Low cost vacation package

How do you go on after living through hell? This was the question I asked myself again and again as we toured Sarajevo, Bosnia’s capital and a city synonymous with destruction during the 1990s.  Constant bombings; lack of food, water and electricity; and being surrounded by Serbian forces led to a violent isolation. Before arriving, I had read a quote somewhere that Sarajevo today “bears few scars of its war-torn past.”  Well, that couldn’t have been less true.  There are scars everywhere you look — half-destroyed buildings, bullet holes, a devastated landscape. As we drove around the city, past bullet-strewn buildings and piles of garbage heaps, I kept thinking of how different Sarajevo was from Croatia — in fact, it reminded me more of Cambodia than anywhere else. But not all of Sarajevo is like that.  There are modern parts, beautiful parts — like the cool Bascarsija area, with lots of cafes and restaurants and high-end shops. But firs...

During my time in Edinburgh, I stayed at a hostel with THE BEST HOSTEL SHOWERS I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED.   They were brand-new, they had so many different levels of pressure and temperature, and they were spotless.  I felt like I was in a hotel, and a nice one — not just a hostel — and I stayed in that shower far longer than I should have. The home of this majestic shower?   The brand-new Haggis Hostel in Edinburgh. I was invited to stay here by Al and Chris, the owners of the hostel, and I’m so glad I took them up on their offer.   This hostel is truly a special place, and not just because they invited me to stay there.  In fact, it was one of my best hosteling experiences ever. When you stay in as many hostels as I have, you get used to just having a bed on which to crash.   So when you get something extra special, you notice it — and Haggis Hostel is full of these extras. Beds with comfy mattresses, fluffy pillows, and thick comforters. After a day of r...

I’ve seen a lot of strange things on various subways around the world. My favorite subway incident happened on the Metro in Paris in 2004.  This guy had an old-school boom box held over his shoulder, was holding a  microphone in the other, and was rapping to 50 Cent’s “In da Club”!  And yes, he collected donations. Anyway, that was the good of subway adventures. This morning, on the MBTA in Boston, I saw something disgusting. I got on the train — and this was going on: Who CLIPS THEIR TOENAILS on the subway?!  SO DISGUSTING. Can you believe it?! Perhaps even more unbelievably, nobody said anything to her.  We just exchanged incredulous glances as the lady finished clipping her toenails and dusting off the subway seats around her. By the time this lady and I got off the train, this image had already gone viral, thanks to Universal Hub and BostonTweet.  I had the urge to tell her that, but resisted. Now, is this the worst thing you’ve ever see...