Complete List of the NEW Seven Wonders of the World

Complete List of the NEW Seven Wonders of the World

As I shared in Easter Island update, an organization has been taking votes for what should be considered the New Seven Wonders of the World. These seven wonders wouldn’t replace the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World, but instead a more contemporary list of places worthy of awe and wonder. Before we get to the …

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Backing Up Is Hard To Do

I spent the last few days doing nothing but burning DVDs. It was really boring and frustrating. I had a stack of 50 DVDs which I started with. About 20 of the 50 didn’t work properly. I purchased a smaller stack of 20 and about 6 of those didn’t work properly. I learned a valuable …

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The Fascinating Heads & Statues of Easter Island

Rapa Nui National Park - UNESCO World Heritage Site

Easter Island, also called Rapa Nui, is the most isolated island on Earth—it’s located 2,000 km from the nearest speck of land and 3,700 kilometers from the continental coast of Chile, and yet Easter Island has captivated the world. Famed for its stone heads—or moai, as they are known locally—the entirety of Easter Island is …

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Great Barrier Reef

Great Barrier Reef - UNESCO World Heritage Site, Australia

It’s hard to truly grasp the size Great Barrier Reef from the surface of the Earth. Unless you’re in a jumbo jet flying over the reef at 30,000 feet, you can’t see how big it is, and even in a jet, you can only see a fraction of it. The reef stretches a massive amount …

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Final Thoughts on Singapore

Before I move much further on in my trip, I should adhere to my “one country away” rule and give my final thoughts on Singapore. Singapore is the second country in which I have previously spent time prior to the start of my trip (the other being Taiwan). After my first trip to Singapore in …

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Man Without A Passport

Well, I managed to get my passport submitted and put in the queue. Going to the consulate was like my previous trips to US Embassies, which is to say it was a very weird experience. First, the whole “appointment” thing was a total farce. It turns out the system ended up making my appointment at …

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Travel Blogging vs Travel Writing

I’m in Vegas for Blog World Expo this week, so I’ll be devoting some time to talking about blogging and the travel industry. Here is my first installment. The impetus for this post came from an off hand comment made by Jen Leo before one of our podcasts a few weeks ago. I mentioned that …

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How Many Countries are There in the World?

How Many Countries are There in the World?

The number of countries in the world seems like an easy question to answer, but, surprisingly, it’s difficult to precisely count the number of countries involved in a complex and interwoven game of history, politics, and culture. If you’ve traveled heavily, you have probably tried to convey the extent of your travels by condensing them …

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The Palace of Knossos, Greece

While I’m off running around Upper Egypt, I’ve lined up some other travelers to do some guest posts. Today’s article is by Chris Christensen of the Amateur Traveler Podcast, one of the most widely listened to travel podcast on the internet. I was interviewed by Chris on Episode 128 on my experience in Micronesia. Chris …

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