Month: October 2022

Florence is a travel junky’s ideal destination with beautiful scenery and plenty of cultures to immerse oneself in. Florence is located in central Italy and serves as the capital city of the Tuscany region. Florence is well-known for its Renaissance art, architecture, and monuments, so there is no lack of sites to take in during one’s trip overseas.

Florence’s tourist season is predominantly during the sweltering hot summer months, so in hopes of avoiding crazy tourist crowds, one should consider visiting in May. Italian weather in May typically averages 76 degrees Fahrenheit which is the ideal weather to be outside (in my opinion).

The first stop of one’s tourist journey should be at the Uffizi Gallery which is a world-renowned museum constructed between 1560 and 1580. This gallery is home to magnificent paintings, sculptures, and statues produced by Leonardo, Rafaello, Michelangelo, Mantegna, and far many more. The art featured here are some of the most recognizable art pieces as they were completed by the best artists of the Renaissance period. Additionally, this gallery has a rooftop cafe that allows one to take in a panoramic view of the town while sipping on some Italian wine.

Additionally while in Florence, one has to visit the Giardino di Boboli or the Boboli Gardens which was first opened in 1766. The creators of this garden have found ways to keep this an interesting activity that builds consumer reliability, even though this garden may hardly change year-to-year. This garden is a great opportunity to casually stroll and take in the work of art that are the many exhibits of the Boboli Gardens. As a precaution, there are potentially 11 acres to explore so consider that before ambitiously committing to see it all, maybe wear some good walking shoes that day! Regardless after one visits the Boboli Gardens, treat yourself to some authentic, Italian gelato, it will be the cherry on top of a great time.

These gardens are impressive enough that hotels like the Four Seasons have elected to adopt this Tuscan garden style, with the Four Seasons Hotel Firenze. This hotel is breathtaking with an elegant display of traditional Italian features with painted ceilings, stained glass windows, and high-class dining. The attached pictures help display this sophistication. If one is willing to shell out a little bit of money, they can truly get the full experience. I mention that jokingly as this hotel is absurdly expensive starting at $3,000… a night. This is too expensive in my book currently but maybe when I’m rich this will be some mere chump change.

I hope that when all of us find the time to visit Florence we have our significant other or friends to get to explore everything this area has to offer. The I Renaioli sunset boat ride takes place via gondola and could be a great opportunity to avoid the crowds and see Florence from a whole new perspective. An activity like this is marketed towards couples on their honeymoons but is open and recommended to everyone, so try your best to squeeze this into one’s trip.

Overall, like most trips to Europe, Florence is unfortunately fairly pricey- especially if one visits during the months of the best weather- so tourists should be cautioned of some of the additional costs that are hiding behind the glamor of visiting many of these attractions.

Growing up, children in America are taught that Alaska strictly has polar bears and ice caps to offer, but Alaska is so much more with endless sites to see. Alaska is somewhere all Americans should visit at least once, especially in the summer, where the vegetation and sights are popping.

Denali National Park is the third largest National Park in the United States with six million acres of wildlife. Denali is home to hundreds of grizzly bears, wolves, reindeer, elk, and more than 167 different species of birds- this is an animal lover’s dream. The sights to take in here are absolutely breath-taking and picturesque. I cannot even imagine the sunsets here. Denali also has many Sled Dog Kennels which offers demonstrations and are home to many sled-pulling huskies. This national park also has North America’s highest mountain. It is very important that if one visits this park to follow all of Alaska’s rules and regulations to protect its pristene and wild environment for future generations. Alaska has laws such as the Leave No Trace (LNT) which attempts to prevent any littering.

Alaska is composed of more than 14 islands which allows for some great land and water activities. There are many opportunities to interact with this environment with the ability to kayak through a field of icebergs, go whale watching, cruise through sheltered channels in Southeast Alaska, visit Brooks Falls, and countless more.

In Anchorage, AK, one can go kayaking out on Spencer Lake which features glass, vibrant water and allows individuals to navigate around glaciers. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity as the Alaskan glaciers are melting due to rising temperatures associated with climate change. So this activity could be one that future generations may not get to experience, so it is very important to do this while one still can. Glacier Blue Kayak & Grandview Tour takes place at sunrise but is a 12-hour excursion as it requires scenic trainrides to and from this destination.

Seward offers an Eco-certified six-hour cruise of Kenai Fjords National Park where one can take in whales, other wildlife, and glaciers. While the catamaran navigates through many sheltered channels, there are information sessions taught by a National Park Ranger as well as food and drink designed to make this a fully immersive experience.

Katmai National Park provides sanctuary for brown bears, moose, caribou, red fox, wolf, lynx, fish, birds, river otter, mink, marten, weasel, porcupine, hare, beaver, birds of prey, snowshoe hair, red squirrel, and plenty more wildlife. Since one would visit Alaska in the summer, this is the perfect time since this is the Sockeye (red) salmon run where the fish return from the northern Pacific Ocean. Katmai’s website features a Bear Cam, which I would definitely recommend checking out at some point.

Overall, a trip to Alaska can be successfully completed while being environmentally friendly. The biggest focal point is the LNT rules that can ensure one’s trip is Eco-certified and does not leave Alaskan environment worse off than when one arrived. Alaska is beautiful and we must work to slow down the effects of climate change to ensure our future generations can to experience everything this state has to offer.

The Republic of Maldives is located in the northern Indian Ocean and is an archipelago consisting of twenty-six coral atolls. A trip to the Maldives must take place in the mid-summer so one can truly enjoy all this country has to offer. This country is well-known due to the overwater bungalows that make this an ideal vacation destination.

The overwater villas at Soneva Fushi are the epitome of paradise with endless amenities and opportunities to take in all these islands have to offer. As one can see from the image above, this villa offers “[a] private pool, overwater catamaran net, picturesque patio, and outdoor showers… a waterslide that leads straight to the ocean below” (Soneva Fushi). There would not be a need to leave this villa, you could spend your days basking in the sun and taking in all these islands have to offer.

This resort also features dolphin cruises, glass-blowing classes, snorkeling with manta rays, private beach dinners, beach tents, and dinner cruises, all designed to enhance your travel experience. This resort also offers charter boats to Vaadhoo Island which is a must-visit destination as well due to the bioluminescent waves as a result of biological phenomena. The living organisms present in the water are capable of lighting up the water, creating a breathtaking sight.

The Maldives is one of the poorest developing countries so it is important to engage with the locals of this location. Rice and fish harvesting are how many Maldivians stay afloat, so it is important to support this economy as much as possible at this time and branch outside of the resort. It is crucial to interact with the full-time residents to immerse oneself and learn through experience while here. I would make sure to visit some of the smaller islands here and chat with the residents, shop at their stores, and truly engage with the communities as a whole. There are many villages that offer a follow-along experience where tourists get to live a day in the life of a Maldivian which allows foreigners to get the true experience and see another way of life.

It is also important to note that the Maldives is known for the spectacular coral reefs that surround the island, therefore, before traveling you must pack some reef-safe sunscreen. It is very important for tourists to experience other locations without destroying the natural ecosystem that exists there.

The Maldives has to import all goods except for fish and rice as previously mentioned, so it is important to note that one must financially prepare that this is not a cheap destination. The resort is certainly not cheap with the lowest villa starting at $1,500 a night. Additionally, the flight to the Maldives is extremely time-consuming and runs a stiff price as it takes 25+ hours and ranges anywhere from $1,220 to $10,300- which only adds to the frontal price tag. Overall, the Maldives is an amazing vacation destination but it is very important to understand the upfront cost of visiting the islands.

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Hawaii has always been a bucket list destination for me. When I was young I pictured getting to dance with hula dancers, drinking out of a coconut with a tiny umbrella in it, while wearing a lei- and yes I would still definitely love to do these- but I have realized Hawaii has so much more to offer than just these stereotypical Hawaiian things. I have chosen Maui- no, not the character from Moana- to focus on as this is the second largest of the Hawaiian islands and my parents have been on a work trip without my sister and me here. Maui has so much to offer with world-famous beaches, mountains, whale-watching, breathtaking sunsets and sunrises, and volcanoes!

I would love to get to see a volcano with my own eyes as I have been taught about them for my whole life but have no perception of how large they actually are. I would love to hike up one of Maui’s five volcanoes for sunrise or sunset to witness two amazing things at once, this would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I know I could never forget. My parents took a bus up to the top of Haleakala (a volcano) for sunrise which my mom described as “an emotional experience”, so I will definitely have to experience this for myself. 

While in Maui, I also intend to go whale watching as I have also been fascinated with these creatures for my whole life. I could go on and on about why these animals are amazing-but I will spare you this time. I genuinely believe everyone needs to witness whales up close at least once in their lives to just earn newfound respect for them. There are many boat companies where individuals can buy tickets to get to experience this and even see a pod breaching the surface.

Another reason why Maui is a bucket list destination is Molokini, which is a small uninhabited island that provides a fabulous snorkeling destination for beginners with the opportunity to get up close and personal with Hawaiian wildlife. This trip would definitely be heavy in nature and engaging with the wild, so I understand being a tourist in Hawaii and other tropical islands can have unintended consequences on their ecosystems. A trip to Hawaii from the mainland can be tolling financially, and environmentally, whilst being extremely time-consuming as there are no direct flights from Pennsylvania to Maui. This trip would be extremely costly as most items in Hawaii have to be imported, making a pretty steep price tag on non-native goods and due to the required flights to actually reach the destination. I would say with the activities listed, I plan on visiting this destination in my mid-adulthood when my kids are old enough to actually enjoy and remember this trip whilst also enjoying the activities myself. Environmentally, a trip to Hawaii is not currently in the best interest due to the many hours of air travel and pollution, but hopefully, when it is finally time for my trip society has found more environmentally friendly alternatives to these polluting activities. From Philadelphia, this would be a 12+ hour flight, so I definitely would also need plenty of years to plan which movies to watch during this flight as you may only get to fly to Hawaii once in your life.