Discovery Channel’s Shark Week has been on air for 26 years, airing mid-summer with millions of viewers tuning in to see the latest footage of Great White Sharks breaching the South African waters as they swallow seals between their gleaming teeth-filled jaws. The general consensus these days is that sharks are bloodthirsty killing machines that are increasingly hunting down humans, but in reality we are the ones who should be feared.  There...

It is an inherent part of human nature to compare ourselves to others, be it our skills, experiences, or relationships. What this means for travelers, is that before, during and after your journeys, you will face several moments of comparison to others, potentially resulting in unnecessary pressure, discomfort and even major doubt that you are doing things ‘the right way’. It may be your hostel bunk mate exclaiming how cheap they got the room, le...

After I graduated from university and taught English in Hong Kong for a year, I backpacked around Western China, and boy, did I learn some hard truths. These truths were recently reinforced by another three-week trip around the region and I am here to share my hard-won gems of knowledge. I came, I saw, I survived, and with my help you will too. This is a remarkably beautiful area with plenty of tasty food to nom (including true Sichuan peppercorn...

Tokyo is chic, modern, and vibrant. It is also one of the most expensive cities in the world. This is a city with one of the (if not the most) expensive meals in the world as well as the most pricey hotel rooms. While you can live in the lap of luxury and splurge on 35,000 Yen Kobe beef meals, not everyone has the means to spend on an extravagant lifestyle. If you are interested in touring around Tokyo on a budget, then this is the article f...

Australia’s world famous beaches are usually thought of as Bondi beach in Sydney, the Whitsundays in the North or the majority of the sun-kissed Queensland coast. Once you actually begin dissecting the beach scene Down Under, you discover just how many sandy secrets Oz has been hiding. Perth and the surrounding areas command the title of Western Australia’s hot spots for beautiful beaches, but just two hours north by plane is the veiled gem of th...

One thing you don’t think about when you travel is how often you say goodbye. When you’re on the road, whether you’re going on an around-the-world trip, going on an extended holiday or living abroad, you’re always going to be meeting people and eventually saying goodbye to them.     Relationships are fleeting when you’re on the road. Instant friends form over the tiniest similarities and commonalities. Sometimes these relationships turn...

The Midwest of the United States is known for a few things: incredibly friendly people, four discernable seasons, wide open spaces, and the Great Lakes. If you’re thinking about studying or working abroad in the USA, but aren't sure where you should be targeting, take a look at ten of our suggestions in ten states of the American Midwest:   Michigan     Capital: Lansing Largest city: Detroit Population: 9.9 million As the only...

Remember the fear of sitting alone at lunch in middle school haunted you on the first day at a new school? Who will I talk to? Who can I belong with and feel safe with? Who can I explore and share memories with?   Hopefully you learned through your middle school lunch experience that finding a new table to sit with meant a whole new group of friends and all the valuable qualities that each of them contributed to your life. Would you have met...

The Western part of the United States isn’t known as the Wild West for nothing. Initially serving as the land of promise for settlers moving from the midwest, followed by the California gold rush, to the Silicon Valley center of innovation, and the melting pot of Hispanic and Asian cultures of today, the west coast is teeming with brilliant minds, beautiful locales, and incredibly varied cultural traditions. There are both massive citie...

The American south (also known as “Dixie”) is made up of several states located in the continent’s southeastern quadrant. Though definitions of exactly which states fit vary, one thing is for sure: the food, culture, and environment for those looking to study or work abroad is rich and inviting. The area is known for its unique culture, delicious cuisine, and inventive musical style. Southern ethnic heritage is rich and diverse, incorpo...