All Sorts of New Stuff

What's new?

One of the most exciting news is that Travel and Transitions is now a designated YouTube Travel Channel Partner. You can find our extensive video clip collection at http://www.youtube.com/travelandtransitions.

Over the last few months we have created and uploaded almost 800 video clips from amazing destinations such as Sicily, Austria, Mexico, Cuba, Tenerife, Puerto Rico, Florida and Virginia. We also have video clips, video compilations and slide shows from urban destinations such as New York City, Pittsburgh, Orlando, Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Halifax and many others.

Just recently I completed an official travel assignment in San Francisco - one of the world's most exciting and beautiful cities. I took many hundreds of photos and video clips during this four and a half day outing. Once all this image material is processed it will go up on Youtube and various other video sharing websites.

My next major international travel assignment is scheduled for May of 2008 when I will be travelling to London, England. I am planning an extensive article series and multimedia production to cover all sorts of unique angles of this fascinating and diverse city.

This web site changes frequently an almost daily basis and new content is added. Here are some links to some of the content that has gone up recently.

Live Travel Stories:

I just recently returned from an awesome trip to San Francisco. This city truly captivated me. From the fascinating history to the stunning physical beauty to the diverse neighbourhoods and great outdoor places, San Francisco is a phenomenal destination. Stay tuned for my travel stories from San Francisco!

Niagara Falls is an international travel destination and attracts a diverse audience of travellers from Europe, Latin America and Asia. It is also a popular weekend getaway for residents of Ontario, New York State, Michigan and Ohio. Join me on my packed 3-day winter getaway to explore the unique facets of Niagara Falls.

My three-week trip to Sicily has been one of my most exciting trips to date. As part of another language immersion trip I studied Italian in the beautiful town of Taormina and enjoyed excursions to the ancient Greek settlement of Siracusa and a drive around Mount Etna, which by the way, had just erupted during my stay. Then I spent a week on a sailboat, sailing through the gorgeous Eolian Islands, all the while studying Italian with a great crew of students /teachers. Then I added a few more days to explore places such as Milazzo, Cefalu and the beautiful Nebrodi Mountains.

I had an opportunity to explore the historic Royal York Hotel behind the scenes. In one of Toronto's most historic and prestigious hotels I was able to explore this property from the sub-basement to the roof-tops and learn a lot about its history, the people behind it and the infrastructure that makes it run.

Casa Loma is one of Toronto's landmarks. In a first-hand discovery I explored Toronto's Castle and the man behind it: Sir Henry Pellat, one of Toronto's most successful industrialist and an intriguing personality of the late 19th /early 20th century.

The Distillery District, one of Toronto's hot new entertainment areas, has long fascinated me. It also happens to be the largest preserved Victorian era industrial district and has been brought into the 21st century with a great vision.

So much to explore, so little time, but one thing is for sure, Toronto sizzles in the summer. This article gives you a rundown of some of my recent exploits over the last few weeks including the Beaches Jazz Festival, the Salsa on St. Clair Festival, various neighbhood explorations and culinary discoveries.

Summer is a wonderful time in Toronto. On July 8 and 9 I had a chance to sample Summerlicious, Toronto's restaurant festival, the Celebrate Toronto Street Festival as well as Afrofest, North America's largest and longest running festival of African music and culture.

On July 8, 2006 I attended a special charity event: a skydiving event to raise money for Planeterra which supports community programs for needy people in various countries through Latin America.

For a long time now I have wanted to explore Montreal. Well, from June 29 to July 3 I finally got my chance and explored a fascinating city that really knows how to party!

One of the biggest events on the Toronto Islands was held the weekend of June 24 and 25: the Toronto Dragonboat Festival - one of Toronto's biggest picknicks and a fundraiser for breast cancer.

Toronto sizzles in the summer with festivals. On June 18 I had a chance to check out the free music, fun and food at the Taste of Little Italy.

On a little country driving tour on June 11 my co-workers and I explored the country village of Creemore, the four-season resort town of Collingwood, the 14km long beaches of Wasaga Beach and the waters of Lake Couchiching right next to Orillia.

May 29 was the day of my first live on-air radio interview with Voces Latinas, and the interview was done entirely in Spanish. Now you can read about my first forays in the world of media and what nervousness has to do with it.

Toronto's architecture festival Doors Open is held every May and judging by the lineups at the different buildings, it has become a true success with the audience.

Ottawa has the largest tulip festival in the world and it is a huge event attraction over 600,000 people. Read my 14 live travel stories from Canada's capital.

On May 4 I went to a special fundraising event called Ignite the Night, a phenomenal night of circus performances that raised $20,000 for street kids in Peru.

Come along on my Mexican immersion experience in the heartland of Mexico, covering places such as Mexico City, Cuernavaca, Taxco and Tepoztlán. I explored many beautiful people, met same amazing pepole and really got to know the country.

For the first time ever my husband and I went skiing to the Canadian Rockies. From March 4 to 12, 2006 we got a sneak peek at Calgary, and then went on for one to Banff and got a chance to explore Western Canadian hospitality.

From February 10 to 12, 2006, my friend Theresa and I went to Ottawa to check out Winterlude, Ottawa's famous winter festival, and to skate on the Rideau Canal, the world's largest skating rink

On January 28, 2006 my sister-in-law, nephew and I went on a one-night getaway to the Barrie area, just north of Toronto. We stayed in a wonderful B&B, explored downtown Barrie, made a connection with a nice German exchange student and went on a snowtubing adventure at Horseshoe Valley.

Our mission for our Florida trip from November 26 to December 12, 2005 was to explore "Orlando - Off the Beaten Path". My mission for this trip was to explore Orlando and Central Florida without setting foot once inside a theme park. The 21 stories from this trip show that I managed to complete this mission successfully.

From October 20 to 23 I went on a quick weekend adventure to Chicago, one of my favourite places, to meet my friend Linda.

On October 8 my husband and I did a lovely driving tour of the area west of Toronto, including the Caledon Hills, Fergus, Elora and Guelph.

I had a chance to go on a culinary and historic tour of the St. Lawrence Market, which allowed me to savour delicious treats and learn surprising things about Toronto's history.

The first weekend in October was a gorgeous weekend, just the perfect time for a little country excursion into the lake district northeast of Toronto.

My recent local excursions allowed me to explore the Lake Ontario Waterfront Trail, part of a 740 km recreational trail system along the northern shores of Lake Ontario.

From August 27 to September 6 I had visitors in Toronto from my home town in Austria: my brother, his wife and 2 friends. I got a chance to show off my new home town. We also did a driving tour through Niagara Wine Country and the beautiful Kawartha Lakes region.

From August 3 to 8, 2005 I visited the Canadian West Coast (Victoria and Vancouver) for the first time - what an amazing place! You'll find a total of 6 travel stories, including coverage of the first Canada-US Servas Conference (Servas is a volunteer organization of hosts and travellers in 130 countries who intend to build peace through travel.)

Here are my travel stories from my fabulous July 27/28 overnight getaway to Rochester. I finally got to take the Rochester-Toronto high-speed ferry and had a chance to check out some of the things that Rochester has to offer: beautiful tree-line neighbourhoods, street art, a wealth of preserved historical buildings, sprinkled with delicious dining and waterfront experiences.

Check out my live travel stories from my kayaking trip to the Ottawa from July 22 to 24. River that my friend Leslie and I did. I finally had a chance to go camping again after 8 years, got my ass kicked by the river, and ended up with a serene day of mountain biking and experimented with photography. Ontario's backcountry excursion was perfect.

I just recently did an interview with the world's leading medical relief organization: Doctors Without Borders/Médécins sans Frontières who have volunteers stationed in crisis regions around the world. Here are 6 live stories from people volunteering for MSF who write about their first-hand experiences about providing humanitarian aid in places such as Sierra Leone, El Salvador, Cuba, or Afghanistan.

On July 17, 2005 my friend Shauna and I went on a girls-only excursion to Buffalo and the Niagara Peninsula. Along the way we visited architecture by Frank Lloyd Wright, checked out downtown Buffalo and had some great moments by the waterfront.

My husband and I took our airmiles and spent 5 exciting days in New York City from May 4 to 8, 2005 - check out 7 live travel reports from the Big Apple...

From April 1 to 16, 2005 I studied Spanish in Havana, Cuba, and I enjoyed my most interesting and fascinating travel experience in my life. You can read 16 live travel stories about this amazing Cuban adventure.

Interviews:

At almost 90 years of age, Ben Viccari is full of energy, right now filming his secon television documentary. He shares with us stories of growing up in England in a mixed English/Italian family, experiences in WWII and his almost 60 years in Canada where he has dedicated himself as a voice for multiculturalism.

Many cities today have free greeter program that link up local residents with out-of-town travellers for free neighbourhood tours - a great way to get to know a city like an insider. Cicerones is the free greeter program of Buenos Aires and will help you explore that city - free of charge!

Toronto's Distillery District is a collection of 44 historic industrial buildings dating back to the Victorian era. What was once a run-down unsavoury area has turned into one of the hottest entertainment districts in Toronto. My interview with Mathew Rosenblatt, one of the developers of this fabulous area, sheds light on the unique vision behind this project.

Lenny Lombardi is the President of CHIN Radio and Television, an organization that pioneered multicultural broadcasting. He sheds light on the history of multiculturalism in Canada and the importance of his role as a bridge builder between different communities.

Christina Zeidler is the main person behind the revitalization of Toronto's historic Gladstone Hotel. This interview introduces her as a hotelier, social entrepreneur, artist and urban visionary.

Calgary's Kensington area is one of the main entertainment areas in Alberta's capital. This interview will give you a great overview of this unique neighbourhood, full of specialty storesm, restaurants and cafés.

Paul Teolis is a travel photographer and an animator with years of experience in Hollywood's movie industry. Now you can read his interesting life story and his deliberate life choices to leave Los Angeles and to focus on a more quiet life.

Hermilo Brito is the founder of the Ideal Language School in Cuernavaca which focuses on making Spanish learning fun. He is also the President of Cuernavaca's Association of Language School and has been in the language teaching business for over 30 years.

Jorge Torres is the Director of the Cetlalic Alternative Language School in Cuernavaca which specializes in learning Spanish in a social, cultural and political context.

Ruben Cortes from Morelos Trails tells us about his adventure travel and tour guiding company which specializes in the Mexican State of Morelos.

Pablo Buitrón is the Executive Director of Fundación Comunidad, a local Cuernavaca non-profit organization that helps local women empower themselves.

Skills for Change is a Toronto-based organization that helps new immigrants adjust successfully into the Canadian workplace. I talked with Exeuctive Director Jane Cullingworth to learn about what successful immigrant integration is all about.

Kevin Lee is the Executive Director of the Scadding Court Community Centre. His organization sends local underprivileged youths abroad to Mongolia, India and China for cross-cultural learning experiences that change their lives.

David Rhodes, an experienced life coach based in the U.K., gives us an overview of "Expatriation Coaching", talks about culture shock and the critical decision as to whether or not to relocate to another country.

The National Gallery of Canada is definitely one of Canada's treasures. In this interview you will get a great overview of this revered Canadian institution.

Just about a month before our trip to the Canadian Rockies, I had a chance to talk to Tourism Calgary about Canada's Heart of the New West.

Esther and Li, two young Toronto women of Jewish and Chinese descent, went on a Holocaust education trip and created an independent Holocaust documentary whose message transcends all faiths and ethnic backgrounds.

Ottawa is my next travel destination. I had a chance to talk to Ottawa Tourism to get a general idea of Canada's capital, and I also talked to an expert about the ByWard Market, one of Ottawa's key entertainment areas.

Many of us think of living or retiring in a foreign country. Phillip Townsend is an expert on this topic and talks to us about 4 unconventional choices: Nova Scotia, Dominica, Panama and Cuba.

In March of 2006 we are planning to go skiing in the Canadian Rockies. We'll be exploring Banff and Lake Louise, and some of the most stunning scenery Canada has to offer.

I had a chance to talke with Danielle Weiss about the topic of "Sustainable Tourism" and what it means to all of us to travel with less impact on the cultures and environments at our destinations.

Susanne Schleyer, a Berlin-based photographer and multi-media artist, talks about her 3-part exhibition "Trilogy" which explores Germany's World War II history in today's context. Susanne explored her own grandfather's Nazi history, travelled to Argentina to explore German WWII immigrants including Jewish refugees and Nazi perpetrators, and she spent time in Saint Petersburg, Russia, exploring the consecration of Europe's largest war cemetery that collected and reburied German soldiers from all over Russia.

Danielle Weiss talks to us about her life-transforming travel experiences in Latin America. She fell in love with the language, culture, music and people of Latin America.

My associate Clare Wang talks about the mysterious giant: China. She talks about travelling to and doing business in China and some of the communications crunches that can occur.

Toronto is a great tourist destination, and just recently it launched a Greeter Program that allows out of town visitors to be matched up with a local volunteer that takes them around and shows them the city through the eyes of a local resident. Other convenient tourist services were introduced recently as well which provide much more convienent information access to tourists coming to Toronto.

Bruce Bell is a man of many skills, over the years he's worked as a comedian, actor and playwright and in recent years he has become a renowned expert about Toronto's history. He's a colourful personality and he offers walking tours of different historic parts of the city, where he combines his historic knowledge with his penchant for the performing arts.

Recently Dr. Scott Rains contacted me, after having come across this website. Dr. Rains is an expert on disabled travel and universal design, a design philosophy that makes buildings and facilities available to people of all sizes, strenghts and age categories. Dr. Scott will become a regular contributor on disabled travel issues.

A little over a month ago I met Danielle Lafond, a social worker form Toronto, who, together with her husband, has remortgaged her home to start a non-profit community development organization in a fishing village in Peru. Their first project was shipping a container of donated medical supplies to the town of Mancora and they hope to provide other medical and social assistance in the future to a town that has been stricken by unemployment and drought.

Mony Dojeiji completed a 5000 km Walk for Peace through 13 countries. Here is the second part of her story, where she describes her journey through the Balkan countries into Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and finally Israel. This is part II of her story.

Valma Brenton has travelled the world, worked on senior managerial positions in countries like Chile and Tazmania and today runs a business, Sailing for Women, that is dedicated to teaching women sailing and self-awareness skills to help them become vibrant, successful and self-confident so they can create their own miracles.

During the recent Canada-US Servas Conference I met some pretty interesting individuals, who have literally travelled the world and hosted other travellers from all different countries. Here are 5 interview previews of some extraordinary individuals who will be sharing their experiences in detail in the near future. And here is the first completed interview with Helga Smith, who escaped from East Germany in 1963, emigrated to the USA, become a Marathon runner and evenconquered Mount Kilimanjaro. Robert and Bette Allekotte are also Servas members and have travelled the world as a family and welcome travellers from all over the world into their homes. Mary Jane Mikuriya, also a Servas member, has an interesting life story, growing up in WWII of Austro-Hungarian and Japanese heritage has made her a champion of social justice very early on.

My favourite scenery is a combination of mountains and oceans. Vancouver has it all, and Grouse Mountain, the Peak of Vancouver, is a beautiful lookout point at 4100 feet that overlooks this beautiful city and offers sports and recreational opportunities all year round.

During my kayaking weekend on July 23/24 I came across a young woman by the name of Krista Scott, who was an intern at the camp. Krista has recently completed a 13- month adventure trip through Australia where she was also working as a harvest worker in different locations. After completing an ESL program at university, she is also planning to head out this September to each English as a Second language in Vietnam. Krista struck me with her spunky spirit and her beaming smile.

Volunteering is a fabulous way of combining travel with making a positive contribution to this world. This interview with Isabelle Jeanson from Doctors Without Borders will tell you more about the philosophy, missions and volunteering opportunities with this global medical relief volunteer organization.

Mel and Marie decided to make their dreams come true and moved their family from Britain to Spain to start a new adventure travel company. Read here how they came up with the idea, what they went through to do it and where they are today.

Based on my fascination with unconventional and affordable travel, I have been interested in RVing for a while. Catherine Fleming from the Canadian Recreational Vehicle Association was willing to enlighten me about the unique benefits of RV travel.

I recently interviewed my good buddy Mario, a true world traveller, who speaks 6 or 7 languages, was born in Italy, grew up in Australia, lived in Mexico and South East Asia, and travelled the world extensively. He finally decided to share his adventures with me.

Another interview, this one with Gail Morse, Marketing and Public Relations Director for the Big Apple Greeters, NYC's organization of volunteer greeters who dedicate themselves to personally introducing their city to out-of-town travellers, is finally finished. Here you can read how you can explore NYC through the eyes of an insider and make a friendly connection.

My friend Martina and her daughter Jennefer went on a 1400 km cycling trip from the very south of Germany to the northern tip of that country. In this artcile, Martina tells us her story of this special mother-daughter bonding experience.

In June I completed an interview and a real life tour with Toronto Hippo Tours, Toronto's amphibian bus sightseeing company that provides an urban safari adventure, on land and in the water. Going on this odd vehicle was a real treat...

Here you can read the story of Dan and Judith, a professional couple in their 50s, who spent 2 years living in the Provence, exchanging their house in a nice Toronto neighbourhood for a country house in a small village in southern France. They just recently returned from a trip back to Provence and are now sharing their impressions.

On an early summer evening walk on Lake Ontario, I decided to interview the captain of a houseboat. Captain Ron graciously accepted and enlightened me about houseboating, a neat and affordable way to travel, and a full-time life-style for many of his friends.

Here is an interview with Maria McGowan, Communications Manager for Pier 21, Canada's immigration museum. From 1928 to 1971 Pier 21 was Canada's "front door" to millions of immigrants, including displaced persons, evacuee children and war brides. The museum shines a fantastic spotlight on the experience of these people.

When it rains, it pours: here's another new interview: this one with Gary Dunn, expert on the concept of caretaking, which is an opportunity to live completely rent-free in different places all over the globe while looking after other people's properties.

Here is another finished interview: this one is with Dr. Arya, my cool dentist, who went on a trekk to Nepal to connect with the Himalayas, his most intense and amazing travel experience ever.

Hot and sizzling: an interview with the organizers of Caribana, Toronto's huge Caribbean cultural festival, which will be held from July 15 to August 1 this year. Enjoy soca, calypso, reggae, beautiful costumes, delicious Caribbean food and thousand of gyrating hips dancing through the streets of Toronto.

Another exciting Toronto event: here's an interview with the organizers of Pride Toronto, one of Toronto's biggest festivals. According to media estimates Toronto's Pride Parade now draws in the neighbourhood of 1 million spectators and Pride Week is an annual week long festival that celebrates our diverse sexual and gender identities, histories, cultures, families, friends and lives.

Interesting news: an interview with Carole Wagner who works at the US head office of Servas, a nonprofit organization whose goal is to promote peace through intercultural exchange. People can join as a traveler, as a host, or as both a traveler and as a host. but you don't have to be both. Travelling through Servas is much more than just a low-budget form of accommodation, it allows you to connect with locals and create international friendships and understanding.

Here is Kristen Juschkewitsch, from the Toronto Culture Department, who is one of the Organizers of Doors Open, Toronto's architecture festival. On May 28 and 29 you can visit more than 140 unique and interesting buildings free of charge, read more in this interview.

Here is an interview with Sue Kenney, best-selling author, pilgrim and spiritual leader whose pilgrimage to Spain's Camino de Santiago transformed her life. Sue is a fascinating individual and her life story will touch you.

In my interview with my friend Carol you can read about her experience living in Turkey for almost 8 years. She fell in love with Istanbul and with a little town called Parga in Greece and made life-long connections.

In early May an interview with Ivana Grzetik, sea-kayaking entrepreneur and former Miss Universe Croatia, who gave us practical tips on travel to Croatia.

Personal insights and reflections:

As I move along on the journey of creating this web site you can read my own personal thoughts and reflections, things that go through my head (and occasionally torment me..).

After completing my wonderful recent trip to Mexico I reached some insights and made some personal resolutions.

At the beginning of a new year I look back and I reflect on the things that have inspired me. I also look forward to things to come with this website.

60 years after the end of World War II I have some very personal questions about the history of the generation before me. My father and his generation have always remained a mystery to me, and a cause for some very personal questions.

On November 18, my company officially celebrated 15 years in business and we celebrated the contributions of New Canadians who work with me who have made a tremendous difference in the success of my business. It was a real celebration of diversity.

Here are my personal thoughts after my brother and our other 3 European visitors left. Our 4 Austrian guests spent 9 days with us and it's incredible how much I miss them.

On August 27, 2005 my brother, my sister-in-law and 2 friends from Austria were scheduled to arrive in Toronto. For all 4 people it wouldl be their first time in North America and it would be the first time my brother was going to visit me since I left Austria 19 years ago. I was really excited to welcome them here for 9 days so we would be able to explore Toronto and Southern Ontario together.

In July, my husband and I checked out the Celebrate Toronto Street Festival. This was just a couple of weeks after Toronto unveiled its new brand, Toronto Unlimited, at a big press conference in Toronto's Distillery District. There were 9 major entertain events going on in the city from July 8 to 10, talk about entertainment overload....

At the end of June I found out that Dan Hickman, who I did an interview with just recently about his and his wife's 2-year house-swapping experience in Provence, has passed away early this week from a heart attack. Combined with today's subway bombing in London, this made me think about how precious life really is.

In early July I decided to head off to Vancouver and Victoria in beautiful British Columbia. I planned to spend 5 days in early August on the gorgeous Canadian West Coast, covering the US-Canada Servas Conference and exploring the cities of Vancouver and Victoria, places I have wanted to visit for a long time.

In late June my husband and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary with a number of activities (I am happy that we still get along after knowing each other for 10 years now...) and we really enjoyed the first summer weekend with a number of outdoor activities.

On May 29, my friend Shauna and I had a chance to visit "3 beauties from the 1930s" at Doors Open, Toronto's free architectural festival. Come along with me on this sampling of architectural delights from the Art Deco age.

Recently I played hooky from the office for a day to travel over to Toronto Island and meet Sue Kenney, a successful published author, pilgrim and spiritual leader and we had a fascinating conversation.

I have also been taking stock of the first few months of running the web site,reflecting on the trials and tribulations of a fledgling webmaster.

Cuba has been my most fascinating travel experience, and my time in Cuba taught me a few interesting things.

Travel Guides:
Our country guides provide you with useful concise country information and helpful book links for planning your next trip. Our latest edition is a comprehensive country guide about Canada. Our Chicago Travel Guide is our latest addition and you will also find insider guides for Montreal, Banff, Kennebunkport, Smuggler's Notch and other North American destinations on our Travel Guide page.

Through our collaboration with varoius regional experts we are now also able to offer unique insider information on various city and regional destinations in North America, including places such as Montreal, Banff, Kennebunkport, the Adirondacks and many more.

Travel Tips:
Here is a collection of amazing stories of disabled travellers and athletes that will inspire you. In addition, here is an article about travel preparation for disabled travellers, travelling with a canine companion and information about rights for disabled travellers.

Check out my article on green travel, or how to travel in an ecologically friendly way and no longer feel guilty...

Here is my collection of tips and resources for travel photography.

Useful Travel Resources:
We have also been working on creating a brand new section called Useful Travel Resources, which brings you a collection of valuable web sites in many different categories, including budget travel, live/work/study/abroad, travel for women/families/seniors/singles, travel and learn and many other really interesting forms of travel.

New Sections:

Our Canuck Corner for everything to do with Canada, as well as our Cool Women section, which includes profiles of, interviews with and experiences of really cool women, including travellers, travel experts, writers, entrepreneurs, and regular people like you and me who have done some cool stuff. Our Special Offers section contains offers and special deals from travel suppliers and other companies who are extending special benefits and discounts to our readers at Travel and Transitions.

There are always lots of things in the works and I am continuously working on creating new content, doing more interviews with interesting people and compiling travel guides and tips to provide valuable information to you for your travel plans.

In the near future we will also start to run a travel story contest which will offer some fabulous prizes, so check back often and stay tuned on all the new developments at Travel and Transitions.