Beaching and Drinking in California

Sip on Cocktails at Louie’s Gen Gen Room

San Francisco is a buzzing hub of bars and cocktail joints, so you’ll have absolutely no problem finding a place to knock back a few swift drinks. But if it’s cocktails that really get you going, we think that the best place in the city is Louie’s Gen Gen Room. This is a small and cosy spot, and that’s the whole charm of it. It really does feel like you’re sipping on cocktails at a friend’s place. The cocktail menu is also very creative. We particularly like Endless Summer – a mix of gin, Campari, sweet vermouth, and pineapple.    

Enjoy all the Fun of the Los Angeles County Fair

The Los Angeles County Fair is one of the events on the LA calendar that people look forward to all year round. When the fair comes in around in September each year, thousands of locals and tourists descend upon the Fairplex in Pomona to enjoy all the fun of the fair. And this is not a fair as you have experienced one before. You will find thrilling outdoor rollercoasters and fairground rides, live performances from world class bands, and some of the best food you’ll find anywhere in California.    

Have a Hang Gliding Adventure at Dockweiler State Beach

There are tonnes of awesome beaches in California, and each of them has something special about it. If you prefer outdoor adventures to lazy beach days, the Dockweiler State Beach is a place that might interest you, because this is one of the best spots for hang gliding on the west coast. There is actually a hang gliding training park here, so you can have a go on the smaller 25 foot high dunes even if you are a total beginner.

Play Volleyball on Santa Monica Beach

The California coastline is home to some of the most beloved beaches in the world, and Santa Monica is one of these that you have no doubt already heard about. At a length of 3.5 miles, you won’t have trouble here jostling for towel space. And if you fancy getting more active, this is one of the most popular beaches for a spot of volleyball. There are nets dotted along the beach, so why not make some new friends by joining in with a game?

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Go Out of Your Shell and Try New and Exciting Things in Canada

Be Blown Away by Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls might just be the most iconic tourist spot in all of Canada, and it’s with good reason. While there are actually more than 500 waterfalls in the world bigger than the Horseshoe Falls of Niagara Falls, there is no other waterfall that has such a surge of water, 750,000 gallons each second in fact, and it’s the power of the mighty waterfall that makes it such a spectacle. A trip to Canada wouldn’t be complete without feeling its spray on your skin.    

Explore the Underwater Shipwrecks of Brockville

Brockville is a small city that lies in the eastern part of Canada in Ontario, and it’s one of the foremost places in the world to have a freshwater scuba diving adventure. This means that you certainly won’t see things like tropical fish or coral reefs, but what you will find are underwater shipwrecks, of which there are very many. There are many tour companies dotted around the city that can help you with your diving experience.    

Watch a Gridiron Football Game at Montreal Olympic Stadium

Gridiron football, otherwise known as American football, might not be quite as popular as the national sport of ice hockey, but it’s still big news in Canada, and if you are the sporty type, it can be a great idea to catch a game. Of course, you’ll find local matches in stadiums all over the country, but one stadium where the spectator experience is unrivalled is the Montreal Olympic Stadium. The stadium was built specifically for the 1976 Olympics, and has capacity to hold more than 66,000 football fans.

Wave a Rainbow Flag at Pride Toronto

Canada has a reputation of being a very tolerant nation, and as you can imagine, this means that the LGBT population can live very safely in the country. This also means that the Pride celebrations around the country are very visible, and that they are a hell of a lot of fun to join in with. The biggest of the celebrations is at Pride Toronto, which takes place each year at the end of June. The festivities culminate in a huge street parade, with plenty of music, colour, and dancing. 

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Stay Healthier on the Road with the Help of this App

It can be very challenging to stay healthy and avoid sickness on the road, as sometimes we tend to eat more than what we usually have and skipping a day or week out of the gym during our travel.

An app which has just been released and may help you to monitor your vital signs: It uses data from Fitbit and gives you notification when you are about to get sick. This app is called Achu.

What is Achu?

It is an app developed by Datapult, a Toronto-based studio, it monitors each of the metrics registered through Fitbit such as sleep efficiency and heart rate. It also integrates them to report themselves to data users.

As stated by the chief technology in Datapult, Michael Morra, people generally notice a difference in metrics like heart rate and sleep patterns which could lead up to a cold in the next few days.

The app can examine the data, as stated by Morra, it sends a notification when it observes the body doing the same thing in specific patterns. The notification lets people to be aware what to do to their body like their water intake level, sleep time, or vitamins intake.

According to Dana March, Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health’s assistant professor of epidemiology, the app is accurate to heavily balance the user on how it is active in producing the data.

“To be able to utilize the full feature of the app, someone should do a reasonable amount of time in recording their own symptoms”, stated by March. Consider the fashion that people follow wearable technology, it entails an action to adjust on the way people actively captivate and reliably put on their Fitbit.

According to March, we cannot always rely and use this app all the time as a tool in preventing our illness, it can only serve as an assistance to lessen the duration of a cold and how much an individual hold with it and how the app can determine the changes in body’s metrics that could lead up to cold.

Morra said that it was an inspiring creation following the ai(artificial intelligence) and predictive science, and discovered that utilizing the history will find drifts and now basing on the data.

This app can be used on iOS platforms and soon to be launch on Android users.

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How to Be Smart When Buying Plane Tickets

There are lots of promotions with airfares these days, but you should be smart to get the best deal. Let’s reveal the secrets to get the best airfare deals.

1. Seek at the proper time

Try searching for fares after midnight; this is the time when airlines refresh their computers with huge discounted fares the people booked but did not pay for. If you are only seeking in a rush time fares, search on airline sites, main booking sites, and search engines between Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning for tickets over the weekend. Some fares need that you depart on a Saturday and return on Monday or Tuesday. However, some airlines suggest Friday departures and Sunday returns.

2. Check Wide Range of Dates

Online travel agencies like Travelocity and Orbitz have the most extensible search feature of any of the major booking websites. Travelocity will let you look for the lowest round-trip or single domestic or international fare within a span of months., which appears as green dates on a calendar. The website always shows the availability of the dates even if they were sold out. Orbits allows you to look for the lowest fare for the 30-day period. The site has the capability to look for the international flights.

3. Use Search Engines

Mobissimo is able to search 85 U.S. international origins and change international currencies to U.S. currency. Kayak, which is still under beta, can look for 60 sites and will let you arrange airfare results by departure and arrival time. Qixo is best for deals for small companies and reduced airline agencies. Cheapflights allows you to look for extensible dates and offers a calendar with a span of available dates.

4. Reserve Award Tickets Early

It is better to book tickets months in advance. Just to make sure, you can book 330 days in advance.

5. Reserve through Airlines Web Site

Some sites may charge $10 service fee, so if you found the same fare on an online agent like Orbitz and on Airlines own web site, go on and reserve rather than paying an extra charge. Through airline’s website, you can get rid of the service fees which they have implemented themselves. For example, $5 fee through phone booking, $5 to $10 for booking at their offices and airport counters.

6. Avoid Paying Too Much for Change Fees

If you have the chance to change your flight, go directly with the airline. Some aggregators may charge you a fee to change flights. Cheap airlines have much lower change fees.

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TIPS ON HOW TO PACK YOUR THINGS

Traveling must be a fun experience, but how can you enjoy your travel if suitcase is heavy and stuffed. When we travel, we are tempted to bring everything that’s in our wardrobe.  We have all different style on how we pack our things. So, here’s mine to make your travel easy and worthwhile.

Make a list:

-Make a list of all the things you plan to bring on your journey. In doing so, you will not miss all the important items such as passports, maps, guidelines, toiletries, clothes and tickets.  It will also make it easier for you to decide which items are important and not.

Clothes

-          Bring multipurpose clothing, for instance items that you can wear in any kind of weather conditions or clothes that can be worn during the day and night. You can also wash your clothes in a hotel so that you can minimize the clothes you are going to bring.

-           

-          You can just pack a pair of shoes that can be worn with multiple outfits.  

Put your toiletries in a travel size bottles

-          It will be more convenient to put your toiletries in small bottles such as shampoo, conditioner, lotion and alcohol.  You can still use it during your next trip. All you should do is to clean and refill them. Then viola! You’ re good to go.

-          If you don’t like using small bottles then you can also put it in a clean contact lenses cases. it has a very secure lid so you are sure that all your products would not leak. Just don't forget to label the container so that you will not get confused which pot is which.

Roll Technique

-          If you want to save some space in your luggage you can use this technique. Avoid rolling delicate and stiff materials as they will wrinkle. Only roll medium-weight shirts.

Don’t put all your valuables in one place

-          Split your valuables. Make sure you put some money or cards in your pockets or in your shoes so that in case you get robbed you still have some money with you.

-          You can also put some extra clothes in your handbag just in case your luggage doesn’t arrive at the end of the line you still have a spare one. Therefore, can save you some money.

Accessories

-          Put your accessories in a clear medicine box. It has a tiny section and is very light weight.

-          All you should do is to put the pieces in each compartment in that way you can choose which one you want to use. It will also save your time because since it is a clear container you can see what you need straight away.

Bring snacks

-          Instead of buying some snacks at the airport or in some terminals, which cost a lot try to bring a small snack with you just in case you get hungry.

Have fun!

-          Don't forget to have fun while you travel. Vacations are meant for fun! so there's no room for stress and pressure. If you feel stressed out in packing your things you can always ask for help or check the net for some tips and advice.

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How Can You Make Your Ireland Trip Much More Exciting?

Take the Angela’s Ashes Walking Tour

Before you visit Ireland, a must read is Angela’s Ashes, an autobiography of Frank McCourt’s life, which tells the story of how young Frank and his family tried to escape the poverty of pre-war Limerick. These days, you can actually step inside the book on a trip to Limerick by going on the Angela’s Ashes walking tour, a tour that will take you to the streets where Frank grew up, the school where he had his education, the pub where he and his family drank, and the People’s Park.

Spend the Night in Blackhead Lighthouse

There are plenty of lighthouses dotted around the country, but there aren’t many that actually offer their own beds. Blackhead Lighthouse on the Country Antrim coastline is the exception to the rule, and if you fancy accommodation experience outside of the regular hotels and guesthouses. From your self catering accommodation, you will get to experience 360 degree panoramic views and watch as the tide goes in and out.

Hike the Carrauntoohil Mountain

If you are serious about having some outdoor adventures during your time in Ireland, you need to know about the Carrauntoohil Mountain, which is the highest peak in Ireland at 1038 metres high. Although it’s the highest peak and climbing to the top does require a certain fitness level, you can get to the peak and back down again in 6 to 7 hours, so it’s definitely doable for an adventurer. We recommend using a guide who is familiar with the trail, particularly if you’re an inexperienced climber.

Expand Your Palette With a Horse Meat Sandwich

Have you ever felt so hungry that you could have eaten a horse? Well, would you be prepared to take the phrase literally? That’s right, over at Paddy Jack in Temple Bar they serve up horsemeat sandwiches. It is a controversial choice, that is without a doubt, but the horse steak baguettes fly out the door, so there has to be something nice about them right? If you’re a food adventurer, you should most definitely add this to your Dublin bucket list!

Go Fishing on the Easkey River

If your idea of the perfect trip away is sitting on the edge of a river for days on end with your fishing rod in the water, Ireland is the ultimate travel destination for you, and you need to become acquainted with the Easkey River. There are copious numbers of salmon and sea trout in these clean waters, and the best time for fishing is in the spring and summer months. You might just catch yourself dinner.

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Get These Ireland Spots On Your Bucket List!

Get Artsy at the National Gallery of Ireland

If you have an interest in the visual arts, the National Gallery of Ireland should be right at the top of your “must visit” list on a trip to Dublin. The impressive museum holds over 15,000 items, and you’ll be able to find paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs, and more inside. There are works from all over Europe, including art work from Monet, Caravaggio, and Rembrandt. This is also a budget conscious way to spend an afternoon as the audio guides that will take you around the museum’s permanent collection are totally free.

Walk Out to Inishkeel Island

Just off the coast of County Donegal, you can find an island called Inishkeel island, and at low tide a tidal bank is created so that you can actually walk across to the island. This isn’t just a quaint thing to do, the island is actually fascinating, and houses the ruins of a 6th century ancient Christian settlement. You can also discover the ruins on two churches and a graveyard. Just be sure to make it off the island while the tidal bank still exists!

Feel Dublin’s Creativity at the Irish Design Shop

Dublin is definitely one of the most traditional capital cities in the world, and most people don‘t visit the city for its cutting edge design, but this is not to say that Dublin doesn’t have a creative scene. It most certainly does, and you can feel the force of that incredible creative spirit at the Irish Design Shop. It is the ideal place to go souvenir shopping for something that’s a little out of the ordinary, and you’ll find original works in ceramics, textiles, glassware, jewellery, and furniture from up and coming designers around the country.

Take in a Show at Cork Opera House

If you find yourself in the beautiful city of Cork and at a loss as to what to do in the evening time, a trip to the Cork Opera House could be just what you are looking for. This is probably the main performance space in Cork, and it has a long history that dates back to 1855 when its doors first opened. These days, you can find all kinds of performances on the stage of the Opera House so whether you would like to see a grand opera, a contemporary musical, or an elegant ballet, there will be something in the programme for you.

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Ireland: Try Out Something New on Your Next Travel Adventure

Warm Your Bones With a Bowl of Guinness Stew

Irish food is all about comfort and warming your bones from the inside out. We can’t think of anything more comforting than a piping hot bowl of Guinness Stew. This stew is typically slow cooked with big hulks of beef, root vegetables, and, of course, Guinness, which gives the dish richness and depth. There are endless places where you can try a bowlful in Ireland, but we recommend the Brazen Head (the oldest pub in the country!), The Quays, and Arthur’s Pub for the best Guinness stew in Dublin.

Learn Something New at the Cork Butter Museum

When you spread Irish butter on your toast for the first time and then take a bite, you will be wondering how Irish butter has managed to escape you for all these years. Of course, the best way of becoming acquainted with the good stuff is by eating it, but you can also learn more about local butter at the Cork Butter Museum. Inside, you can find lots of artefacts and documents that tell the story of butter trade in Ireland over the course of its history and right up to the present day.

Get to Grips with the Ireland’s Literary History

Dublin is world famous on the literary scene. Many Dubliners, such as James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, and WB Yeats, have created some of the best loved works of literature ever written. To learn more about the Irish literary tradition, head straight to the Dublin Writers’ Museum. As you tour the 18th century mansion, you can explore the lives and works of the writers through manuscripts, personal letters, their personal objects, and their books. Guided tours are also available.

Ride a Horse at the Slieve Aughty Riding Centre

There are numerous ways to explore the beautiful countryside of Ireland, but none is quite as special as mounting a horse and viewing this green land on horseback. There are numerous places where you can take a horse ride in Ireland, but we are particularly fond of the Slieve Aughty Riding Centre, which is set across 17 acres of land in County Galway. Whether you want to book a scenic ride for the afternoon or stay for a while and have a horse riding holiday, the choice is yours.

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What To Take Home from India

Shawls in Kullu

As you walk around the streets of India, something that may grasp your attention is the beautiful shawls worn by many of the women. Of course, these are not difficult to find in many shops and bazaars around the country, but if you want something extra special, we can recommend paying a trip to Kullu in Himachal Pradesh. Kullu shawls tend to be crafted from warm yak’s wool, and the designs are often geometric with bright colours.

Back Spices From Fort Cochin

Fort Cochin is an Indian city with a European feel, with many cafes dotted along the streets. This is partly because of the European influence here, as it’s in Fort Cochin that the Portuguese used to trade spices. Kochi is still enormously important for the spice trade today, and you’ll notice this as soon as your lungs breathe in the spice filled air. A trip to the ginger factory is well worth your time, and this town is definitely the places to purchase spices for taking back home.

Sadar Bazaar

As you walk around the streets of India, you are bound to be mesmerised by all the incredible colours, sights, and smells, and, of course, you will want to take a little part of that back home with you. For us, one of the best places for shopping is always going to be a traditional bazaar, and we particularly like the Sadar Bazaar in Delhi. This is very much a local market so not everything will be a souvenir, but keep looking and we’re sure you’ll find something cool to take home with you.

Floating Vegetable Market of Srinigar

When you think of floating markets in Asia, you would probably first think of Thailand and Vietnam, and while floating markets aren’t a huge part of Indian culture, they can be found, and we really like the floating market that’s located in Srinigar on Dal Lake. The land that surrounds the lake is particularly fertile, and so you can pretty much guarantee that everything sold in the boats is of a really high quality.

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Travel to Discover More About China's Culture and History

Take in a Show at the National Centre for Performing Arts

After strolling the streets of Beijing all day, you no doubt want to relax and have some fun when it comes to the evening time, and we think one of the best options for an unforgettable Beijing evening it to take in a show at the National Centre for Performing Arts. This totally spectacular and futuristic looking theatre has a titanium dome, and stages performances such as opera shows, ballets, dances, symphony concerts, and more besides. Be sure to keep up to date with their programme!

Watch a Show at the Shanghai Grand Theatre

If you find yourself in the city of Shanghai without something to do in the evening time, it can be a great idea to take in a performance at the beyond incredible Shanghai Grand Theatre. The theatre is so beautiful that it functions as a tourist attraction as a piece of architecture alone, but the shows you can see inside are just as enticing. You can find anything from European symphonies to traditional Chinese operas, and many other types of performance besides.

Discover Tibetan Culture in Shangrila

Unfortunately, it can be really quite difficult to get permission from the Chinese authorities to enter Tibet on a tourist trip, but if you don’t manage to secure permission, fear not because you can still discover some traditional Tibetan culture in the town of Shangrila in the Yunnan province. In the old town, you can visit a few temples, and there is also surrounding countryside that you can explore either on foot or with a rented bicycle.

Visit a Stunning Orthodox Church in Harbin

As you travel around China, you will, of course, spot more than a couple of temples. While churches are a far less common sight, there is some truly stunning church architecture to be discovered around the country. One of the most beautiful churches is called Saint Sofia Cathedral in a small city called Harbin. The church was built following the construction of the trans-Siberian railway, when there were 100,000 Russian people living in the city of Harbin. Looking at the church, you could be forgiven for thinking you are in St Petersburg.

Visit China’s Oldest Water Town

Zhouzhuang is otherwise known as the Venice of the East, because this ancient village is China’s oldest water town. The ancient town has a history that extends back in time for more than 900 years, and it still retains the look and feel of those times gone by. It is possible to take a canal tour on small boats while the people on the boats sing traditional songs to you – a beautiful way of exploring a beautiful part of China.

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Great "Eats" in China

Chow Down on Steamed Chinese Buns

One of the most quintessential Chinese foods that you should eat as much of as you can on your trip is the humble steamed bun, otherwise known as baozi in China. While much of Chinese food is regional, the good news is that you’ll pretty much be able to find these wherever you are in the country. Of course, as the Chinese capital, Beijing is the place to find anything and everything, and for our money, the best place for a fluffy steamed bun filled with meat is always from simple street carts in the capital.

Enjoy an Authentic Chinese BBQ in Xi’an

If you are on the hunt for comfort food, you are in the right place, because China is a country that has comfort food in spades, and what could be more comforting than a good old fashioned barbecue? While barbecue is something that you can find right across the country, we think that it’s particularly great in the Xi’an, where there are tonnes of restaurants dedicated to grilled meats. It’s here that you’ll also find delicious lamb, which is not so popular in other parts of the country.

Eat at the Lanzhou Night Market

Almost as soon as you arrive in China, you will discover that the local people absolutely love a market, and a night market even more. These are places to socialise with friends, enjoy the summer weather, eat some wonderful street food, and make other purchases. One of our favourite night markets in the country is the Lanzhou Night Market. This is a great place to have a truly local experience, meet some local Chinese people, and share a meal and a few drinks on the street.

Start Your Day With a Bowl of Congee

As the saying goes, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and never is this statement truer than when you are travelling and you need fuel for all the sightseeing you’ll be doing in China. If you really want to have breakfast like a local, skip the buttered toast and opt for a steaming bowl of congee instead. Congee is essentially a porridge made from rice, but instead of eating it with fruit and honey as you would at home, congee is served up with ingredients such as chicken, pork, and pickled vegetables.

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Travel Guide: Food Tripping in China

Tuck Into an Authentic Sichuan Hot Pot

On a trip to China, your idea of Chinese food will be totally flipped on its head, and if you like your food spicy, you need to make sure that you travel to the Sichuan region, where the local people like their food packed with spice and heat. In this region, Sichuan Hot Pot is by far the most famous and most delicious dish. As the name would suggest, this is a simmering pot full of ingredients, and the most important ingredient of them all is the fiery hot Sichuan pepper.

Go Dumpling Crazy at Mr Shi’s Dumplings

Beijing is a city that seems to have been made with foodies in mind. On every street you’ll find street vendors, small local restaurants, and fancy places to eat too. So much choice can be overwhelming, but we’re going to make it so much easier for you by telling you that you absolutely need to make at least one stop for lunch at Mr Shi’s Dumplings. As the name would suggest, all that’s served up are dumplings, either with pork, vegetables, or shrimp inside. They are cheap and incredibly moreish.

Try the Street Yoghurts of Beijing

As you walk along the streets of Beijing, your senses will be overloaded by all the different types of food on offer on the streets. One food that you’ll no doubt notice again and again is yoghurt served in small glass jars. Although you wouldn’t think of yoghurt as being typically Chinese, these are hugely popular in Beijing. The yoghurt is drunk there and then on the street and the glass is then returned to the street stall. It’s thick like a milkshake but much tangier. Ultra delicious.

Sip on Tea atMaliandao Tea Market

It is no secret that the Chinese love their tea, and indeed, much of the tea that we drink in the West is actually grown in the tea plantations of China. This makes China an extra special place to go tea shopping, and the ultimate place for this is Maliandao Tea Market in Beijing. As well as many varieties of tea, you can find teacups, tea saucers, tea sets, and other beautiful porcelain items that you wouldn’t find at home

Eat Dinner on the 91st Floor of the Shanghai World Financial Centre

There’s certainly no shortage of incredible dining opportunities throughout China, but one of the most special would have to be dinner at the Dining Room of the Park Hyatt in Shanghai. The reason why dining here is something extra special is because the restaurant is located on the 91st floor of the Shanghai World Financial Centre, and as you eat, you will have the most spectacular view of the whole city illuminated at night.

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