Montreal is one of North America's most culturally rich cities, with no shortage of excellent music, food, and structures that date back as far as the 17th century. It is also quite affordable compared to other centres of comparable size in Canada, making a prime spot to locate for a month or longer.  Here are some details on what to expect cost-wise...    Keeping a roof over your head – your options Hostels: $390 - $885 per month&...

Layovers are necessary means of getting to where we need to go, whether its five incredibly long and inconvenient layovers on budget flights, or a simple refuel stop over, each layover is an opportunity to explore new places. Layover time is time that you can utilize to learn about another country or region, not to mention you can also do certain activities to enhance your mental and physical health.     Check in First and foremost, mak...

I haven't been on a scooter, moped, dirt bike, or other fuel-propelled two-wheeled machine since I ran into a tree at a friend’s birthday party in fifth grade, but no matter. My partner and her brother are confident I can learn as I go. We want to explore Koh Tao from one end of the island to another. Rural Thailand roads aren’t crowded. Rentals are cheap. How hard can it be? I rent a basic automatic scooter – a Honda “Scoopy” on the menu of bike...

So you’re visiting Medellín for a while. You saw the Christmas lights. You stared into the night sky at Plaza de la Luz, rode the San Javier open air escalators, and toured four or five of the Parque Bibliotecas. You rode the metrocable to Mazaanti’s Parque Biblioteca España and hiked Parque Arví. You’ve done it all. Now you’re ready to experience more of the city, a town former Mayor Luis Perez called “an urban poem.” Here are three parks, three...

You’re in Medellín for a while. Before you settle in your hostel or apartment, or throw yourself head first into a new job, or begin your studies at the Universidad de Medellín, get to know your nook of the city and its surrounding neighborhoods. Here’s how. December through mid-January, Medellín is illuminated by Christmas displays. Highlights of the free tour include Christmas lights along Medellín River and La Playa Avenue and a technologicall...

The mindset of your typical couch surfing candidate is one of budget conscious survival, while also seeking a safe place to rest and local insider knowledge from the host. While couch surfers are usually individuals, there are couples and even families who take advantage of the opportunity to save money, connect and share good energy with others who appreciate the nomadic mindset. While the concept of couch surfing can benefit both parties respec...

When it comes to travelling away from home, you not only have to afford all of the costs for transportation to get to your destination, whether its fuel for your road trip or the plane ticket to the other side of the world, but you also have to take into consideration your accommodations, food expenses, tours & activities and of course all of the unplanned expenses that are bound to surprise your wallet throughout your adventure.    ...

The morning of my second day in the Kalalau Valley, Isaac hands me a collapsible handsaw, shows me three dead trees, and tells me to split them. “These are guava,” he explains. “Java plum trees don’t burn well.” When I finish my work, I rinse my bandana in the stream. That afternoon we return to the beach via a path Isaac calls the “hippie highway.” It’s how those camping up valley get quickly to the ocean. About a quarter of a mile from the wate...

I’m headed with friends to the Kalalau Valley on Kauai’s Nā Pali Coast. My friend Isaac has boated in with most of our group’s gear. Jenny and I, carrying granola bars and sleeping bags and sarongs and books like “State of Wonder” by Ann Patchett and “Waking up in Eden” by Lucinda Fleeson and emergency supplies like Band-Aids and alcohol, hike the eleven miles of tropical trail that lead to the valley. I’ll stay six days. Jenny and Isaac wil...

Sharks have become the villains of the sea thanks to theatrical portrayals like Jaws and Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, which was originally meant to educate the public about how sharks are not the fearsome creatures that Hollywood makes them out to be, but has now deteriorated into overhyped adrenaline fuelled programs about Air Jaws, which highlights white sharks breaching during feeding or the fictional mock-umentaries about monstrous pr...