Viator Travel Blog

I think for most of my life I have been suffering from some horrible prejudice induced by seedy waterfront film noir movies because, until my last trip there (trip #10ish), I didn’t think of New York City as a great place to get out on the water. The East River is for people wearing cement shoes, and the Hudson has who knows what lurking beneath its murky surface. That’s why there’s so many nice bridges in New York City, so you can get over the polluted, kraken infested water that is lapping dangerously near Manhattan’s shores. And the poor Statue of Liberty, stuck out there, she must be lonely.

Travel, especially to a place you’ve never been before, inevitably brings rise to a lot of questions. Questions like, do I need a visa? Where is the good scuba diving? Is it crazy to try to travel from city A to city B and back in one day? Are the buses safe? You get the [...]

I confess I was attracted to Salzburg by The Sound of Music, but I was surprised how completely charmed I was by the city. Crammed with beautiful churches, Salzburg was first settled by monks. I guess they were impressed by it’s dramatic surroundings of cliffs and mountains, who wouldn’t be, and by the wide Salzach [...]

A few months ago I stumbled upon the Budget Travel Supermarket Souvenir article, with its quirky mix of items you can buy in foreign supermarkets. Pig-liver patee in handy “to go” portions, grilled shrimp and pepper flavored Pringles, that sort of thing. There’s a good slideshow if you’re interested. I appreciate supermarket shenanigans as much [...]

Singapore has an extraordinary blend of local delicacies to sample, from Hainanese Chicken Rice, Nasi Lemak, Laksa, Rojak, Beef Kway Teow, Fish Head Curry… to Peranakan, Indian, and Malay cuisine. The trick with Singapore’s hawker centres (stalls where local food is served up – think “mega-food court”) is to go with friends so you can [...]

It’s been five years now that I have traveled the world in search of the secret voice of bridges. Every rumbling truck and gust of wind generates a vibration in the cables, and these sounds create a unique music, which is always present yet only heard once amplified through contact microphones.

The idea originally came while studying sculpture at art school in Sydney in the mid-1990s. One of the lecturers for a course in public art had given us the exercise to come up with an idea for an artwork in public space which had absolutely no constraints, wasn’t limited by feasibility, practicality or any other real-world concern.

Editor’s Note: If you’re visiting China as the 2008 Beijing Olympics come to a close, check out Viator’s mini-guide for travelers. We’ve also covered suggested itineraries in Beijing as part of our Beijing tours & things to do in Beijing listings. Since 2004, a giant digital clock in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square has been counting down [...]

When people ask me if I’ve seen the Parrot Movie, I say yes. And when I ask people if they’ve walked San Francisco‘s Telegraph Hill, the answer, surprisingly, is almost always no.

To which I always say, Fer cryin’ out loud. Don’t just see the movie.

Editor’s Note: Read the latest on the Optimistic Fools preparation for the 2008 Mongol Rally. Viator is pleased to be a sponsor of the Optimistic Fools rally team, on their journey to complete the 2008 Mongol Rally from London to Ulan Bator, Mongolia. The race began July 19, and this is the Fools’ first post [...]

Sometime ago I lived opposite two of Australia’s best surfing breaks, I won’t tell you where because I wouldn’t want the poor beleaguered local folk to be overwhelmed with people wanting to know what Jack’s really like. Suffice to say I spent my share of time out in the surf, spurning all offers of boogie [...]