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Taylor here from the Ology Travel Crew.

I have spent the past couple of days getting ready for my trip to Indochina. It was kinda of a pain because I had to deal with obnoxious bureaucratic procedures at the Vietnamese and American Embassies here in Singapore, but I managed.

Here is the tentative plan:
Laos
Random fact: Lao is known for being the most bombed city in the world.

Schedule:

Two days in Vientianne
One day in Vang Vieng
Two days in Luang Prabang

Cambodia

Exploring Siem Reap and Phnom Penh for about 5 days
Vietnam

Exploring Southern Vietnam for about 5 days

I will hopefully have some time to post stories, …

‘Tis the season…to get a lot of time off work or school and explore the holidays in another culture. Since it is a personal favorite, and I recall many a holiday season spent eating mousse mushrooms from La buche de Noel in French class, I bring you (compliments of about.com) CHRISTMAS IN FRANCE! Joyeux Noel!

“In France, Christmas is a time for family and for generosity, marked by family reunions, gifts and candy for children, gifts for the poor, Midnight Mass, and le Réveillon.

The celebration of Christmas in France varies by region. Most provinces celebrate Christmas on the 25th of December, which is a bank holiday. However, in eastern and northern France, the Christmas season begins on 6 December, la fête de Saint Nicolas, and in some provinces la fête des …

Post Trans-Iberian, Pre-Trans-Siberian. Check out our stories…
The plane landed at the Athens airport around 3:30 am. It was awful.

We tried laying down for a bit in chairs at the airport, then decided it wasn’t comfortable or worth it, so we took a bus into the city intending to head to our hostel and at least drop our bags off. We ended up getting sidetracked into a 24-hour McDonald’s in a big square in Athens. It was around 4:30 and the place was hopping… there was a long line for food, with tons of customers. And the wonders didn’t cease - when we went to the basement to get to the bathroom, there was a massive (but not in use at the time) dance floor. Don’t ask, I don’t have a good answer.

We chilled at …

Trust me, it is the cool thing to do.

When you go to Portugal, why not take a trip up to Porto to experience the great Port.

If you don’t like port (like me), it is still a great experience. You will get to try lots of expensive, diverse ports for a small fee, if not for free. It is also a great way to learn more about the production and the history of the industry.

For those that are port fans, you can purchase some great port, and even tour the vineyards. Most of them are not in the same location as the factory or store. However, you can sign up for a river tour, which is a great place to view all the different vineyards. The tour packages usually end with a tour of the vineyard.

Check out …

Stories from Jerez, Tarifa and Granada. These were three of the cities we visited while on the Trans-Iberian road trip !

Jerez was supposed to be a day trip on the way to Cadiz, but when we got into Cadiz for the first time we couldn´t find a hostel, we went 0 for 10, so we went back to Jerez and spend the night there.

For the day trip, we walked around the city, and took a tour of a Sherry vineyard. It was an interesting learning experience, but since I don’t like Sherry, the tasting was not too special.

Tarifa is a very pretty town, it´s the southernmost point of Europe from which you can see Morocco across the water. We enjoyed it a lot, and got some beach time out …

Lisbon - A Touch of Background….

For history buffs, this is a great place to visit. The following is a summary from the ol’ ‘pedia about some of the many events that occurred:
Lisbon was under Roman rule from 205 BC; Julius Caesar made it a municipium called Felicitas Julia, adding to the name Olissipo. Ruled by a series of Germanic tribes from the 5th century, it was captured by Moors in the 8th century. In 1147, the Crusaders under Afonso Henriquesreconquered the city for the Christians and since then it has been a major political, economic and cultural center of Portugal. Unlike most capital cities, Lisbon’s status as the capital of Portugal has never been granted …

Travel Tip: Never eat or drink something you did not order!

Europe has a little tourist trick that always gets us Americans. They put food (bread, olives, etc) on the table, we eat them, and then they charge us. It is super annoying. In some cases, you might order bread (say, for 3 Euros), eat all the slices, and realize when you get the bill that they charge you per slice.

When I was traveling around Europe, I was pretty good about clarifying costs and quantities. A couple of times, however, I did get nailed with charges for things that I thought were free. It is pretty hard to argue with them, since after all, you did consume the product. To avoid any dispute, just make sure to ask if it is free!

In the spirit of honesty, I have a confession to make. I am a mountain snob. In a nutshell, this means I don’t acknowledge the little ice hills out in the East.

Most people in the East agree with me, which is why I tend to meet a lot of people from that area on the chairlifts. However, with the economic ’situation’ in the States, it looks like my mountains won’t be so crowded with tourists this year. Check out this New York Times article on the issue:

The New York Times
By BILL PENNINGTON
Published: December 5, 2008
For those who live in the Northeast, that annual trip out West is looking especially expensive, and extra airline fees for every piddling service are not helping. In times like these, people …

Question: If protesting, what is the best way to get international attention?
Answer: Take control of a major international airport.

When the Thai protesters took control of the two airports, including the Bangkok airport, it pissed off a lot of people. The BBC estimates that over 100,000 tourists were stranded in Thailand as a result of the incident.
For people in Southeast Asia, this is a major pain in the ass because the Bangkok airport is a major hub for people traveling to, from, or within the region. At first I was relieved that I was not visiting Thailand in my upcoming trip, but that was quickly washed away when I realized I have to stop in Bangkok before catching a plan to Lao.
When I was searching for more information, I decided to visit the good …

If you are thinking about making a trip to DC for the inauguration, start making reservations, and be prepared to spend a lot of money.

If you live in or around DC, you might be able to profit from the event. Lodging is a hot commodity, and you could end up making a nice chunk of change by offering your place.

There have been lots of great articles about traveling to DC for the inauguration. Let’s see what they are saying:

CNN.com
Entry to the biggest event in Washington is free if your congressman or senator grants your request, but with demand outpacing supply a traditional giveaway has turned into a thriving online marketplace.

Legitimate ticket brokers — the same companies that peddle tickets to rock concerts and NASCAR races — are selling tickets to the swearing-in of Barack Obama for …