Winter 2016

With the rise of smartphones and more phone networks becoming available overseas, most travelers are bringing their devices with them abroad. Unfortunately, this has increased opportunities for thieves to steal phones and information from tourists. Here are some tips to keep your phone safe while you travel abroad.

“What brings you to Salt Lake?” I ask the man sitting next to me on the train.

The stone streets billow with pedestrians, taxis, delivery trucks, Fiats, mopeds, and pigeons. Every one in ten Italiani is walking a dog. A one legged pigeon hops quickly away from a curly-haired toddler whose sole intend is chasing down the cagey, little creature. The perfume of restaurants mingles with the heavy presence of cigarette smoke. Groups of tourist mosey through the streets and it would seem like the average Sunday afternoon in Siena, Italy . . . until the drums start. As the cobbled streets twist and intersect, so do the crowds, waiting around every corner for the cadence and it’s carriers. Then without warning three boys in medieval attire blossom into view. In the lead is the drummer followed by two flag bearers whose broad weeping movements brush over the closest pedestrians. These boys belong to the Contrada Capitana dell’Onda, the Wave Contrada. Their legs are clad in light blue and white stockings with matching tunics and caps. The small procession stares forward, well-rehearsed and unphased by the crowds.

While we shiver in the northern hemisphere during our winter months, much of the southern hemisphere is a summery paradise. However, there is one temperature both hemispheres have in common: the heat of competition. Snow and sand art competitions are some of the biggest attractions worldwide, but be warned: These aren’t your typical sandbox creations.