Go Here to Learn about Hawaiian Culture on the Big Island of Hawai’i Hawaiian Language and Culture have recently experienced a rebirth. Hawaiians are resurrecting their language in immersion schools and promoting the foundations of their culture. The Big Island of Hawai’i is the stronghold of Hawaiian culture and language. Hawaiians will appreciate your interest in and respect for their culture. They first settled these islands known as the Hawaiian Islands (perhaps as far back as) 124 CE after sailing from Polynesia. Here and then, the Hawaiian culture began to take shape. As a visitor, yo ..read more

[Spoiler: It’s mostly good!] Although it’s off most people’s radar, Cycling around Taiwan is an ideal destination. The terrain is varied and the infrastructure for cycling is well developed and maintained. It’s a visually stunning country with rich cultures, friendly people, and outstanding food. Although recreational cycling has been gaining popularity in the past few decades, bicycles have been an essential form of transportation in Taiwan for much longer than that. Recently replaced by scooters and motorbikes, few people now rely on bicycles to get from place to place. However, Taiwan is ..read more

9 Things You Didn’t Know about Korea and Koreans I’ve traveled to the Republic of Korea (South Korea) more than 10 times over the past 18 years. Over that period I’ve noticed many aspects of society that make this country unique. I even married a Korean during that time!  Here are some of the things you probably didn’t know about Korea and the Korean people. There’s no specific food for breakfast in Korea There is no “breakfast food” in Korea. Koreans eat a big morning meal and it’s usually no different from a meal you’d eat for any other meal during the day. There’s meat or fish accompan ..read more

A Night in the Life of an Aurora Guide & Some Northern Lights FAQs “Did you always dream of being an Aurora guide?” I chuckled to myself when a guest asked me this question on a recent tour because twenty years ago I didn’t even know what the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, were. Most people have recently learned about the Northern Lights recently through social media. Or else they were into science and Astronomy like my wife, who introduced me to the phenomenon about a decade ago in Iceland. My Job as an Aurora Guide Fast forward a few years. I now live in Alaska and work as a Northe ..read more

How to Visit the Denali National Park on a Budget In this article, I’ll show you how to visit Denali National Park on a budget. The first thing to understand is that you are in a remote part of Alaska that has a four-month tourist season. This, among other things, drives up prices. The Denali area is not cheap, but I will help steer you towards the cheapest options available for independent travelers.  Transportation Car Rental – Flexible, but expensive if you are traveling Solo Car rental is your most flexible option. It is difficult to find a rental car in summer for under $200 per day ..read more

Climbing Haleakala Volcano by Bicycle (Maui, Hawai’i) I’m not sure when or where I first heard about climbing Haleakala Volcano by bicycle. But when I did, I knew that I wanted to go to Maui do it. Ranked the second-hardest climb in the US (after Mauna Kea, Hawai’i), the route starts from sea level in Pa’ia and takes you 36 miles and 10,331 feet up to the crater summit at a 5.3% average grade.  I biked to the start and then home from the summit, clocking a total of 75 miles and 10,528 ft of elevation gain over the 7-hour bike ride. (See Strava Ride statistics below.) It was definitely ..read more

A Look Back on an past journey to Northern Cyprus “Next year’s wine is the sweetest.” -Village Proverb I couldn’t have read this village proverb from Lawrence Durrell’s Bitter Lemons of Cyprus during a time we’ve needed optimism more. Two years into a global pandemic and our lives, livelihoods, economy, and travel is still very uncertain. In Durrell’s Cyprus, it was 1956, and he had to abandon his village home on the island, leaving in a hurry. Anti-English sentiment had grown and the calls for enosis were increasingly loud. Enosis, or union with Greece is what most Greek Cypriots favored. In ..read more

I Walked the Camino de Santiago Twice and Why I’d Walk it Again (and Again) If I had to pinpoint an experience in life that I would most wish to replicate, I would choose walking the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route in Spain.  I’ll see the Scallop Shell in some of the world’s most far-flung places. I don’t know how many others notice or know its meaning. But I notice. And it triggers a lot of wonderful memories. The Scallop Shell is used as a symbol of direction along the Camino, pointing pilgrims towards Santiago. It’s what you look for, day after day, mile after mile. It lets you kno ..read more

Our Experience Renting a Campervan in Las Vegas What it’s like to Rent a Campervan for a Short-term Road Trip in Nevada and Utah Vanlife has really exploded over the past decade. While it may seem like the latest trend there really is something to it. Vanlife is here to stay. Minimalistic living certainly has its advantages and accessibility to the outdoors is much easier when you wake up in it.  While some vanlifers have moved full-time mobile into their campervan, others have their van set up for weekend excursions. Then there are those of us who are van curious. I’ve never owned an RV ..read more

Best Travel Experiences of 2021 To say 2021 was another difficult year for travel, would be to overlook the fact that it was very difficult for many people simply trying to live their regular lives. I’m grateful to be healthy and working enough to pay my bills, with a little extra that allowed me to do some traveling. I’m very fortunate I was able to leave Alaska this year for some out-of-state adventures and even made two international trips. Read:  My 10 Best Travel Experiences of 2020 My 13 Best Travel Experiences of 2019 Best Travel Moments of 2018 Here are my Best Travel Experiences ..read more