Florida Culture for the Week of May 11, 2015 by Josh Garrick

May 12 to 17 – Disney’s Beauty and the Beast at the Dr. Phillips Center 

One of the most popular holiday destinations in the United States, the city of Miami attracts scores of visitors every year.This is due to its tropical climate, cosmopolitan culture as well as plenty of things to see and do. From learning experiences to laid-back activities, nearly every type of holidaymaker is well catered for on a trip to Miami.

These highlights aren't just contained within Miami's metropolitan area either, as the surrounding region features equally interesting destinations and landscapes too.

When my husband's work as a coffee trader brought us to live in Granada, Nicaragua for seven months, I wasn't sure what to expect. What I found was a wildly inspiring, quasi-magical realist town on the banks of a massive lake that's dotted with 365 islands filled with monkeys and parrots. The houses and churches (there was one every few blocks) are the colors of fruit sorbets, and there are as many bicycles and horse-drawn carriages in the streets as there are cars.

You know those books - the ones that grab you and don't let go? The ones that teach you about a place, culture, people? Such is the case with a new book written by Eleni Gage, entitled The Ladies of Managua. Eleni is a journalist who writes regularly for publications including Travel+Leisure, The New York Times, T: The New York Times Travel Magazine, Dwell, Elle, Elle Décor, Real Simple, Parade, and The American Scholar.

Florida Culture for the Week of May 4, 2015 by Josh Garrick

May 6 to August 1 – Art in Chambers presents Art by Thomas Thorspecken

Beginning with a free public reception on May 6 at 5:30 pm, the Art in Chambers project at Winter Park City Hall will present the colorful, urban sketches of Thomas ‘Thor’ Thorspecken. The illustrator and journalist began his website, Analog Artist Digital World in 2009 to become part of our community – one sketch at a time. City Hall is at 401 S. Park Avenue in Winter Park. Call 407.599.3498 or visit cityofwinterpark.org

Istanbul wasn’t what I expected. Derelict buildings, many abandoned for years, others trapped in disrepair, doors hanging on one hinge, windows missing, exterior walls bare of paint and understructure exposed. Istanbul—a jumble of yellow taxis jostling for space on the narrow corridors, thousands of pedestrians dodging cars and struggling to cross streets without being hit. 

I know that from speaking with thousands of our Wandering Educators, this group sure can dream of working on the road. Whether it is on sabbatical, becoming a digital nomad, realizing your writing goals, or focusing on international education abroad, there are many, MANY ways to work abroad. But it’s often very difficult to figure out HOW.

Some say there’s never been a better time to visit Egypt. History would tell us there is always a good time to visit Egypt! We’ve been drawn there for thousands of years. But the problem today? Where to go! There are so many fascinating things to learn, see, do, explore. If you have a limited amount of time, and want to see the best of a country, there are suitable Egypt multi destination holidays to help you get to all the important places.

Every holiday offers endless possibilities to enjoy, rest, and unwind. The sight of a beautifully blue ocean or the sky that manages to meet the horizon is enough to make all our city-troubles vanish (at least for the time being!). While most of us have come to the conclusion that for a journey to be relaxing and rewarding, it has to be costly and oh-so-expensive - well, that’s not always the case. It is possible to travel to any corner of the world without spending half a fortune. Here are 7 tips on how to travel cheaply.