While working out our route for the world trip, we are thinking about places near some of our prime destinations. One of which is Patagonia. This will be a highlight on our trip with it’s epic landscapes and wildlife. The hard part is, there is this other continent just to the south that is really tempting us. When a trip is labeled as an expedition, it suddenly becomes the opportunity of a lifetime. Antarctica: should we go?
Photo by Christopher Michel Creative Commons
So this post will be a tad different from the country profiles we’ve done in the past. We’re still collecting that information, but we didn’t think a table of text was very fun to read. So this will be a bit more personal. We’ll give you more insight as to why we’re considering this for our world trip.
Now first, it’s worth mentioning that China was not originally on Aaron’s list. With dreams of exploring the famous Great Wall and seeing legendary cities like Shanghai, I obviously didn’t realize this disparity between our priorities.
South America is likely going to be the first leg of our around-the-world trip. Chile may make a good portion of this journey as we make our way down the coast from Peru. It has a wide variety of scenery from the glaciers in Patagonia, to the waterfalls near Cruicó, and a wide expanse of coastline to enjoy. Also there are many cities to explore like the capital city of Santiago with its culture, culinary delights, and beautiful mountains. The journey south will ultimately lead us to the city of Punta Arenas. From there we can take a short trip to Isla de Magdalena to see some penguins. So why do we want to go to Chile? Penguins!!! No really, there is so much more than that.
Photo by Juliane Schultz Creative Commons License – Penguins on Isla de Magdalena
Norway is a stunning country and is home to many natural wonders that are too numerous to count. It has many incredible cities rich with viking history and some of the happiest people. It is a bit expensive – just a tad – but you can find ways to do it cheaply and still have an incredible experience.
Photo by Deconvertini, Creative Commons
Laos is one of those places that is stunningly beautiful and not as populated as most other Asian countries. This allows more breathing room when traveling to some of the top destinations and a nice break from the overrun tourist areas of nearby Thailand. Its culture is more accessible and isn’t as blurred by the tourism machine.
Laos has many excellent ways to volunteer for those who like helping out in communities while abroad. We plan to do just that. As we travel we do want to find ways to give back and this is the perfect opportunity. With programs like Big Brother Mouse Project, volunteers help children learn how to read and improve their English skills. There is also Cope, which provides assistance and rehabilitation to those who were injured during the Vietnam war (details on both below).
Croatia is a Mediterranean landscape paradise. From ancient walled cities and Roman ruins, to the many islands lining the coast, Croatia has it all. There are many well preserved Medieval towns and old forts that are worthy of Game of Thrones, just like in Ireland. Let’s check it out!
Ireland is a beautiful country rich with rolling landscapes and ancient heritage. The people are friendly, the food is comforting, the music is lively, and the history is fascinating. What’s not to love?
Romania has many castles and wonderful landscapes which will make for some great photography and video. We happen to know someone who is from Romania, so that helped inspire us to consider it for our world trip. She is a very nice and welcoming person, so we hope to find more people like her in this country.
It is cheaper than western Europe and has many similar things from old Europe like castles and churches. It is a photographer’s dream with many landscapes in a country that is about the size of Oregon in the U.S. but much more populated. We’ve had some fear of this area as well so that makes us want to go even more. Maybe we can get our blood sucked out in Transylvania by some vampires (or mosquitoes). It would be fun to go there for their Halloween event. Continue reading “Considering… Romania”
Iceland is a beautiful country, known for its pristine landscapes, hot springs, glaciers, waterfalls, and spectacular aurora. It’s a landscape photographer’s dream, and it has lots to offer the outdoorsfolk. Rumored to be named to deter too many settlers, this island is beautiful, though it actually is home to quite a bit of ice.
Peru gets some of its inspiration from our first trip to Mesa Verde National Park, where we got to see ancient ruins of Native Americans up close (built around 1,190AD). Machu Picchu is one of those once-in-a-lifetime kinds of places that also has ruins, but these are definitely more EPIC. Why have we waited so long? Let’s go! Continue reading “Considering… Peru”
