Founded more than 700 years ago, Thailand’s northern capital of Chiang Mai grew through history in relative isolation before a railway system was built in the 1920s. These days, Chiang Mai is a hop and skip, either through its international airport or far cheaper bus alternatives.
However, before the innovation of modernized transportation, the grueling trek required weeks-long trips both on elephant and river, making it slow to the influence of the outside world.
Rome – like most Old World cities – is notoriously difficult to navigate because of its many intertwined layers of urban design, stretching back from antiquity to today. This is part charm, part treachery, for while it is certainly a thrill to wander in a place so beautiful and rich in history, it is also common to find distraught travelers bickering in the heat over wrinkled maps.
In fact, the centro storico (historic center) is not so sprawling or unpatterned as it first appears. I found this Hop-on Hop-off Double Decker Bus Tour to be an excellent orientation guide to the city, providing a pleasurable overview of key sites, with an insightful audio commentary and fresh breeze to boot. This video gives you a taste of the many places you can see and visit easily and quickly.
January 27, 2012 by Sue | 0 Comments
At the recent PhoCusWright Travel Innovation Conference a speaker waxed lyrical about their new web site, which would relieve its users of the burden of travel planning, letting them get hours of planning done in a few minutes instead. And they considered that a good thing!
So you’ve been to the Statue of Liberty, you’ve walked through Times Square, and spent an afternoon rowing around the pond in front of Bethesda Fountain in Central Park. But for those who want to get a different take on the Big Apple and, more importantly, for those into hip-hop, jump on the bus for this hip-hop tour of New York City. On this 4-hour tour, you’ll learn about hip-hop culture, see the birthplace of hip-hop, eat some of New York’s tastiest soul food, and even do a little freestyle dancing.
January 26, 2012 by Laura | 0 Comments
For this year’s Top 50 Travel Destinations we’ve consulted Viator’s travel oracle. And that travel oracle is you! Almost 500 travelers voted on our Facebook page for the destination that they think will be #1 in 2012. Using these votes, we are predicting which places will be the most popular this year. No longer will we look back at places we have traveled to, but instead look to the future, planning, and if truth be told, ever so slightly salivating, about the destinations we plan to discover in 2012.
January 25, 2012 by Patricia | 4 Comments
Looking for something new and fun to do while traveling this week? Check out the Viator Member-Only Deals available around the globe this week and make the most of your travel budget!
Meet Isabell Erdmann, one of Viator’s local experts in Rio de Janeiro (and a highly rated licensed tour guide you’ll find at Viator Private Tour Guides).
January 24, 2012 by Sue | 0 Comments
Whether you’re an adventure seeker or a traveler looking for a new experience, adventure travel will get your adrenaline pumping plus you’ll see amazing sights and scenery along the way. On an adventure vacation, you can whiz through a rainforest on a zipline, discover an array of sea life along a colorful coral reef, hike to a volcanic crater at sunrise, or see gorillas on a jungle safari. Check out these 10 adventure experiences and see which ones fit you best.
On a rainy weekend in London during August (the rumour was it was summer but clearly the sun has missed that memo), I headed downriver to Greenwich to where east meets west at 0 degrees of longitude, the Greenwich Meridian. Perhaps I was hoping the weather would be better on the other side. It wasn’t.
January 23, 2012 by Laura | 0 Comments
From cruising the Mekong Delta to soaring above the Grand Canyon, from dining at the top of the Eiffel Tower to diving in the Great Barrier Reef, every year Viator helps thousands and thousands of travelers just like you have unforgettable experiences. Over the years, Viator had built a collection of photos, reviews, videos and blogs using content provided by you, helping those from all walks of life experience plan or just imagine their next dream vacation.
January 23, 2012 by Brittany | 0 Comments
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Cultural Wonders of Chiang Mai
[VIDEO] Rome Hop-on Hop-off Double-Decker Bus Tour
The Joy of Trip Planning
[VIDEO] New York Hip-Hop Tour
The World’s Top 50 Travel Destinations in 2012
Roser Goula: I completely agree with you: one of the most excit...
ems: are you kidding me?!! Philippines? I grew up there...
Lesley o connell: So many places to see, and not enough money to see...
Helen: Meteora? Acropolis? Santorini? You are forgetting ...
Jane: Boston is an incredible city and if I had to choos...
January 27, 2012 by Sue | 0 Comments