Archive for the ‘How To’ Category

Useful tips for travel photography

Posted on October 18th, 2009 by Laura Byrne Paquet

For 20 years, I used single-lens reflex (SLR) film cameras, but I’ve been using various point-and-shoots since about 2002, waiting for the price of digital SLRs to come down. Recently, the wait ended. And now, as the proud new owner of a DSLR, I’m avid to reacquaint myself with all the bells and whistles an […]

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Travel writing workshop

Posted on August 13th, 2009 by Laura Byrne Paquet

Sorry I’ve been so incommunicado lately. I’ve been on holidays. I’m actually still out of the office for a few more days, but I came across some information on a travel writing workshop in New York’s Hudson Valley that I thought might interest some readers out there. The instructor is Bob Haru Fisher, a columnist […]

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Travel social networking sites offer insider tips

Posted on May 23rd, 2009 by Laura Byrne Paquet

Looking for travel tips and ideas from fellow vagabonds? Not surprisingly, travel-focused social networking sites are springing up all over the place. Traveldudes is aimed at the backpacker crowd and, along with general travel tips, has numerous reviews of hostels, B&Bs and other accommodations. Members can post travel diaries as well. Dodo is a similar […]

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3 Great Public Transit Options for Travellers

Posted on April 8th, 2009 by Laura Byrne Paquet

venice vaporetto

Many travellers who arrive in a foreign destination without a vehicle head straight to the rental car counter at the airport. While that can be the best strategy in some situations–if you’re visiting a largely rural place, for instance–I’d argue that in many cases, you’re better off taking public transit. Depending on the place, it’s […]

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Five tips for blending in with the locals

Posted on February 21st, 2009 by Laura Byrne Paquet

It’s not easy being green, and it’s not easy blending in with the locals when you’re travelling, either–particularly if you’re surrounded by a very different culture. But camouflaging yourself can have all sorts of benefits. You’ll feel less conspicuous, so it will be easier to relax. You won’t stand out as a target for pickpockets […]

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Bus tours: Beyond the half-day city package

Posted on January 26th, 2009 by Laura Byrne Paquet

OK, I hear you saying. First she writes about some posh resort (see my post earlier today about reggaelates), and now she’s writing about bus tours? Isn’t this the blog for people who want to get beyond the usual tourist spots? Bear with me. These bus companies appear to go far beyond the usual “And […]

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See the world as a pet sitter

Posted on January 25th, 2009 by Laura Byrne Paquet

I’ve heard of people travelling from city to city as serial house sitters, but I’d never heard of someone doing so as a pet sitter…particularly when the “pets” in question include rabbits and chickens as well as the more common dogs and cats. But a recent story in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune profiles Minnesotan Anne Estes, […]

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Five places to find foreign language schools

Posted on January 9th, 2009 by Laura Byrne Paquet

The current online issue of The Atlantic Monthly includes an article by Lisa Abend on the charms of learning Euskera, the ancient Basque language that has no apparent links to any other tongue. Whenever I read about people studying a language–any language–abroad, I’m immediately gripped by a desire to run away to another culture. I […]

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Local TV stations give you the inside scoop

Posted on December 16th, 2008 by Laura Byrne Paquet

For people who want the inside scoop on a destination, the websites of local TV stations are an often untapped source of information. For instance, my friend and fellow travel writer Katharine Fletcher was interviewed last month on “Living in Ottawa,” a local CBC-TV show, about an ecological preserve called the Mer Bleue Bog. It’s […]

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Travel with your ears

Posted on December 1st, 2008 by Laura Byrne Paquet

Following up on my recent post about world news podcasts, I thought I’d post a list of cool online audio travel resources. Not all of them are podcasts; some of them are live streaming files. Indie Travel Podcast: Created by a New Zealand couple with a mad passion for travel, this podcast series is usually […]

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