Abandoned buildings are like time capsules, especially if unseen and untouched for over 50 years. In Italy, Luca Blast Forlani’s Intruders: Urban Explorers video is a look into his illegal explorations of various abandoned spaces: from industrial-age factories, theatres, psych wards, and WWII bombed sites. Everything is left as it was then, even the dusty calendar marking the date hanging thinly on the crumbly walls. Some spaces are more recent (say 10 to 30 years ago) but with the lack of human interruption, and plants running wild, it feels like a post-apocalyptic premonition.

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I really like the illustrator Tania Willis’ work and now she’s teamed up with Mio Debnam to produce these kid’s guide books. Avoiding the trap of thinking parents know best, they’ve asked kids in the various locations what their favourite days out, experiences, food, and so on are. So far they’ve covered Bali, Sydney, Hong Kong, Phuket, London and New York. My lad gives it 5 stars after a recent trip to Bali.

I’ve never been a big nature girl, but it’s hard to ignore incredible hidden gems like the amazing morning glory pool located in Yellow Stone National Park, and the largest Salt Flat in Salar de’Uyuni, Bolivia, which creates the illusion of Heaven on Earth.

From Brazil to Turkey, Canada to Germany, and a few places in between, this camera, a 1950′s Brownie Hawkeye Flash, has traveled more miles than the average person. It never disappoints and is a beloved travel companion to Jeanette Kramer, a Vancouver-based photographer.

It was 1964 and Brigitte Bardot was at the height of her fame when images of her bikini-bod frolicking in Búzios circled the globe to put this seaside town on the map. As the story goes, Bardot flew into Rio de Janerio to see her Brazilian boyfriend Bob Zagury, but he wasn’t the only one happy to see her. The paparazzi had gotten wind of the couple’s secret rendezvous and Bardot couldn’t even venture out of Zagury’s beachside apartment.

She was about to fly back to Paris when she came up with a compromise that the media eventually agreed on. Zagury’s French photographer friend Denis Albanèse who was living in Rio at the time would journal Bardot’s vacation in Brazil and share the photos with the press if they agreed to leave her alone. The pair fled the city on Zagury’s yacht with the French photographer in tow and headed north to Búzios where they stayed for three months.

Búzios (pronounced boo-zee-ous) is a three hour drive from the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. If you take the glamour and glitz of Saint Tropez and mix it with the laid back vibe of Byron Bay, this is what you’d get. From the moment I arrived it was clear that the week I had here was never going to be long enough.

The peninsular is home to more than 20 beautiful beaches, so whether you’re into surfing, diving, sunbaking, skinny-dipping, paddle-boarding, eating or sailing – there’s a beach for everyone. And don’t even get me started on the shopping. Búzios is a holiday town for Brazil’s rich and fabulous crowd, and a regular stop on the itinerary for luxury cruise liners.

There were more bikini shops and designer boutiques than I knew what to do with, as well as vendors selling their clothes and jewellery down on the beach.

Wandering along the cobblestoned streets, it is obvious just how strong Bardot’s influence was on the town. In her honor, the municipality of Búzios commissioned local artist Christina Motta to create a statue of her that sits on the Orla Bardot.

Yes, that’s right, even the oceanfront promenade is named after the actress, as is the local cinema. And keeping her promise, Bardot authorised Denis Albanèse to release around 400 photos documenting her stay in Brazil, placing Búzios firmly on the map for decades to come.

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For anyone travelling with young kids, the thought of a plane trip — particularly an international one — can induce heart palpitations. The very idea of enduring a public meltdown in a cramped space 30,000 feet above the ground, while other passengers ‘humpf’ and deliver pointed stares, is enough to send any parent into a state of sleep-deprived anxiety.

It’s this fearful and common scenario that led Jane Tara — a mother of four, author and passionate traveller — to write Around the World in 80 Ways, a cool little guidebook for surviving and (gasp) even enjoying long trips with petit travellers.

Funny and very down to earth, it includes 80 easy, lightweight ways to keep kids entertained and educated about travel, including games, trivia and activities. Of course, your kids may well prefer to kick the seat in front, scream like crazed banshees or throw their toys around the cabin like missiles. But if there’s one book that could potentially distract them, this is the one.

The subjects appear as if from a cloud: an investigation of incredible human endurance in the everyday.

Photographer Pat Shepherd has been following the progress of the Little Lotus Project, an art based initiative helping children on the Thai-Burma Border. All the images are available for purchase, with proceeds heading back to help the kids.

Looming from the Singapore skyline as a shimmering mirage, the Marina Bay Sands is an astonishing monument to architectural genius Moshe Safdie. The three 55-story towers are crowned by a rooftop skypark 200 meres in the air, which includes an infinity edge outdoor pool to capture the sights of Singapore.

Everything about the Sands is worth ogling, and no matter how many times you rub your eyes, it’s real. With some 2,560 hotel rooms to choose from, chances are you will want to be doing some sightseeing from the inside. The rooms are spacious, well appointed, and with each room having a balcony, include either a view of Singapore or the ocean.

If you’re feeling really luxurious, you can go all the way up to a Presidential suite, which includes a baby grand piano and butler service. And it wouldn’t be Asia without a soundproof Karaoke room to blast the night away.

Singapore is a melting pot of Chinese, Indian and Malay cultures and a foodie haven, where everything from the cheap and delicious hawker food in Chinatown to celebrity chef restaurants on rooftops can be found.

The oppressive humidity causes your whole body to weep in sympathy, and you’d suspect that Singapore’s revolution from a sweaty flight stopover to must-see destination happened at around the time air-conditioning became popular.

Singapore’s mix of cultures is evident in the buildings and surrounds, from towering skyscrapers to temples. Although not all is sacred in a push to become more Westernised – a beautiful church in the centre of town has been turned into a pub!

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Persuasive Games has just released a version of its game Airport Security (in which you play a security gate officer checking irritated passengers while adjusting to ever-changing and arbitrary TSA regulations) for the iPhone. The game, now known as Jetset, uses location-awareness to detect which airport the player is nearest to unlock various ‘souvenirs’ which can be sent to friends via Facebook.