It’s a no brainer that technology has become pervasive in our every day life. At a basic level, most travelers use it to book their flight or hotel reservations through sites like Kayak or TripAdvisor, and almost everyone now carries a smartphone…even as it would seem, my tuk tuk driver in Laos who spent more time using his iPhone than watching the actual road!
The following are technology tools and services which will greatly enhance your next adventure.
Read MoreShe is a girl who dreamed of traveling the world, though like so many of us, instead chose to conform to society’s conventions and concepts of reality and found security in the 9-to-5 grind. Though miserable with a career and life that wasn’t really the reality of her dreams, she was too scared to leave that security behind and make the jump to seek out change. That is until she started meeting with others who had made that leap and had broken out from society’s carefully crafted mold.
Nowadays Aileen Adalid is a lifestyle traveler who has worked incredibly hard to establish an online business which enables her to travel the globe. She broke all of society’s conventions to go after the life she truly loved, and now seeks to inspire others to do the same.
She wants people to know that the dreams you have are really possible…and people are living theirs every day! Reality is, after-all, highly negotiable, and can be molded to suit your desired way of life.
Read MoreLeaving Guatemala at the end of January 2015 was a tough decision, as I really loved it there, though after spending a week at Lake Atitlan with my now girlfriend Claudia I was so head over heels that, before she left towards Belize, we agreed that we would meet again in Mexico, a couple weeks down the road.
Though we would eventually meet, it would be one hellish journey for me. And, after having been locked up in an Egyptian prison on a previous journey abroad, my standards for an experience to reach “hellish” are far from a soft cry.
Read MoreAs a traveler, the best way to get to know India is to board a train. Only train travel offers the combination of unique cultural insight into Indian culture coupled with incredible natural scenery; the ability to witness the landscape of a country whose scenery is diverse and continually changing.
The following is a complete guide to navigating Indian Railways for the international traveler – important guidelines to help you as you pack off for an interesting journey.
Read MoreThere are many different ways to travel, however for those looking to achieve full cultural immersion; that is to discover new cultures and impact and interact with local communities along the way, it is essential to dedicate quality time to each destination, more-so than you would in an average trip.
It’s all about prioritizing quality time v counting countries when it comes to travel: you learn so much more about the culture and history of a destination this way, and taking the time to speak to local people is better than any guidebook or destination guide you will find, as no-one knows a country better than the people who have lived their whole life there.
Read MoreAs we travel the globe and send instant online updates, share photos via social media in a second, and click through for international video chat without batting an eye, is the age of sending and receiving the vintage postcard dead? Alli Blair says no.
A young traveler with an adventurous spirit, Alli worked two jobs throughout university in order to save to travel the world, and told her new employers on graduation that she would be using vacation days she didn’t have. To date she has hit 26 countries across 6 continents, and has quite the impressive postcard collection to show.
This week’s inspiring traveler interview: bringing back the age of the vintage postcard with the blogger and photographer behind website “The Vintage Postcard”, Alli Blair.
Read MoreFrom North Korea to Benin, from Mongolia to Madagascar, Albert Podell is one of the few people to have visited every country on earth. It took him fifty years and during his travels, he blasted his way out of minefields, came within seconds of being lynched, and coped with riots, voodoo priests, trigger happy child soldiers and Cape buffalo – all of which is recounted in great detail in his exciting new book “Around the World in Fifty Years: My Adventures to Every Country on Earth”.
He has eaten everything from old camel meat and rats to dung beetles and the “pulsating brain of a live monkey.” These are Albert Podell’s absolutely incredible tales from his adventures in eating abroad.
Read MoreThe three tiny teardrop islands of Gili lie just Northwest of Lombok, Bali’s more rugged sister island in Indonesia. They have been growing ever more popular amongst backpackers over the last 10 years, but due to their remote location and under-developed circumstance, are still fairly unknown by other tourists.
Though it is their under-development that gives the Gili islands their charm, and cements them as three of the most beautiful paradise islands in the world!
Read MoreThey were on a comfort cruise through the Amazon with International Expeditions when the unthinkable occurred, when Dave slipped and broke his back.
The world’s favorite adventure travel couple, Deb and Dave have an impressive resume of extreme adventures, so getting hurt on a cruise made for birdwatching, village visits, and daily boat rides out to explore the “calm tributaries of the Amazon River” wasn’t something any-one saw coming. But it happened.
Read MoreA global adventurer, motivational speaker & philanthropist, Leon Logothetis is on a mission to prove that kindness is the real fuel that drives humanity. In doing so he recently returned from circumnavigating the globe on his vintage yellow motorbike ‘Kindness One’, giving life changing gifts along the way to unsuspecting good Samaritans whilst relying on the kindness of strangers two make it across two continents himself.
This interview with Leon Logothetis is about one man’s quest to ignite goodwill and transform lives around the world. His international journey will introduce you to a world of adventure, renew your faith in the bonds that connect people, and inspire you to accept and generate kindness in your own life.
Read MoreThere is no reason why you shouldn’t enjoy a really exotic vacation these days. Even the most exotic spots from all around the world are much more affordable than what many believe, and due to the myth that they are expensive vacations, you’ll find the following destinations are not as crowded as the more well-known spots.
Those that want to enjoy nature and relaxation will love exotic destinations.
Read MoreThere is a special spot in our hearts for travel films and documentaries. They inspire our wanderlust to explore every inch of the globe, and draw us into a completely different world, even if only for a few hours at a time. They recount stories and epic tales of adventure, and motivate us to get off the couch and witness our world in living color.
Though travel films are more than merely inspiration for Nigel Allison – the editor and creator behind UnevenToast, Nigel combines his passion for both travel and film by reviewing the travel features and documentaries he holds dear, and has begun to build quite an audience who eagerly await hearing about brand new travel films.
Read MoreFor backpacking travelers like me, luxury hotels are a dream. Egyptian cotton, silk pillows, and the finest Italian Frette. It would be amazing to rest my head in luxury everywhere I go.
For right now these spectacular hotels remain active on my bucket-list, though who knows, sometimes dreams do come true! Here are 4 of the most luxurious accommodations around the world of which I would love to organize a stay if money was no object!
Read MoreValencia was once the capital of the Valencia kingdom and is currently the third largest city in Spain. It is close to the Mediterranean Sea, right on the Rio Turia bank, in Huerta De Valencia. Visitors flock here to enjoy the bustling streets, beautiful churches, and a local climate which is milder than many expect from a town in Southern Spain.
There are plenty of amazing tourist attractions to see in Valencia, though you will want to consider the following options first, as these are the attractions not to miss.
Read MoreHe is an airline pilot by day, writer by night, and kid by choice. He has spent over 21,000 hours in the sky (nearly 2.5 solid years!) and is now Captain of a major US airline. He inspires other aviation enthusiasts to follow and pursue their dreams of flying, and reports and discusses aviation topics in an honest, candid way.
As a professional pilot, Captain Eric Auxier (Cap’n Aux) is living his dream, and even more impressively, is dedicated to inspiring others to achieve their own. For anyone with a passion or dream of flying, or those seeking the highest office chair in the world, this is what you can expect from a day in the life of an airline pilot.
Read MoreEveryone dreams of that once in a lifetime vacation experience they will never forget. While different people have different locations and activities in mind, a hotel that stands out above the rest is an important requirement.
The Mohonk Mountain House is sure to make the list of the most exceptional hotels in the world.
Read MoreYou’re in the market for your next vacation and wondering where to go. You’re thinking forest trekking, dramatic Andean peaks, and a cobbled historic downtown. Perhaps somewhere in Colombia! If the pin on your map points to the tropical climate of Bogota, then this guide is for you.
These are the top 5 things to do in this beautiful Latin American city.
Read MoreVicky Sosa has literally has a passport since before she could walk, and had always dreamed of traveling the world. As a child she would flip through encyclopedias (yes, those things people used before that Google machine came along) and see photographs of destinations like Egypt, vowing that one day she would be there to see it for herself.
Now a world traveler, Vicky has fulfills her childhood dream of experiencing the world firsthand everyday. Though she doesn’t travel alone. Accompanying her on every journey is a unique companion, the world’s first traveling monkey!
Read MorePart of the charm of rural Bavaria is exploring the small villages that are spread out around the countryside. A scenic hour and a half drive from Munich, for instance, will take you past farms, forests, rivers and enormous wind turbines.
While there is much of the Bavarian countryside to explore, one small town does rise above the rest, and with it’s charming architecture, colorful houses and ancient castle ruins, Kallmünz is a medieval town which should not be missed.
Read MoreShe’s a full time high-school counselor and he’s a fiction novelist, though together they decided that waiting for “someday” just wasn’t going to make the cut. Not buying into the excuses that travel is impossible because of money or kids, Toccara Best and husband Sam believe that if travel is something you want to do, then you do whatever it takes to make it happen.
After-all, tomorrow is never a guarantee, so it would be unwise to put off a dream trip or ignore your sense of adventure!
Read MoreAre your travel plans bringing you through Vancouver this season? Perhaps you’re catching a flight with a long layover, or are one of those lucky travelers taking an Alaskan Cruise with a 24 hour stop in British Columbia. If so, there are plenty of ways to explore Vancouver without putting a large dent in your pocketbook, and plenty of amazing sites and attractions to fill a day.
Here are a few suggestions for those wanting to take in some of the amazing sites and attractions in downtown Vancouver in a day.
Read MoreMany of us are doing everything we can to reduce our carbon footprint at home. We’re making an effort to recycle, catching public transport where possible, and reducing the amount of electricity we use. Now that global warming is at such a critical point, we’ve realized that we should be doing everything we possibly can to reverse it.
But what about when we travel? Do any of us think about what impact we might be having while we’re skipping and jumping between countries?
I know it’s not pleasant to think that we might be damaging the environment by exploring new places, but unfortunately travel leaves a carbon footprint too.
Read MoreEver considered cycling around the world? Looking for a way to travel on less than $20 per day?
Once a Danish engineer, Thomas Andersen woke up one day and realized that sitting for 10 hours in front of the computer every day was not his passion in life. It wasn’t fulfilling, it wasn’t exciting, and there was no adventure involved – just monotonous routine. Though unlike so many others who simply accept their monotonous routine, Thomas decided to do something about it.
After packing his bike with the aim to cycle around the world, Thomas Andersen has been on the road for more than 4 years and cycled more than 30.000 km. This is his story, which includes tips and advice for how you can do it too!
Read MoreIf you were to become blind tomorrow, would the death of your vision also put to rest your desire to travel?
Kerry Kijewski says no. Because traveling is about more than simply seeing the sights – traveling is about experiencing the world with many different senses, and can be summed up simply as a feeling.
Hellen Keller traveled 39 countries during her lifetime, and as such, Kerry believes that no excuse warrants not getting out there to experience the world. Born legally blind, sometimes there are experiences that she is unsure of, though she has resolved that she can either opt out of even trying, or take a chance and challenge herself in doing so.
Read MoreThere is something to be said about misadventures abroad – while these may present themselves as misfortune at the time, it’s generally the misadventures which make for the most memorable travel experiences, and one traveler who certainly agrees is Heather Cole.
She has wound up embarrassed in the red light district in Tunisia (who knew prostitutes and a devout Muslim community went together), once fell off a chair-lift on a ski trip and was rescued by a dashing Italian Olympic skier, and nearly lost her husband on their honeymoon due to a suspected drug smuggling incident in the Galapagos!
If misadventures are memories, Heather Cole has experienced it all!
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I am Megan Jerrard, professional travel blogger/journalist with a focus on adventure, discovery, immersion and inspiring you to explore!
