(Needlepoint porn art displayed at The Hive Gallery in Downtown Los Angeles during the monthly Art Walk)

The second Thursday of every month, the streets of Downtown LA are abuzz with art loving pedestrians, strolling (yes people do actually walk in LA) around Spring Street to check out the area’s best galleries, street artists, shops and late night restaurants. Most of the galleries can be found on Spring and Main streets between 2nd and 9th streets, with the occasional pop-up boutique and food truck on the fringes. The creative soul of Los Angeles was on display last night.

Wandering around the old bank district, I popped into an art battle where four artists painted furiously to the beat of pounding electro-house music. With only 90 minutes to complete a painting, it’s remarkable how quickly they worked, splattering oils strategically across the giant white canvas with the cirum-precision of a Mohel. The winner was determined by a cheering crowd, and grand prize was a trip to Amsterdam.

From the artistic battlefields to the standing-room only art galleries, where original photography, ironic art and bizarro craptastica is displayed for your viewing pleasure.

Downtown LA Art Walk is awesome. Go to there. http://downtownartwalk.org/

Heading to Montreal – the poutine capital of the world – and wondering where to find the best? Well, for french fries smothered in cheese curds and gravy, there is no better place to binge eat than at La Banquise. Located in the Plateau area of hipster Montreal, expect to find a long-line up outside this modest diner. With dozens of poutines to choose from, traditionalist stick to the classic (simply cheese and gravy) but for those looking to try something different, there’s no shortage of artery clogging options. Poutine Elvis with ground beef, peppers and mushrooms. Poutine Obelix, with smoked meat. Poutine Chicks with breaded chicken. Poutine Kamikaze with Merguez sausage, hot peppers and Tobasco. The list goes on…For the Grand Poobah of poutines, try the T-Rex. It’s a carnivore’s delight with every meat imaginable piled high atop the cheesy fries. La Banquise (994, Rachel Est) is open 24-7. So, if you’re craving dirty poutine mid-day or as a late night, post drinking snack, there really is no wrong time to indulge. http://www.restolabanquise.com

(photo credit: CNN Traveler.com)

Climate change, deforestation, rising sea levels and overpopulation are threatening some of the world’s most spectacular natural landscapes. I just wrote an article for Bing Travel that featured 10 Destinations that are disappearing. From the Great Barrier Reef, to the Maldives, the Dead Sea to the Everglades, some of the world’s most spectacular natural landscapes are under attack. For the complete story check out http://binged.it/IBphq0

One of the destinations I cover in the article is the Great Barrier Reef. Stretching more than 135,000 square miles, an area greater than Poland, the Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest reef system and one of the most complex ecosystems on the planet. Here you’ll find more than 1,500 species of fish, 500 species of seaweed and some of the world’s most endangered creatures, from sea turtles to blue whales. As carbon-dioxide levels rise in the atmosphere, the oceans heat up. This increase in temperature and acidity kills symbiotic algae, causing the coral to “bleach,” turn white and die. This kind of environmental disruption can have devastating effects on the species that depend on the fragile ecosystem. If you’re thinking of visiting this tropical underwater sanctuary, minimize your footprint by choosing a company that puts a priority on conservation; the fire clownfish and flameback angelfish will thank you.

How to visit: National Geographic Expeditions offers an 11-day excursion to northeastern Australia, including a private catamaran for snorkeling at the reef, and Smaller Earth offers two-week marine conservation trips to the reef.

If you missed the New York Times Travel show this weekend at the Javits Convention Center in NYC, fear not! The following tips are some of the best money saving tricks for flights and accommodations to help you plan your ultimate adventure.

This past Saturday at 4pm, I joined the likes of travel experts Arthur and Pauline Frommer, Samantha Brown, Patricia Schultz (author of 1000 Places to See Before You Die), for an hour presentation on the mainstage. My topic? How to live your travel dreams. Many people dream of exploring the Amazon, diving the warm turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean or trekking the Great Wall of China, but when it comes to actually making their dream trip a reality, those same people are armed with a heavy artillery of excuses as to why they can’t travel. “It’s too expensive, I don’t have enough time, I have kids, it’s too dangerous…” These are just some of the most popular roadblocks that may be preventing you from really getting out there and exploring the world. In my travel seminar, I busted these excuses, sharing practical insider info and empowering people with tools on how to pull off that trip they’ve been dreaming of.

So if you were at the seminar…thank you so much for coming! Hope you enjoyed But if you missed it, no worries – here are some of the resources we covered to help you navigate those ‘roadblocks’ and make your travel goals a reality. Travel doesn’t have to be expensive. There are tons of deals out there, you just have to know where to look. Let’s empower you with the tips you need to save money, and make travel more affordable and more accessible.

-When looking for a good deal on airline tickets, use travel search engines like www.kayak.com, www.dohop.com www.skyscanner.com, www.orbitz.com, www.expedia.com, www.cheaptickets.com, www.momondo or www.airfarewatchdog.com which are all online search engines that compare hundreds of sites in one simple search. Plug in your departure/ arrival cities and your preferred dates of travel and these sites will pull up the cheapest fares for you to compare. But be aware,even if you are using these types of comparison sites, they do not necessarily list all of the airlines i.e. Kayak.com does not list JetBlue or Southwest. So make sure to do your homework, and also, check the individual airline’s sites to double check.

-Sign up for Fare Alerts through those same sites and Travelocity.com. and let the deals come to you. You plug in your desired destination and they’ll send you an email every time there’s a low fare. This way you don’t have to search, you’ll just find the latest deals in your inbox. It’s a way to keep on top of good deals to your favorite cities.

-Delete your cookies. Some sites won’t show you the same flight prices, the next time you search. That great deal you found a few hours ago might be gone because of your browser history. Try deleting your cookies, and you are more likely to get up to date information to jump on those deals.

-Book on Tuesdays. Fly on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Morning is best. Be flexible with dates. Consider alternative airports and layovers. Factor in the additional cost of transportation (bus, taxi or shared ride) if the smaller airport is further away from the city center. Book flight and hotel together to save hundreds of dollars

-Bing.com has a price predictor on its travel booking site. When you type in your desired destination, it’ll tell you whether you should buy now (because fares will rise) or wait (because fares will drop). Kayak has a feature called Explore, where you plug in your destination city and you can see where to go, and for how much.

-For low airfares, discount codes and special promotions, follow all the major airlines and your fave hotel chains on Twitter and Facebook. Cruise the Twitter hashtags #travel and #traveldeals to find the latest sales tweeted by people from all over the globe. It’s a great resource to score promotional codes and last minute special discounts they might not advertise elsewhere. Follow tourism industry professionals who are tapped into the frugal travel scene @MichelleHiggins @Johnny Jet, @PeterGreenberg are some of my favorites.
-Collect frequent flyer points and sign up for loyalty rewards programs if you’re a frequent buyer. Dedicate yourself to one frequent flyer program and work towards elite status (and the associated benefits and recognition) plus a choice of attractive awards. Look for Bonus Intro Offers when you sign up for a card. Use the card for everything to earn points quickly. Every time you buy or fly, try to earn points. Read every issue of your program’s newsletter for special promotions where you can earn double, even triple points. Know the partners ie. affiliated hotels, restaurants, shops that also offer points. Flyertalk.com, The FrequentFlier Crier.com and Travel Hacking Chris Guillebeau.

-Consider good value destination. Flights to Thailand, Vietnam, India, Argentina and Bolivia aren’t cheap but once you get there, your money goes a long way.

-Take advantage of off season fares – ie. Aspen summer

-For hotels and car rentals, bid on Hotwire.com or Priceline.com. If you’ve never done it before, sites like www.bidontravel.com and www.betterbidding.com will share recently accepted bids and advice on how to beat the system.

-Instead of hotel rooms, look for alternative forms of accommodation. VRBO.com (for Vacation Rentals), Hostelworld.com (for finding a hostel), Couchsurfing (for crashing on a local’s couch for free) and AirB‘nB.com

-For activities, check out sites like Livingsocial, Groupon, and Yippit for fun activities in your hometown. Go to the tourism board websites for discounts on hotels and activities. I often find coupon booklets good for discounts on lodging.

If you’re afraid of traveling ’cause you don’t want to go alone, here are some tips for you:
Traveling alone can be very rewarding. You are the boss and have the complete freedom to do exactly what you want at anytime. Put yourself out there. Say YES! If that still sounds a little scary….

-Join a tour group: GAP Adventures, Intrepid, Global Exchange: Reality Tours.  They offer small, sustainable tours to off-the-beaten path locations. You could hike with mountain gorillas in Uganda, take a “History and Hummus” tour of the Middle East or learn about fair trade coffee at a local homestay in Nicaragua. Contiki for under 35.

-Volunteering abroad and staying in hostels are also great ways to meet others as you travel.

-Couchsurfing.com: A volunteer-based worldwide network connecting travelers with members of local communities, who offer free accommodation.  Meet locals in your own city who share your interest in travel and the world. 1 million members over 240 countries.

-www.virtualtourist.com resource for planning trips, forum for questions, 1.2 million registered members from more than 220 countries

-tripcolony.com – TripColony: the new web platform that puts you in touch with those who live in or really know the places around the world that you wish to visit.

-expats.com or www.internations.org connects you with other people from your home country who are traveling or living abroad. Operates in 250 countries.

-Meetup.com – join organized groups of people for small events, ie. salsa groups, vegetarian dinner groups, wine tastings, dating etc. across 45,000 cities

-Travbuddy.com – TravBuddy is a social-networking site that caters to people looking for travel partners. After you create a profile, you can post the details for any trips you have planned to see if others will be there at the same time.

-Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree Forum is another great resource to hook up with fellow travelers and possibly meet your next travel buddy.

-Eatwithequals.net is network for Frequent Travelers to connect with other global travelers for a good meal.

-Twigmore – is a travel network on Facebook that helps travelers and locals connect through friends. Facebook users can easily see where their friends know people, creating networks of local contacts in cities worldwide. Hook up with your friend’s friends.

Hope this helps!! Be bold, be brave, go travel….

Julia

If you’re set on Europe, consider Slovenia. Where the f*ck is Slovenia? Well…that’s what I said, until I went there and loved it! A hidden gem, this tiny country is affordable, stunning and off the tourist track.  Bordering Italy, Croatia, Hungary and Austria, the Republic of Slovenia gained independence from the former region of Yugoslavia in 1991.  A population of over 2 million, most of them Roman Catholic, Slovenia has its own language, is part of the EU and has a strong tourist infrastructure where English is widely spoken. Start in the vibrant capital city of Ljubljana before heading to the foothills of the Julian Alps for a long list of outdoor activities. The capital city of Ljubljana has some really cool accommodations. Hostel Celica, which Lonely Planet calls the “world’s hippest hostel” is part of a military barracks used by the Austro-Hungarian army. A former prison, each “cell” was renovated into a room and re-decorated by a different artist.  Modern and sparkling clean, this budget accommodation has twenty renovated slammer cells for guests to stay in.

(photo credit: Luca Picciau)
From La Paz, travel by bus to the Incan hotspot of Copacabana, a tourist gateway between the inspirational shores of Lake Titicaca and Peru’s Cuzco. This is where you’ll find the rumored fountain of youth. Drink up at one of the world’s most stunning locations. With inexpensive eats, $1 beers and affordable souvenirs (the woven Alpaca scarves are my favorite), Copacabana has great deals for the budget traveler. Add Bolivia to the bucket list….

Is that time of year again!!! For the quintessential Mardi Gras experience of beads, boobs and booze, head to Bourbon Street in the heart of New Orleans’ French Quarter. There you’ll find masked partiers indulging in non-stop alcohol (which can be legally consumed in the street) and shenanigans before the threat of Lent kicks in. This street fest celebrates southern decadence with dollar beers, stiff whisky and “hand grenades,” a potent potion of rum, gin, vodka, grain alcohol, melon liquor and mint that’s guaranteed to give you a hangover. For parades and activities beyond the boozy frat scene of Bourbon Street, visit this website.

This narrow coastal strip wedged between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, is awesomely diverse and best of all – it’s very affordable. In one day, you can go from skiing in the mountains, to sweating it out in the world’s driest desert, touring graffiti murals in quaint cultural towns along the Pacific, to hiking around Alpine fjords. But most importantly, you can get delicious bottles red wine (my fave is the Carmenere, a full-bodied grape) for a $5 price tag.

It’s everyone’s favorite time of year again: Valentine’s Day, cupid’s Hallmark holiday that has made singles feel lonely and couples feel pressured since back in the day.  Rooted in a Roman, religious and pagan past, Valentine’s Day has grown into a retail cash cow, drawing some 14 billion dollars annually in chocolates, roses and edible panties. In this spirit of romance and raunch, I decided to check out New York’s Museum of Sex (a.k.a MoSex) While Manhattan is home to dozens of cultural museums dedicated to high-brow art, there’s only one where you can fondle a love doll, watch panda porn and witness the sexual habits of anime characters.

Open since 2002, the Museum of Sex claims to be the most “stimulating museum in New York.” While there are a handful of erotically-themed museums across Europe and Asia, NYC’s Museum of Sex aims to “preserve and present the history, evolution and cultural significance of human sexuality.” Sex Lives of Animals is an interesting look at the crazy things that our fuzzy friends do – omg, they’re just like us, while “Action: Sex and the Moving Image,” examines the history of sex on film, from metaphorical movies in the 30’s, to bawdy burlesque and modern day pornography. Most shocking was Paris Hilton’s explicit celebrity sex tapes.  With videos like these, it’s no wonder that visitors have to be at least 18 years old to enter the museum. A visit to the Museum of Sex provides an uncensored look at the history of sexual expression, from the biology and behavior of animals to advancements in ‘pleasure’ technology. visit http://www.museumofsex.com/

Love is in the air…but, if you have a problem in the love and sexy time department, perhaps a visit to the Mercado de Sonora is in order. A sprawling outdoor shopping area in the heart of Mexico city (located on Avenida Fray Servando Teresa in the Venustiano Carranza borough), it’s a maze of alleyways stacked with hundreds of magical stalls.  For locals who dabble in witchcraft, or visitors looking to stray off the typical tourist trail, the Sonora market has all your ritualistic remedies for romance. You can find everything from antique amulets to medicinal herbs; live snakes to mysterious brews; and animal-shaped ceramic charms to powdered love potions. The market is loosely organized into three parts: Healing herbs, Afro-Cuban paraphernalia and black magic.

For the ladies, there are potions for better sex, long marriage and curbing a boyfriend’s flirtations with other women.For men, the art of seduction is a popular sell.  Male customers, looking to attract their heart’s desire, often buy a product called Quita Calzon.  As belief has it, men looking for love must first lather their bodies with this powder and think about the woman for whom they yearn for.  The power of the talcum-like potion will cause the woman in question to succumb to the man’s wildest fantasies, all for the equivalent of a few dollars. Try Tapa Voca, purchased by women who want to stop gossiping, or a pair of cloth voodoo dolls for women who crave more commitment in their romantic relationships.  For every problem, the Mercado de Sonora sells a solution.