Exploring The Ancient Moroccan City of Ait Ben Haddou

by Lindsay Shapka in , ,


Passing a slow moving car would have been a suicide mission. 

The small, 13-seater bus was stuffy, hot, and full of fellow travelers half asleep from the heat and half sick from the drive. Gritty red sand, mixed with the sweat in my sandals, smooshed between my toes.

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Common Tourist Scams To Watch Out For On Your Next Trip

by Lindsay Shapka in , ,


Tourists make the perfect mark for a scam artist. We are disoriented, don't know the language, are wide eyed, and are distracted by the new world that we have found ourselves in.

I have been approached by people all over the world who, while they seem kind, are actually out to relieve me of my wallet or other valuables.

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Tips For Visiting The Louvre: How To Avoid The Crowds and Make The Most of Your Visit

by Lindsay Shapka in , , ,


Whether you are a super fan of art and history, or just want to say you've seen the Mona Lisa, a visit to the Louvre is a must-do if you are in Paris. This fortress turned palace turned gallery is now a massive, sprawling, and overwhelming collection of some of the most important pieces of human history.

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Traveling By Plane? Here's What Not To Do

by Lindsay Shapka in ,


There are a lot of posts out there about how to survive a long flight and things that you should do, but these are the most important things NOT TO DO in order to enjoy (and not annoy fellow passengers) on your next plane trip.

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12 Top Tips For Solo Travelers

by Lindsay Shapka in , , ,


I'll be the first to admit that traveling alone for the first time can be scary (in fact, I wrote a blog about it). What happens if you get lost? What if you look like a fool? What if you can't communicate with anyone? Will people think you're a loser if you eat alone? And what do you do if you get lonely?

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Travel Tales: Trekking Up Mount Etna, An Active Volcano In Italy

by Lindsay Shapka in ,


Located on the east coast of Sicily, Mount Etna is one of the most active volcanos in the world (!), and is two times the size of the infamous Mount Vesuvius (the volcano near Pompeii). 

Deciding to risk it for the sake of adventure, my friends and I left the safety of our hotel room in Catania early one morning and, after a sleepy bus ride, found ourselves at the base of this iconic force-of-nature. 

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