As I mentioned in my previous post, I was fortunate enough to visit several areas of Colombia at the end of February, including: Bogota, Cartagena, Tayrona National Park and Villa de Levya. Winters in Seattle can be grey and dreary and the weather in almost every part of Colombia (except Bogota) was warm and sunny. I still need to finish the full recap of my trip but in the meantime, here are some of my favorite travel photos from Colombia. I hope the photos inspire you to take a trip to this part of the world. Continue reading “In Photos: Colorful Colombia”
Colonial Colombia: The start of my trip
Intrepid Travel was offering 25% off all of their tours as part of a Black Friday sale in November, so I decided to book the 9-day Colonial Colombia tour on a whim. Colombia has been on my destination wish list for a few years and I finally took the plunge based on the fact that winters in Seattle area dreary, flying time is relatively short and the country is fairly inexpensive to visit. Continue reading “Colonial Colombia: The start of my trip”
10 ways to survive a long-haul international flight in coach
No matter what you do, being stuck inside a metal tube in coach class for hours is going to suck. You’re not going to sleep well, unless you’re one of those bizarre people who can sleep anywhere, in which case, I’m incredibly jealous. Your skin will be dried out. Your muscles will ache. You’ll feel greasy and dirty. You’ll feel like a walking zombie.
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Quiet, peaceful hotels do exist in Las Vegas
When you think of Las Vegas, noisy casinos, clubs, smoking, crowds and loud music all come to mind. In the past few years, an increasing number of non-casino hotels have opened, catering to business travelers or leisure travelers seeking a peaceful retreat. According to the NY Times, tourists are coming to Las Vegas, but the amount they’re spending on gambling is down. Continue reading “Quiet, peaceful hotels do exist in Las Vegas”
5 Things You Should Know Before You Book a Group Tour
Group tours can be a fun and stress-free way to explore the world. Your itinerary is already planned and you’ll share your day-to-day travel experiences with your tour mates. Before you book a group tour, pay close attention to the tips below.
Choose your tour company carefully
There’s a tour company for almost every budget, age and travel style. Want a luxury tour to an exotic destination? Check out Abercrombie & Kent. Are you 20 and want to socialize with people your age from around the world while seeing as much of Europe as possible? Contiki Tours is probably the best way to go. Before you start researching tour companies, create a budget, decide where you want to go and how many days you can travel. Also consider the travel style you’re looking for. Do you want to rush through each destination in order to see as much as possible or do you want to travel at a leisurely pace? Do you want a lot of activities included in advance or do you want as much free time as possible while you’re on tour?
Once you have an idea of the type of tour you’re looking for, visit a site like tourradar.com, where you can sort tours by duration, budget and tour style. You can also see reviews for most of the major tour operators.
Click here for a review of G Adventures vs. Intrepid Travel >
Pay attention to the itinerary
One potential downside of group tours: you need to stick to the itinerary. If you have your heart set on exploring Paris for 5 days but your potential tour only allocates two days to Paris, you should look for a different trip or understand that you’ll need to be flexible and plan a return visit to Paris at a later date. You’ll also want to pay close attention to how much time is spent on the road vs. exploring each town.
You may have to share a room or pay a single supplement
If you’re traveling solo, tours are a great way to meet like-minded travelers. Some companies, like Intrepid and G Adventures, will pair you with a roommate of the same gender at no extra charge. Other companies may require you to pay a single supplement if you’re not traveling with a companion.
Tour companies may charge more for extras
While it’s convenient to book your airfare, airport transfers and extra accommodation through the tour company, they may charge a premium for this service. On a recent trip to Colombia, Intrepid charged twice the price of Expedia for my pre-trip accommodation.
Confirm if the trip is guaranteed
Before you book your flight, confirm if the trip is guaranteed to depart. Some tour companies offer guaranteed departures but others require a minimum number of people to book before the trip is confirmed. If you decide to proceed with an unconfirmed trip, make sure you buy trip insurance in case your trip is cancelled at a later date.
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In Photos: Gorgeous Jordan
I visited Jordan last March with G Adventures, joining their Active Jordan trip for 8 days. Jordan had been on my bucket list for a while and I always came up with excuses not to go: The Middle East is too volatile, the flight is too long, it will be too hot, etc. I knew I wanted to visit Petra but beyond this famous site, I didn’t have much awareness of the beauty that Jordan offers. Jordan is a small country but the landscape changes drastically within a 2-hour drive.
On the G Adventures tour, I started off in Amman, heading north to the Aljoun Nature Reserve to spend the night and do some hiking. We headed to Wadi Mujib, the lowest nature reserve in the world, for some hiking through rivers, canyons and cliffs. Since it was winter, we headed out on the Ibex Trail. In the summer, the group hikes a wet trail called the Mujib Canyon Trail.
Our next stop was the Dead Sea, where we got to relax in a nice resort with pools and direct access to the beach. I swam in the salty waters of the Dead Sea and applied some mud, which supposedly makes your skin glow. If you ever visit the Dead Sea, make an effort to avoid getting the water in your mouth. It’s nothing like regular beach water and it made me gag.
After spending the night at the Dead Sea, we climbed up the mountains in our van and headed to Dana Biosphere Reserve, Jordan’s largest nature reserve. Our group hiked almost the entire day, climbing up and down rocks and squeezing our way through canyons.
From Dana, we headed to Petra for two full days of exploring. On the first day, we started our all-day trek in Al Beidha, also known as Little Petra. Little Petra has a number of tombs to visit and it was much quieter than Petra itself. We then hiked from Al Beidha to Petra, hugging the mountains at times as we hiked over 3 miles. After arriving at Petra, we hiked up and down some cliffs in order to get our first glimpse of the Treasury from above. This portion of the hike was a little scary at times due to the loose shale and tiny pathways but I loved having the view of the Treasury all to ourselves from the top of the cliff. The next morning, we got to visit Petra again, but this time we entered on foot through the narrow canyon trail. We were the first group at the Treasury and it was well worth the crack-of-dawn wakeup call.
After leaving Petra the next morning, we headed to Wadi Rum, a desert landscape of sand dunes, mountains and ancient riverbeds. Wadi Rum is the home of Bedouin tribes and they settle in nomadic camps throughout the area. Our group took two 4x4s into the desert and had tea with the Bedouins and then watched the sun dip under the horizon from a cliff. We spent the night at a tempted camp and gazed out at the stars and rode out of the camp on camels the next morning.
Our final stop before heading back to Amman was unplanned: A snorkeling trip at Aqaba in the Red Sea. Our tour leader gave us the option of returning to Amman early or renting a boat for the afternoon. The Red Sea Marine Peace Park is considered one of the most beautiful snorkeling and diving areas in the world. After snorkeling, it was time to head back to Amman and our group trip came to an end.
I provided a brief summary of the trip above in order to give context to some of my photos. I plan on posting some more detailed and specific posts in the upcoming weeks. For now, here are some of my favorite photos from Jordan. I hope this inspires you to plan a trip there sometime in the future.
Jerash, Jordan
The Dead Sea, Jordan
Looking across to Israel, on the other side of the Dead Sea
Rock formations in Wadi Mujib
Hiking through Wadi Mujib
The Dead Sea, Jordan
Hiking through Dana Nature Reserve, Jordan
The mountain trail from Little Petra to Petra
The Monastery, Petra
Enjoying the view of the Treasury from the top
The Treasury from the top of a cliff
Flowers in the Wadi Rum desert
Watching the sunset in Wadi Rum
Umbrellas in Aqaba
The 13 most annoying people on the airplane
If you’re like most people, flying around in a big metal tube in the sky isn’t your idea of a fun time. From the terrible food to the cramped space, flying can be a miserable experience. Don’t make the flight even more soul-sucking by breaking airplane etiquette. We’ve compiled a list of the worst-inflight offenders. Continue reading “The 13 most annoying people on the airplane”
10 photos that will make you fall in love with Scotland
I visited Scotland for the first time last year, starting in Edinburgh and making my way up towards the Isle of Skye. Scotland is a beautiful, almost magical place. The official animal is the unicorn, perfectly fitting for a mystical place like Scotland. I’ve included 10 photos from my last trip that help illustrate why I love this place so much.
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