The Best Islands to Visit in Queensland, Australia
Queensland is known for its year-round warmth and its picturesque beaches drenched in sunshine, and nowhere is the quintessential Australian image more fitting than on the tropical islands found just off the state’s coast.
But once you start planning your trip you’ll realize it can be difficult to know which island – or islands – to visit. They’re all exciting in their different ways and offer a wide variety of experiences – from observing natural wonders to getting involved in unique and an action packed itinerary.
To help you with your decision, we’ve developed a snapshot of some of QLD’s most popular islands, highlighting what you’ll find at each one.
read moreThe Grand Canyon: Which Rim is the Best to Visit?
One of the great wonders of the world, no trip to the US is complete without stopping to experience the Grand Canyon. But at almost 450 km long, and over 1,100 km in circumference, how do you even know where to start?!!
There are options to take in the West Rim glass skywalk, and stay overnight at a ranch on native land. You can choose to travel on horseback, and witness the magic of a sunrise which most tourists will never understand.
The following are the pros and cons of visiting each of the Grand Canyon’s 4 available rims. If you can’t make it to Arizona you can take a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon from Vegas too.
read more5 Countries With Active Volcanoes You Can Visit
Getting to see a volcano up close is something everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime. Whether they’re dormant or active, standing on the crater fills you with wonder (and sometimes dread) as you gaze into the maw of these colossi.
For the purposes of this article, we’ve chosen five different countries with live volcanoes. Though some of these have more than one volcano currently active, so keep an eye out for that, too.
read moreThe Best Way to Start Planning an Antarctica Trip
If you’re looking for a trip outside of the ordinary tourist traps, you should definitely consider giving Antarctica a try. Despite the growing popularity of Antarctica cruises, it’s still a sparsely visited region and offers some of the most pristine stretches of untouched land left for people to explore.
Since Antarctica is so remote, it’s going to require a little more planning on your part to make sure you get the most bang for your exploration buck. After all, it’s not like you can just hop on a flight or train to squeeze in an extra activity or two that you missed the first time around.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at some steps you can take to make sure you get as much adventuring awesomeness out of your Antarctic trip as you can.
read more4 American National Parks You May Have Overlooked
National Parks are often quoted as America’s best idea – in 1872 Yellowstone became the first national park to ever exist, and its protected status sparked an idea that spread across the country, and then across the world.
In 1916 the National Parks System was born, and since then, the US has declared 58 areas of natural wilderness to be a protected national park.
Destinations Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Yosemite are world famous, and draw enormous crowds from all corners of the globe, though there are many parks that fly under the radar, that even Americans overlook.
read more11 Amazing Things to do in the Arctic
The Arctic region’s beauty crosses the borders of 5 countries: Canada, Denmark (Greenland), Norway, Russia, and the United States. Because of its immense size it contains some amazing sites, both natural and those that occur from the meshing of cultures.
There is simply no way you’re going to be able to take in all that the Arctic has to offer in one visit. So we’ve put together a quick list of eleven bits of awesomeness that should help you get started in putting together your Arctic adventure.
read more10 Reasons to Visit Plitvice Lakes, Croatia
Paulo Coelho in ‘The Alchemist’ says – “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
And thus all the universe conspired me to visit Croatia on my first ever trip to Europe. And needless to say, the visit to Plitvice Lakes National Park was the highlight of the trip.
I fell deeply and madly in love with Plitvice and I’m certain you will too. But in the absence of old newspaper in your sock drawer, I’ve put together 10 reasons to convince you.
read moreBeautiful Nature in Japan: 5 Amazing Places You Should Visit
Japan is a wonderful country known for it’s blend of traditional culture and modern dynamic cities. And while the buzz is all about it’s pop culture, neon-lit streetscapes and architectural wonders that redefine what a city should be, there is also an incredible outdoors and nature scene.
Over two-thirds of Japan is made up of mountains, perfect for hiking, and there are majestic volcanoes, thundering waterfalls, bubbling hot springs, and vast forests inhabited by monkeys, bears, deer, cranes and other wildlife. The tropical beaches of the south are popular for sunning, snorkelling, diving and surfing, and in fact, Japan’s coastline is one of the longest and most impressive in the world.
So to inspire you to make your visit to Japan a little different from the standard Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima itinerary, let me introduce you to 5 beautiful places you shouldn’t miss. Because Japan is much more than one large, densely populated megacity!
read moreHow Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro Changed My Perspective on Life
When I mentioned to family and friends that I planned to climb Kilimanjaro, the overwhelming majority laughed. Not in a malicious way, but in a “you over-estimate your abilities” type of way.
And honestly, to begin with, I didn’t really care if I climbed Kilimanjaro or not. I was going to be in Tanzania, the mountain was going to be there, and I had read a feature about Thérèse Rein and vaguely remembered that the climb was something you could brag about having done (I still use it as a sticking point on my adventurous resume to this day).
But for my original indifference of whether I completed the climb or not, the decision was made when I was told “it’s a lovely goal, I just don’t think you’ll get to the top.” And honestly, I thank every single person who said this to me. Because this was the motivating factor which got me to the top. Come hell or high water (I did trek through hell, just not high water!), I was going to prove every single one of them wrong.
I often write about what travel has taught me, and how travel has changed my perspective on life. However a lot of my transformation happened on that mountain top.
read moreThe Trip of a Lifetime: Traveling to Antarctica on an Expedition Cruise
Our trip to Antarctica was bittersweet. We were experiencing the most epic adventure of a lifetime – exploring the most isolated and remote continent on earth, though acutely aware that no trip in the future would ever compare.
I’ve grappled for the past few weeks with how to put the experience into words. Because even though the continent pulls rave reviews, the experience is still undersold. One of the rare destinations which actually exceeds and surpasses the hype.
And I’ll admit, I was apprehensive of traveling to Antarctica. Extraordinarily excited, sure, but I’ve traveled enough to know that you can ruin a destination by building it up in your mind. And the pedestal I’d built for Antarctica was exceptionally high. But we needn’t have been scared. Because the reality of Antarctica didn’t crush the dream – it blew it out of the water.
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