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Bet You Haven't Thought of Going Here
Grenada Music and Chocolate Fests

You might have heard of this tropical destination, but did you know that Pure Grenada Music Festival is six days of music in April spread between four venues featuring top local and international artistes/bands? If that doesn't do it for you, indulge yourself in pure, organic, and sustainable cocoa at the Grenada Chocolate Fest in May. Learn more about festivals in Grenada here.
Azerbaijan

After exploring the Old City Baku, Flame Towers, and Fountain Square, relax and refresh in a spa. For more on sights, bits of history, and monuments, click here.
Antarctica

Whether you fly there or cruise, the most remote continent on Earth is now yours to explore. More info here.
Seychelles Islands

This country in East Africa has art, diving, national parks, and mountain rainforests, as well as beaches for visitors who just want to chill. Get there from Abu Dhabi, Johannesburg, Frankfurt, Mumbai, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Paris, among others. Click here for more info.
Here's Your Travel Inspiration
52 Places to Go in 2016

This year, the New York Times is featuring readers' photos, posted on Instagram, as part of their 52 Places to Go in 2016 feature. For travel inspiration, more on 2016's hottest destinations, and some sweet eye candy, go to nytimes.com.
8 Things You Can Do Now to Save Money on Travel

Each of these eight items is something you can do today. Read the list.
Travel Diaries
A Stranger Changed My Life
I noticed his shirt before I noticed him. It was a black t-shirt with white writing; the front read 'I am Muslim.' The back: 'Have you prayed today?'

I couldn't help but laugh out loud at the irony of it. I'm not Muslim, and that's half of what had gotten me into the pickle in which I found myself on a Sunday afternoon in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, approximately six hours from my final destination (which was also my home) and approximately six hours from Singapore, from which I'd departed earlier that day. Upon my return, I learned that I'd missed my bus home and that every bus for the rest of the day was sold out.

I had just stared a new job, and I had to be there first thing in the morning. Failing to show up could mean putting the job, and my entire visa, in jeopardy. I pleaded frantically for a new bus ticket from the station workers; I volunteered to sit on the stairs or the floors of a bus and still pay a full fare, or even double. I first tried to act pitiful, then desperate, then angry. In the meantime, buses came and left. I pleaded with poor passengers to please help me, to translate for me.

More buses came and left. The remaining number of departures on the lit-up screen dwindled from twenty to ten to five.
Gina (the author, right) with Fairus (middle) and Dino (left)
Fairus noticed me noticing his shirt. Between miming and using the fragmented Malay language that I had, I explained my situation.

And then he offered me his bus ticket.

With no trouble, he boarded the same bus even though he now didn't have a ticket. I got on with what was moments earlier his. Fairus sat a few rows in front of me and turned around every so often: once to make sure I was okay, once to roll his eyes at loud passengers.

At a rest stop, he somehow explained to me aspects of Islam I had until that point
misunderstood.

Later that night, Fairus's friends offered to drive me the two hours back to my home. Over the next few months, the group of us became friends. We spent afternoons at cafes on the beach talking about romantic crushes, politics, our families, the world. From those interactions, my grasp of the language and the local culture grew. Our discourse was never flirtatious: he treated me as  a female cousin or a sister. As our friendship progressed, I nurtured a real understanding of and a deep fondness for the country and culture that was foreign to me but beloved to Fairus.

We celebrated birthdays together. When my family came to visit, they attended Fairus's brother's wedding, all of us dressed in local garb.
Nowadays, Fairus and I keep in touch via Facebook, but our connection is limited. Without frothy tea and heaping plates of fried banana between us, we are distinctly separate: my posts in English are saturated with American-ness, his in Malay revolve around themes that I no longer fully understand. Still, I am grateful for him.

I am lucky to have had the laughs and the Malay music and the surprisingly good conversation that we shared. I am grateful for everything that he taught me about the place that was my home for a year, but I'm most grateful that neither of us dismissed the other at first glance. This, after all, might be the most powerful lesson of travel: don't be afraid to talk to strangers, and don't be afraid to help them out, either.
One Last Thing
Hotels by Day

Ever wish you could luxuriate in a hotel during the day? Whether it's for a remote office, a long layover, a daytime shower, or just an afternoon snooze, now you can. HotelsByDay is the only mobile provider of intra-day hotel spaces: offering travelers flexibility, comfort, and a space of their own. They're in Canada, Germany, the United States, and the U.K. HotelsbyDay.com
Let's Travel! Radio | www.letstravelradio.com
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