Doctor Who has made me fear all statues, which makes this one extra freaking creepy. (Photo by en.www.lensart.ru)

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Well get a little more mileage out of that photo by entering Rail Europe’s “Picture Perfect Photo Contest”. Just upload, get your friends to vote, and hope to win fancy prizes. Or maybe a t-shirt.

Enter on Rail Europe’s Facebook page.

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It begins with people talking about the first mission to the moon, and how the whole focus was about getting to the moon, seeing the moon, learning about the moon. And nobody really thought about how going to the moon meant getting away from Earth, and being able to look back and really see it. But that’s what happened, and for many of the participants, that was the most life-changing part of what they did.

The video goes on to talk about the Overview Effect and how people who have been to space have a bigger view of how the planet works, and our impact on it. It’s very worth watching if you have 18 minutes free. (Watch it here.)

But that got me thinking about the kind of travel most of us do, which is just within our planet, and how we can have a similar sort of experience.

You may spend months or even years dreaming of going to a certain place. Maybe you long to stand at the top of the Eiffel Tower, or to scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef, or to learn Kung Fu in China. And all you can see is that far away place. Your whole mission is centered on getting there. But once you’re there and you have some time to reflect, you can look back towards home. You can start to see your town, your friends, your favorite TV shows, your whole culture through new eyes. And suddenly it all looks different.

So make sure you take that time. Whether you’re sitting in a European cafe or a tent in South America or on a boat headed to Antarctica, think back to what you’ve left behind, and how it’s connected to where you’re going.

Happy Friday!

The post When Travelling Forward, Take Time to Look Back appeared first on Travel CUTS Student Travel Blog.

You’re lovely, Dublin.

Google can help you find a good “tourist map of [city name]“, or if you have a travel guide with a good map you can photocopy that. For London I actually did this with a map of the Underground, so I knew which stops to use for where I wanted to go.

The map will probably already have the big landmarks called out on it, so I get out a red pen and mark these other things on it:

• The place where I’m staying
• The nearest subway station/bus stop to where I’m staying
• Places to get really good hot chocolate (I always Google “best hot chocolate in [city name]” before a trip.)
• Outdoor markets that look interesting
• Food places that friends have recommended
• Nerd places, like Forbidden Planet in London

Then I put this map in my day pack or purse and keep it with me at all times. If I have a free afternoon I might plot a course that takes me to these places, or if I’m headed to a big attraction I can easily see what’s nearby that I also want to check out.

I usually also carry around a small guide book and sometimes download free travel apps, because I like to have options. But the bonus of my paper map method is that if my phone dies or I’ve lost my tour guide or I’ve forgotten the name of the sixth hostel I’ve stayed at in two weeks, all I have to do is pull out the map and sort out where I am.

But what if you have very specific map needs? Like you need to know where all the best food trucks are? Well Mashable has a list of 19 Fascinating Maps. Some are fantasy (what would a high-speed rail system across the United States look like?), but others are super useful.

There’s Tetsudo Now, a real-time map of Tokyo’s public transit that can help you figure out when your train will arrive. Instahood maps people’s Instagram photos so that you can see what’s going on in the area around you. And then there’s the updated map of the London Underground that’s geographically accurate, so you can get a real idea of how far apart stations are.

Have a look at all the maps on Mashable.

The post Find the Right Map for the Way You Travel appeared first on Travel CUTS Student Travel Blog.

So along with the 7-day Shamrocker Adventure I’ll be taking, I’ve also scheduled a few days on my own to explore Dublin. And it looks like I’ve picked a great time to go.

At the end of May Dublin is celebrating Bloom, a massive gardening event in Phoenix park. There’s also the Dublin Port River Fest and the Dublin City Soul Festival, where they’re serving up authentic, um, Irish… soul food and music. So that should be pretty interesting.

No matter when you go though, whether you want to join a hike, paint the countryside, learn to Riverdance or attend a family reunion, there’s a Gathering event for you. Visit thegatheringireland.com to look through the hundreds of events that have been posted.

Still not convinced? Then watch this guy:

Oh, and in what looks to be a fun marketing coincidence, I just saw that 2014 will be the Year of Homecoming in Scotland. Get your kilts ready.

The post Ireland Is the Place to Gather in 2013 appeared first on Travel CUTS Student Travel Blog.

I’m sure the Queen is very touched by the enthusiasm of these young ladies.

Now that King Willem is in charge, the Netherlands will begin celebrating King’s Day, and they’ll have it on April 27th, the King’s birthday, each year.

Well, except for next year. In 2014 they’ll have it on April 26th, because the 27th is a Sunday and I guess they don’t like to party on Sundays.

I’m sure I don’t have to spell it out for you, but this means that *you* should be in the Netherlands on April 26th, 2014. All of Amsterdam goes orange for the day, in honor of the royal family’s House of Orange-Nassau, and there are concerts, fairs, flea markets and parties all over the city and the country.

You can also visit the Nieuwe Kerk (or New Church) where the new King’s investiture ceremony was held (they don’t do “coronations” like the Brits), take the Hague royal walking tour, check out some palaces, and enjoy the hospitality of the Dutch in their many fantastic pubs.

Busabout offers a King’s Day tour if you don’t want to worry about booking accommodation or walking tours on your own, and it’s a good way to meet other revelers if you’re travelling alone.

So get your orange wig ready and learn to say “Dag van de gelukkige koning!”

The post The Netherlands Gets a New King. You Get a New Festival. appeared first on Travel CUTS Student Travel Blog.

If these are the kinds of questions you have, or fun facts you collect, then have a look at this infographic that Attit Patel from G Adventures put together. (See the full version.)

Does being able to visualize the trek make it seem more attainable? Or just more daunting? I did it two years ago and highly recommend it, and if someone as mildly fit as me can do it, then you absolutely can.

Just take the Inca Trail step by step.

See? It doesn’t look so bad, does it? Of course, going *up* is another story…

The post The Inca Trail, By the Numbers appeared first on Travel CUTS Student Travel Blog.

Earth is delicious.

(You can steal the same recipe I did, from Bird on a Cake.)

It’s nice that we have this one special day to really think about our impact on the Earth, but it would be better if we thought about it every day, and that’s especially true when travelling. Wherever you’re headed is someone’s hometown, and showing respect for the people and land you encounter is just the cool thing to do.

So what, exactly, can you do to help? Here are some places to start:

• Pick up after yourself. Leave the beaches, mountains, trails and sidewalks you walk upon the way you found them, or even a little better. (I have been known to pick up garbage and carry it around with me until I could find a can to put it in.)
• Recycle the way locals do. Not every place you go will have recycling programs, and I still remember the horror I felt at watching a friend of mine in Florida throw all her newspapers and cans into the garbage, because her city didn’t bother with recycling. I almost packed them in my suitcase to take home to my own recycling bins. But if there is a way to recycle, do it.
• Be a choosy buyer so you don’t have to recycle as much. Minimize the number of plastic bags you use, or carry a reusable shopping bag with you when go to get groceries for dinner at the hostel. Bring a reusable water bottle whenever you can and shun plastic bottles.
• Plan a trip that helps people. This is a bigger thing you can do, if volunteer work is your kind of fun. Me to We trips work with the Free the Children foundation to build schools, create sources for clean water and help with environmental conservation in Kenya, Nicaragua, India and Ecuador. Your Travel CUTS guru can tell you more.
• Visit National Geographic’s Earth Day hub for photos and videos of our beautiful planet, as well as information about how Earth Day has evolved and some of the crazy stunts people have pulled on past Earth Days (undersea cleaning party anyone?).

But first, make those cupcakes.

The post Travel Like Every Day is Earth Day appeared first on Travel CUTS Student Travel Blog.

(I’m a Boston University girl so I’m fighting my anti-Boston College instincts on that one, but the B.C. crowd has done some nice things for people this week.)

Kenmore Square, Boston. Just blocks away from Fenway Park and the beginning of Boston University’s home on Comm Ave, the place I called home for four years.

I spent my university years in Boston and had the time of my life. And as one writer (a Boston *University* graduate) so passionately put it, you may leave Boston, but Boston never leaves you.

So the last few days I’ve watched the news not just with the sadness and anger that followed 9/11, but also with nostalgia and with the shock of seeing a street that still feels like my backyard being shown over and over again on tv.

I’ve walked down Boylston I don’t even know how many times. I popped in and out of the Copley T station every few days to shop Newbury Street, or on my way to the gorgeous Boston Public Library, or to a free concert on the lawn in front of Trinity Church, or to visit my friend who worked at the Finagle a Bagel there for a semester.

The finish line to the Boston Marathon is something I pointed out to every visitor I had during those years, a landmark as exciting and important as the Make Way for Ducklings statues in the Common or the Old North Church.

Last week I wrote about Roger Ebert’s travel advice, which included this quote: “Obviously, the way you broaden your mind through travel is to stop traveling and stay somewhere.”

If you travel to Boston you’ll get a taste of its awesomeness. But if you stay there it will change you, and put some Bostonian in your blood. You won’t be able to help but fall in love with it.

And I get that you might not want to start planning a trip there right this very moment, but think about it. Hostelling International just opened a lovely new hostel there last year, and they’ve been kindly providing food and accommodation to some of the displaced travelers and runners the last couple of days. So you know there’s somewhere nice you can stay while on a budget.

As for things to do and see, Buzzfeed put together a list of 29 Reasons to Love Boston, and I think that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Go. Love. Learn. Hug.

The post I Effing Love Boston appeared first on Travel CUTS Student Travel Blog.

Victoria, British Columbia – a microcosm of a city made up of West Coast charm, a beautiful inner harbour, and a climate that is even milder than Vancouver’s (I’ve been told many times that it never snows there). Even in winter the weather is beautiful and spring-like, allowing visitors to shed their winter coats and enjoy the city in outerwear suitable for spring temperatures.

During a trip to Vancouver this past February, I took a quick break from the bustle of the big city to visit Victoria and to meet one of our new ISIC Partners, SpringTide Whale Tours & Charters. Although it was off-season for whales, I was going to be joining SpringTide for a wildlife tour and to take in Victoria and its surroundings from the water.

From downtown Vancouver I hopped on the SkyTrain, transferred to a public bus, and made my way to the ferry terminal in Tsawwassen. The ferry ride is an experience in itself as you get to sail across the Strait of Georgia and take in the sights of the Gulf Islands along the way.

I had heard from various people that it’s possible to spot resident whales from aboard the ferry. Lo’ and behold, within the first thirty minutes of being on board our Captain took over the intercom to announce that there was a pair of orcas trailing behind the ferry on the starboard side. They were keeping some distance between us and them, but you could still see the two dorsal fins breaking the water. Having never seen whales before, either in the wild or captivity, it was definitely a moment to savour.

The next day I made my way over to SpringTide’s office, conveniently located across the street from Victoria’s Inner Harbour. The other passengers and I were warmly welcomed by the staff and were given a brief introduction to what the day had in store for us. Once we were all checked-in, the group made its way over to the docks to get suited up and to disembark.

SpringTide has two options of vessel types for their Whale Watching and Wildlife Tours – a luxury yacht available in high season, for those who want to sail in absolute comfort; or a fleet of Zodiacs for the adventurous type that is available year-round. As we were there in the off-season we were all booked on an orange and black Zodiac for the day. What better way to see the coast than by speedboat, let alone one named Fastide?

Decked out in our floatation suits, ready to ride the Zodiac!

SpringTide equips each Zodiac passenger with a full-body floatation suit, a hat and mitts. You may feel like a kid in a one-piece snowsuit when you have it on, but it’s a lifesaver once you’re out on the open water with the salt water mist and strong winds produced by the boat’s speed.

Leaving Victoria’s Inner Harbour behind, our packed vessel made its way out onto the Georgia Strait and into open waters. We cruised by a small island where we saw a bald eagle; we discovered a herd of seals basking on the rocks and playing amongst the kelp; and we were even taken by Spieden Island, a privately owned island belonging to American territory with a colourful history.

Look closely — there’s a bald eagle on that island.

It’s only inhabitants are its animal population, made up largely of exotic animals brought to the island in the 1970s by none other than John Wayne, the island’s former owner. With the intention of it being a gaming reserve, Wayne imported Mouflon sheep from Corsica, fallow deer from Europe and Sika deer from Asia. The actual act of gaming on the island was quickly shut down for fear of stray bullets making their way across the water to the surrounding islands. However, the animals remained and have made Spieden their home ever since. It was quite surreal to approach the island and see herds of sheep and deer mingling together on its grassy hills. We even spotted a lone big-horned male on the beach, making his way up from the water’s edge. It was definitely something I wasn’t expecting to witness on the tour.

A handful of the deer inhabiting Spieden Island.

After a few hours on the water we made our way back to Victoria. The waves were high and the ride was exhilarating. The best way to explain the feeling you get from being on a Zodiac at high-speed is to compare it to a mixture of riding a rollercoaster and a mechanical bull. You definitely get a leg work-out from those waves!

Once we were back on solid ground, a few of us decided to grab a much-needed pint and look for a place to dry off. We made our way to Darcy’s Pub, located right beside SpringTide’s office, and while we shared stories about the boat ride and let our adrenaline levels come back down to normal, we enjoyed the scene of Victoria’s Inner Harbour as our backdrop.

Are you an ISIC holder? Planning on visiting Victoria this year? Book a Whale Watching or Wildlife Tour with your ISIC at SpringTide Whale Tours & Charters and save $20! The whales are making their way back for the season, so don’t miss your chance to see these spectacular animals up close!

Not a holder of the International Student Identity Card (ISIC)? Click here to find out how you can apply.

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