July 2008

Image: 8#x.

"lost between Europe and Africa, and belonging nowhere" --D.H. Lawrence on Sardinia

Sardinia (or Sardegna in Italian) is a land of rugged beauty and a melting pot of culture. Located off the coast of Italy, it's home to 1.7 million Sardinians (whose ancestry is varied and ancient), over 9,000 nuraghe (conical towers dating from 1000 BC), and a whole lotta white sand. Whether you're an outdoorsman or prefer a tropical drink, the island of Sardinia offers a plethora of sandy locales. Today we're daydreaming of Italia....Sardegna-style.

When we're in a new city, I always want to check out its artistic treasures. Instead of always turning directly to the museum, I like to look outside of the big white box. After my eyes (and my wallet) have had their fill of art on the wall, I like to seek out lesser known venues. Public spaces always offer a wide variety of art to see, often for free, regardless of what country you are visiting.

Image: pocarropilla.

"It is not worth the while to go round the world to count the cats in Zanzibar." -Henry David Thoreau

Floating to the east of Tanzania, Zanzibar is a grouping of islands well known for its spices, its monkeys (and cats), and more importantly, its beaches.

While some of the most remote in the world, Seychelles' beaches are also some of the most beautiful. Hidden almost 1000 miles northest of Madagascar, this collection of 115 islands can satisfy even the most seasoned beach bum.

Formerly known as Ceylon, Sri Lanka is well known for producing some of the best tea in the world. Unbeknownst to many travelers, it also has some of the best beaches.

Located in southern Thailand, Phuket enjoys the distinction of being both its largest island and its most popular tourist destination. People flock to enjoy the sand, surf, and to party down. Although it was devastated by a tsunami back in 2004, Phuket has bounced back and remains an awesome place to visit.

Does this look like Paris to you? Me neither, but Huttopia Versailles is just five minutes from the Palace of Versailles and a mere twenty minutes from the Eiffel Tower. (By car, we're assuming.) If you're into camping, the Huttopia may be the perfect solution for a peaceful retreat just steps away from civilization.

Whenever I travel I always end up finding something I want to photograph. Anyone can take a picture, but it takes some skill to capture a photograph that you'll want to look at later. One of my favorite subjects while I'm traveling is the local architecture: churches, houses, or whatever really speaks to the essence of a place. This isn't always easy, as getting that perfect shot can be tricky. I've got a few tips that will help you improve your architectural photos.

A group of islands off the Eastern coast of Australia, the Whitsundays offer a relaxing holiday conveniently situated near one of the greatest dive sites in the world, the Great Barrier Reef. With one look at the aquamarine waters, it's easy to see why this is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Australia.

If you carry around a professional (or professional-looking) camera when you're on travel, you've undoubtably been asked to take a picture of random strangers. It seems like no matter where I go, whether it's in Singapore or Seattle, I'm the friendly looking guy who has a cool camera. I must have a clue, right? I've got a few tips for you so that the next time you're asked, you can give those folks more than the standard travel snapshot.

Image: will hybrid.

The vibrancy of India has inspired artists for ages and their attempts to capture what they see results in a array of breathtakingly beautiful colors. Whether it be in a shot from a travel photographer or a film approach, like in Wes Anderson's Darjeeling Limited we always wonder, has anyone ever been successful? Have you been to India? Does India live up to its representation?

Public art can be, well, bad. If you've had a chance to visit any major American city in the last few years, you've most likely seen the city's attempt at public art geared for tourists. Every summer, they roll out a cast animal sculpture, ask local artists to decorate it, and place them around town in heavily visited tourist attractions. Washington, DC had the pandas, Seattle had its pigs, and Berlin even had bears. While these may have given local artists a chance to express themselves, all-in-all they were pretty uninspiring.

Instead of checking out what the local tourism board has deemed good art, Seattle has plenty of public art to inspire you....for free.

I'll be the first to admit that when I travel I tend to get a little bit anxious. My triggers are typically planes or trains, or anything else that has a schedule. But you know what, it doesn't really matter if you miss that train...another will come.