Travelogger

We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment.

Avoiding Accidents: Tips For A Safe And Healthy Vacation

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When it comes to driving to your vacation destination, you need to do more than just take your car in for a checkup. You also need to do more than just check the air in your tired or make sure that your lights are all working. You need to make sure you are safe for your whole trip, not just prior to starting it.

Bad things can happen on vacation, even when you have the best of intentions. If you want to ensure you have a safe time on the road, here are some tips that should help.

Don’t Drink And Drive

Vacationing is a time for fun, but you don’t want that fun to get out of control. That means keeping your head on your shoulders even when you just want to let go. Make sure that, if you plan to be out drinking on your vacation, you have a designated driver or that someone can call a cab for you to get back to your hotel room.

The last thing you want to do while you are on vacation is drink and drive and get into some kind of an accident, and end up being sent to alcohol rehab. Instead, just be safe while you are having fun.

Don’t Buy Things From Strange People

This may sound silly, but when you are buying from street vendors in a strange place you never know what you’re getting. This can happen on a road trip in your own country, and it can happen when you are visiting another country. You might get approached by a drug dealer or even by someone selling stolen merchandise.

Just because you can get a deal on something on the street doesn’t mean you should. Buy souvenirs from someplace more reputable, for your own safety, even if it means spending a little more money.

Be Aware Of What You Are Eating

Some accidents are more of the personal kind, when it comes to vacationing. You may want to watch where you eat, and what you eat, depending on where you are vacationing. It’s especially important, if you have any food allergies, to pay attention and ask questions everywhere you eat.

And, as they say, don’t drink the water when you go to Mexico. You don’t want to spend your whole vacation in the bathroom. Same goes for eating too much shrimp, as that iodine can make you pretty sick as well if you overdo it.

Basically, the key to having a safe vacation is to make sure that you are aware of your surroundings, and that you make wise choices. Watch what you eat, don’t get drunk and get behind the wheel, and make sure you’re not buying strange drugs from creepy people in back alleys in Amsterdam.

Originally posted on August 15, 2016 @ 12:40 pm

Places You Need to Visit if You Love Fishing

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The world is chock full of amazing places to visit if you love fishing. Each corner of the world holds its own odd, mysterious, large, small, poisonous, or downright ugly catches, and each pocket is waiting to be discovered. They call it fishing and not catching for a reason. It’s not always easy to get a fish on the line, in the net, or in your hand. If you’re into catching crab or other monsters of the sea, the task becomes even more toilsome as the labor and destinations get colder and more exotic.

Whether you visit to actually do some fishing, or you visit to see the landscape that is home to some of the best fishing in the world, here are places you absolutely need to visit if you’re into all things fishing:

Alaska

Alaska is a land that is magical and dangerous in its own right. First of all, it’s huge. It is the biggest state in America, but it’s often hard to believe because when you see a map of the state, it’s usually out of proportion in comparison to other states. Being that it’s so huge and so far up north, the land is pristine as it comes in the United States.

Alaska has 8 national parks, so if you love the outdoors, it’s the first place you need to go. The rivers and lakes don’t end, so you’ll never be in danger of overfishing the waters, and since the state is so big and there’s so much wilderness to go around, you’ll never have to worry about hooking your line to another fisherman’s bait.

Minnesota

Summertime is a time that is full of fishing. The weather is great, the early mornings and evenings provide the perfect weather for catching something good, and you’ve got the time to lure in something good.

However, if you limit your fishing to the summer, you’re cutting yourself short. Fish do live throughout the whole of the entire year, afterall. If you really love fishing, are committed, and want to do something different, head over to Bald Eagle Lake in Minnesota during the wintertime and do some ice fishing. You’ll freeze your tush off, but maybe you can make a little igloo while you’re at it. That’ll be a fun story to tell the grandchildren.

The Amazon

Exotic and scary, perhaps, but if you love fishing, you can’t pass up going to the amazon basin in Brazil. With surrounding jungles and rushing rivers all around you, you’re bound to catch some pretty interesting things. Though there’s a lot of fear around piranhas, you can still catch them and eat them. Imagine having one of those badboys tacked on the wall for display.

Originally posted on September 21, 2016 @ 1:49 pm

5 Fantastic Outdoor Destinations For Music Fans

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If you love the outdoors and you love music, bringing the two together is an amazing and powerful experience. Seeing your favorite bands outdoors, under the stars or set against a magnificent vista, can heighten your enjoyment viscerally. Where are five must-see locations to see bands in outdoor venues that are as much a part of the show as the band you are going to see?

The Gorge at George

Located in the middle of Washington, in the midst of high sagebrush plains and irrigated cropland sits one of the United States’ most beautiful concert venues. Two hours from Seattle and two hours from Spokane, it makes no sense logically, until you round that first corner on the way in.

Then you see what makes it magical. A natural bowl on the hillside runs down to a stage that hangs on a precipice overlooking the Columbia Gorge. You can envision Lewis and Clark navigating the historic waters below and marveling at the hillsides towering above them. Hillsides that you sit on now as you enjoy one of the many events of the summer. Majestic music is carried into majestic vistas as the sun sets over the canyon beyond the stage.

Red Rocks Amphitheater

Situated in Colorado, Red Rocks is the only acoustically perfect outdoor amphitheater in the world. Situated below two magnificent red sandstone monoliths, you experience a part of an 868-acre park at 6,450 feet above sea level. A true geological phenomenon, the beauty amplifies the experience beyond the music. You settle in and you are transported to another time as you gaze at the majesty around you, only to be pulled back by the magnificence of the sound around you.

Located in the Rocky Mountains, just 15 miles outside of Denver near Morrison, Red Rocks is easily accessible, with lodging and camping in the surrounding towns and cities.

Great Stage Park

Located in Manchester, Tennessee, Great Stage Park is home to the Bonnaroo Music Festival. A four-day music festival on a 700-acre farm, Bonnaroo features an eclectic and stunning array of music on its many stages.

Started in 2002, this “Really Good Time” (the meaning of Bonnaroo) has grown quickly, allowing the festival to own the land it sits on and allowing the organization to become a major contributor to many significant charitable organizations. Traveling to Bonnaroo and experiencing the Tennessee vibe is one of the best parts of the festival.

Central Park, New York City

A visually unique environment, Central Park in NYC offers an experience like nowhere else can. Concerts range throughout the spring, summer, and fall, ranging from classical to large rock concerts. Some of the most iconic concerts in history have taken place on the Great Lawn, Elton John, Dave Matthews, The Three Tenors, and more. Attending a concert in Central Park is a New York experience that shouldn’t be missed.

The Hollywood Bowl

On the opposite coast and the world apart is the Hollywood Bowl. A legendary venue famous for the acts that have appeared on its stage in its nearly 90-year history. The iconic shell sits in front of the largest outdoor amphitheater in the country and plays host to some of the most famous acts in history performing in front of some of the most famous people in history. Truly a west coast experience.

Originally posted on September 5, 2016 @ 3:51 am

Benefits Of Living A Life on the Road

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It’s really cool that not everybody feels like they have to fit within the constructs of the American Dream to be happy in life. It must be so invigorating for people to be able to know who they are and run with it. If that means they never buy a house and never settle in one place for more than a couple months or a year, then so be it. That’s just fine. In fact, a life spent on the road is a life that is full of just as much happiness as any other life, and a whole lot more adventure.

Of course, whoever you spend your life with is what makes a life amazing. A person can of course be happy navigating the roads of life alone, but if you have a friend or partner and you decide that the two of you are going to be sojourners for life and drive from place to place, rent a cute little home for several months until the next destination starts calling your name, then so be it. If this is your dream, here are the benefits that come with living a life on the road:

You Won’t Have to Deal With Home Maintenance

Having a home of your own is amazing and it’s really nice to be able to decorate and choose all of the features that you want. You might find that you want this at some point in your life, but if the time isn’t now and you want to spend this portion of your life enjoying the open road and all the amazing things the world has to offer, one benefit to this lifestyle is that you won’t have to deal with home maintenance things like leaky roofs and weedy yards and electricity bills.

You Get to See the World

If you buy a camper, an RV, or you’re a backpacker at heart and choose to roam about the country on your own two feet, one benefit of this lifestyle is that you get to see the world. When you live in one place, you own a home, you meet somebody and settle down and have kids, it becomes a lot harder to get out and see everything the world has to offer.

When you choose to spend your life in a bus you’ve converted into a comfortable home, or you live out of a suitcase and hit hotels once a week to get your shower in and your laundry done, you’re giving yourself the ability to be blown around with the wind. Nothing is holding back and you’ll have stories to tell that will make other people jealous.

If not having the normal bills that hold people down and getting to see the world isn’t enough to convince you that living your life on the road is awesome, it might not be the life for you. However, if the thought of doing this makes you giddy with excitement, try it out and write down all the aspects you love about it, so that others can learn from your experience

Originally posted on August 22, 2016 @ 3:26 am

Breaking The Chains Of Isolation For A Fuller Life

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When you look out your front window, what do you see? If you look out your window and see your neighbor across the street’s garage door, you are like many Americans. The manic growth of the subdivision has put us in closer and closer contact and yet further from each other. We drive into our neighborhoods, pull into our driveways, open our garage doors and disappear from each other and the world. We snuggle into our Walmart furnished spaces and manage our friend’s list and watch TV shows that purport to be about reality. What are some ways to get free from the cocoon we build for ourselves and experience real, world changing, life?

The cost of isolation

The dangers of isolating ourselves are many and debilitating. The more you separate yourself, the more self-feeding it becomes, creating a vicious circle of loneliness and self-loathing fighting with frustration and disgust with others. Isolation causes serious health issues through overeating or undereating, resulting in significant weight gain or loss. The changes in diet and nutrition put the body through severe hardship and cause serious problems in the self-image of the individual.

Break out of the box

Short of blowing out your windows and leaping out into the harsh world of your ‘hood, maybe baby steps are in order. First off blowing out your windows can get expensive to repair, so that’s probably not a good direction. Maybe it’s as simple as looking for ways to interact with others in safe environments and situations. One of the keys is you have to be willing to be the one who reaches out. Be the one to say hello and start the connection process. The hardest step is the first one, after that, they just get easier and easier!

Hit the highway

Sometimes you’ve just got to get out of Dodge!  Pack up the minivan with traveling food and hit the road. Put away that smartphone, pick a direction and drive. As you are driving keep an eye out for historic stops as you go, investigate the culture of the area you live in, meet the people of the towns around you. Ask questions about what you need to see while you are in towns you drive through. Sometimes the best kind of travel you can do is the simplest! These little local trips can help you understand where you live in new and exciting ways. You just have to have the gumption to be the one who takes the first step.

Be willing to seek the unknown

Take the road less traveled. Why? Because you never know what you’ll find on the drive. Whether it is a view or an experience, taking the unknown road will at least fuel your sense of adventure. While on the road, stop and appreciate the views, investigate the surroundings and look for the interesting. Sometimes that road will take you to a dead end, other times it will lead you into some of the most amazing experiences or lead you to sights you never knew of. Either way, you’ll be better off for trying, for getting up off your couch, out of your house and neighborhood and into the great wide open.

Originally posted on October 18, 2016 @ 2:05 am