Vayama Travel Blog

Celebrate Halloween all year round in these classic haunting international destinations.

By Florin R. Ferrs

All Hallows Eve is celebrated the night before All Saints Day (Nov 1st), but its traditions predate Christianity. The ancient Celts celebrated summer’s end with the festival of Samhain with bonfires and costumes. They believed that the border between the netherworld and their world became thin on Samhain, allowing spirits and malicious goblins to pass trough. The idea of the costumes was to fool the spirits.

In Scotland, young men dressed in white and blackened their faces in order to fool  goblins and spirits into thinking of them as part of their gang, hence sparing the revelers from been taken back to the netherworld by night’s end.  Samhain was also a time to prepare food supplies for the long winter ahead. Livestock was slaughtered and their bones cast into bonfires.

This tradition lives on in the UK with the celebration of Bonfire night on November 5^th.  In Mexico All Saints Day coincides with the celebration of Dia de Los Muertos, but this celebration also predates the Christian conquest and has deep roots in the indigenous culture. Similar traditions occur all over Europe, Latin America and in many Asian and African cultures.
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Don’t Pass Up on South America Air Passes and save

By Florin R. Ferrs.

You’ve scored a great discounted airfare to South America on vayama.com (It could be to Lima, Rio de Janeiro, Santiago, Buenos Aires or any other South American city). You’re on a budget,  but still want to see South America’s top ten destinations. How can you cover all that territory in a timely manner without costing you an arm and a leg?

You can always go the classic backpacker’s route and use local buses; and this is a nice way to see the local culture up close. But unless you have a whole year off, it will be difficult to see the “best of” South America by bus, plus some of the best destinations are simply not reachable by car and that includes Machu Picchu, Angel Falls, the Galapagos and remote villages in the Amazon Jungle.

The only way to see the best of South America is by air, but if you wait until you get there to  buy your domestic flights,  it will get very expensive. The secret to saving time and money is to get a South America Airpass before you leave. South America air passes start from $350 to $650 and allow you to cover different regions and countries for one set low price. To qualify for an airpass you must first buy an intercontinental flight to South America on one of the participating airlines (booked for less on vayama.com). Once your ticket to South America is issued, you have to contact one of the participating airlines to purchase their airpass.
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No matter what you’re into, South America has it.

By Florin R. Ferrs.

South America is trendy-hot right now and a great place to stretch your vacation dollars. Travellers are discovering that its wine countries and sophisticated café culture make it a cheaper substitute to a European trip without having to sacrifice on the quality of the food, the beauty of the landscape, or the charm of the local people. Even a remote town in the Atacama desert is expecting a new influx of visitors due to its notoriety during the Chilean miner’s crisis.

But the main charm of South America is how big and diverse it is. From the eternal snows of the Andes mountains, to tropical beaches in the Caribbean sea.  From hipsters with Santa hats tanning on the beaches of Punta del Este on Christmas day, to ancient Amazonian tribes living off the land with no contact with the outside world.  There’s also the crushing poverty of the favelas and marginal barrios, alongside the height of luxury and sophistication of its cosmopolitan cities, full of haute cuisine, cafes, boutiques, bars and nightclubs.

Bio-Diverse Diversions

Travellers must prepare themselves for South America’s mind boggling contrasts. A typical day can involve a morning dip in the the Caribbean Sea, the Pacific Ocean or the Atlantic, followed by a short domestic flight, lunch with an Amazonian tribe, a hike through an exotic jungle with waterfalls, then another short domestic flight and a sophisticated dinner in a world class restaurant in a cosmopolitan city with fantastic nightlife.

South America’s Big Top Ten

1. Machu Picchu, Peru

Hike the Inca Trail to awe-inspiring ancient ruins hidden in cloud forests. One of the wonders of the world.  Stay in the nearby town of Cuzco, the ancient Inca capital, and a showpiece of Spanish colonial architecture and Peruvian history. Get to Peru for less with vayama’s hot airfare deals to Lima, plus a domestic hop to Cuzco.

Mucho Machu Picchu

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