Chris Backe's Blog, page 81

Announcing my FOUR newest itineraries – and a special deal you may never see again

I’m happy to announce four new itineraries available now – and a special dealthat expires December 31st, 2016.

It’s been a busy few weeks – living and traveling through Florida, reviewing photos and notes from travels throughout South America, and a recent week-long trip to Seattle. These new three-day itineraries have been a big part of that, especially when trying to pull everything together before the holiday deadlines imposed by places like Amazon… If you or someone you know is planning...

Driving Abroad: Worries Behind the Wheel

Going abroad for a well earned break is something we generally look forward to all year – and rightly so. But amid the relief of having a week off work and the excitement when boarding the plane, anxiety and tension tends to rise again when you’re behind the wheel at your foreign destination.

This is a common feeling for many Brits, so don’t fear – you’re not alone!

The question is, how do you control this anxiety and stay calm? Our friends over at Autoclick rent cars all over Europe, so they...

Destination: the Museum of Television (Toronto, Canada)

Why, yes, there’s a museum of televisions – why do you ask?

There’s plenty of weird stuff to be seen in Toronto – and while not the weirdest place ever, it’s certainly a unique collection. Focusing on televisionsets, not televisionprogramming, the history of how people watched television over the decades is on full display

The one-room museum starts with a few examples of mechanical TV’s, which used a light source and a spinning, perforated scanning disk to create an image. A lot different...

Random pictures: the ‘animals advertising themselves’ edition

It always fascinates me to see animals advertising itself as food.

Don’t ask me why – it just does. If it does you as well, read on =)

Because as we all know, cow tongues can reach their eyeballs. Seen in Bogota, Colombia.

At least, Ihope they’re not serving bloody coyote…! Seen in Bogota.

So nice to see a chicken flexing a bicep. Seen in Toronto.

Peking duck, anyone? She’s cute… Seen in Toronto.

Seen in Berlin.

That bird’sen fuego! Seen in Trujillo, Peru.

Not sure if this is one of the...

How to take an epic road trip across Canada

EPIC ROAD TRIP! YEAH!…or something like that. Here’s how to make it happen north of the border.

Ahh, the great open road. For decades, people of many nationalities and age groupshave talked about, joked about, and often taken the Great Road Trip Across the Country.

This is a story about how two thirtysomethings got themselves ready for an epic road trip across Canada. This is also a story about you can do it too. First question: How long do you have?

It’s one of the pre-requisites for most p...

Destination: Barcelona – your ultimate guide to 10 of the city’s weirdest places

Barcelona ended up being one of my favorite cities across our epic European trip. Here are 10 of the reasons why. Erotica Museum

Plenty of adults-only stuff here, and plenty of cultures are represented here getting busy. The highlight involves some of the earliest porn, which is quite tame by today’s standards, but has managed to survive through to today… If it’s turned someone’s crank in the past, there’s a pretty good chance it’s included here, from BDSM to some hilarious ‘world records’.

...

A long time ago… in a desert far far away… Destination: Mos Espa, Darth Vader’s childhood home (Tozeur, Tunisia)

One of thesets from the Phantom Menacewas left standing and open to the public – thanks to Indiegogo and a squadron of volunteers, it’s still here.

Say what you will about the film – so much movie-making wizardry happens behind closed doors or distant places that the average mere mortal never gets to see or touch a piece of history for themselves. While Tozeur, Tunisia definitely qualifies as ‘distant’, it’s doable by a train ride and a guided tour.

Tozeur, Tunisia holds the former Star Wars...

PSA: What should tourists to Thailand expect after the King’s death?

A quick note to my awesome readers: a lot of this comes from what I’ve read on the internet, what friends are reporting, and what Iknow about the country in general. As I type this, I am in Atlanta, Georgia, and like most of you am seeing things unfold from afar.

Also, a secondnote: the Thai powers-that-be havelongenforced the country’s lèse-majesté policy, and enforcement of that law has only intensified over the past few years. Do not, under any circumstances, be heard talking about the ki...

How we get to so many places when we travel

No matter how long you’re traveling, there comes a time when you want to take in a lot of places in a short amount of time. Here’s how to do it. Know yourself – and what interests you

It’s perhaps the first rule in many things, and yet it still holds true. Why are you traveling? What are you hoping to learn or do or accomplish or create? Goals or purposes have a place here, so…

Plan where to gowith your priorities in mind.

There arehundreds or even thousands of places to see in most places...

Destination: the Center for Extreme Art (Eduardo Moscoso Prohibito Centro Cultural Arte Extremo) – Cuenca, Ecuador (NSFW)

Combinea Trick Art Museum and H.R. Giger’s horrifically awesome world, and you might have something like the weirdestplace in Ecuador.

Might go without saying, but this one is NSFW and not for thesqueamish.

Hidden on the outskirts of Cuenca’s touristy center, the large-house-sized space is Eduardo Moscoso’s to decorate with decades of created art. First opened to the public in 1996, the space also serves as a place for performances and some drinks – come by at night for the best chance to se...