Home Articles Posted by Izy Berry (Page 110)
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Collecting Art and Photography Overseas
It’s no surprise that I love photography, it was in fact one of the reasons I first started my blog; as a platform to show off my photography. When you combine photography or art with travel, it becomes an addictive pairing. My apartment is literally plastered in photos I’ve taken along my travels and pieces of artwork I’ve bought along the way. A painting from Indonesia and a little tile from Portugal are just some of the pieces of art I’ve brought home with me. Because I’ve spent so long overseas, taking photos and negotiating prices on artwork, I have a bit of advice I can offer. So if you want to learn how to acquire art paintings and photography, read on:
Photo Credit: ” I Found The Silence” by Martin Stranka on Saatchi Online
1) Learn to Haggle
Unless the price is marked in stone, then there’s probably some flexibility on it. As someone who comes from a country where price tags are as they are, and there’s no room to move, it was quite hard getting used to the process of haggling. The truth is, in a lot of third world countries, especially Asian countries, the first price they give you is an inflated version so they can move it down to reel you in. If you are concerned you’re being over charged, just try walking away… if they wont lower the price, you’re probably pretty close to their bottom dollar.
2) If You Love it Don’t Leave it
I once saw a painting in Paris that was quite expensive, that I really, really wanted. I had the spare money, but a few weeks left of my trip so I decided not to buy it. I still think of it often and wound up coming home with spare cash that could have easily paid for it. If you find a piece that you really adore and even if it’s a little outside of your budget, consider how much it will cost you to get back there to purchase the painting or piece of art… if it’s still even there.
Photo Credit: “Cluster” by Benjamin Garcia on Saatchi Online
3) Create Your Own Art
Most of us couldn’t recreate some of the wonderful buildings we see on canvas, but each person can have their own unique approach to photography. Taking photos of your trip and getting them mounted on canvas is a very special way of displaying your own art work in your home. Another special way to mark your overseas adventures and artistic pursuits is by creating a photo book that you can leave on your coffee table to share with guests.
4) Buy Art Online
Because of the Internet, you can now easily browse for art for your home from the comfort of your bedroom. The benefit of this is that there is a substantially large range of art available to you, so you can definitely find that perfect piece that will suit your home perfectly.
Photo Credit: “Over Under” by Niki Hare on Saatchi Online
These are my favourite tips for collecting art and photography overseas. Have you ever bought anything special overseas? Let us know in the comments below
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Men’s Packing List for Europe
Whether you’re heading to Italy for a romantic get away with the love or your life, or heading to Belgium to indulge in some beers with your mates, you’ll want to look and feel great. Organizing what you will take with you on your travels in advance will save you a lot of time and hassle when you’re getting everything ready before you head out the door. Here’s a list of the essential items you should bring along with you if you’re heading to Europe.
Photo Credit: Abiball by karsten.planz on Flickr
1) A Nice Formal Shirt or Two
Men in Europe dress differently – those those in America, Australia, Canada and even the UK. It is not surprising to see men in suits when frequently restaurants. Younger men will happily wear a dress shirt with a pair of dress, even on the weekends. The standard of dress is simply a bit higher, so prepare yourself and invest in a few great men’s formal shirts to take with you.
2) A Scarf
Unless it’s the middle of summer, you’ll find most European adorning a scarf if the weather’s a bit chilly. This is both for practical reasons and for fashion. If you want to blend in with the European man, a scarf is essential.
3) Some Comfortable T-Shirts
T-shirts are essential for those days you want to be casual and comfortable. Avoid T-shirts with slogans and pictures, in Europe plain t-shirts in colours that bring out your natural features such as eyes are most widely respected.
4) Bring Multiple Pairs of Underwear and Socks
This goes without saying, but bring enough pairs of underwear and socks. There’s nothing worse than being too busy to use laundry facilities and stuck with a few dirty pairs of underwear. Think ahead, bring extras.
5) Two Pairs of Shoes
One pair of comfortable shoes for walking and exploring the sites, and another for dressing up nicely and going to respectable restaurants.
Photo credit: Pants by Ted & Dani on Flickr
6) Three Pairs of Pants
While jeans are commonly worn throughout Europe, due to their weight and difficulty drying, we suggest you only bring one pair with you and bring two pairs of slightly lighter pants. Shorts are not that popular in most parts of Western Europe, so we’d suggest bringing only bathing shorts and a pair of lightweight pants as a substitute.
7) A Warm Jersey or Jumper
Even if you head to Europe in the midst of summer, you’ll certainly be caught out with some unsurprisingly cold weather – even if it’s just on the plane. Taking a warm jersey, jumper or cardigan that is smart casual, this way you can wear it to any occasion.
If you are brave enough to head to Europe in the middle of winter, you’ll have to add some heavier weather clothes, but this acts as a perfect baseline for Spring, Autumn and Summer.
What item of clothing do you always take with you when you go traveling? Did we miss anything important from the list? Let us know in the comments below.
Still feeling confused? Check out these packing tips for some more suggestions on what to take with you.
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Romantic Italian Holiday Ideas
Italian is known as the language of love, and so what better place in the world to choose to enjoy a romantic get away, than Italy. There are so many beautiful places in Italy, it can be quite overwhelming trying to narrow down your selections. Whether you’re nipping away for a romantic weekend together, or celebrating a big occasion like a wedding or an anniversary, Italy is a perfect choice. Although Italy is a relatively small country, there’s lots of diversity ensuring that you can find a special trip away. Here are suggestions for romantic holiday ideas in Italy.
1) Spoil Yourself with a Luxury Hotel
There’s nothing better than checking into a luxurious hotel with your love and enjoying each other fully. Italy is well known for offering a bunch of luxury hotels, but there’s one that stands out as being a class above the rest: Hotel Savoy. Located in Northern Italy, this hotel is a perfect summer or winter time escape. During the winter you can visit the nearby mountains and during the summer you can enjoy golf, biking or hiking. For more information on this lovely resort, please visit their homepage.
2) Enjoy a Bike Tour Through Tuscany
Tuscany is known as being one of the most beautiful and romantic parts of Italy, so what better way to enjoy it than with a bicycle tour? You can elect to do an afternoon tour, or if you are a little fitter you can tackle a multi day tour. For those of you who are wine lovers, you can do a wine tour by bicycle, enjoying the charm of riding through vineyards while sampling some of the best wine Italy has to offer.
3) Indulge in History in Rome
Rome is a beautiful city – drenched in history and dotted with stunning buildings. There’s so much to do and see in this city and while the hoards of crowds are somewhat unromantic, there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy romance while indulging in this historic goldmine. From the Trevi fountain to the Colosseum, there’s so much to see and do here, what better way to explore than with your love.
4) Soak up Sunshine in Sicily
Known for it’s gorgeous beaches and divine food, Sicily has it’s own unique flavour. For those couples who are more at home at the beach, then Sicily is probably your perfect Italian romantic holiday idea. Two popular beaches are Rabbit Beach and Cala Rossa, both with bright blue almost emerald sea and gold sand. When you’re not busy enjoying the stunning beaches, you can make the most of Sicily’s incredible cuisine, including all their tasty sweet treats.
These are our suggestions for romantic holiday ideas in Italy. Is there anything we’ve missed off this list?
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Men’s Packing Lists for Asia
Traveling to a foreign country is challenging, for so many reasons. You’ve got to deal with the culture shock, the inevitable food poisoning, and figuring your way around a new foreign land. This all sounds bad, but it’s really part of the charm of traveling to different countries. One of the hardest things when preparing for a trip overseas is trying to decide what to wear and what to take with you. You want to be cool or warm enough, comfortable enough to not be limited by what you’re wearing and you don’t want to stand out too much. It can be hard figuring this out when you’ve not visited a place yet. My partner and I are planning our own trip to Asia and he’s been asking what kind of things are necessary for men’s packing lists. I figured there might be others out there wondering the same, so here are my key travel essentials if you’re a man:
Photo Credit: Stack of White Polo Shirts by 2Tales on Flickr
1) A Polo Shirt
Polo shirts are a great choice when traveling anywhere as they’re comfortable, lightweight and tidy enough to wear out to dinner. When you go backpacking, you really don’t have that much room in your suitcase spare, so finding clothes items of clothing that you can wear for a variety of occasions can be a life (and space) saver. I suggest buying at least one men’s polo shirt to take with you.
2) A Pair of Shorts
Asia gets hot in the summer, and if you’re visiting then you’ll want to be as cool as possible. Shorts are an obvious choice because you can wear them anywhere and they will take up hardly any space in your backpack. I suggest taking another pair of beach shorts/board shorts to wear as well, that way you’ll have a backup pair in case your standard pair of shorts is lost.
Photo Credit: Socks by bfishadow on Flickr
3) Lots of Pairs of Underwear and Socks
You wont always have access to laundry services everywhere you go and sometimes you want have enough time in one place to be able to get things cleaned in time. That’s why you need to take lots of pairs of socks and underwear. I’d suggest AT LEAST seven of each. The truth is, you’ll lose a few pairs of each during your travels. Maybe the laundry lady will accidentally forget to give you one back, you might unpack your bag and lose a pair of socks. However it happens, you will lose some and unless you are the same size as an Asian man you will find it challenging to find good replacements on the road.
4) A Pair of Long Pants
Some people refuse to go anywhere in the world without a pair of jeans. While jeans are versatile and are great for dressing up at night if you want to go somewhere nice, they’re quire heavy and take up a lot of space. I would suggest taking jeans if you are traveling to colder places as they do a good job of keeping yourself warm, otherwise I would suggest some kind of tidy capri style pants. It’s important to take at least one pair of pants with you, for those nights that are cold or when you’re in areas where you don’t want your legs to be super exposed.
Photo Credit: Flip Flop by Duru… on Flickr
5) A Warm Jersey
Whenever I go to Asia, I almost always forget to take a warm enough jersey. While most of the days during the summer months are super hot, places like northern Vietnam can get really cold, especially if you’re visiting Ha Long Bay and Sapa. Do yourself a favour and bring a comfortable, warm and lightweight jersey. It will be a lifesaver on long bus trips or cold nights.
Aside from these key clothing essentials, I suggested taking two pairs of shoes. One sandal/flip flop style shoes and another pair of shoes for trekking or any adventures like that you intend to do. If you fancy a few good nights out in high class bars, then you should also pack a pair of dress shoes, but this is only worthwhile if you think you’ll use them more than a couple of times.
Those are my key clothing packing tips for men traveling to Asia. Guys, what do you think? Have I missed out anything important?
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25 Things Travel’s Taught Me
After almost three years on the road, I’ve learned a lot and changed a lot. Part of that is simply increasing in age – from 22 to 25 is a big jump in anyone’s life, no matter where they live or what they wind up doing. But a lot of the changes I’ve experienced are from having experiences overseas that wouldn’t have been possible if I’d stayed home. I thought it’d be fun to make a list of all the things travel has taught me – well, at least 25 of them – to share with you all!
1) I feel anxious if I’m too far from the ocean. When I was an au pair in the Czech Republic, I went without seeing the beach for 4 months. It was the longest time in my life, so I booked flights to Barcelona and instantly felt better.
2) Stuff doesn’t make you happy – not the kind of happy where you face hurts from smiling too much. The happiest time I’ve ever experienced is when all I had was my backpack filled with ruined, camera, laptop and a bunch of new friends that I was volunteering with in Cambodia.
3) I’m an expert at falling asleep on buses, trains and planes.
4) Nothing compares to the feeling of discovering your new favourite cafe, shop or friend in a completely new city.
5) You’ll get food poisoning at least once if you visit Asia
6) The people matter more than the places you visit
8) If the price isn’t printed on something, it’s negotiable. The best way to get a better price is to say “oh, so expensive” and pretend to walk off disappointed…
9) If you travel alone, you’ll rarely be lonely.
10) If someone’s speaking to you in English and it’s not their native language, compliment them on it – they’ll love it.
11) People are, at the core, the same. They want to live a good life. They want to provide for their families. They want to have love and happiness in their lives. It doesn’t matter how much money they have, how rich or poor they are, almost everyone wants the same thing.
12) If something goes wrong, laugh. There’s no point getting angry, especially when you throw in some good language barriers. Just laugh. If it doesn’t make anything better, well hey – at least you’re having a good chuckle.
13) It doesn’t matter how much fun your trip is, you’ll miss out on things and it will be hard.
14) If something is too cheap… then it’s probably a scam.
15) Slow down. You don’t always need to rush everywhere. Taking out a day to slowly wander around a new place with no plan or idea of what you’ll find is one of the best medicines for the soul.
16) There’s no where quite as enchanting as Charles’ Bridge in the early morning. Walk over it at least once in your lifetime.
17) Make an effort. Almost everyone wants to be liked, and wants to make new friends – but often people are too scared. Make the effort to have a conversation with someone you see sitting alone in a restaurant, hostel or bus and you might end up with a friend.
18) Time goes differently when you travel long term.
19) Eat where the locals do, you’ll meet locals, get a better feel for the country and you’ll save money.
20) It’s possible to communicate even if there’s no mutual language.
21) If you are open, you will be shown the best that humanity has to offer. I have had so many touching experiences of kindness that I could fill an entire book with them.
22) The problem is, you think you have time
23) There’s never the perfect time for anything, there’s only the time you set aside
24) Durian smells disgusting and so does Paris!
25) Not to sweet the small stuff. That a bus can arrive 3 hours late in Phnom Penh and no one will blink an eye. That you’ll be sold something and it will end up being less than promised. You’ll get ripped off, overcharged, you’ll be under delivered. You’ll fall in love with people you didn’t know existed a week ago and you’ll fall in love with places you can’t properly pronounce. You’ll get homesick, but you’ll return home and will be sick for every place you visited on your adventure.
So tell me, what has travel taught you?
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Packing for a Beach Holiday
In about 5 weeks, I’ll be lounging on the beautiful beach that surrounds Gili T, in Indonesia, with my little sister. I can’t wait, it’s been over two years since I first visited this stunning little island. It also feels like forever since I’ve enjoyed a beach, properly. I am a summer person, through and through, so when winter creeps around I find myself feeling sulky and dreaming of sun drenched islands. I’m really excited about my beach holiday and I’ve already started planning what I’m going to take with me. Here are my essential things that I love to take with me whenever I know I’ll be hitting the beach for a few days:
Sunglasses:
Buying a great pair of sunglasses can be both a fashion accessory and a lifesaver when you’re on the beach. If I spend too long on the beach or outside without sunglasses, I get pretty serious headaches. It scares me to think what kind of long term damage that amount of sunshine is doing to my eyes, so I always pack a pair of sunglasses. It’s also impossible to read books on the beach with the sun so bright, so sunglasses are definitely essential. These days, we’re absolutely spoiled for choice in terms of styles and lens colours, making it easy to find a great pair of glasses that suit look good while providing adequate protection for your eyes.
A Sarong:
Okay, if you’re a guy you can probably skip on this one unless you’re really keen, but sarongs are a great go-to beach accessory for the ladies. Some beaches I’ve been to, especially in Asia, have been quite modest and the locals have worn entire outfits into the water. Out of respect, I like to cover up a little more as walking around in a flimsy bikini feels disrespectful in some places. Sarongs are lightweight, take up barely any space in your bag and you can use them as a makeshift blanket to lie on, or you can tie them around you to cover up a little – perfect!
Sunscreen:
In New Zealand, if you’re on the beach for too long without any sunscreen on, you will burn really badly. Sometimes it feels like you only have to be outside for five minutes before you’ll be burned to a crisp. One upside of growing up somewhere where the sun is so powerful, is that I am very good at applying sunscreen regularly enough to avoid doing long term damage to my skin. Yes, tanning looks nice and brown skin looks beautiful, but for me it is not worth the risk. Sunscreen is SO important, so make sure you take sunscreen with you that has a good SPF factor.
A Ball:
Whether you choose a rugby ball, volley ball or even just an inflatable ball, taking a ball along with you to the beach is a great way to make new friends and make the most of the gorgeous weather. I love laying down with a nice book and soaking up some vitamin D, but it’s also fun being active on the beach and socializing. If you’re traveling far away from home, then taking a volleyball or a rugby ball might not be the most practical thing, but an inflatable ball is lightweight and will take up barely any space in your backpack or suitcase.
These are my favourite things to take along with me for a beach holiday. What do you always bring along to the beach?
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Staying Still for a While
I’ve been at home in New Zealand for six months. For the past 2.5 years, travel has been my biggest priority – I have thrown myself towards that without reserve and I have enjoyed every single adventure of being on. A while ago I wrote about a guy I met who changed everything. He was in my hometown, hadn’t traveled and I found him absolutely captivating. Despite this, I decided to go on to Europe last year and spent two months being an au pair in Spain, before traveling around Morocco, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Turkey and eventually back home. After a little jaunt in Asia, we decided to give things a go and I found myself settling into a “normal life” – even going as far as buying appliances online.
Things have been very different; I’ve been finding it unusual to be in one place for so long, but it’s allowed me an opportunity to enjoy things that I couldn’t do while on the road. I’ve been going to the gym, able to see my little nephew grow from a baby to a thriving and curious one-year old and spent some quality time with friends. I’ve had an opportunity to visit Queenstown and Arrowtown, as well as an opportunity to world on my business. Things have been good, but a part of me has had very, very itchy feet.
In three weeks I’ll be back on the road again, this time with my little sister. It’s going to be both exciting and scary – I’ll be showing her my favourite places, in a hope that she’ll get to understand why travel is so important to me. This trip home is the longest I’ve been in one place in almost three years, and while it’s nice to have a nice apartment to wake up in I am looking for the magic that travel brings.
The number of unknown people you’ll meet on the road, that wouldn’t be possible to meet if you’d stayed at home. The random nights, in random places I’m yet to experience. And of course that feeling when your feet first step off the plane and the air smells different and you know a new adventure is just about to begin. Even though we’re only going for one month, I can’t help but feel giddy about spending my free time exploring everything with a fresh curiosity.
After a while on the road, it’s easy to become jaded. For a temple to just be another temple and museums just start to feel the same, no matter how different they are from the rest you’ve seen. Going with my sister, someone who’s never traveled before, will afford me the luxury of seeing everything through her eyes – for the first time again.
And I can’t wait!
Have you ever stayed still after a long trip, or moved home after living overseas? What did you feel like afterwards?
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Dealing with Money Overseas
When traveling, dealing with money overseas can be one of the most challenging things. If you walk around with large amounts of foreign currency, you can make yourself a target for being robbed. You can also run the risk of simply losing it yourself. However, using your credit card or EFTPOS card from home can be really expensive, with bank fees adding up quickly. Finding a method of overseas payment that works best for you can be a hassle, but there are lots of options available to you. Here are the most popular ways of dealing with money overseas.
Getting a Travel Money Card:
Travel Money Cards have popped up in recent years, becoming the electronic version of traveler’s checks. There are a number of banks and companies that offer them, with a variety of great rates and deals making this an appealing option for those who travel regularly. You can choose to exchange foreign currency in advance and preload it onto your card, which allows you to get a better exchange rate. Often Travel Money Cards do not have large fees for international withdrawals, meaning that you can take smaller amounts of money at a time, which is safer.
Using your Credit Card:
Depending on your relationship with your bank, you can sometimes find good value credit cards that are great for using overseas. This depends heavily on the company and some credit cards might not be accepted overseas, so it pays to book in a meeting with your bank to check. Also, often credit cards do not have as good exchange rates as Travel Money Cards, so this is something you should compare to ensure you are getting a good deal. While might seem like a marginal difference in currency conversion rates can make a considerable difference over the course of your trip, so do your research.
Taking Cash:
Some people like to withdraw all the money for the trip in the foreign currency and take it along with them. Sometimes, banks at home can give you a pretty good rate, especially if you order in advance, which will save you money down the line. Personally, I don’t trust myself with large amounts of cash. I think this option would suit someone who was just going away for a short trip or had exceptional money handling skills.
Withdrawing from International ATMS:
This is the method I’ve used along my travels, just because I haven’t taken the time to look into a Travel Money Card. Over the past two years of travel I probably could have saved a few hundred dollars in ATM fees if I’d opted for a Travel Money Card instead. I love the convenience of using my bank card and I’m lucky enough to have two linked to the same account, so if I was to lose one overseas then I have an easy backup.
How do you deal with money when you are overseas? Do you carry cash, use your bank card or have a specialised Travel Money Card? Let me know in the comments below.
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My Travel Essentials
After so many trips overseas, I’ve got my travel essentials down to the bare essentials and a few creature comforts. As my sister and I are off to Asia in just over three weeks, I’m going through the motions of mentally making sure I have everything I really need. I like to travel light and that means taking only the things that I’ll really use. On my first trip I boarded the plane with lots of useless things that I never bothered to use, leaving things along the way or gifting them to others. Here are my favourite travel essentials:
My iPhone:
I was against buying an iPhone for ages because they’re quite expensive and everyone who owned them seemed to fall immediately in love with them and become almost obsessed. But my camera was stolen when I was in America and I needed an affordable replacement so I bought an iPhone. I find it so useful for using with maps, taking photos, checking emails on the run and so on. I literally could not travel as comfortably without it and suggest that a smartphone is a great idea for anyone who is retarded with maps, like I am. There are heaps of great iphone deals available to help reduce the cost of buying a smartphone, ensuring they are a good investment even for a budget traveler.
Zip Lock Bags:
Whatever brand you choose, buying some clear plastic bags that you can zip closed will make your life a lot easier. This allows you to keep your dirty and clean clothes separate and also allows you to cram more stuff into your bag while you’re away. I have found that the roll and zip method works best, roll your clothes into a cylinder shape and then place them in your ziplock bag to keep them nice and tidy in your suitcase or bag. I always worry that my bags are going to be searched at the airport and I’ll have underwear being flung around, so this method of packing keeps my worries at bay, too!
Carry some PawPaw:
PawPaw is quite a trendy product in New Zealand and Australia, but I haven’t seen it in too many other places around the world. You can use it to do everything – it’s great for chapped lips, any sores or burns, cracked heals, baby rash or any rash in general and the list goes on. Vaseline is a great substitute if you can’t find PawPaw in your country.
Take a good book:
Even though I travel with both a laptop and iPhone, there are times where I’m not near a charging port and everything’s gone flat. There’s nothing quite like peering out the window of a train, plane or even bus while in the middle of a great book. I also love taking books to swap with people or in book exchanges in hostels during my travels. If you’re traveling with friends and you each take a book, then you can swap when you’re both finished, doubling your reading library on the road.
Everyone has different travel essentials. What items do you have to carry with you whenever you travel? Leave your top picks in the comments below.
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Tips for Enjoying the Canary Islands
The Canary islands are a perfect island escape if you’re looking for some sun, water sports, museums or beaches. Many people flock here each year, whether in winter or summer, to soak up the sunshine and enjoy the relaxing lifestyle while lounging in gorgeous Villas in Spain. British people made their way to the Canary Islands over 100 years ago and haven’t stopped coming since – it is really a great place to enjoy your holiday, jam packed with lots of history and some irresistible beaches. To make the most of your visit to the Canary islands, check out these tips:
1) Book a Villa
Choosing to book Villas in Spain as your accommodation is a great way to bring the whole family along as you’ll have everything you need to make the most of your holiday, including enough space for everyone to have their own privacy. Villas tend to be a lot more spacious than hotel suites or motels, and feature kitchens so you can cook your own food and save money. You can even choose to go away with some extended family members or friends and split the rental cost of the villa, to make your holiday more affordable. It pays to book in advance, so if you’re planning a trip to the Canary Islands or Spain in general, book your villas in Spain with Villas4You now to secure a better deal.
2) Check out the nightlife
While Ibiza is often thought of as the main party island in Spain, the truth is that Spaniards love to party – so you’ll find a number of great hotspots for partying in the Canary Islands. Lanzarote, for one, has a great nightlife that is centred around the main resorts: Costa Teguise, Puerto del Carmen, Playa Blanca and Arrecife. Tenerife also boasts some great nightlife if you’re looking to party right into the early hours of the morning.
3) Head to the beach
The beaches in the Canary Islands are some of the best in the world. Costa Blanca boosts beautiful white sand and bright turquoise waters, while Puerto de la Cruz has fine black sand, due to the volcanic nature of Tenerife. There’s a great variety across the beaches, and the popularity of the Canary Islands has also driven some man made beaches to be created. This means that you can lounge on bright, golden sands and enjoy the forever summer environment of the Canary Islands all year around.
4) Boat Trips
Which ever island you choose as your base, the other islands are just a short boat or ferry trip away, allowing you to easily visit the other islands. Because of the considerably varied landscape, traveling across the islands provides a really unique holiday. Boat trips don’t have to be just a means of transport, either, you can turn them into full on day trips in themselves, with guided fishing tours available across most of the islands.
5) Check out some of the attractions
Despite being well known for the beaches they have, the Canary Islands has a lot more to offer than just warm temperatures and pretty beaches. You can enjoy a variety of attractions, from museums and historic cathedrals – through to even an interesting parrot park that is littered in parrots. There’s also a great aquarium, which is perfect for the whole family to enjoy. Tenerife is home to one of the most stunning buildings on the island, the Tenerife Auditorium that was designed by Santiago Calatrava and showcases traditional Spanish architecture.
These are my top tips for making the most of the Canary Islands. Have you ever visited? Is there anything special I’ve left off my list? Share in the comments below.
