Part of the fun of traveling, besides the travel itself, is the experiences that happen along the way. Getting hopelessly lost in eastern France, getting stuck in a public restroom in Versailles, finding a tucked away neighborhood park in touristy Venice, being tossed into a stranger’s car in the Sinai peninsula, discovering the most mouth-watering wines in Mendoza, etc. all enhance the travel experience. I have visited 69 countries in 6 continents with over 20 years of travel writing, first just emails to friends and family as I went around the world and, since 2008, via this blog! 
I have a passion for travel and seek to share the experiences and sights with others via this blog. I hope it gives you ideas of places to go or dream about going to someday! Other passions? Why, dark chocolate and red wine, of course!
Follow me on twitter @ilivetotravel or in Facebook and drop me a note about your own travels any time – I love discovering new jewels for future travel opportunities!
ilivetotravel is a trademark of Raul Pino, Chief Traveler and Editor of ilivetotravel. All rights reserved. Copyright Raul Pino 2014.
Raul,
Thank you for sharing your travel experiences with us! I will be going to London and Paris this fall. I’ll be watching to see what information you have on them.
Safe travels,
Sonya
Thanks, Sonya! Awesome trip! I will make sure I get to cover more on Paris and London before then. It helps to know what people want to hear more about. And if I have not been there, I will find someone who can share!
Hey guys,
Great blog, came across it from one of your links on lonelyplanet. I was just wondering in regards to taking photos in Auschwitz/Birkenau was there any issues? I am not ignorant or disrespectful and I can distinguish between when would be and when wouldn’t be appropriate to take photos, however I would also like to have a reminder/memory of places I have visited such as this, as places like this should never be forgotten. I also realise family members of people who have perished still visit so I want to be considerate in doing so. Could you please direct me to any tips in this regard? (e-mail best contact).
Cheers.
Adrian, you can absolutely take pictures while outdoors – I think it helps us (who get to visit such a place) share with those who cannot go the sad events that took place there. (In the exhibits they don’t let you take pictures.) Your question is a good one because when you enter the camp, the tour guide reminds you that you are in holy ground (so food, drinks, etc. not allowed inside). Thanks for the feedback on the blog, glad you like it! Feel free to add comments once you visit the camps with your own impressions!
Great blog, came across it from one of your links on lonelyplanet. I was just wondering in regards to taking photos in Auschwitz/Birkenau was there any issues? I am not ignorant or disrespectful and I can distinguish between when would be and when wouldn’t be appropriate to take photos, however I would also like to have a reminder/memory of places I have visited such as this, as places like this should never be forgotten. I also realise family members of people who have perished still visit so I want to be considerate in doing so. Could you please direct me to any tips in this regard? (e-mail best contact).
+1
Joshua, I don’t think anyone would prevent you from taknig pictures so I think it is up to you. I would not assume that someone taking a picture is doing it for wrong reasons but, instead, to remember what they saw. If that helps people remember the horrors and prevent it in the future, I say, click away!
Hey, I work with the CheapOair travel blog (cheapoair.typepad.com) and we’re interested in having you guest blog for us. Please contact me if you’re interested. Thanks! Aldo.
In regards to the photo comments I’ve often had those feelings too of “is this disrespectful?”. I visited Dachau in Germany and it was a bit of an internal struggle, but I also think that if you’re there, being told about it, shown it, and learning about it, it makes sense to take photos to remember the important lessons learned, and to hopefully show/teach others as well!
Jessie, good perspective. I also want to remember what I learned and the photos help. Clearly, I am not framing them and putting them up around the house!
Hi Raul,
I am writing a blog post about Sofia and I found some very nice pictures on your site. Can I use some of them, citing your site as the author? My blog is http://da-scoprire.678voli.it/ (in Italian language) and I am writing about various cities, mostly in Europe.
Thanks,
Debora
Debora recently posted..Birmingham: una città tutta da scoprire
It seem you have many fun adventures ahead of you! I look forward to following along.