Best Travel Picks of the Week: April 19, 2008

April 19, 2008

Whenever I travel, I always want it to be a memorable holiday. And I’m sure you do too. But if I’m not traveling with a tour, it’s sometimes hard to do the planning by myself. Yes, visiting a whole new place can be strangely unfamiliar and just devastating—especially if you don’t speak the language. Only the best travel guidebook can show me how to whip up a cunning itinerary, and to tell you the truth, I owe most of my amazing travel experiences to these guidebooks. There are plenty of travel guidebooks tourists can choose from—Lonely Planet, Frommers, Fodor’s… just to name a few. But which one is the best? Which one will help you make the most of your holiday? Which one gives you the best insider’s tips in an unfamiliar country? Which has the best listings on what to do and what’s not? Michel from Travelnotes.org gives us his review of Travel Guidebooks, their plus points and the downers, and what exactly you should be cautious about when you have to rely on these books on your trip. (Photo credit: Flickr/leftbrokeneye03)

Combining history, art and inviolability altogether; the 40,000 human skeletons in Sedlec Ossuary bid an enchanting account of what happened more than 500 years ago. The bone yard, located some 70 kilometers southeast of Prague, Czech Republic, now serves as an art gallery displaying an endless array of sculptures, chandeliers, and other artworks made out of every single bone of a human’s body. Helen Paris Riemer told her story beautifully of the house of relics on The Skeletons of Sedlec.

Elephants are the most sacred animals in Thailand. But white elephants, aside from being sanctified, are also rare. Sharon Spence Lieb, a renowned travel writer who has written more than 500 travel stories from all the corners of the world, told us her astonishing experience in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Read the story when she and Noy Nang explored the Mae Sa Valley in search of a white elephant under direct orders of the King. Who was Noy Nang, and did the white elephant turn out to have wings? Find out the answer on Mystical Elephant Encounters.

Have you ever feel that you had too much of mundane destinations on your travels? Keen on going to a much more audacious spot, say, in the heart of an unexplored ecosystem? Molly Feltner, a writer for SmarterTravel.com, shares with us Ten Amazing Adventure Lodges with a Green Conscience—ten of the loveliest places to spend your vacations amidst the wild, verdant corners of the globe. From the lava-blackened coastline of Iceland to the tribal retreat of Indonesia, learn why each of these places contribute towards the environmental balance, and how you can do your share of keeping the world a greener place by having a guilt-free vacation. (Photo credit: Celso Andrade/Stock.xchng)

The annoying things when you’re traveling can range from having your wallet stolen at a busy bus station to being scammed by a chap pretending to be a helpful native. Don’t let these peeves get to you and ruin your holiday plans, as vacations are sometimes more valuable than you think. Successful article writer Matthew Keegan shares with us his 33 Travel Safety Tips you shouldn’t leave home without. Be prepared for your next trip, because we’re sure you don’t want the memories of your next trip to be a total revulsion.