The first time Mike visited Asia, he quit his job to do it. This time, he’ll be soaring over the Angkor temples and visiting exclusive new hotels, and it’ll all be part of his current job description. No, we’re not currently taking applications. Meet Mike Poppe. He’s our most recent addition to the Toronto farm, […]

Sometimes the best meal of all is the one you’re having right at that second. In my top 10 list of travel eats, I don’t give much credit to the expensive or elaborate—instead I choose the bowl that introduced me to Vietnam. We roll into Hoi An around 5 am, dazed and just a little […]

It is often said that Istanbul is a city where east meets west, or Asia meets Europe. It is also a place where eats meet feets, in some fabulous culinary walks around the city. A city of myriad faces, Istanbul has its Ottoman edges and its Asian coast, its modern European cosmopolitanism and its architectural […]

A large part of what we do is help clients decide when to go where. Dream trips quickly morph into cautionary tales when you end up sweating through your entire travel wardrobe, or knee-deep in the flood waters of your hotel. Lucky we know a few places that shine in the off season. Istanbul (Turkey) […]

Paying to volunteer abroad may seem like a backwards notion, but the experience outweighs the cost when it’s an opportunity to meet the love of your life. At Elephant Nature Park in Thailand, I fell for a pachyderm. Elephant Nature Park is a small elephant sanctuary that specializes in the rehabilitation of abused elephants. These giants […]

I think my love for beaches was originally fueled by my hatred for wearing shoes. Footwear is a form of slavery, if you ask me. So imagine my glee when I arrived at Soneva Fushi, a private island in the Maldives with a “no shoes” policy. They actually took my sandals from me, put them […]

There are a lot of reasons to fall madly in love with India. It’s a land of ridiculous cultural and historic depth. The optimism and spirituality of the people is captivating. And it sure is gorgeous. But I’ve always been smitten with what’s written. India has a way with signage that’s unlike anywhere else I […]

Chances are your New Year’s resolutions include experiencing new things, or shedding those holiday pounds and getting fit. Roll them into one master plan with five hikes around the world that will jump start you toward your goals. The views aren’t bad either. Everest Base Camp, Nepal This 12 day hike takes you into the […]

As the month newly known as Movember (formerly known as November) draws to a clean-shaven close, I thought I’d tip my turban to the nation that first put fur on the facial map. Okay, so India may or may not have invented the moustache. But they’ve certainly perfected it, raising the lip dog to remarkable […]

Special is hard to do in Hong Kong, where understatement can be confused with dullness. However, there are sometimes things you come upon which are undoubtedly special. You recognize them when you see them, and you savour them. Lok Man Rare Books is such a place. This small antiquarian bookstore is nestled on a discrete […]

What happens when music icons venture to an ashram in India to study meditation, write some of their most famous songs, and unwittingly inspire a radical shift in western spirituality? The holy site becomes wholly forgotten. In 1968 The Beatles put Rishikesh on the map, and om on the lips of the world. Their stay at Chaurasi […]

Many visit Sirince for just an afternoon when they go to the magnificent Roman ruins at Ephesus; a side trip to pick up a few souvenirs. But this village hugging the hills of the South Aegean is better experienced with a longer stay for its own sake. Sirince was settled in the 15th Century by […]

School’s almost out for summer, and if you’re wondering how you’re going to keep everyone suitably entertained, we’ve got you covered. Few families have shared a vacation that didn’t include a couple of epic battles—with so many varying interests, it’s often tough to keep the peace. If what you’re searching for is a single destination […]

If illusionist illustrator M. C. Escher had ever tried his hand at architecture, he might have designed a place like Argos in Cappadocia. This fabulous little hotel in central Turkey is a study in subtle confusion and organic delight. Steps lead up, stairs go down, bridges arc across roads, rooftops turn into terraces, and terraces […]

Every great destination has a unique energy about it. A not-quite-tangible quality that lies in every building, each interaction. But there is nowhere more unmistakable than Vietnam—there’s something about the country that makes it impossible to confuse with any place else. There are of course some obvious traits that make Vietnam so distinctive. The intensity […]

Imagine an all-seeing, all-knowing force, constantly watching over you. It knows what you like, what you don’t like, where you’re from and where you’re going, and precisely where you are at all times. Sounds rather perfect to us. It’s a surprisingly large leap between four and five star service at a luxury hotel. There are […]