BrilliantTrips

Flashpacking is as popular as ever this summer and for good reason. Traveling with gadgets has become a part of life...

While Germany’s coastline includes the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, the best surfing in Germany can actually be found in landlocked Munich, the capital of Bavaria. The surfing is actually river surfing and the Isar River is the place to find it...

How people from various cultures perceive information and negotiate business deals can differ a great deal. The best way to avoid potentially embarrassing and costly miscues when dealing with foreign cultures is to be prepared...

If you’re an adrenaline junkie who lives for the next rush, now is the best time of year to head to Queenstown, New Zealand...

Diversify, Diversify, Diversify Bring cash, plastic and traveler’s checks. ATM machines are available the world over and work well. Debit Cards have security issues; if your number and PIN are hacked, say goodbye to that hard-won $ in your account...

My first time to the Czech Republic consisted of a visit to the city of Prague (Praha)...

Dust off the passport, because on June 30, 2009, Intrepid Travel is making a travel offer that will be hard to refuse. For just nine hours, ALL of Intrepid’s 400 plus trips in over 90 countries around the world will be on sale with savings from 15 – 60% off...

Seeing our followers take time out of their day to drop us a Follow Friday mention is very flattering and I can assure you that everyone here is genuinely appreciative of every single Follow Friday mention that comes across Twitter...

Velvet Escape. To me, these words evoke a feeling of liberating oneself from the usual routine and venturing off to a calmer place. You could be on the harrowing streets of Hong Kong and still feel this sense of peace simply because you are leaping out of the daily grind...

Ah, sailing the clear blue sea. The perfect escape from daily life. Can you feel the warm breeze washing over your body and clearing your head just thinking about it? I dream of silently gliding past a picturesque coast under sail in a perfect breeze and gazing out to the horizon...

Beer is, in general, pretty easy to find while traveling around the world. I know, there are countries that prohibit the consumption of alcohol for religious reasons, but alcohol is usually still available in the hotels...

In his recent speech in Cairo, Barack Obama spoke to a captivated world about the dangerous reality of ethnic and cultural friction...

In New York City, the small area below 14th Street and north of Houston Street, known as Greenwich Village, has been a Mecca to the creative, rebellious and Bohemian...

A great alternative to the tourist clogged Ring of Kerry is the not-as-famous Slea Head Drive west from Dingle. Having experienced both routes, I found that the “Ring of Dingle” was much more enjoyable and included some of the most beautiful and interesting scenery I have ever seen...

Prague has a well organized and extensive public transportation system. Its network includes metro and tram services that serve the city center and outlying areas and city buses that serve Prague’s immediate surroundings outside of the city...

I saw this over the weekend on Current TV. Padraic O’Meara hits the streets of Cape Town to see what summer style means in the Southern Hemisphere.

Travel Tweet: Druster @BrilliantTips I am traveling to Spain in July. Any tips for some sweet adventure seeking spots? Spain is a true paradise for travelers seeking an active adventure with great landscape diversity and a pleasant climate...

Mention Bacalhau to a Portuguese and they will instinctively close their eyes and picture a family party with food and wine. They may also start to drool. Salted and dried cod from the coasts of Norway and Canada has made its way to Portugal and become a delicacy...

One thing that all travelers share is the quest for a better life. I have been fortunate enough to see a few of the world’s treasures. I’ve tasted cultures from all over the globe and have been blessed to have had them leave their marks on my heart...

Phase 2 of ticket sales for the world’s largest sporting event is now underway. From now through November 16, 2009, tickets will be processed on a first come first served basis...

There are a large number of Buddhist temples in Kyoto, Japan. Buddhism, the doctrine of Buddha, was first introduced from Korea in the 6th century. There are also hundreds of Shinto shrines. Shrines, like temples, are places of worship and the dwellings of Kami, or gods...

While at the 2009 Annual NAFSA Conference and Expo in Los Angeles last week, I had the opportunity to sit down with Randy LeGrant from GeoVisions...

Every serious traveler has a list in their head of places in the world they simply have to see. Some places are on everybody’s list: the awe inspiring pyramids at Giza, the carved wonder of Petra, and the aerial ruins of Macchu Picchu, for instance...

Medieval Old Town - Tallinn’s Old Town can be defined as a mix of historic ambiance and cutting edge culture. The city’s largest tourist draw is famous for its enclosed neighborhoods of colorful, gabled houses, hidden courtyards and magnificent churches...

For the ambitious soccer player who is serious about taking their game to the next level, Sport Lisboa e Benfica (Benfica) has teamed up with OSA Soccer Academy to offer study abroad soccer courses in Lisbon, Portugal...

Rocha, 1 of the 19 Departments that make up Uruguay, is a symphony of natural landscapes rich in fauna and flora with 200 kilometers of ocean coast...

Hostel World is exhibiting at the 2009 Annual NAFSA Conference and Expo in Los Angeles this week and I made sure to stop by their booth. As we discussed the hottest and coolest flashpacking hostels this summer, the Jumbo Hostel came up...

Summer is almost upon us in the northern hemisphere which, for some unexplained reason, means time for some light reading. I always enjoy a fun travel story: verbal, written, and even when caught in the midst of...

SCUBA diving offers many things to different people: a chance to be an intrepid explorer, observe wildlife, find solace & commune with nature, live life on the edge – you name it...

When it comes to getting from point to point using public transportation in Los Angeles, you “go Metro.” The Los Angeles Metro system is made up of Metro Rail, Metro Rapid and Metro Local. The ever expanding Metro Rail network is quickly becoming a popular alternative to braving the LA traffic...

If you’re in Prague, you may want to check out the Czech Beer Festival which starts today. For the next ten days, from May 22 to May 31, the Czech Beer Festival will feature the best from Czech breweries as well as Czech chefs, butchers and bakers...

While there are many world-class surf spots along South Africa’s coastline, my favorite is Jefferys Bay which is located at the heart of the Eastern Cape’s Sunshine Coast. Known simply as “J-Bay”, the surf is a perennial contender for “world’s best wave” status...

Staying connected while traveling abroad this summer is easier than ever. On a recent trip abroad, I was actually very surprised at just how easy it was to stay connected. While on a flight to Johannesburg, our plane was diverted to Maputo, Mozambique due to severe rain at Johannesburg Airport...

As a self-proclaimed airplane geek, it was quite a thrill for me to fly from Dubai to New York on an Emirates Airbus A380 this past week. The plane is absolutely enormous with a wingspan of over 261 feet which is longer than the overall length at just over 238 feet...

Traveling can be enjoyable to people for all different reasons. Most trips I’ve been on where I’ve met a local who gave me tips or showed me around were the most exciting as I felt I was getting a more intimate look at a city than I could get through a guidebook...

As I think back on Indaba 2009, I step back and take a deep breath. The sense of welcome was evident from the outset. Amidst South Africa’s sense of fun and inclusiveness, I could see how committed South Africa is as a nation to welcoming the world in 2010...

Whether you want to take a simple stroll or enjoy a more energetic mountain ride across the park, the Buffalo Hills African Adventure Reserve at Plettenberg Bay on the Cape Garden Route is sure to provide an intimate game viewing experience...