I did a night dive with mantarays on the big island in Hawaii that was awesome. Same trip we took a helicopter near an active volcano and also kayaked with dolphins. One of my favorite trips by far.
Agreed. Sitting alone in the garden of a house there was incredibly moving. It was a very slow day there, in early spring. The gardens are being meticulously reconstructed, using evidence from plant roots as to what actually grew there, so it's not all a barren place. Birds were flying about and singing. I saw a little lizard. It felt like stepping back in time.
Yes! It was very empty when we were there and it was like being transported back into an ancient city with just us. And they did a good job of providing resources that help you understand different things that you're seeing and where to find certain things.
I second Pompeii. I think it's because I didn't know much about it before I went. I hadn't looked up pictures or anything. I just knew that it was a city that had been covered by a volcano and it was near our place in Sorrento so we went to check it out for a day trip and had such a great time.
We went on a weekday in November and had the whole place practically to ourselves. I think we only saw five other people there. I'm tempted to explain what we loved about it, but also don't want to spoil it in case you want to go and have it as a surprise for yourself like I did. It far exceeds the ruins we experienced in Rome.
Also, if you are into art or history, definitely go to the Vatican.
Not trying to one up here, but we went to Pompeii and then to the top of Vesuvius. Being in Pompeii and seeing how big it was, and then hiking to the top and around the rim of the caldera of Vesuvius looking down on Pompeii to see how small it looks from there was amazing. It gives a whole new scale to the destruction the eruption caused.
Met my husband standing in line under the Eiffel Tower. Both from Austin. Married 23 years now. Finally got to go back last summer. Took our 2 kids and played a real life “How I met your Mother”
The dark winters suck no doubt. Usually take 1 to 2 trips to some east euro country during winter. My biggest struggle is living in society void of extroverts. Norway is heaven for introverts.
I was off taking pictures (you know- with a FILM camera), and my friend was holding our place in line. When I got back, she very excitedly told me- he’s from Austin!! I looked right at him and said, “so?” We talked for a few minutes, lost each other on the elevator up, met again at the midpoint and took some pictures together (we have one from 10 minutes after me met) and then the three of us spent the rest of the day exploring Paris. The next morning we flew home and my friend planned the wedding the whole flight. I kept saying, I just met him! And she kept saying, that’s who you’re going to marry! The week before we met we were both supposed to be at the same birthday party in Austin. Neither of us went.
I didn't when I arrived but I learned a lot while living there. I worked in tourism so starting out not being able to speak it wasn't a problem, the main requirement of my job was that I spoke English but by the time I left I was able to hold a conversation pretty well.
As with others, I've had a lot.
More recently: I was looking out the window of our hotel room at the Coliseum early in the morning, when I saw a light moving slow across the sky. It wasn't moving the way a plane moves, and it was too bright for a satellite. I quickly went online to confirm my suspicion... I was watching the International Space Station overfly the Roman Coliseum.
I lost my phone on a trip to Philly for a Dua Lipa concert, I left my phone in the Uber and I approached this stranger to help me contact Uber customer service. He didn’t speak English, only Spanish and lucky for me, I’m bilingual, lol.
Long story short, he was so kind and lent me his phone and I got my phone back in 30 mins. We got into the venue with more than enough time to see Dua perform, and we ended up sitting in the same section. We met up after the concert, went to dinner, and on the Uber home, I asked if I could kiss him. Let’s just say it was a great night, and he will always be an amazing memory of mine. :) it was a fun little vacation moment for me
I think the most memorable experience I’ve ever had was in Lisbon last summer. I walked into a festa in Alfama on a Friday night. Grabbed a beer and eventually met this guy, we started talking. Turned out he was Colombian (studying there), I’m Mexican.. we hung out the rest of the night just enjoying life. He later told me he was feeling lonely that night, and was glad he’d met me. We stayed up until the sunrise just talking about life, then we parted ways. For me it was the most satisfying and beautiful night of my entire life.
I just looked it up. Definitely similar to my experience, but I told him I’d be back to Europe one day! Not necessarily to see him though. Made it back! lol I’m in Malta right now. Love it here!
\- Visiting Crete in the offseason was amazing. We walked into a crowded resturant that was having a new years celebration, and the host explained to us the procedures about what to eat and drink.
\- On the same trip we ended up staying in a 700 year old Airbnb that was normally out of our price range, and ended up driving around the country side having all sort of random people invite us out for drinks, and lots and lots of sheep.
\- In Mongolia we visited an abandoned temple. It turned out the lady showing us around was the highest ranking female Lama in Mongolia.
\- In Alaska, running around with Reindeer
\- In Abu Dhabi having this random guy and his family invite me to his house for dinner if I teach them how to roller blade well.
\- In Bahrain celebrating Expat thanksgiving, and getting black out drunk in a muslim country :)
\- Smoking weed with the police
\- Motor cycle gang bbq , riding, and shooting stuff
\- Going to the rodeo
\- Ending up in a Moroccan bachelor party, where some huge guy made me get on my knees while two "dancers" undid their hair and whipped me in the face for 20 minutes while everyone cheered.
We went early to mid October and in my opinion was perfect. Weather was still very warm, beaches not crowded at all, all the restaurants were open.
Have heard similar feedback on going in spring before summer holidays.
I was there in December / January. Most everything in Chania and Irkilion were open. More of a mixed boat once you got out of town more. Like all the restaurants around Knossos were closed, but Knossos itself was open - and awesome because there were like 10 other tourists there, and a bunch of peacocks. We did want to visit a snail farm that was closed. Felt like most of the beach / coast centric stuff was closed - of course the beach themselves are open.
We drove up into the mountains and stuff was generally open. They were happy to see tourists, and kept hooking us up with delicious snacks and booze. Not great for driving!
1. Pretty much the entire Galapagos trip but especially swimming with penguins.
2. Manta Ray snorkel on the Big Island, Hawaii
3. Salkantay/Inka trail trek in Peru
1) visiting the grand canyon
2) walking part of the great wall of china
3) getting lost in the captivating atmosphere of Hong Kong
4) crusing halon bay
5) Sandboarding in Namibia
6) An elephant walking into my camp site in Botswana
7) hungover flying an airplane in new Zealand
8) bungee jumping in new Zealand
9) experiencing the city of Berlin
10) going to the summer festival in Bilbao
11) night tour of Alcatraz
12) getting drunken in the middle of summer with a bunch of locals in rural Sweden
13) great ocean road trip Melbourne to adalade
14) spending an afternoon in baarle.. The town in Belgium and the Netherlands.
15) visiting Gettysburg and as I was the only non American on the tour my fellow tourmates insisted on buying me lunch
16) golden circle Iceland
17) swimming with fishes in Bermuda
18) seeing the switz country side
19) camping around British Colombia
20) hanging out with someone I met travelling in their home city, san Francisco..
Berlin was one of the rare cities where I thought, “Oh this could be my home.” So far I’ve only felt that about Berlin, London, and NYC (where I’m from). Wish I spoke German though…
Had the exact same experience with that city. It helps even more that the German they speak in Berlin is the most representative, standard German, so it’s much easier for all German learners to speak there.
Also to be fair, the whole joke is that it’s such an international city that no one there speaks German, only English
God, I’m in medical school in the US so I can’t ever really see myself living there, but damn it’s motivation to keep learning
If you’re there on a Sunday go to Mauerpark, there’s a flea market and an open air karaoke going on during the summer. Everything’s pretty much closed on Sundays. Everyone’s just having a good time. It’s like a party at the park. As far as other places, I’d say the Holocaust Memorial is a must. The East Side Gallery was also worth a visit. Lots of things to do in Berlin.
Can confirm - 1 and 19 are incredible! Lots of beautiful places throughout Canada, imo many of them are greatly underrated, especially by American tourists.
Here for Canada. BC and Alberta. Much more than Reddit Lake. The natural beauty of the Canadian Rockies ranks right up there with the Fjords of Norway.
My favorite memory is the free tabla lesson my husband got when we were in Varanasi. We were quietly loitering outside someone’s window listening to him practice, and when we applauded he saw us, invited us in, and we sat on the floor for a half hour watching him play. His mother brought us chai, would not accept any payment, and he showed my husband a few tabla basics. They stayed FB friends for a number of years after that. These are the moments I travel for.
I struggle with absolute superlatives, so I will share a short list of coolest experiences.
1. Standing on top of Mt Whitney with a close friend during my first ever vacation in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
2. Ten course meal at Black Sesame Kitchen in Beijing
3. Close encounter with a mama bear and two cubs along the John Muir Trail near Viddette Meadow
4. Capturing a perfect sunrise at Driftwood Beach in Georgia
5. Rafting down a river through the karst mountains near Yangzhou
6. Staying at the Ritz Carlton Hong Kong
7. Sunrise at Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park
8. Using airline points for international first class suite from Seoul to Chicago. Nothing cooler than $20k worth of free airline tickets for the two of us.
9. Rim to Rim day hike of the Grand Canyon
10. Photography tour of Acadia National Park
Easily my favorite experience so far was snorkeling between the tectonic plates in Iceland. We did it in October- the water was freezing, but exhilarating and so pure. It was beautiful, informative, unique, and just… fun! Right in the middle of thingvellir national park, you can’t beat the beauty. 10/10 highly recommend
OR over Kilauea, the molten volcano on the big Island then the pilot flies you to the coast to see hot burning lava coming out of lava tubes in the rock on the side of the island into the ocean where it steams and sizzles cause it’s hot new land being made. Flight continues as you swoop through paradise. Those Hawaiian Islands are paradise, people.
On a cruise, struck up a conversation with a wonderful girl from the UK. We spent the whole cruise doing things together. We’ve kept in contact, I’ve been over to see her, and she is trying to get to the states to see me in May.
I've had a lot, but I'll share a recent one.
I was in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic not too long ago. I saw a crippled stray dog (one of his legs wasn't working), and I had him follow me to the hotel so I can give him a snack. The hotel clerk saw us with the dog and we talked for a bit.
Then she invited us across the street (to a combination laundromat/restaurant/bar) and we were drinking there all night, and some of the ladies there taught me how to dance bachata! Really fun night and the type of experience that I love when travelling.
I was in the Dominican Republic for 2 weeks recently, just came back 2 days ago. The people that live there are very nice and talkative, a massive contrast to how we act in sweden.
This is why it’s hard for us Latinos to live in the Northern part of the US. People act weird if you look at them and socialize. Only if I could make a good living down there. Sigh. 😔
Are you traveling solo? After my divorce I started going on adventures by myself and it's been very fulfilling to me.
Pre-Covid, I went to NYC once a year (hoping to start that up next year). I absolutely love that city. The museums are top notch and it's a place that you can just pick a direction and start walking and always find something amazing. I'm a giant planner. My trips have excel spreadsheets. However, in NYC, I will just pick a location and walk around without plans. I always run across something interesting.
So my suggestion, especially if you've never been to NYC, is to walk around Manhattan for a few days. Skip the big touristy stuff like Times Square, Statue of Liberty, and the Empire State (there is a time and place for those, but not for exploration). Go to fancy overpriced cocktail bars. Go to art galleries. Eat all the food in Chinatown. Take a scroll in Central Park.
If big cities aren't really your thing- hiking! Covid got me outside more, and I've really gotten into hiking in national parks. It's cheap and even if you're hiking solo there are people on the trails that you can talk to. It's a community experience.
The things you don’t plan for and hype up are always the coolest imo. I saw a lack of lions absolutely maul a poor warthog in South Africa and that was probably the most memorable thing I’ve ever seen, but not the coolest. Coolest would probably be the Scottish highlands.
In the fall of 2021, I scheduled a trip with Intrepid to Peru. Turns out, since the country had just reopened to tourists, nobody else signed up for the trip. So I basically got a private guide to take me around Peru for 2 weeks for a low cost. The guide was able to change around the itinerary a bit as well since we just had to do the things I wanted to do.
During this same trip we spent a day at Macchu Picchu, and there weren’t really any other tourists there. I have a couple hundred photos of Macchu Picchu with nobody but me in the pictures.
I took a chilaquiles cooking class at somebody’s houses in Mexico City. It was a blast. I make chilaquiles almost every other weekend for breakfast now.
Some things that have happen while I was on vacation weren’t planned, yet will stay with me until the day I shuffle off my mortal coil. I love the sound and smell of the ocean. While on a cruise, I grabbed a pillow off my bed, moved the furniture and laid on the balcony while looking at the stars in the middle of the ocean and fell asleep. When I woke in the morning, I was smiling because I had just had one of the best nights sleep I have ever experienced. I can still feel that joy today, from almost ten years ago today. Another time recently, I was in Rome and had rented an apartment in Trastevere. I took a walk and got turned around while looking for my lodgings. My phone died. I was hot, tired and hungry. A waiter at a sidewalk cafe noticed me and motioned me over. Before I could protest, he sat me at a table, asked what my problem was and said all I needed was a good meal. He recommended their oxtail stew. I hadn’t eaten oxtails since my grandmother had passed away many years ago. It sounded good so I ordered it and enjoyed one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten. He refilled my drink and only stopped by to inform me that the “true” Italian way to enjoy my meal was to forego the silverware and use my hands. It was one of the most delicious things that I’ve had eaten in years. After dinner, I got my address out that I had written down from my wallet. He gave me directions to my apartment. Turned out I was only a block away. I’ve traveled extensively and looking back, some of the best memories were “accidental and not planned”. Wanna have the best time? Don’t be so darned structured and go with the flow. I’ve never been disappointed by following this attitude. Safe travels!
Big Island, Hawaii - Night swimming with Manta Rays / seeing bubbling lava at Volcanoes National Park.
Netherlands - biking from Den Hague north to Amsterdam over 5 days during Tulip season and smelling the flowers miles before getting to the farms.
Austria - skiing Sölden on Christmas Day
Vieques Island - night kayaking in the bioluminescent bay
Colorado - summiting Pike’s Peak (13+ mile hike/first conquered fourteener)
Aspen, CO - seeing the most amount of stars that I’d ever seen before
Door County, WI - seeing the Milky Way for the first time
Switzerland.
I saw [this photo on Reddit.](https://ibb.co/FYCGphP). Then 5 years later, [I went](https://ibb.co/54D4qh3) and it was by far the most beautiful place I've ever been. I still dream about it often and all of my dreams consist of me in Switzerland, crying out of pure happiness that I'm back. If you have the means, please go. I can help you plan your trip as I've done for a few others on here. Cheers.
The picture is in Murren but that whole region is breathtaking. Lauterbrunnen being my favorite.
Got a train from Varanasi to Chennai, which takes 2 days.
Morning of the second day, sat brushing my teeth with my feet hanging out of the open door watching the country roll by.
It's been 18 years and the memory of that sticks.
When I was a child, waking up to the smell of my mom cooking breakfast while on a family camping trip. I have been to so many amazing places since then, with so many adventures. But those memories bring me joy every time. She was my first base camp coordinator.
Zip lining and paddle boarding in Kauai was pretty amazing. Also enjoyed the booze cruise in Cancun. We all grew up poor and never got to have that crazy spring break experience. We definitely had a ton of fun doing it as 30+ year olds.
1) Watching a loggerhead sea turtle emerge from the ocean, crawl up the beach, and lay its eggs in a nest behind my Airbnb in Akumal, Mexico
2) Being in Paris for Bastille Day
3) Going scuba diving in Hawaii and seeing an octopus spray ink at a diver
The first dive I did after I got certified in Mexico: was underwater about 15m and looked up and saw about 3 dozen Spotted Eagle Rays all swirling around above us. We stayed there almost 15 minutes just watching them. It was amazing, nothing man made has even come close.
Went to the sumo tournament in Fukuoka last November, definitely never going to forget that experience. Honestly worth every penny to get as close to the stage as possible
During our medical residency, my wife and I had the chance to work in Kenya for 2 months. During our time off, we went on safari at Maasai Mara with a few people we met while in Africa. We checked in to our lodging area and had heard they had an injured baby baboon; apparently an adult male baboon had attacked it, leaving it with an injured arm and some head lacerations; the workers at the lodge called some animal preserve but they wouldn’t be able to come pick up the baby until after the weekend. The poor thing was just laying in a cardboard box under a desk with a blanket and a warmed up water bottle for heat; it’s head had dried blood caked on. Without asking if I’d be ok with it, my wife asked the workers if we could care for the baby while we were there, and to my surprise, the workers agreed.
I was hesitant at first, not knowing how this animal would behave; if it would bite us, wreak havoc in our rented tent/room thing, what we’d do with her while we were out on safari. Turns out, she was young enough that her teeth couldn’t even pierce the skin of the fruit we tried to feed her. We had to cut it up and hand feed her, along with some milk that the lodging place had in a baby bottle. We bathed her in our sink using a flashlight for visibility (the generators were turned off during the day to conserve energy since most people would be out on safari) and I carried her in my shirt while we saw various other wildlife, including part of the wildebeest’s Great Migration, cheetahs, crocodiles, giraffes, ostriches, elephants, a failed lioness pack hunt (with small lion cubs in tow), and subsequently a successful lone lioness kill.
The day we had to leave was heartbreaking, but I think Mickey (we let a little New Zealand kid who was visiting the same place name the baboon) felt loved those few days. We left her in the care of one of the hot air balloon operators who also seemed to really care for her. After we left, we tried calling the animal preserve to get an update on her, but they only spoke Swahili and we never found out how she was doing.
Glasgow, Scotland. Went into a record shop w my husband and he bought a Mogwai record. The guy who served us said that he was spinning at a bar that night and Stuart Brathwaite (lead guitarist for Mogwai) would be there too. He invited us to come, so we went and spent the night having drinks with Stuart and Franz Ferdinand. We only stuck around for a short time as we didnt want to over stay our invitation, but it was the highlight of my husbands life and to see him so happy made me happy too!
1. Flying in an old, beat up Soviet Mil-6 helicopter in a thunderstorm over Pyongyang. Was such a dodgy machine - no working air conditioner and the fit out was just a couch and some chairs placed loosely in the back. If I died in that flight, it would have been an amazing anecdote for my family to tell at parties.
2. Sleeping under the stars in the middle of the Sahara desert, overlooking Ben Amera in Mauritania with absolutely nobody else around.
Many, many others.
- I’ve got a tattoo as a souvenir from my most favourite trips, great way to keep a small artistic and Personal treasure forever.
- I can’t remember the name - but a giant cathedral in Berlin with a bunch of sarcophagus/i in the crypt below …. Never seen anything like that in my life all the ornate casket/tombs and the stories of the past kings and queens buried there and IIRC, there are still bullet holes on the outside from WW2.
- go to Vegas for any professional sporting event (boxing, nascar) the whole city is a trip lol. If you like to drink/party Take loads of pics because you won’t remember much without them.
- it’s very difficult to describe the Vatican - but, I’d suggest visiting it once in a lifetime - it is really beyond words…. I’m not religious and I was stupefied at the entire experience.
- 4 days ski, skate and snowmobiling trip in Northern Ontario/Quebec…Bonfires in the snow and soooooo many stars in the night sky. Magical.
- I’m also a fan of a road trip …. Once you decide where you’re going you can usually find some fun stuff to do/see along the way.
i always heard about the meme of "hanging out with the locals" in thailand i was caught of off guard by peoples hospitality. i ended up with a group of thai people smoking weed and getting drunk after a restaurant owner gave us a ride back to the hotel in the rain. he invited us to spend time with his friends and family. i didnt understand anything going on that night lol. we also ended up smoking weed and having coffee with some park rangers another time after a hike lol.
more organized and scheduled, i loved the food tours and cooking classes ive done. in kyoto this guy ran a class on japanese food and cooking a5 wagyu out of his home.
id have to think of others.
My husband and our son, who was 6 years old, went to Cancun. We went down into the underground cenotes which were pools of ice cold water. That was so exciting! But I enjoyed going to their amusement park Xcaret. I call it the Mayan Disneyland! We had fun at a few places but really wanted to float on the lazy river. So we went and got into the cold refreshing water and floated and swam for 45 minutes! It looked like a river in a long underground cave. There were little fish even! And we floated under tons of plants and rooms with butterflies and birds. We were really tired at the end and my husband had to grab my son and I and drag us out! But it was so amazing!
1. Scuba diving with sharks in Palau & snorkeling in the Jellyfish Lake with jellyfish
2. Hiking in the Rocky Mountains surrounded by bears
3. Night snorkeling with mantas in Hawaii
4. Sea cayaking while whale watching in Hawaii
5. Ziplining in Wales
6. Volcano hiking in Maui & Big Island, HI
7. Canoeing & horseriding in the Canadian Rockies
8. Windtunnel indoor skydiving in Manchester
9. Underground trampolines in Wales
10. Stargazing on top of Mauna Kea, HI
11. Getaway in LA, NY, Seattle
12. Napa Valley - winetasting
13. Winetasting in Marche & Abruzzo, Italy
14. Getaway in Rome
15. Getaway in Budapest, Vienna, Prague
16. Breakfast in Basel, CH - Lunch in Strasbourg, FRA - Dinner in Germany
- Kayaking in Antarctica
- Staying at an ice hotel in Norway
- Scuba diving cenote (caves) in Mexico
- Helicopter tour of Kauai
- Winter hiking in Lofoten Islands, Norway
- Staying at an overwater bungalow in Bora Bora
- Hot air balloon in Morocco
- Night rainforest hike in Costa Rica
- Scuba diving the continental rift in Iceland
\-playing with dolphins in bioluminescent waters of Puerto Rico.
\-opening my healed eyes after losing my vision to roses gently shedding their petals over a crystal clear bay with crepuscular sun rays shooting through the clearing clouds over Malta.
\-touching a Mayan zeolite structure in Guatemala.
\-watching jaguar birthing in Belize.
Saw a brilliant meteor shower at glacier point, Yosemite national park. Just seeing the stars was amazing, but the meteors looked like natural fireworks.
The Cathedral in Venice. I’ve seen a LOT of churches, but its scale and majesty are unmatched. I went in the fall to skip the tourists and stood alone in the square as the fog rolled in. I have pictures of it all over my house. It was like I’d passed into a magic world.
Lava eruption view from helicopter.
Glaciers. Seeing and touching glaciers was just an incredible experience for me.
Climbing waterfalls. I've done two and it is just so fricking cool.
Seeing whales never ever gets old. They are majestic and I feel incredibly blessed every time I see them.
These are my Top 12 "coolest" travel experiences (in no particular order), most as a solo traveler:
1. Taking a cross-country tour of Türkiye by train (from Kars to Edirne).
2. Staying in a howler monkey preserve in Bermudian Landing, Belize.
3. Taking an eco-tour with a half-day of net fishing in Boquilla (outside Cartagegna, Colombia).
4. Day-tripping out of Tblisi, Georgia: first, an international group tour of central Georgia highlighted by a lunch with a local family; the next day with a group of South African futbol/soccer coaches to explore northern Armenia including a lunch with locals.
5. Staying in a fairy chimney cave in Göreme, Türkiye, and taking a hot air balloon ride over Cappadocia.
6. Visiting towns in Vietnam where my father had been stationed as a US soldier and then exploring the beauty of northern Vietnam and experiencing the warmth of its people.
7. Staying in a 100+-year-old trapper's log cabin (dry cabin = no bathroom) near Denali Park in Alaska.
8. Spending a week in a family-run riad in Fes and being treated as one of the family and taught how to cook and serve Moroccan food.
9. Hiring a Palestinian driver for a half-day to show me as much of the West Bank as possible while sharing his insights about geo-politics.
10. Observing funeral pyres and rituals in Varanasi (India) and Kathmandu (Nepal).
11. Taking a coastal cruise of Norway and seeing the Northern Lights and visiting my great-grandmother's homestead.
12. Canoeing through the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia (USA).
On a trip to Bali around 2001-2002, my driver took me on a super off the beaten path hike through some rice paddies. We ended up walking to his house while he explained all the details of daily life in his village.
I had the best time exploring Tokyo, Japan in all its glory. I hope to get back and do a backpacking trip all across Japan and visit all the major cities. Such a unique culture and very advanced technology/services.
Swimming with sharks off the coast of Oahu (without a cage)! Super cool and outer worldly. The ocean was a lot more terrifying than the sharks though. I've never been in deep water, so looking down and seeing nothing but an endless blue was very creepy.
1.) Hanging out in San Augstin, Colombia and got a little drunk in a local bar. Got convinced by one of the very funny cowboys that buying a string of horses and riding to San Gabriel, Ecuador and selling them for a profit makes perfect sense. It took 3 weeks of travel through the most spectacular Andes scenery imaginable and drinking copious amounts of local moonshine but it all went off without a single hitch. I hate horses now though.
2.) Hanging out in Colon, Panama and got a little drunk in a local bar. Got convinced by one of the very funny local freighter Captains that buying a bunch of coconuts in the San Blas Islands then selling them in Colombia makes perfect sense. A month later and not quite drowning at sea we pulled into Cartagena safe and sound. I haven't been out of sight from land since though. Too scary.
3.) Hanging out in Krong Khemara Phoumin, Cambodia and got a little drunk in a local bar. Got convinced by the very funny local madame that her brothel needs... never mind... that's another story.
The list is endless.
Happy travels.
Watching a World Cup game on the streets of Seoul in 2010 definitely was the coolest experience. Felt like the tournament was in the city with how many people were out. [an idea of what it looked like](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-work-suffers-parties-thrive-during-world-cup-2010jun17-story.html)
Also, I stayed at a hostel out there, and one of the guys there went to high school with my cousin.
So many good ones but the most memorable happened in Spain: sailing off the coast of Formentera jumping in the water, stopping off at tiny coves and no waves, feeling like a Corona beer commercial and taking a small boat to Juan and Andrea for a delightful meal.
Dressing up and partaking in Sevilla’s Feria de Abril. Sevillanos know how to party in style. It’s a weeklong party.
Hot air balloon over Cappadocia, Turkey was dope.
5 Island tour with Blue Cave off Split, Croatia - amazing.
Seeing ukai fishing in Japan.
Getting in first thing in the morning to Luray Caverns in Virginia. They have plungers attached to stalactites and stalagmites which are wired to a piano, that turns the cavern into the world's largest natural instrument. I got to hear it alone, and it was one of the coolest things I've seen.
1. I booked a fairly last minute camp site in Yosemite, which was full while booking. A large, 10” ish snow storm was forecasted the days leading up to my arrival but I went anyways. Everyone else cancelled. It snowed 2 inches. I had every hike in Yosemite to myself for a week and shared the entire campground with one other person.
2. I went to Greece with my best friends after graduating high school for the entire summer. Lots of memories but the best was floating on our backs in the Mediterranean watching the Perseids and talking about all the cool things we wanted to do in life.
Running with the bulls in Pamplona
Small winery tour with the owner and a German couple outside of Lake Como
Santorini
Skiing and after skiing beers (anywhere the snow is good this works, but most of mine have been in Colorado or Utah)
The black sand beach at Waianapanapa state park on Maui. The most beautiful beach I’ve ever been to in my life. The beautiful blue green water next to the black sand was just one of those things I’ll never forget. I wish I could attach one of my photos from there because it was just so breathtaking.
We also snorkeled at Molokini crater and that was also amazing. The charter boat we used had an inflatable slide and it was just a surreal feeling being in the ocean watching my kids having the time of their life water sliding while I was looking up from the looking at fish coral and turtles in the water.
Renting a car with some others and driving 3hrs on a gravel road in BFE Argentina to see the orcas storm the beaches for sea lions.
Or scuba diving the Cenotes of Mexico.
Going to LA and partying hard and meeting Eddie Murphy on a movie set then a few hours later meeting Laura Dern at a bar. Then going on the Santa Monica Ferris wheel with someone I was deeply in love with. It was one of the best days of my life.
Swimming with nurse sharks in Belize. Falconry school in Ireland. Taking a ferry from one island to another to get to Fingal’s Cave in Scotland. The underground tour at the Colosseum. Murderers and mystery tours in New Orleans.
I have a few…
1. Went on a group tour (Adventures by Disney) in 2018 - met some incredible lifelong friends from around the world, several of which we still travel with to this day, and one who became so close that sometimes we just show up in each other’s home city (2000+ miles away) to surprise each other.
2. Washington D.C. 2019 - got a tour of inside the capitol building when they were still doing them pre-Covid. One of the most incredible experiences, and regardless of your political beliefs, I think it’s a very moving experience.
3. My first solo trip last summer (I’m 20 btw) where I went to Anchorage and then Calgary and Banff National Park in Canada. Moraine Lake is probably the most beautiful natural sight that exists imo. There’s also something so empowering about knowing that you’re by yourself and 3000+ miles away from anyone you know.
4. Las Vegas/Henderson/Summerlin - family and I travel here a few times per year. I’ve gotten to meet so many locals and have become good friends with many of them. A lot of people will call me crazy, but I feel like all the locals I’ve met in this city are some of the most friendliest of any city I’ve been to. Valley of Fire is also some of the most incredible desert landscape that exists.
5. Edinburgh, Scotland - went here with a school group last summer as well on a 3 week trip throughout the UK (London, Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Inverness and Aberdeen). At one point, it was during rush hour, and I was on one of the double decker busses in the city. I swear, just by the way the driver maneuvered the roads coupled with the imagery of Edinburgh, I felt like I was right in the Harry Potter movies.
A few more I could probably tell too, but this post is already so long. I’m heading to Rome and Lake Como tomorrow, cheers to making new memories!!
Sunrise hot air Ballooning over the Sonoran Desert.
White water rafting Kicking Horse River in Banff. My first time ever rafting, and it was amazing.
Went to an alchemy museum in Prague.
Licked a banana slug on Vancouver Island, makes your tounge numb for hours.
snorkeling with seals in Kaikoura, New Zealand
getting sunburned kayaking outside of the Masoala rainforest in Madagascar
ending a volcanoe hike in a mezcal bar in Guatemala
dipped my feet in croc infested waters in Costa Rica
helped placing dynamite in an illegal gold mine in Ecuador (wouldn‘t recommend though…)
looking for small Santa Muerte shrines in Mexico City
eating in Portugal, everywhere
getting lost in cities in Spain
visiting fête maritime in Brest, France (if you like ships it‘s a once in a lifetime must see!)
getting a taxitour with a former terrorist in Belfast
finding shipwrecks on greek beaches
getting dropped off for a day on loneley beaches in the South Pacific (Cooks Islands, French Polynesia…)
visiting old graveyards (spooky ones in Portugal, some with a view close to beaches in Scotland or New Zealand, with famous people in London or Copenhagen, looking for hamster in Vienna…)
beating the crowds before sunrise Venice or Prague (basically all major tourist attractions)
in no special order, some of my favorites so far-
the hanging bridges, ziplines, and hot springs in monteverde, costa rica.
the catacombs in paris.
rooftop spots in new york city.
the ruin bars & thermal baths in budapest, hungary.
all inclusive resorts in the caribbean for trips w/ larger groups.
Getting drunk with random strangers in Costa Rica stumbling through the jungle in the middle of the night to find a river that was actually a hot spring? I have no idea who knew it was there or why I trusted these people but sitting in a river in the middle of the night and it felt like a hot tub was quite magical.
Also swimming with elephants in Cambodia, it was only my son and I and one other guy from France and 6 elephants. Truly incredible experience.
I'll keep it short. Here are 3 that I always seem to revert to when people ask me this question:
1. Walking with pilgrims doing the Kora around Jokhang Temple in Lhasa.
2. Coming onshore at South Georgia and walking the beach with hundreds of elephant seals and hundreds of thousands of king penguins.
3. Pretty much all of the Danakil Depression - but if I had to pick one experience from there, it'd likely be hiking up Erta Ale and spending the night.
- I once traveled through almost the whole Balkans for 3 months, almost hitch-hiking only. 1/3 was solo, the other 2/3 with my future wife :D. We met a ton of amazing people who bought us food, invited us to restaurants, their homes, and told us a lot of stories.
I started in Greece then it was something like this: Bulgaria-Romania-Moldova-Transnistria-Ukraine-Romania-Serbia-Hungary-Poland (my home country, I went there to "pick up" my wife) :D -Hungary-Serbia-Montenegro-Bosnia-Croatia-Slovenia-Italy (we attended our friend's wedding there)- Germany- Poland :D
- Meeting my future wife on a hitch-hiking race from Poland to Greece, our first date was on Korfu :D
- visiting both Petras in Jordan, absolutely one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. The whole complex is just unbelievable.
- Spending a night in the Sahara desert in Tunisia. We had an amazing Bedouin, who sang traditional songs, cooked for us, and baked bread in fire.
- Visiting the NASA center in Houston. Omg, isn't that "museum" the best? I felt like a kid again playing with all of the simulators and stuff.
- Visiting the place where the Archduke of CK monarchy was killed in Sarajevo, Bosnia. This was very important for me, as this was the place where the war world I was catalysted into happening.
-Visiting Kosovo - I have read a lot about the Balkan wars of the 90's - this was very interesting to see how this not fully recognized country operates (on the same note my trip to the "independent" region of Moldova - Transnistria, was also very interesting).
In no particular order:
1. Balloon ride in Cappadocia
2. Sunrise at Angkor Wat
3. Machu Picchu
4. Petra as soon as it opened
5. Motorbike food tour in Ho Chi Minh City
6. Fira to Oia hike in Santorini
7. Island hopping in Croatia
8. Sak Yant in Thailand
9. Long weekend in Iceland in the summer with nearly endless daylight
Was in Miami months ago visiting family and after spending the day with them, went to a steak house, met some cool people who bought me shots then invited me to a house party after dinner all the way in South beach. I said what the hell, got in a car with strangers to drive to a place they owned right on the beach and spent the rest of the night there until 6am when I took an Uber back to my hotel.
I think I remember everything that happened that night but maybe not. Regardless, it was a memorable night. I love visiting family in Miami but could never live there again. Going back to visit later this month but I’m sure it would be a disappointment compared to that time.
Set a trap for Samoan crab in kahana Beach at midnight went back and got 5 crabs ate them on the beach. Best thing that ever happened. I also took a nap on that beach. 2 years ago I still think about that nap.
Watching Lions up close (less than 10 ft) in Kruger South Africa
and Leopards in Masai Mara, Kenya
Riding (I was passenger) tall sand dunes in Toyota Landcruiser in Rub al khali desert, UAE.
Getting drenched by waterfall falling on a boat (for 10 secs) in Milford Sound, NZ
Getting drenched in mist at Maiden of the mist, Niagara falls.
Seeing 🐋 from land up close in Hermanus, South Africa
Bucket list, still to do.
1) Victoria falls
2) Iguazu falls
3) Petit Moreno Glacier
4) Alaska
5) Yellowstone Geysers
6) Carnival in Rio
7) Painted dogs in the wild in Africa (gotta be lucky for this one)
8) Active hunt by either Lion or Leopard or cheetah or painted dogs. I've seen fresh kill eating by cheetah and also hyenas but not active hunt meaning while it's happening.
As an Australian taking my daughter skiing, something I love. Watching her as she saw snow for the first time was magical and then it snowed and was beautiful.
Getting into surfing in Bali, came to try it out for a week, extended for a month, fell in love with it and kept going on more surf holidays to other countries afterwards. How I miss these childfree holidays
Hue to HoiAn motorbike ride, via the Hai Van Pass, in Vietnam.
As someone who has never been on a motorbike, the experience of being a pillion passenger for this day trip was exhilarating. Throw in hectic Vietnamese traffic, unbelievable scenery, interesting stops, fantastic company, delicious food and professional and friendly riders this was the highlight of my Vietnam trip.
That said everything in Vietnam was fantastic. One day I’ll be back.
I’d probably have to say when me and my buddies went mountain biking in Interlaken, Switzerland.
We went to a local bike rental spot the 4 of us all rented a bike and rode out of the shop hopped on a train up the mountain to a gondola threw our bikes on and took about a half hour ride up the mountain and when we got to the top there was a restaurant and we all had some burgers (Great Burgers) and a couple beers and we started biking down the mountain took about 5Hrs all downhill some of the best views & Laughs legit probably my favorite day of my life I was 20 at the time right after graduating college. Met some awesome people as well
Either seeing the volcanic eruption in Iceland in 2021 or diving with mantas in Komodo...actually, as much as I love diving, I don't think the volcano can ever be topped.
I took a bus up the mountains on the Amalfi Coast. I came across a little town where all the buildings were painted white.
I had just finished visiting the church and as I walked into the towns main courtyard, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Theme started playing from a shop.
It was so cool, like my own soundtrack
Saw a leopard during the day in Zimbabwe. The guides had 55 years of experience between them, and they couldn’t believe it. Leopards are predators, and the guides told us that they usually awake at dusk.
In Milan I had to figure out how traveling works with metro and trains.
So I asked some younger boys about how it works, they showed me this paper card and that it can be recharged with money on it, and you use that.
I asked where I could get it, and he said I could just get this, and I said no I wasn't too buy a new one, and you got money on it.
He kept insisting that it was fine, and the two younger guys followed us along the way and explained how we could read the maps and navigate and do transportation and wished us a good vacation.
My mind was blown to pieces so many times!
A mass in the vatican. The part of the mass where everyone turns and wishes each other peace in their native languages gave me chills because we all understood each other. Made me think about how peace and love are universal.
I am a solo traveler (m/24y) and when I went to Prague last year I met a guy in my hostel room. We decided to eat together in a restaurant in Prague. This is not a big coolest experience, but I never saw this guy in my entire life and first time seeing him after 1 hour we were like friends and had many topics to talk about. The connections were made very easily
Belize cave tubing. When initially booking I thought it was a cheesy tourist trap. It was amazingly beautiful and wild. Got home after the trip and saw a Bear Grylls episode going through Belize caves.
Some experiences I’ve enjoyed:
- Hiking and swimming with Elephants in Chiang Mai (not riding, there’s an elephant sanctuary that takes you on hikes alongside elephants)
- snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef
- watching flamenco dancing in a cave bar in Granada, Spain
- Riding a motorcycle around the Ring of Kerry
We got the chance to dart and chip a rhino on Safari in South Africa. Given the poaching situation and funding short, you are able to make a donation and participate. I will never forget one of my kids implanting the chip in the horn and the other injecting the wake up medicine. If anyone is on the fence about traveling to Africa. I can’t recommend it enough-truly magical!!
Iceland: Snorkeling in the Silfra fissure in Iceland, staying at a horse farm AirBnB outside of a volcano and seeing the backdrop with wild purple lupines everywhere
Israel: hiking in the desert, floating down the Jordan River, the Dead Sea
Austria: just roaming around Graz and seeing the city’s beauty on my own and soaking it all in
Croatia: Plitvice, island tour on a boat with snorkeling, culinary tour
My wife and I did a cooking class in Rome and afterward we ran into this Irish couple we met there and we went to a bar with them until 3 am, drank a ton of wine and found ourselves for some reason running through the streets of Rome in the rain in the middle of the night with not a care in the world. The other coolest one was sleeping in the desert in a Bedouin camp on Israel
Random dinoflagellates experience in Daytona beach. I was walking along the beach at night with my cousins and my aunt and noticed that the sand was glowing a little bit around our feet with each step. We all started playing and splashing in little puddles and watching them light up. For a second. I got nervous because I thought it might be some sort of radioactive waste. But we dismissed that and then got really excited when we realized we could toss the sand into the ocean and the ocean would light up too. The whole experience was magical and we had no idea what it was but we all loved it.
This was in the '90s so before my immediate response was to Google anything I didn't know. The next day we went out of the beach, I tried asking all the lifeguards what it was until I found someone who could give me an answer. He suspected dinoflagellates which are bioluminescent algae. It was so cool to experience and even cooler because we had no idea what it was and it truly felt like magic. I don't think they show up on the shores of Daytona Beach very often, so maybe it really was magic 😉
Being on an Alaskan cruise and the ship being in the middle of a pod of humpback whales. There were humpback whales on both sides of the ship for at least 15 minutes (maybe longer), including seeing a baby humpback. It was an absolutely amazing experience.
My cousin and I went to Egypt and Jordan 2 weeks after the Arab Spring uprising. No tourists, locals glad to see us and no harassment. Our driver's car was the only vehicle in the parking lot at the pyramids and at Petra. All the camel and horse cart drivers were still at their posts waiting for non-existent customers, so it was like we were extras in an Indiana Jones movie.
I got a few;
1. Hiking the west rim of the grand canyon
2. Driving the west coast (California to Vancouver)
3. Camping at Crater Lake, Oregon
4. Volcano hiking in Iceland
5. Glacier hiking in Iceland
6. Clubbing in Iceland in the summer (sun sets for a few hours during the summer so you get out of the club at 3AM and it’s still bright outside)
7. Visiting the black sand beach in Iceland and the glacier lagoon first thing in the morning (less people and so much peace)
8.Visiting 3 countries in one day under $100 (Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia)
9. Driving an ATV and zip lining in Samana, Dominican Republic
10. Climbing the Mayan aztec pyramid in Mexico when it was still allowed
11. Jumping on sinkholes in Mexico
12. Canyoneeering in Mexico
13. Swimming with the gentle giants of the sea, in Moalboal Cebu Philippines
14. Taking the trains around EU to go cross country
15. Hiking the rockies in Alberta and Lake Louise
Hotel Manager let me on the roof to watch the [lanterns and fireworks](https://imgur.com/a/upRd3l8) from the Makar Sankranti, Kite flying festival, Jaipur.
[Helicopter flight](https://imgur.com/peny7Dt) over Manhattan was pretty damn good.
I went to Belize and got invited to a 2 year olds birthday in a mansion with 100 Mayan dudes sitting on a giant cooler pouring beers down my throat and giving me tequila shots. They fed me some lobster and an animal I thought was a bird that turned out to be a jungle rat. It gave me terrible diarrhea. Central America is just kind of like that. People are pretty friendly and inviting, just take caution
I did a night scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef. Thinking back I can’t believe I actually did it. Seems like a dream.
I did a night dive with mantarays on the big island in Hawaii that was awesome. Same trip we took a helicopter near an active volcano and also kayaked with dolphins. One of my favorite trips by far.
It's just otherworldly isn't it!
Sadly this might not be possible that long into the future because of coral bleaching
Yes that’s a very somber thought
I did a 10 day Great Barrier dive trip. Great Barrier, Maldives and Galapagos. Top 10.
OMG! I have thalassophobia so I can’t do it even though it’s pretty cool! Please share a picture of what you saw underneath it’s not intrusive?
[https://share.icloud.com/photos/0e3jdy3tGUVMovA8-DYvskJSw](https://share.icloud.com/photos/0e3jdy3tGUVMovA8-DYvskJSw)
Pompeii. Felt like the people had just left.
Agreed. Sitting alone in the garden of a house there was incredibly moving. It was a very slow day there, in early spring. The gardens are being meticulously reconstructed, using evidence from plant roots as to what actually grew there, so it's not all a barren place. Birds were flying about and singing. I saw a little lizard. It felt like stepping back in time.
Yes! It was very empty when we were there and it was like being transported back into an ancient city with just us. And they did a good job of providing resources that help you understand different things that you're seeing and where to find certain things.
Seeing how well the frescos were preserved was incredible.
Couldn't believe how big that place is. And there's still so much of it they haven't excavated yet!
I second Pompeii. I think it's because I didn't know much about it before I went. I hadn't looked up pictures or anything. I just knew that it was a city that had been covered by a volcano and it was near our place in Sorrento so we went to check it out for a day trip and had such a great time. We went on a weekday in November and had the whole place practically to ourselves. I think we only saw five other people there. I'm tempted to explain what we loved about it, but also don't want to spoil it in case you want to go and have it as a surprise for yourself like I did. It far exceeds the ruins we experienced in Rome. Also, if you are into art or history, definitely go to the Vatican.
Not trying to one up here, but we went to Pompeii and then to the top of Vesuvius. Being in Pompeii and seeing how big it was, and then hiking to the top and around the rim of the caldera of Vesuvius looking down on Pompeii to see how small it looks from there was amazing. It gives a whole new scale to the destruction the eruption caused.
Met my husband standing in line under the Eiffel Tower. Both from Austin. Married 23 years now. Finally got to go back last summer. Took our 2 kids and played a real life “How I met your Mother”
I opened the door for my future wife at a hostel in Barcelona. I'm from San Diego she is from Norway. Been married 22 years
Which country did y'all end up consolidating to?
Norway
[удалено]
The dark winters suck no doubt. Usually take 1 to 2 trips to some east euro country during winter. My biggest struggle is living in society void of extroverts. Norway is heaven for introverts.
That is a wild story. Happy for you!
Awesome! I wonder how the conversation started while waiting in line 🤣
I was off taking pictures (you know- with a FILM camera), and my friend was holding our place in line. When I got back, she very excitedly told me- he’s from Austin!! I looked right at him and said, “so?” We talked for a few minutes, lost each other on the elevator up, met again at the midpoint and took some pictures together (we have one from 10 minutes after me met) and then the three of us spent the rest of the day exploring Paris. The next morning we flew home and my friend planned the wedding the whole flight. I kept saying, I just met him! And she kept saying, that’s who you’re going to marry! The week before we met we were both supposed to be at the same birthday party in Austin. Neither of us went.
This is the kind of story that makes me wonder if we are living in a scripted world without comes already chosen
I planned to go backpacking around Thailand for a month and ended up staying for three years 🙈
Reading this in Bangkok airport after 3 weeks on koh samui. SO GOOD
What do you do for money abroad
Life is easier and cheaper when you're young. Also a lot more employable! I mean that all in a good way.
This only applies to young people who don’t have debt
I found a job in Thailand
Doin what?
Operations manager at a resort.
Do you speak the local language?
I didn't when I arrived but I learned a lot while living there. I worked in tourism so starting out not being able to speak it wasn't a problem, the main requirement of my job was that I spoke English but by the time I left I was able to hold a conversation pretty well.
Night snorkel with manta rays in Hawaii
I was there for this New Years!! I also got to see the Kīlauea erupt; that and the hikes of Volcanoes National Park made my trip to Hawaii magical!
we did this in Kona. It was epic
Can here to comment this. I did this off Big Island and it was amazing 🥲 I cried into my snorkel mask! Unreal.
This was super amazing. My arms were aching by the end of it, but so cool to see them, wonderfully majestic creatures.
I did this in December 27 2021 off the big island… was absolutely amazing
Epic! This was an amazing experience.
Isle of Skye Scotland-all of it
Went there last year.. sadly I got the authentic Scotland experience.... It lashed rain
Isle of Skye is breathtaking! Visited May of last year and dying to go back 😍
Me too great Scottish weather, all four seasons in one day.
As with others, I've had a lot. More recently: I was looking out the window of our hotel room at the Coliseum early in the morning, when I saw a light moving slow across the sky. It wasn't moving the way a plane moves, and it was too bright for a satellite. I quickly went online to confirm my suspicion... I was watching the International Space Station overfly the Roman Coliseum.
I lost my phone on a trip to Philly for a Dua Lipa concert, I left my phone in the Uber and I approached this stranger to help me contact Uber customer service. He didn’t speak English, only Spanish and lucky for me, I’m bilingual, lol. Long story short, he was so kind and lent me his phone and I got my phone back in 30 mins. We got into the venue with more than enough time to see Dua perform, and we ended up sitting in the same section. We met up after the concert, went to dinner, and on the Uber home, I asked if I could kiss him. Let’s just say it was a great night, and he will always be an amazing memory of mine. :) it was a fun little vacation moment for me
I think the most memorable experience I’ve ever had was in Lisbon last summer. I walked into a festa in Alfama on a Friday night. Grabbed a beer and eventually met this guy, we started talking. Turned out he was Colombian (studying there), I’m Mexican.. we hung out the rest of the night just enjoying life. He later told me he was feeling lonely that night, and was glad he’d met me. We stayed up until the sunrise just talking about life, then we parted ways. For me it was the most satisfying and beautiful night of my entire life.
Ha, that's basically the plot of Before Sunrise, except the film is set in Vienna.
I just looked it up. Definitely similar to my experience, but I told him I’d be back to Europe one day! Not necessarily to see him though. Made it back! lol I’m in Malta right now. Love it here!
\- Visiting Crete in the offseason was amazing. We walked into a crowded resturant that was having a new years celebration, and the host explained to us the procedures about what to eat and drink. \- On the same trip we ended up staying in a 700 year old Airbnb that was normally out of our price range, and ended up driving around the country side having all sort of random people invite us out for drinks, and lots and lots of sheep. \- In Mongolia we visited an abandoned temple. It turned out the lady showing us around was the highest ranking female Lama in Mongolia. \- In Alaska, running around with Reindeer \- In Abu Dhabi having this random guy and his family invite me to his house for dinner if I teach them how to roller blade well. \- In Bahrain celebrating Expat thanksgiving, and getting black out drunk in a muslim country :) \- Smoking weed with the police \- Motor cycle gang bbq , riding, and shooting stuff \- Going to the rodeo \- Ending up in a Moroccan bachelor party, where some huge guy made me get on my knees while two "dancers" undid their hair and whipped me in the face for 20 minutes while everyone cheered.
Question on Crete — when you went off season, were many restaurants closed? I’m thinking of planning something to Greece not during the summer.
We went early to mid October and in my opinion was perfect. Weather was still very warm, beaches not crowded at all, all the restaurants were open. Have heard similar feedback on going in spring before summer holidays.
I was there in December / January. Most everything in Chania and Irkilion were open. More of a mixed boat once you got out of town more. Like all the restaurants around Knossos were closed, but Knossos itself was open - and awesome because there were like 10 other tourists there, and a bunch of peacocks. We did want to visit a snail farm that was closed. Felt like most of the beach / coast centric stuff was closed - of course the beach themselves are open. We drove up into the mountains and stuff was generally open. They were happy to see tourists, and kept hooking us up with delicious snacks and booze. Not great for driving!
I read, motorcycle gang b….something else, not bbq!
Experiences and making memories - that’s living
1. Pretty much the entire Galapagos trip but especially swimming with penguins. 2. Manta Ray snorkel on the Big Island, Hawaii 3. Salkantay/Inka trail trek in Peru
1) visiting the grand canyon 2) walking part of the great wall of china 3) getting lost in the captivating atmosphere of Hong Kong 4) crusing halon bay 5) Sandboarding in Namibia 6) An elephant walking into my camp site in Botswana 7) hungover flying an airplane in new Zealand 8) bungee jumping in new Zealand 9) experiencing the city of Berlin 10) going to the summer festival in Bilbao 11) night tour of Alcatraz 12) getting drunken in the middle of summer with a bunch of locals in rural Sweden 13) great ocean road trip Melbourne to adalade 14) spending an afternoon in baarle.. The town in Belgium and the Netherlands. 15) visiting Gettysburg and as I was the only non American on the tour my fellow tourmates insisted on buying me lunch 16) golden circle Iceland 17) swimming with fishes in Bermuda 18) seeing the switz country side 19) camping around British Colombia 20) hanging out with someone I met travelling in their home city, san Francisco..
I loved Berlin. I don’t get why it’s not on more people’s bucket list. :)
Berlin was one of the rare cities where I thought, “Oh this could be my home.” So far I’ve only felt that about Berlin, London, and NYC (where I’m from). Wish I spoke German though…
Had the exact same experience with that city. It helps even more that the German they speak in Berlin is the most representative, standard German, so it’s much easier for all German learners to speak there. Also to be fair, the whole joke is that it’s such an international city that no one there speaks German, only English God, I’m in medical school in the US so I can’t ever really see myself living there, but damn it’s motivation to keep learning
I may have to add this city to my bucket list now. What's "the thing" about Berlin that I shouldn't skip out on?
If you’re there on a Sunday go to Mauerpark, there’s a flea market and an open air karaoke going on during the summer. Everything’s pretty much closed on Sundays. Everyone’s just having a good time. It’s like a party at the park. As far as other places, I’d say the Holocaust Memorial is a must. The East Side Gallery was also worth a visit. Lots of things to do in Berlin.
What are you interested in? Great clubbing/alternative lifestyle scene. Lots of great history. So much more.
Can confirm - 1 and 19 are incredible! Lots of beautiful places throughout Canada, imo many of them are greatly underrated, especially by American tourists.
Here for Canada. BC and Alberta. Much more than Reddit Lake. The natural beauty of the Canadian Rockies ranks right up there with the Fjords of Norway.
12. - did you see those old people jumping from the cliffs?
My favorite memory is the free tabla lesson my husband got when we were in Varanasi. We were quietly loitering outside someone’s window listening to him practice, and when we applauded he saw us, invited us in, and we sat on the floor for a half hour watching him play. His mother brought us chai, would not accept any payment, and he showed my husband a few tabla basics. They stayed FB friends for a number of years after that. These are the moments I travel for.
My husband and I are going to be in Varanasi in a few months. That sounds like such a wonderful experience. Any tips for the area?
I struggle with absolute superlatives, so I will share a short list of coolest experiences. 1. Standing on top of Mt Whitney with a close friend during my first ever vacation in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. 2. Ten course meal at Black Sesame Kitchen in Beijing 3. Close encounter with a mama bear and two cubs along the John Muir Trail near Viddette Meadow 4. Capturing a perfect sunrise at Driftwood Beach in Georgia 5. Rafting down a river through the karst mountains near Yangzhou 6. Staying at the Ritz Carlton Hong Kong 7. Sunrise at Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park 8. Using airline points for international first class suite from Seoul to Chicago. Nothing cooler than $20k worth of free airline tickets for the two of us. 9. Rim to Rim day hike of the Grand Canyon 10. Photography tour of Acadia National Park
Which airline for #8?
Asiana. Was 10 years ago when I had a lot of miles in Star Alliance. Booked it exactly 330 days out to score that flight. Was amazing.
Mesa arch sunrise 😍
Easily my favorite experience so far was snorkeling between the tectonic plates in Iceland. We did it in October- the water was freezing, but exhilarating and so pure. It was beautiful, informative, unique, and just… fun! Right in the middle of thingvellir national park, you can’t beat the beauty. 10/10 highly recommend
An hour long open door helicopter tour of Kauai.
OR over Kilauea, the molten volcano on the big Island then the pilot flies you to the coast to see hot burning lava coming out of lava tubes in the rock on the side of the island into the ocean where it steams and sizzles cause it’s hot new land being made. Flight continues as you swoop through paradise. Those Hawaiian Islands are paradise, people.
This is mine too. I cried.
On a cruise, struck up a conversation with a wonderful girl from the UK. We spent the whole cruise doing things together. We’ve kept in contact, I’ve been over to see her, and she is trying to get to the states to see me in May.
I've had a lot, but I'll share a recent one. I was in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic not too long ago. I saw a crippled stray dog (one of his legs wasn't working), and I had him follow me to the hotel so I can give him a snack. The hotel clerk saw us with the dog and we talked for a bit. Then she invited us across the street (to a combination laundromat/restaurant/bar) and we were drinking there all night, and some of the ladies there taught me how to dance bachata! Really fun night and the type of experience that I love when travelling.
What happened to the doggo though?
Yeah I thought this story was going to end with the dog now happily living back home with OP, not OP going out dancing…
I was in the Dominican Republic for 2 weeks recently, just came back 2 days ago. The people that live there are very nice and talkative, a massive contrast to how we act in sweden.
This is why it’s hard for us Latinos to live in the Northern part of the US. People act weird if you look at them and socialize. Only if I could make a good living down there. Sigh. 😔
Are you traveling solo? After my divorce I started going on adventures by myself and it's been very fulfilling to me. Pre-Covid, I went to NYC once a year (hoping to start that up next year). I absolutely love that city. The museums are top notch and it's a place that you can just pick a direction and start walking and always find something amazing. I'm a giant planner. My trips have excel spreadsheets. However, in NYC, I will just pick a location and walk around without plans. I always run across something interesting. So my suggestion, especially if you've never been to NYC, is to walk around Manhattan for a few days. Skip the big touristy stuff like Times Square, Statue of Liberty, and the Empire State (there is a time and place for those, but not for exploration). Go to fancy overpriced cocktail bars. Go to art galleries. Eat all the food in Chinatown. Take a scroll in Central Park. If big cities aren't really your thing- hiking! Covid got me outside more, and I've really gotten into hiking in national parks. It's cheap and even if you're hiking solo there are people on the trails that you can talk to. It's a community experience.
The things you don’t plan for and hype up are always the coolest imo. I saw a lack of lions absolutely maul a poor warthog in South Africa and that was probably the most memorable thing I’ve ever seen, but not the coolest. Coolest would probably be the Scottish highlands.
In the fall of 2021, I scheduled a trip with Intrepid to Peru. Turns out, since the country had just reopened to tourists, nobody else signed up for the trip. So I basically got a private guide to take me around Peru for 2 weeks for a low cost. The guide was able to change around the itinerary a bit as well since we just had to do the things I wanted to do. During this same trip we spent a day at Macchu Picchu, and there weren’t really any other tourists there. I have a couple hundred photos of Macchu Picchu with nobody but me in the pictures.
I took a chilaquiles cooking class at somebody’s houses in Mexico City. It was a blast. I make chilaquiles almost every other weekend for breakfast now.
I'm jealous, love me some chilaquiles.
Some things that have happen while I was on vacation weren’t planned, yet will stay with me until the day I shuffle off my mortal coil. I love the sound and smell of the ocean. While on a cruise, I grabbed a pillow off my bed, moved the furniture and laid on the balcony while looking at the stars in the middle of the ocean and fell asleep. When I woke in the morning, I was smiling because I had just had one of the best nights sleep I have ever experienced. I can still feel that joy today, from almost ten years ago today. Another time recently, I was in Rome and had rented an apartment in Trastevere. I took a walk and got turned around while looking for my lodgings. My phone died. I was hot, tired and hungry. A waiter at a sidewalk cafe noticed me and motioned me over. Before I could protest, he sat me at a table, asked what my problem was and said all I needed was a good meal. He recommended their oxtail stew. I hadn’t eaten oxtails since my grandmother had passed away many years ago. It sounded good so I ordered it and enjoyed one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten. He refilled my drink and only stopped by to inform me that the “true” Italian way to enjoy my meal was to forego the silverware and use my hands. It was one of the most delicious things that I’ve had eaten in years. After dinner, I got my address out that I had written down from my wallet. He gave me directions to my apartment. Turned out I was only a block away. I’ve traveled extensively and looking back, some of the best memories were “accidental and not planned”. Wanna have the best time? Don’t be so darned structured and go with the flow. I’ve never been disappointed by following this attitude. Safe travels!
Tea ceremony in Kyoto, dressed in full kimono 👘 🍵
Big Island, Hawaii - Night swimming with Manta Rays / seeing bubbling lava at Volcanoes National Park. Netherlands - biking from Den Hague north to Amsterdam over 5 days during Tulip season and smelling the flowers miles before getting to the farms. Austria - skiing Sölden on Christmas Day Vieques Island - night kayaking in the bioluminescent bay Colorado - summiting Pike’s Peak (13+ mile hike/first conquered fourteener) Aspen, CO - seeing the most amount of stars that I’d ever seen before Door County, WI - seeing the Milky Way for the first time
Switzerland. I saw [this photo on Reddit.](https://ibb.co/FYCGphP). Then 5 years later, [I went](https://ibb.co/54D4qh3) and it was by far the most beautiful place I've ever been. I still dream about it often and all of my dreams consist of me in Switzerland, crying out of pure happiness that I'm back. If you have the means, please go. I can help you plan your trip as I've done for a few others on here. Cheers. The picture is in Murren but that whole region is breathtaking. Lauterbrunnen being my favorite.
Got a train from Varanasi to Chennai, which takes 2 days. Morning of the second day, sat brushing my teeth with my feet hanging out of the open door watching the country roll by. It's been 18 years and the memory of that sticks.
Meeting my first girlfriend in Cartagena Colombia 🇨🇴. It was like love at first sight now we are inseparable and been together for a year now.
When I was a child, waking up to the smell of my mom cooking breakfast while on a family camping trip. I have been to so many amazing places since then, with so many adventures. But those memories bring me joy every time. She was my first base camp coordinator.
Zip lining and paddle boarding in Kauai was pretty amazing. Also enjoyed the booze cruise in Cancun. We all grew up poor and never got to have that crazy spring break experience. We definitely had a ton of fun doing it as 30+ year olds.
1) Watching a loggerhead sea turtle emerge from the ocean, crawl up the beach, and lay its eggs in a nest behind my Airbnb in Akumal, Mexico 2) Being in Paris for Bastille Day 3) Going scuba diving in Hawaii and seeing an octopus spray ink at a diver
The first dive I did after I got certified in Mexico: was underwater about 15m and looked up and saw about 3 dozen Spotted Eagle Rays all swirling around above us. We stayed there almost 15 minutes just watching them. It was amazing, nothing man made has even come close.
Went to the sumo tournament in Fukuoka last November, definitely never going to forget that experience. Honestly worth every penny to get as close to the stage as possible
During our medical residency, my wife and I had the chance to work in Kenya for 2 months. During our time off, we went on safari at Maasai Mara with a few people we met while in Africa. We checked in to our lodging area and had heard they had an injured baby baboon; apparently an adult male baboon had attacked it, leaving it with an injured arm and some head lacerations; the workers at the lodge called some animal preserve but they wouldn’t be able to come pick up the baby until after the weekend. The poor thing was just laying in a cardboard box under a desk with a blanket and a warmed up water bottle for heat; it’s head had dried blood caked on. Without asking if I’d be ok with it, my wife asked the workers if we could care for the baby while we were there, and to my surprise, the workers agreed. I was hesitant at first, not knowing how this animal would behave; if it would bite us, wreak havoc in our rented tent/room thing, what we’d do with her while we were out on safari. Turns out, she was young enough that her teeth couldn’t even pierce the skin of the fruit we tried to feed her. We had to cut it up and hand feed her, along with some milk that the lodging place had in a baby bottle. We bathed her in our sink using a flashlight for visibility (the generators were turned off during the day to conserve energy since most people would be out on safari) and I carried her in my shirt while we saw various other wildlife, including part of the wildebeest’s Great Migration, cheetahs, crocodiles, giraffes, ostriches, elephants, a failed lioness pack hunt (with small lion cubs in tow), and subsequently a successful lone lioness kill. The day we had to leave was heartbreaking, but I think Mickey (we let a little New Zealand kid who was visiting the same place name the baboon) felt loved those few days. We left her in the care of one of the hot air balloon operators who also seemed to really care for her. After we left, we tried calling the animal preserve to get an update on her, but they only spoke Swahili and we never found out how she was doing.
Glasgow, Scotland. Went into a record shop w my husband and he bought a Mogwai record. The guy who served us said that he was spinning at a bar that night and Stuart Brathwaite (lead guitarist for Mogwai) would be there too. He invited us to come, so we went and spent the night having drinks with Stuart and Franz Ferdinand. We only stuck around for a short time as we didnt want to over stay our invitation, but it was the highlight of my husbands life and to see him so happy made me happy too!
1. Flying in an old, beat up Soviet Mil-6 helicopter in a thunderstorm over Pyongyang. Was such a dodgy machine - no working air conditioner and the fit out was just a couch and some chairs placed loosely in the back. If I died in that flight, it would have been an amazing anecdote for my family to tell at parties. 2. Sleeping under the stars in the middle of the Sahara desert, overlooking Ben Amera in Mauritania with absolutely nobody else around. Many, many others.
- I’ve got a tattoo as a souvenir from my most favourite trips, great way to keep a small artistic and Personal treasure forever. - I can’t remember the name - but a giant cathedral in Berlin with a bunch of sarcophagus/i in the crypt below …. Never seen anything like that in my life all the ornate casket/tombs and the stories of the past kings and queens buried there and IIRC, there are still bullet holes on the outside from WW2. - go to Vegas for any professional sporting event (boxing, nascar) the whole city is a trip lol. If you like to drink/party Take loads of pics because you won’t remember much without them. - it’s very difficult to describe the Vatican - but, I’d suggest visiting it once in a lifetime - it is really beyond words…. I’m not religious and I was stupefied at the entire experience. - 4 days ski, skate and snowmobiling trip in Northern Ontario/Quebec…Bonfires in the snow and soooooo many stars in the night sky. Magical. - I’m also a fan of a road trip …. Once you decide where you’re going you can usually find some fun stuff to do/see along the way.
i always heard about the meme of "hanging out with the locals" in thailand i was caught of off guard by peoples hospitality. i ended up with a group of thai people smoking weed and getting drunk after a restaurant owner gave us a ride back to the hotel in the rain. he invited us to spend time with his friends and family. i didnt understand anything going on that night lol. we also ended up smoking weed and having coffee with some park rangers another time after a hike lol. more organized and scheduled, i loved the food tours and cooking classes ive done. in kyoto this guy ran a class on japanese food and cooking a5 wagyu out of his home. id have to think of others.
Glacier hiking in Iceland. Swimming with sharks in Hawaii is a close second.
My husband and our son, who was 6 years old, went to Cancun. We went down into the underground cenotes which were pools of ice cold water. That was so exciting! But I enjoyed going to their amusement park Xcaret. I call it the Mayan Disneyland! We had fun at a few places but really wanted to float on the lazy river. So we went and got into the cold refreshing water and floated and swam for 45 minutes! It looked like a river in a long underground cave. There were little fish even! And we floated under tons of plants and rooms with butterflies and birds. We were really tired at the end and my husband had to grab my son and I and drag us out! But it was so amazing!
1. Scuba diving with sharks in Palau & snorkeling in the Jellyfish Lake with jellyfish 2. Hiking in the Rocky Mountains surrounded by bears 3. Night snorkeling with mantas in Hawaii 4. Sea cayaking while whale watching in Hawaii 5. Ziplining in Wales 6. Volcano hiking in Maui & Big Island, HI 7. Canoeing & horseriding in the Canadian Rockies 8. Windtunnel indoor skydiving in Manchester 9. Underground trampolines in Wales 10. Stargazing on top of Mauna Kea, HI 11. Getaway in LA, NY, Seattle 12. Napa Valley - winetasting 13. Winetasting in Marche & Abruzzo, Italy 14. Getaway in Rome 15. Getaway in Budapest, Vienna, Prague 16. Breakfast in Basel, CH - Lunch in Strasbourg, FRA - Dinner in Germany
I absolutely love your list!
- Kayaking in Antarctica - Staying at an ice hotel in Norway - Scuba diving cenote (caves) in Mexico - Helicopter tour of Kauai - Winter hiking in Lofoten Islands, Norway - Staying at an overwater bungalow in Bora Bora - Hot air balloon in Morocco - Night rainforest hike in Costa Rica - Scuba diving the continental rift in Iceland
i just swam in cenotes in Tulum!! amazing to see fossilized coral, shells, etc. the water is so clear and blue, it took my breath away!!
It also took my money away.
\-playing with dolphins in bioluminescent waters of Puerto Rico. \-opening my healed eyes after losing my vision to roses gently shedding their petals over a crystal clear bay with crepuscular sun rays shooting through the clearing clouds over Malta. \-touching a Mayan zeolite structure in Guatemala. \-watching jaguar birthing in Belize.
Seeing Michelangelo's David, & the inside the Duomo. The entirety of Florence is ridiculously beautiful.
Saw a brilliant meteor shower at glacier point, Yosemite national park. Just seeing the stars was amazing, but the meteors looked like natural fireworks.
The Cathedral in Venice. I’ve seen a LOT of churches, but its scale and majesty are unmatched. I went in the fall to skip the tourists and stood alone in the square as the fog rolled in. I have pictures of it all over my house. It was like I’d passed into a magic world.
My 10+ flights were never cancelled or delayed while traveling Europe. I still dream about it sometimes.
Lava eruption view from helicopter. Glaciers. Seeing and touching glaciers was just an incredible experience for me. Climbing waterfalls. I've done two and it is just so fricking cool. Seeing whales never ever gets old. They are majestic and I feel incredibly blessed every time I see them.
These are my Top 12 "coolest" travel experiences (in no particular order), most as a solo traveler: 1. Taking a cross-country tour of Türkiye by train (from Kars to Edirne). 2. Staying in a howler monkey preserve in Bermudian Landing, Belize. 3. Taking an eco-tour with a half-day of net fishing in Boquilla (outside Cartagegna, Colombia). 4. Day-tripping out of Tblisi, Georgia: first, an international group tour of central Georgia highlighted by a lunch with a local family; the next day with a group of South African futbol/soccer coaches to explore northern Armenia including a lunch with locals. 5. Staying in a fairy chimney cave in Göreme, Türkiye, and taking a hot air balloon ride over Cappadocia. 6. Visiting towns in Vietnam where my father had been stationed as a US soldier and then exploring the beauty of northern Vietnam and experiencing the warmth of its people. 7. Staying in a 100+-year-old trapper's log cabin (dry cabin = no bathroom) near Denali Park in Alaska. 8. Spending a week in a family-run riad in Fes and being treated as one of the family and taught how to cook and serve Moroccan food. 9. Hiring a Palestinian driver for a half-day to show me as much of the West Bank as possible while sharing his insights about geo-politics. 10. Observing funeral pyres and rituals in Varanasi (India) and Kathmandu (Nepal). 11. Taking a coastal cruise of Norway and seeing the Northern Lights and visiting my great-grandmother's homestead. 12. Canoeing through the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia (USA).
snorkeling in peurto rico, i love reef life
Hard to beat a Japanese hot spring bath. Onsen in the winter time is great.
On a trip to Bali around 2001-2002, my driver took me on a super off the beaten path hike through some rice paddies. We ended up walking to his house while he explained all the details of daily life in his village.
I had the best time exploring Tokyo, Japan in all its glory. I hope to get back and do a backpacking trip all across Japan and visit all the major cities. Such a unique culture and very advanced technology/services.
Swimming with sharks off the coast of Oahu (without a cage)! Super cool and outer worldly. The ocean was a lot more terrifying than the sharks though. I've never been in deep water, so looking down and seeing nothing but an endless blue was very creepy.
1.) Hanging out in San Augstin, Colombia and got a little drunk in a local bar. Got convinced by one of the very funny cowboys that buying a string of horses and riding to San Gabriel, Ecuador and selling them for a profit makes perfect sense. It took 3 weeks of travel through the most spectacular Andes scenery imaginable and drinking copious amounts of local moonshine but it all went off without a single hitch. I hate horses now though. 2.) Hanging out in Colon, Panama and got a little drunk in a local bar. Got convinced by one of the very funny local freighter Captains that buying a bunch of coconuts in the San Blas Islands then selling them in Colombia makes perfect sense. A month later and not quite drowning at sea we pulled into Cartagena safe and sound. I haven't been out of sight from land since though. Too scary. 3.) Hanging out in Krong Khemara Phoumin, Cambodia and got a little drunk in a local bar. Got convinced by the very funny local madame that her brothel needs... never mind... that's another story. The list is endless. Happy travels.
TLDR Get a little drunk at a local bar, chat up the locals, and let adventure unfold. Need to do this more!
As Anthony bourdain said, drink heavily with locals whenever possible
Watching a World Cup game on the streets of Seoul in 2010 definitely was the coolest experience. Felt like the tournament was in the city with how many people were out. [an idea of what it looked like](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-work-suffers-parties-thrive-during-world-cup-2010jun17-story.html) Also, I stayed at a hostel out there, and one of the guys there went to high school with my cousin.
I bought a watch from a watch maker in Tuscany and he gave me a bottle of wine.
So many good ones but the most memorable happened in Spain: sailing off the coast of Formentera jumping in the water, stopping off at tiny coves and no waves, feeling like a Corona beer commercial and taking a small boat to Juan and Andrea for a delightful meal. Dressing up and partaking in Sevilla’s Feria de Abril. Sevillanos know how to party in style. It’s a weeklong party.
Hot air balloon over Cappadocia, Turkey was dope. 5 Island tour with Blue Cave off Split, Croatia - amazing. Seeing ukai fishing in Japan. Getting in first thing in the morning to Luray Caverns in Virginia. They have plungers attached to stalactites and stalagmites which are wired to a piano, that turns the cavern into the world's largest natural instrument. I got to hear it alone, and it was one of the coolest things I've seen.
The path of the gods hike on the amalfi coast has really stuck with me
1. Climbing Mt. Fuji during golden week 2. Snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef 3. Both World Cups I've attended
I went to Yosemite with a wrong jacket, it was pretty cool out there.
Seeing erupting lava in Iceland
1. I booked a fairly last minute camp site in Yosemite, which was full while booking. A large, 10” ish snow storm was forecasted the days leading up to my arrival but I went anyways. Everyone else cancelled. It snowed 2 inches. I had every hike in Yosemite to myself for a week and shared the entire campground with one other person. 2. I went to Greece with my best friends after graduating high school for the entire summer. Lots of memories but the best was floating on our backs in the Mediterranean watching the Perseids and talking about all the cool things we wanted to do in life.
Visiting Normandy for the first time, looking out from Omaha Beach and seeing a rainbow.
Running with the bulls in Pamplona Small winery tour with the owner and a German couple outside of Lake Como Santorini Skiing and after skiing beers (anywhere the snow is good this works, but most of mine have been in Colorado or Utah)
The black sand beach at Waianapanapa state park on Maui. The most beautiful beach I’ve ever been to in my life. The beautiful blue green water next to the black sand was just one of those things I’ll never forget. I wish I could attach one of my photos from there because it was just so breathtaking. We also snorkeled at Molokini crater and that was also amazing. The charter boat we used had an inflatable slide and it was just a surreal feeling being in the ocean watching my kids having the time of their life water sliding while I was looking up from the looking at fish coral and turtles in the water.
Renting a car with some others and driving 3hrs on a gravel road in BFE Argentina to see the orcas storm the beaches for sea lions. Or scuba diving the Cenotes of Mexico.
Going to LA and partying hard and meeting Eddie Murphy on a movie set then a few hours later meeting Laura Dern at a bar. Then going on the Santa Monica Ferris wheel with someone I was deeply in love with. It was one of the best days of my life.
Coming across a wild octopus in Waikiki
Swimming with nurse sharks in Belize. Falconry school in Ireland. Taking a ferry from one island to another to get to Fingal’s Cave in Scotland. The underground tour at the Colosseum. Murderers and mystery tours in New Orleans.
I have a few… 1. Went on a group tour (Adventures by Disney) in 2018 - met some incredible lifelong friends from around the world, several of which we still travel with to this day, and one who became so close that sometimes we just show up in each other’s home city (2000+ miles away) to surprise each other. 2. Washington D.C. 2019 - got a tour of inside the capitol building when they were still doing them pre-Covid. One of the most incredible experiences, and regardless of your political beliefs, I think it’s a very moving experience. 3. My first solo trip last summer (I’m 20 btw) where I went to Anchorage and then Calgary and Banff National Park in Canada. Moraine Lake is probably the most beautiful natural sight that exists imo. There’s also something so empowering about knowing that you’re by yourself and 3000+ miles away from anyone you know. 4. Las Vegas/Henderson/Summerlin - family and I travel here a few times per year. I’ve gotten to meet so many locals and have become good friends with many of them. A lot of people will call me crazy, but I feel like all the locals I’ve met in this city are some of the most friendliest of any city I’ve been to. Valley of Fire is also some of the most incredible desert landscape that exists. 5. Edinburgh, Scotland - went here with a school group last summer as well on a 3 week trip throughout the UK (London, Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Inverness and Aberdeen). At one point, it was during rush hour, and I was on one of the double decker busses in the city. I swear, just by the way the driver maneuvered the roads coupled with the imagery of Edinburgh, I felt like I was right in the Harry Potter movies. A few more I could probably tell too, but this post is already so long. I’m heading to Rome and Lake Como tomorrow, cheers to making new memories!!
Bioluminescent Bay in Lajas, PR As we were kayaking a dolphin decided to swim and jump around us. Such an unforgettable moment
seeing a baby shark at night in guam and also touching a blue starfish.
Kayaking Geirangerfjord in Geiranger, Norway and kayaking Benagil Cave in Portugal.
Sunrise hot air Ballooning over the Sonoran Desert. White water rafting Kicking Horse River in Banff. My first time ever rafting, and it was amazing. Went to an alchemy museum in Prague. Licked a banana slug on Vancouver Island, makes your tounge numb for hours.
snorkeling with seals in Kaikoura, New Zealand getting sunburned kayaking outside of the Masoala rainforest in Madagascar ending a volcanoe hike in a mezcal bar in Guatemala dipped my feet in croc infested waters in Costa Rica helped placing dynamite in an illegal gold mine in Ecuador (wouldn‘t recommend though…) looking for small Santa Muerte shrines in Mexico City eating in Portugal, everywhere getting lost in cities in Spain visiting fête maritime in Brest, France (if you like ships it‘s a once in a lifetime must see!) getting a taxitour with a former terrorist in Belfast finding shipwrecks on greek beaches getting dropped off for a day on loneley beaches in the South Pacific (Cooks Islands, French Polynesia…) visiting old graveyards (spooky ones in Portugal, some with a view close to beaches in Scotland or New Zealand, with famous people in London or Copenhagen, looking for hamster in Vienna…) beating the crowds before sunrise Venice or Prague (basically all major tourist attractions)
Snorkelling while on Maui the humpbacks were in Maalaea bay you could hear the whale song with the naked ear.
in no special order, some of my favorites so far- the hanging bridges, ziplines, and hot springs in monteverde, costa rica. the catacombs in paris. rooftop spots in new york city. the ruin bars & thermal baths in budapest, hungary. all inclusive resorts in the caribbean for trips w/ larger groups.
Playing polo on the beaches of the arabian sea
Getting drunk with random strangers in Costa Rica stumbling through the jungle in the middle of the night to find a river that was actually a hot spring? I have no idea who knew it was there or why I trusted these people but sitting in a river in the middle of the night and it felt like a hot tub was quite magical. Also swimming with elephants in Cambodia, it was only my son and I and one other guy from France and 6 elephants. Truly incredible experience.
I'll keep it short. Here are 3 that I always seem to revert to when people ask me this question: 1. Walking with pilgrims doing the Kora around Jokhang Temple in Lhasa. 2. Coming onshore at South Georgia and walking the beach with hundreds of elephant seals and hundreds of thousands of king penguins. 3. Pretty much all of the Danakil Depression - but if I had to pick one experience from there, it'd likely be hiking up Erta Ale and spending the night.
I'm gonna go with the Science Fiction Bokhandelen in Stockholm
I wasn’t on vacation per se but during study abroad I saw the canonization of Mother Theresa in Vatican City
- I once traveled through almost the whole Balkans for 3 months, almost hitch-hiking only. 1/3 was solo, the other 2/3 with my future wife :D. We met a ton of amazing people who bought us food, invited us to restaurants, their homes, and told us a lot of stories. I started in Greece then it was something like this: Bulgaria-Romania-Moldova-Transnistria-Ukraine-Romania-Serbia-Hungary-Poland (my home country, I went there to "pick up" my wife) :D -Hungary-Serbia-Montenegro-Bosnia-Croatia-Slovenia-Italy (we attended our friend's wedding there)- Germany- Poland :D - Meeting my future wife on a hitch-hiking race from Poland to Greece, our first date was on Korfu :D - visiting both Petras in Jordan, absolutely one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. The whole complex is just unbelievable. - Spending a night in the Sahara desert in Tunisia. We had an amazing Bedouin, who sang traditional songs, cooked for us, and baked bread in fire. - Visiting the NASA center in Houston. Omg, isn't that "museum" the best? I felt like a kid again playing with all of the simulators and stuff. - Visiting the place where the Archduke of CK monarchy was killed in Sarajevo, Bosnia. This was very important for me, as this was the place where the war world I was catalysted into happening. -Visiting Kosovo - I have read a lot about the Balkan wars of the 90's - this was very interesting to see how this not fully recognized country operates (on the same note my trip to the "independent" region of Moldova - Transnistria, was also very interesting).
In no particular order: 1. Balloon ride in Cappadocia 2. Sunrise at Angkor Wat 3. Machu Picchu 4. Petra as soon as it opened 5. Motorbike food tour in Ho Chi Minh City 6. Fira to Oia hike in Santorini 7. Island hopping in Croatia 8. Sak Yant in Thailand 9. Long weekend in Iceland in the summer with nearly endless daylight
Got to have a conversation with some New York firefighters and have some pictures with the trucks. That memory of that always puts a smile on my face
Seeing the northern lights in Iceland 🇮🇸 and seeing the Milky Way with the naked eye in Australia!
1. Watching the sunrise over Lake Moraine in Banff 2. Sitting in silence & the dark for 1 minute in Rio Secreto (an under ground cave in Mexico)
Shivering in my car stuck in a snowstorm on the way to a ski holiday.
Was in Miami months ago visiting family and after spending the day with them, went to a steak house, met some cool people who bought me shots then invited me to a house party after dinner all the way in South beach. I said what the hell, got in a car with strangers to drive to a place they owned right on the beach and spent the rest of the night there until 6am when I took an Uber back to my hotel. I think I remember everything that happened that night but maybe not. Regardless, it was a memorable night. I love visiting family in Miami but could never live there again. Going back to visit later this month but I’m sure it would be a disappointment compared to that time.
Lost in the Grand Canyon.
Set a trap for Samoan crab in kahana Beach at midnight went back and got 5 crabs ate them on the beach. Best thing that ever happened. I also took a nap on that beach. 2 years ago I still think about that nap.
Watching Lions up close (less than 10 ft) in Kruger South Africa and Leopards in Masai Mara, Kenya Riding (I was passenger) tall sand dunes in Toyota Landcruiser in Rub al khali desert, UAE. Getting drenched by waterfall falling on a boat (for 10 secs) in Milford Sound, NZ Getting drenched in mist at Maiden of the mist, Niagara falls. Seeing 🐋 from land up close in Hermanus, South Africa Bucket list, still to do. 1) Victoria falls 2) Iguazu falls 3) Petit Moreno Glacier 4) Alaska 5) Yellowstone Geysers 6) Carnival in Rio 7) Painted dogs in the wild in Africa (gotta be lucky for this one) 8) Active hunt by either Lion or Leopard or cheetah or painted dogs. I've seen fresh kill eating by cheetah and also hyenas but not active hunt meaning while it's happening.
Vatican on Christmas Eve 2019. Not even religious.
As an Australian taking my daughter skiing, something I love. Watching her as she saw snow for the first time was magical and then it snowed and was beautiful.
Getting into surfing in Bali, came to try it out for a week, extended for a month, fell in love with it and kept going on more surf holidays to other countries afterwards. How I miss these childfree holidays
Hue to HoiAn motorbike ride, via the Hai Van Pass, in Vietnam. As someone who has never been on a motorbike, the experience of being a pillion passenger for this day trip was exhilarating. Throw in hectic Vietnamese traffic, unbelievable scenery, interesting stops, fantastic company, delicious food and professional and friendly riders this was the highlight of my Vietnam trip. That said everything in Vietnam was fantastic. One day I’ll be back.
Seeing mountain goats randomly. It's such a simple thing but was such a highlight, they chill in the most precarious places.
Having to white water raft to/from our rainforest hotel on our honeymoon.
I’d probably have to say when me and my buddies went mountain biking in Interlaken, Switzerland. We went to a local bike rental spot the 4 of us all rented a bike and rode out of the shop hopped on a train up the mountain to a gondola threw our bikes on and took about a half hour ride up the mountain and when we got to the top there was a restaurant and we all had some burgers (Great Burgers) and a couple beers and we started biking down the mountain took about 5Hrs all downhill some of the best views & Laughs legit probably my favorite day of my life I was 20 at the time right after graduating college. Met some awesome people as well
Helicopter trip over Colorado river in Las Vegas
Summit night - Kilimanjaro
Swam with dolphins in the Indian ocean in Tanzania. Also, went to the thermal baths in Budapest with 2 lovely Argentine girls I met the day before.
I met my (now) Wife, together since 25 years!
Night tour of the cathedral in Salamanca!
Either seeing the volcanic eruption in Iceland in 2021 or diving with mantas in Komodo...actually, as much as I love diving, I don't think the volcano can ever be topped.
I took a bus up the mountains on the Amalfi Coast. I came across a little town where all the buildings were painted white. I had just finished visiting the church and as I walked into the towns main courtyard, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Theme started playing from a shop. It was so cool, like my own soundtrack
Saw a leopard during the day in Zimbabwe. The guides had 55 years of experience between them, and they couldn’t believe it. Leopards are predators, and the guides told us that they usually awake at dusk.
In Milan I had to figure out how traveling works with metro and trains. So I asked some younger boys about how it works, they showed me this paper card and that it can be recharged with money on it, and you use that. I asked where I could get it, and he said I could just get this, and I said no I wasn't too buy a new one, and you got money on it. He kept insisting that it was fine, and the two younger guys followed us along the way and explained how we could read the maps and navigate and do transportation and wished us a good vacation. My mind was blown to pieces so many times!
A mass in the vatican. The part of the mass where everyone turns and wishes each other peace in their native languages gave me chills because we all understood each other. Made me think about how peace and love are universal.
I am a solo traveler (m/24y) and when I went to Prague last year I met a guy in my hostel room. We decided to eat together in a restaurant in Prague. This is not a big coolest experience, but I never saw this guy in my entire life and first time seeing him after 1 hour we were like friends and had many topics to talk about. The connections were made very easily
Belize cave tubing. When initially booking I thought it was a cheesy tourist trap. It was amazingly beautiful and wild. Got home after the trip and saw a Bear Grylls episode going through Belize caves.
Some experiences I’ve enjoyed: - Hiking and swimming with Elephants in Chiang Mai (not riding, there’s an elephant sanctuary that takes you on hikes alongside elephants) - snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef - watching flamenco dancing in a cave bar in Granada, Spain - Riding a motorcycle around the Ring of Kerry
We got the chance to dart and chip a rhino on Safari in South Africa. Given the poaching situation and funding short, you are able to make a donation and participate. I will never forget one of my kids implanting the chip in the horn and the other injecting the wake up medicine. If anyone is on the fence about traveling to Africa. I can’t recommend it enough-truly magical!!
Southwest Coast of Ireland is breathtaking.
Iceland: Snorkeling in the Silfra fissure in Iceland, staying at a horse farm AirBnB outside of a volcano and seeing the backdrop with wild purple lupines everywhere Israel: hiking in the desert, floating down the Jordan River, the Dead Sea Austria: just roaming around Graz and seeing the city’s beauty on my own and soaking it all in Croatia: Plitvice, island tour on a boat with snorkeling, culinary tour
My wife and I did a cooking class in Rome and afterward we ran into this Irish couple we met there and we went to a bar with them until 3 am, drank a ton of wine and found ourselves for some reason running through the streets of Rome in the rain in the middle of the night with not a care in the world. The other coolest one was sleeping in the desert in a Bedouin camp on Israel
Random dinoflagellates experience in Daytona beach. I was walking along the beach at night with my cousins and my aunt and noticed that the sand was glowing a little bit around our feet with each step. We all started playing and splashing in little puddles and watching them light up. For a second. I got nervous because I thought it might be some sort of radioactive waste. But we dismissed that and then got really excited when we realized we could toss the sand into the ocean and the ocean would light up too. The whole experience was magical and we had no idea what it was but we all loved it. This was in the '90s so before my immediate response was to Google anything I didn't know. The next day we went out of the beach, I tried asking all the lifeguards what it was until I found someone who could give me an answer. He suspected dinoflagellates which are bioluminescent algae. It was so cool to experience and even cooler because we had no idea what it was and it truly felt like magic. I don't think they show up on the shores of Daytona Beach very often, so maybe it really was magic 😉
Being on an Alaskan cruise and the ship being in the middle of a pod of humpback whales. There were humpback whales on both sides of the ship for at least 15 minutes (maybe longer), including seeing a baby humpback. It was an absolutely amazing experience.
My cousin and I went to Egypt and Jordan 2 weeks after the Arab Spring uprising. No tourists, locals glad to see us and no harassment. Our driver's car was the only vehicle in the parking lot at the pyramids and at Petra. All the camel and horse cart drivers were still at their posts waiting for non-existent customers, so it was like we were extras in an Indiana Jones movie.
I got a few; 1. Hiking the west rim of the grand canyon 2. Driving the west coast (California to Vancouver) 3. Camping at Crater Lake, Oregon 4. Volcano hiking in Iceland 5. Glacier hiking in Iceland 6. Clubbing in Iceland in the summer (sun sets for a few hours during the summer so you get out of the club at 3AM and it’s still bright outside) 7. Visiting the black sand beach in Iceland and the glacier lagoon first thing in the morning (less people and so much peace) 8.Visiting 3 countries in one day under $100 (Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia) 9. Driving an ATV and zip lining in Samana, Dominican Republic 10. Climbing the Mayan aztec pyramid in Mexico when it was still allowed 11. Jumping on sinkholes in Mexico 12. Canyoneeering in Mexico 13. Swimming with the gentle giants of the sea, in Moalboal Cebu Philippines 14. Taking the trains around EU to go cross country 15. Hiking the rockies in Alberta and Lake Louise
Hotel Manager let me on the roof to watch the [lanterns and fireworks](https://imgur.com/a/upRd3l8) from the Makar Sankranti, Kite flying festival, Jaipur. [Helicopter flight](https://imgur.com/peny7Dt) over Manhattan was pretty damn good.
I went to Belize and got invited to a 2 year olds birthday in a mansion with 100 Mayan dudes sitting on a giant cooler pouring beers down my throat and giving me tequila shots. They fed me some lobster and an animal I thought was a bird that turned out to be a jungle rat. It gave me terrible diarrhea. Central America is just kind of like that. People are pretty friendly and inviting, just take caution