The web is full of great travel blogs, travel stories, travel photos and travel videos – the hard part is finding them. I curate the best travel stories I find
While these aren’t necessarily my first choices, I”ve been to most of these cities and found them all to be fantastic. It’s a great list from Around the World L 8 Places to Live Around the World
This post from trans-americas was not only an enjoyable read but was about one of those things on my bucket list, fly fishing. Isla Hobla looks like the right place for me to take it up and learn the ropes, don’t you think?
This was one of my favorite finds of the week just for the sheer awesome oddness of it. I mean, who would think to make a hammock out of crushed beer cans and then say it’s comfortable…but I believe them.
This is a particularly nice page of hammocks – This one of a couple in a single line tree hanging hammock just speaks incredible volumes, but you have to wonder who the voyeur watching them was.
Long ago I met a beautiful woman from Uruguay in Waikiki – we had dinner, took some moonlit walks on the beach and she told me about her country which I had never really thought about before. This article might get you thinking about Uruguay, though probably not with the same thoughts I had.
Finally, I have to admit, I like the collectivist nature of this site and what it is saying. http://indietravel.org/
Welcome to the Vagobond Travel Museum!
The web is full of great travel blogs, travel stories, travel photos and travel videos – the hard part is finding them amidst all the garbage.
Without a doubt, this is my favorite travel related site in recent memory. The site is exactly what it says- Enter two cities from around the world and it will compare the cost of living in them and tell you using a number of metrics (housing, transport, clothing, food, entertainment, etc) how they compare. Check it out and have fun. Expatistan.
Google Earth is awesome, no doubt about it – one thing I love are the sometimes Easter Eggs or surprises that appear on it from time to time….here is a great one. Olympos – The Home of 12 Greek Gods Mount Olympus (Google deleted it!) was formed after the gods defeated the Titans in the Titan war, and ever since the gods inhabited the place. This is one of the Cool Places you can explore in Panoramio Places with Google Earth.
There were some incredible food videos and blogs this week, I particularly enjoyed this video from Viator where they walk through the streets of Athens enjoying wonderful Greek cuisine.
Want to see more international streetfoods? Just check out this Pinterest international street food page which has pictures, links, and much more. It seems that some aspects of blogging are being phased out from what I can see as services like pinterest serve to be curators from around the web. Like this.
Amusing Planet offered this fabulous photo and description “Kizhi is a narrow strip of island on Lake Onega in the Republic of Karelia, Russia. The island is popular for dozens of historical wooden buildings. … Today, the entire island and the nearby area form a national open-air museum with more than 80 historical wooden structures. The most famous among them is the Kizhi Pogost. The Kizhi Pogost enclosure holds two wooden churches and an octagonal bell tower built during the 18th-century. The jewel of its architecture is the 22-domed Transfiguration Church with a large iconostasis—a wooden screen covered with religious portraits. This massive church is about 37 meters tall and made entirely of wood making it one of the tallest log structures in the world. …”
The Independent continues to offer amazing travel with this piece Santiago: Poetry and motion in Chile’s capital -Santiago carries reminders of a troubled past, but Simone Kane discovers that art and architecture are much in evidence too
Another reason to visit Chile would be Easter Island. This great post from Don’t Get Me Wrong highlights the history, culture and some of the mysteries surrounding Rapa Nui. Great photos too.
Finally, I just love this picture from Timothy Allen which makes me think maybe I still want to live in a yurt after all.
And while there were plenty of other great travel stories this week – that’s it for this weeks inductions into the Vagobond Travel Museum.
Right now you may feel like travel is just a dream away. Something that we once found so easy has now become something we have to plan and account for during the next few months and beyond. We have all just been through a global pandemic, and while it isn’t over yet, things have started to ease and because of that restrictions are beginning to lift. This means that travel is a real possibility now that things have started to ease.
So now that travel is possibly an option when it comes the rest of the year and next, you may be wondering where to go and what to do. We now won’t take travel for granted again. However, if you are starting to dream about it, you might be wondering where to go. With that in mind, here are some of the destinations that you might want to think about for next few months and beyond.
Depending on where you are in the world, winter might not be as you see in a picture perfect scene on a postcard. You might not experience much snow or chilled weather, and in fact, it could just be rather grey and wet. So you might want to book a vacation somewhere in the winter for the real experience. Canada offers the chance to see real snow and enjoy the many activities you can enjoy in the snow, such as skiing, snowboarding or just relaxing and building a snowman. Places like Mont Tremblant in Quebec can offer a relaxing getaway for friends or family to enjoy the slopes and wonder. Canada also has a lot to offer when it comes to cities such as Toronto and Vancouver. It could definitely be a great option to consider.
Travel to Thailand for an amazing value for money getaway
Thailand might seem like an extravagant holiday destination, but in fact, once you are there it can offer real value for money. The cost of living in regards to accommodation and food can be very reasonable, meaning it is an achievable holiday to take. Thailand offers the hustle and bustle of Bangkok, but also you can take a more relaxing vacation island hopping to places like Koh Samui or Koh Phangan. Offering beautiful scenery, white sandy beaches, and glorious blue oceans. What more could you want? Some people would say that Thailand isn’t usually a family orientated place, but there are some beautiful destinations perfect for family travel and the slower pace and are an excellent opportunity for children to really relax and bond as a family unit.
Educational destinations in Asia
While Asia may not be normally on the list for family travel, places like India, China and Japan can offer excellent vacations where education is at the heart of it. From different cultures and diverse landscapes to learning all about the future technology as most of what we use today comes from locations such as Japan and China. It could give you an excellent opportunity to explain things like this and to learn about different technology elements. Also Indian and Chinese food are two of the inch-loved cuisines that many love, so it definitely gives you a chance to enjoy it more authentically. Further to that, you could think about seeing some of the most iconic sites such as the Taj Mahal and the Great Wall Of China.
The USA has many different destinations to visit, and possibly some of them may already be on your bucket list. Locations such as New York, Florida and Las Vegas. However, there are so many other locations that you might want to think about. One question you might have is – how to fly from California during COVID? With the location being on the news in recent months, there are restrictions in place but it is still a location you could travel to in the future. Other places to think about would be Texas and seeing cities like San Antonio, Houston and Dallas. Or even places such as Vermont or Missouri could be locations that you could add to your bucket list for sure.
Explore Australia on a road trip to remember
Australia is a vast country and could be seen as one of those places that is a trip of a lifetime to take. So make the most of your time there and take a road trip to explore as much of the country as possible. Perth, Sydney, and Melbourne offer amazing city vibes. Melbourne is, in fact, been voted as the most liveable city in the world and definitely could be a great option to consider for a future visit. But while you are there you must take a swim in the Great Barrier Reef. It is one of the seven wonders of the world and certainly could be a great experience of a lifetime. However, you might want to consider using more time for this type of holiday. The country is so big that you wouldn’t be able to see even half of it during a standard holiday. This could certainly be a trip of a lifetime for sure, and definitely might be a place that you might want to try and go back to more than once. With ease of lockdown travel restrictions to Australia should be lifted soon enough.
Enjoy a cultural experience in Europe
Europe really has a lot to offer, and it can certainly be the perfect location for family travel adventures. A cultural stay in Europe means you could take in the sights and sounds of France, the history, and food that Italy has to offer or even enjoy the green landscape that England has to offer. As a family, there can be a lot to do in some of the most culturally enhanced places but there are also some beautiful seaside resorts that you can enjoy. Europe has a lot to offer anyone wanting a vacation with a difference, mixing city history with beach locations you are truly spoilt for choice.
Let’s hope this has offered you a bit of inspiration for your future travel plans.
Lao Tzu, the father of Taoism, said that ‘without opening your door, you can see the world’. He was right, because travel is a state of mind more than a journey from place to place. Still, it’s nice to change your environment from time to time. So, even though now you can put on some VR goggles and see the world without opening your door – let’s not go that far.
A few years ago, I submitted a reality TV show concept to Mark Burnett, the creator of Survivor. The show would be called “You’re Not Going Anywhere” and it would work like this – casting would solicit families, couples, and groups who were interested in the trip of a lifetime. They would submit videos about their dream vacation – where they would go, why it would be amazing, what they would do, and background. Once the finalists were selected, the entire season would be shot before airing.
Here’s how it works. The hosts show up at the home or location and meet with the family to tell them they have won, they have been selected for the show and then ask them to prepare. Then, when they are all packed and ready to go they are picked up by a bus/van and the host would say the tagline/show title “You’re not going anywhere” .
And the truth is, they wouldn’t be going anywhere. They would be staying in their own town/region and would be introduced to it as if for the first time. A team of experts would identify the best hotel, spas, innovative entrepreneurs, restaurants, history, historic points of interest, natural attractions, and famous citizens. Without going anywhere, these lucky people would learn that travel is a state of mind, it’s a willingness to look at the world with fresh eyes, it’s a way of thinking, feeling, and relating to your destination. Any location, any town, any village – all of them are remarkable places. You don’t really need a team of experts to discover where you live. And, let’s say you live in the most boring place on the planet – well, once you’ve spent a day or two exploring it, you can move on to the next village, the next town, the nearest city. This is how you travel all the time.
Travel is not about getting on a boat or plane. It’s not about taking a tour. It’s not about buying a guidebook. Travel is about the openness to feel the texture of the air. It’s about the ability to be thrilled with foul weather. It’s about the sound of traffic charming you instead of annoying you.
One of my favorite parts of travel is sitting in travel terminals – bus stations, airports, train stations, ferry terminals – and lets face it – these places are rarely wonderful (Okay, Seoul and Kuala Lumpur both have pretty awesome airports) but what is special about them is that they are the space where your mindset changes from a day-to-day one to a travel mindset. Think about it and you know it is true. If you can find the mindset all the time, you can travel all the time.
Lao Tzu was right – you don’t need to open your door – you only need to open your mind and heart.
Long ago I met a beautiful woman from Uruguay in Waikiki – we had dinner, took some moonlit walks on the beach and she told me about her country which I had never really thought about before. This article might get you thinking about Uruguay, though probably not with the same thoughts I had.
Finally, I just love this picture from Timothy Allen which makes me think maybe I still want to live in a yurt after all.
A few years ago, I submitted a reality TV show concept to Mark Burnett, the creator of Survivor. The show would be called “You’re Not Going Anywhere” and it would work like this – casting would solicit families, couples, and groups who were interested in the trip of a lifetime. They would submit videos about their dream vacation – where they would go, why it would be amazing, what they would do, and background. Once the finalists were selected, the entire season would be shot before airing.
