Archive for April, 2011

April29

Here’s a Question for You: Week 17

By: JoAnna

One of the things I most enjoy about traveling is talking about it. In this new weekly series, I’d like to pose some of the questions I’ve discussed with friends, family and fellow travelers over the years. I invite you to pull up your backpack, grab a handful of the local snack food and chime in with your comments and thoughts. Feel free to respond to others, but remember to play nice!

Here’s a Question for You:

If you were to go on a spiritual journey, where would you go and what would you do?

I have the most spiritual experiences when I travel alone so my spiritual journey would probably be a long, multi-day, solo hike far from any other people. I’m not sure, exactly, where I would hike, but it would be a serene location with trees and stunning sunsets. I’d want to go for about a week, but not much longer than that. Every day I would do a bit of hiking, but then I’d relax, write and just contemplate life as it is.

Join the discussion!

Posted in: Here's a Question for You8 comments

April27

Night Hiking in Monteverde, Costa Rica

By: JoAnna

Night Hiking in Monteverde, Costa Rica“We want to take the night hike,” I said, handing the credit card over to the tour operator who was booking our activities in Monteverde, Costa Rica.

“There has been a lot of activity lately,” he said, “but you should know that there’s never a guarantee that you’ll see anything.”

“We’re willing to take that chance.”

***

We arrived at Santamaria’s about 15 minutes before our night tour was set to begin. I was layered up in a sweatshirt and windbreaker, and though it wasn’t cold, I had eerie goosebumps creeping up my arms thinking about the critters we could potentially encounter in the dark forest. I knew that the majority of animals (particularly the snakes and larger mammals) were nocturnal, and I wasn’t quite sure how I’d react when I saw them.

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Posted in: Do3 comments

April25

Tips for Traveling Off the Beaten Path

By: JoAnna

Tips for Traveling Off the Beaten PathI’m all for hitting up the sites on the beaten path, but occasionally our travels take us to places that few people go. On my recent trip to the Cook Islands, which is accessible but not particularly well known, I discovered that there are some marked differences in traveling where few people actually go. Some of these things are great benefits for those hoping to escape the crowds, and others are just a fair warning should you decide to go where few people have gone before.

You will be welcomed and appreciated to the point where you’re practically a novelty.

When you travel to a destination that doesn’t receive many visitors, the welcome you receive will be genuine. You won’t be hustled by taxi drivers who spend their lives driving foreigners around or noted simply as a name / passport number. People will ask you about yourself and your plans in their city / region / state / country, and then they’ll happily provide suggestions on other people to meet and things you should do during your visit.

Everyone will know that you’re visiting.

Don’t do anything too embarrassing or noteworthy. Everyone will know that you’re in the area, and you’ll have no anonymity while you’re there. As you make your way through your travels, people will know that you’re coming, and they, too, will be ready to welcome you and provide their own advice on what to do and who to see.

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Posted in: Resources7 comments

April22

Here’s a Question for You: Week 16

By: JoAnna

One of the things I most enjoy about traveling is talking about it. In this new weekly series, I’d like to pose some of the questions I’ve discussed with friends, family and fellow travelers over the years. I invite you to pull up your backpack, grab a handful of the local snack food and chime in with your comments and thoughts. Feel free to respond to others, but remember to play nice!

Here’s a Question for You:

If you had six weeks to drive around the U.S., which regions would you most like to visit?

I know, I know … today’s question is a bit U.S.-centric, but it definitely highlights the fact that the United States is a big place, and, as a result, it is a very diverse country. Though I’m head over heels for the West Coast, if I had six weeks to take a road trip through some portion of the country, I would choose the Southeast simply because it’s the one part of the country I’ve never visited. Though I finally had the chance to hit up New Orleans last year, I have been lusting after Savannah for years now, and I’d also like to explore what Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Florida have to offer … not to mention Louisiana beyond the Big Easy.

Join the discussion!

Posted in: Here's a Question for You13 comments

April20

Contest: Win $5,000 in Travel Tour Credit

By: JoAnna

Contest: Win $5,000 in Travel Tour CreditI very rarely post contests on Kaleidoscopic Wandering, and that’s because it’s important to me that all of my readers have the opportunity to learn from, experience and enjoy what is published here. So many contests available to people today require that they have extensive online networks and be tied in to social media.

Well, that’s not the case for this contest. Here’s one that you can all participate in.

Austin-Lehman Adventures is a tour operator with a 35-year legacy and a ridiculously long list of adventure travel tours. From hiking tours in the Grand Canyon to explorations of the rainforests in Costa Rica to journeys through Switzerland, this company offers travel packages all around the world focused on a variety of activities. (I, personally, am intrigued by the company’s offerings for South Africa and Israel/Jordan.)

In any case, check out the tours offered by Austin-Lehman Adventures to feed the travel bug, and then pop on over here to win a $5,000 credit for a trip for two on any of the company’s tours. Once you get there, simply fill in your name, email address and the URL for Kaleidoscopic Wandering for your chance to win. That’s it.

To repeat how unbelievably simple this is:

Go here.

Fill in the form with:
Your name
Email address
This URL: http://kaleidoscopicwandering.com/

In full disclosure, Austin-Lehman Adventures is not paying me nor sponsoring this post. I am publishing it on my own free will. I’ve been given this opportunity because Kaleidoscopic Wandering was chosen as a best adventure travel blog semi-finalist by the company, but I have never traveled with or have any experience with it beyond that. If the winner of this contest enters with the URL of this travel blog, I will also win a $5,000 voucher, but trust me, if that’s the case, I will definitely write about wherever I choose to go, so you can continue to travel along with me.

Here are the nitty-gritty, fine print details:

  • Sweepstakes is only open to people who are age 18 or older. Limit one (1) entry per participant.
  • Contest is open through May 19, 2011.
  • One (1) winning entrant will be randomly selected to win a trip for two (2) on the Austin-Lehman trip of their choice, depending on availability of trips. Prize is a $5,000 credit for two (2) people towards any Austin-Lehman trip, which can be applied to any ALA trip depending on trip availability. This prize does not include airfare to and from the trip location or airport transfers.

Posted in: Contest10 comments

April18

Images: Aitutaki, Cook Islands

By: JoAnna

For those who travel to the Cook Islands, the first stop is Rarotonga, the country’s most populated and popular island. From there, visitors can do a bit more island hopping, especially among the southern islands, though it is possible to venture up north as well. In any case, if people do make it off of Rarotonga, chances are they venture over to Aitutaki, which is known for the fact that it actually consists of several smaller islands, including the one on which Survivor: Cook Islands was filmed.

As is the case throughout the Cook Islands, the people on Aitutaki are ridiculously welcoming and happy, willing and excited to sweep you into their lives so that you feel like you’ve always lived there. On one side of the island there is a large flat rock known as Visitor’s Rock. The old tradition is that, when you step on it as you arrive, you are welcomed into the village, and when you step on it as you are leaving, you leave everything behind. People leave their doors unlocked and open here, and as you walk or drive down the road, everyone waves and says hi … after all, everyone knows everyone else. And one other thing of note: There are no dogs allowed on Aitutaki nor have there been since the early 1900s. It’s the only island in the Cooks with a ban on canines.

True exploration of Aitutaki doesn’t begin until you leave the main island and take advantage of a boat ride out into the surrounding waters. A number of tour companies offer excursions, which hop from outcropping to outcropping, stopping along the way for snorkeling and swimming. The water is turquoise … which blends into the white sand … which blends into the horizon … and before you know it, you’re surrounded by a scene only found on a postcard.

Images: Aitutaki, Cook Islands

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Posted in: Photos10 comments

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