The mission of The New7Wonders Foundation, founded by Swiss-born Canadian Bernard Weber, has the express aim of documenting, maintaining, restoring and reconstructing world heritage under the motto: “OUR HERITAGE IS OUR FUTURE.”
On July 7, 2007 (07.07.07) the New7Wonders Foundation announced that The Great Wall of China(China), Petra (Jordan), Christ Redeemer (Brazil), Machu Piccu (Peru), Chichen Itza (Mexico), the Colosseum (Italy) and the Taj Mahal (India), were the New Seven Wonders of the World (which we wrote about here).
Now the Foundation is asking for our vote again but this time on The New Seven Wonders of Nature. The 28 finalist are [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
Being Canadian and living in the United States, it amazes me that there are so many differences in our foods. I understand that some things are different since Canada has a marked British legacy, as it only gained full autonomy from the U.K. in 1982. Add the fact the we have a strong French influence too, this makes some of dishes uniquely Canadian, such as, Tourtière. That said, I feel that our palates are not that dissimilar.

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
As we traveled cross country on our 2600 miles, 10-day family road trip to Ontario, Canada we found our smart phones indispensable in making our trip a little smoother. With the assistance of GPS capability, a map app, the RoadAhead app and Yelp applications, we were able to enhance the overall organization and quality of our time on the road mostly by avoiding the formerly common incidents of not being able to find a restaurant, gas station, rest stop or lodging when we needed it.
I have found RoadAhead to be an oh-so-smart road travel tool. The GPS [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
Lost and unclaimed luggage? Someone mistakenly walking away with my suitcase at the carousel? That’s just not in our plans this summer. There is nothing like a lost bag (invariably, the one containing all the essentials) to ruin a vacation. So, as I was preparing our family for our summer getaway,

I love to travel. I hate to look like a tourist. Especially in a metropolitan setting (it’s a whole other style discussion if I’m going to trek up and down the Grand Canyon). The ubiquitous camera is the first dead giveaway. And then the shoes. The comfortable, sensible walking shoes. Might as well have TOURIST tattooed in all caps on your forehead, right? You’re with me, I know it. It’s not that I need to wear 3 inch heels when I’m about to take the 3 miles city walking tour. I just don’t want to look… dowdy in my comfortable [...]

We have all heard of the recent infestation of bed bugs, even in the most reputable hotels and retail venues. Bed bugs don’t discriminate and super cleanliness doesn’t detract them either.  I can brush off a spider with the back of my hand, but the idea of bed bugs anywhere near totally paralyzes me. It almost – almost – is reason enough for me to never want to leave my home. Since that is not an option, I thought I should research products that would help with the bed bug problem. And allow me to travel and sleep while doing [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
My father loved his safari vest. He found it so convenient, especially when traveling. Even though this was before cell phones and mp3 players he was still able to fill all the pockets with change, car keys, kleenex, maps and lord knows what else (kind of like my purse). The only problem was that when worn it always looked so bulky and lumpy. Scottevest has come up with a solution for this that is not only practical but also streamlined and stylish. Their 22 pocket vest is made of lightweight breathable Teflon-treated Cotton/Nylon blend. It [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
Just released in March 2011, the CARMAZZI 1BAG has been designed to be the only bag a person will ever need, regardless of their situation. The premise behind the bag was to create the perfect laptop bag, but after receiving over 2000 blog post giving feedback, the CARMAZZI 1BAG was born to suit not only a laptop but also the owner’s productivity, travel and fashion demands. This one bag can be a backpack, carry-on suitcase, messenger bag, briefcase or anything else that suits the occasion.
How can one bag do this? This ingenious design allows you [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
I have been invited to a weekend away. My only fashion requirements are a bathing suit (yikes!), a bathing suit cover up (whew), a sundress for dinner out and a casual skirt for sightseeing. I pulled out all my clothing requirements with accessories and realized that I was going to need a bigger suitcase.
I resent having to pay to check luggage – and the wait to retrieve it at the carousel – and every other nickel and diming the airlines have had to resort to, especially when I’m just traveling for a weekend!  It was [...]

As a Canadian, the Tilley’s travel sportswear brand was to me as iconic as, say, Land’s End is here in the US. It’s only in doing a little research for this article that I realized that the company has only been around since 1980. Only? Yeah, that’s 30 whole years, but in my mind the Tilley Hat is legendary and in general, legends are older than 30 years old…
My husband is on his third Tilley Hat. Not because any of them have been worn out, but rather because he has been losing them in transit. No other hat will do [...]