Whether you’re an experienced diver or looking to become one, why hone your skills at home when you can do it in one of the best diving destinations in the world? While you can take your PADI scuba certification at home, if you’re not near a large body of water (or if it’s frozen over this time of year), you’ll be relegated to a swimming pool. If that’s the case, you may want to consider taking your certification (or logging some dives) abroad, whether that’s Koh Tao in Thailand or the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. To read the full story, click here.
Photo Credit: Tourism Australia
Scuba diving in Australia is synonymous with the Great Barrier Reef, and for good reason – the world’s largest coral reef stretches almost 2,000 km along the Queensland coast, comprising more than 3,000 individual reef systems and hundreds of tropical islands. Here you’ll find more than 400 types of coral and 1,500 species of tropical fish – even giant clams that are 120 years old. But it’s not the only diving destination in the Land of Oz. To read the full story, 
This photo was taken a few kilometres from Everest Base Camp in Nepal, during a brief moment when the setting sun turned the tip of Mt. Everest bright pink. A friend ran to grab his camera, but when he returned a few minutes later, the peak had already retreated into the shadows. At 8,850 metres, Mt. Everest – known locally as Sagarmatha – is the highest peak in the world. Even if you don’t plan on following in the footsteps of Sir Edmond Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, trekking to the first base camp is challenging enough and requires a decent level of fitness. To read the full story, 
Nowadays, most people want to stay connected – to some degree – when they’re traveling. The question is whether you want to lug around your laptop or netbook or smartphone when you’re backpacking in Laos or Bolivia or Azerbaijan. I once brought my laptop with me as I traveled across Cambodia in the back of a pickup truck along with about 30 other people (plus sacks of rice and live chickens), and it occurred to me that perhaps it wasn’t such a smart idea. To read the full story, 
The Annapurna Circuit is one of the most popular treks in Nepal
When you’ve got a wad of K83,000 Lao kip jammed into your wallet (because it won’t possibly fit into your moneybelt), it can be easy to lose sight of the fact you’re only carrying around about US$10. When dealing with different currencies, it’s hard to know how much you’re actually spending, particularly because exchange rates can change on a dime these days – the Canadian loonie is practically bipolar. So whether you’re debating over that Buddhist thangka in Kathmandu or those half-price Prada shoes in Paris, there are tools that can help you stick to your budget. To read the full story, 
Whether you’re looking for a gift to help the traveler in your life protect their electronic equipment, document their travels or just figure out where the heck they are, there are plenty of ideas to suit either the techno-geek or the techno-phobe. To read the full story, 
There’s something to be said about detaching from technology when we travel – I like to drop off the radar to truly get away from it all. But I also realize that’s not always practical, and there are a lot of cool gadgets out there designed to make life easier and more comfortable on the road less traveled. Here are a few gift ideas for the traveler in your life, most for under $100. To read the full story, 
If you’re shopping around for a new backpack, you might feel overwhelmed by the vast array of choices in every size, shape, colour and price range. Whether you’re looking for a purpose-built pack or something more generic, it can be challenging to choose between dozens of models or know how much to spend. Here are a few things to keep in mind when looking for the right pack. To read the full story, 
You don’t have to be a religious zealot or history buff to appreciate the significance of Davit Gareja in the former Soviet republic of Georgia. The ancient cave monasteries, which date back to the 6th century, literally lie on the border between Georgia and Azerbaijan – at the crossroads of Europe, the Middle East and Asia. To read the full story, 