Anyone who has done it will tell you that traveling, when done right, is sort of like a religious experience…or like a drug. Once you get the itch it can be impossible to fully scratch – sure, it may ebb now and again, but it is sure to creep back in and leave you compulsively planning how you can embark on your next adventure. Even bad trips eventually turn into a fond memory – a new story that you can brag about to other travelers.
And like any drug worth doing, those who are hooked on traveling will find a way to make it happen. Priorities shift, you skimp where you used to splurge, and save what you used to frivolously spend. You begin to see each dollar as a caveat that can take you one step closer to your next destination. And the good thing is, there are ways to travel on any budget.
In fact, some of the best experiences come from those times you are forced to get in the trenches, so to speak, and really experience and immerse yourself in the region of the world you are in. Fancy hotels, swanky train trips, and pricey tours allow you to barley scratch the surface of a town. Sure, you may not be used to sleeping in a hammock rather than a bed, but to some, that is their everyday life. And if you approach your travels with no expectations, you may gain a new perspective by which to measure your own life and your own happiness. Simply put – travel changes you.
Over the years, travel has meant different things to different people. Everyone has a different travel philosophy – and for most, it will contintue to change for as long as they continue to travel…gathering new colors with which to paint their own canvas.
Here is a collection of thoughts on the subject:
“Not all those who wander are lost.” - J. R. R. Tolkien
“Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quiestest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.” - Pat Conroy
“A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.” - Lao Tzu
“Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” - Miriam Beard
“All travel has its advantages. If the passenger visits better countries, he may learn to improve his own. And if fortune carries him to worse, he may learn to enjoy it.” - Samuel Johnson
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” - Mark Twain
“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” – Maya Angelou
“Tourists don’t know where they’ve been, travelers don’t know where they’re going.” - Paul Theroux
“Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.” - Jack Kerouac
“The traveler sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see.” – G.K. Chesterton
“Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe.” - Anatole France
“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” - Martin Buber
“Your true traveler finds boredom rather agreeable than painful. It is the symbol of his liberty-his excessive freedom. He accepts his boredom, when it comes, not merely philosophically, but almost with pleasure.” - Aldous Huxley
“To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.” - Freya Stark
“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.” - James Michener
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” - St. Augustine
“To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” - Bill Bryson
“Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things – air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky – all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.” - Cesare Pavese
“People travel to faraway places to watch, in fascination, the kind of people they ignore at home.” - Dagobert D. Runes
“And that’s the wonderful thing about family travel: it provides you with experiences that will remain locked forever in the scar tissue of your mind.” - Dave Barry
“I met a lot of people in Europe. I even encountered myself.” – James Baldwin
“When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money.” – Susan Heller
“The first condition of understanding a foreign country is to smell it.” – Rudyard Kipling
“Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen.” - Benjamin Disraeli
“The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one’s own country as a foreign land.” – G. K. Chesterton
“I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” - Mark Twain
“I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within.” – Lillian Smith
“To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.” – Aldous Huxley
“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” – Jawaharial Nehru
“What you’ve done becomes the judge of what you’re going to do – especially in other people’s minds. When you’re traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don’t have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road.” – William Least Heat Moon
“Adventure is a path. Real adventure – self-determined, self-motivated, often risky – forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind – and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white.” - Mark Jenkins
Deep sea red snapper, lobster, stone crab claws. It was a feast that we only ate half of.
Tamarindo has gradually evolved from a sleepy surfer’s paradise into one of Central America’s most popular tourist towns. It’s a place where the local’s slogan of “Pura Vida” or “Pure Life” definitely rings true. For some though, the fact that Tamarindo is now “on the map” is reason enough to avoid the destination. I suppose many liked the undiscovered charm that the beach town once had.
Because Tamarindo was still flying under the radar, besides us, there was only a handful of other tourists; an Australian couple in their mid 30′s who were on an eco-adventure (before they were trendy), an Italian group who was visiting their friends who had moved to Tamarindo a couple years prior and opened a small hotel, and a pack of 7 professional surfers, along with their photographer and videographer, who were filming for an upcoming Quicksilver surf video.
We took a side trip to the Arenal volcano and sat in the Tabacon Hotel’s natural hot spring pool while sipping a cocktail and watching the volcano, smoldering, and hoping to catch a glimpse of the lava oozing over the rim, fiery red and traffic cone-orange against the inky dusk sky.
Shore offers an exceptional dining experience that caters to every taste. You can choose from a wide variety of options including a simple Hawaiian lunch, fresh, indigenous shrimp, casual sandwich shops, and exquisite, upscale restaurants of every cuisine. In addition, shopping is superb in the island as you can purchase quintessential and exclusive Hawaiian items such as home furnishings, gems, pearls, wonderful souvenirs, and clothing. At Oahu’s North Shore, you are bound to have an outstanding vacation experience! You are warmly welcome to stay at a beach house in one of the communities, such as Waialua, and enjoy the activities and beauty of this paradisiacal island. 
The 2004 hit movie Sideways did wonders for California’s wine industry, showing that the long fêted Napa Valley is not the only California wine region worthy of acclaim. With almost 200 wineries between San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles there is a tasting atmosphere and tasty vintage to appease every palate. 
The Cuesta Grade, separates San Luis Obispo into “north county” and “south county”, making it a little less daunting to tasters wanting to make a dent in the vast array of tasting rooms in the county, allowing them to conquer one area at a time. North of the grade, in Paso Robles, are several wineries and tasting rooms, all located in “West Paso” as the local’s refer to it – meaning west of HWY 101. Some of the most popular include Tablas Creek Vineyard, Justin Winery, Eberle Winery, and Opolo Vineyards. West Paso is known for its rolling hills, meandering roads and sun-filtering oak trees. A whole other crop of wineries can be found in East Paso. East of the 101 tends to have more level parcels with the majority of the wineries dotted along or just off of HWY 46. This includes Vina Robles, Martin & Weyrich Winery, and the notorious Tobin James Cellars.
San Luis Obispo proper is located at the base of the Cuesta Grade. Cooler temperatures (sometimes by as much as 10 degrees on a summer day) alter the chemistry of the product and make for a different tasting experience. Many of the wineries and vineyards of San Luis Obispo boarder Edna Valley, which runs east to west and is paralleled by the Santa Lucia Mountains. The location of Lake Lopez to the south and Islay Hill to the north helps to keep the valley cool with breezes also rolling in off of the Pacific Ocean. Edna Valley Vineyards, with its picturesque panoramic views of rolling vineyards from its tasting room, along with Meredian Vineyards, Baileyana Winery, Claiborne & Churchill Vintners, and a host of others, can be found nestled among the vibrant fields of San Luis Obispo’s grapevines.
The second largest island in the Galapagos archipelago is the island of Santa Cruz, which might be called the focal point of Galapagos’ Tourism. 
There is no shortage of entertainment in Santa Cruz – visitors can go mountain biking, kayaking, scuba diving, horseback riding, surfing, or take a jeep tour on land or a glass bottom boat tour on the ocean. If you need a break, have a drink at an outdoor bar in Puerto Ayora.
Provo is a paradisiacal island that is ideal for families and couples trying to get away from it all. Provo has gorgeous, white sandy beaches with dazzling turquoise waters, and miles of coral reefs making it the ultimate diving destination. Flamingo Divers offers diving with small groups of eight people of any experience level and it provides an exciting and memorable diving experience! The most popular 12 mile stretch of the beach is located on Grace Bay and is surrounded by a barrier reef. 
Sapodilla Bay is a heavenly spot with white sand beaches and clear blue waters; there is a hill that overlooks Sapodilla Bay where you can observe historic stones engraved by shipwrecked sailors. 
The figure of Fort St. Louis is a huge historical monument that is located on the side of the island and it overlooks the Marigot Bay. While you’re looking at this monument, you can get a great panoramic view of the island. At the South of Marigot, there is a museum that preserves the island’s history and culture as it has an abundance of pre-Colombian treasures and extensive displays that manifest the plantation and slavery period. 
Dining in St. Martin is world famous- the cuisine there ranges from French delicacies to Asian and Indian cuisine. There are plenty of renowned restaurants on this island; many of them play music for dancing as well. 
“I met up with a blue-footed booby standing smack in the middle of the footpath. It made no offer to step aside and let me pass. Looking into its birdy eye, I saw . . . nothing at all. No fear, but also no aggression. No anxiety, affection, hope, recognition. Its indifference was profound, as if I were invisible, although I’d been told that if I did step too close it might jab at me with its beak. This strange fearlessness can’t be explained by any local history of kindness on the part of man. Even Darwin killed birds and ate tortoises. The blue-footed booby wasn’t afraid of me, but the name for this is not tameness. It’s genetic innocence. Since the animals evolved in the absence of man, their innocence exists at a molecular level. I saw it again in the eye of an albatross just before it turned to begin its mating dance; I saw it in the stare of a sea lion nursing her pup on the beach. The animals felt nothing for people one way or the other, yet all around them were people, including me, in love with the animals.”
Sidenote – because of the flourishing animal life on the Islands, it is the general assumption that the plant life is just as abundant. The Galapagos is not a lush Gilligan’s Island type place. The Islands tend to me more barren and rocky and, in some areas, are devoid of vegetation entirely, mostly due to the recent volcanic activity.
By far, what attracts most vacationers to Kitty Hawk is the beaches! Particularly in the spring and summer, you can sunbathe, take a nice nap, read a book or people watch at the beach. For ultimate relaxation, you can take a yoga class or get a massage. In addition, you can hunt for shells or sea glass, swim, fly a kite, build a sand castle, surf, and boogie board. You can literally spend your entire vacation at the beach without experiencing a dull moment!
Along with the outdoor activities, Kitty Hawk also has indoor attractions. Kitty Hawk is a great city to eat out in; there are great restaurants that have Eastern North Carolina barbecue and local seafood is definitely a favorite! You can relax while sipping on a cocktail at the patio of Ocean Boulevard and enjoy breathtaking views from the Black Pelican.
Luxurious beach houses are ideal for family reunions and for couples looking for a getaway. At the beach, this is right outside your doorstep, you can enjoy gorgeous views of sunrises and sunsets, have privacy in a serene atmosphere, and observe the tropical landscape. You can also indulge in snorkeling, fishing, scuba diving, and fishing.
Morro de Sao Paulo (St. Paul’s Hill) is just about as good as it gets when it comes to a laid back vacation destination. And while the island is not far from easy-to-get-to locations like Salvador, the small town has no cars and a much slower-paced lifestyle despite its popular nightlife.
The Northeast coast of Brazil is famous for its 
However, Second Beach is more than a party – one of Brazil’s most famous cultural arts, Capoeira, is preformed here every evening. With the setting sun as the backdrop for this acrobatic martial art, you will not want to miss this! Ask around for performance locations or simply follow the crowd!
Africa: African Potato Stew & Ugali – native to Kenya
Ugali Ingredients:
Asia: Tom Ka Gai Soup – native to Thailand
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