The aurora borealis, the well-known but fickle lights in the sky, have long been a mystery to me. Even after seeing them in the flesh and doing some research, I still only grasped the most basic principles on what causes the lights. I’m happy to say that after extended reading, I, like anyone that isn’t a chemistry or physics major, …
East Africa: Lions, Gorillas, and Wildebeests, Oh My! Africa, close to twice the size of South America is simply a massive place. It is home to diversity so broad and complex it’s impossible to talk about any one “Africa”. To that end, we’re here to present our list: East Africa’s Best Experiences. East Africa, including Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, and Madagascar …
Small Group Travel: A Sophisticated Experience, a Pleasant Surprise Planning a Trip You’ve been at the office for a while now, looking out your window wanting to go on a vacation. But the thought of staying at an all inclusive resort sounds like a weird way to travel because you hardly see the place you are visiting, and it’s not …
Arctic Oil: Abandon Ship Somewhere right now, thousands of environmentalists are probably still reeling from a few nights of wild celebration. Whether they were a deciding factor or not, (and they likely were not) Shell has decided to abandon their plans to drill for oil and gas in the Chukchi Sea, north of Alaska. This is an enormous decision, given …
Keep Alaska Weird Portland, OR and Austin, TX both make a dubious claim in their unofficial motto: “Keep Portland weird” and “Keep Austin weird”. It is a nearly incontestable fact that both of these cities are home to an above-average number of jugglers, stilt-walkers, artists, groovers, shakers, weirdos, and generally left-of-centered folks. In my time spent in Alaska over the …
Ecuador is by no means a big guy. You could make 35 copies of it and just barely have enough to cover the same amount of space that the United States takes up. The smallness of Ecuador is what makes it such an amazing travel destination. Within these very small borders is a bigger world than most people likely anticipate. …
5 Reasons to Travel to Ecuador Ecuador is a lively country filled with fascinating people, dramatic landscapes and unique wildlife. If you’re a seasoned traveler or someone who wants to start exploring the world, this is the place to go. The food, the views and the smiles make your travels there all worth while and easy. Check out some more …
Viewing the Northern Lights The northern lights, fickle inhabitants of the night sky are the subjects of many quests, vacations and travels. Though they have been visible as far south as Knoxville, TN, (a highly unusual conquest for them) their natural habit is much farther north. Where the air is northern, clear, and cold you are most likely to find …
The Land of Plenty It will surprise no one to hear that the Amazon Rainforest is home to the greatest abundance of life of any ecosystem on the planet. With only a fraction of species documented, there are literally thousands of creatures that remain unseen and unknown. In the spirit of inquiry, we would like to take a moment to …
Thunder in Paradise Ever since Charlie Darwin visited the Galapagos Islands (and apparently tried to ride a tortoise), the global community has watched as it grew to embody the idea of “wildlife” and scientific inquiry. Since 1959, the Galapagos Islands have had National Park status in Ecuador, and have consequently been (reasonably) well-protected and gained increasing amounts of tourism. Though …
