Who would not be thrilled to see Spain? Walking on the streets alone would be amusing enough. You can feast your eyes on the country’s exquisite architecture. Everything Spanish reflects the country’s dynamic history and fascinating culture.

1. Cuisine. Please your palate with a slice of Tortilla de Patatas with a cup of the very tasty Paella. Let your mouth savor an explosion of flavor from the seafood, potatoes, tomatoes and saffron. End your meal with some of the world famous flan and the very creamy Tres Leches (three types of milk). Spain will take your palate on a flavorful ride so prepare to gain a few pounds! These are tastes you won’t get from your typical fast food chain!

2. Architecture. Architecture in Spain is indescribable. Fortunately, many of the great cathedrals and buildings that display the past’s grand artistic revolutions still stand today! Spain has adopted many architectural styles, but mainly, you’ll see a lot of baroque. Bold and massive intricately designed buildings will enthrall you. Malaga may be a small city in Andalusia, but it is filled with so many architectural delights. See genuine ancient theaters and palaces.

3. Art. Home to El Greco, Goya and Picasso, Spain makes good art with no surprise. Visit Barcelona for the Picasso Museum. Or head to Madrid’s Centro de Arte Reina Sofia. Wherever you go in Spain, art will surely be there waiting to be explored by any traveler.

4. Beaches. Costa del Sol, the southern region of Spain, will give you a different experience. Expect to meet a lot of sea creatures because this place has a lot of marine parks!

Spain caters to all interests. Nature lovers and history buffs meet in this beautiful country. So if you’re planning your next vacation, look no further and head to Spain!

Any trip to Europe sounds expensive, but you can actually fly for free!

Explore architecture in Malaga! Your flight is on us.

Let the bay breeze soothe you in Costa del Sol!

Feast your eyes while walking the streets of Spain.

Good wine only comes from good grapes, and good grapes can only be grown in certain parts of the world. This is why few countries have made names for themselves by producing good wine. Champagne is actually a region in France where sparkling white wine was concocted. The French, alongside many other Europeans make good wine. America and Australia also have great wineries that turn grapes into the best drink you can have with your meal.

California. If you’re visiting San Francisco, you cannot miss crossing the Golden Gate Bridge and have a wine tour in Napa Valley. The climate and geography in Napa County are perfect for growing grapes. Near Napa is another county that is recognized for great wine. Sonoma County has similar environment as Napa which also makes it a great place to grow grapes. California produces both red and white wine. They are particularly famous for their Cabernet and Chardonnay. Click here to fly to San Francisco for free and start your wine tasting now!

France. Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne are the top regions to get your wine. Bordeaux is more famous for their red wine, which they produce in wide varieties. You can get the strong and full taste of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes which is great with your meaty dinner. Burgundy grows Pinot Noir grapes which is softer than Cabernet. Chardonnay is also widely grown for fine white wine. Champagne, of course, is where you can get the top-of-the-line sparkling white wine.

Italy. A town in Italy is also internationally recognized for its production of sparkling white wine. Asti Spumante comes from Moscato Bianco grapes which are widely grown in Asti. In contrast with your red wine which is a perfect match to your steak, Asti Spumante is sweet and does not have high alcohol content, making it a great drink with dessert. Chianti in Tuscany, on the other hand, is keener in making red wine.

Spain. Red wine is more widely produced in Spain, but they have more white grape vineyards! This is because aside from fine red wine, Spain produces the best brandy. Simply click here to fly free to Spain! Taste not only great red wine but their prided brandy.

Choosing your wine is a lot like choosing an outfit. There are so many choices and mixing and matching is important. To totally satisfy your palate, think of which grapes you want. Will the sweet Asti Spumante suit you or are you in the mood for some strong Cabernet Sauvignon? Also, consider the meal you are having. Beef will have you craving for Cabernet, and poultry will surely match your Chardonnay. Lastly, bear in mind the place where it is produced! Click here and you can get 6 bottles of wine for free!

For a few days, people drop their daily routines to celebrate whatever it is that their culture values. Festivals are a great time for tourists to travel. It is during festivities when locals are friendliest and most inviting. Everyone lets their guard down and simply indulge in fun activities. Festivals are a great way not only to have fun with the activities, but also to understand a foreign country’s history, culture and beliefs.

Monkey Buffet Festival: Thailand
November is a festive time for Thailand. In the province of Lopburi, a feast of fruits is prepared for hundreds of monkeys. It is Thai belief that the province was given by the famous hero Rama to Hanuman, the Monkey King. This legend brought tourists and locals together in a friendly encounter with the numerous monkeys that live near San Phra Kan and Phra Prang Sam Yot – famous and historic structures in Lopburi. The monkeys are playful but harmless.

Songkran: Thailand
Songkran is Thai New Year, which falls on April 13 to 15 according to astrology. Being Thailand’s hottest time of the year, the tradition of water-throwing is widely practiced. Tourists and locals all hold water guns and buckets of water to throw at anyone they please, may it be a friend or a total stranger. The great thing about this festival is that almost everyone on the streets is willing to participate. So it is rare that a stranger gets mad if he/she gets wet by a total stranger. So if you are a tourist walking in Thailand at this time of the year, suspect anyone to throw buckets of water at you.

Holi: India
Like any other festival, Holi or the Festival of Colors in India is rooted to an interesting legend. This is celebrated to welcome spring season in India with goodness, bounty and health. The story behind thisfestival involves Prince Prahlad who, despite being the son of the demon King, is devout to Lord Vishnu. His disobedience to his father and loyalty to Lord Vishnu gave him protection from various death encounters. At one attempt to kill the prince, the King ended up burning his sister, Holika, instead. Thus, on the first day of the celebration, Holika is burned in a big bonfire. The second day is much more fun as people throw colored powder and water at each other. Traditionally, the colored powder comes from medicinal plants important in keeping people from getting sick in Indian spring weather. Today, however, these medicinal powders are replaced with synthetic dye that can sometimes be harmful on the skin.

El Colacho: Spain
Whole of Spain celebrate Corpus Crhisti, but only in Castrillo de Murcia do people celebrate by baby-jumping. This tradition is centuries old and its significance is quite unclear. A grown man, dressed in something that resembles a matador suit or a colorful Elvis attire, jumps over a few babies lying on the ground. These unknowing babies are volunteered by their parents to be jumped over, but Spaniards are also inviting to tourists who have their babies with them during the festival.

These are only a few of thousands of inviting festivals around the world. The next time you wish to travel, you might want to consider peeking at another country’s festival calendar. It will surely give you a memorable visit. And your tour does not have to be expensive. Get $500 Airline Gift Certificates to ease the budget burdens of traveling!

Food has been strongly used to establish the identity of most European countries. But if you come to think about it, most of these foods originated not in their prided land, but from the invaded tribes in the new world that they discovered.

Chocolate has to be everyone’s guilty pleasure. The texture of creamy bitter-sweetness melting in your mouth will definitely make you reach out for more. Spain has found countless ways to produce good chocolate since they were the first European country to use it. But they were not the first to use it in the whole world. Chocolate has been an important drink in Mayan and Aztec cultures in pre-colonial South America where the cacao plant is abundant. The Spanish, in their travels to the new world, introduced the much-loved chocolate to the rest of Europe, then the rest of the world.

Cheese is also big in Europe. The Dutch especially has embedded cheese-production in their national tradition and culture. Gouda, Edam, Alkmaar and Hoorn are the major cheeses from Holland. But legend, no matter how varied the versions are, says that cheese originated from Asia. Middle East back then made portable water containers out of animal stomach skin because it is water proof. A stomach enzyme from the container called rennet causes milk to curdle. So when the stomach was used to contain milk, it came out as cheese after some time.

Lastly and most surprisingly, pasta which gave Italians much pride and identity is not an indigenous produce. Same as with the origin of cheese, there are different versions of the story but they all come down to the same conclusion that Italian pasta that we enjoy today did not exactly come from Italy. Marco Polo is said to have brought pasta from China. But even before Marco Polo, Italy already had food similar to pasta, but it was baked rather than boiled so it really isn’t the same pasta that we enjoy now. It was during the Arab invasion that Italy learned about dried noodles. Since then, Italians widely produced pasta.

Years of voyages to and discoveries of the new world led to centuries of colonization. People usually perceive the colonized countries to be heavily influenced and molded by their European conquerors. But what people do not recognize is that there was cultural exchange between the conquistadors and the “savages” of the past. Though the explorers taught religion, systems of government and education, these Europeans also learned and took a lot from the cultures of the colonized. Asia and South America provided the rest of the world with timeless luxuries for the palate.

Travel around the world and satisfy your stomach with a variety of food! Click here to get $500 Airline Gift Card and travel cheaper!