If you are currently on a mission to find an excuse to travel more, you don’t have to look too far. There are many benefits of seeing the world, meeting new friends, and getting a new experience every day. Whether you are the cultural traveler or love the jungle and would like to spend more time with animals than with people, you can create the perfect experience that will help you grow as a person. Below you will find just a selection of excuses you can use next time you book a vacation.
South America is one of those places that every single traveller has to visit at some point during their travels. It’s one of the most incredible places in the world as there are so many incredible countries available for you to visit and explore. A continent that offers incredible diversity, South America has no shortage of amazing places to explore; it’s difficult to imagine that just one continent would allow you to go deep into the Amazon rainforest, climb Patagonia’s snow peaks, and see the incredible wildlife that the Galapagos Islands have to offer.
When a lot of people decide to travel the world, they seldom consider the impact they could have on it in the process. Modern transport methods are fast, but they also tend to burn a whole lot of fuel in the process, and this is never good for the planet. As someone who is very conscious of their footprint, you probably wouldn’t want to cause damage on your adventure. So, to help you out with this, this post will be exploring some of the most environmentally friendly ways to get around the world.
Camping is a popular activity. It’s a great way to spend time with your friends and family, away from all the distractions of everyday life. It’s a wonderful chance to bond and reconnect away from technology. Camping is a brilliant way to get back in touch with nature, to learn more about the world around you and to simply get some fresh air and exercise. But, it’s largely seen as a summer activity. Especially if you are camping with younger children.
When most people head away on vacation, they will tend to book a package holiday through a specialist lettings agency. This, of course, can be great. You can land great offers and spend a relaxing week or two lounging around a pool and making use of your chosen hotel’s facilities. However, it can also feel like a waste at times. Part of the joy of visiting a new place is to immerse yourself in its nature. You should aim to see new landscapes and experience things you wouldn’t be able to at home. Here are just a few different ways that you can actively connect with nature during your trips.
Gili Air Island in Indonesia is what this post is all about! We are just about finished with the Southeast Asia Travel Diary series. Indonesia was the final stop! Read about the island, what we did for fun, and where we stayed. This island is super small and kind of eerie!
Wow, it's been quite some time since I've published on the blog. In fact, it's now been over a year since we were in Indonesia. Being the Aquarian that I am, I couldn't just NOT finish the Southeast Asia Travel Diary series. Indonesia was the final stop! And so, with this post, I finally complete the travel series, and will get back to blogging about other cool things soon, I promise! Plus a podcast in the works!
Wow, it's been quite some time since I've published on the blog. In fact, it's now been over a year since we were in Indonesia. Being the Aquarian that I am, I couldn't just NOT finish the Southeast Asia Travel Diary series. Indonesia was the final stop! And so, with this post, I finally complete the travel series, and will get back to blogging about other cool things soon, I promise! Plus a podcast in the works!
Hội An is a charming town on the central coast of Vietnam. Inside is the well-known "Ancient Town", a beautifully preserved trading port from the 15th to 19th century. The architecture and culture represent the various influences that have created the site, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The town area is blocked off to motorists and can only be accessed via foot or bicycle. We rented bikes and rode around in the evening. There are beautiful canals that cut through the streets, and you can see distinct differences in certain areas between Japanese, French, Vietnamse & Chinese influences. There are bridges, soap houses, temples, colonial buildings, and color all around.
Serenity Eco Guesthouse is a family-run eco center that focuses on providing quality yoga programs that are accessible to all and to operating in a way that is synergistic with it's surroundings. We were impressed by the level of thought and attention that goes into the details of being environmentally friendly throughout this space. I'll talk more about the facilities and practices at Serenity Eco Guesthouse in a future article, but for now, I want to focus on highlighting their Serene Yoga Retreats.
Hey everyone! This is such an exciting post because literally all of my dreams ever manifested into reality. Pete, Zuko (our black cat) & I are finally in Costa Rica for good! I've talked A LOT on the blog about what I do in Costa Rica, so I won't recap that here but you can check out Part 1 & Part 2 to get caught up! There, I talk about the real estate deal that I was helping to broker, which actually finalized. Pete & I have been hired to manage the property: Hotel Nautilus. For me, it's a very sentimental property, as you will read if you check out Part 1 & Part 2. I will warn you that these series are a bit "wordier" than other posts on the blog. The reason for that is because so many people ask me HOW I get to live the life I live and I want to describe the process vividly. It's about ACTION & HARD WORK, and this series has chronicled some of what went into making this dream come true.
Psst... GIVEAWAY BELOW!
After our time in Cambodia, we headed to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam for 3 days & Vung Tau Beach for 4 days. We were very excited to see what Vietnam would be like, as we heard various things from travelers along the way (everyone has an opinion to share). I don't want to spoil the story, but overall, Vietnam was our favorite place that we visited! On the next Travel Diary, I'll talk about Hoi An, a charming ancient town that we adored & Hanoi.
This Travel Diary focuses on Ho Chi Minh City, which is still often referred to as Saigon - especially by the locals that we talked to.
I cover about the southern beach town of Vung Tau, which is interesting in it's own way. It was definitely a rich cultural experience. I am confident we will visit Vietnam again and spend more time there exploring.
The Temple Complex of Angkor Wat was built from the 6th to the 12th century (I also read 9th - 15th) and is steeped in history. There's far too much history to cover in this post, but there's plenty of information on-line about the rich and tumultuous history of the Khmer people and of Cambodia. It's worth researching and visiting if you've never been (Cambodia, in general, and Angkor Wat, for sure). Angkor Wat is probably the most popular tourist destination in Cambodia, from what I gathered, but there's definitely plenty else to see and enjoy. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Cambodia.
Pete and I had the pleasure of experiencing 5 days at Elephant Nature Park in Cambodia. It was one of the most rewarding and enriching experiences of our lives. Elephant Nature Park is an elephant rescue and rehabilitation center (based in Northern Thailand, with projects in Cambodia & Myanmar as well). Volunteers come from all over to help and visit. They have executed dozens of rescues all over Southeast Asia, allowing for these sentient creatures to live out the rest of their lives in peace and comfort.
Pete & I had the pleasure of spending 9 amazing & enriching days at Vagabond Temple in Sihanoukville, Cambodia. We feel so blessed for the experiences we had there, and they have followed us on our journey through Southeast Asia. We feel more spiritually connected, we have a deeper understanding of yoga and Buddhism, we were spoiled with delicious homemade vegan food, and we felt (and still feel) part of the close & welcoming community that is Vagabond Temple.
We spent a lovely couple of weeks on the island of Koh Phangan, Thailand. We were able to recover from the rush of island hopping. We went to the Full Moon Party (I covered the party on my blog and talked about the intense trash problem, so if you missed that, make sure to check it out and sign my petition to the Thailand government to deal with this issue!). My parents joined us for a period of time. I celebrated my 29th birthday. We enjoyed a few different vegan restaurants. I did some yoga. Pete and I experienced an amazing Theta healing session. That's how we spent our time on the island in a nutshell! Now let's get into some details.
I figured the full moon would be towards the end of January, and researched exactly when the party would be. I don't like to do too much on-line research about the places I'm going to visit, as I don't like expectations. If I'm guided somewhere, I go there and let myself experience it in the moment - simple as that. I found that the party would be close to when we would be visiting the island of Koh Phangan. I put that down on the calendar and started planning our trip around the Full Moon Party that was to happen January 23rd, 2016. Naturally, I wanted to go to the party, envisioning in to be a spiritual and enlightening experience.
Not to spoil the story, but spiritual and enlightening it definitely was not...
After close to a week of hard volunteer work at Eco-Logic Yoga Retreat Center, Pete and I were ready for some R&R! Due to the scheduling of our trip (the dates we were at the center and the Full Moon party in Koh Phangan on 1/23 that I wanted to go to), we only had a few days in between to explore the various islands. My parents are coming soon so we will be with them in Koh Phangan and Koh Samui for longer periods of time. Prior to the trip, we deliberated with either choosing 1 - 2 islands for the 5 day stretch or trying to see a few of them and hopping around. We chose the latter because we weren't able to decide what to nix out, and we really wanted to experience all of the popular islands. A few people told us that we were doing it too fast, and in hindsight, I have to agree.
