August has been a record month here in terms of adventure travel – would you believe we have published 35 blog posts in just the last month!

So in case there was anything you missed, we have compiled our content highlights from the last month into a “Best in Adventure Travel” monthly round-up; the following is the best of August 2015.

Adventure Travel Hack of the Month

Traveling with a hammock is our adventure travel hack of the month. There’s no way I would have originally thought that a hammock would be an item which you could easily throw into your hiking pack or carry-on, though now it’s an item which I won’t even consider leaving home without. I’m talking about those super compact, lightweight and portable, made from a comfy and durable parachute nylon, making them an excellent travel accessory to have in your bag.

Picture this: hours spent lying in a hammock you’ve strung up between two trees on a picture perfect beach, watching the sunset over the water as you decide it’s finally time to sleep. Or quickly throwing it up if you’ve been kicked out of the airport overnight and need a comfy place to hang.

The fact is, hammocks are more comfortable, more enjoyable and far more adventurous than many other forms of accommodation, and traveling with one doesn’t have to be about roughing it or sacrificing comfort – in fact it’s just the opposite. And surprisingly, purchasing a good quality hammock doesn’t have to break the bank.

Hammocks are more comfortable, more enjoyable and far more adventurous than many other forms of accommodation options.

Hammocks are more comfortable, more enjoyable and far more adventurous than many other forms of accommodation options.

Hike of the Month

For those looking to get down and dirty on a good, tiring hike, Cuba will not disappoint. From UNESCO-Listed biosphere reserves, lush mountain ranges, protected landscapes and endemic wildlife, the diversity of Cuba’s ecosystems astounds and bewilders.

Of the many amazing hiking trails throughout the country, and our highlighted hike of the month, is the El Yunque. This is a flat top mountain that can be seen from the lovely city of Baracoa, in the Guantanamo province and at the south east corner of the island. It will require some extreme river crossings, pass by magnificent waterfalls, and reward you with amazing views over the Caribbean sea stretching across a coastline of beaches near Baracoa.

Best Country for Exotic Wildlife

Iceland is our destination pick of the month for exotic birds and wildlife. Literally a country which takes your breath away, Iceland offers inspiring scenery at every turn, extraordinary landscapes, and astounding natural wonders; you will leave the country with a determined mindset to return.

Though perhaps even more exotic than majestic glaciers grinding their way through cracked lava fields, and more captivating than witnessing glittering ice caps pierce the sky, is the opportunity to witness and interact with the country’s exotic variety of seabirds and wildlife.

Seabirds arrive by the million for the breeding season between April and August, and nest on coastal cliffs all around the country in massive colonies. And to say that they arrive in the million is no understatement – we literally spent days shooting seabirds (photography) and have more photography than we could possibly hope to edit in a lifetime.

Iceland is literally a country which takes your breath away. The country’s wildlife will do the same.

One of Iceland’s most remote locations.

Best Travel App

Wouldn’t it be cool if you could easily have a conversation with someone in a totally foreign language such as Chinese? Wouldn’t it be even cooler if you could do that in just a few minutes?

To be speaking in a totally foreign language with someone else halfway around the world in minutes is a pretty bold claim, (and they do mean with your voice, not just using text translations), but Hello Pal have hit it home in recognizing that immersion really is the best method for language learning. And the app is super straight forward with little effort and fuss.

Rather than having you study boring and often complex grammar, syntax and vocabulary, Hello Pal chooses to throw you in the deep end (with flotation devices!) and teaches you how to swim. You pair yourself with a native speaker, and there’s a unique phrase book integrated into its chat system which allows you to learn and speak on the go. Type or physically speak the phrases into your phone, and away you go! It’s that easy to begin a conversation, even in a language you didn’t know existed minutes before.

The quickest way to learning a new language – speak a foreign tongue in seconds!

The quickest way to learning a new language – speak a foreign tongue in seconds!

Best Travel Deals

Countless beautiful beaches, thousands of years of history and some of the world’s most delicious dishes, Greece is our pick for holiday destination of the upcoming month, and due to the economic crisis there are some fantastic travel deals you can snatch up. After-all, the best way to help Greece right now is to travel there and invest your money into their local economy.

Greece holidays provide a fantastic selection of resorts that all share a fantastic Mediterranean climate. Check out some of the fantastic deals for Greek holidays currently on offer online for Autumn.

Best Worst Travel Advice

Traveling without insurance is our pick for the best worst travel advice you could ever receive! Travel insurance is one of those things that you never want to understand the value of but, if you have to, you don’t wand to regret having brushed off its importance.

We interviewed a frequent adventure traveler who has found herself in the wrong place at the wrong time…5 times…having been caught up in coups, wars, political crisis, demonstrations and violence in several countries, as well a woman who was fire twirling in Thailand when she set herself alight (my sister. She was pregnant at the time which made the situation far less amusing than it could have been).

So make sure you get proper and extensive coverage. When things go wrong you don’t want to have to worry about payment or about not getting adequate treatment because your insurance didn’t cover you for this.

Bear in mind that hospital bills, even in developing countries can be outrageous and put you into serious debt. Though sometimes, depending on the country you travel to, traveling without insurance may not even be a choice.

Best Adventure Travel Read

“Around the World in 50 Years: My Adventure to Every Country on Earth” is our favorite adventure travel read of the month. 

This is the inspiring story of an ordinary guy who achieved two great goals that others had told him were impossible. First, he set a record for the longest automobile journey ever made around the world, during the course of which he blasted his way out of minefields, survived a serious accident atop the Peak of Death, came within seconds of being lynched in Pakistan, and lost three of the five men who started with him, two to disease, one to the Vietcong.

This is the inspiring story of an ordinary guy who achieved two great goals that others had told him were impossible.

Albert Podell’s Around the World in 50 Years is a remarkable and meaningful tale of quiet courage, dogged persistence, undying determination, and an uncanny ability to escape from one perilous situation after another-and return with some of the most memorable, frightening, and hilarious adventure stories you have ever read.

After that-although it took him forty-seven more years-Albert Podell set another record by going to every country on Earth. He achieved this by surviving riots, revolutions, civil wars, trigger-happy child soldiers, voodoo priests, robbers, pickpockets, corrupt cops, and Cape buffalo. He went around, under, or through every kind of earthquake, cyclone, tsunami, volcanic eruption, snowstorm, and sandstorm that nature threw at him. He ate everything from old camel meat and rats to dung beetles and the brain of a live monkey. And he overcame attacks by crocodiles, hippos, anacondas, giant leeches, flying crabs-and several beautiful girlfriends who insisted that he stop this nonsense and marry them.

Albert Podell’s Around the World in 50 Years is a remarkable and meaningful tale of quiet courage, dogged persistence, undying determination, and an uncanny ability to escape from one perilous situation after another-and return with some of the most memorable, frightening, and hilarious adventure stories you have ever read.

Inspiring Traveler of the Month

It’s most people’s dream – to set up a location independent lifestyle which will enable them to generate an income online while travelling the world. Though these days this is more than just a dream – more and more people are realizing the infinite potential of our online age, and creating opportunities for themselves to work online, affording them the flexibility to set up their office from their computer while continually jumping around the globe.

Sara Schneider is one such pioneer, and our inspiring traveler of the month.

Her Location Independent LifeStyle Allows Her to Travel the World: Interviewing Sara Schneider

Funniest and most embarassing moment was when I visited Australia for the first time.

After having set up a jack-of-all-trades marketing company specializing in online communications, Sara was looking through her finances one night when the lightbulb moment hit; the crazy realization that she could easily survive off the income she was bringing on from just her clients, and there was no need anymore for her part-time job.

She morphed her part-time employer into a client and immediately started taking advantage of her newfound freedom with trips to Costa Rica, India, and climbing crags across the USA. And why not? All of our ancestors were wanderers and explorers of this new world at one point, she tells us, so why not embrace our heritage!

Megan is an Australian Journalist who has been travelling and blogging since 2007, with the main aim of inspiring others to embark on their own worldwide adventure. Her husband Mike is an American travel photographer, and together they have made the world their home.

Committed to bringing you the best in adventure travel from all around the globe, there is no mountain too high, and no fete too extreme! They haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on their list.

Follow their journey on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram.