I’m writing about my recent trip to Boracay for the conference called Geeks on a Beach, which I maximized by spending some post-anniversary quality time with my husband, Paul. While the articles themselves are awaiting release, I’m sharing with you here a home video featuring my mostly-Instagrammed photos of Diniwid Beach, the quiet side of Boracay Island. To see more of my photos from that trip, let’s connect at @ninaterol on Instagram! 🙂

"Technology, travel and 'tweet tourism' by Niña Terol-Zialcita, published in Rappler.com

(Published on October 7, 2013 in Rappler.com) MANILA, Philippines – Technology has drastically changed the way people travel. The ubiquity of smartphones and 24/7 connectivity, for instance, has allowed frequent fliers to use websites and mobile apps to book flights and accommodations, keep track of mileage points and other perks, share recommendations and reviews, and post photos in real time. A new conference, the Asia Pacific Tourism, Hospitality and Technology [APTHAT] Conference, aims to shed light on the impact of technology on tourism and hospitality, the…Continue Reading “Technology, travel and ‘tweet tourism’ (Rappler.com)”

"Scrappy Fashion" by Niña Terol-Zialcita, featuring Filipino social enterprise Rags2Riches, in Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia (October 2013 issue)

Note: I’ve always been a fan of Travel + Leisure–I even placed in one of my old dreamboards (ca. 2010) the desire to write for this magazine and to live the “travel + leisure lifestyle.” So you can only imagine how thrilled I am to finally be able to write for them, and to feature no less than one of my favorite Filipino brands, Rags2Riches. Happily sharing an excerpt here for all of you 🙂 Scrappy Fashion Social enterprise Rags2Riches transformed the lowly foot rug…Continue Reading “Scrappy Fashion (Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia)”

Do you live in (or have you recently been to) any of these cities? Reykjavik, Iceland San Francisco, California Malmö, Sweden Vancouver, Canada Portland, Oregon Curitiba, Brazil Copenhagen, Denmark Stockholm, Sweden Hamburg, Germany Bogotá, Colombia In March 2012, a group called the Mother Nature Network named these cities the 10 greenest cities in the world. The cities were chosen for “encompassing all of the positive qualities that make urban living more healthy, pleasant and sensitive to nearby ecosystems.” They were also chosen “based on their use of…Continue Reading “Have you been to any of the World’s 10 Greenest Cities? Tell me more!”

In September 2012, I was fortunate enough to have been one of the panelists of Mashable and Rappler‘s “Social Good Summit” in Manila. Here’s an excerpt of a feature about some insights that I and fellow netizen Jane Uymatiao shared with the audience. To view my full segment, please watch the video on the right sidebar. To view a summary of the  Social Good Summit, please click HERE. Hope to see more of you “super citizens” online! 😉 — ‘The tweet is mightier than the…Continue Reading “In the News: ‘The tweet is mightier than the sword’ (Rappler)”

Almost a month ago (and fresh after the grueling campaign!), I and my “writing sisters” from Writer’s Block Philippines joined Lonely Planet guidebook author Greg Bloom in giving a travel writing seminar to guests of Fully Booked Bonifacio High Street . It was great fun sharing our insights from two of the things we love most–writing and traveling–and to be joined by no less than an authority in the field. Here, I’ll share an excerpt of what Fully Booked published in its blog, but for more meaty…Continue Reading “In the News: Top 5 Take-Home Tidbits from the Lonely Planet No More Seminar (Fully Booked)”

We’ve all seen how social media in the Philippines exploded with posts, tweets, and other memes pertaining to the 2013 mid-term elections. We used social media to learn about some candidates, poke fun at others, and even report election-related offenses. The social media scene was vibrant, albeit cacophonic; and, you have to admit, many of us couldn’t help but engage in the online conversations. Now that election fever has died down, how do we process all that hullabaloo and apply its lessons to our own…Continue Reading “What can the 2013 elections teach your company or brand?”

(Originally posted in the blog, Out of the Universe) Thanks to this great playlist by TED, we can watch more videos related to the birth and spread of new ideas, the discovery and cultivation of creativity, and other videos that are sure to inspire creativity, innovation, or at least the challenging of the status quo. This next video I’m featuring on my blog is a TED talk by Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert on our “elusive creative genius.” One line that struck me during her talk is when she pointed…Continue Reading “TED Talk: “Your elusive creative genius” by “Eat, Pray, Love” author Elizabeth Gilbert”

Published on February 7, 2013 in Homegrown.ph To make a dream come true, some action is required. Creating a visual plan may be what you need to help you achieve your success goals. / by Niña Terol-Zialcita / Much has been said and written about visualizing your goals in order to make them real. The late great Stephen Covey, whose Seven Habits of Highly Successful People has guided millions of driven individuals on the path of success, said it best when he said, “Begin with…Continue Reading “Dreamboarding: Cutting and Pasting Dreams onto Reality (Homegrown.ph)”

(Published in Rappler on September 17, 2012) MANILA, Philippines – Two Filipinos were among those named as Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World (TOYP), an annual search by the Junior Chamber International (JCI), otherwise known as the Jaycees. They are Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV, president of MicroVentures, a social enterprise known for the multi-award-winning program Hapinoy; and Dr. Edsel Maurice Salvaña, Assistant Director of the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the National Institutes of Health, University of the Philippines Manila, also…Continue Reading “2 Pinoys among 10 Outstanding Young Persons of the World (Rappler.com)”