Tripzaar

Travel like a local. Pick a destination and what you want to do there. We show you customizable adventures created by local experts. This blog highlights travel tips, tales and general cool stuff that we've discovered in the travel realm. To check out the main site, head to www.tripzaar.com.

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Incredible Hikes in Central America

Today I want to talk about something that I love. Whenever I get asked "What's your favourite destination?" my answers are typically biased to those with mountains, hills or some spectacular hiking - it's a weakness for me.    

I can't quite describe why I love it so much either. Maybe it's the fresh air filling my lungs, the views, or the feeling of accomplishment of reaching the peak of a mountain having made your own path to the summit. Regardless of what draws you to hiking, taking a swig of water out of a crisp, refreshing stream on your way to the summit should certainly be on your list of things to do. 

Clearly, I'm not the only one who loves hiking, because there are people all over the world with a passion, probably bigger than mine, for hiking and exploring, and they want to share it with you. From Spain to Nicaragua, there's a hiking adventure for everyone, beginner to advanced. Today we'll look at some of the coolest (and hottest) hikes located in Central America. 

We'll kick things off in Guatemala around the highland area of Lago de Atitlan (Lake Atitlan). Amongst the destinations in Guatemala, Lago de Atitlan is one of the most popular scenic spots, known as one of the most beautiful places in the world. This region is an amazing area if you are looking for a breathtaking hike. 

For those of you considering yourselves to be a new hiker, you'll probably want to start with a simple one. A pair of locals in Guatemala have just what you need. This single day hike will take you from an indigenous mountain village, down to the lakeside with spectacular views, pine forests and a cascading waterfall. When you finish your hike, you can return to your hostel and relax while everything is looked after by Lindsay and Erich, your gracious hosts. 

If mountains aren't your thing, you can always go for the alternative shoreline nature trail, trekking through shoreline villages along Lake Atitlan. 

Lake Atitlan is home to several incredible hiking experiences, not just Lindsay and Erich's. In fact, if you are feeling even more adventurous, you can take off on a three day trek from Xecam to Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. You'll pass through villages, forests, farms and gain some of the best views of one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. On your third day, you'll wake up to watch the sunrise over the crest of the beautiful Lake Atitlan, a view you'll remember for a life-time. 

If nature trails just aren't doing it for you, why not heat things up a little bit, and go on a molten adventure? Yes, I am talking about hiking a volcano! Now, I'm not talking just any volcano, I'm talking the tallest peak of the "Ten Gentlemen" that surround the town of Quetzaltenango. Hiking enthusiast Jacco will guide you up this 3,722m summit. The top of this hot hike will leave you in awe of the views from above the clouds. Certainly not something you want to pass up. 

Alternatively, you can visit Ometepe Island in Nicaragua and have your pick between two volcanos isolated on their own private island in the middle of a tropical bio-reserve. If scenic sunsets, kayaking, and hiking volcanos is your thing, then you're not going to want to leave Ometepe. The best part; you're connected with Linda - an awesome local who owns a property right next to Ometepe. Linda will take care of you and show you the best places to hike while you're there. 

Now, understandably, hiking a volcano could be a little nerve-racking for some. For others, the adrenaline rush of climbing a smoking hot pile of rocks is enough to keep them energized for a week. However, if you're not feeling up to spending a few hours on this molten mountain, you can always warm up to it (pun intended) by climbing an adjacent peak and simply basking in the views of the volcano without actually being on it. Again, your friend Jacco will be more than happy to take you along with him to this scenic perch, and make sure this hike is one you'll be glad you went on. 

I could go on for hours, but I know you're itching to get started. Whatever type of hiking - whether it's nature trails, shoreline walks, molten mountain hikes, or simply getting a view of volcanos from the tallest peak around - there's a hike in Central America for everybody.

A big shout out goes to Lindsay, Erich, Jacco and Linda, for sharing their passion for hiking and putting together some of the coolest hikes in Central America. 

-Written by Matt Rae

Want to check out these and other adventures in Central America? get started by exploring one of these popular destinations. 

Guatemala | Costa Rica | Panama | Nicaragua 

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It's rainin', it's pourin', but Costa Rica in "Rainy Season" sure ain't boring!

You're telling me that the "Rainy Season" in Costa Rica isn't actually that rainy? Say whaaat?!

When you think of a "rainy season", you probably think of all-day rain, trapped inside while the plants have a party outside. Ya, so did we. That is, until we found out that Mother Nature in Costa Rica is a lot more chill than her uncle Old Man Winter up in Canada.

Turns out, the Costa Rican "rainy season" in July & early August is actually pretty awesome. When we asked our locals, they shared a secret - it's their favourite time of the year.

"I love the rainy season.  Everything is green and lush.  You get the total rain forest/jungle thing going. Mornings are great and then when the height of the rainy season happens--Mid August through early November, the way it usually happens is that you're good for early morning till around 4 in the afternoon.  Then it comes down in buckets, and it's great the next day." - Bert Woodson

"If it does rain it will rain only for a few minutes or a few hours a day. There aren't many tourists around so its almost like being on a secluded beach." - Crystal Cortes

If you're looking for a top-notch experience without the tourists, it looks like Costa Rica is the place to be.  

Check out some great rainy season adventures in Costa Rica

Stay classy,

Team Tripzaar

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Trail Running in Spain & Utah

Training for a big race this summer, but tired of the concrete jungle? 

Hit the trails and go on a running trip. The breathtaking sights and refreshing smells will keep you invigorated, allowing you to push yourself harder and faster than ever before. Training doesn't have to be a grind. It can be an intense adventure as well. So get out of the house. Stretch those muscles and take off. Between the sights and the exercise, you'll be releasing endorphins all over the place. It's certainly better than running along sidewalks for the 10th time this month.  

Click here to see some great running trips around the world  

Keep travelling,

Team Tripzaar

P.S. More of a hiker? We've got some great hiking trips too.

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The World is Only a Quick Jog Away

With summer having finally arrived and air conditioning units on full blast, there is no better time than now to get outside and get active. For those of us who aren't 'beach ready' all year round, now is usually the time that we start hitting the trails for a jog every once and a while to stay fit. 

If you are anything like me, the same old boring scenery while running reduces the distance that you can go. You run for a while, but everything is the same as the day before and as your mind gets bored, you start to quit. Personally, I need to have new scenery, something interesting to look at, and something more breathtaking than the same old houses and asphalt to keep me engaged. I also find that when I travel, I tend to neglect exercise and when I return home, I'm tired and out of energy because I didn't stay fit while I was away. So how can you do this? How can you stay fit while seeing the world and give yourself a change in scenery?

Well thankfully, some of our locals have been hard at work solving these problems. Whether you are a pro marathon runner, or just starting out like me, there are some awesome running adventures that will keep you fit and introduce you to some breathtaking scenery on your travels. You can return home feeling physically fit, and well-travelled. 

We'll start closer to home, in Moab Utah, USA. Chris, a local runner, has built a series of running adventures through canyons and valleys alongside the majestic Colorado River. He offers up a series of one and two day adventures through various regions of Moab. One trip includes an overnight stop-over at a local ranch where you can refresh and catch your breath before the next day of breathtaking views (pun intended). Chris lives and breathes these adventures and knows the trails like the back of his hand. You can be sure he'll take great care of you and make sure this run is a run you'll never forget. 

You can take a look at Chris's Castleton Overlook, and other trips here.

These running adventures have started catching on in Spain too! Whether you feel like jogging along for one, or even seven days, Pablo and Cristina have you covered. Pablo is a former Triathlete and Cristina is a young professional in the tourism industry around Girona; together as a couple they have created a series of running tour packages sure to please. Touring all around Costa Brava, you will run along coast-lines, old cities, and along cobblestone walkways with scenic views of mountains, beaches, and pine forests. End each day with great dishes as part of their "Gastronomic Tour" attached to the trip and get a taste of all the foods from each town you visit. 

Be sure to check out Pablo and Cristina's trips in Costa Brava here. 

Chris, Pablo, and Cristina are doing some awesome things in their home towns and forging a new travel experience at the same time. We expect many more adventure experiences like these showing up in locations all over the world in the near future. We want to thank Chris, Pablo, and Cristina for pioneering some of these incredible adventures. We hope that you'll like them as much as we do!

-by Matt Rae

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The Sophisticated Traveler

One of our locals in Costa Rica wrote an article on how Tripzaar is helping the sophisticated traveler get the "real deal" when travelling the world. 

"You have a thirst for living the local culture, your guide takes you on horseback to the 200 foot tall waterfall, doesn’t speak English, you don’t speak much Spanish, and you don’t care. His family is serving your lunch in their home and everything is fresh and grown on the farm. This is a traveler. Tripzaar is soon going to be the adventure traveler’s premier choice for booking trips of a lifetime!"  - You can read the rest of the article here

Bert Woodson is one of our locals in Costa Rica who creates these experiences, and gives visitors to Costa Rica the "real deal" that he talks about in this article. You can check our Bert's trip here: 

Foodie and Adventure Getaway in Costa Rica

A big thank you goes out to Bert for writing the article, and for getting out there and providing an awesome experience for fellow sophisticated travellers to take part in. 

Our locals like Bert are what makes this new way of travel a reality, and we look forward to hearing the stories as more people begin travelling this way. 

- written by Matt Rae

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An Adventure in Costa Rica

A few weeks ago a pair of happy travellers returned home from an 8 day adventure in Costa Rica. The trip was the first Tripzaar trip ever for Sarah and Karen and from the sounds of it, there will be many more in the future. We connected Sarah to one of our Tripzaar locals in Costa Rica and they messaged each other back and forth ahead of time to finalize the details of their trip.

They spent 8 days in Costa Rica, and we're looked after by Crystal, one of the locals. Crystal organized a number of activities for the girls to do while down there, and they were all run by friends and connections of Crystal's. When they got back we asked them to tell us all about it, and we wanted to share their experience with you. 

Why did you book with Tripzaar?: 

"My friend and I had 8 days to spend in Costa Rica and knew what types of activities we wanted to do, but weren't sure how best to go about booking our adventure trip. I emailed Crystal through Tripzaar and she put together an itinerary that was exactly what we were looking for."

What was the highlight of your trip?:

"ATV'ing to a private waterfall that was off the beaten track was really incredible and something we never would have known about if we hadn't had the local knowledge through Crystal. Also, she had arranged for surf lessons, but I couldn't believe it when two surf instructors arrived for our first lesson so that my friend and I had our own instructor - we learned so much and had a great time getting to know them."

This was your first experience working with a Tripzaar local, how was it?:

"Crystal was amazing to work with. Her knowledge of local activities, restaurants, and culture enabled us to have an adventure vacation that we were looking for at a reasonable price. Crystal and I emailed frequently prior to the trip, as she ensured that she had taken care of everything we were hoping for, and I was so impressed that she continued to email us each day we were there to make sure we had enjoyed our day and that everything was going smoothly. She met us for dinner our first night there and brought us maps and a list of great restaurants and places to check out. She had arranged for us to be picked up at our hotel for each activity and made sure she confirmed each activity in advance so everything went as planned."

Did anything go wrong? If it did, was it handled well?:

"When we arrived at the hotel, they had thought we were arriving the day before. We mentioned that to Crystal and she double checked with the hotel, making sure everything was as she had arranged and communicating with us the whole time. It was a hotel mix-up that had nothing to do with Crystal, but she took care of sorting it out."

Would you recommend this trip to a friend?:

"Absolutely! Crystal took all the stress out of planning a trip like this and it completely exceeded my expectations. I would definitely recommend Crystal, as well as this trip to others."

I was a little jealous reading the description of their trip and seeing the photographic evidence of their adventures. Are you as jealous as I am? You can view some of Crystal's trips here. To browse other popular trips with locals around the world head here.

A huge thanks goes out to Crystal for using your passion and making Sarah and Karen's trip an unforgettable experience. Thank you Sarah and Karen for sharing your experience with us.

-Written by Matt Rae

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Kayaking Around the World

With warm weather finally starting to arrive for most of the Northern Hemisphere, I've been thinking a lot about summer sports lately. There's my go-to's, like beach volleyball and golf, but there's also the sports that I'd like to spend more time on, like kayaking.

And not just kayaking around in a small lake, but real kayaking trips. Other than canoeing, there's very few ways to get that kind of adventurous freedom on the water. Just the thought of taking off for a few days and charting my own path makes me excited. I love technology as much as the next person (in fact, probably too much), but disconnecting every now and then is always a much-needed change of pace.

This excitement for all things adventure has definitely spread to Tripzaar as well. Almost all of my favorite trips on the site have an adventurous streak to them. For example, when chatting with our locals who offer kayaking trips, I definitely caught myself grinning into the phone a few times.

Two trips that especially stick out in my mind are the 3-Day Kayaking adventure we have in Costa Rica & the 4-day "Adventure of the Gods" kayaking trip that takes place in the Greek islands.

  3-Day Kayaking Adventure in Costa Rica

When I first talked to Thomas & Vigdis, the locals in Costa Rica that run this trip, I could tell they had the same itch. Originally from Norway, they moved to Central America and opened up their own kayak & fishing lodge. Now they spend their time taking adventurers out on kayaking trips and showing off their favorite spots. It's the kind of thing most people dream of and they've made it their reality. 

For their trip, they take you to incredible islands in the Gulf of Nicoya with untouched beaches and diverse wildlife. You also get to go night kayaking and experience bioluminescence. Because it's a 3 day trip, you camp two nights on these untouched beaches, sleeping in mosquito & rain-proof hammocks. Pretty amazing, right?

Adventure of the Gods - 4-Day Kayaking in Greece

Bobby, our local behind the trip through the Greek islands, has a similar outlook on life. Based out of Bulgaria, he takes people out to the islands on an adventure they won't forget. Mixing up local dishes & drinks with incredible kayaking, it's as much as cultural experience as an adventure trip.

Specifically, he'll take you out on the Turquoise Sea to two unique caves that were previously used to hide subs & ships in WWII. Another day you'll land on a private island owned by the Onassis family then paddle over to another island for some Greek coffee & a typical Lefkada dessert. All in all, a great adventure and the kind of thing that leaves you thinking 'wow, that was incredible'.

What makes both of these trips so amazing is how these locals have taken something they loved, added in the flexibility that a kayak allows and made a complete experience out of it. It's such a simple formula, but provides incredible results.

If you compare it to a classic all-inclusive resort package, it's not even close. No doubt this is how we were meant to travel. So thank you Thomas, Vigdis & Bobby for taking your passion and making something amazing out of it!

- Written by Andrew Cross

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How to market your trips and get customers.

We get asked all the time about the best ways to promote a trip. The cold truth is that you can have the best trip possible, but if no one knows about it, you won't get any customers. It's a problem, and one that we want to fix.

We've seen, and tried, a variety of different promotion methods and have learned the hard way what works and what doesn't. Since making people aware of the awesome trips that exist benefits the travel industry as a whole, we've decided to publish our tips and tricks for promoting your trips effectively. 

THE GOOD

Reviews: A staple of the travel industry, ratings and reviews are probably the most important part of marketing your trip. Trip Advisor rankings are the most common, but there's other ways you can take advantage of them. For example, instead of relying on reviews posted on other sites like Trip Advisor, put up some reviews directly on your site. They won't have the same level of credibility as those on an impartial 3rd party site, but the difference between having and not having reviews is huge. If you do put up reviews on your site, include the person's name and (if possible) a picture to build trust. And don't be afraid to ask for reviews, most people are willing to do so if they are asked, but will probably forget if you don't.

Word of Mouth: While similar to reviews, the concepts behind word of mouth marketing are slightly different. With word of mouth, you want the traveller to tell their friends or other people who ask about their trip. One way that works is to let the traveller know that a great deal of your business comes via word of mouth, and if a friend or family member is heading to the area, a referral would be greatly appreciated. To help this process along, don't hesitate to email them afterwards. For example, you may want to email them a few pictures after they return home, and then 6 months or a year later, send a quick note to thank them for their business and that you had a great time with them. E.g. "Hi John, it's hard to believe that it was a year ago today that you took a trip with us to the waterfalls! Just wanted to say thank you for your business, I had a great time showing you around." Very simple, but very effective.

Partner with Sites: Admittedly, I'm biased on this one, but we wouldn't be doing what we do if we didn't believe in it. By partnering with sites like Tripzaar, you're able to get access to potential customers that you wouldn't be able to otherwise. They'll usually take a commission, but seeing as the cost of customer acquisition is usually a big part of the trip cost anyway, it's usually a net benefit. Worst case scenario, it doesn't work and you just cancel the partnership.

Press: While press is notoriously hard to get, if you offer some really cool experiences that other locals might be interested in, you can often get written up in local publications. Not only does this help you build awareness of your trips, but if it's an online publication, it will help with your SEO as the publication will typically link directly to your site.

Beautiful Websites: Having a very attractive website isn't necessarily a marketing strategy, but once someone is on your website it makes a big difference. The vast majority of people implicitly trust an attractive website over an unattractive one.  I realize that many people aren't technical and creating a custom site is extremely daunting. Fortunately, you don't need to be technical to pull it off. One of my favorite companies, Squarespace, makes it ridiculously easy to create a stunning website. Wordpress is also used frequently, but it's a bit more complicated to set up. Either way, both are great options for creating a website that will make your potential customers at ease.

THE OK

Shareable Content: With Facebook & Twitter making it incredibly easy to share great content, many companies have started creating content specifically for sharing. For example, infographics have been used quite effectively, to the point that several companies focus specifically on creating and distributing them. For the average person though, infographics are too much work. But that doesn't mean you can't create other shareable content. Since travel is such a visual experience, amazing photos & videos can shared quite effectively. If you take someone on a trip and you have a few great pictures, put them up on a Facebook page and post them to Twitter. It's a tougher strategy to pull off than the above, so I'd recommend waiting until you've already got some momentum, but can be quite effective when you've got great content.

Content Marketing: Similar to shareable content, but a little broader in scope, content marketing involves distributing great content to the travel community. For example, we follow several travel blogs and frequently tweet out links to our favourite pieces. While there's no direct benefit right away, it helps position us as a thought leader in the travel industry. As a creator of trips, you might want to begin developing yourself into a thought leader on your specific area or type of activity (e.g. surfing, food, etc.).

SEO: Often thought of as a bit of a dark art, search engine optimization (SEO) can be a very effective strategy when done properly. Unfortunately it requires a lot of work to learn about how search engines, like Google, work and what you can do to improve the results. If you're interested, SEOmoz has a great guide, but for the average person, I'd say don't worry about it.

Blogging: Blogging is great for helping people find you on their own. It needs to be a long-term commitment for you to get any benefit, but if you do put in the time, it can really pay off. For example, one of our Boston locals, Sean, wrote up a great guide for fun things to do in Boston. This post was actually how we found him, and we probably wouldn't have otherwise.

THE BAD

Advertising: For the average trip planner, advertising is rarely a cost effective strategy to acquire customers. The big players like Expedia have figured out exactly what they can spend and still turn a profit. Individuals don't have that luxury, and competing with the big guys at their own game is a sure-fire way to lose.

Cold Contacting via Social Media: With so many people using Twitter to broadcast their plans, you'd think contacting them directly through social media would be a good strategy. Especially if they were tweeting about an upcoming trip to your destination. Unfortunately, we've found it to be a very inefficient strategy. Even though Twitter typically happens in a public forum, most people aren't interested in being contacted about a potential trip. They prefer to discover it own their own, which is why you'd be better off publishing great content that will lead them to check you out instead of contacting them directly.

  Phew! That was a long one. Hopefully we were able to provide some useful content and you'll be selling your trips like a champion in no time. If you have any questions, drop us a comment below. 

Note: If you've tried other methods than what we have here, let us know what your experience was in the comments and we'll add it in with a link to your site.

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BufferBox, Thalmic, and ...???

  The VeloCity Venture fund (VVF) is on a bit of a hot streak.

A year ago, BufferBox won the $25K prize and turned that into a YCombinator spot and a multi-million dollar Google acquisition. 4 months ago, Thalmic Labs won the prize, also got into YCombinator and promptly sold almost $4M worth of gesture control armbands.

Needless to say, winning that prize puts you in some pretty good company. So with the following 4 startups winning the most recent round of VVF last week, it seems like a good time to take an early look and see who might be next to explode.

Disclaimer: We were one of the 4 winners, but I've done my best to keep the content unbiased.

  CircIt: A hardware startup, they've built an inkjet printer that uses conductive & non-conductive ink to rapidly prototype circuit boards in a matter of minutes. For those who havent worked in hardware, this may not seem like a huge deal. But for those that have, you know how valuable this would be. To put it into perspective, the biggest companies typically wait a minimum of two days for a rudimentary circuit board, weeks if it has to be made in China. Having something viable in minutes is a game-changer. People will pay a lot of money for this.

  DraftingSpace: If you've used 99 Designs before, you'll get Drafting Space. They enable homeowners to hold contests for home renovation designs (e.g. homeowner offers $300 for the best design for their new kitchen). Started by a couple architecture students, they know the problem space very well. Obviously you aren't going to get I.M. Pei redesigning your kitchen for you, but I have no doubt that most renovation projects would benefit from some professional love.

  LumoTune: Another ridiculously cool hardware startup, these guys have built a scalable, transparent display that could eventually replace the TV. To be honest, I thought the concept was a little far-fetched when I first heard it, but they've got the street creds (they're all nanotechnology engineers) & word on the street is they have a functional prototype. Even if they don't have all the details locked down yet, the idea has so much potential that you have to take them seriously.

  Tripzaar (us): When you have a local giving you the inside scoop on a destination, you always end up with a better experience. That's the premise of Tripzaar, which allows you to book trips planned and organized by locals. It's a relatively simple concept, but done right, it will change the way you travel. The beta has only been live for a month, but there's already been several trips booked and almost 100 trips available on the site.

--

  So there you have it. The four startups who stole the judges hearts to win VVF and battle to be the next BufferBox or Thalmic Labs. 

Since we're one of the four companies, I've held off editorializing, but let's hear everyone's thoughts on which company is the most exciting.

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Tripzaar wins the VeloCity Venture Fund and Takes Home a Cool $25K

Photo cred to Shubhagata Sengupta, LaunchVault Media

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You know what's awesome?

Helping people travel.

You know what isn't?

A tight budget getting in the way of that.

Up until now, we've been pretty tight with our money. Most of our expenses have been related to keeping the site up and running and making sure the phone lines stay connected. 

And while we're not going to start throwing the money around, there have been a few things we've been wanting to do for a while. Things we're now able to do in good conscience after winning $25K. And good news! They're all fun!

First up, we're getting company t-shirts. And not crappy, low-quality shirts with the logo across the chest like most companies. We're talking high-quality American Apparel, custom designed t-shirts. The kind you'd be proud to wear. To celebrate, we're going to be giving some away for free. The details are still getting finalized, but you're going to want one. It's not everyday you get one of the first company t-shirts ever made. When we start the giveaway, we'll announce it on Twitter & Facebook (as well as here), so be sure to follow us there.

Second, we're getting some stickers. This is pretty much a rite of passage for any startup. While not as exciting as the t-shirts, it's still a great way to show the Tripzaar love, so make sure to pay attention for that.

And finally, we're going to be holding a contest for a free trip. What will the contest be? That's a secret. Will it be awesome? You know it. Because if you win, you get a free trip. If trips are awesome, free trips are awesom-er. Since the stakes are higher, this contest will be a bit more involved, but nothing too ridiculous. Just know that you have to bring your A-game.

All in all, a very exciting couple months ahead of us! So make sure to stay tuned.

And to everyone who came out and supported us yesterday at the VeloCity Venture Fund finals, thanks a ton! We really appreciate it.

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Looking for a hotel at the last minute? Consider ditching the online sites and just showing up.

A couple weeks ago I went down to Boston for the weekend. It was a pretty spontaneous trip, so I didn't bother booking a hotel ahead of time. And man am I'm glad I didn't, because the hunt to find a hotel was one of the most interesting parts of the whole weekend.

We got into the city around mid-afternoon on the Friday, at which point we decided to started the hunt. Being a techie, I pulled out my iPhone and started looking through all the hotel apps to find a deal. Hotel Tonight, Booking.com, Hotels.com, you name it, I checked them. While some of the deals were decent, nothing blew me away.

So as an experiment, I decided to wander around and go in person to some of the surrounding hotels. Surprisingly, pretty much every hotel I walked into offered a rate ~10-20% lower than the cheapest price I found online. Add on the CAA/AAA discount (often 10% extra off), and we were looking at 20-30% better than the online discounted rate.

For example, I stayed at the Hilton DoubleTree, which was advertised online at $129/night. Once the CAA/AAA discount was applied, we were looking at $99/night. That's a big difference. Another nearby hotel, The Revere, was being advertised online at $165 and we would have been able to get it for $135.

Now I'm not saying that you should ditch booking online completely, I just called a few hotels in Toronto for this weekend and their over-the-phone rates were easily 30-50% more than the best online rates that I found. But if it's getting late and the hotel is at risk of their room inventory being unused, there's a good chance that going directly to the hotel is your best bet. Experiment with it and see what deals you can swing!

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Exploring Vancouver in the Rain

This past week I was in Vancouver for a few days. And surprise, surprise, being in Vancouver in November / December means it rains a lot. It was so overcast that I didn't even see the mountains surrounding the city once.

Not to be deterred, I still travelled around and explored Vancouver's tourist traps and incredible food scene [spoiler alert: the best food I had was actually Indian - more below].

Tourist Traps

First up, Granville Island. While a cool spot, I found out that it's definitely not the place to be on a rainy Friday morning. I only saw a couple people the entire time I was there. The big propellers sitting around on the streets were definitely a source of entertainment though. We'll call this one a draw.

Street propeller in the middle of Granville Island.

Next up was Stanley Park. With the rain coming down, I was quite impressed with how many people were out for a run. I only stayed in Stanley Park for about 30 minutes, but I must have seen a good 40 or 50 runners. Impressive. Also, what an amazing park. I wish all cities had a preserve like this. Definitely adds to the culture of a place. Kudos Vancouver.

A running path through Stanley Park.

To finish up my tourist trap round-trip, I hit up the 2012 Olympic Cauldron. Being a good tourist, I also made sure to grab a picture in front of the 8-Bit Whale. I have no idea why I enjoyed the whale so much, but the geeky traveller in me loved it. (As a personal request to city planners everywhere, I'd love to see an 8-Bit version of your local animals. Adds a lot of nerdy class to your city.)

Olympic Cauldron with the 8-Bit Whale in the background.

8-Bit Whale.

Food & Drink

The food is where the real magic of Vancouver came out for me. I went to a variety of different places, but four establishments deserve callouts.

1. First was Shabusen, a fusion of Korean BBQ and Japanese. Recommended to me by Matt Beaubien, my biggest regret was not showing up hungrier. I'd just eaten breakfast a few hours before and wasn't prepared for the volume of food that was coming. With that said, I really, really like the Korean BBQ/Sushi mashup. The different flavours and textures contrast quite nicely throughout the meal.

Korean BBQ/Japanese fusion.

2. After Shabusen, I followed up on a recommendation from Trevor Creech to check out Revolver, a funky coffee shop close to UBC. I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I walked in since it screamed hipster, but the espresso I had was fantastic and the place had a really cool vibe to it. To show where their coffee beans are from, they've created a world map out of silver and bronze nails, with bronze being where the beans are from. Very original.

Espresso and spring water at Revolver.

All the bronze nails are where their coffee beans come from.

3. The third place I went to was Kimura for an omakase (chef's multi-course taster). The food was delicious, but the prize of the night went to the complimentary Pomegranite Saketinis. It's rare you'll find me with a cocktail, but these drinks were incredible (you can see one in the background of the third pic below). Incredibly dangerous too.

Chef's handroll with deep-fried fish and a handmade tartar sauce.

Salmon martini with a sweet sesame sauce.

Eggplant tempura with black sesame paste (top) and deep friend roll with carrots, tempura and cream cheese (bottom)

Roasted chicken with sautéed onions and bits of asparagus. 

4. Last up we have Vij's Restaurant. Without a doubt, the best food I had in Vancouver. They don't take reservations, so everyone has to line up at least 30 minutes ahead of time in order to be seated. But from the moment you get in, they are bringing around loads and loads of complimentary appetizers, drinks, etc. Each one of them is mind-bogglingly good. By the time you're ready to order, you're already in sensory overload. 

I ordered the mutton kabobs as an appetizer and the lamb pops as an entrée. Both were stunning. Admittedly, the food isn't cheap, entrée's run about $30 and appetizers are about $15, but in my opinion it's worth it. The food is just that good.

Mutton kabobs with Bengali style curry.

Wine marinated lamb popsicles in fenugreek curry on turmeric and spinach potatoes.

And that's Vancouver. Based on my experience, if you only have a day, make sure you:

A) Go for a run in Stanley Park

B) Go check out the 8-Bit Whale

C) Eat at Vij's.

If you pull that off, I guarantee you'll have an incredible time.

- Andrew Cross (Tripzaar Founder)

[tripzaar]

The 5 Best Things to Do in Santiago, Chile

As a participant in Start-Up Chile earlier this year, I lived in Santiago for 6 months. Being a complete foreigner to the area and then giving a tour to friends who came to visit a few months later, I've seen things from both a tourist and resident's view very recently.

Based on my experiences, if you could only do 5 things while you're there, do these.

1. Drink a Terremoto & Pisco Sour: I'm cheating a little bit since these are two different drinks, but they are both Chilean specialities so I'm lumping them together.

Terremoto

Literally translated to "Earthquake" in English, you'll understand how this drink gets it's name when you try to stand up afterwards. From first-hand experience, your knees definitely feel a little wobbly.

Made of Pipeño (a sweet fermented wine) and pineapple ice cream, it's deliciously potent. Not easy to find for most of the year, you may have to do a bit of searching, but make sure you do because it's worth it. The places you'll want to start looking are La Piojera, which is the most famous location, El Hoyo (also referenced in point 3 below), and Bar La Nona (where I had my first one).

Pisco Sour

This all-year drink is one of those things everyone needs to try at least once. Made of Pisco, a grape liquor common to Peru & Chile, lemon, sugar/syrup, egg-white & ice, it's a simple cocktail, but it packs quite the punch. I've tried to make it multiple times back in Canada and still haven't been able to get it right.

You'll have plenty of opportunities to grab one as most bars and restaurants make their own. There's even a bar at the airport called The Last Pisco Sour where you can get one more fix before heading home.

2. Climb or Run Cerro San Cristobal: If you're a runner, you'll love this one.

Some rights reserved by rewbs.soal

The path to go up is about 5km with a 300m elevation change, so it's doable for a lot of people, but by no means is it easy. For those not interested in running, I'd still recommend walking it. The slow elevation change gives you a constantly changing perspective of the city and the view from the top is spectacular. With a restaurant and a few shops at the top, you can kick back and relax for a bit before heading back down.

3. Eat at El Hoyo ("The Hole"): I need to credit Anthony Bourdain for this one as we would have never found this place if it wasn't on his show. And man, am I glad we did. The food here is by far the best Chilean food I had.

It's not the prettiest looking plate, but it hits the spot. As a warning, the restaurant is located in a pretty sketchy area. Across the street is an empty lot that seems to be the local homeless hangout. Just keep your eyes on the prize and go with a group and you'll be fine.

4. Hang out in Plaza de Armas: Also a touristy activity, but still quite enjoyable. It's pretty much the cultural center of Santiago with events and festivals happening most days. There's fountains and plenty of park benches, so it's great for people-watching and just hanging out. 

Some rights reserved by cordyph

It also serves as a great meeting spot as it's easy to get to and there's several distinct landmarks (gazebos, sculptures, etc.) that you can orient yourself with.

5. Explore & have lunch at the Central Market (Mercado Central): First off, it's a fish market, meaning it's going to smell and there will be water in the aisles. But that's all part of the appeal - it's authentic. My suggestion is to wander through the stalls for a bit and then start looking for a non-touristy restaurant on the fringes of the market. If the patrons are mainly Chilean and there's not a whole lot of decoration & polish, you're in the right area.

Some rights reserved by Orban Lopez Cruz

Aim to eat around 1-3pm so you'll hit the lunch specials. As a foreigner, you'll probably be harassed by vendors in the main area trying to get you to have lunch at their restaurant. Just politely decline until you find a less touristy place.

[earthdaily]

[metrodorus]

[whereareyoun]

[live-2-learn]

winter’s masterpiece

[swimdollysink]