Countries to Experience
The best countries in the world to experience.
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On Location: Experience Italy – 10 Creative Adventures to Discover the Essence of Italy
Seeing the top tourist sites when traveling to a country is definitely important, but it is not the only way to experience a new destination. I love the idea of living creatively by traveling creatively as well. Trying out new things, tasting new foods, learning a cultural tradition, these are all things I seek out when exploring a new locale. Below is a list of 10 creative adventures to help you explore Italy beyond visiting the famous Roman Colosseum or Leaning Tower of Pisa. 10 Creative Adventures to Discover the Essence of Italy 1. Shoot photos on the streets of Milan and spot the latest fashion trends. Pretend to be…
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On Location: The Playful Personality of the Galápagos Sea Lion
A young pup scoots along the waters edge, chasing my daughter, son and 3 other kids down the beach. The children stop, turn, bend down and giggle with delight as their eyes meet the pups’. The pup nods his head slightly as if to tell the kids to keep playing. They dutifully reply by turning and running into the shallow water. The pup follows excitedly, ready for more fun. This scene played out in front of my eyes within 5 minutes of our first shore landing on San Cristobal island in the Galápagos. I had read about the fearlessness of the animals on this remote island chain some 1,000 miles…
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On Location: Iguazu Falls – Impressive Brasil vs. Intimate Argentina
It didn’t take long to sense the rivalry between Brasil and Argentina of which country is the best place to experience Iguazu Falls. It may not have helped to have a Brazilian guide for most of our visit because as you can imagine, he sure had an opinion on this matter. But, being able to explore both sides for myself, from gazing up at the roaring waterfall near the Devil’s Throat to peering over a 40′ drop off from a catwalk, it was pretty easy to decide which side was better. The Rio Iguazu runs between a very small portion of the border of southern Brazil and northern Argentina. Although…
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Travel Story: The Galápagos Islands – A Family Adventure of a Lifetime
Finding our Sea Legs and Discovering Something to Please Everyone from Ages 8-78 As we stepped aboard our home for the next 8 days, we were greeted with some severe rocking. Up, down, up, down, up down. I looked over at my seasick prone daughter and watched her turn sheet white. Her eyes looked up at me in panic as she turned to disembark. Our welcoming crew, oblivious to the drama unfolding, happily ushered us into the dining room. I took a seat with my daughter at the table nearest to the door. It was pretty clear within minutes that she would not sit there without losing her breakfast, so…
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On Location: Machu Picchu After the Tourists Have Gone
The bus careened up the narrow one-lane switch back road. The densely forested road made visibility almost impossible, but at each turn, the driver somehow managed to narrowly miss the oncoming buses filled with tourists just like us. I was convinced our driver possessed some ancient Incan secret for predicting oncoming traffic. At the top, we unloaded and filed into line to enter the historic site that ranks high on most travelers’ bucket lists. After paying the fee and getting stamped, we headed up the crowded trail to get our first glimpse at the Lost City. We formed a single file line and followed a path along a meticulously built…
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Travel Stories: Peru, South America, Map of Day One
My family’s adventure to Peru last summer was amazing. Our kids were quite the troopers– up before dawn many times, long travel days, and even educational seminars… and they still had a blast. The first day of a trip can sometimes be the hardest, though. Although everyone was so excited for the adventure, exhaustion from travel, and acclimatizing to our new environment was harder than expected. I decided to illustrate this first day as a map (above) to show of our adventures. Here’s our story. Day One: South America: A Rough Start Leads to a Little Piece of Heaven Lima, Peru: Adventures don’t always start out as planned. [After a full…
