Top 10 Reasons to Visit the Azores

There are so many great reasons to visit the Azores. With an abundance of beauty, lush vegetation growing from the contrasting volcanic rock, beautiful farmland, a great seaside influence, an unspoiled culture and welcoming local people, it’s easy to understand why National Geographic’s Traveler Magazine rated the Azores as an “authentic, unspoiled and likely to[…]

Flying High Above Benicassim, Spain

As part of this past week’s #BlogTripFIB, I had the amazing opportunity to fly in a small plane over the city of Benicassim (one hour north of Valencia, Spain) and take some aerial photos with video blogger extraordinaire Diego Pons of Viajando con Diego. As a self-proclaimed airplane geek, I was thrilled when I received a call from @joantxo offering me the chance to snap some birds-eye-view shots of Benicassim and the FIB festival grounds.

Follow Me as I Visit the Azores

Beginning next Wednesday, you’ll be able to follow me as I visit the Azores. During my stay, I’ll be tweeting about my adventures as I tour the islands of the Azores, courtesy of my hosts the Portuguese National Tourist Office and SATA – Azores Express. In addition to following the @BrilliantTips Twitter stream, you’ll be[…]

Kick Back on New Zealand’s Waiheke Island

Just a short 35 minute trip by fast ferry from downtown Auckland, New Zealand’s Waiheke Island is just the spot to get away from, …well, Auckland. A blend of beaches, forest and farmland, the picturesque Waiheke Island is located in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand. Offering a great range of things to do, it[…]

Nova Scotia’s Celtic Traditions

While at the New York Times Travel Show last weekend, I stopped by the Nova Scotia Tourism booth to see what was new and had a great chat with their sales rep Michele. One of the things we talked about was Nova Scotia’s Celtic culture and history and its vibrant music scene. There are as[…]

Giraffe Manor – Go Eyeball to Eyeball with Giraffe

This past summer, my neighbors took a once in a lifetime family trip around the world, visiting 15 countries during a relatively short period of 35 days. The Rickards’ modes of transportation during their great adventure, according to rickardstravel.com, included “traveling via planes, cars, elephants, taxis, trains, metro systems, camels, boats and buses.” Accommodations included[…]

Wellington’s Funky and Fascinating Cuba Street

One of our favorite areas in Wellington, New Zealand is the Cuba Street District. Once the route of the Wellington trams, the middle section of the street was closed to traffic after the removal of the rails in 1969 and is now one of the busiest areas in Wellington. This is a cool neighborhood full[…]

Akaroa – New Zealand’s Only French Settlement

The charming township of Akaroa sits at the edge of a pleasing harbor inside the eroded crater of a gigantic, extinct volcano. Akaroa is located an hour and a half drive southeast of Christchurch on Banks Peninsula, the South Island’s most impressive volcanic feature. The peninsula has two prevailing craters which form Lyttelton and Akaroa[…]

Tripology Closing Operations

It was very sad to hear the news regarding the sudden closure of Tripology late yesterday. Despite being lauded throughout all areas of the travel industry, and apparently having just achieved one of its best revenue months in January, the award winning company (and novel idea) had to suddenly terminate all staff and start looking[…]