March 29, 2013

The Easiest Cycling Holiday in the World?

Guest Post from Rachel Deer I’m a little overweight – just a little you understand – and, so I’m told, perhaps even a touch lazy. So when a group of friends suggested I join them on a cycling holiday my first reaction was surprised laughter, followed by mild fear. A few drinks later and a little more information and I was keen and raring to go on the basis that we were going to do, so I was told, the “easiest cycling holiday in the world”. And just this once my friends weren’t lying. Cycling holidays in the Netherlands are not something…

March 28, 2013

5 Underrated Backpacker Gems in England

By Matthew Pink England. You know England, right? They call it Ing-er-lund but they’re wrong. It’s England. Jeez, any idiot can see that. How can you mispronounce your own name anyway? England is a sheep-filled bucolic place with eccentric customs where they apologise for everything a lot (like, all of the time), a bizarre number of (bad) tattoos, a crippling obsession with social class, a fondness for life’s absurdities (absurdities like, you know, the English), bad teeth, worse food, even worse weather and drinking tea approximately 15 times a day. Oh, and failing miserably at international sporting events, laughing about…

March 19, 2013

Top 5 Luxury Destinations for Spring Break!

Spring is fast approaching. By now, you are most probably mulling over the possible destinations where you can enjoy and relax at the same time. If you want utmost luxury during your spring break, you will never be disappointed with the wonderful experience that the following hotels and resorts can offer! The Breakers Palm Beach, Florida The sophistication and alluring beauty of The Breakers Palm Beach make it worthy to be ranked as one of the world’s best luxury hotels. The Renaissance setting combined with the idyllic surroundings always make guests look forward to another opportunity to come back to…

March 18, 2013

Special Interview: Cara Hartmann, The YouTube “Cat Lady”!

Today, we have an extra special interview on The World or Bust with none other than, thee “Debbie” aka Cara Hartman (or vice versa), the viral YouTube sensation behind “eHarmony Video Bio”. If you haven’t seen it, watch it now below! Not only does her video have over 25 M views, but Cara and I actually went to the same high school together, Lower Merion, just outside of Philly. She ecstatically agreed to do a little interview with me (well, happily at least) so here goes! Firstly, did you ever secretly want to make out with me behind the stairs…

March 12, 2013

Best Cities in South East Asia: Yogyakarta, Indonesia

A city with two UNESCO world heritage sites, a rumbling volcano, thousands of young university students, kick ass white river rafting, great off-road biking and any number of beautiful beaches should be on every traveler’s bucket list. The fact that it’s not on yours is something I’ll put down to you never knowing it existed before you started to read this article. Yogyakarta is a place that quickly won my heart when I first decided to live in South East Asia. The city lets you choose between laid back rural bliss and bustling urban hustle. It is not New York…

March 4, 2013

The Oldest Churches in the World, L’Chaim!

one of the oldest churches in the world, from Flickr - Tamra Hays

Church – no other kind of building in the world provokes responses ranging from talking-in-tongues to convulsing on the floor! Even though I might technically be a Jew (and atheist), I still appreciate good architecture, even in the house of sweet baby Jesus! Religious buildings come in all shapes and sizes for all kinds of denominations. Christians and Catholics have essentially claimed the term “church” for their buildings although the word church comes from the Greek kuriakos, or “of the lord.” To differentiate, Islam has the mosque, Judaism has the synagogue and atheists have the mall (well at least here in Miami). While…

February 21, 2013

Photo of the week: The Queen Victoria Building in downtown Sydney

Romanesque Revival Architecture in Australia

Sydney is the one of oldest cities in Australia and first served as a penal colony starting in the late 18th century when the British wanted to dump their miscreants somewhere. Since then, it’s grown exponentially from it’s rather unique beginnings to become one of the most diverse, clean, modern and desirable cities to live in the whole world. Australia’s economy has also been doing extremely well recently with the growth of its financial markets as well as the extraction of natural resources. People get paid well, and that unfortunately means one thing for us backpackers, it’s expensive. Thankfully, the Aussies are big into…

February 18, 2013

How to do First Dates Abroad The Right Way!

When it comes to going on dates while traveling, I can say I probably have more experience than most. Whether it be strolling down the cobblestone streets of central Mexico with a local in hand, or riding twoseys on motorcycles through forests in the Philippines, I’ve graced my presence upon frauleins from Berlin to Bangkok more times than I can count. How much better is traveling when you have someone special to share it with? A lot better. Even if it’s just for a few hours, days, or even weeks, connecting with a member of the opposite sex adds that extra special…

February 4, 2013

Three of the Most Isolated Tribes in the World

It’s hard to imagine that there are human beings on this earth who haven’t ever had a burger at McDonald’s, made a call on a cell phone or even heard of Twitter. While the earth has become a much “smaller” within the past ten years with the growth of the internet, social media, global communications like cell phone technology, etc., there are still some people who share the same DNA as us but live world’s away. People who call home in places so remote, that many have never even seen another person outside of their own tribes. Here’s a look…

January 29, 2013

Photo(s) of the Week: Gateway Arch in St. Louis!

Well my “job” once again has brought me to a random-ass American city. Yea Greenville, South Carolina might be more off the beaten path, but Saint Louis ain’t somewhere many people are going to in the dead of winter, and I can understand why. I was working at the St. Louis auto show and our hotel was right smack in the middle of downtown, adjacent to the arch. The walk was only 7 blocks to the convention center, but my god, I almost took a cab on multiple occasions with the 18 degree temperature (-7.7 C), unabated frigid winds and freezing rain.…

January 24, 2013

The Dangerous Snakes of Australia and Where to Find Them!

Guest Post from Lisa Stacey. From the red-backed spider to the red-bellied black snake, Australia is renowned for its creepy crawlies and its exotic species that could most definitely end your life if you stepped in the wrong place. Whether it’s in the bush or in their own backyards, Aussies are accustomed to looking out for slithering reptiles wherever they go. However, for the lesser traveled Australians and tourists, it can be hard to know what snakes to look out for – or to even know where these reptiles are found Down Under. Want to brush up on your herpetology…

January 21, 2013

Traveling the World’s Most Dangerous Roads!

A guest post from Derin Clark. Forget crazy locals, crime and dingy hostels; some of my most life-threatening travelling experiences have involved road trips. In fact, it’s much easier to compare flight tickets, hop on a plane and head somewhere all inclusive than it is to tackle these horrendous highways. And whilst sitting by a pool and soaking up the sun might be risk free, it sure gets dull after about 20 minutes. I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather have an adventure! Thanks in part to living and travelling in one of Europe’s most under-appreciated countries, Cyprus,…

January 9, 2013

The Tallest Cathedral in the World!

Facade of the biggest church in the world.

If you’re like me and look up pointless crap like, weird weather records in Europe and the five largest islands in the world, then you’ll enjoy this one! I’ve lived in Europe for a while and traveled pretty extensively throughout it, and I’m always finding myself looking for any given city’s main cathedral so I can compare it to every other one I’ve ever seen – for no reason. It also gives me a sense of comfort as knowing I’ve found the “epicenter” of wherever I am, even though most locals never step foot inside them anymore (religion isn’t so popular anymore in…

January 9, 2013

How Do Travel Bloggers Make Money?

When it comes to traveling, there is one question I always get, “How can you afford to do it so much?”. While this was my most pondered questioned as well a couple years back when I saw all these scurvy bastard travel bloggers living the dream, I have gotten creative in the way I earn an income, and now, I have joined their slimy ranks. The main takeaway from this post is that while it looks like us travel bloggers are just perpetually on vacation, we are in fact working part of the time as well, so if you can…

January 4, 2013

My 2012 in Recap!

2012 was a great year for me. It started with the purchase of my first condo (with the cash fronted by my pops) on South Beach in the first few days of January. I like my new place a lot and it has really become a great home base for me. I got around a lot this past year (take that as you will), and here is a brief recap of all the places I had the privilege of visiting in 2012. In January, I flew up to NYC to work the JC Penny Re-branding event (now they’re called JCP, how progressive…). I love the…

December 25, 2012

Honeybuns for The Homeless – My New Xmas Tradition!

The plight of the Jew on Christmas is a pretty standard one. We are usually confined to our beds from hangovers as going out on Christmas Eve is one of the “holiest” nights in the Jewish Calendar. I made no exception this year as I had a couple of friends in town from Philly (Jews too) and I took them to the Motzoh Ball, a “Jewbilee”at one of the top clubs in Miami, this year held at LIV. I had a good time, but it was pretty weird being around that many Jews in the same place! Well, after my slow…

December 18, 2012

Tap into Tasmanian Treasure in Hobart

A guest post from Ward Remoken. The land of Tasmania is one of legend, mystery and pristine natural beauty. Located in the center is Hobart, the island state’s capital city. The city earned its nickname “On top down under” from its early days as a penal colony to its enviable status as a tourist destination today. The city is actually the second oldest in Australia, and its residents are called “Hobartians.” Lonely Planet recently awarded Hobart seventh place on its “Best in Travel 2013” list. Finding exciting things to do during your stay in Hobart is easy: Begin by…

December 11, 2012

Muay Thai with the Guys…Not with little umbrellas.

Thailand is just one of those countries you could easily get stuck in, be it the painfully beautiful beaches and countryside, to the bustling always-on metropolis of Bangkok, you will see many Farangs (foreigner in Thai) who come on vacation and never leave. Be it the draw of beautiful South East Asian arm candy (a dirty old man’s dream) or the chance at becoming the next greatest Muay Thai Boxing champion, I met more than a handful of expats that came to Thailand to be someone they weren’t somewhere else. Upon arrival into Bangkok, I saw a ton of advertisements promoting…

November 26, 2012

Seven Days in Seattle!

So after my two months in Asia, I had to spend two days traveling to get all the way across the world back to Miami where I spent three days gathering some clothes, Couchsurfing my own couch (not kidding), and then flying right back out to the furthest possible place I could in the continental United States, Seattle, Washington. Why such jet setting you ask? Well my friends, even travel bloggers have to work sometimes. Although I have basically become pretty location independent with supporting myself (this blog, my other site Top Spot Travel.com and my web development business), I still don’t…

November 19, 2012

Why Vietnam is an Awesome Destination for Backpackers!

After just getting back from two months in South East Asia, I have already been thinking about my next jaunt there as I felt like I just scraped the surface. One country I didn’t get a chance to enjoy was Vietnam, so when Lela Lake offered to write a guest post about why it’s a cool country to check out, I said sure! Check out her top choices for places to see while visiting Vietnam. From professional globe-trotters to “gap year” explorers, travelers are discovering how they can tour in Vietnam for a fraction of the cost of other destinations!…