travel
Grateful in the mist – gorilla trekking and chimpanzee tracking in Uganda. Did you know? Uganda has 50% of the world’s mountain gorilla population. There are about 450 gorillas in the sanctuary of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park where we had the opportunity to trek to a particular family named “Mishaya” on a recent primate safari tour in Uganda, Africa. The tour also featured chimpanzee tracking. After flying into Entebbe, Uganda we made our way first to Kibale National Park to track chimpanzees, the primates with the closest DNA to us humans. But, once we caught up with the community we [...]
If you enjoy hiking, you’ll love Tucson. Since the city is surrounded by five mountain ranges and bordered by two halves of a national park, there are seemingly endless opportunities to get out and experience nature. A small group of us went in January, when the weather in Tucson is typically perfect for outdoor activity. Tucson enjoys 350 days of sunshine per year and fortunately the rays were out in full force while we were there. We stayed at the Downtown Clifton Hotel as our base. It has a cool vibe and the staff there are all very attentive. I [...]
America’s National Parks are a unique part of our country’s identity and cultural heritage. No matter who you are, where you live, or how you live; the national parks welcome everybody as one and seem to strip away our differences and bond us together as admirers of the majestic outdoors and mother nature. Our national parks can be a force for health, healing, joy, and unity. Our group’s goal was to find a high volume of national parks within a fairly close radius of each other and do some hiking in each one over a week’s time period. We found [...]
Only a little more than an hour's drive from Los Angeles is a valley that features beautiful scenery, ubiquitous citrus groves, world-famous spas, hiking and biking trails, and a charming little historic town full of restaurants, shops and galleries. It's Ojai - and it's the perfect spot for a quick getaway from the Los Angeles area. Start your day by renting a bike for 2 hours (about $25) at The Mob Shop in downtown Ojai. They'll give you an easy-to-follow map of a scenic, 10-mile, paved bike path loop that meanders around the edge of town and goes up a little into [...]
These boots are made for walkin' but six days on the Camino de Santiago was more than just a walking vacation! "You’re going to walk 75 miles on your trip to Spain, what kind of vacation is that?" That’s just one of the many “concerned” responses I would get before heading out to northern Spain to finally get a chance to do a long-distance walk on perhaps the most popular pilgrim path in the world; The Camino de Santiago. The Camino de Santiago, otherwise known as “The Way of St. James” or more simply “The Way” is an ancient [...]
Here are my Top 5 ways to Eat Healthy while traveling this summer: #1. Choose a hotel or Airbnb that's near a grocery store. This is really the best way to have easy, convenient, and low cost access to fruits and vegetables and salad bars. You can also stock up on healthy snacks like nuts, granola bars and dried fruit. #2. Drink plenty of water. The body needs water for almost all of its functions. Drinking lots of water will flush your body of toxins and help you eat less. It'll also help to reduce cravings, and reduce any jet-lag symptoms or [...]
Like many people, I was fascinated by its tumultuous 20th century history, and was curious about why it’s dubbed the hipster capital of Europe and positioned to surpass London as the new start-up capital of Europe. Along with the fact that it’s the cheapest European city to visit, I booked a trip there with the exciting plan of picking up some new followers on social media by my hourly travel postings along the way. And I also wanted to just do a solo trip, which I like to do every few years, since I’m usually hosting groups on active tours [...]