TravelPod bloggers have visited some really interesting locations all over the world. Here is just a sample of some of the strangest museums you’ll find on the planet.
1. The Iceland Phallological Museum
Rawhideone enjoyed the Phallological Museum in Iceland
And on a lighter note, the afternoon revolves around a visit to the Phallological Museum…the only one on Earth!!! What are we talking about here you might ask? Well just as the name suggests, it is a collection of the phallus (or in local, yet still biologically correct terms, the penis), from all sorts of specimens. – Rawhideone
2. Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum
Jenfifi being silly at the Ramen Museum
The Ramen Museum is what it sounds like, a museum dedicated to the various types of ramen from across the country. There is an informational floor, but the real action is on the two basement floors which feature 8 different shops serving some 25 kinds of ramen. What they have done is get all of the most famous old ramen shops from across Japan to come in and set up mini shops within the museum. – Jenfifi
3. The Kunstkamera
Strange things on display at the Kunstcamera
In my last week I visited the inside of the Church of Spilled Blood, and the museum of anthropology and ethnography (Kunstkamera) which was full of things collected by Peter the great from around the world. It included a strange, disturbing but fascinating collection of foetuses and heads in jars. Oh and a cross section of an elephant penis?! – Watchoutworld
4. Songkran Niyomsane Forensic Medicine Museum
Laurenandjack saw the inside of a human head
One interesting detour we took in Bangkok was to the Museum of Forensic Medicine at Siriraj Hospital, something we had heard about but could never really imagine. This museum showcases the mummified bodies of famous murderers and rapists, aborted fetuses in jars, car accident mangled limbs (for real!), horrendous photos of suicides, car accidents, bullet hole ridden skulls, Molotov cocktail victims, cancerous lungs and alcoholic livers, so on and so forth. – Laurenandjack
Travel writer Ben Groundwater has come up with some destinations that are deceptively delicious. I thought I’d see what our travel bloggers had to say about the same places. In no particular order, here they are:
Utah, USA
Cmbuchholz in the desert in Utah
Large canyons and several very impressive vistas off the interstate. Very difficult to explain how beautiful the scenery was, and not a lot of traffic on the interstate made for a very nice drive. Got into Moab about 8:30 and was a bit surprised. The city is a bit of a recreation mecca for outdoor sports. Has rafting on the Colorado river, hiking, 4×4 adventures, sky diving, etc. – Cmbuchholz
Croatian Islands
Hanna.patterson spent a day on a deserted island in Croatia
I would be remiss to write about Croatia without mentioning all of the water. The colors of the Adriatic Sea are beautiful! We spent a day relaxing out on an island and actually swam out to another island very near to the shore which is home to a Franciscan monastery. There were probably about 10 people on the entire island and it was very peaceful. – Hanna.patterson
Uganda
Rockobatty getting comfy with a silverback gorilla
We began to have some lunch when myself and another fellow noticed some movement. We asked our guide what it was, and he replied that it probably was an antelope or something. Within a couple of minutes he said quickly put the food away that is not an antelope it is the gorillas, THEY WERE ONLY FEET AWAY. After we put our food away, we followed the trackers into the bush where we saw the first gorilla laying on his back in a tree just enjoying the sun. Soon there were gorillas everywhere: babies, teens and mothers. Brett was trying to get a good angle for a picture when you could hear some more just behind a bush near her, although this was no ordinary gorilla it was the SILVERBACK. He made very scary sounds, the trackers tried to imitate their sounds to let them now it was us. – Rockobatty
Bolivia
Joelrose on the salt flats of Uyuni
The Salar de Uyuni – nothing prepares you for this amazing bright white landscape – the result of an ancient sea which dried up over time and left 5 metres of pure salt across 12.000 km² of salt desert. It is situated at 3.650 metres above sea level so you get quite breathless moving about which we did a lot of as it is perfet for distance distorting visual illusion type photos (will upload these this weekend). – Joelrose
Country Netherlands
Kathryn77 found an amazing sand castle in Scheveningen
Scheveningen is the setting for an international sand sculpture competition each year in May – as I was there on 1st June, I only saw one sand sculpture, so I’m assuming that’s the one that won, as it was very well protected. Now THAT was a sandcastle!! – Kathryn77
New Zealand
Codownsean went sperm whale watching in New Zealand
The whale watching tour was great. There were two different sightings in spite of the choppy seas – well by choppy I mean 10 metre swells. The boat journey was frightful. After the whales we moved on to see some dolphins and fur seals. All grand stuff. – Codownsean
Moscow, Russia
Promking22 saw Eurovision in Moscow this year
Lowlights included: Belgium – A guy dressed as Elvis convinced he was the real King and that Elvis was a fat, dead, copycat. Czech Republic – gypsies led by weird dude in a red cape. Finland – bringing out their own Vanilla Ice…..and making it through to the final?? The Hosting – A model constantly showing her discomfort around her old co-host trying to get too close. We thought the winners of the night were Iceland and Turkey and the two poms that sat next to us. Possibly the only other people that spoke English. – Promking22
Namibia
Dwfromuk got to see some cheetahs in Namibia
The morning we arrived here, we got to experience a cheetah run. The CCF has a number of cheetahs in large enclosures that were orphaned and can’t be released back into the wild. The resident cheetahs need to be exercised on a regular basis and we got to see it first hand, in fact we were inside the enclosure with three cheetahs. Totally and amazingly brilliant! – Dwfromuk
Tasmania
Tracymiller is adjusting well to life in Tasmania...
One day i went to a place called Liffey Falls, with beautiful falls in a lush, green forest. Another day a drive to the coast, a place called Low Head, where the ocean meets the Tamar River..nothing much there except beach, coast on both sides, lighthouse, a small town (small is big in Tassie) and nobody around. Lucy and I went to Josef Chromy vineyard for lunch which was just lovely. It’s set on a lake with hills all around and a nice terrace to sit outside…and a vintage bottle of sparkling wine always helps as well. – Tracymiller
If you’ve got a life-goal, chances are, someone on TravelPod has already done it! Here’s part five of things to do before you die, as compiled by TravelPod members.
41. Go to the top of the Empire State Building in New York City
Twinkfran makes it to the Empire State Building
Day two I go to the top of the Empire State Building to see the amazing views over the city and then catch the circle line boat ride to see the Statue of Liberty. – Twinkfran
42. Feel the mist from Niagara Falls
Jtopping visits Niagara Falls on his Great American Road Trip
The aura of the falls was present the moment we crossed the bridge into Canada. You could see the mist from the falls even when you could not see the falls themselves… We headed out to the falls around 10 pm, and got to see fireworks over the water and the light show that happens nightly at Niagara via the Canadian side. It was a spectacular sight to see, the water changing colors and the mist from the water all around you. I could have sworn that it was raining at one point, even though there wasn’t a cloud in the sky… The next morning, we did the journey beneath the falls where you can get within feet of the bottom of the waterfall. You could stand there for about a minute and be completely soaked, poncho or no poncho. – Jtopping
43. See rock band REM in concert, finally!
Giulianat got great shots of REM in Milan
We had a great evening and after waiting three hours in the queue out the front we were rewarded with access to the mosh pit just 5 metres from the stage! I can tell you the lead singer Michael Stipe is a fantastic performer and it was great dancing around and singing with Alessia and the rest of the crowd to songs I knew and also the newer ones that I’m not so familiar with. – Giulianat
44. Enjoy writing more
Hsb deeply enjoyed writing her blog in Argentina
I’m only here for a few days, and I’m obsessed writing this blog…! Well, it’s still time well-spent, as I enjoy writing, and I have definitely enjoyed reminiscing about Bolivia. It’s given me an opportunity to slowly re-live it, and has forced me to remember views and images that would have otherwise been relegated to the back of my brain forever. – Hsb
45. Start a travel club
Nancy.chappell attended a travel club meeting in Oxford, England
Today we had a lazy morning and then they drove me to High Wickam at noon for my luncheon of Women Welcome Women Worldwide, the travel club I belonged to off and on for the last 20 years. There were about 122 of us there to celebrate the 25th anniversary – mostly from the UK, also France, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and 4 of us from the states. – Nancy.chappell
46. Visit a Vineyard
Jimandnat sample wine in Argentina
We caught the bus about 45 minutes out of Mendoza to one of the main wine-growing regions to visit some “bodegas” (vineyards). So we decided to all hire bikes, and we chose to hire a tandem which added much hilarity to the whole experience. The afternoon was gorgeous, warm, blue skies and sunny and we were cycling along tree lined avenues in the countryside and then popping into vineyards in between so it was fabulous fun. We visited a few bodegas, La Rural which is the biggest wine producer of the area where we got to have a look at some of the old equipment, like old grape-presses and lots of other little quaint bits. And then we got a free tasting of a Malbec, which is the red wine which the region is famous for. – Jimandnat
47. Explore Australia in an RV
Serenitynow playing in a park in Perth, Australia
The magnificent Kings Park is described as the jewel in the city’s crown, and one of the largest inner city parks in the world. We spent the afternoon hear and wish we could have spent longer. The park overlooks the city and provides excellent views. It is meticulously maintained with cultivated gardens and natural bushland along with many grassy lawns, all featuring grass like that of a golf course. – Serenitynow
48. Go adventuring in New Zealand
Apoc100 boating around New Zealand
On the way we were very lucky to see some wild dolphins swimming next to the boat and they got quite close the boat so naturally I had to take 100 photos in the span of a minute. We also saw several waterfalls such as the Stirling Falls which created a beautiful rainbow in the light, and many “temporary waterfalls” that appear only when snow melts. These temporary waterfalls look like veins on the side of mountains that fall slowly towards the lake, usually forming bodies of ice on the way. - Apoc100
49. Trek The Annapurna Circuit in Nepal
Jimmyandkristen hike the Annapurna Circuit
In a couple years, the circuit as we know it will be gone. The whole point is that it is a working road…but one without motorized vehicles. The only way to get to these places is to walk. The road will, as some bloggers have written, “ruin” the circuit. And I suppose for Trekkers it will. The road will make it so that you can pretty much drive almost all the way to the Throng La (Throung Pass), and will turn that achievement into a 3-5 day trek, not a 15-20. – Jimmyandkristen
50. Eat tapas in Spain
Jeffandash eat tapas in Barcelona
We just got back from a restaurant with some tasty tapas for dinner. Tapas are little appetizers and Jeff tried all kinds of new food…salmon eggs for example! - Jeffandash
If you’ve got a life-goal, chances are, someone on TravelPod has already done it! Here’s part four of things to do before you die, as compiled by TravelPod members.
31. Diving in Antarctica
Blairn99 went diving in the frigid Antarctic
The depth was only around 15m and the vis is much better. There were hundreds of star fish lots of Kelp weed again and an iceberg that had grounded right in the middle of where we were diving. – Blairn99
32. Learn another language
Wolfieboy69 went to Buenos Aires to learn Spanish
If the Spanish lessons had proved a thorn in my side then there was a silver lining, which was getting to know some of the students in the other classes and I thoroughly enjoyed their company. – Wolfieboy69
33. Travel by yourself
Jack of Laurenandjack continued on his own through India
I am now traveling alone, as Lauren decided to go home. I wanted to keep going to experience solo travel and to see the sights of the south. I miss Lauren dearly, but I must say I am having a great time going solo. Being alone makes for many more opportunities to meet interesting people and change my mind on a whim. I have met more people out here than I can count, sometimes I’ll make a friend and we’ll travel together for a day or so or until our itineraries branch. I continue to be reunited with people I’ve met and last seen hundreds of kilometers away. – Laurenandjack
34. Experience Beatlemania in Liverpool
Kaylashoe at The Beatles Story exhibit in Liverpool
Ohh the Beatles pilgrimage- a highly necessary excursion on my British invasion tour. – Kaylashoe
35. Visit Stonehenge
Alanna.holloway was disappointed by Stonehenge
In the afternoon I went out to Stonehenge which was on my to do list before i left the UK. This was actually pretty disappointing – it is an amazing monument but you can’t actually get anywhere neat it and you can’t walk through it. Also there are tourists everywhere. oh well – still was something I had to do. – Alanna.holloway
36. Shop at Portobello Road Market
Jennie's Portobello Road Market treasures
First stop was Portobello Road Market! The holy grail of all flea markets/antique shops. The road went on for blocks and blocks and we didn’t see all of it, much less all of the shops along the road. – Jennie
37. Explore London’s sites, sounds and fun stuff
Ethansamjencol visits Tower Bridge
After lunch we caught the river boat town to tower bridge (much to Ethans delight) and then did a tour of London Bridge. We also saw it open right up and let a cruise ship through. – Ethansamjencol
38. Try the Amsterdam cafes and brownies
Ksunderhill tried the space cake and lived to tell the tale
Two hours and 1 and a half space cakes later, chocolate was the winner in my book, we or at least I am completely in my happy place. Must say this is just what I remember from college, totally relaxed, feeling like I am floating. Trying to type right is posing a very challenging task. – Ksunderhill
39. Gamble in Las Vegas
Semi-backpacker's friend, Caro gambles in Vegas
Caro gambled a big $1.00 and I gambled a whopping $5.00. Hey, like I said, we were on a budget! – Semi-backpacker
40. See the Grand Canyon by helicopter
Brent-n-toby over the Grand Canyon in a helicopter
Our helicopter ride took us into the canyon below the rim level, the drop as you pass the edge of the canyon is spectacular, one minute you are skimming the trees then the ground just drops away as you swoop down the canyon. – Brent-n-toby
This is part three of a 10 part series that will feature some of our users’ inspiring travel goals.
A while ago, whereshegoes started a forum discussion about 100 things to do before you die. Here’s part of the list that was cobbled together with help from the rest of the TravelPod community. What would you add to it?
21. Watch the sun rise from the middle of the ocean
Q09elle's photo of a sunrise over the Pacific Ocean
There is something about water that calms people, or maybe it’s just me. Yes, I need water to survive, but there`s something more than that to me about ocean … This is a view from a town called Kozu. It is close to Odawara, if anyone is familiar with that area. – Q09elle
22. See a wild tiger
It's fuzzy, but that's a real wild tiger that Indianature captured in this photograph
Taking a last peek through our binoculars before we left, we heard Prema cry out that the tiger was under a tree. What sharp eyes she has. Sure enough, there it was, sprawled majestically under a tree barely a few metres away from the calf. Perhaps the tiger had been there all along while we were up. Perhaps not, or the crows would not have come near. Nor was there any tell tale animal smell. All excited, we stayed put, eyes glued to the binocs. – Indianature
23. Smell the sweetest flower
Richardbarrow88 had a chance to smell sweet flowers in Bangkok
Even if you cannot get here for the flower festival, the park is a refreshing break from the city and a chance for you to refresh your lungs and smell something beautiful for a change. – Richardbarrow88
24. Help/volunteer at an elephant sancutary
Beka feeding elephants at a sanctuary in Thailand
Basically I had a great time and I loved working with the elephants. It may sound like an obvious things to say but they really are big! Majestic, intelligent and very funny to watch and I can understand why people go back year after year. – Beka
25. Learn to surf
Romero on their honeymoon in Australia learning to surf
I got up on the board and I was actually riding the wave! It was so cool! I was the first one of the day to get up and actually ride the wave. I fell off close to shore and it wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be. The hardest part was getting back out to the deeper water where everyone was. I kept getting POUNDED by the waves as they would crash on me, and they would send me back underwater. – Romero
26. Grow a tree
Eddakath planted trees on the barren hills of China
I seriously can not remember once in my entire life ever being asked to plant a tree on Arbor Day nor do I actually ever remember hearing about Arbor Day until I moved to China. – Eddakath
27. Fly in a bi-plane
Jenandjeffmilum in the pilot's seat in New Zealand
It’s amazing that in NZ you can get into a two seat open cockpit high-performance stunt plane and in a few minutes you are not just flying the plane, but are actually doing rolls and loops. The thrill of flying his own stunt maneuvers made this a highlight of the trip for Jeff. The flight was capped off by the stunt pilot taking back the controls and taking the plane through his repertoire of crazy stalls, rolls, upside down flying, and five-g loops. Too much fun. – Jenandjeffmilum
28. Visit a nude beach
Chattermouth visited a nudist colony in Australia
The next day we took a day trip to a local commune, complete with a nude beach, meditation centre and vegetarian café. I happily participated in all three, but I’ll spare you the details. About 200 people reside in this totally self-contained community-dreadlocks and unleashed hounds seemed to be a requisite for membership. But the food was excellent, I had homemade pumpkin and almond pie. Yum. Later on, we lazily floated down a river in inner tubes. Relaxation at its finest. – Chattermouth
29. Go on a round the world adventure
Krissy before she embarks on her round the world trip
Well the time I was anxiously waiting for had come, my backpack was packed (now that was a challenge!) and I was ready to go, at least that’s what I was telling myself! - Krissy
30. Be in Ireland for St. Patrick’s Day
Maw922 on St. Patrick's Day in Dublin
St. Patrick’s Day activities were very interesting in Dublin. It is true that bigger celebrations are held overseas in America. The parade was not as big as I thought it would be and there were a lot of American bands that played in it and I did not see any Irish dancing or hear any Irish music. – Maw922
This is part one of a ten part series that will feature some of our users’ inspring travel goals.
A while ago, whereshegoes started a forum discussion about 100 things to do before you die. Here’s part of the list that was cobbled together with help from the rest of the TravelPod community. What would you add to it?
11. Accept my weaknesses
Travoholic has accepted one of her weaknesses
She went through my application form, questioning some of the answers I’d given and trying to gauge my opinion on certain things. There was a little knowledge quiz which I aced and all seemed to be going great. UNTIL… my weakness! Common sense! The problem is that I am well known for not having much of it. So eventually the interview rolls around to ‘what if’ and scenario type questions. I think I must have come across as the most indecisive person in the world, flip flopping back and forth with every new point my interviewer raised. – Travoholic
12. Have a good relationship with my mom
Katieontherun with her mom on a cruise
My Mom won a cruise and decided to take me along. We never would have dreamed of buying cruise tickets, but since we got a free ride, we made sure we enjoyed it as well! – Katieontherun
13. Learn Aikido
Everardt participating in an Aikido seminar in Floridia
On the weekend I attended an Aikido seminar. It felt great to be able to move the body and mind again as I have for so many years. It’s very funny training Aikido in Italy – you kiss the instructors and the other students, the lunch break is 4 hours and you go and have a full meal with wine, beer, grappa, etc. – Everardt
14. Find true inner peace
Tompsblogs found peace in Maaloula, Syria
Stripped of opulence and spared of vastness, this small place seemed almost to speak directly to my soul, filling me with peace. Indeed, for the first time since my reluctant Catholic childhood, I found myself humbled into dabbing my forehead with the Holy Water in a Benediction of sorts. High praise indeed I should say from someone who generally considers himself an atheist. – Tompsblogs
15. Learn how to fly a plane.
Liammichelle got to fly the plane over Victoria Falls
Sometimes it is worth getting up before the sun, for Michelle it is a half hour micro-light trip over Vic Falls. Without a doubt her best experience, Michelle found herself free and exposed as she flew over the falls. It was the closest thing to having wings! Brilliant way to see one of the natural wonders of the world, the spray, Livingstone Island, Zambezi River and various posh hotels. Then flew over Long Island and saw giraffes, hippos, crocodiles, zebras and even a bird and her chicks in a nest. They are look pretty small from above. Having told the pilot that she’d done a few flying lessons, he let her take control, that was it, her trip was made! – Liammichelle
16. Parasail
Gonetilwhenever parasailing at Airlie Beach
We were strapped into the harness and then attached to the Parachute. A few tips and safety checks later we were airborne. We shot out to full extension, about 30 meters above the water, and straight away decided to invert so that we were hanging upside down, with nothing but the harness holding us in – it was pretty scary letting go that first time, praying that the harness would hold! – Gonetilwhenever
17. Dive the Great Barrier Reef
Danielandrachel dove the Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is stunning and an excellent place to dive, the corals are beautiful and there is an abundnce of marine life ranging from tropical fish including clown fish (nemo), rays, sharks, turtles, cuttle fish, eels and even a whale shark which unfortunately I did not get to see. – Danielandrachel
18. See Bob Dylan live
Lizconnie attends a free Bob Dylan concert in San Sebastian, Spain
The middle of August brings a huge jazz festival, but while i was there, the city was building its way up there!! A free Bob Dylan concert on the beach added to the hippy style of this town. – Lizconnie
19. Run A Marathon
Cezzah ran the London Marathon
One word to describe the marathon – hot. It was frickin boiling, there were people dropping like flies all over the place. – Cezzah
20. Get married
Coryandlaura got married in Florence
The music played as my father walked me into the most beautiful, historic room. Paulie and Christina were our witnesses and were standing off to the side of the Vice Mayor’s desk. The entire room was bathed in red and gold. Gilded mirrors and antique tapestries decorated the walls. Ben stood as our translator next to the Vice Mayor who wore the colors of Italy across his chest. My grandfathers bible lay next to our rings on the Vice Mayors desk. Daddy gave me away and Cory gladly accepted. It was all perfect. I couldn’t stop smiling. The ceremony was dignified. The Vice Mayor married us in Italian and Ben translated. Stefano and our family took millions of photos. We signed paperwork and then started all of the wedding photos. – Coryandlaura
This is part one of a ten part series that will feature some of our users’ inspring travel goals.
A while ago, whereshegoes started a forum discussion about 100 things to do before you die. Here’s part of the list that was cobbled together with help from the rest of the TravelPod community. It’s not complete, so what would you add to it?
1. Swim with dolphins
Lindsaym getting ready to go swimming with dolphins
It was so amazing! It was just like a normal dive with coral around the sides and lots of fish, but 2 of the dolphins were free in the area and would come and swim along with us, leave, come back, swim in between us. AWESOME!!! At the end we knelt in the sand and they both came down and were swimming in and out of us, all around, diving down over our heads, everything! It was such a cool experience to be kneeling on the sand at 60ft and petting dolphins as they swam by!! – Lindsaym
2. Climb a mountain one evening, stay there all night and watch the sun rise in the morning.
Brendonjohnson at the top of Hua Shan Mountain
Several hours ago, death loomed on this peak; now, brilliance is its gift. I sit; marvel at the sunrise. Bright, fiery red-orange; crayon yellow; brilliant tangerine; all enclosed in a small streak in the sky. Small, like a wound starting to heal. Slowly the colors merge with the cotton-ball clouds, a light, subtle pink ascending, the sun’s rays inflating the sky. The mountain’s reward. Relief. – Brendonjohnson
3. Fall in love
Mette falls in love with... a koala
So last week I met someone really special.. His name is David. (What is it about men called David??) As soon as I saw him my heart skipped a beat and I knew this was special. We were introduced and as soon as I held him in my arms and he dug his claws into my shoulders I knew my heart would always belong to him. – Mette
4. Visit a South American prison
Inoursuitcase visiting a former prison in Valparaiso, Chile
There is a cultural centre called Ex-Carcel that is a public creative space in an old prison high up on the hill. This space has loads of potential. There was graffiti/artwork murals covering all the walls, an experimental circus school, a trapeze and some props around. A giant adult playground. When we visited there was a game of football (soccer) in motion and a trio of performance artists had laid out Turkish style rugs and were practicing their art within the prison walls. You could glance in at the old prison cells and imagine what it would have been like to be in a South American prison cell. – Inoursuitcase
5. Climb Machu Picchu
Nixb at the top of Machu Picchu
We had to climb a mountain for about an hour, I had forgotten what it was like walking in jungle humidity but made it up to the first stop only about 5 mins after most of the others had got there, both Siggie ( the Belgian girl) and I took it at our own pace. Fortunately at this point there was a really refreshing cool breeze blowing which made the whole climbing thing so much easier! We had a break at a great view spot where Leo told us a bit about the history of the Incas and the Spanish Conquest. After that we continued on stopping everynow and then at a little village to buy more water or eat some fruit from the trees. It was a beautiful walk through banana plantations, villages, coca plantations, across lots of little streams and waterfalls and along the side of the mountain. – Nixb
6. Live in another country for at least a couple of years
Chimmie13 volunteered with the Peace Corps in Paraguay
So I’ve survived my first week in South America…outhouse…bucketbaths and all. I think I’m actually getting better at it if that is at all possible. The food is not bad… I just have to be careful how much well water and terere I drink because they don´t always sit well if you know what I mean! – Chimmie13
7. Meet the Dalai Lama
Djchurch saw the Dalai Lama in Tibet
The first thing I noticed about the Dalai Lama was his voice. He had a strong, gentle, and intelligent voice. It was an impressive voice, like that of a president, pope, freedom fighter and diplomat all at once (which I suppose he is depending on your opinion). – Djchurch
8. Have children
Patgower's daughter in Shanghai
We went to CIW after lunch and found Travis-finally! I got to hug my big, handsome son. He was going to the train station back in Guangzhou to pick up Melissa!! YAY! She came down from Shanghai on the train-neat experience, blahblahblah. 18 hours on a train is not an experience, it’s a lifetime. She was supposed to be in about 3:30. Really. We waited over an hour-many phone calls back and forth between Travis and Melissa. He couldn’t understand why his sister would want to ride a train and we were getting nervous because the dinner was at 6 p.m. Finally we see her and I am so glad to see my daughter after 8 months! We really attract attention now-three blonde foreigners all together! – Patgower
9. Live in Asia
Tranquillize left Canada for Thailand
Well, after years of contemplating where in the world I should move to, I have finally decided to move to Thailand . I spent 6 weeks touring around southeast Asia in April/May and I loved it! Part of my reasoning for that trip was to scout out possible places to live; I loved everywhere I went but Thailand was the place I ultimately chose. – Tranquillize
10. Overcome my fears.
Katrina overcame her fear of the Laos zipline
I lasted two seconds after I jumped off!! I couldn’t grip the handle properly and I back flopped (yes I did say back flopped) into the water with the crowd going oooooohhhhhhhhhhhh. After a coughing up a lung full of water I attempted to doggy paddle to the side but the wind had definitely been taken out of me. – Philandkatrina
I made this video last spring. Basically, it’s just me fooling around with a Flip Video camera and talking about writing techniques that can help you improve your travel blog.
Toben and his roommates were so welcoming, it was the friends we made in Maui that really set the island apart from the others. With them, we visited a spectacular blowhole fueled by massive waves, played improvised music at the Fuzz Box studio, and had a private sunset zip-line tour. – Kristint
2. Rain forest sledding, Ocho Rios, Jamaica
2technocavers on a bobsled through the rainforest
I couldn’t take pictures until we were at the end of the ride- wheeee! was it ever fast! – 2technocavers
3. Crocodile close-ups, Darwin, Australia
Elijah holding a crocodile at Crocosaurus Cove
You pay big bucks to be lowered in a cage to swim with the BIG BOYS (Saltwater crocs). Not much action today from the crocs but you can see the scratches on the cage where they have obviously given it a go in the past. It’s a fairly good park although I’m not sure it’s worth what you pay. Seen a lot of the same stuff at a couple of the other places we’ve visited lately too. One novelty is a cage that you can get up underneath and look up at the croc through glass domes so can look face to face with them. Kids enjoyed this. They do the standard feed the crocs try and make them jump out of the water… they seemed pretty sluggish to me. There’s a pretty good reptile walk through area and also a museum of stuffed crocs all the different types from around the world which was interesting comparing them all. Think I might nearly be over crocs! – Drownsroundaus
Adrenaline Pumping Theme Parks
4. Kings Island, Ohio
Jimho enjoyed Kings Island with his family
There were so many cool rides at Kings Island we could have spent another day there easily. There was a couple of indoor rides that really surprised us, one was a indoor coaster and another was the Tomb Raider ride which went pitch black then flipped us upside down a few times. – Jimho
5. Six Flags Magic Mountain
Tatsu rollercoaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain
For our second day in LA, we went to Six Flags Magic Mountain, which is a huge themepark (apparently one of the best anywhere). While it was a Sunday, it was actually fairly empty (I was expecting it to be packed seeing as it was a weekend). Quite a few of the rides had virtually no queue at all which was pretty cool. I did as many of the rides as possible in the time available, and they were all awesome – needless to say they were a million times better than what Rainbows End has to offer back home! – Marksadventures
The Canadian Council of Learning has released their annual list of Canada’s Smartest Cities. If you’re into culture, and are traveling to Canada soon, make sure you check this list out before you go. Rankings on the list are judged by the quality of cultural, sport and educational activities in each city.
1. Calgary
Rossport's friend Nancy at Fort Calgary
“We went inside the information hall and well I have to say this would have to be one of the best displays of old lifestyles I have seen on this trip. The entrance fee was for once well worth the money, it was not crammed so much that you soon lost interest. You actually enjoyed wandering around reading each section’s story and its relation to the fort and Calgary.” – Rossport
2.Victoria
Tomdart07 learning about botany in Victoria
Today we visited the Butchart Gardens, a quite famous botanical garden established by a BC landowner over a century ago on the grounds of a quarry. The place is set up to be a gardner’s Disney World, with four main areas, restaurants, gift shops, and the like. Aside from that aspect, it is quite scenic, colorful, and fragrant. – Tomdart07
3. Saskatoon
Mgraveli checking out the art scene in Saskatoon
After food we started to wander around taking photos and then we ran into a random local gallery called the Art du Jus. It was an art gallery that was really abstract and played with a lot of different pieces of what normal people would think was garbage. But the greatest part of the gallery was a man by the name of Ric Pollock. An artist since a very young age and a native Saskatonian. Beth and I spent two hours just talking to him learning about the local art community and about his life. He is an artist who lives in a village of 8 people, in a house where he pays no rent or taxes and is a truck driver when he needs extra cash. After Art du Jus we went to the Mendel art gallery. Popular among locals here this gallery mixes modern art with recyclable art as well as what they called school art (art done by kids and teenagers) and a studio where we could create our own art. – Mgraveli
4. Guelph, Ontario
Wkfoster pulling pranks on the U of G campus
The study bit goes without saying. Lectures everyday with lots of exams and assignments to do. This semester alone I’ve ended up with 16 exams, so I’ll definitely be glad to see the end of all of them. – Wkfoster
5. Barrie, Ontario
It's in French, but Pyg69 loved the mountain bike trails near Barrie, Ontario
Belle petite découverte ces trails de Barrie (1h au nord de toronto).. Beau réseau de single tracks, ultra bien entretenu, plusieurs north-shores et bascules, et quelques descentes à faire.. marcher ou passer par dessus l’guidon. Définitivement un “Must” si vous passez dans l’coin… – Pyg69
6. Ottawa
Danfa enjoying Spring, festivals and museums in Ottawa
Last weekend we went to the Canadian Tulip Festival. And according to the fantastic and always true and accurate source wikipedia, it claims to be the biggest tulip festival in the world with 300,000 tulip bulbs throughout the city. It comes from Canada’s involvement in the Netherlands during WWII and their sheltering of the royal family in Ottawa…. We have also been seeing a fair few things lately we are doing the rounds of the museums, there are lots of really good ones here we have been to the Museum of Civilization which is on the Quebec side of the river in Gatineau and the Museum of Nature. We have really enjoyed them both and like learning about a different culture. Still to come is the Science and Technology Museum and a tour of Parliament Hill. - Danfa
7. Regina
Scoonpooh at the RCMP Museum in Regina
But the museum was so cool, we ended up spending most of the afternoon. It had history, artifacts, dioramas, and videos. The 30 min. movie was one of the best documentaries I have seen in a museum. Then we had an excellent one hour walking tour of the academy. The museum itself has 6 areas and each one took around 30 min. So if your ever in Regina, come here. – Scoonpooh
8. Kitchener, Ontario
Jose at a Waterloo football game
Football. My second game ever, I think. Really it was about the alumni tent and running into all kinds of random faces that we mostly recognized. Every now and again we’d look up to see the score. We knew enough to cheer when people in the stands were cheering. – Jose
9. Edmonton
Mgraveli was shocked by the Wild Alberta exhibit at the Royal Alberta Museum
I was determined to see inside the museum after arriving too late the day before to see in. It cost me $10 dollars to go in. The museum was modern and the exhibits were OK till I got to the Aboriginal exhibit. It was so blunt about the current situation of the Canadian aboriginal people it took me by surprise. It talked about the drug and alcohol abuse along with the lack of education in the community. To think about it the Wild Alberta exhibit also talked about how it is difficult to balance the environment with the economy in Alberta. Welcome to Conservative country! – Mgraveli
10. Kelowna, B.C.
Canadianjulie exploring Mission Hill Winery
I had come to Kelowna for one main reason: to visit a winery. Having missed the ones in California’s Napa and Sonoma Valleys, I was comforted to know I could visit a local Canadian one instead. Amid the hundreds that are in the Okanagan Valley, I chose Mission hill based on several recommendations. But I soon discovered that getting there would be no easy feat without a car, not that this fact would stop me, especially because I had no other plans while I was here. So I rode the three necessary buses, waiting for the long connections between each, and walked 1.5 km uphill along Mission Hill Road. Two and a half hours later, I was there. Extremely picturesque, the Mission Hill Family estate winery sits atop a hill, looking out onto the Okanagan Lake and the mountains behing it. The architecture was rebuilt in the 1990s to mimic European styles and blends in perfectly with the surrounding landscape. – Canadianjulie
Some of the most beautiful places in the world are also sacred religious sites. TravePod bloggers have visited some of that are simply incredible. Here are 10 of them.
1. Jagannatha
Puri, India
Jagannath was Rbair's favourite Hindu god
The cool part of Puri is that they worship Lord Jagannath, Lord of Chaos, Destruction, and Loose Change. Unlike all the other hindu gods, he doesn’t really have a shape or body. He is literally just a smiley face. So they draw smiley faces on things and are like “OMG! it is Lord Jagannath!” As we neared his main temple Jagannath Mandir, we saw the beginnings of their construction of the juggernaut chariot thingy. It is amazing. The size of this is beyond comprehension. For a little estimation stuff here, this cart is pulled by 4,000 people to make it move. Big. – Rbair
2. Cathedral of St. Mary of Zion
Aksum, Ethiopia
Donna321 visited the Ethiopian Orthodox cathedral
Though we couldn’t access the old church (men only) which is located adjacent to the small building which is said to contain the Ark of the Covenant (only one monk has access to its specific location and is charged with the duty of guarding it until his death), we were lucky to witness a beautiful Lenten procession taking place around the new church. After a tour of the new one-room museum located at the church, which houses a number of crowns, robes and other Ethiopian royal paraphernalia, we were treated to a viewing of an ancient bible, which we were told we were extremely lucky to see since it will supposedly soon never be seen again by the public, as priests are currently in the process of creating a copy for viewing. – Donna321
3. Sri Harmandir Sahib
Amritsar, India
P.rajesh attended a 4 a.m. ritual at The Golden Temple
The famed transportation of the Palki (the palanquin) is indeed special. The Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikhs is carried from the Akal Takht, its resting place for the night, to the Harmandir Sahib at 4 in the morning – the process gets reversed at day-end with similar fervour and fanfare. The surreal serenity of the Gurudwara’s premises, with the dull gold reflecting in the still waters of the lake, combined with the soothing chants of the Prabhat Pheri (morning prayers) – all this makes for an experience you would never want to miss, and something that will find a place in your heart, irrespective of your communal leanings, or even the lack of any. – P.rajesh
4. Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Mexico City, Mexico
Mebiner attended the feast for the Solemnity of the Virgin Mary
One of the best parts of our visit to the shrine was watching the traditional dancers outside the church in the grand plaza. There was a sort of religious dance of men in cowboy hats holding crosses and wearing sequinned capes depicting the Virgin Mary. A few steps away was a traditional Aztec group dancing to thunderous drumming. – Mebiner
5. Shatrunjaya Hill
Palitana, India
Killucan2 inside one of the many shrines
Reaching the top we were stunned by what we saw. the buildings were like wedding cakes and nothing seemed real, the carvings and craftsmanship was amazing. Apparantly the temples were built in the 11th century but were torn down by the muslims in the 14th and 15th centuries before being rebuilt in the 16th century. – Killucan2
6. Sri Pada
Sri Lanka
Salcat watches pilgrims ring the bell at the top of the mountain
Adam’s Peak (Sri Pada) is Sri Lanka’s 5th highest peak in the at 2243m, but it is one of the most celebrated places of pilgrimage. Every religion seems to have their own reasons to worship this mountain: – Buddhist: – there is a depression at the top which is claimed to be the sacred footprint – of Buddha himself. Muslim: – they claim the footprint is that of Adam, who first set foot on earth and had to stand on one leg in pentinence until his sins were forgiven. Hindu: – they claim the footprint was created by Shiva. Christian: – the colonial Portuguese claimed that the footprint belonged to St Thomas, the founder of the religion in India. – Salcat
7. Mecca
Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Pura_vida's makeshift outfit to wear at Mecca
Amazing to be here! This is the first and original mosque to have ever been built. We believe it to have been ordered of Abraham to be built at this location by God. This is the culmination of a lot of anticipation in every Muslim´s life! - Pura_vida
8. Western Wall
Jerusalem
Jimmyrh at the Western Wall
Today, we walked through the tunnel under the Western Wall. A friend had given me a prayer on a small piece of paper and asked me to place it in the wall as we visited, and I did so. I watched the deep devotion of many faithful jewish men and women and learned the history of this holy hill, the Temple Mount. - Jimmyrh
9. Mount Athos
Greece
Stellios knows everything about going to Mount Athos
Mount Athos, known in Greece as the Holy Mountain, is a peninsula in Halkidiki, north Greece containing 20 monasteries. Although the peninsula of Mount Athos is part of Greece, it enjoys certain autonomy. The region is governed by the “Holy community” under the ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. Only men are permitted to enter Mount Athos. The rule, known as the “ABATON”, forbids access to Mount Athos by any female and is enforced by law. In accordance with the procedures established by the Holy Community foreigners must obtain a written permit to visit Mount Athos from the “Mount Athos Office”.- Stellios
10. Bodh Gaya
Bodh Gaya, India
Travelingamanda found Bodh Gaya to be like "Buddha Disneyland"
My (possibly scamming) tour guy with the motorcycle took me to the Mahabodi Temple. This is THE temple of Buddhism as it commemorates the spot where the Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree in 663 BC. The temple was built in the 6th Century AD atop the site of a temple that was erected by Emperor Ashoka 800 years earlier (200 BC). However, amazingly, there are still railings that surround the site that date from 184-72 BC. Clearly, this is cool (and old) Buddha shit. – Travelingamanda
Lots of different companies are coming out with travel-friendly computers these days. But do they work? Here are a couple of blogs from real-life travelers who used these products on the road.
Asus EeePC
Yanksatlarge at the Madrid Airport
It has limited storage and minimal programs, BUT, what it DOES have that makes it SO attractive to people on the go are the features that you really need; the following features are built in! >>> Wifi (that works better than ANY computer that I have used), stereo speakers, Web cam, 3 USB slots, 1 SD card slot, head phone & mic jacks, Ethernet jack, and external monitor plug. Remember, all this is packed into 7 x 9 inches … that’s little. It cost $400! - Yanksatlarge
Dell Mini 9
Neonguy was not happy with the Dell Mini 9
Day of Departure… still trying to get the Dell Mini 9 mini computer to work properly so I can actually remain gainfully employed. The Dell Mini 9 is great for weight but constantly locks up, crashes and freezes when adding software. it won’t perform. Now I wish I had just forked out for an Airbook. – Neonguy
Acer Aspire One
Patrickscott loves his Acer Aspire
I pulled out my netbook (Acer Aspire One with Limpus Linux- love it) and attempted to connect wirelessly to the net and… could not access Travelpod! At the DFW Airport, to access the net wirelessly one must have a account with ATT mobile! - Patrickscott
MSI Wind
Retinr enjoyed his MSI Wind
Also, as a Xmas present to myself I bought a new small and light weight portable computer to take on the trip. It is a MSI Wind Notebook. Besides having a computer to view DVD movies on my many airline flights and have web access where there is wifi availability, I wanted to have a way to upload photos from my camera to this travel blog day by day. – Retinr
This list comes from the Daily Telegraph, by way of TravelPod Local Expert, introducinlyric.
1. Historical sailing
The James Craig in the tall boat festival
Today we had a lovely time eyeing out the boats at the wooden boat festival. Some of the tall ships were there….The Young Endeavour, “James Craig” and a pirate ship with no name. – Karana
2. Jet-boating
Dallbrooke on the Harbour Jet in Sydney
The Harbour Jet ride was amazing. It was similar to the Shotover Jet in Queensland, NZ that I had braved as a kid on a family holiday. Mum: You’ll be glad to hear that there were no jagged rock faces in sight – phew! I got completed soaked to the sound of music blasting from the boat which was fun at the time but as I met up with Bec and her friend later that day for a night out I wasn’t exactly looking great with my matted, salty hair! – Dallbrooke
3. Fabulous ferries
Anniebanany on a ferry to Darling Harbour
I took the ferry from CQ to Darling Harbour. The travel pass that I bought is so handy for jumping on and off ferries, trains and buses. Mine will be worn out by the end of the week! – Anniebanany
4. Harbour cruising
Billy-123 on a cruise in Sydney
I had quite a good day today, for we went on two boats (both were great).The first one – which was called Captain Cook Cruises - was really good because we went on a harbor cruise around Sydney. It told you about the places we saw, my favourite place the special rock, where they hanged a man and left his skeleton swaying in the wind as a warning to others - only for 4 years : > ( . – Billy-123
5. Paddle power
Phillypheet suited up for kayaking
Of course the guide decided to give Kirsten and I the double kayak – I have never used a double and Kirsten has never kayaked so it was an interesting start to say the least (we may have collided with a boat or two). We did get the hang of it though and although we ended up soaking wet and got stuck on a sandbank, it was a lovely time. – Phillypheet
Being the web’s original travel blogging site, TravelPod has provided a platform for travel enthusiast to keep track of and share their experiences for almost 12 years now. The site has grown organically through our strong community and we have added tons of great features over the years.
But recently, we’ve started to hear some grumbling from our rookie TravelPodders about the steep learning curve involved with getting a blog started.
And that was our main focus for this project (along with some other goodies).
Keeping everything our bloggers have come to love about TravelPod and making it more accessible to those that are just getting started on the site.
So what’s new:
Completely overhauled interface
We’ve taken all the best parts of the tools you use to create your blog and polished them off adding handy shortcuts where ever possible.
Speed improvements
Starting from scratch always has benefits and you should notice that all the pages load much more quickly. We’ve also used some clever tricks to avoid having to refresh an entire page just to make a small change.
Itinerary builder
It’s now ridiculously easy to add map pins for all those places you plan to visit so you can concentrate on writing and uploading pictures while you’re on the road.
A new Dashboard
This will be the hub of all things TravelPod with easy access to everything. This page has been designed to grow over time so new features will fit seamlessly into your workflow.
And so much more…
- Filter your list of entries to quickly find a specific entry
- A huge trip map that you can use while researching your trip or for
- A new and improved story editor with some great advanced features
- Improved photo weaving right next to the editor for a little inspiration
- Completely overhauled address book
- Profile picture cropping so you can nicely frame your face
- Fully customizable Send Entry notifications emails
- An inline help system and form validation
We want everyone to be able to share their great travel stories with the world and we really hope that these changes let them do that with a little more ease.
And this is only the beginning. Be sure to let us know what you think about the changes and we’ll be sure to continue to improve based on your feedback.
Nixsboys shared this list of the best and least known beaches in the British Isles. Have you been swimming at any of them?
1. Sennen Cove, Cornwall
Inadar hiked through Sennen Cove
We selected the Cornwall region and hiked from St. Ives to the Lands End. We completed this trail of approximately 35 kms over three days. This is among my most memorable trips. – Inadar
2. Botany Bay, Kent
Theskinners on Botany Bay
Our Friend Julie came to see us while on her 2008 European vacation.We tried to keep her busy with showing her the sights around Kent. We took her to Lily’s favorite beach (Botany Bay). – Theskinners
3.Rhossili Bay, Swansea
Joeychiken enjoyed the beach at Rhossili
The next day Nik took me on one of his Welsh ‘walks’ in Rhossili on the Gower Peninsula. The views were spectacular but the walking got a bit hairy as the cliffs got steeper. – Joeychiken
4.Barafundle Bay, Pembrokeshire
Mangyan sitting on Barafundle Beach
Home of Tom Jones, The Osmoundes and C. Zeta Jones. – Mangyan
5. Downhill, Co Londonderry
Theskinners find themselves at another beach in Londonderry
This place was strange. An abandoned house in ruin and a temple straddling the cliff’s edge. – Theskinners
6.Lettergesh Beach, Co Galway
Crowbar took a weekend trip to Galway
Sunday morning. Bright and early were up and headed for coastal region of Galway County. Not long until we hit beautiful Lettergesh beach. We get out of the car and take a walk along the shore just to soak it all in. – Crowbar
7.Sango Bay, Sutherland
Stevea freezing on a beach in Scotland
Durness has 4 or 5 of the nicest beaches in Scotland. Too cold for a swim of course. Especially considering there was snow settling on the sands of the beach. A strange paradox that was. Beach and snow! Only in Scotland I guess! The beaches are great – by any standard. - Stevea
8. Calgary Bay, Argyll and Bute
Travelmonster's friends in the cold water at Calgary Bay
I wanted to walk along the beach and paddle in the sea. The water was frreeeeeezing! It was cold and I mean so cold that it made your bones ache cold. – Travelmonster
