Item #16


“To travel is to take a journey into yourself.”

– Danny Kaye

If there is one thing that every kid dreams about being when they are older it’s an astronaut. The appeal of be able to travel outside our world and into the great unknown is every kid’s goal at one point. Space, even now, still fascinates everyone to some extent. The universe is so incredibly large and complex that it is just hard not to wonder. But to become an astronaut and to truly experience space is grueling work. One must go through rigorous training and extensive practice, to even be considered in traveling up into space. And even then, it is not always a guarantee. However, to still fulfill this kid dream of mine of being an astronaut item number sixteen on my bucket list is to experience zero gravity.

There are many ways to experience zero gravity, but, unfortunately, the only one that is offered to the public for a fairly reasonable price is by plane. The zero gravity of space is simulated by the plane flying a series of parabolic flight maneuvers that counter the forces of gravity and allow the passengers to experience no gravity. The airplane is essentially flying up and over hills, creating pockets where gravity seems to just disappear and everything inside the plane begins to float. The duration of weightlessness during each parabolic maneuver is approximately 10 seconds. Which may not seem like a lot time, but it actually is when adding everything up all together. A typical zero gravity flight consists of approximately 10 parabolas, giving the passenger roughly two minutes of total weightlessness

When researching possible packages and places to experience zero gravity, one company kept on popping up, Zero Gravity Corporation. The Zero Gravity Corporation offers the “Zero-G Experience” package, which includes includes 15 parabolas, a ZERO-G flight suit, other ZERO-G merchandise, and a photos or video of the experience. However, this package was extremely expensive, which caused me to find another company instead, Zero Gravity U.S.A.. Zero Gravity U.S.A. uses similar techniques as Zero Gravity Corporation, however, the trip is in you own personal plane. So rather than being on a plane with ten other people, Zero Gravity U.S.A offers rides with just you, the pilot, and the “weightless coach”. This allows for a more personal experience, enabling you to be able to do somersaults and other flips and tricks with ease and comfort. Another advantage to the zero gravity package from Zero Gravity U.S.A. is the cost. Whereas Zero Gravity Corporation is $4,950 dollars per person, Zero Gravity U.S.A. is slightly less than $3,000 dollars per person, making the whole thing much more affordable.

However, the one downside to Zero Gravity U.S.A. is that the company is based out of Florida. Meaning that to experience zero gravity from the package offered by Zero Gravity U.S.A., one has to travel to Florida first. As a result, the price of gas and or the price of an airplane ticket will add onto the price of the package, therefore increasing the price of the overall trip. Personally, I have never made the drive to Florida even though I have family that lives there, so I would be more comfortable flying than driving. Unfortunately, as mentioned, this adds to the price. The average flight to Florida from Philadelphia is about $175 dollars. As a result, the total price of item number sixteen on my bucket list is $5,125 dollars.

Item #15


“No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home

and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.”

-Lin Yutang

Since having this blog, I have revealed a lot about myself. I have shared my likes and dislikes, parts of my childhood, plans for my future, etc. Now, I am going to get even more personal by sharing my dreams with you. At least what I think is a dream…

This might sound weird, especially since I haven’t provided relatively any context to the subject, but I can’t remember if I have rode an elephant before. I know when I was younger and used to go to the zoo often, I would ride the camels all the time. But I can’t remember if there was an attraction at my local zoo where I got to ride on top of an elephant or not. I have this vivid image in my head and I feel like I have, but I have no actual recollection of it. That is why I think this “memory” that I have of riding an elephant is nothing but a dream, that I somehow morphed into an actual memory. Yet, I’m still not entirely convinced because this “memory” has such a realness to it, that it doesn’t feel like a dream. Yet, I know it probably is one, since I have looked back at my zoo’s website and it says nothing about offering elephant rides to visitors. I even went as far as to look at every zoo’s website I have ever gone to, to see if they offered it instead, and still no luck. However, dream or not, my fifteenth item on my bucket list is too ride an elephant and or travel to the Savanna, preferably both. Like I mentioned earlier, I went to the zoo a lot when I was younger since both me and my sister were huge animal fanatics. We loved almost every animal there was and being able to see them at the zoo at a fairly close range was always so exciting. Even though I have grown up quite a bit since my younger years, I still love animals just the same and it would be amazing to see some of them actually up close and personal on a safari trip.

Now, safari trips can range widely in cost. It mostly depends on what you are doing, how long you are staying, and the level of luxury you are willing to pay. However despite all this, safari trips still are usually on the more expensive side, sometimes ranging from $800 to $1000 dollars a night. But a good way to save money and get a better deal is to go off-season for a safari trip. During this time, the weather is cooler, animal sightings are better, and prices are lower. Upon my research, the best off-season destination for a safari trip is South Africa during the May-July winter months. Here, I was able to find a trip at the Samara Private Game Reserve, a ten-suite lodge, that costs only $175 dollars per person per night. Although the reserve has only rhinos, cheetahs, antelopes, and zebras, there is an elephant park called the Addo National Elephant Park, that is just three hours away. Thus, checking off both parts to my bucket list item. A round trip flight to Johannesburg, South Africa which is the closest airport to the Reserve is only $1,167 dollars. In addition to the $175 dollars a night, if I were to stay there a total of five nights, then that would only cost $2,042 dollars. Which is pretty cheap considering that I could have been paying up to a $1000 dollars a night. A real dream come true!

Item #14


“I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake.

The great affair is to move.”

-Robert Louis Stevenson

Being in the midst of the current Rhetoric and Civic Life project, the Issues Brief and Advocacy assignment, reminded me of a project I did back in grade school that required similar passion and creativity. Way back when in fifth grade geography, when learning about the different types of land, we were assigned a project that required us to create an island of our own personal interest. This island could be and contain anything we wanted. So, for example, if you were a fan of candy you could create a candy island filled with cotton candy trees and chocolate waterfalls. With this island project everything was up for imagination.

Rather than go the creative route, I chose to base my island on one of my interests. As a result, little fifth grader me decided to create an environmentally-friendly island called “Recycle Island”. The island consisted of nothing but different environment initiatives, such as sustainable housing, wind and solar panel farms, and the most important, a proper recycling system. As you can tell, I was a wild fifth grader. But, honestly, this should come as no surprise since my Civic Issues Blog is also centered around the environment. From when I was little to now, the environment and nature, as a whole, have interested me greatly. It has played a big part of my life for a very long time and because of that many of my bucket list items pertain to it. Much like this one. Similar to visiting the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, number four on my bucket list, I plan on visiting the Amazon Rainforest for item number fourteen on my bucket list.

The Amazon Rainforest in South America, like the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, is also filled with a mosaic of ecosystems and a diverse range of vegetation and animal types. The Amazon Rainforest, which is known for being the largest rainforest on Earth, is estimated to have about 30 percent of the world’s species within its borders. Its biodiversity, or biological richness, is absolutely astounding! It would be a spectacular place to visit to experience all of the wildlife. And that is exactly what I hope to do some day.

From the research I have done the best time to visit the Amazon Rainforest is between the months of May and June. This is because May and June are midway between the rainiest months of the Amazon and the hottest driest ones. The most common way to experience the Amazon is at a ‘jungle lodge’. Most lodges feature private rooms, family-style meals and daily excursions, however, the rates and prices for these rooms vary wildly and seem to be costly. Fortunately, not far from the jungle is the city of Manaus, the region’s largest city and the quickest and easiest route into the jungle. Here, in this city lies many other housing options that are much more reasonable in price, therefore making things easier. As most items on my bucket list, the most convenient and cost-effective way of traveling is by airplane. The average price for a ticket to the Amazon Rainforest by flying into Manaus is about $1,747 dollars. The prices do appear to rise in late May, early June. However, the price is still reasonable at only $2,000 dollars.

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