop. Even though every city had its own fabulous attractions, Florence was just so beautiful and had so many architectural and historical landmarks to see.

While in Florence, our incredibly long, and sight-seeing filled, days took place during the incredible heat of a warmer than usual July. On one such day we had planned to see the magnificent Gothic Duomo. Before we could think any better of it, we decided that the only way to properly experience the Duomo was to climb up to the top so we could look out on the city.

However, about halfway up the 463 steps it wasn’t looking like such a great idea anymore. The heat alone inside the stuffy stairwell was suffocating; but it was the tiny steep staircase that really put me over the edge. It was so narrow that even if I wanted to turn around and go back down, I couldn’t. There were so many people below me waiting for me to keep climbing that I started to feel claustrophobic inside the stairwell. I never realized how terrifying climbing up stairs could be.

When we did finally reach the top, though, the view was fabulous. It was almost worth the agony of getting there. You get the opportunity to see Florence from a bird’s eye view and you can see the whole city in a way that you wouldn’t get to if you hadn’t climbed to the top of a cathedral. I also remembered to take about a hundred pictures while I was up there because I knew I would never be climbing back up. The only thing that ruined the moment was the realization that I was going to have to climb back down the 463 stairs.

Ever notice how being an “eco-tourist” occasionally bears a startling resemblance to being a broke traveler? I ended up as an eco-tourist in Northern Thailand (and loving it) due to some poor financial management on my part. I had saved up my money and decided to take a year off from my day job as an elementary school teacher to travel the world. Unfortunately traveling through Europe really cleaned me out and by the time I reached Thailand funds were running low. In an attempt to get my budget back in check I turned to the cheapest form of accommodations and entertainment: camping, hiking and nature watching. Not having been a particularly outdoorsy person prior to the trip- I had a few mishaps along the way but overall it was a wonderful experience. I got lucky because Thailand happens to be one of the best places to be an eco and/or broke tourist.

Thailand has 76 national parks and the majority offer places to camp. Many will even rent you a tent for 5 baht a night. I would recommend that you try to bring your own tent because rental tents, as you can probably imagine, are occasionally stinky. I initially bought myself a cheap one-person tent but after a wet night during “the mango rains” I sucked it up and invested in a larger, sturdier model. The mango rains for those who don’t know refer to a one-week period in April when the season changes from dry to hot triggering heavy rainstorms. It is also the time when the land changes from brown to green. While it made for a wet and smelly week of camping the opportunity to watch the remarkable changes in the land was worth it. During my trip I stayed primarily in the Chiang Mai province.

Doi Suthep - Pui National Park
This national park is located just 12 km outside of Chiang Mai City. The park is basically a mountain and as you go deeper into the park you are simultaneously climbing the mountain. The park is home to a breathtaking Buddhist site the Wat Prathart Doi Suthep, which draws pilgrims and visitors from all over the world. I was lucky to camp near the Mok Fa waterfall where I was lulled to sleep by the rushing of the water. Beautiful walking and biking trails criss-cross the park. During the day you can see butterflies and at night the view of the stars is incredible.

Doi Inthanon National Park
Doi Inthanon National Park boasts the highest peak in Thailand and is the most popular of Chiang Mai’s parks. In addition to Thailand’s highest peak- it is home to one of the most gorgeous waterfalls, Mae Ya- truly awe-inspiring. This is also the place where I began my “nature watching” in earnest. I did not know it at the time but the park is home to more than 300 species of birds so you don’t have to be a professional birder to spot some. If you are lucky you may see a deer or a gibbon (ape).

In conclusion, fellow travelers, we no longer have to admit when we are broke instead we can proudly claim to be part of the latest global trend, ecotourism.

The holiday shopping season will soon be upon us. No sooner than the pumpkins are off the shelves than department stores will be whipping moveable elves, fake snow and candles onto them. If you are less than excited or even stressed at the prospect of holiday shopping, eggnog and fruitcake again this year perhaps you should consider taking a holiday instead. If the idea of a trip abroad still doesn’t have you smiling maybe you need a more drastic change. Maybe you need to go somewhere far away. Somewhere where the season has a whole different feel, somewhere on the other side of the world. Sydney, Australia may be the perfect destination for you. December is the start of summer in Australia and no city does summer better than Sydney. With its gorgeous beaches, surfing, hiking, nightlife, and great cultural institutions there is no place better for those northern latitude-stuck indoors-under-a-blanket blues.

If you’ve seen any images of Sydney they’ve got to be of the world famous Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. To work gently into your vacation take a tour of the Opera House and watch an evening show.

To get back into the habit of moving around in the sunshine take a leisurely walk along the Manly Scenic Walkway. The walkway is a series of connecting walks and you can chose to take a short walk or a more ambitious one. Routes wind through old and new parts of the city with gorgeous views of the harbour. One of the more famous walks is the 10km route from Manly to Spit Bridge.

Now that you’re in the groove you’ll have to make the most high-pressure decision of the trip… which beach. There are dozens of beaches around the harbour and over 20 beaches along the oceanfront. But don’t worry you can’t choose wrong. Bondi Beach is the most famous in Australia and is a great place for beginning surfers. There are several surf schools most of which offer private or group lessons and will cater even to absolute beginners. The group lessons are a great way to meet new people.

For more great views and a lot of history too, take a tour of the Sydney Harbour islands all of which have interesting historical significance. Some islands showcase Aboriginal history and on others you can see old convict-built forts. Cockatoo Island has a campsite in case you want to spend the night under the Australian stars.

Since you surely want to spend as much time as possible outdoors before your banishment back to the frigid north, next on your itinerary consider passing an afternoon at one of the many horseback-riding centers. Horseback riding is a relaxing and pleasurable way to see otherwise hidden places of the countryside. It makes for excellent vacation video too.

Whatever you choose to do your week on the other side of the world is sure to leave rejuvenated and tan and ready to face the rest of the remaining winter months. When you go, try to use HotelsCombined.com for your booking. I usually use Expedia but my friend recommended them while I was there and I ended up saving myself 100 dollars over expedia. They have really good deals, though I have no idea how any of those hotel sites work!

I am the last person you would expect to be a lover of Milan. I am not a great shopper, am not particularly fashion conscious, have a fairly minimal understanding of Italian art and to top it off my spoken Italian is fairly atrocious. So, in superficial ways at least, Milan and I are not a match made in heaven. But due entirely to some unexpected and incredible circumstances I suspect that I will continue to make pilgrimages there for the rest of my life.

It all began one excellent October night during my year abroad in Spain. I was studying at a local café while waiting for a friend. To be honest, the studying was a mere pretense– I was really just moping. I had been in the country since August but I had no real friends and was battling miserably to communicate in Spanish. Back in Iowa I had had big dreams of a wild year full of parties but instead I was just heart achingly homesick. That’s when into the life of this study abroad Cinderella barged Arabella, Gina, Marcella and Aloysius, four vacationing students. Aloysius – tall, handsome and regretfully gay – set events in motion when, in a spontaneous vacation-high induced gesture of gallantry; he bought me a shot of espresso and invited me to an empty chair at their table. I accepted. Several hours, several clubs and several gallons of sangria later, me, a pokey American Midwesterner, had been officially adopted into a group of glamorous Europeans- from the capital of glamour, Milan. It didn’t take much for them to convince me to transfer to the University of Milan to share an apartment with Arabella and Gina. And thus began my love affair with the most sensational of all cities.

Arabella, a fashion student, took me window-shopping along Via Montenapoleone and Quadrilatero d’Oro. Under her tutelage I learned to appreciate Cavalli, Max Mara, and Dolce and Gabbana. She even brought me to one of the prestigious Milan Fashion Weeks. I once got up the courage to ask her how she got her clothes to fit so well and was shocked to learn that most Milanese get their clothes tailored!

Don’t think that my time in Milan turned me into a fashionista; even Milan and Arabella can’t work miracles like that. Instead I found parts of Milan where I felt at home- the markets. For second-hand but still-trendy clothes there is the market in the Ticinese/Navigli district and the Viale Fauché; for food there is the Viale Papiniano and for antiques the Via Fiori Chiari market in the Brera district. But my absolute favorite is the Fiera di Sinigaglia, the flea market, held every Sunday morning. It has books, furniture, records and many other mysterious and fascinating objects. I befriended one of the booksellers who would save any English language books that came his way for me.

While I am still not up to Milanese fashion standards, my friends don’t mind, and let me tell you to my own amazement I am now the best-dressed person around.

Guest Written by my friend Mary. She is going to make a blog and just wanted to see the reaction here. I’m too busy to write as you can tell by the lack of updates!

Are you interested in Milan? I went there too but unlike Mary, I wasn’t a student. Milan can be an expensive city (all that high fashion and all). When I went, I found the hotels to be a bit pricey. I’m a budget traveler and normally stay in hostels. However, it took me awhile but I eventually found a good deal on a Milan Hotel from Hotelscombined. I hadn’t heard of them before so I recommend them!

When I was sixteen I was fortunate enough to accompany my father on a business trip to China where we spent two amazing weeks together exploring this most mysterious and amazing land. For the first week we stayed in Hong Kong as my father took care of his business obligations. I remember being amazed at how advanced the city was and I marveled at just how congested and crowded the streets and subways seemed. Even though I knew Hong Kong had historic ties with the British I was still slightly taken aback by just how many people spoke English – and spoke it well. What’s more, we enjoyed both the food and the surroundings.

However, despite enjoying our week in Hong Kong, our two weeks spent traveling through the south of China and taking in its amazing natural beauty and wonder was by far the most memorable part of the trip. Along limestone rocks and caverns we marveled as rare lemurs hopped on the seemingly flat surfaces in search of salt deposits and other sources of nutrition. In the forests, we witnessed giant salamanders the size of small crocodiles and we were awed by rare birds the likes of which we had never seen. We also had the opportunity to tour one of South China’s famous caverns. Apparently, these caves have become big business in this region and, aside from tours, we were told that these caves provide the natives with valuable bat guano which they can sell for use as a fuel source.

In addition to our cavernous semi-spelunking adventures we took a river raft ride down a famous Chinese river – the name of which escapes me at the moment – but one that is supposedly famous for its deadly snakes and crocodile attacks (although I think our guide may have been attempting to have a little fun at our expense). While we didn’t spy any dangerous reptiles, we did see some massive sized catfish and some random sub species of carp that resembled a giant goldfish (I know, how cliché).

While I had a great time viewing the country I no doubt really enjoyed the trip the most because of the time I got to spend bonding with my dad. While we never took another trip quite like that one, the memories made over those three weeks will likely last a lifetime and helped bring me closer to my dad than I had ever been.

Say what you will about the United States and our cities compared to the cities of Europe but at least we don’t make every metropolitan area into a proverbial maze of dead end and one way streets too narrow for most cars to pass through. With the exception of Boston and then selected neighborhoods of other east coast cities, cities in the US were mostly well organized and thought out – true models of the power of urban planning. By contrast, the cities or Europe – considerably older than anything in our fair nation – more or less just popped up over times as feudal countryside gave rise to villages and towns and then finally the cities we know today. As a result, these cities were clearly not built with the idea of making transportation to, from and around town easy and, especially in cities like Venice or Amsterdam, getting around can an absolute nightmare.

While Venice is most clearly famous for its reliance on waterways and canal taxis this is not to say the city is without paved streets, roads, and sidewalks. While you might assume these would be relatively easier to navigate the reality is that these are some of the more confusing streets in Europe. Every other corner brings a bride or a tunnel or an overpass over the canals and, after you’ve seen 16 different bridges they have a tendency to start to run together. During my stay in Venice it took me over three hours to find my way home one night – the combination of confusing streets and my inability to speak Italian really complicating matters and making things more difficult.

As I mentioned above, I found Amsterdam to be equally confusing but for different reasons. While not relying on its canals so much as the Venetians, Amsterdam’s canals and semi-grid layout make every single block look exactly like the previous one. While a grid would seemingly make the streets easy to navigate they are not numbered in any order like in New York for example, and as I said they all literally look exactly the same. Despite these flaws in design, however, Europe’s cities are amazing places to visit and I would encourage anyone to visit these cities at their leisure – particularly Venice and Amsterdam; just make sure you bring a compass or a GPS device as they are likely to save you time, energy, and frustration.

Despite the fact that so many people rave about what a great time they had visiting Prague in the Czech Republic, I for one had a downright miserable time in the former soviet satellite and don’t know that I would recommend a visit to a friend or enemy alike. When you speak to someone who has been or visited, they will likely rave to you about how beautiful the city was or how amazing inexpensive the food and or entertainment was. They might go on and on about what a great bargain they got in their hotel or how cheap it was to enjoy a four course meal. What these people often neglect to tell you, however, is just how much the quality suffers when the price is reduced.

Now sure, there is no question that you can get around Prague for pennies on the dollar, but in the end, you often find you will get what you paid for (or didn’t pay for). Take my own experience for example: my girlfriend and I visited the city and booked three nights in a hotel with king sized bed and kitchenette for less than 60 dollars US a night. The brochures and website promised a world class hotel complete with restaurants and entertainment and that we would be pampered and treated like a king and a queen. The sad and ugly truth is that the hotel was nothing more than elaborate smoke and mirrors. Our kind sized bed turned out to be two twin beds pushed together and covered with a pad and sheet. Our “kitchenette” was a sink and microwave and the much hyped entertainment turned out to be a ski ball machine and internet access (which cost a premium price). As for the world class food, we discovered pizza that could have very well been prepared in a microwave and gnocchi that was indistinguishable from gruel or some old world portage.

Now don’t get me wrong, we did have a couple good meals and some good times while in Prague and we did enjoy our time together, but on a whole I felt Prague was a grimy and dirty town that is not nearly as wonderful as people describe it as. In the end, I think it is fair to say that I would have likely enjoyed Prague more had I not heard so much overhyped tales and stories first.

Vacationing in Southeast Asia is about more than the cities, the museums and the food. Indeed, no vacation to the region is complete without a trip to a few of the region’s many pristine national parks. One of the first parks on the list of important national parks is Kinabalu National Park in Malaysia. Located on the island of Borneo, Kinabalu Park is dominated by Mount Kinabalu, a popular destination for mountain climbers and hikers.

The park is on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites for its unique ecology and natural beauty. This includes a variety of orchids and carnivorous plants. The park spans four climate zones. It’s possible to arrange for a guide through the park administration but whether you’re seeking a guided climb up the mountain or simply a leisurely hike through the grounds of the park, it’s a beautiful natural landscape that attracts thousands of tourists each year.

Another important national park is Phnom Kulen National Park in Cambodia. The site is of national and religious importance in the region and has played a role in everything from the founding of the Khmer Empire in 802 AD to the end of the Khmer Rouge in 1979. The water is sacred to Hindus and underneath the water are hundreds of ornate stone carvings depicting Hindu religious scenes. The site is also notable for its two waterfalls and an eight-meter long Buddha statue.

Gunung Mulu National Park in Indonesia is important not because of its history but because of its caves. The park is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is home to the largest cavern in the world. Many of the caves are uncharted and the aforementioned largest chamber in the world (named the Sarawak Chamber) was only discovered in 1981. Today, the park can be reached by helicopter and there are a variety of ecotourism activities on offer for visitors.

Ba Be National Park in Vietnam is also home to a cave but the focus of this park is more on its freshwater lake. Surrounded by forests and limestone cliffs, Ba Be Lake is home to a variety of wildlife including King Cobras and European Otters. It’s visually arresting and its biodiversity makes it the perfect place for ecotourist activities such as hiking, bird watching and boating.

Khao Sok National Park is the final park on my list. Located in Thailand, Khao Sok is notable as a rainforest with more biodiversity than the Amazon. The park also includes a reservoir and is known for a variety of flowers and animal life that make it an important ecological preserve. Perfect for hiking and photography, the Khao Sok Park sounds somewhat more tame than the other parks on the list but with water, forests and wildlife, it’s a good place to get away form the urban bustle of modern Thailand. Indeed, these parks are all great getaways from the modern economies and urban centers that often define Southeast Asian tourism today. Hiking may be much simpler than touring a modern city but it’s equally enjoyable and important in an Asian vacation.