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July 29, 2018 by Chase Vandros

4 Can’t Miss Hikes in the Pacific Northwest

If you’re going to the Pacific Northwest, there’s one activity you don’t want to pass up: exploring the can’t-miss hikes in the area. Of course, Seattle is known for coffee, craft beers, and eclectic restaurants, but what many people don’t realize is some of the best hiking trails in the Pacific Northwest are located in and around Seattle. While making plans for your trip, you just might realize that stationing yourself in and around the Seattle area to be close to these hiking trails is an idea you don’t want to miss.

Old Mount Si Trail

Want to find a trail less traveled but still itching to experience Mount Si in its entirety? The Old Mount Si Trail gives hikers a view similar to one you would find on the newer Mount Si trail but without the crowds. Located in the Snoqualmie region, the Old Trail is only 24 miles from Redmond, the perfect place to make your hub if you’re wanting to be outside of the city. While this hike will give you a more challenging experience with an 8-mile round trip hike and an elevation gain of more than 3,200 feet, it will be well worth the trek.

Little Si Hiking Trail

With an elevation gain of more than 1,200 feet and a 4.7-mile hike round trip, Little Si is perfect for those hikers who are less experienced or want a moderate workout with stunning sights along the way. At the top of Little Si, you will find a panoramic view of Mount Washington, the Upper Snoqualmie Valley, and Mount Si on a clear day. Make sure to obtain the Discover Pass before hiking Old Mount Si Trail and Little Si Trail.

Mount Teneriffe

While Mount Si and Little Si are well-known hikes in the Seattle area, don’t shy away from the lesser-known hikes such as  Mount Teneriffe. It’s longer, at 13.8 miles round trip, and has an elevation gain of 3,800 feet. You will pass the Kamikaze Falls and come across incredible views of Mount Rainier from the summit without dealing with the heavily populated trails at Mount Si and Little Si. Note that the trailhead is only 36 miles from Seattle.

Crystal Lakes Trail 

For those looking for a hike farther outside of the city, Mount Rainer has the Crystal Lakes Trail. Gaining 2,300 feet elevation during this 6-mile round trip hike, you will come across a view of Mount Rainier, the wildflowers lining lower Crystal Lake, and various wildlife as you make your way towards Upper Crystal Lake. If you’re looking to camp, both Lower and Upper Crystal Lakes have sites available, but be sure to obtain a permit.

Whether you decide to hike Mount Si, Little Si, Mount Teneriffe, or Crystal Lakes, the Pacific Northwest does not skimp on diverse terrain or stunning perspectives. If you can’t decide on one trail, make a weeklong trip out of it to enjoy as much as you can of this spectacular region of the United States.

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May 25, 2018 by Chase Vandros

5 Exciting Fort Lauderdale Activities for the Adventurous Family

For families looking for more adventure in Florida than theme parks and beaches, look no further than Fort Lauderdale. This Fort Lauderdale travel guide will help with your thrill-seeking activities during your visit to one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country.

Go on a Wildlife Adventure

Thrill your family with an airboat ride through the Florida Everglades. Journey into this incredible ecosystem and learn about the history and area wildlife. As boats leave from Sawgrass Recreation Park and skim across the water, visitors often get to see snakes, gators, turtles, fish, and birds. Daytime and nighttime tours are available, as well as exhibits on the native and non-native wildlife species that can be found in the Everglades.

Take the Scenic Route

Skip travel on roadways and get different views of the city by purchasing tickets on the Fort Lauderdale Water Taxi. Tickets are valid for 12 hours and allow guests to travel to any of the 15 convenient stops around the city. These stops take passengers to destinations such as restaurants, shopping, historic locations, and beaches. Along the way, passengers are treated to spectacular views of the mansions and mega yachts along Millionaire’s Row.

Journey to a Tropical Isle

Families can take a trip along Fort Lauderdale’s New River aboard the Jungle Queen Riverboat. Various guided tours are available, including shorter 90-minute tours, evening tours, and dinner tours. Longer tours include a stop at the Jungle Queen tropical isle, where guests can see exotic birds, alligators, and other wildlife. Guests on the dinner cruises are also treated to an all-you-can-eat dinner with live entertainment during their island visit.

Enjoy a Day on the Ocean

Enjoy a day on the Atlantic Ocean by going on a chartered fishing trip. Most trips provide everything passengers need, including fishing rods, tackle, and bait. Just a few miles from shore, guests can catch seasonal fish, such as snapper, grouper, trigger fish, and amberjacks. Crew members help passengers with various fishing techniques and provide complimentary fish cleaning. Half-day and full day charter trips are available.

Dine While Watching an Exciting Show

After a day along the waterways, enjoy a three-course meal and an exciting show at Mai Kai Restaurant and Polynesian Show. Decorated in the style of 1950s tiki bars, guests feast on award-wining Cantonese and American dishes. During dinner, families experience lively and vibrant performances by Polynesian dancers, singers, musicians, and other traditional acts, including the Samoan Fire and Ice dance.

No matter the length of your family’s stay, they are sure to experience adventure in the Venice of America.

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May 21, 2018 by Chase Vandros

Relaxing breaks: What NOT to do

It would be fair to say that we are well and truly in the age of the relaxing getaway. Whether it’s because life has suddenly become oh-so stressful, or just because these relaxing destinations are much more accessible, we are not going to speculate.

Unfortunately, saying that you are about to venture away on a relaxing break and actually doing it are two completely different things. Most of us are guilty of breaking the elusive rules that are meant to safeguard a relaxing getaway. This is the reason behind today’s article, and we will now look at some things that you most definitely should not do if you are keen on preserving your peaceful break.

Don’t #1 – The wrong destination

It sounds obvious, but so many people who head out on a relaxing weekend away simply book the wrong type of destination. It should go without saying that there are plenty of stereotypical “quiet” getaways; namely golf weekends, spa breaks and others of a similar ilk.

At the same time, there are others that are anything-but quaint. Sightseeing might be a great thing to do, but only under the right circumstances. If relaxing is your thing this time around, navigating through hordes of tourists certainly isn’t going to cut it and just build up those aggravation levels. At the same time, choosing a popular 18-30 destination isn’t going to work well either – you’re just going to be kept up until the early hours.

Don’t #2 – Over packing

You might have good intentions as you pack your suitcase or weekend bag, but stop and think if you really need to take all of these things. There’s nothing quite worse than having your plans disrupted, just because you don’t fancy carting your great, big suitcase all across your city of choice. At the same time, even if you do decide to take such action, by the time you reach your destination you’re just going to want to sleep.

In other words, it hardly fits into the relaxing definition at all.

Don’t #3 – The over packed itinerary

On the subject of over packing, let’s now turn to your itinerary itself. It can be all-too tempting to try and cram in as many activities as possible on one of these trips, just so you can “make the most of things”.

Well, we are going to recommend going against such advice. The last thing you want is to feel like you need another vacation after arriving back from this one. Unfortunately, if you embark on sightseeing tour after sightseeing tour, this is exactly what is going to happen.

This is your relaxing trip – give your feet and mind a break.

Don’t #4 – Your mobile phone

We’re going to keep this section short, and to the point. Mobile phones are great, but not when it comes to relaxing. They keep your mind constantly switched on and if you happen to have a travel partner, being glued to the small screen is not going to do your reputation any favors in the slightest.

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April 25, 2018 by Chase Vandros

Biting The Big Apple, 5 Experiences Which You Must Do In New York

New York is a fascinating place which will provide you with a trip of a lifetime. The Big Apple sees millions of tourists each and every year who come to indulge in the huge spectrum of sights and attractions, activities and mixture of cultures which can be found in the ‘city that never sleeps’. Depending on how much time you have to explore New York city, you will be limited to what experiences you can actually enjoy, and that is why we have put together 5 activities which you simply must try whilst you are here.

Walking the Brooklyn Bridge

As far as ‘wow’ moments go, they don’t get much better than the view of the city from the famous Brooklyn Bridge. The journey starts in downtown before you walk over the traffic on a wooden pathway, you then journey through a web of cables as the view of the Freedom Tower and the rest of the skyscrapers reveal themselves to you. Not only is this bridge iconic in its own right, the views when walking it are simply spectacular.

Visiting the 9/11 Memorial

Everyone remembers where they were on the fateful day in September 2001 when a great many people lost their lives in a senseless attack. After the destruction of the World Trade towers, this memorial was put in place on the site of the original buildings, to pay homage to those who lost their lives. The memorial is free to see but it is well worth paying the $20 to visit the museum, with its heart-breaking displays and artifacts.

Pizza at Grimaldis

A trip to New York wouldn’t be complete without sampling the famous New York Slice, and the best place to get it is in Grimaldis just underneath the Brooklyn Bridge. You only need to look at the lines outside this pizza parlor to understand how well regarded it is, and there are no better places in the city to sample the famous dish.

Catch a Show On Broadway

For the quintessential New York experience, you simply must try and catch a show on the famous Broadway strip of theaters. For more than 60 years these theaters have attracted the best in the world of live entertainment, putting on the world’s greatest musicals and plays. Try to catch an afternoon matinee performance if you can, these are generally slightly cheaper and more widely available than those of an evening.

Ellis Island

The Statue of Liberty can be seen from many places around the city but it is up close and personal on Ellis Island where you can get the best experience, as well as being able to scale the inside of the statue for stunning views of the city. Aside from the statue, the island is very important because it was here that over 12 million immigrants entered the USA, and the National Immigration Museum documents the lives of each and every one. You will have to pay for your ferry to the island, but you won’t pay anything once you get there.

You could spend 100 days in New York and still discover new experiences, tick these ones off your list first, and then go see what more you can find.

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March 22, 2018 by Chase Vandros

Enhancing Your Vacation: Much More Than Just Sitting On A Beach

Vacations are something that many of us really look forward to. In fact, the majority of us will plan our year based around vacation time and book the destinations way in advance. We work hard to save the money for these trips and so, the truth is, we want to ensure that we get as much out of that time away as possible. Many people get to enjoy a vacation once a year, and they really countdown the days until they head off. Not all of us like the idea of just sitting on a beach for two weeks. Sure, for some, that might be heaven, but I wanted to share with yous one of the other things you could consider doing on your vacation. Helping you to get the most out of it. So if a beach lounger doesn’t inspire you too much, here are some of the other ways you could enhance the vacation this year.

Consider camping instead of a hotel

Holidays don’t always need to be spent going somewhere hot, booking into a hotel and spending your days lounging around the pool or the beach. Why not try something different this year? Camping is fast becoming a viable choice, not just for families, but for groups of friends or even as a couple. It is a real different way of enjoying a vacation and with websites like Tents and Camp gear providing you with all the essentials, you can even enjoy some of the home comforts you are accustomed to. Camping under the stars, enjoying being at one with nature, and spending some quality time together with your friends and family really sounds like the perfect ingredients for a smashing vacation.

Go hiking and exploring

Maybe you like the idea of venturing off somewhere warm or in a different country, however, once you are there why not use the opportunity to explore and see the destination from a different side. Hiking and exploring in a different area can be very exciting, and many locals or accommodation staff will be only too pleased to tell you about amazing walks you can embark on or secret sights that are a little off the beaten track. This is your chance to experience some of the beauty of the location you have chosen, so don’t delay.

Research different sightseeing opportunities

If you like the idea of learning or want to quiet the historic buff inside you then doing plenty of research ahead of your vacation should highlight some of the main attractions and sightseeing opportunities. No matter where you go, I guarantee there will be something exciting and different to see. A temple or some ancient ruins, a cactus garden or the local town. Explore a little and don’t be afraid to try new things. It might present you with a great chance to hire a car and head out on the road to some of the best attractions out there. You may be surprised with what you find.

Combine a few locations into one vacation

Who says you can only go to one place for your vacation? No one. If you have two weeks why not look at the surrounding areas of your chosen country or destination and see if you can combine a few other stops along the way? Maybe a few different cities or even jumping on a plane and traveling somewhere else for a few days. Cruises are a great opportunity for this if you like the idea of destination hopping but you don’t want the hassle of booking flights or different accommodation. Many cruises will enable you to see different countries in one vacation, and often these locations can be pretty amazing. Alaska. Europe. The Panama Canal. Some of these places you may never get to see in one holiday.

Go back to your youth

Finally, why not take a leaf out of the students book and travel a little? Life as backpacker has to be experienced at least once, right? Student son GAP years use the time to travel around and see different places, often the locations that are the most popular are Australia and Asia. You may not want to do it for months at a time, but you could try it out for a week or two and see some of the more rural locations that are yet to be touched by tourism.

I hope that this has inspired you to consider some of the other ways you can spend your vacation time. Sitting on a beach is great, but there is so much more you could do, wouldn’t you agree?

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