I recently started working with Oceanwide Expeditions, a Netherlands based cruise company focusing on the planet's remote extreme north and south destinations (the Arctic and Antarctica). Founded in 1996, they are a pioneering company in the exploration of these parts of the world via cruise ships. Today they offer 25 cruises to Antarctica alone using small ice-hardened expedition vessels. Their ships are the 'basecamp' anchored off shore for a … [Read more...]
The Unexpected Living Treasures of Ireland
Close your eyes and think of Ireland: what do you see? Is it rolling hills of ethereal green and the Ring of Kerry, or perhaps tall, stark, jagged precipices descending into crashing waves, like the Cliffs of Moher? On a recent escorted journey through Ireland with Insight Vacations, I found all these and more, but what captured me beyond the green, grassy countryside were the furry and feathery fauna of the Emerald Isle. Beautiful, … [Read more...]
Here Be Dragons: The “Sacred Terror” of the Alps of Switzerland
"Placed on this planet since yesterday, and only for a day, we can only hope to glimpse the knowledge that we will probably never attain." -Horace-Bénédict de Saussure, 1796 Dateline: Mount Pilates, Switzerland I've penned a few books that have been placed in the category of "wilderness travel." But perhaps the first to stock this shelf was the eighteenth-century mountaineer Horace-Bénédict de Saussure, who wrote in his opus, Voyages … [Read more...]
Knoxville, TN: Holding on to the Stories
“When an old person dies, it’s like a small library burning.” -- Alex Haley, author of Roots, spoken to his friend John Rice Irwin, founder of the Museum of Appalachia[i] Until I went to Knoxville, Tennessee, I hadn’t experienced a place with such a strong sense of preserving the past. Not just the events or places of the past – I work as a tour guide in Philadelphia and we have that here – but the importance of each individual life gone by, … [Read more...]
Unwind & Dine on the Shores of Anguilla, A Experiential & Culinary Guide to the Island
The tiny island of Anguilla is approximately 16 miles in length (26km) by about 3 miles (5km) wide. You come here to unwind, to relax and to enjoy a slower pace of life. The island is not overbuilt and does not feature massive resorts - rather there is a diversity of lodging from affordable three star properties to luxurious 5-star properties. Because of it's size, the island is easily explored - with little traffic, generally very flat roads … [Read more...]
The Pottery Village in the Mountains of Japan
In the final months of my last year at university, I took a trip to Hogsback, a small village in the Eastern Cape, to meet a potter named Anton. He agreed to be the subject of a soundslide I was producing for my portfolio and was kind enough to let me shadow him for a day. Tucked away in the forests of the Amatole Mountains, his studio overlooked a carpet of tree tops and was filled with the chirping of the forest’s louder residents. There … [Read more...]
Exploring the Quaint and Colorful Colonial Town of El Quelite
El Quelite, a quaint town 25 miles northeast of Mazatlán is the perfect day trip for anyone interested in exploring an authentic Mexico experience. The small town sits on the bank of the river El Quelite and is known locally for practicing the pre-Hispanic game Ulama, which has important ritual aspects for the town and its native population. The main street in the village is lined with buildings of Spanish classical influence with red … [Read more...]
Three Reasons to Visit Bandung, Indonesia
In anticipation of my trip to Indonesia, I was told by the trip organizers that I wouldn’t be able to visit Borneo during my visit. Subsequently, I was disappointed - my first thoughts were purely selfish. I had long nurtured a dream of going to this 'ultimate jungle' to view orangutans in their native habitats. But then I started feeling a different level of sorrow: Borneo is burning! The forest is being destroyed, the animals are dying, … [Read more...]
Sark: Britain’s Lost Channel Island
'Welcome to Sark'- the sign read as I climbed the harbour steps onto the island. With rain lashing down, I ran through a short tunnel carved through the rock of the cliff- the only entrance to the island- and on the other side found a farming tractor, carriage in tow, parking up on the side of the road. 'There's the bus!' someone said, and everyone clambered on for the ride up the hill. This was Sark, an island of only a few square miles … [Read more...]
A Trip Through Bigfoot’s Back Yard
Every kid knows about the legend of Bigfoot. Cartoons have been filling children's minds with hairy-man-beasts for decades! Growing up in the northeast I always thought that bigfoot was a myth that nobody took seriously; a mystery wrapped in a joke, if you will, much like the Jackalope. Harry and the Hendersons was one of my favorite childhood films, but I never questioned whether it could possibly be based on science. It wasn’t until I moved to … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 46
- 47
- 48
- 49
- 50
- …
- 105
- Next Page »