Category Archives: Travel Articles

Top Fall Trips For Foodies

Food, Travel Articles, Uncategorized,

Fodor's

I think most of you would agree that food plays a very big part when it comes to travel.

I’ve never taken a local cooking course or went on a trip with the main reason being the food. (I have had a few trips inspired by beer in the past though!) However, Kim and I have gone on our own mini-food tours during trips in the past.

Here are a few that come to mind:

  • Trying lobster rolls (and whoopie pies) in Maine
  • Eating lots of pizza around Rome
  • Trying some of New Haven’s great apizza
  • Sampling some great cheesesteaks in Philadelphia
  • A never-ending quest to try out the best pizza and burgers around Brooklyn and NYC for that matter.

Continue reading Top Fall Trips For Foodies →

Most Visited Countries in the World

Travel Articles
a group of buildings on a cliff above water
image from Thrillist

I’ve never really thought much about what the most visited countries in the world would be. I do know that France and the United States are usually at the top of the list though.

If I had to guess which other countries would rank highly, I’d go with the U.K., Spain and hmmm I don’t know if I really have any other good guesses! Let’s go with the Czech Republic since it seems like so many people have visited Prague.

Thrillist wrote an article about Most Visited Countries in the World which was based on the UNWTO Tourism Highlights 2014 edition. Continue reading Most Visited Countries in the World →

Southwest Turns Aisle Into Runway in the Sky

Off Topic, Travel Articles, , ,
a woman in a white dress
image from Southwest video

Some fun, strange and surprising things can happen during flights.

Last year I wrote a post about the FAA Investigating Harlem Shakes On A Plane and earlier this year the cast of the The Lion King sang during a flight in Australia.

How about being surprised by a special show during a flight! Continue reading Southwest Turns Aisle Into Runway in the Sky →

Forget Airbnb, Celebrity Homes You Can Rent

Hotels, Travel Articles, , ,
a house with a large balcony
Harry Houdini’s Home

Airbnb has opened up a ton of possibilities to us when it comes to places to stay while traveling. Sometimes traditional hotels can be way too pricey, not that exciting or budget options just seem plain bad.

With Airbnb, we’ve found some great places to stay at a very fair price. Check out my post about Our Awesome Experience during our first stay using Airbnb in Singapore. Continue reading Forget Airbnb, Celebrity Homes You Can Rent →

Smelliest Foods in the World

Food, Travel Articles,

a close-up of a fruit

When it comes to stinky food I used to think that a variety of cheeses were the biggest culprits out there. Then years later I started to hear about durian, a fruit which has a god-awful smell.

During a trip to Thailand we first came face to face with the stinky durian. Often times  we could smell it from a block away due to street vendors cutting open large quantities of the fruit to sell.

While at a floating market outside of Bangkok I dared Kim to give the durian a try. (Being an extremely picky eater, I was not up to the challenge.) Kim stepped up to the plate to take one  (sniff, gag) for the team. Continue reading Smelliest Foods in the World →

Life Hacks That Have Gone Too Far

Off Topic, Travel Articles,

a man with a cell phone on his earI’ve come across quite a few articles related to life and travel hacks which I really enjoy checking out. Through these articles I’ve learned some neat, new tricks while also laughing at some ridiculously funny and outrageous ideas.

I guess one person’s life hack might be another’s idea of stupidity or a good laugh!

I’ve shared a bunch of these hack articles here on Michael W Travels,  with the most recent one being about 28 Brilliant Travel Hacks. I came across this article on Buzzfeed. In the article I leaned some great tricks like wrapping shoes in shower caps and putting a dryer sheet in your suitcase to keep things smelling fresh.

Continue reading Life Hacks That Have Gone Too Far →

Which Hotel Has the Best Rewards Program?

Travel Articles, ,

a gold and blue logoWhen it comes to hotel rewards programs and loyalty I can’t say that there are any that I prefer over the rest. I consider myself a free agent. I’ll stay wherever I find a cheap room, whether or not it is a points earning chain.

Thanks to the Club Carlson credit card and it’s stay 2, get 1 free rewards booking offer, this would probably tend to rank highest for me. I’ve also seen some great value booking award nights using my Starwood points. Then you have IHG which can be a real deal if you can get lucky and find a Points Break award night available at a property you actually want to stay at. Continue reading Which Hotel Has the Best Rewards Program? →

Eat Your Big Mac Inside A McDonald’s Plane

Food, Travel Articles, ,

a red and white airplane

At home I rarely eat at McDonald’s but while traveling I love to stop in to see what interesting, local items might be on the menu.

Along with being interested in checking out locally inspired items, I also like to visit McDonald’s which tend to be a bit different in terms of their design. I’ve been to one location which has a train attached to it, another in New Zealand had Maori style wood carvings decorating it and there were also a couple of interesting locations in Dallas- one having a jungle/ zoo theme while the other was shaped like a Happy Meal!

I came across an article a couple of days back about a McDonald’s which might just be the coolest one ever and of great interest to aviation geeks! Continue reading Eat Your Big Mac Inside A McDonald’s Plane →

Awesome Airplane Video

Travel Articles, ,
a model of a plane
image from United video

I don’t claim to be much of an aviation geek and don’t usually care much when it comes to what airplane I’ll be flying on. When booking a flight, my hopes are to find award availability or a good deal to wherever we might be looking to go.

Afterall, it’s about the destination, not the flight if you ask me.

With that said, I still do enjoy reading about different airplanes and learning a little about them. I’ve even been to a bunch of airplane-related museums like: Continue reading Awesome Airplane Video →

What Type of Traveler Are You? Take the Quiz

Travel Articles,

a collage of people with different facial expressionsWhen it comes to travel there are many different ways to go about things. You can almost classify it as a travel style or maybe it just shows where your comfort zone is at when it comes to planning trips.

Thinking of different ways people travel, here is what comes to mind:

  • All-Inclusive resort types
  • Backpackers
  • Cruise-goers
  • Flashpackers
  • Guided Tour- takers
  • Independent Travelers
  • Staycationers
  • more….

Continue reading What Type of Traveler Are You? Take the Quiz →