BARRING TRAVEL

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BARRING TRAVEL

Folks: I’ve been traveling in the Middle East these past few weeks, but back at it now. Hope you enjoy these news digests – make sure to follow me on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn for entertaining travel, adventure and culture-related posts as well!

Not sure about you, but some of the best times I’ve had with “friends” (I admit, also, sometimes alone), I’ve had at the top of some of the most iconic rooftop bars in the world – NYC, Barcelona, Dublin, Bagkok, Shanghai, and the list goes on. I know what you’re thinking, yet another list, but, I was seriously blown away by this one by CN Traveller. The pics tell the whole story here. Do you have a favorite rooftop bar that’s not on this list? Let me know!

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SURPRISE! AND, WELCOME TO KANDAHAR!

Guys, I think I’m going to try this out. I was joking about Kandahar in the title, but apparently there is this new vacation trend: surprise travel. Yes, you understand that correctly, surprise trips to places that won’t be revealed until it’s go time. This sort of takes me back to a time when vacations were planned for me by my parents and where, as a kid, I had no clue where we were going, but I was happy to just go. From Outside Magazine: “For most people, the joy of traveling isn’t the researching or booking—it’s that moment you step off the airplane in a place you’ve never been. So why not skip the planning and let someone else chart your next adventure for you, including choosing the destination? Besides, who cares where you go when you’ve got expert travel agents finalizing every last detail for you?” We’ve got to give it a go!

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SUPERBBATICALS

I go on a trip for a couple of weeks and everything in travel has changed. I come back and there are all these new travel trends. Here is yet another that popped up lately: super-sabbaticals. Not going to lie on this one either, I have a couple of friends who have been on super-sabbaticals, or like seriously long breaks from work (get back to work!), so the trend is definitely there. From CN Traveller: “Newbury came up with a whopper of a trip, exploring 66 countries over two years via private jet. Some highlights: his client honed his running technique with members of the Tarahumara tribe, known for their barefoot long-distance runs along the isolated trails of Copper Canyon, Mexico. He spent two weeks skiing the brutally icy landscape of the Last Degree, 60 nautical miles from the South Pole, to recreate the conditions of an old-school expedition. He dove the Sardine Run off the Eastern Cape of South Africa among billions of tiny teeming fish with an Emmy Award-winning cameraman and a BBC guide so that he could film his own documentary. And he lived for two weeks in the Kalahari with the San, where he learned to hunt animals with a bow and arrow.” Someone, quick come up with a business idea that makes super-sabbaticals affordable!

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YOU DESERVE THIS

Well, you do too, but I’m actually referring to some destinations. We often harp on destinations receiving too many tourists, but, this time, I’ll harp on amazing destinations that should be getting more (and ideally you, the aware, sustainable, locally-sensitive kind of traveler, right?), like Albania, Timor-Leste, Georgia, and Nicaragua. From National Geographic, a tidbit on Uzbekistan: “The Situation on the Ground: Like many of the former-Soviet “stans” of Central Asia, Uzbekistan (ruled with authoritarian brutality by President Islam Karimov) has long suffered from a combination of dictatorial isolationism and intermittent terrorist threats. But despite, if not because of, Karimov’s hypervigilance, Uzbekistan is extremely safe for travelers. Once the epicenter of the legendary Silk Road, Uzbekistan is one of the most stunning, historically rich destinations in Central Asia. And for travelers willing to veer off the encouraged tourist path, it offers not just extraordinary natural and architectural beauty, but gleeful, hospitable chaos. A quiet dinner on the cross-country Soviet-style night train between Tashkent and Bukhara will more likely than not erupt into a jovial vodka-toasting party with total strangers.”

And also, here’s a list of the world’s least visited countries from CNN. I cross-checked. The only country that falls on this list as well as the one in the preceding blurb is Timor-Leste. Are we on to something?

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ROOKIE MISTAKE

If it hasn’t already happened, there will come a time when you have to travel for work. Or, perhaps it’s been a while since you last had to travel for work. This list is a good reminder of things to avoid while traveling for work. From The C Boarding Group: “Travel Mistake #3: They don’t stick with a single airline, hotel and rental car company. Rookie travelers spread their travel around to many different travel companies usually in search of the best deal. This is understandable if you are on a budget, but you are sacrificing a good deal by going this route. Instead, try to consolidate your travel on a few companies to maximize your points and miles. By earning more points and miles you will increase your status with those organizations. This will earn you perks like early check in, better seating, upgrades, snacks, etc (depending on the company). Moreover, you will start to rack enough points/miles to use for free travel which can come in quite handy for things like vacations.” Helpful, right? For more potential business travel mistakes to avoid check the link.

Thanks,

Joe Naaman
Managing Editor, Waywinds
Keep Exploring!