Matador Network's Blog, page 1121

Amsterdam airport food guide

Amsterdam’s Schiphol International Airport is just 14 kilometers (about 8.5 miles) from the city. It’s convenient and easy to navigate — a blessing you won’t get at many of the other top 15 largest airports in the world. And when it comes to eating, it’s more than easy to get the right foods to keep your future jet lag at bay (although if you just want a drink and some fried food, that’s easy to find as well). It’s also one of the only airports in the world where getting fish isn’t a mistake.

These are the best places to eat and drink in every section of Schiphol International Airport.

Pre Security

Café Rembrandt: Taking its name from the famous artist from the Netherlands, Café Rembrandt has the vibe of a typical Dutch cafe to get one last taste before you head out. Sandwiches, soups, omelettes, and breads are on the menu to fill you up and make your jaunt through security a little less draining.

Crossroads: A variety of foods from a restaurant that has nothing to do with the Bone Thugs N Harmony song “Crossroads.” There are Dutch pancakes, American hot dogs, and dishes that draw from Nordic and Basque cuisines. You can eat at Crossroads anytime, as it’s open 24/7.

Per Tutti: It’s hard to go wrong with a pre-flight pizza. Per Tutti has grab-and-go options if you’re running late, or you can sit in and enjoy some pizza, pastas, or salads.

Lounge One

Bubbles Seafood and Wine Bar: Depart the country in style with some sparkling wine. This Champagne bar has all the bubbly you could ask for, and you can pair it with seafood like fresh oysters, sushi, or, of course, the Netherlands’ famous salted herring.

Leon: A beloved British chain, this outpost is the first Leon in continental Europe. The food is on the healthier side of fast, with options like kale and peanut salad, grilled chicken, and baked fries.

La Place: While nothing beats a true farmers market, you can get out of the airport headspace for a bit at La Place, which is part fresh bread and fruit market, part Italian-inspired restaurant.

Upper Floor Bar: Get above it all with beer, wine, or a cocktail (or all three) while you look down at the people scrambling like ants searching for their gate. Also has quick snacks if you’re looking to keep your hunger at bay while you drink.

Two Tigers: A sushi and ramen noodle bar that’s fast without losing too much quality.

Lounge Two

Heineken Bar: Maybe you went for it and did the Heineken experience in Amsterdam, and maybe you still can’t get enough of the city’s most famous beer. Heineken Bar is like a bar from the future dropped into an airport where you can sip your beer in peace while staring at the screen on the interactive bar and tabletops.

Moods: Comfort food with a big mood. Beer, burgers, eggs, and fresh juice.

Street Food Market: A collection of three restaurants bundled together like a traditional street food market. There’s The Oven (pizza), The Grill (meat and vegetables), and The Market (ready made items like Dutch-style cakes).

Lounge Three

Bread!: The explanation point in the name says it all. This place is about bread and everything that goes between two slices.

Vit: Detox and recharge with fresh juices, smoothies, and natural food-based meals.

D Pier

Harvest Market: The freshest sight you’ll see in the sterile environment of the airport. Open 24/7, Harvest Market has light breakfast foods like cereal and fruit, quick lunches like sandwiches, and more filling options like steak and pizza.

Murphy’s Irish Pub: Irish pubs are everywhere in this world, and you always know what to expect. Murphy’s is no different. Grab a Murphy’s stout and some bar food.

Holland Boulevard

Tastes from the Lowlands: All Dutch everything. Dutch wine and beer, Dutch snacks like croquettes, Dutch pastries — you name it.


More like this: Amsterdam’s beer and a shot is way better than the one at your local dive

The post Where to eat and drink at Amsterdam’s Schiphol International Airport appeared first on Matador Network.

Eagle Creek ‘Quit Your Job’ contest

If you’ve officially had it with your current job and are thinking of giving it all up to become a nomad, just hold on a little bit longer. Travel and outdoor brand Eagle Creek, in conjunction with G Adventures, is offering five beleaguered workers an all-expenses-paid, two- or three-week trip to wherever it is they most want to go in the world.

Eagle Creek will tour nine cities across the United States for auditions. The audition consists of one question, and your odds of winning are entirely dependent on your ability to answer it better than anyone else: “If you could quit your job tomorrow and travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?” The tour to find the five winners kicks off in Austin, Texas, on April 13, and continues across the country to both coasts through May and June. Find a list of dates on Eagle Creek’s website.

When a winner is selected by the brand’s panel of “travel experts,” they will have six to eight weeks to pack their things and be ready to jet. “We truly believe that travel changes you,” Eagle Creek’s President Roger Spatz said in a press release announcing the contest. “You always come back different. We want to inspire more people to break their routine, maybe take a short leave from their job and get out of town. Not everyone can quit — and we know that — but everyone can explore the world around them a little more, and maybe even make the world a better place.”

In advance of the auditions, Eagle Creek put together a bundle of study materials to help you in your quest to earn a spot, which the brand aptly dubbed the “Tools to Quit.” Among them are a Powerpoint presentation to give your boss about why you really need to travel and a pre-written letter of resignation to hand over once they tells you that your wanderlust is none of the company’s business. In case you’re stressing about how to pay the bills after this meeting, the brand wants you to know that quitting your job is more of a marketing headline than a requirement. You’re eligible to enter as long as you can take a two-week trip.

H/T: KTLA

More like this: This Australian company gives employees 12 weeks of ‘life leave’ every year

The post This company will send you anywhere in the world if you quit your job appeared first on Matador Network.

Clearest waters in the United States

Swimming pools are nice and all, but nothing beats swimming in wild waters, be they rivers, springs, or oceans. Whether you bathe for ritual purposes, for exercise, for the fun of it, or because it’s so trendy some call it “the new yoga,” wild swimming is best enjoyed in clear water where you can see the marine life and the rock formations below you. There are many bodies of crystal-clear water in the US, but we selected the nine most beautiful to encourage you to take a plunge in the great outdoors as soon as the sun is out.

1. Yosemite, California

Photo: canadastock/Shutterstock

Yosemite is one of the few national parks to allow swimming in most waterways. It’s easy to enjoy the Merced River, which is popular not only for taking a dip but for kayakers and rafters, too. A mellow spot on the Merced is at El Capitan Meadow, with waters so calm you can float. Another popular swimming location is the alpine Tenaya Lake, on Highway 120 between Yosemite Valley and Tuolumne Meadows. As with every wilderness swimming location, it’s important to follow the park’s safety rules and to keep the sites pristine by respecting environmental regulations.

2. Devil’s Den, Florida

Photo: ADRIAN DIAZ CADAVID/Shutterstock

Devil’s Den — a 50-foot-deep sinkhole near Gainesville — is a unique place to take a dip. Subterranean snorkeling and scuba diving experiences are key here; general swimming is actually not allowed if you don’t have a mask. Due to the cave conditions, the clear water is always a perfect 72 degrees. As the temperate water evaporates into the ambient air, it emits steam which likely inspired the cave system’s name. Snorkeling and scuba gear are available to rent. Neither crocodiles or alligators reside in Devil’s Den, just a few fishes and a turtle named Nelson. There are, however, ancient rock formations, 33-million-year-old fossil beds, and stalactites.

3. Warren Falls, Vermont

Photo: Lloyd Wallin Photography/Shutterstock

Vermont’s Mad River has some of New England’s most accessible swimming holes. In the , Warren Falls is a fan favorite, with two pretty, medium-sized, waterfalls crashing into the pristine, if frigid, rock-enclosed pool at the bottom. The water in the swimming area ranges from turquoise to clear emerald, depending on the season’s vegetation. It’s a safe and welcoming place to swim, though the cliff divers jumping from the top of the falls might give pause. Because it’s so idyllic, it gets busy on weekends, but it’s well worth the voyage — and you can bring dogs.

4. Lake Tahoe, California and Nevada

Photo: tusharkoley/Shutterstock

Lake Tahoe straddles the border between California and Nevada. It’s a giant lake that’s also extraordinarily deep; in fact, it’s the second deepest lake in the US after Crater Lake in Oregon. That means the water is cold. It also has a long shoreline with diverse beaches ranging from sandy to rocky. Sand Harbor on the north shore in Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park is a favorite for swimming (as well as boating and fishing). The beach is sandy and slopes gently, allowing for easy entry into the crisp, clear blue water. There are also some interestingly shaped boulders that people like to jump from.

5. Havasupai Falls, Arizona

Photo: ronnybas frimages/Shutterstock

At the bottom of the Grand Canyon, on a part of the usually muddy brown Colorado River, is Havasupai Falls. After what feels like a million miles of hiking, a series of waterfalls crashes into some of the bluest water you’ll ever see. The most famous of the falls is Havasu Falls, which drops 98 feet over the orange travertine canyon walls to form a clear aqua swimming hole. This part of the Grand Canyon is tribal land, and the Havasupai people who live there regulate visitation to the falls and their nearby Supai Village. You need a permit to camp as there is a minimum stay length, and the permits are pretty hard to get. They’re issued via an online National Park Service lottery beginning on or around February 1 every year. The permits are not cheap, either — rates are about $150 per night, per person. But this is a trip of a lifetime: to swim under the falls is awe-inspiring and unforgettable.

6. Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park, Missouri

Photo: Missouri State Parks

Set in the Ozarks’ St. Francois Mountains, Missourians love to visit Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park to swim in the enclosed pools on the East Fork Black River. The shut-ins, named because the river is literally shut in by igneous erosion-resistant rock, which renders the pools crystal clear. Some of the pools are placid while others foment to the point of emulating urban water park-type chutes and wave pools.

7. Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, Florida

Photo: Discover Crystal River Florida/Facebook

A warm-water shelter for vulnerable manatees, Three Sisters Springs in Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge is appropriately named. The water is so clear that you can see the bottom of the spring from the boardwalk. From April 1 to November 14, swimming in the springs is unrestricted. During manatee season, November 15 to March 31, the springs are often closed to swimmers to protect the manatees from human contact. However, you can swim with manatees in the springs’ adjacent canal, and there are plenty of tour operators that take snorkelers, divers, swimmers, and wildlife lovers to interact with the animals outside the refuge.

8. Sebago Lake, Maine

Photo: Phillip Sunkel IV/Shutterstock

Sebago Lake State Park, located at the foothills of Maine’s White Mountains, was one of the nation’s five earliest designated state parks. The park’s 45-square-mile lake fills an ancient granite basin fed by Ice Age glacier runoff. Most of the beaches are almost white, fine-grain sand. One of the more popular beaches for families is Songo River Beach at the lake’s north shore. In addition to swimming and other water recreation, you can camp, cross-country ski and snowshoe, hike, and bike. Swimming is seasonal due to the water’s freezing winter temperatures, but ice forms later on this lake than on those nearby. The park is open year-round and there’s a small fee to get in.

9. Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, Oahu, Hawaii

Photo: Pung/Shutterstock

Once upon a time, the Hawaiian royalty used this stunning ocean bay for recreation and fishing. Today, Hanauma Bay State Park is an area dedicated to the conservation of marine wildlife such as tropical fish and rare corals. Still, you can swim, snorkel, and dive with spinner dolphins and sea turtles who call the bay home. Multiple companies offer tours to the park, usually including a shuttle there and back to developed areas, but these don’t include the $7.50 park admission fee. Be aware that the park is closed on Tuesdays — a weekly chance for quiet during the deluge of visitors.


More like this: 6 freezing destinations where people actually go ice swimming

The post 9 of the clearest waters in the US to go wild swimming appeared first on Matador Network.

London’s phone booths sculpture

Britain’s red phone booths are not a functioning lifeline these days, but they have been an icon of the country since their inception in the 1920s and evoke a lot of nostalgia. Those who long for the days when there was one on every street corner love artist David Mach‘s 1989 sculpture titled “Out of Order” that uses 12 of them in a playful way. The large red booths seem to fall onto each other much like a row of domino tiles.

To celebrate its 30th anniversary, the popular structure was closed to the public while being refurbished and is now back to its pristine self — as ready for Instagram as it ever was. The installation is located on Old London Road in the southwest suburbs of Kingston upon Thames.

Photo: Kiev.Victor/Shutterstock

The artist, David Mach, seems pleased with the makeover. “I’m very happy to see ‘Out of Order’ being refurbished,” he said. “It’s one of my best outdoor sculptures. I love these boxes and isn’t it funny that even in these times and although they were removed from the British landscape, I feel they still bind us as a nation.”

H/T: Lonely Planet

More like this: The 9 best shows to see in London this year

The post London’s tumbling phone booths sculpture is coming back after a makeover appeared first on Matador Network.

Teachers win free flights

If you spend your working hours educating others and bettering the world, there might be a free trip to Mexico in your near future. With the walkouts, strikes, and politics surrounding the job these days, CheapCaribbean.com wants to help teachers take a load off. The company is offering 50 free round-trip flights for educators as a way of saying thank you during Teacher Appreciation Week, May 6-10 — an effort that follows the free cruise for teachers offer that Norwegian put out last month.

To register for your chance to win, sign up for the company’s Beach4Teach Club. You’ll be prompted to create an account will be required to prove your status as an honorable educator. On the last day of Teacher Appreciation Week, keep your eyes glued to your inbox. An email will come in with a link and instructions to enter the giveaway. From there, it’s up to luck — and your ability to properly fill out a form and follow instructions, which of course you’re already great at given your profession.

Travel must take place between July 10 and December 10, giving you the chance to opt for a summer getaway, a fall excursion, or even an escape from the creeping cold weather of winter. The rest of the trip is on you — but not having to worry about airfare means there’s no excuse not to opt for the nicer room at the resort, and maybe an extra excursion or two while you’re down there. Even if you don’t win a free trip to Mexico, the club promises loads of travel deals for teachers on the regular. So you should at least be able to score a great summer vacay trip on the cheap.

H/T: Thrillist

More like this: All US national parks will be free on April 20

The post Teachers can win free flights to Mexico for Teacher Appreciation Week appeared first on Matador Network.

Mars Wrigley internship

For the second year in a row, Mars Wrigley is offering the World’s Sweetest Internship. One lucky summer-job seeker will spend eight to 12 weeks on Goose Island in Chicago taking on social media and marketing duties for the brand. Of course, there’ll also be a bit of “quality control” on the side.

But the real perk of this paid internship is the one year’s worth of free candy you’ll get at the end, which is quite a treat given the vast catalog of sweets that Mars Wrigley produces — M&Ms, Snickers, Skittles, Bounty bars, and plenty more.

Apply for the job via the World’s Sweetest Internship website, as long as you’re over 21 years of age and an absolute fanatic about candy. Just don’t let your dentist know where you’re headed.

H/T: Thrillist

More like this: This dream internship will pay you to review luxury flights and hotels

The post Intern at this candy company this summer and get paid — in cash and candy appeared first on Matador Network.

Best places to travel in June

Though it seems like spring just got here, it’s never too early to start thinking about where to take a summer trip. Because the kids are finally out of school and every co-worker has just about had it by the time June rolls around, it’s one of the most popular months to travel, which means the usual suspects like New York City or Italy will be overrun with crowds. In order to avoid spending your entire vacation on line or in traffic, your best bet is to book a June holiday to an unexpected place like north of the Arctic Circle in Canada or to remote islands in Norway. Or to LGBTQ Pride festivals in cities you never thought had them, like Providence and St. Louis. Before deciding where to book your summer trip, take a look at our picks for the 12 best places to travel in June.

1. Yukon Territory, Canada

Photo: reisegraf.ch/Shutterstock

June marks the longest days of the year, and where better to make the most of the sunlight than North America’s northernmost party town in Dawson City? Here you can walk out of Canada’s oldest casino at Diamond Tooth Gertie’s around 2:00 AM to blinding sunlight, and wander through the frontier-like dirt streets to the Sourdough Saloon, knocking back one of its famous Sourtoe cocktails that includes an actual, petrified human toe. You can also do late-night hikes to the top of Midnight Dome, where the sun may not stay up all night but you’ll be able to take in the views of the Yukon and Klondike rivers well after 11:00 PM.

To get deep into the wilderness, jump on a bush plane with Ilinniarvik Fly-in Base Camp in Ivvavik National Park. You’ll fly right into the heart of the British Mountains, above the Arctic Circle, and learn about the culture from your Inuvialuit guides. Mid-June to mid-July are the only times of year Parcs Canada offers this experience, making it the ideal time to visit the Canadian north.

2. London, England

Photo: Bikeworldtravel/Shutterstock

The only time of year you’ll hear anyone even try and make a case for London’s weather is in June, when the city’s brief summer brings locals out in droves. Regent’s Park, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, and pretty much every other public space with even a square of greenery will be packed, as will the rooftop bars and patios at the city’s many pubs.

June is also festival season in London, where Regent’s Park hosts the Taste of London from June 19-23. That weekend 50,000 people will fill the park to sample London’s best restaurants, and learn how to make the food themselves from the city’s best chefs. You can also enjoy the nice weather with a big side of music at the Hampton Court Palace Festival, one of many outdoor music fests that’ll be happening. By June, the new royal baby fervor may have settled down, but the entire country will still be celebrating the Queen’s public birthday on June 8. The Queen has two birthdays, but the second Saturday of June is the fun one, which includes the bombastic Trooping the Colour ceremony and parade.

3. Deadwood, South Dakota

Photo: Jess Kraft/Shutterstock

Fans of the hit HBO show already know it’s slated to return May 31, and with the renewed interest in Deadwood the TV show, Deadwood the city is prepping itself for an onslaught of curious visitors. This sunny town in South Dakota’s Black Hills is full of history from the Wild West, where you can visit the burial sites of Calamity Jane and Bill Hickock at Mount Moriah, or take a tour of the haunted, historic Bullock Hotel. Or have a drink at the Buffalo Bodega, the state’s oldest bar that just feels like outlaws and gunfights.

Deadwood isn’t afraid to lean into its Old West kitch either, offering daily Wild West shootouts in the streets, a play reenacting the trail of Jack McCall (who murdered Hickock), and a “Lawman’s Patrol Walking Tour,” where a reenactor takes you past all of the old brothels, saloons, and gambling houses. It’s also a short — by South Dakota standards — drive to Mount Rushmore and Badlands National Park.

4. Providence, Rhode Island

Photo: Anthony Ricci/Shutterstock

Any weekend in Providence is going to be a good time, as America’s biggest college town is never short on nightlife, bars, or affordable restaurants. But June, when the weather warms up and school gets out, is when the city truly shines. The month kicks off with PVD Fest June 6-9, where art installations, live music, and dance take over Providence’s streets and parks. The party continues the following weekend with Rhode Island PrideFest, one of the largest in the country and one of the only ones with a lit-up night parade.

June is also your only chance of the year to tour many of Providence’s historic homes, when the Festival of Historic Houses takes you through these 18th-century private masterpieces on the 15 and 16. Then try the city’s best food at CRAVE RI, where over 100 restaurants and 150 beer vendors sample their wares from June 20-21. Even if you miss that, you can still visit Federal Hill — one of America’s best Little Italys — and get your fill of Constantino Venda’s famous ravioli.

5. Norway

Photo: Mark and Anna Photography/Shutterstock

Despite the near-perpetual darkness of winter, Norway was recently named one of the happiest places in the world. We’re wagering that poll was taken during the long days of summer, when the ice melts off the Arctic coastline and the entire country feels reborn. The month’s biggest celebration will be in Bergen, where the annual Bergenfest Music Festival runs from the 15th-20th in the picturesque seaside town.

Once you’ve gotten your fill of music, it’s time to explore all the places you can’t reach during the winter. Expedition cruises troll the waters of the Norwegian Sea spotting polar bears, arctic foxes, polar deserts, and icy fjords. Intrepid Travel offers an 11-day Spitsbergen Explorer, taking you to one of the northernmost inhabited places on the planet in the Svalbard archipelago, where colorful houses fill the frozen seashore, backing up onto massive glaciers.

6. St. Louis, Missouri

Photo: f11photo/Shutterstock

America’s best budget summer destination is St. Louis, where your family can explore the animals at the St. Louis Zoo, take in the splendor of the urban green spaces at Forest Park, or spend an afternoon cooling off in the St. Louis Art Museum, all completely free.

There is, of course, also the laid-back summer spectacle that is St. Louis Cardinals baseball, up there with Wrigley Field and Fenway Park as the best baseball experiences in the country. St. Louis also has an annual Shakespeare Festival in Forest Park through June 23, where this year you can bring a picnic and a blanket and enjoy a free performance of Love’s Labour’s Lost. The month ends with PrideFest St. Louis, where Soldier’s Memorial Park hosts one of the largest Pride celebrations in the Midwest from June 29-30.

7. Portugal

Photo: RavenEyePhoto/Shutterstock

Save for Iceland, no country’s national airline has done more to introduce the world to its homeland than TAP Portugal. And this June, the options are getting even better. TAP is adding new nonstop service to Lisbon from Chicago O’Hare on June 1, San Francisco on June 10, and Washington Dulles on June 16. TAP is also taking a cue from an Icelandair program by offering a “stopover” program as part of its Portugal itineraries, where you can book a flight from, say, San Francisco to the Azores Islands, and “layover” in Lisbon for up to five days for no additional charge. So, basically, anywhere you want to explore in the country can be paired with a few days in the capital.

The Azores are especially appealing in the summer, when the sun shines off the green volcanic mountains and the warm waters make for some of the best diving in the north Atlantic. Azores Getaways still offers all kinds of insanely cheap deals there. You can also take a river cruise down the Duomo River, sunning yourself on the top deck as you creep past buildings dating back hundreds of years. Or enjoy the Feast of St. Anthony on June 13, when Lisbon celebrates the country’s patron saint with a night of hard partying.

8. Switzerland

Photo: DiegoMariottini/Shutterstock

It’s the artsiest month of the year in a country that looks like painting pretty much everywhere you go. June 11 marks the beginning of Art in the Park in Zurich’s Baur Au Lac, the city’s largest outdoor art exhibition that draws art lovers and connoisseurs from all over the world. Conveniently, its held just a few days before Art Basel from June 13-16 in the town of, well, Basel (yes, that’s where the name for the international event comes from.)

Unlike its massive Miami offshoot, the original Art Basel is actually about the art, where the world’s greatest gallerists gather to display work from over 4,000 artists. It also includes a film section, installations throughout the city, and featured works from well-known artists. Art Basel has parties, yes, but generally they revolve around the art itself. So if you’re expecting South Beach East, maybe try Ibiza instead.

9. France

Photo: Meiqianbao/Shutterstock

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Allied Forces invasion of Normandy. Or D-Day, as it’s called for short. The storming of the beaches is considered America’s greatest European victory in World War II, and the region will have a full month of parades, fireworks, and even parachute jumpers dropping into the drop zones of the famous invasion. It’s the odd US war battlefield where you can also post up in a 17th-century castle nearby, as the historic Chateau de Courtomer is just 30 minutes away from some of the inland battle sites.

Though Paris is a few hours from Normandy, June is also one of the best months to go there too. The summer solstice on June 21 brings the annual Fete de la Musique, where free concerts play on stages citywide with music from nearly every genre. It’s a chance to catch a show at some of the city’s most famous sites, from the Louvre to the banks of the Seine.

10. Grenada

Photo: Mount Cinnamon Resort

We need only two words to get you over any trepidation you might have about visiting the Caribbean in the summer: Chocolate Fest. The region’s spiciest island gears up for its annual Chocolate Fest from May 31 to June 7, where you can do everything from making organic chocolate beauty products to taking a chocolate-tasting yoga and meditation class. There’s also a full week of treks through Theobroma Cacao tropical forests, visits to chocolate plantations, and plenty of other ways to use “cultural immersion” as an excuse to celebrate Halloween in June.

The Mount Cinnamon Resort is pairing itself perfectly with Chocolate Fest, offering 40 percent off its usual rates during the festival, throwing in two chocolate facials and a chocolate cooking demonstration. It’s located right above Grand Anse Beach, so if you feel like you’re not in top beach shape after a week of gorging on cocoa, you’ll still get a perfect view of one of the Caribbean’s best beaches from your room.

11. Tel Aviv, Israel

Photo: ColorMaker/Shutterstock

Okay, so yes, it might be a wee bit hot in Israel during the height of summer. But you know what cools you off perfectly from a brutal desert sun? Champagne showers from atop a parade float during the biggest Pride event in the Middle East. Tel Aviv Pride attracts 250,000 people from all over the world from June 9-14. The daylong parade on the final day winds through the city’s streets ending with a massive beach party on Charles Clore Beach, where revelers take the festivities well past sunset.

While it’s perfectly fine to spend a vacation doing nothing but drinking and partying, Tel Aviv is also one of the most underrated cities in the world for art lovers. Take a walk in and out of galleries on Nahalat Binyamin Street, look up at the street art, then cool off at museums like the modern Tel Aviv Museum of Art.

12. Sydney, Australia

Photo: Andrew Thoma Huang & Bemo

Is it winter is Australia? Yes, the dead of winter, to be exact. Which means temperatures in Sydney will drop all the way down to a frigid 62 degrees. So pack a light jacket and head down under, because crowds will be thinned, hotel prices will be down, and Australia’s biggest city will be taken over by the southern hemisphere’s largest lights festival.

Vivid Sydney runs from May 24 – June 15, where large scale light installations illuminate the “winter” sky, with projections on buildings all around town including the famous Sydney Opera House. That iconic building will hold a concert from The Cure, as well as “Lighting of the Sails,” an Austral-flora ballet. And the Vivid Ideas series will feature talks from Spike Lee and Where Should We Begin? podcaster Esther Perel.


More like this: MIT developed a new map that is the only cheap flight search tool you’ll ever need

The post The best places to travel to this June appeared first on Matador Network.

How cryptocurrency can help

Chances are you’ve not only heard of cryptocurrency, you’re sick of hearing about it. Bitcoin and other, usually similar, electronic tokens and coins have made headlines around the world for the last couple of years. Some good, some bad. The same is true for blockchain, a decentralized, open ledger technology that forms the foundation of all this hype. Admittedly, the topic of cryptocurrency can get really confusing because it challenges the way that we’ve thought about and handled money our entire lives. After the bitcoin hype of recent years, it’s easy to dismiss it as a passing fad — but it’s very likely here to stay, and will only become more significant in our lives as the years go on. For global travelers, blockchain and cryptocurrency are worth paying attention to because they are already starting to change the way we travel. Here’s how.

The blockchain can provide increased privacy and security.

This is a big deal. Lately, the internet has been flayed wide open by hackers. Some, like Julian Assange, develop major profiles and reputations, while others work hard to remain anonymous and mysterious. The theft of identities and personal data is rampant across every major platform, with 15.4 million people affected globally in 2016, according to financial monitor The Balance. And the stakes continue to rise as our collective economy and society depend on the internet for more and more. A report by McAfee and the Center for Strategic International Studies (CSIS) estimated the likely annual cost to the global economy from cybercrime is $445 billion a year, with a range anywhere between $375 billion and $575 billion.

Personal data is bought and sold — both legally and illegally — at an incredible pace and on a global scale. Travelers are especially susceptible to identity theft and personal data breaches since the open networks we often use at coffee shops and hotels provide hacker jackals their easiest prey. Because blockchain technology is completely decentralized, meaning it isn’t overseen or operated by any one entity or security network, it can change that. There’s no mainframe or master server where your data, identity, or financial information is stored. Without a central server or mainframe, hacking is impossible. So as long as you don’t forget your passkey (which can’t be recovered, so keep it safely stored) your cryptocurrency and personal data are safe.

There are zero commissions and as such, no misleading marketing or fraud.

Because blockchain technology isn’t managed by a company, person, or single entity, there’s no one there pushing you to spend more money or sign up for the latest marketing ploy. This is where the rubber hits the road surrounding cryptocurrency’s usefulness in a global economy, at least from the angle of the individual consumer. It’s also what frightens the hell out of giant online travel agency websites like Airbnb and Booking.com. Blockchain technology and cryptocurrency have the potential to offer secure and trusted transactions that are community governed but don’t involve any third-party middlemen.

Right now, booking sites charge anywhere between 15 percent and 30 percent in commission on every transaction. While the decentralization that the blockchain can provide is not widespread yet, the time is quickly approaching where travelers will be able to stay in hotels, personal room rentals, hostels, and couches through this decentralized, shared economy for 20-30 percent less, without any loss in profit by the renter, tour guide, or other service provider. Companies like Lock Trip are leading the way, combining blockchain and cryptocurrency to take commissions out of the equation.

It should bring cheap flights to consumers.

Photo: Shine Nucha/Shutterstock

One of the first mainstream businesses to accept cryptocurrency was Expedia, who started accepting Bitcoin in June of 2014. While Expedia stopped accepting Bitcoin last year, CheapAir has sold over 5 million flights and counting using Bitcoin, and recently published a roundup of the top cryptocurrency destinations and conferences to entice consumers. The current volatility of cryptocurrency makes this business a live-by-the-sword, die-by-the-sword undertaking right now, but as the technology continues to become widespread and accepted by the general public, the trend suggests that more people will use cryptocurrency to book flights. Again, the lack of commission or fees in a Blockchain environment should mean that buyers will see lower airfare prices.

Cash is not necessary.

Cash is becoming less common in businesses around the globe both big and small. While electronically charged debits can make accounting easier, many small businesses still prefer customers to pay with cash so as to avoid the fee charged by credit card companies on each swipe. Cryptocurrency is poised to fill the void, eliminating credit card fees while actually make the accounting even easier on the business end because each transaction is recorded in the ledger.

This also helps travelers venturing across international borders. Instead of exchanging dollars, euros, pounds, quetzals, soles, and other local currencies via credit and debit cards, which more often than not charge a fee to make the conversion, or paying exaggerated exchange rates in the country, cryptocurrency can be traded, fee-free, between anyone in the world.

Decentralized money means global access.

Photo: Twinsterphoto/Shutterstock

All of the above succeed in taking power away from giant corporations, middlemen, banks, and governments while giving that power back to the individual and small business owner. That is the essence of decentralization and thus, blockchain and cryptocurrency. At the end of the day, currency, whether it’s US dollars, Bitcoin, or anything else, relies on a mutually agreed upon, perceived value being placed upon it by those who use it. In other words, us. The people who benefit the most from a global currency not tethered to any government or regulated by any bank are the people themselves.

Cryptocurrencies represent a form of decentralized money, but that’s just the beginning of what blockchain technology can do. Think about the mobile apps you use on a daily basis. These apps capture our personal data, accept our money, and offer countless goods and services. Every single one of them is vulnerable to hacking. When this happens and the data of millions of users hits the open market, it doesn’t matter how many privacy notices they sent you or restrictions you placed on that data.

Now imagine all of those apps existing independently in a secure, decentralized network built using blockchain. The user experience remains essentially the same across the board, but becomes much more secure and doesn’t fill the pockets of tech companies like Facebook, Google, and Amazon. Instead, it directly rewards independent consumers, providers, sellers, and content producers for their participation. While this is still far from daily reality, forward-thinking decentralized networks like Tron, with its recent purchase of BitTorrent, are already investing heavily in the development of what has come to be known as dapps, pronounced de-apps. Progress is happening and within the next five years, blockchain and cryptocurrency are poised to make a major impact on the way you travel.


More like this: 7 tech tools that will keep you sane while traveling

The post 5 ways cryptocurrency could change how you travel in the next 5 years appeared first on Matador Network.

How food delivery hurts people

Okay, yes, there’s all the stuff like gross human rights violations, rhino poachers, unstable governments, and dubstep. But let’s talk about problems on an immediate level. The stuff that affects you and me and the family members whose calls you ignore. Societal issues like environmental degradation, increased isolation, obesity, affordable housing, and bad dating. Things we all complain about while deciding whether to order from Uber Eats or Postmates without realizing how our default of ordering dinner on our smartphones is tearing down society.

I’m not going to rant about how something as trivial as food delivery is the root of all evil, the spawn of Satan dressed up as a guy in a Kia with a microwavable bag, because the world is far more complicated than that. But delivery food isn’t making any of our problems better, either, and it probably contributes more to our ills than any of us would like to admit.

We pay more for less.

I once ordered a $10 pasta dish from a very mediocre restaurant that showed up an hour later looking like a lukewarm can of Chef Boyardee with a sad basil garnish. For this delicacy, I paid $16 after the tax and delivery fee. Add in a tip (because who wants to be known as a bad tipper?) and I paid literally twice as much for a colder, crappier version of some already crappy food.

I’ve done it a few times since just to see if these new delivery services could do any better. I got a roast beef sandwich where the toasted bread was already soggy. I got a lasagna with cheese that had already started to congeal. The only thing I got that even approached restaurant quality was a filet mignon from a well-known steakhouse. It looked a little less worth the $42 due to the plastic container, and it was cooked wrong. Of course, since I had it delivered I had no choice but to eat it, because sending it back would have meant I’d be getting my new steak just in time for breakfast. All of this cost somewhere between 20 to 30 percent more than it would have if I’d eaten at the restaurant in person.

Food delivery has, somehow, fooled us all into paying a premium for a vastly inferior product. All those things restaurants work hard at and charge extra for — atmosphere, presentation, service — are lost with delivery. And for that, we happily fork over extra money, just so we don’t have to get up from a riveting episode of Westworld. For a generation that’s apparently going to be working and renting until they die, this makes about as much sense as paying for a “deluxe” room at Super 8.

We’re trashing the planet while trying to save it.

Photo: Pixel-Shot/Shutterstock

The environment seems to be a millennial cause célèbre. Marching for the earth and rallying against global warming, stopping just long enough to pull up Uber Eats and order a Caprese salad delivered right to your office in a big container of Styrofoam.

Yes, Styrofoam! That demonic substance that’s been blamed for the hole in the ozone, the trade deficit with Japan, the Kennedy assassination, the stock market crash of 1987, and at least 26 seasons of Chicago Cubs baseball. It has made a roaring return with the rise of food delivery, and apparently, people have forgotten that even if Styrofoam is being used to deliver ethically farmed cauliflower, it still takes up to a million years to biodegrade.

Granted, not every restaurant uses Styrofoam. Nearly all give a series of single-use plastic utensils, though, which are usually wrapped in more plastic. Delivered to your door in, you guessed it, a plastic bag. It’ll arrive just as you’re busy posting a story about a beached whale in Vanuatu with 700 plastic bags in its stomach.

And unless your delivery driver is using a bicycle, there was probably some refined petroleum used to deliver your food. Not that using gas is a sin, but it’s hard to rail against evil oil companies when you’re using their product to get farm-to-table kale salad.

Food delivery robs us of human contact.

The environmental toll is a mere drop-in-the-rising ocean when it comes to things that hurt the planet. The biggest problem with food delivery is how it’s further serving to isolate people, eliminating even more of the precious little human contact we still have.

Getting takeout or, if you’re adventurous, going to the grocery store to cook for yourself, is a social experience. You leave the house. You interact with people. Maybe you meet that special someone while perusing yellow onions in the produce aisle.

With delivery, you get none of that. Your interaction doesn’t involve much past a quick “thank you” to the delivery driver, returning to scarf your food alone in front of a big, glowing box. Single people complain about how they never meet anyone, yet still choose to minimize the people they meet by getting food delivered. There’s only one kind of movie where love connections happen via food delivery, and they don’t exactly end with wedding bells.

We’re paying to live walking distance to everything, but never walk anywhere.

Photo: Sean Pavone/Shutterstock

The desire for walkable neighborhoods and urban density is part of why rents have skyrocketed, keeping us living with roommates until well after 30. Look at an apartment and realtors say stuff like “Yes, it costs $4,500 a month, but there are 16 restaurants within a block! You can sell your car!”

Great in theory, but what are we doing with all of that expensive walkability? Ordering from DoorDash after we decided walking was too hard, especially after that brutal 30 minutes on the Peloton.

Food delivery has now made unhealthy restaurant food more convenient than cooking at home, even if you have a week-old eggplant in the crisper just begging to be sautéed. That means more meals filled with butter and salt and less fresh, home-cooked stuff.

This sedentary lifestyle, of course, then contributes to obesity rates and general poor health, as we sit like Jabba the Hutt waiting for our California rolls, breathing recycled air and wondering why we’re all of a sudden allergic to everything. Then we remember the app didn’t say whether the salmon was gluten-free, and wonder who we’re supposed to ask since UberEats doesn’t have a customer service number.

As with anything, food delivery does have its upsides. It gives jobs to a lot of people who need them. It gives more business to neighborhood restaurants, who may survive longer because they make more money on delivered food. It’s good for the local economy and gets us to sometimes try restaurants we might not have otherwise. And in moderation, it’s really not hurting anybody.

But moderation is the key word, and anyone whose after-work routine is more about opening up a delivery app than opening up their refrigerator is helping to make the world a dirtier, lonelier, and sicker place. Ubiquitous food delivery has made us lazier, more antisocial, and poorer, so perhaps it’s time to delete our delivery apps and get back into the real world — especially when traveling to a new city.

Experience food the way it was meant to be experienced by cooking or going out to a restaurant, and save money while you save the earth. Kicking food delivery to the curb won’t solve all of the world’s problems, but it will help make life better. Or, at the very least, help you remember why you’re paying so much in rent.


More like this: Why America hasn’t built any new airports in 24 years, and what we’re doing to handle the traffic

The post Food delivery is ruining the world, one lukewarm, overpriced dinner at a time appeared first on Matador Network.

Where is Kaliningrad

If Russia is on your must-visit list, you don’t have to travel as far east as you thought. Squeezed in between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea, Kaliningrad is a small Russian province totally detached from the Motherland. It used to be part of East Prussia, and then Germany, until the map of Europe was redrawn after the conclusion of World War II. In 1946, Stalin expelled all Germans from the region and renamed it for a revolutionary, Mikhail Kalinin. Now, even after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Kaliningrad remains under Russian control — though geographically fragmented from the rest of the country.

Only 86 square miles total, with just under one million people, the enclave (or oblast) of Kaliningrad is easily overlooked as a travel destination — when scanning a map, you almost need to squint to notice Kaliningrad, sandwiched inconspicuously between two EU countries. But despite its size, Kaliningrad is an area of Eastern Europe that is well worth visiting, if only for its intriguing history and location. Here’s why you should add Russia’s forgotten province on your next trip.

First, get the lay of the land (literally).

Photo: Maykova Galina/Shutterstock

The capital of Kaliningrad is a city by the same name, which used to be called Königsberg back when Kaliningrad was under German control. The city’s Bunker Museum is a good place to start understanding where you are. The museum is housed 23 feet underground in the bunker where German general Otto Lasch commanded the German defense of Kaliningrad in WWII. It was from this bunker that Lasch signed an order surrendering the city to the Russians in 1945. It consists of 21 rooms, and includes a recreation of the German surrender using models, original maps of the assault, and two films (in Russian) describing the battle. The museum is open seven days a week, and only costs about $2.

Once you have a better sense of the area’s history, you should head to Kant Island, in the heart of the city. Until it was destroyed during WWII, the island on the Pregel River was home to Albertina University, located inside the original 14th century Königsberg Cathedral, where philosopher Immanuel Kant once taught. The cathedral was also fully restored and rebuilt in the 1990s, and Kant’s tomb is still located on its grounds. There is also a beautiful statue park on the island that’s popular with visitors.

Enjoy a Russian beach vacation.

Photo: Belikart/Shutterstock

While you might not think of Kaliningrad as a vacation destination, it actually has some of the most scenic and relaxing resort towns on the Baltic Sea. About 26 miles northeast of the city, Yantarny has the nicest beach in Kaliningrad. It also has a seaside park and promenade. To the surprise of many, Yantarny is also the amber capital of the world. Ninety percent of the world’s amber is sourced from a mine here, and there are plenty of shops selling jewelry and other amber souvenirs. If you’re lucky, you might even find amber shards in the beach sand.

Photo: Khalangot Sergey L/Shutterstock

Svetlogorsk, another seaside town, is also worth a visit. Just 13 miles east of Yantarny, Svetlogorsk was a resort town during the Soviet era, and its beachfront promenade is still quite busy in the summer. It is well-known for its Art Nouveau buildings, cafes, and beaches.

Take a day trip to the Curonian Spit.

Photo: Alexander Suzdaleff/Shutterstock

The Curonian Spit is a 60-mile strip of land beginning in Kaliningrad, crossing the maritime border between Kaliningrad and Lithuania, and rejoining land again in Klaipeda. This sliver of land is a UNESCO World Heritage site, filled with forests, hiking trails, beaches, sand dunes, and museums, and is 2.4 miles at its widest. The summer season is short in the Baltics, but when the weather is warm, people from both Kaliningrad and Lithuania take to the Curonian Spit to hike, sunbathe, and enjoy incredible views of the sea.

Photo: Mantvydas Drevinskas/Shutterstock

Pay special attention to the Parnidis Dune, the largest sand dune on the Spit at 164 feet high. At the top, after a hike, you’ll find a 40-foot-high sundial inscribed with runic and pagan symbols, and a panoramic vista of beach and sea.

Brush up on your knowledge of architecture.

Photo: Maykova Galina/Shutterstock

One of the most intriguing aspects of visiting former Societ-bloc countries is the architectural aesthetic. In Kaliningrad’s capital, one of the most famous buildings is dubbed “The Monster,” because of its stark, almost robot-like appearance. After ordering the destruction of Königsberg Castle, Leonid Brezhnev planned to build the “House of Soviets” in its place — an office building meant to stand as a symbol of Soviet power. It was erected in 1968, but was never finished and remains abandoned. Although some may think of it as an eyesore, it serves as a reminder of the province’s Soviet past and is a textbook example of Brutalist architecture.

Photo: Gl0ck/Shutterstock

Since much of Kaliningrad was destroyed in WWII, the enclave’s structures offer a blend of old, new, and restored. The city’s fishing village, for example, on the banks of the Pregel River, aims to recreate Kaliningrad’s pre-war fishing quarter, with German-style architecture and a 100-foot-tall lighthouse. The suburb of Amalienau, just outside the city limits, is a perfect example of the enclave’s Prussian roots. Originally conceived as a garden city, the roads are a maze of cobblestone alleys and open public spaces, with homes once belonging to the Kaliningrad elite.

When you venture outside the city, there are also plenty of remnants of Kaliningrad’s Teutonic past, like Ragnit Castle in the Nieman District, the Lutheran St. Jacob’s Church in Znamensk, and Georgenburg Castle near Chernyakhovsk — all of which are from the 13th or 14th centuries.

Practical information about visiting Kaliningrad

While Kaliningrad might have its own distinct character, the province is nevertheless part of the Russian Federation, and the same travel rules apply. It can be accessed by land either across the Polish or Lithuanian borders, or via air through the Khrabrovo Airport. If you are a citizen of the UK, Japan, or any of the Schengen countries, you can obtain a 72-hour Kaliningrad visa, which can be picked up at Braniewo or Bagrationovsk in Poland, or at Kaliningrad’s airport. You can apply for a visa prior to entering Kaliningrad, and then pick it up at any of the designated entry points. It costs approximately $80, with a processing time of just four to five days. If you don’t belong to one of the nationalities listed above, you must possess a Russian tourist visa. The process of applying for, and obtaining, a Russian visa is fairly lengthy and complex, with full information available on the US Embassy’s website.

Once you’ve made it into Kaliningrad, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how affordable it is. A beer usually won’t cost more than $1, taxis run from $1 to $6, an average meal costs around $7, and the average monthly rent for an apartment in the city center is just $255. So yes, if you’re not an EU, UK, or Japanese citizen, getting here might be a bit of a hassle, but once you do, your money certainly goes a long way.


More like this: 9 amazing UNESCO World Heritage sites in Russia

The post Kaliningrad is Russia’s forgotten province appeared first on Matador Network.