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Book List: Inspiring Travel Reads From Kick Ass Female Authors
We’ve well and truly entered an age of female empowerment, and as far as I’m concerned, I’m dubbing this the year of the wander woman.
Over the past few years women have tipped the scales to become the majority of travelers over men. We’re taking more active adventures, and saying no to sipping cocktails on the beach. And we’re not letting age be a limiting factor (the world is now being taken OVER by amazing traveling grandmas).
Some women are doing it solo, some are traveling with their families, and some are dragging along their husbands (lucky guys!). Some have quit their jobs and sold everything, while others travel while holding down a job and a mortgage.
Women these days who want to travel aren’t letting anyone tell them how it should be done, they’re making their journey their own. But even better, they’re writing about it to inspire the rest of us.
If you’re looking for a great travel memoir to add to your summer reading list, make sure you pick up one of these; brand new titles from kick ass women who haven’t been afraid to follow their dreams.
I’ve been absolutely captivated by their stories!
read more5 Reasons to Visit Komodo National Park (Indonesia)
In the Indonesian archipelago, between the islands of Sumbawa and Flores, lies Komodo National Park. It’s the only place on Earth you can have a close encounter with a Komodo dragon, a unique lizard species often referred to as the last living dinosaur.
In an effort to conserve this rare creature and its natural habitat, the Komodo National Park is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park consists of three major islands (Komodo, Rinca and Padar) that are home to over 2500 of these impressive and fearsome creatures.
Though Komodo is much more than it’s famous wildlife; the islands also boast some of the world’s best diving and snorkelling spots, and landscapes so dramatic the island was recently named one of the world’s “7 New Wonders of Nature.”
With a new airport in Labuan Bajo, on the neighbouring island of Flores, access to Komodo is now just a boat ride away. Here are just five of the many reasons you’ll want to discover the magic this Indonesian gem has to offer.
read moreYour Privacy is at Risk When You Travel: Here’s Why You NEED a VPN
When you travel to another country, it’s good practice to be vigilant and aware of your surroundings to keep yourself safe from possible threats. But what about online threats?
Did you know that when you travel to other countries, in many cases, you are more vulnerable to online threats than you are at home?
For many of us, when we connect to the Internet, we don’t think at all about how we’re connecting. We just do. The devices we use even connect themselves to the Internet sometimes, for all kinds of things like backups and automatic updates.
While that’s just the nature of the way we live now, it doesn’t mean you don’t need to be careful to protect yourself and your information. Because most internet connections we used by travelers are open public networks, this puts our personal data at risk.
Abstinence has never been a practical solution, so the one way to solve this is by using one of the best free VPNs. Here’s why you need to be traveling with a Virtual Private Network (VPN) for the sake of your data.
read moreHow to Get Around Censorship of the Internet: Travel With a VPN
The Internet and its uses are wondrous. And you may think that no matter where you are in the world, you can access whatever you want as long as you there is an available internet connection, right?
Unfortunately, that’s wrong.
While the internet might hold the answer to everything, there are actually a lot of restrictions and legalities involved with what kinds of content you’ll be able to access in specific parts of the world.
Not every country believes in providing free and open internet to their citizens, and you might find when traveling that your internet access is limited, and the government has blocked certain websites.
This means that if you’re traveling internationally, you might want to do a little research and prepare yourself for the browsing and streaming complications that might arise while you’re on your trip.
read moreWays to Stay Entertained on a Long Distance Bus Ride
Let’s be honest – no-one particularly enjoys a long bus ride. It can be crowded, too hot, and most all, incredibly boring.
Though despite being confined to one seat for hours at a time, there are definitely ways to distract yourself so that the time flies by.
Dreading an upcoming long distance journey? These activities will keep you entertained throughout the long-distance bus ride.
read more7 Ways Travel Can Improve Your Mental Health
The stresses of everyday life can be overwhelming. From family and work issues to commuting, daily chores, illnesses, home maintenance and plenty of other concerns, the grind of day-to-day life can pick away at your mental well-being.
If you ever feel stuck in life, or tired of your current situation, it is sometimes best to get away. A vacation may sound at first like you are running from your problems, but the truth is quite the opposite.
For the reasons listed below, you may be surprised at the wonders a good holiday can do for your mental health.
read moreReasons to Rent a Car in Los Angeles
LA is one of those iconic destinations that every traveler should experience at least once in their lifetime; a sprawling urban metropolis that is deeply creative, and bursting at the seams with culture, personality, and access to Mother nature.
Whatever draws you to LA, whether it be laying underneath palm trees on a golden coast, the glitz of Hollywood, upmarket bars and boutiques, or lacing up your hiking boots for treks across the rugged mountains, LA truly has something for everyone.
But with such a huge range of experiences, in a city more than ten times the size of Paris, the most difficult part of planning isn’t going to be figuring out what to include on your itinerary; it’s going to be how to maximize your time.
For that reason alone we highly recommend renting a car.
read moreReasons You Shouldn’t Visit Tokyo Without a Trip to Tokyo DisneySea
My first ever trip overseas was to Japan when I was 15. It was a language immersion trip with my High School, and my name was pulled out of a hat for one of the coveted places.
And while this introduction to travel involved many cultural highlights like attendance at a local school, a homestay with a Japanese student, and traveling to Hiroshima to place 1,000 cranes, the one day I was most looking forward to was Tokyo Disneyland.
Fastforward 15 years, and I would find myself traveling back to Tokyo, with the sole purpose of visiting Tokyo DisneySea®. And, in a country where embracing worlds of fantasy is part of the cultural fabric, I discovered the same sense of pure joy and wonder as I had felt at age 15.
Tokyo DisneySea is an incredible theme park inspired by the myths and legends of the sea. And in the lead up to my trip, fellow adults would lose their composure and absolutely gush about how incredible their time at the park had been.
In the fierce debate about the best Disney park in the world, I feel confident awarding the title to Tokyo DisneySea. Here’s why.
read moreAdventurous Treks You Can Take in Nepal
To say that adventure is one of Nepal’s greatest attributes would not at all be an erroneous claim to make! From jungle safaris to climbing the world’s highest peak, this small Himalayan nation boasts one heck of an outdoor playground.
While there are opportunities for all kinds of adventure in Nepal, the trekking routes here are some of the most famous in the world, and those who enjoy epic experiences are spoiled for choice.
Whether you’re after the time-honored trekking routes like Everest Base Camp and Annapurna Base Camp, or relatively unchartered hikes such as Langtang Valley or the Upper Dolpo Trek, there’s no shortage of adventure.
The following are adventurous treks you can take in Nepal.
read moreEpic Sporting Events You Shouldn’t Miss in Tasmania
Even for those of us who aren’t sporty ourselves, or even interested in sports, most of us still have a bucket-list of sporting events we would travel for.
The Olympics typically tops this list, followed by the World Cup, or maybe you’re more interested in hitting up the polo to try and land yourself a prince (Harry might be taken, but there are still many single European royals!)
Often it’s not even about the sport, but rather, being part of something bigger than yourself, and getting caught up in the electrifying atmosphere; staying out late with locals as buildings tremor from street celebrations; losing your voice as you scream alongside 100,000 others in a packed stadium.
Tasmania might not be the obvious choice for sporting capitol of Australia (that title goes to Melbourne), however the small island State does throw some incredibly epic annual events.
With cheap flights from all major Australian cities, the following are 5 more reasons to add Tasmania to your bucket-list (though don’t wait too long, this hidden gem of a State can only remain secret for so long!).
read more