The Galapagos Islands are known for a few things: epic wildlife, beautiful beaches, and being wildly expensive. Fortunately there are plenty of activities and sights to see that are free or low cost. Here is a list of cheap activities proving that Galapagos is not the overpriced place the travel industry would like you to believe it to be.
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Soft, snow-white sand. Belching sea lions at your feet. Radiantly coloured fish swimming before you. These are the things that come to mind when one daydreams of a visit to the Galapagos Islands.
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What is perhaps more astonishing than Yukon’s landscape is her rugged, miraculous, and at times bizarre history in which her modern self was made. Many embarked by boat then continued on foot in a zombie-like following here during the 19th century, chasing dreams of the Yukon gold rush. The utopic end-point was Dawson City, today a mere six hour paved road drive from Whitehorse. Despite the challenging, and at times, deadly journey that awaited them (which most grossly underestimated), the gold rush buzz was hypnotising for dreamers all over the world. This may be due in part to the good old-fashioned media, which over-romanticised the reality of both the trek and, you know, the actual gold mining itself. With headlines like “Dawson City: The Streets are Paved With Gold” it’s no wonder people flocked here in the thousands. The ground sure was solid, though – with arctic tundra and permafrost, not gold.
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Mars is far. It’s remote, desolate and completley void of humans. Yet reportedly, we have more accurate geographic data of Mars than we do of Alaksa. As we drove through the endless emptiness alone on the road, I meditated on this fact. It was chilling to think that much of the mountains extending beyond the single narrow road we drove were barely known. We were reminded of just how remote we were just a couple hours out of Whitehorse, when a road sign informed us that we were entering a 911 non-service area. I didn’t even know that those existed. I suppose this means that in combination with the absent cell phone service, you will pretty much be a skeleton by the time anyone ever finds you.
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No matter where you go or how long you travel, your finances are one of the most important aspects of preparing for your trip. With travellers cheques, money exchange booths, and a variety of credit and debit cards available, travellers have more options to get at their money than ever. But with a little bit of research and planning, you can save yourself hundreds, if not thousands in fees and charges in the long-term while ensuring you get the best bang for your buck in exchange rates.
There is a spectacular travel movie, Into the Wild, which tells the story of a young man who abandons his college career, donates all his cash, leaves home, and disconnects himself from the modern world by travelling alone without money. He hitchhikes his way up into Alaska, and having cut off all ties and communication with society, lives independently off the land and makes home in an abandoned school bus. The story and the scenery are chilling, but what is even more incredible is that the film (and novel) are based on a true story. In our first few days moving exploring the Great White North, I was continually reminded of that journey as we immersed ourselves further into desolate landscape.
After a year of having firmly planted feet in Sydney, Australia, the travel itch had finally weaselled its way back into our lives. A best friend’s wedding was the perfect reason to come home and see family and friends after a swift year and a half away from Canada.
It’s hard to describe that return home, but the most visual way I can put it is that it’s like being plopped into a paused movie. After having removed yourself from an ongoing blur of careers, having babies, marriages, and your usual selection of other ongoing life events, everything feels at a standstill when you finally return. Your presence is nothing but a snippet cameo in a high speed time-lapse. We were surprised by the sameness of everything. The reality of time and distance is felt as some old friends become unreachable when asked to meet up, while others keenly reunite and blatantly ask, “so how were your travels?” – a question truly impossible to describe in a few sentences. Still, it was comforting to be back in a familiar place again.
Though the very thought of what I’ve done would have horrendously shocked my former self years ago, I’m proud to say Ted & I have become somewhat of experts in selling everything we own. Let me start off this article by saying that the advice here is relevant not just to those looking to sell every last thing, but even just some things. After all, each dollar made selling is another dollar towards a flight, a bus ride, a new city – one dollar closer to your next adventure!
As our trip has now come to an end, I’ve begun to think about how it all has changed me, and how different it is from how I thought it would affect me. I had so many expectations and hopes about how it would shape me. I’m not ashamed to admit that I hoped for some great enlightenment about my life, finally unveiling the padlocked answer, the most famous question of them all – what is the meaning of it all?
Our double-decker gondola ride from a distance – foggy from the clouds high up in the Japan Alps!
Besides intricate ancient temples, steamy hot springs, and tantalizing at seemingly every whiff – Japan still had one last different thing on the menu to offer before wrapping up our trip – the Japan Alps. Using old town Takayama as a base, we spent two days soaking in the fresh air, lush forests and snow-capped mountains of the alps. The colours everywhere were just stunning – incredibly turquoise waters, crystal clear streams, bright green trees and blue skies – definitely a best kept secret of Japan, we barely saw any tourists. It was a nice quiet escape before our returning to our favourite city in the world for our final weekend – Tokyo!