Florida Culture for the Week of August 20, 2016 by Josh Garrick

I've seen fursuits and other animal costumes around before, especially at our annual Unschoolers Waterpark Gathering. But when we were at the BlackRock Medieval Festival this summer, I was completely amazed by one gryphon - Taruk, created by Michigander Rebecca Sharpe.

If you have ever been to Thailand, you have probably seen, heard, or eaten a variety of wacky things. Hopefully fruit was one of them. If you haven't tried any Thai fruits, you are simply missing out. Thailand has some of the best tropical fruits in the world…seriously, this is not debatable. They are cheap, delicioious, and fun to eat. 

At 68° North, the Lofoten Archipelago in Norway is located just 2 degrees north of the Arctic Circle. And while it may seem like an extremely cold location, because of the Gulf Stream, Lofoten features less harsh winters than you expect. 

From Arizona to the Yucatan in Mexico, there are numerous gorgeous places that you can stay worldwide - for FREE - in return for some caretaking, housesitting, pet sitting, lawnmowing, and/or other duties. As a caretaker/housesitter, you can easily travel and live (or work) in many exotic places: mountain, lake, city, rural… and live like a local for anything from a few days to a couple of years.

For most of us, there is great joy in planning a vacation - the anticipation and research can be thrilling, but it can also be a little overwhelming.  With the summer travel season in full swing, there are countless insider tricks and tips travelers should arm themselves with to guarantee a smooth vacation experience, and most importantly, maximize savings. Travel Expert Sarah Gavin shares her tips to help us find those deals and make the most of our remaining summer vacation time.