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Showing posts from August, 2024

The Best Website for House Swaps? My HomeExchange Review

Accommodation will always be one of your biggest travel expenses…but what if it wasn’t? What if you could reduce the cost of your accommodation to zero while still enjoying the comforts of home? That’s what house swaps promise. House swaps have been around for decades. It was the entire premise of the movie The Holiday (starring Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet). They became all the rage but then were soon eclipsed by sites like Airbnb. But as travel prices skyrocketed post-COVID, more and more people have turned back to house swaps as a means of saving money while they travel while still getting a local experience (but without the hassle of an Airbnb). House swaps are exactly what they sound like. You sign up, list your home, and then swap with someone else in another city. They stay in your place and you stay in their place. The biggest and most popular platform for swaps is HomeExchange . And, in this post, I’ll go over everything you need to know to get started with a house swa...

Siddhpur – Matrugaya Sristhal for Tarpana of Mothers

I heard of Siddhpur on my trip to Bahuchara Ji. We had some time on hand after visiting Bahuchara Mata and Umiya Mata at Unjha. So, Jaya suggested visiting Siddhpur for the houses with lovely facades. Since the sun was about to set, we thought we could simply drive by those houses and be back […] The post Siddhpur – Matrugaya Sristhal for Tarpana of Mothers appeared first on Inditales .

The 5 Best Hotels in Quebec City

Quebec City is beautiful. While it’s regularly overlooked in favor of bigger destinations like Toronto and Montreal , this is where European explorers first arrived in the 16th and 17th centuries. A cultural hub in the province of Quebec (as well as the province’s capital), the city’s Old Town is one of the best preserved in all of North America. As a foodie and history buff, I love Quebec City. It’s a fun place to visit no matter the season. It’s especially beautiful in winter. It’s a popular getaway destination (for Canadians and visitors alike), so there are a lot of hotels to choose from here. Some are amazing and will greatly enrich your experience. Others won’t. To help you make the most of your visit, here’s my list of the best hotels in Quebec City. 1. Hotel AtypiQ Opened in 2022, this new three-star hotel offers excellent value for the location. It embraces a unique concept of offering super small rooms that are just big enough to accommodate the bed that folds down f...

AI, Search, and the Travel Creator

Last year, Google rolled out something called “the helpful-content update” (HCU). It felt that too many websites were over-optimized for search and not run by real people providing real answers based on firsthand experience. Instead, there were too many SEO farms pumping out bad content for search and ad revenue. Hence, the desire to put “helpful content” (such as online forums like Reddit) at the top of the search results. After all, who better to have firsthand experience than a person posting about something on a forum? (Or so the logic went.) If you’ve used Google since last October, you’ve likely noticed this change. I think it sucks. I mean, I don’t care about a forum thread from 2013. I don’t want to search for answers through years of comments and replies, many of which are very out of date. I think this HCU has made Google results far, far worse. I recently tried to find a gym in Munich and rather than just list gyms in Munich , I got Reddit threads that were very outdated...

My Ultimate Road Trip Itinerary for New Zealand’s South Island

The South Island of New Zealand is the country’s larger (but less-populated) island…but it’s also the most visually stunning. With just 23% of the country’s 5.2 million inhabitants, it’s a dramatic and beautiful island, home to wineries, wildlife, high-octane adventure sports, and pristine beaches. This is the island that people end up spending more time in and, while everyone sticks to just a few locations, there’s a lot of hidden areas here worth exploring. At a minimum, you’ll want to spend two weeks exploring. Anything less than that and you’ll feel rushed. As I said, there’s a lot to see here. That way you can see the big draws, get off the beaten path, do some good hiking, and not rush (travel between places can take longer than you think)! With two weeks to traverse New Zealand’s South Island, what route should you take? Where should you start, and where should you finish? Below is my suggested itinerary to help you plan your South Island road trip to will ensure that you s...

The 6 Best Hotels in New Orleans

New Orleans is one of my favorite places in the world (and that’s saying something). There’s just something about this city. It’s magic. The people and energy make it impossible not to have a good time here. It’s really bounced back from Hurricane Katrina (I visited right after, and it was a completely different city). I’m glad to see the city thriving. It’s a popular destination too, and not just because of Mardi Gras. A lot of conferences, music festivals, and bachelor/bachelorette parties are held here. There’s a lot to see and do here too . As such, there are a ton of hotels to choose from. But not all are worth staying at. So, to help you save time researching and ensure you have a great experience, here are my favorite hotels in New Orleans based on my countless visits: 1. Villa Convento Villa Convento is steeped in history. Located in the famous French Quarter, the building once housed a convent and is also rumored to be the “House of the Rising Sun” from the famed 1960s ...

Best Labyrinths In India You Can Walk Around

Labyrinths are mazes that one can walk across, following a path. You start from outside, walk all the way inside, and then trace a path back to where you began. Usually, once you have stepped in, there is only one path that you can follow to come out. Explore these Labyrinths in India Labyrinths are […] The post Best Labyrinths In India You Can Walk Around appeared first on Inditales .

The Nomadic Network is Back!

Big news everyone! The Nomadic Network (TNN) is back! TNN is the community we built for travelers back in 2019. TNN’s goal was to connect fellow travelers through in-person meetups all around the world. In 2020, we shifted to virtual events, connecting you to a wide variety of voices that could teach you everything from budget travel to itinerary planning to travel insurance to finding friends to information about specific destinations. We also ran 25 tours around Europe, the Middle East, and Mexico. Seeing all of these connections between like-minded travelers form true friendships was truly awesome and unforgettable. However, last summer, I realized that I wanted to focus my time more on writing books. That meant that I needed to scale back all my business endeavors so I made the difficult decision to pause TNN while I figured out a way to keep it going while balancing my new goals. I’m happy to say that I figured it out and TNN is back! One of our amazing TNN chapter leaders w...

My Ultimate Road Trip Itinerary for New Zealand’s North Island

From cosmopolitan cities to stunning nature, pristine beaches to volcanic mountains, New Zealand’s North Island really packs a punch. Home to seventy-five percent of New Zealand’s population, a lot of travelers think you can easily see the sights in a matter of days. The island isn’t huge after all. But there’s actually a lot of ground to cover here. Having been to New Zealand a few times over the years, I know from experience that there’s a lot more to see and do here than you think. You definitely don’t want to rush. In a perfect world, I think most travelers visiting the North Island should spend at least a month here exploring on a road trip. That’s my ideal suggestion. But since a month off is not realistic for most people, I suggest spending at least two weeks instead. That’s the minimum amount of time needed to do justice to the island on a road trip. So, what should you see and do if you only have two weeks? What route do you take? Where do you go? Below is my suggeste...