For almost 25 years, my company, DFA Intercultural Global Solutions (www.deanfosterassociates.com) has been providing intercultural training programs and products for our corporate clients: this means providing companies with the information they need about the culture in which they might be working.  We provide information about all major cultures, how they work, make decisions, run meetings, negotiate, etc.  We thought that we could take this information and put it into app formats, making it available for all travelers, not just our corporate clients.  This way, even independent frequent business travelers, as well as leisure travelers, can have all the important cultural “do’s and don’t’s” right at their fingertips whenever they travel.  Other travel guides tell you what to see and where to go…only our CultureGuides© tell you how to get along when you get there.

I chose Brazil because as you may know, I love the country and can easily relate to it. If you haven’t been there yet, maybe you can consider heading there for the world cup in 2014. And if you can’t make it, there is always the olympics in 2016

So what did I think about this travel app? The app is a great introduction to Brazil. It provides lots of useful information, such as the history, people, language, general etiquette, food and more. For someone who has no background on a country, this app will provide the fundamentals. It’s easy to read and straight to the point. My suggestion was to take the tool further and add a section about the different regions in Brazil. Although the app provides good basic info on Brazil as a whole, it can improve on providing specific info on regions. This is especially useful when a backpacker is planning a trip and not sure where to start looking.

The app also displays a map of Brazil which is a good start. In time, I suggested they add a localization feature where the phone would locate a user’s location and give them the ability to give them directions to a given destination (just like google maps but via the tool). I think this tool will be extremely useful for travelers when abroad and will remove the need to carry a map. Maps always turn out to get lost or wet anyway, right?

Overall, I think it’s worth taking a look at the app if you want to learn more about a given country. You can download it on your iPhone or Android device for $9.99. If you’re looking for an app that provides tools rather than knowledge when traveling, you may have to wait until the app comes out with a second release.

Let’s end the week with a fun contest! Hostelbookers is hosting a contest where travelers share a piece of advice related to travel in order to enter.  Enter and attempt to win your personalized action figure from firebox.com as well as a personalized geek travel map. Contest ends on June 6, 2012.

You can visit the hostelbooker blog for more information.

Created by: CollegeAtHome.com

In case our local Montreal news didn’t make it to your country (which I really hope it didn’t), our students have been protesting against tuition hikes for over 12 weeks now. The liberal government announced earlier this year that tuition would be increasing by $325 per year for the next 5 years. It’s about a 75% increase over the next 5 years.

www.ctv.ca

Some Background Info

A Quebec student currently pays about $3,500 per year for a university education.  The national average is double. The difference is due to tuition fees being frozen in Quebec since the 1990′s with the following principle in mind: making education accessible to everyone. Quebec students pay less than 20% of the cost of their education, where the difference is subsidized by the government (also known as tax payers).

Current Situation

When the protest first began, I was indifferent. Although education in Montreal in cheap,  we are all aware of situations where money is mismanaged due to corruption or lack of proper supervision. I understood where the students were coming from: before increasing tuition fees, let’s fix our bad spending habits and see how much we can save. Got it. The general public has been generally accepting of the hike since the start mainly because it’s common sense that tuition fees should increase, even if it’s simply to keep up with inflation.

The problem is that students began to annoy the public by protesting on bridges and causing traffic jams, organizing protests that turned into mini riots in the city and most recently, the the entire metro system by detonating a few smoke bombs. This entire non-sense will cost the city millions of dollars in damage control, from fixing broken windows to paying our officers overtime. And for what? $325? But what really turns me off in this situation is that they are closed to other options, such as improving financial aid and introducing the hike over 7 years instead of 5.  They are stuck on a tuition freeze and what they proposed as measures is unrealistic if you ask me. They suggested a two-year freeze in new investments in universities and increase sales tax to help finance tuition and avoid a tuition hike among other things. In which, NO, I refuse to pay more taxes! And YES, our universities need to be invested in so we can remain competitive and continue to attract international students, because they, also help to finance education for Quebec residents. It went from being a protest against the hike to a social revolution on education.

As a taxpayer, I wake up and go to work every morning to earn a living. And from every paycheck, I pay 40% worth of taxes that the government reinvest in our society, from healthcare to infrastructure to education. And I’m ok with this. But now we find ourselves in a situation where our fellow students are complaining about a hike that I find reasonable but they don’t think should pay more for education. They claim it won’t be as accessible if fees go up. I think I’m missing something here? Don’t we pay more today than we did yesterday for housing for example? That’s definitely a yes. But is anyone complaining about it? Education should be considered a self-investment. And honestly, if a student is not willing to invest in himself, why should I invest more in him?

All this to say that I think we are reaching a point where the province/government can no longer afford to pay for everything. Something’s gotta give. We want our healtcare to be free, our education to be free, etc. And knowing that with the hike, student tuition will still be lower than the rest of the country, I’m having a difficult time understanding where they are coming from. You give a kid a ball, they want a toy. That’s exactly how I feel about our students right now- completely spoiled.

This post is based on my personal views and are not related to any other article or group.

The most interesting part of visiting South Africa is definitely learning more about the country’s history. Johannesburg is not the most attractive city but let me tell you that it’s comparable to visiting a museum. It’s safe to say that most of us are aware of the apartheid, at a minimum. We know that there was segregation between the white and the black population. And until Nelson Mandela came to power in the 1990’s, there was a lot of oppression against the black population. The best part of being in Johannesburg was to get the opportunity to really understand what happened and how people felt about it.

Let’s start from the beginning. Johannesburg became popular after an Aussie discovered gold mines in the area in 1886. This is when Europeans (primarily Dutch and English) began flooding the city and the mining industry began to boom. Since the Dutch were the first to settle in the country, the Afrikaans language was enforced mainly because they were afraid of losing their power with the overwhelming number of English immigrants and schools. It’s safe to say that Afrikaans is an adapted version of Dutch.

SOWETO, a neighbouring city of Johannesburg is a town filled with such history. It stands for SOuth WEstern TOwnship. It’s where Nelson Mandela lived and where the famous Orlando stadium is located. Nelson Mandela’s ex-wife Winnie still actually lives there. It’s in SOWETO where black men coming from villages would stay when they arrived in Jo’burg to work in the mines. Most men left their villages to stay in the township’s hostels while their families stayed back home. SOWETO unfortunately welcomed a flux of people in 1948 when the Afrikaans National Party took power and began evicting the black population from Johannesburg. That’s when segregation officially began in South Africa, meaning that the whites and blacks would be treated differently for almost the following 50 years. They were required to travel with a dom pas (dumb pass in English) every time they stepped out of their designated areas. They were not allowed to simply walk in the streets of Jo’burg. If they were caught without the dumb pass, they were automatically arrested. The police or white people could request to see the dumb pass at any given time.

SOWETO gained negative popularity on June 16, 1976 when a student protest erupted in gun shots after the National Party wanted to set Afrikaans as a mandatory language to be taught in schools. Unfortunately, that day is now remembered by all South Africans due to not only the event but an infamous picture of Hector Pieterson. The older boy carrying him went on exile soon after that picture was taken and the girl is his sister. She now works at the Hector Pieterson museum.

If you’re heading to Johannesburg for one reason or another, do make sure to make a stop in SOWETO. I would strongly recommend booking a B&B and spend a few nights there.

How did the idea of starting your own travel blog come up?

I started it back in 2006 after extensive travel – I was going to write a book but life got in the way and I had so much material and experiences that I didn’t want to waste, so I decided to start Women on the Road. There weren’t many of us then.

 What travel topics do you focus on?

I empower women to travel solo – so everything I write is designed to help women travel on their own by lessening their fears, giving them tips on how to cope if and when they are afraid, practical stuff like relationships and family issues on the road, hygiene, health, budgeting… you name it, and I’ve probably written something about it. The only thing I don’t really cover are specific destinations because so many other writers do that beautifully. My destination information is more incidental to what I write.

What’s your favorite country you visited and why?

No, I can’t even go near that question. There is no country I love completely – each has a dose of reality, some good, some bad, and no country I can completely dislike. Among my favorites are Burma (I’ve been six times), Laos, Eritrea, Panama, Spain… and there are so many more. Mostly I tend to like/dislike countries based on people and culture. Sometimes it’s the food – as in Mexico or Thailand. Natural beauty helps, as in Brazil, as does a strong sense of history, which I feel across France and Italy. And so on. You see why it’s an impossible question?

What travel adventure are you off to next?

I’m thinking of backpacking across Albania… If I stay away from the coast, chances are I won’t run into too many foreigners… There’s also Vietnam, Borneo and Patagonia on the horizon somewhere.

Are you a beach, mountain or city person?

A city person most of the time. I’m a redhead so the beach is pretty much off-bounds, unless I want to end up looking like a lobster and feeling like bacon. I live in the mountains (in the French Jura) so enough of that. Cities, give me cities, with their vibrant energy. Cities I love? New York, Paris, Madrid, Bangkok, Hong Kong – I like my cities lively and bustling.

What do you most look forward to when you visit a place for the first time?

I look forward to riding the bus. It’s the first thing I do when I get somewhere. I find local buses go everywhere, so I get a sense of place. I sit there with my map and by day’s end I’m an old hand at neighborhoods. I’ve found no better way to get to know a place.

I just wanted to share with all you outdoor and travel geeks from Montreal that there is a festival that may interest coming to Parc Jean-Drapeau in May! Yes, you may be thinking “and yet another festival” but hey, it’s related to travel! How can we miss this one? And, it’s free!

This year will be my first year at the festival but from what I was able to gather, this outdoor and travel event will include exhibitions, workshops, activities and much more.

Schedule

You can read more about this outdoor and travel festival here.

Even if you’re not a wine junkie, you most probably know that South Africa is one of the top new world wine producer. If you didn’t, well now you know! South Africa was introduced to wine when the Dutch arrived in South Africa. The first vineyard was introduced in Constantia which is the closest vineyard to Cape Town, perfect for a one day trip if you’re tight on time. Otherwise, you can visit Stellenbosch or Franschhoek which are about an hour away from Cape Town. We decided to take a tour to Stellenbosch so we wouldn’t have to worry about drinking and driving. And it’s a good thing we took a tour because we began wine tasting at 10am and ended at about 6pm. Five vineyards and 30 glasses of wine later, let’s just say we couldn’t taste the differences in wine anymore.

I must say that the vineyards we visited got progressively better as the day went on. We decided to buy one bottles from each vineyard. What a great idea. I can’t wait to open a bottle. It will bring back great memories from South Africa, that’s for sure.

Interesting Facts that I learned during my tour:

• Stellenbosch is knows for its wine making with Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot and Pinotage wine grapes. Pinotage is a blend of Pinot Noir and Cinsaut that was created in South Africa.
• Red wine is achieved by fermenting the juice and the skin of the grape while the fermentation of white wine is done using the grape juice only.
• Yeast is necessary to begin the first fermentation. It converts the sugar into alcohol.
• The second fermentation most often involves red wine sitting in oak barrels for a set period of time (depending on the wine maker). Barrels are toasted (light, medium or dark) so the wine can pick up its oak aromas. Barrels cost a few thousand dollars so wine makers will reuse their barrels a few times before buying new ones. This will of course impact the aroma of the wine.
• A sommelier is a wine expert/professional.
• So why do wine glasses have a stem? So you can see the color of the wine and so that your hands don’t warm up the wine.

Wine Tasting Steps:

1. Before you taste wine, you need to look at your wine. Is it clear? Is it dark? For white wine, the lighter the color, the younger the wine is. For red wine, it’s the opposite. If you’re red wine is darker, it most probably means it’s a young wine. Of course, there are other factors that come into play but you can always keep this in mind. You can also swirl your glass it to see how thick and how quickly the “legs” drip. This will determine if the wine is high in sugar and alcohol content. If the legs come down quickly, it means it’s low in sugar and alcohol. And vice versa. Lastly, you can tip your glass to the side and see if the wine at the border is clearer than the middle part. This would tell you how concentrated your wine is. Sometimes, when the vineyards experiences a rainy season, the grapes are filled with water and that will have an impact in the concentration of the wine they make that year.
2. Once you know that, it’s time to smell your wine and guess what aromas you smell? Does your wine smell fruity? Floral? Woody? Spicy? Like chemicals? Mineral?
3. Now, it’s the fun part… let’s taste the wine. This will confirm your smell of aromas. Does it really taste like lemon? Is the wine dry? Acid?

You’re ultimately looking for a well-balanced wine. Meaning that there is a good level of sugar and acid. It can be disappointing when you smell nice aromas and when you actually taste the wine, it’s very acid. Yuck! But all this to say, if you’re in South Africa, or in any wine making region for that matter, do make a stop at the vineyard. It will be an interesting experience, guaranteed!

Easter has become a particularly popular time for families to set off for some of Europe’s best and most amazing snow-capped mountains and there are holidays tailored to help parents and children make the most of their time on the slopes. There are all manner of child-friendly entertainments laid on at dozens of resorts so that families can get take their youngsters to the mountains while schools are closed for the Easter holidays. And your next festive ski or snowboarding holiday doesn’t need to cost a fortune either with plenty of last minute offers and cut-price deals available online.

Whatever time of year you have in mind for your next snow sports getaway and whether you’re travelling with family, friends or on your own there are always plenty of last minute luxury ski holidays being made available. It is well worth doing some homework online before you place your booking but there are serious discounts being offered on what are potentially outstanding and extremely fun holidays.

In terms of potential destinations that last minute ski holidays can incorporate there really is no limit. With offers consistently being made on the best and the best known ski and snowboarding hotspots across Europe, including the Alps and Scandinavia, and in several parts of North America.

]]> http://offtrackbackpacking.net/2012/04/07/finding-late-ski-deals/feed/ 0