EDITOR’S NOTE: We’ve all had our share of spooky moments while on the road. Some were actual threats of death. Some were merely amusing in hindsight. Here is the first in a series of articles from our contributors. Clare O’Donoghue shares these…
It’s always the quiet ones…
Back in my on-a-shoestring days, I was working [...]

Trekking through the jungle in Thailand was always going to be an amazing experience. Taking that trek on the back of an Asian elephant would be magical.
I was worried, though. I wanted to be sure the animals in question would be well cared for, not subject to any of the cruelty or [...]

Cambodia, like many South East Asian countries, didn’t have a great history of support and empowerment for the physically disabled. That was until an entrepreneur with a vision launched the Seeing Hands Massage Salon –– blind masseuses whose physical difference is no longer a disability but now an asset. The theory goes that whenever [...]

In the heart of downtown Phnom Penh, a convenient distance from many of the obligatory stops on the tourist circuit, lies the aptly-amicable Friends Restaurant, serving generous portions of traditional and experimental Khmer-fusion tapas dishes in a brightly decorated, warm ambience. This place isn’t just about great fishcakes with lime jus, spicy mango salads [...]

I hang my head in shame. My Pampering for Prosperity mission has been regretfully neglected for some time, thus it was a relief and a joy to arrive in the long-embattled capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, and to discover that this beautiful and tragic city is studded with establishments turning profit for a good [...]

Hot on the heels of reports that ‘flashpacking’ is the new backpacking comes the new breed of flash-hostel, epitomized by the Number Eight Guesthousein Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
In a predominantly corporate city like K.L., anonymous luxury high rises abound, leaving the budget traveler in roach-infested dives in the dingy part of town – [...]

I knew it. Tromping around in stinky old tie-dye and seeing the world ‘on a shoestring’ is so last season. The crusty backpacker of lore is being overtaken by a new breed of traveler, whose luggage contains iPods, swish digital cameras and laptops – meet the Flashpacker.
According to HostelWorld.com, Flashpackers [...]

Pondicherry is reknowned as a little slice of France in the Indian sub-continent, and as any stylish-travellin’ lass knows, Paris is a girl’s best friend. Therefore, after weeks of struglling to embrace sweat stains, curry perfume and delhi belly, I rejoiced in the prospect of a little franco-fixation on the Riviera (albeit the Andaman [...]