With Memorial Day past, it is officially summer--and vacation--season! The term "staycation" become popular after the financial crisis hit in the summer of 2007. With sinking stocks and soaring unemployment rates, many people felt that they had to cancel their long awaited vacations.

Instead of pricy trips to resort areas both domestic and international, families began making day trips to local attractions. Not only does this save money, but it also benefits local businesses and helps boost the local economy. So, with high unemployment rates and skyrocketing gas prices, how do you make the best of your staycation? Here are a few helpful tips:

• Remember that Florida and California are not the only places with nice beaches. There are tons of local, coastal beach towns along the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf. If you happen to be landlocked, travel to the nearest lake or river resort. (Note: If you are from Florida, California, or Hawaii you really don’t take a hit on this one)
• Take a family trip to the local amusement park. With rides, food, and live entertainment, amusement parks can be a great, family friendly getaway
• Tour local museums or historical sites
• Visit your nearest large city for fine dining, scheduled events, music, nightlife, and cultural attractions. If you live in the city, visit small towns or the country for a local flavor
• See a show, a concert, a play, an orchestra, a movie, or a musical….or catch a ball game

Travel doesn’t have to be expensive. There are so many sites to be seen and experiences to be had right out your front door. Every area is unique and there is a lot to be explored. We often forget about the treasures that are close by.

So, take a few days off, explore your region, go to the beach, lake, or river, visit the city, or the country, experience the arts, and ride a coaster. Just make sure to give yourself a break and don’t go back to work during scheduled leave. And put down the blackberry.

Located on the Dnieper River, Kiev is the capital city of the Eastern European nation of Ukraine. With ancient roots, Kiev has been called the educational and cultural center of Eastern Europe and is the home to many institutes of higher education. Once the capital of the first Eastern Slavic Empire of Rus, the city was virtually destroyed by the invading Mongols in the thirteenth century. Kiev was restored and thrived during the Russian industrial revolution and continues to be a high-tech, industrial hotspot.

The city of Kiev is filled with a beautifully eclectic mix of modern and medieval architecture. The most striking examples of Eastern Slavic architecture in Kiev are the St. Sophia Cathedral and the Kiev Pechersk Lavra (Monastery of the Caves). Throughout the city one can also see dozens of monuments dedicated to figures such as Vladimir the Great, Kyi, Schek, and Khoryv, as well as Bohdan Khmelnytsky.

Besides its rich history, Kiev plays an important role in Eastern Slavic culture and boasts dozens of museums and theatres across the city. Museums include the Kiev State Historical Museum, Museum of the Great Patriotic War, and the National Art Museum. The art, architecture, and monuments all document the historic rise, fall, and transformation not only of Kiev and Ukraine as a whole, but also of Russia and Eastern Europe.

In the spring and summer, Kiev is also a perfect place to fish, boat, and lay out and swim by the river or the local lakes. The city also has a lively nightlife, with tons of bars, restaurants, and nightclubs mostly located in the center of Kiev (Independence Square and Khreschatyk Street). Some other sites to visit include the Kiev Botanical Gardens, the Ukraine Fortress, and the Kiev zoo.

Public transportation makes visiting these sites relatively simple. There is a convenient system of busses, trolleys, trams, and an underground metro. The public transportation system also reaches out to the suburbs with a series or railways.

Kiev is a beautiful city with a rich and historic culture, great for anyone looking to learn about Eastern Slavic art, architecture and lifestyle, and anyone who wants to learn about the transformation of a former soviet satellite. The people are very welcoming and friendly, so don’t hesitate to meet people and ask questions about their lifestyle, or just have fun! I know I love history and ancient culture, so the best way to get a sense of the modern culture in Kiev is to interact with the people in restaurants, bars, shops, on the street, or wherever.

Also, try the food; it's delicious, I promise.

So, if you want to experience break taking art, ancient history, and a fun nightlife in Eastern Europe, I definitely recommend a trip to Kiev.

Images courtesy of anaroza and BBM Explorer.

For centuries devoted individuals have made pilgrimages to holy sites around the world. The idea of pilgrimages is ingrained in human thought. We have claimed certain sites as holy since ancient times, no matter what religion. Believers flock to these sites to gain a sense of inspiration, healing, and oneness. Pilgrims were the basis of Chaucer’s great novel, The Canterbury Tales, they build a society in a New World, and they continually inspire and share beliefs.

So what are some of these sites? Where do modern day pilgrims go?

Lourdes, France

Lourdes is a small French town nestled at the base of the Pyrenees Mountains. The castle that marks the town’s center is a prominent fixture both in Lourdes and in French history. But in 1858, Lourdes became famous for more than its small town charm and grand castle. It was in that year, in the cave of Massabielle just outside of town, a vision of Saint Mary visited Saint Bernadette Soubirous.

Mary would make a total of 18 appearances to the 14-year-old girl. In one of her visits to the grotto at Massabielle, the apparition asked Bernadette to dig for water. The girl eventually revealed a spring of crisp, clean water. The Catholic Church deemed the appearance of Mary in that grotto a miracle. Visitors today continue to flock to the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in the Grotto where Bernadette was visited. They drink and bathe in the water of the stream, which is said to have healing powers. For this reason, Lourdes is one of the most popular pilgrimage sites for Christians today, with over 200 million visitors since 1860.

Mecca, Saudi Arabia

As a part of the 5 pillars, or religious duties, of Islam mandated by the Qur’an, devout Muslims are required to make a pilgrimage to the shrine at Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The Hajj, as the pilgrimage is known, is meant to show Muslim solidarity and their submission to God. The Hajj is to be preformed on the 8^th to 12^th day of the 12^th month of the Islamic Calendar.

The main site at Mecca is the Kabba, the most sacred site in Islam. The Kabba is a cube shaped, granite building and is said to have been built by Abraham and Ishmael, the fathers of Islam. A mosque also surrounds the cube. The Kabba is also connected to Mohammed. At the time of his birth, Mohammed's clan was in charge of the structure. After he gained a significant following, Mohammed cleansed the site of idols and rededicated it to Islam.

Pilgrims now flock to the site to preform a series of rituals which include walking counter clockwise seven times around the cube, drinking from the Zamzam well, and holding a vigil at the plains of Mount Arafat, among others.

The Western Wall, Jerusalem

The Western Wall is located in Old City Jerusalem at the base of the Temple Mount and is a remnant of the wall that surrounded the courtyard of the ancient Jewish Temple. The Temple dates back to around 19 BCE and was constructed by Herod the Great.

The Western Wall, also known as the Wailing Wall, is the most sacred site for the Jewish people and has been a site for Jewish prayer and pilgrimages for centuries. Their closest connection to God, it is said the gate to heaven and the Ten Commandments resides in the Holy of Holies inside the inner chambers of the temple. When Jews visit the site today, they pray a silent prayer. Seeing as the Western Wall was the closest to the Holy of Holies, it is a very significant place of worship. Men and married women are to cover their heads and dress modestly when praying at the wall and are to walk backwards when leaving.

Have you visited any of these, or other holy or spiritual sites? Post your experience below!

Images courtesy of Beyond Forgetting, Tab59, and FatPassport, Inc.

Southeast Asia is a unique region with beautiful scenery and a rich, ancient culture. With archeological wonders such as Angkor Wat, Wat Chaiwatthanaram, and other Buddhist and Hindu sights, countries such as Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines offer a look into the development of the ancient word.

Though these countries have a deep history and exquisite culture, many also suffer from extreme poverty, a lack of access to education and healthcare, and ecological concerns. Here is a list of four organizations that operate specifically in three of these countries. For more information on volunteer opportunities in Asia, click here.

Cambodia

Cambodian Children's House of Peace - Santepheap

The Cambodian Children’s House of Peace is an NGO operating in Siem Reap. CCHP services poor or orphaned children predominantly from the Siem Reap province, the poorest in Cambodia. The organization works to provide shelter, food, education, spiritual and cultural development, and health care, as well as fosters healthy relationships between parents and their children and prepares children to work and live independently.

Volunteers can work in many different areas to support these children. Volunteers work to teach children to speak, read, and write various languages, especially English, IT skills training, construct and maintain facilities including electrical, plumbing, carpentry, and building, assist in games and exercise lessons, and participating in involving the children in artistic projects.

The duration of the program can vary between 1 week and 1 year. It costs $10 a day, $50 a week, and $200 a month. For more information visit www.santepheap.org

Thailand

Asian Gap Year

A gap year is becoming a popular trend in the US after originating in Great Britain. The idea is that students will take a year off between educational endeavors to travel, relax, or volunteer. Asian Gap Year is a Thailand based company that works to offer these students an opportunity to use this desire to volunteer in the Thai community. Though this program is marketed to students, with the average age between 18 and 23, there is no upper age limit and anyone willing to take time off to volunteer is welcome to participate.

Volunteers are involved in a great variety of tasks in the Thai community. Some activities include teaching English to Thai students in schools and Buddhist temples, childcare and child therapy, general medical care and student nursing, wildlife rescue and elephant care, community building and so much more. Click here for more suggestions and opportunities.

Volunteers are placed all over Thailand and participate for a minimum of one month. For more information visit www.asiangapyear.com.

Blue Star of Hope

Unlike Asian Gap Year, Blue Star of Hope is a program exclusively for students ages 14 and up. Blue Star of Hope is located in Thailand and works to provide student volunteers a unique service learning opportunity in hopes that they will help foster intercultural understanding, learn about ecological sustainability and global issues, build and develop peacekeeping and leadership skills. Student volunteers will get a unique opportunity to learn about the Thai culture while helping the community.

There are two main opportunities for student volunteers through Blue Star of Hope. Students spend seven days volunteering at Elephant Nature Park, feeding and cleaning the Elephants and maintaining the facilities. Volunteers also travel to various schools to help teach English and engage students in games, songs, and art projects.

This two week Thai program is a unique way for students as young as 14 to volunteer and learn about a unique and amazing culture. For more information, visit www.bluestarofhope.org.

Vietnam

Children of Vietnam

Children of Vietnam is a non-profit formed in 1998 that works to provide substantive care to children living in poverty. The organization works to provide good nutrition, vital health care, safe housing, and access to education for the children in need. COV works hard to provide the opportunities necessary to help families escape the cycle of poverty.

COV works to provide children with transportation to schools, constructs kindergartens in rural areas, provides afterschool tutoring, provide families with clean, safe homes that can also be handicap accessible, connects children and with necessary medical facilities, equipment, and professionals, and helps fight malnourishment through distributing food and livestock. For more information about how you can get involved go to childrenofvietnam.org.

As you may know, I am a huge proponent of getting to know the local culture when you travel. I love taking the time to get to know the people, their way of life, and, of course, their food. I’m not the biggest fan of itineraries or strict site-seeing schedules, though there is nothing wrong with them. Instead, I would rather go to the local café or restaurant or pub and get a sense of the local flavor talk to the people, and share an experience. One way I recently learned how to do this is couch surfing.

Yes, I’ve known what couch surfing was for a long time. However, I always saw it as dangerous or seedy. I pictured twenty different scenarios in which sleeping on a strangers couch could end badly. Thus, when a new friend of mine came to visit DC and told me that he had found a stranger online and stayed at their home for the night, the first words I caught myself saying were “are you out of your mind?! That’s dangerous, you could have been robbed, or hurt, or…”. I sounded like my mother. However, when I stopped telling him everything that could have gone wrong, he told me a fantastic story of his experience.

It turns out that the person he chose to stay with was a student at Gallaudet University, a deaf and hearing impaired university in DC. His stay with this student and his girlfriend gave him the unique chance to interact with someone who lives differently than he does. He ended up having a great time. He ensured me the site he used, couchsurfing.org, was safe and reliable. The site provides users with ratings, pictures, and biographies and allows a potential surfer to choose in what environment he or she wished to stay (with a family, with only males, females, with meals provided, etc.). Once a surfer participates, he or she in turn gets rated. The site, in a sense, creates a community around affordable travel with personable interaction.

After hearing this story, and being insured of the safety of the site, I began to rethink my own prejudice against couch surfing. Imagine having the opportunity to stay in the home of a local inhabitant of whatever foreign country, or even domestic city, you’re visiting. It provides a direct link to the country, city, region’s way of life, their day-to-day activities, interactions, and of course meals! For someone who loves to travel and loves to learn about a culture, this seems like a great idea, as long as it is approached safely and with caution. I do recommend, as I would for any form o f travel, always being cautious and aware of your surroundings.

The next time I travel, I will definitely plan to spend a night or two on the couch of a stranger, taking in their daily routine, observing their way of life, and hopefully sharing a meal. Couch surfing is definitely a great way to travel cheap, to interact with the local culture, and is safe when approached with caution and scrutiny.

Feel free to share your couch surfing stories below!