The very same day I mountain biked in the Whakarewarewa Forest, I started to wonder where else in New Zealand I could ride. Our itinerary would take us to a sheep farm, Wellington and then on to Nelson. So I googled Mountain Biking Nelson, New Zealand — and found out that none other than the…
Adventures
Getting off the beaten path - do-it-yourself and organized adventures welcome!
Recap: 6 Hours in the Papago
My training plan for the 6 Hours in the Papago mountain bike race wasn’t a winner: A month before the race, I came down with strep throat. Before my antibiotics even ran out, I was headed to New Zealand for two weeks. That doesn’t add up to a lot of pre-race saddle time. Fortunately, I…
How Does Hawaiian Airlines Measure Up?
If you ask me whether I like something, I can give you a definite answer. Do I like black licorice? Oh, hell, no. Do I like a nice big bowl of tonkatsu ramen? You betcha. Do I like Hawaiian Airlines? Hmmm. OK. I’ve just flown four long legs on Hawaiian Airlines, and I honestly don’t…
This is the Worst Place in the World to Go Mountain Biking
The Whakarewarewa Forest in Rotorua is absolutely the worst place in the world to go mountain biking. If you ride here, you will go back home. You’ll prep your bike for a ride and get yourself to what used to be your favorite local trails. You’ll straddle your bike at the trailhead, look down the trail…
How to Survive Summer Heat in Phoenix – Or Other Hot Places
I hate summer heat in Phoenix – and I’m sure I’d hate it in any other hot, desert city. But you know what? It’s not so much the heat that bothers me. It’s the people who don’t know how to deal with it. I’m going to clue you all in based on my experience living…
Why a Trip to Ireland is on My List for 2016
As I was cleaning out a closet stuffed with books, I unearthed my old copy of Round Ireland With a Fridge, a true-but-silly travel story about Tony Hawks; Tony lost a bet, and his “reward” was to circumnavigate Ireland by hitchhiking. But here’s the kicker – he had to do it while toting a small…
Best of Travel 2015
Despite 2015 being my first year as a parent, this has been a good year for travel. We got the Little Person on her first international trip, in addition to numerous runs around the country; she may have even outflown me with a total of 18 legs to her credit. In spite of my expectations,…
Scenes from a Desert Airplane Graveyard
I know a lot of people get freaked out in a graveyard – but to me, an airplane graveyard is even more unsettling. Few of the residents seem ready for the scrapheap. It’s like carting a 50-ish person off to a deserted lot, him in a hole and shoveling dirt on him. Too young, too…
Literature Review: The Cruelest Journey by Kira Salak
Today’s post is travel writer Nichole L. Reber’s review of the Kira Salak memoir, The Cruelest Journey. Nichole is full-on obsessed with the fraternal twin crafts of writing and reading, so I’m sure you’ll enjoy her insights. Get to know Nichole and her work by visiting her website or her Facebook page. “No place is…
Schwäbisch Hall – Views of a Different Germany
When people found out I was going to Germany in October, the reactions were almost identical. “Munich! Oktoberfest!” Sure, that might’ve been happening while I was there. But I was headed to a different part of Germany for different reasons. I figured that after nearly three decades, it was time to visit the German part…
Four Cheap Things to Do in Jeju, South Korea
Travel guidebooks sometimes call Jeju “the Hawaii of South Korea.” Though it falls short of Hawaii’s scenery, I really liked it. It has everything from a city of nearly half a million people to outdoor recreation. Also, this list of cheap things to do in Jeju will show you how to have fun without spending…
Don’t Make This Mistake if You Visit the Desert
After reading stories about a French family’s disastrous experience with the a desert hike in the American Southwest, I felt awful. If you haven’t heard, here’s the quick version: A vacationing French family went for a hike near White Sands National Monument in Mexico. In August. With barely any water. The parents died; their 9-year-old…
Cool Stuff Roundup – Summer Edition
I just realized that’s in been months since I’ve done a Cool Stuff Roundup. I aim to correct that today with a few very interesting tidbits I’ve culled from various locations online. Let’s start with some air travel. You know it’s a favorite of mine – and that I don’t love to hate airlines nearly…
First Impressions of Toronto
On paper, I’m nothing you’d expect from an Arizonan. I have an instinctive grasp of hockey. I’m a member of the local curling club. Really, I should be from Canada. But I haven’t even been to Canada in more than five years. That changed with my first trip away from the Southwest since this spring….
Are These 5 Things Ruining Travel?
Awhile back, “Ask The Pilot” writer Patrick Smith labeled the selfie stick the scourge of global travel. I get his point: hordes of people waving metal poles, so intent on showing people that they were There that they forget to enjoy Being There. I like a few self-produced travel memories, but I don’t want to…
Get a Great Deal on Luci Solar Lanterns
You might remember my Camping Lantern Review of 2015 that I published last week – and the MPOWERD Luci light that took top honors. If you’ve had the urge to get a bunch, MPOWERD has some deals for you. Shipping is also free for orders $75 and up during the promotion, which runs through June…
Random Cool Stuff – May Edition
I can’t believe May is almost over already. But the good part of a month flying by is getting to share a some random cool stuff I gleaned this month – from the Internet, from books, wherever. Up first, let’s talk about some interesting things I’ve started to do with stuff out of my foods…
The Great Camping Lantern Review of 2015
A few months ago, my neighborhood had a blackout. And true to Murphy’s Law, I had a much harder time than necessary finding any of my flashlights or candles. It took some irritating groping in the dark – and I don’t mean the fun kind – before I found a flashlight. This got me thinking…
Four Unusual Tourism Niches
There are all sorts of tourism niches out there. You’ve heard of people traveling for food, shopping, golf, medical treatments, maybe even to visit war zones, disaster sites or the graves of dead celebrities. There’s also a lot of unsavory stuff out there that sways me from my usual stance that anything that motivates a…
Find Adventure at a Cenote Dive Site
The SCUBA diving experts at the Professional Association of Diving Instructors have opened me up to the many adventures in their sport. Encountering underwater wildlife and examining shipwrecks could definitely lure someone into SCUBA diving. But I started thinking about some of the reasons I like hiking; one of the main reasons I hike is…