The world is your playground.

Tips for the Perfect Turkish Breakfast

By on September 26, 2012

Merve and Kasper are a young international couple in Istanbul with a serious love for breakfast, the most important meal of the day in Turkey. Here they dish a few of their secrets to a homemade Turkish breakfast.

What inspired you to offer a Homemade Turkish Breakfast to visitors?

Breakfast is the most important meal in Turkish culture. I like to prepare a big breakfast to start the day off right. I have been preparing breakfast for Kasper for a long time and we thought “Why not share this tradition with others and let them taste a real homemade Turkish breakfast?” We make a great team! I prepare the food, he cleans and entertains the guests.

How do you make a Turkish breakfast?

First, prepare some Turkish tea because it takes about 20 minutes to get the flavor just right. Then, prepare a cheese plate and adorn with some dried mint and olive oil on top. Next, cut tomatoes and cucumbers into small pieces and add lemon juice, olive oil and pomegranate syrup or spices if you like. Then, prepare a plate of olives. You can spice this up with red pepper and olive oil.

Next, start making the menemen. First, cut green peppers into small pieces and saute in olive oil. After the peppers are cooked add some cut tomatoes. Cook a little bit longer and add watered tomato paste. Last, you can add eggs and cheese (kaşar, white cheese), if you like. Scramble all ingredients and add black and red pepper.

You can also prepare a plate of bal kaymak, which is a cream similar to a think yogurt with honey on top.

What are the 5 best Turkish breakfast foods?

  1. Menemen: Scrambled eggs with tomato, pepper, cheese and any other toppings
  2. Gözleme: Savory handmade pastry similar to a crepe.
  3. Bal-Kaymak: Kaymak is a thick cream, similar to yogurt. This dish is served with honey drizzled on top.
  4. Sucuklu Yumurta: Eggs with Turkish spicy sausage.
  5. Fresh cucumber and tomato salad with different types of cheeses.
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Work With Us!

By on September 19, 2012

Recently our little team finished Y Combinator and raised more money than we can fit under our beds. Long story short, we’re hiring for positions in our beautiful, charming San Francisco office.

We believe in empowering people to make a living doing what they love and creating a world where having a passion in something is your source of financial stability. Technology should make our lives better by solving problems and enhancing real world interactions. All of us have met friends during our travels – in Peru, in Nepal, in Cambodia – who we wanted to help if only there was something like Vayable. We want to make it easy for people to connect and explore the world in more meaningful ways.

We’ve been inspired by unexpected hidden gems found off the beaten path, far from touristy parts of town. Benefits of tourism should be more widely distributed, and locals should have an influence on the neighborhoods, communities, and businesses that tourism dollars go to. More tourism dollars should stay in the local economy. After all, destinations are only appealing because of the cultural and natural heritage that has been cultivated by people who live there. We love our community and are constantly inspired by their generosity and love for their cities.

We also just want people to have kick-ass experiences when they travel. Other than that, we’re wicked fun, and you’ll be stoked to see us for 12 hours a day. We love to go hiking, do yoga, sail the seas, and live what we make. We have healthy foods for breakfast and lunch, but you can also request whatever you want, and we won’t judge you if you get a weekly bag of cookies. We like cookies too, and we eat pie on Fridays. So come along for the ride – we’re just getting started.

Apply Here.

“And what is it to work with love? Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy.” - Kahlil Gibran in The Profet

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The Explore Local Mumbai Guide

By on September 17, 2012

Ruchit is a Mumbai native and hosts the Explore Local Mumbai tour. This tour gets to the heart of the Mumbai lifestyle and shows off what Mumbaikars love about their home. Here he shares with us his guide for a day in Mumbai.
Popularly known for “Bollywood,” Mumbai is often alternatively known as a ‘slum’ city since the release of the Oscar winner movie “Slum Dog Millionaire.” But that’s not entirely fair. There’s a lot more to Mumbai. Here’s what I would suggest if you have a day in Mumbai –

  1. See a few point of interest, but go local! – Hop into an overcrowded local train that takes you to the British Raj monument, Victoria Terminus Station. Just outside the station, get into a taxi (we call it taxi not cab). Drive by the waterfront Marine Drive and visit the Gateway of India and the heritage hotel, The Taj.
  2. Walk through the largest open laundry, Dhobi Ghat and the hippie area, Colaba Causeway.
  3. Scorching afternoon heat of Mumbai? – Stop by the famous Leopold Cafe mentioned extensively in the novel Shantaram. I happen to really like this retro-bar for its beers and burgers.
  4. Wondering what to do in the afternoon? – Escape the heat with some desi (local) shopping. Adorn the spirit of India with cotton attire from Fab India and accessories from Colaba Causeway shopping arena.
  5. Snack time! – If you haven’t had Mumbai Chaat (local street food) especially ‘pani-puri,’ you are definitely missing the mouth-watering taste of Mumbai! I suggest you hit the Sakari Bhandar chaat-stall, close by Amitabh Bachchan’s (a Bollywood legend) residence in Juhu.
  6. Mumbai Manhattan? Is that in New York? – Well no, we are talking about the Mumbai skyline where the property rates increase faster than the inflation rate. The view of the army of buildings is just spectacular from the Worli Sea-link.
  7. Go clubbing! – But hit some galli (street) serving more of Mumbai’s local food, like Pav Bhaji, to get pumped-up. As Mumbai is the home of India’s elite, it has quite a few crazy clubs where the bold and the beautiful hang out drinking mojitos.
  8. Hard to believe it’s the end of the day in Mumbai? – Not yet! Mumbai is tagged as a city that never sleeps. The after-party food… Food again? Yes Mumbaikars love food. The shawarma wrap at Bade Miya is the place. Open till 3am, you will often spot the elite crowd in their Mercs and BMWs, as well as working class eating at this place! Food has no race/caste, I’d say.
  9. The last pit-stop! – Sit at Marine Drive facing the Arabian Sea for the nighttime sea breeze that WILL make you feel sleepy and realize – Now, it’s the end of a tiring and fun-filled day!

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Get Shot in LA on FataLAtour

By on September 5, 2012

There’s the Los Angeles on the silver screen, the Los Angeles in television news, and the Los Angeles in reality TV. And then there’s real life in LA.

FataLAtour mixes reality in La La Land even more.

What’s it like to get shot? How do the body and mind react?

FataLAtour explores the process the mind and body endure when it believes it’s been shot. Whether the fatal wound was shot on the streets or the screen the episode will become part of your reality. Starting September 10, you’ll be able to book it here.

The FataLAtour App

The FataLAtour app alerts you whenever you are within a one-block radius of a real-life or fictional shooting. You can either follow the FataLAtour map to seek out destinations or keep the app on during your daily walks in the city of Los Angeles. Each alert shares information about the victim’s name, death details and location.

The FataLAtour Experience

Next time you’re in LA arrange a FataLAtour with David. You’ll strap on a FataLAtour (as seen in the videos) and begin walking around the city. When you approach the scene of a real life or fictional shooting, blood packs will burst, simulating a gunshot wound on your shirt. From there the brain takes over.

About Your Guide

David Leonard is a fourth-generation LA native and media artist. He worked in television news for eight years as a photojournalist and reporter. The FataLAtour is the product of his graduate work in Design | Media Arts at UCLA. Check out his personal site www.davidleonard.tv and follow FataLAtour on Twitter @FataLAtour.

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The Family Reintroduction: What Traveling in Southeast Asia Taught Me About My Family

By on September 4, 2012

The people I’ve known the longest still surprise me. I learned this when my family visited me in Thailand. Take everyone out of their context and comfort zones and new elements of their personalities unfold. Sure some things always remains the same. My sister still wants the royal treatment, my dad wants to make sure everyone has the royal treatment and my mom just wants everyone to get along.

I wandered off to far flung places before I’d graduated university. I completed my last semester abroad and stayed overseas for the next two and a half years. There’s a transition into an adult relationship with family members that happens during those years. While my sister figured all of that out, I was biking in a rice field in Thailand.

The chance for my family to visit me overseas stirred a bubbly mixture of reactions. Mostly, I was excited to enjoy their company and show them my life in Thailand. Part of me however, was anxious. The years overseas had changed me and I wasn’t sure how much they’d changed in those years either.

The first few days were mixed. I loved showing them around, exploring new places and basking in luxuries like air conditioning and beaches. I was also incredibly impatient. I’d been in Thailand for over a year and took for granted the daily routines I’d become accustomed to. I guess the money does look different, and talking to cab drivers is awkward at first, and squat toilets can be mildly traumatizing the first go around.

What I did come to appreciate are the new things I learned about the people I’d known my whole life. My dad, with his boundless curiosity thrives abroad. He was the most alert, inquisitive and giddy I’d ever seen. My mom, the rock in our family, knows how to cut loose more than she lets on. My sister with her perfect hair, will be the first to run through the mud if it means a good time.

Most of all, I loved the reassurance of the things I already knew. This I realized when we made our way over to Cambodia. As we teased each other over afternoon hor d’oeuvres of champagne and cheese, I remembered this is the family I’ve always known. This is the family with a tendency to turn the most average moment into a celebration to remember.

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Vayable’s Newsworthy Week

By on August 21, 2012

Vayable received some great press this week. The week started off with Business Insider’s article, This Startup Cuts the Time it Takes To Plan A Vacation From 30 Hours To 5 Minutes, which followed up last week’s article The 15 Startups Everyone is Talking About in Silicon Valley Right Now. The articles share that it usually takes 30 hours to plan a trip. Vayable shortens that process to 5 minutes by handling the “nitty gritty details of having a good time while traveling.” A soulful hotel room can be booked in five minutes. Why shouldn’t booking an authentic travel experience by that easy?

Business Insider also shared some lesser known tidbits about Vayable. Did you know we started out as a blog? Jamie used her experience abroad to plan her friend’s trips. She started a blog to share these experiences, which eventually turned into the concept for Vayable. Another interesting fact: the average tour guide makes $130 for a three-hour trip. That’s a decent sum for something you might be doing anyway.

Business Insider also asked Jamie about her experience with Y Combinator. Speaking which, today was Demo Day. This is the culminating day of the three month program. During Demo Day each startup has two minutes to pitch their concept and relevance to a room of investors, press and peers. We are honored to be listed on TechCrunch as The 10 Best Startups From Y Combinator’s S12 Demo Day.

The combination of great press and concluding Y Combinator on a high note make this a week worth celebrating at Vayable. Wait? It’s only Tuesday?

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On Authenticity

By on August 15, 2012

Whenever people ask us why they should take Vayable tours, we always talk about the idea of authenticity. Wikipedia defines authenticity as “the truthfulness of origins, attributions, commitments, sincerity, devotion, and intentions.”

In the modern world “authenticity” can mean almost anything. It can mean identifying with “alternative” lifestyles and tastes; it can mean being effortlessly cool; it can mean being all natural without artificial flavors or packaging. Sometimes things trying hard to be “authentic” actually actually end up becoming laughably inauthentic. Things that mean anything actually end up meaning nothing.

To us, authenticity equates to a sense honesty – the things that people do in their daily lives, that they enjoy, when no one else is looking. Oftentimes, these are the things that are most telling, most beautiful. Take this royal cremation ceremony in Bali that our dear friend Michael was fortunate enough to participate in. From the chaotic ceremony itself to the onlookers quietly watching from the sides, you can see into the soul of the people and the culture.

We love seeing the eyes of professional tour guides light up when we explain the concept of Vayable. “You mean instead of the sights that everyone has in their list, I can show people what I like to do?” someone once said to me during a guide vouching interview. As travelers, we oftentimes don’t know what we want, and some of the best Vayable tours feature guides who do not compromise on what they show travelers because they know their city best.

When we go to a faraway place, we want to eat la comida típica, but much of the time restaurants that serve this type of food have huge placards on storefronts beckoning to tourists with their “authentic” fare. Every single time without fail, the low-key neighborhood haunt that’s been a local destination for generations will be much, much better. Explore the tapas scene in Barcelona with a local chef instead of going to some place with a flashy sign on La Rambla.

The tourism industry as a whole is really bad at figuring out what people want; take the prevalence of double-decker bus tours as evidence. So we challenge you to put your afternoon or day into the hands of someone else and trust them to show you their world. At most, you’ll have the time of your life. At the very least, you’ll gain a better understanding of the world around you.

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On Becoming a Bold Biking Babe in Shanghai

By on August 15, 2012

Some may jump at the opportunity to weave through Shanghai streets on a bicycle. Prior to the summer of 2005, biking was a deal breaker, for anything, anywhere. I’d signed up for a summer experience in Shanghai. I’d envisioned living near campus, walking to my classes, drinking bubble tea with friends, all by foot or sky train. I was tricked, or just naive. Day one in Shanghai was spent navigating the city by bike, as was day two, three and thirty-three.

There was a time in my life when I liked biking just as much as any other kid in the neighborhood. Then I rode my friend’s mom’s bike down a gravel hill, flipped over the handle bars, hit my face on a rock, got a concussion and sprained my wrist. Any desire to cycle left me that day. I didn’t live in a neighborhood. I lived off of a highway that my mother prohibited us from riding anywhere near. I accepted my future as a bike-less one and never got back on the two-wheeled wonder.

Our first day on bikes we broke up into groups to explore the city and get oriented. I spent this day hoping that my wobbliness on the bike combined with my blurry tear-filled vision wouldn’t send me crashing into a street food cart. Re-learning how to ride a bike in Shanghai felt akin to learning how to drive in Mumbai, without a metal bubble of protection.

Since I was there for six weeks I had to keep hopping back on the bike day after day after day. The first week was terrible. The second week was less so. By the third week I’d forgotten I had a phobia of biking. By the fourth week I was an invincible, zipping, weaving, bell ringing, speed machine.

The day I made a left turn at a very yellow light on a road we’d entitled “The Widowmaker” because of its six lanes, I realized I’m not afraid anymore. As I weaved in and out of the oncoming traffic, I realized I’m more than not scared anymore, I’m bold.

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“Hi There Stranger.” A New Mindset Towards New Faces

By on August 9, 2012

 

 My dad is the kind of person who will start a conversation with anyone. He is socially fearless. He doesn’t initiate conversation for a particularly reason or means. He genuinely loves conversation and meeting people. Every person he sits next to on an airplane is a friend come landing. If Dad disappears on a family outing it’s probably because he’s deep in dialogue with someone he found along the way.

I wasn’t born this way. Not even remotely so. When we’d travel as a family, my dad would point out all the kids I could play with. I’d usually give him a look like I’d just smelled old fish and go back to reading my book. I liked to be by myself or with people I knew well. Shooting the breeze with a stranger was on par with going to the dentist or deep cleaning the bathroom.

Engaging with travelers while backpacking is a standard practice. So many travelers are either alone or with a partner they’re a little sick of and are dying for a fun couple days with new buddies. When I first started hosteling I was a little taken aback by the number of people who invited me on a tour or to dinner. I loved this! I didn’t have to navigate the awkward channels of starting the conversation. Eventually, I even worked my way up to being the inviter.

I didn’t truly believe strangers are just friends I haven’t met yet, until I met Alex. We met on an overnight bus from Krabi to Bangkok, in Thailand. We sat next to each other during the ride and from overhearing him talk to the attendant I’d gathered that he spoke English. I fully intended to ignore him for the 12-or-so hour ride, but the traveler in me kept poking at me and telling me to say “Hi.”

I made one comment about boarding the wrong bus. This turned into hours and hours of conversation. Not the forced, generic conversation I hated, but conversation about our travels, families and interests. Mostly, we laughed at each other’s awkward mishaps on the road. I felt like I was on a bus ride with a good friend – way more fun than 12 hours with my own thoughts.

After the bus ride and a day in Bangkok, Alex and I went our separate ways and have kept in sporadic touch since then. The moment I realized this stranger was a friend changed my perspective on meeting new people completely. I no longer interact with new people out of obligation. I strike up a conversation with a new face because my new friends await.

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Experience the National Conventions!

By on August 7, 2012

Politicians won’t be the only big, bad cats on the block in Tampa, FL this August. The Big Cat Reserve lets visitors interact with big cats with their Keeper for a Day Tour. Does the high of a political convention make you regret forsaking your ambition to become a secret agent? You know it does. Would flying a fighter jet ease the pain of this regret? You know it would. If talking politics makes you want to rip your clothes off and run away to a nudist colony. You can try that too. Visitors to the Republican National Convention later this month can now book these experiences and many more on Vayable’s new Experience the RNC website and the Experience the DNC site, which curates unique experiences in Charlotte for the 2012 Democratic National Convention on September 3.

This year, Vayable is bringing  its unique take on travel experiences to the National Conventions  with the launch of ExperiencetheRNC.com and ExperiencetheDNC.com  Vayable is working with local communities in Tampa and Charlotte to provide convention-goers with a deeper, richer way to engage in politics and local life.

Political engagement experiences
Charlotte visitors can connect with the environment with a Canopy zip-line tour meet with local leaders helping end homelessness, learn about a healthy lifestyle on the Preventive Obamacare Tour. In Tampa, FL visitors can release some steam on the Ladies Hog Hunting Tourand 2nd Amendment Tour or learn more about LGBTQ culture on the Gay Pride Tour.

Local life and culture experiences
Need an escape from days of political jabber? Tampa and Charlotte are rich with cultural experiences and outdoor adventure. Visitors in Charlotte, NC can expand their gastronomic horizons with one of Kristi’s fantastic food tours. Choose from the Brew and Chew Tour and the Uptown Chic Behind-the-Scenes tour or both! Kick back in gator country with Alligator Bob in Tampa. Explore the quirky, bohemian NoDa neighborhood at their monthly gallery crawl. Tour the layout and history of the Queen City with Paul, a Charlotte native and local government employee. Find inner peace with paddle boarding and yoga in Tampa. Spike adrenaline levels with an All Sport Pass to the US National Whitewater Center.

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