For people who love chocolate and love travel, what could be better than a chocolate museum?! Here’s a list of the best from Reuters.com
1. The Cologne Chocolate Museum; Cologne, Germany
2. Musee les Secrets du Chocolat; Geispolsheim, France
3. Pannys Amazing World of Chocolate, Phillip Island Chocolate Factory; Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia
4. Choco-Story Chocolate Museum; Bruges, Belgium
5. Museu de la Xocolata; Barcelona, Spain
6. The Chocolate Museum (Musee du Chocolat); St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada
7. Choco-Story Chocolate Museum; Prague, Czech Republic
8. Candy Americana Museum, Wilbur Chocolate; Lititz, Pennsylvania
9. Chocolate Museum; Jeju-do Island, South Korea
10. Nestle Chocolate Museum; Mexico City, Mexico
The culture of the Netherlands differs from region to region, but it is well-known that the Dutch people showcase a willingness to adopt certain characteristics of exotic cultures, while preserving their own identity. Traditional to the culture of the Netherlands are tulips and sweeping flower gardens, windmills, blue and white pottery called Delftware, and wooden craft work such as clogs or boats. In this video, WatchMojo.com checks out the world’s largest flower garden, as well as a neighborhood featuring well-preserved windmills and houses, Amsterdam’s canals, Delftware pottery, and a wealth of other elements traditional to Dutch culture.
When Scottish Highlanders get bored on the job they get creative.
Traveling and bathrooms are inextricably linked, and yet the need to use the bathroom while in a foreign land can be a daunting experience because of cultural or language differences (heck, I even got confused once at an Irish pub). So, to start:
- It’s good to know how to say “toilet” in the language of the country you’re traveling to. You’ll also notice that many countries use the term “W.C.” or “water closet” to mark the bathroom, as this was the original term for the room with the toilet.
- Europe is filled with freestanding public urinals, called”pissoirs.” Unfortunately (and obviously) these are for men only.
- In Beijing, pay-as-you-go toilets are also self-cleaning so you don’t have to worry about germs and odors. However, you sometimes have to worry about exact change.
- In India, you may find a public toilet manned by an attendant. Make sure to have lots of change, because they may charge extra for toilet paper.
- In Japan, you may encounter hi-tech toilets with many special features, such as a heated, adjustable seat, water jets, massage options, a blow dryer, flushing sounds and more.
Tourism to Italy dropped 25 per cent in 2008 from the previous year. The tourism industry is the country’s most important business, affecting many other industries: restaurateurs and tour bus operators both complain of empty seats. The country claims that fewer visitors are coming from Europe, Russia and Japan; however the most missed tourists are from the United States. Read more…
The gloom and doom of the economy makes us want nothing more than to get away from it all, but unfortunately we can’t afford it! Exotic travel doesn’t have to be expensive if you’re willing to enjoy the cheaper version of the real thing. Instead of Paris visit a much more affordable Quebec City, if you want to visit the world, see it all at Las Vegas.
Continue for more ideas.
Presumably, before you travel you have some sort of plan of which attractions you’d like to see. And presumably, your list is very similar to everyone else who will be visiting that same location. Here is a list of the nine most disappointing attractions in Europe; they might be disappointing because of over-hype or too many tourists:
Castles inevitably have a rich history, and are therefore a great interest to travelers. Here is a list of some of Europe’s most important and beautiful castles:
Check out a few more of Austria’s castles in WatchMojo’s travel profile:
During excavations in Istanbul - to build a tunnel under the Bosphorous Straight to link Europe and Asia - the remains of a settlement, boats and a grave site were found. Until these discoveries, it had been believed that Istanbul was 2,000 years old. Now, they know the city has been around at least 6,000 years more than that. Check out the BBC report on this discovery.
For a little background, here is WatchMojo’s travel profile on Istanbul:
I have enough trouble trying to figure out what to tip in my own country - I can’t even begin to describe the issues I have when traveling and this problem arises. Fortunately, here is a guide to tipping around the world:
Restaurants: 15% to 20%, with 20% being the norm at high-end restaurants.
Taxis: 15%, or round up to the next dollar amount.
Hotel Porters: $1 per bag, but at luxury hotels such as Four Seasons properties, $2 to $5 per bag is the norm.
Hotel Concierge: $3 to $5 for a simple service, such as arranging airport transportation. For a more complicated request, such as a hard-to-score reservation, tip $20 and up.
Restaurants: Service charges are included in most meals, but add another 5% to 10%. If no service charge is included, add 15% to the bill.
Taxis: 10%.
Hotel Porters: The equivalent of $2 per bag (or about 1.50 euros)
Hotel Concierge: $2 is enough for easy requests, but this amount should increase to $30 or more for special requests, such as getting an after-hours tour of the Louvre.
Asia: Japan, China and Hong Kong
Restaurants: In Japan, it’s considered an insult to tip for anything. In China, 3% is the norm, and in Hong Kong, 10% to 15%, if it’s not already included in the bill.
Taxis: In China, no tip is necessary. In Hong Kong, round up to the next dollar.
Hotel Porters: $2 to $3 per bag at high-end hotels.
Hotel Concierge: $3 to $5 for basic requests such as dinner reservations. Incrementally increase the amount based on the complexity of your request.
Restaurants: If it’s factored in, leave a few dollars extra. If not, leave 10%.
Taxis: It is not necessary to tip.
Hotel Porters: The equivalent of $1 per bag.
Hotel Concierge: $2 for easy tasks and up to $20 for more intricate requests, such as arranging Mumbai’s top jeweler, Neelam Kothari, to bring her latest collection to your hotel room for a private viewing.
Africa (Major cities such as Cape Town or Nairobi)
Restaurants: In most cases, gratuity is already factored in. If not, 10% is the norm.
Taxis: 10% in major cities.
Hotel Porters: The equivalent of $1 per bag.
Hotel Concierge: $2 for simple tasks. Increase the amount based on the complexity of the request, but usually there’s no need to exceed $20.
Restaurants: For fine dining, 10% to 15% is acceptable. Otherwise, a service charge is almost always included.
Taxis: Round up the fare to the next dollar amount.
Hotel Porters: The equivalent of $2 per bag.
Hotel Concierge: $2 for each basic task, such as arranging transportation, and up to $50 for harder requests, such as scoring tickets to a sold-out opera at Sydney Opera House.
Restaurants: There is no tipping in Argentina. Otherwise, if it’s not already included, leave 10%.
Taxis: Round up the fare to the next dollar amount.
Hotel Porters: The equivalent of $1 per bag.
Hotel Concierge: Nothing is required for basic requests such as dinner reservations, but you can leave $10 or more for trickier tasks, such as getting a private tour of one of the several wineries just outside of Santiago.
Restaurants: 10% to 15% is expected.
Taxis: Round up to the next dollar amount.
Hotel Porters: The equivalent of $1 per bag.
Hotel Concierge: For simple tasks, $2 per request is enough. For more complicated ones, increase incrementally based on the task–up to $20.
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