Europe
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A Switzerland Itinerary: A Weekend in Zurich
A Switzerland itinerary is not complete without taking a few days to explore it’s largest city. Zurich is frequently ranked as one of the world’s most livable places. In addition, it’s often an example of a sustainable city. What makes a city sustainable? There are three things to look at when seeing a city’s potential. Environment, economy and social impacts are the three indicators used to determine how eco-friendly a place is. That means the city is active in being as green as possible, viable, safe and responsible. It’s nice to know you can plan vacations in urban areas and still try to make ethical travel choices. You can easily…
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14 Best Vacation Destinations for Book Nerds
Book nerds pack your bags, here are the best places to visit that are book-centric locations. Bibliophiles will appreciate each of these destinations as an inspiration for your next book based vacation. Get lost in a good book and then get lost in a new place. Here is a list of 14 places where I’ve found unique bookshops or libraries that made my trip more memorable. With each city I’ve included a travel tip to help you start to organize your own itinerary. Plan your vacation to some of these popular destinations and then make sure to add a stop at these libraries or bookshops while you are in town!…
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A Prague Itinerary for the Ethical Traveler
Prague is one of the most visited cities in Europe. I’ve been told that nearly 80% of tourists who visit the Czech Republic only go to Prague and fail to see the rest of the beautiful country. It’s no surprise when places like this see high tourist traffic. The city is beautiful, it’s full of history, good food & interesting architecture. What is over tourism exactly? Is there such a thing as too many tourists? Some suggest that raising rates or limiting entry are solutions to the problem. These restrictions limit accessibility for everyone and so in my opinion, the answer is education. Teaching travelers to make better choices is…
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Dream Vacations for Nature Lovers
You’d be hard pressed to find a corner of Earth without a phenomenal view of nature. Volcanoes, mountain ranges, oceans, jungles, forests and deserts, the world is consistently showing us reminders of how beautiful it can be. Thinking of packing your bags and heading on an adventurous vacation? Here are ten ideas to spark your inner explorer with a list of dream vacations for nature lovers. Landscape Lovers United States National Parks The US has parks across the country, perfect for any nature lover. There are 58 major National Parks in America so you could essentially take years just visiting different US parks as your vacation time. It’s…
- Cambodia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Greece, Guam, Indonesia, Italy, Malta, Martinique, Mexico, Nicaragua, Palau, Philippines, Portugal, St. Kitts & Nevis, Tanzania, Thailand, Turks and Caicos, Vietnam
18 of the World’s Best Beaches
The earth is made up of over 70% water and almost 95% of that water is made up of oceans. With all that surf and sand, there are countless choices of beaches and as a self proclaimed beach bum, I’ve encounter many. Here is a round up of 18 of the world’s best beaches according to Speck on the Globe. Zanzibar Wow. That may be the first and only exclamation you’ll need to describe this Tanzanian island. It’s totally unique with Swahili & Islamic influences that help to shape the spice trade routes from long ago. For the size there are dozens of sweet spots, don’t forget to spend some…
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Eat Pasta like a Prostitute: A Naples Food Tour
The birthplace of wood fire pizza, as if you need a better reason to visit a city. It is here that the favorite food of millions is said to have originated and if you’ve immediately pictured Italy, you’re on the right track. However, this city may not be the city you are imagining. I’d guess you’re thinking of Rome, Florence or Venice? It’s none of the typical touristic attractions and it frequently gets passed over as you make your way south, Naples. As a city that is far from the spotlight of it’s counterparts, let me convince you that a Naples food tour deserves to make it’s way onto your…
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Where To Find The World’s Best Chocolate
Most of the “Top 10 Chocolates” or “Best Countries for Chocolate” have lists that are mostly made up of European countries like Italy, Belgium, France and Switzerland. While I’ve had some phenomenal chocolate in these countries, none of them made my list of places where I’ve come to find some of my tastiest confections. Since these high end chocolatiers are working with beans that come from a narrow region that flanks either side of the equator and the trees grow best in tropical weather, you won’t be seeing any of your fancy French chocolate made completely locally. So, where can you find some of the best chocolate? Much like a…
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Hiking Norway: My Body & My Self in Lofoten
I looked ahead, scanning the rocks to find a stable place to land my footing. The “trail” isn’t easily marked like I’m used to. Norway is famous for having open land, where you can walk or hike, creating your own path & forging ahead to your destination. Norwegians have a tendency to follow the start of a path, giving you a sense of the right direction, then large sections of it can disappear and confusingly reappear. So, like detective work you need to decide if the trodden grass or mud in front of you is truly THE trail or if it’s a jumping off point a more experienced hiker has…
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Hitchhiking, Fish Museums and Cinnamon Rolls: A week in the Arctic
I reached down and placed my hand along the edge of the tattered luggage wheel, the plastic already hot to the touch from rotating violently along the gravel road. It was Sunday evening and the last bus had already gone through town, forcing me to start a long 10km walk to the next village with all of my things. I was about 20 minutes down the road when one of the black wheels tore from the bottom of my roller luggage and wobbled around the corner off the shoulder of the road. I had already been out hiking most of the day today, and with fewer and fewer passing cars…
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Snapshot Sunday: Norwegian Fjords
I’ve been a tad obsessed with my recent shots from my time in Norway this summer, but for good reason. Norwegian fjords and landscapes are so stunning I keep going back to my photos in disbelief. I knew what a fjord was visually, but I couldn’t have told you what the land mass was by definition, aside from some large mountains surrounding some small waterways. Fjords are formed from glacial erosion, so being in a boat, looking up, stretching your neck to take in these massive rock formations was all the more impressive. Pictures don’t do the scene justice, the icy glaciers atop the mountains, the cascading waterfalls pouring into…
