From reindeer racing, midsummer pagan rituals and camel beauty pageants to crazy street carnivals, leg rowing races and even Ernest Hemingway’s favorite fete, global celebrations offer travelers unique opportunities to experience a country’s culture, cuisine and spirit.
To help you discover some of the planet’s biggest parties, custom travel company Kensington Tours has crafted a collection of trips exclusively designed to get you behind-the-scenes of the world’s best festivals.
Leg-Rowing Festival, Inle Lake, Myanmar
by yeowatzup/flickr.com
Cruise the waters of time back to a celebration evocative of Southeast Asia centuries ago with a pilgrimage to Phaung Daw Oo – otherwise known as Myanmar’s Leg Rowing Festival. Held upon the shores of Inle Lake, a trip to this spiritual 18-day pageant is true cultural nirvana. Watch as a golden barge holding four Buddhas is towed by ornamented leg-rowers from private boat with expert guide. Take part in the eclectic festivities, from magic shows, dancing, leg rowing races and fireworks to fortune tellers, spiritual blessings and Burmese banquets. To amplify your experience, plan your visit to coincide with Thadingyut, the festival of lights.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
March 20th marks the first ever International Day of Happiness, a day established by the United Nations General Assembly.
To draw the connection between travel and happiness, adventure travel company, GAdventures, ran a survey and asked how travel factors into happiness. Here’s a preview of what they found out:
- Australia & New Zealand are top destination choices.
- 61% want more days off to travel.
- 35% are happiest travelling with friends.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Win The Trip Of A Lifetime And Make A Difference
I have a soft spot in my heart for Peru and its people. My husband and I recently spent nearly five months in the vibrant city of Cuzco (often spelled Cusco) and fell in love with the country and the friends we made during our extended stay there.
So, it is with pleasure that I share this Pass on the Gift® in Peru Sweepstakes sponsored by catalog merchandiser, Garnet Hill, and Heifer International, a nonprofit organization seeking to end hunger by partnering with and empowering small-holder farmers around the world.
Seven-year old Benjamin Sanchez-Quispe and his four-year-old sister Anita Veronica Sanchez Quispe from Peru with one of the lambs their family received from Heifer International. (Photo by Jake Lyell, courtesy of Heifer International)
One grand prize winner will be awarded an all-inclusive trip for two to the ancient Incan Empire capital of Cuzco where they will experience the vibrant local culture and have an opportunity to participate in Heifer’s local alpaca project in the Andean region near Cuzco, an initiative designed to end poverty in the region and foster sustainable development.
The winner will engage with a Heifer family and see first-hand the breadth and depth of Heifer’s impact in combating poverty and will also receive a $1,000 Garnet Hill gift card. The sweepstakes ends March 12, 2013. To learn more or to enter the Pass on the Gift® in Peru Sweepstakes, visit garnethill.com
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Best Job in the World is back: This time with not one, but six dream jobs up for grabs.
In 2009, Tourism Queensland put the word out that it was hiring a ‘caretaker’ for its Great Barrier Reef with job benefits including a large salary, free lodging in a multi-million dollar villa, and transportation there and around the islands. The campaign went viral.
This time, Australia is teaming up with industry, State and Territory tourism partners for a new ‘Best Job in the World’ global competition offering not one, but six dream jobs, each with an attractive six month salary package worth A$100,000 including living costs.
Best Job in the World Competition/Australia Tourism
Apply, and you could be the next…
• Chief Funster (New South Wales)
• Outback Adventurer (Northern Territory)
• Park Ranger (Queensland)
• Wildlife Caretaker (South Australia)
• Lifestyle Photographer (Melbourne)
• Taste Master (Western Australia)
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
THIS JUST IN…
Travel guidebook publisher Lonely Planet reached 1 million fans each on both Twitter and Facebook this week. To celebrate, the publisher has launched its “Thanks a Million” campaign, offering its Best in Travel 2013, the latest edition of the annual series that highlights the hottest travel destinations and trends for the year, as an eBook for free.
To download, visit http://www.lonelyplanet.com/campaigns/one-million. It is available until March 31st, 2013 either as a PDF or as an iBooks-compatible ebook for the iPad/iPhone.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Rough Guides and WorldNomads.com have teamed up to offer an aspiring travel writer the chance to go on assignment with a Rough Guides author to Beijing, China. If you think you have what it takes, check out their 2013 Travel Writing Scholarship, a 12-day trip to Beijing to unearth the stories that make this city the spiritual and political heart of China. The contest offers real on-assignment experience and the fast-track to becoming a published travel writer.
|
|
If You Win…
First, you will join Rough Guides writer and mentor, Martin Zatko, on assignment in Beijing to both learn about guide book writing and complete an assignment of your own (including a review of the Forbidden City). Your resulting work will be considered for publication in the next Rough Guide to China.
Next, you’ll join international travel journalist and Beijing local, Kit Gillet, for a three-day adventure into his backyard to explore the hutong alleyways, the burgeoning Chinese art scene and even spend a night camping on the Great Wall!
And, for the last leg of the scholarship, discover the rich food culture of Beijing with three culinary experiences (think tea tasting and dumpling making classes) from Hias Gourmet.
To enter, submit a personal travel essay on one of four provided themes and tell why you should be awarded the scholarship. Head to the World Nomads Scholarship page for more information and to apply.
Entries close April 19, 2013.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".