Experiences

Experiences

Travel Experiences Hot Air Ballooning

“Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.”

–  Ralph Waldo Emerson

Travel is one of the best teachers and the lessons we learn from journeys undertaken provide the richest travel experiences.

When we interact with our friends and our near and dear ones who are just back from one or other trip, there is so much excitement in the room as they share their travel stories. There is a long list of activities they might have taken like diving, sight seeing, tasting delicious food, some adventure trip up the hills, finding some off the beaten path spot, some warm interactions with local people, and so on. Each travel journey has some good and bad parts , yet they all are memorable ones.

The stories in this section reflect the range of emotional, spiritual and physical experiences one can have from a travel opportunity.  Some travel experiences are deep, some are lighthearted and some are “adventurous” (referencing the night in jail story). All of the experiences shared here are impactful.

Create your experience vicariously through these stories.

  • Black History.freedmens bureau

    Americans have recognized black history annually since 1926, first as "Negro History Week" and later as Black History Month and we greatly owe the celebration of this month of Black Heritage, more so, the study of black history to Dr. Carter G. Woodson.  The Harvard scholar was disturbed to find that history books largely ignored the black American population-and when blacks were depicted, they were reflected as socially inferior and stero-typed in a very uncomplimentary fashion.  Today, thanks to Dr. Woodson and others the historical story of how the month-long celebration of African-Americans came about is amazing and inspirational. But the celebration of African-Americans should not be limited to just one month. Throughout the year there are many lesser known sites around the country where you can celebrate the contributions of African-Americans in a unique way.  The African-American Heritage Trail is quite long and the short list that follows doesn’t begin to [...]

  • Sikh little boy

    After a year of being confined to my home state of New South Wales, I’m desperate to experience another culture. It was this desperation that saw me eagerly scoop up a pamphlet for the Sikh Heritage Museum of Australia when I spotted it on display at the (locally) famed Big Banana Fun Park at Coffs Harbour the day before.  

  • fortress of kils game of thrones|gaztelugatze Spain|winter forest|glacier |ireland Mystical Forest|game of thrones weapon

    Movies and television series can often open your eyes to new and wonderful locations, creating a tourist destination where previously few people visited. A classic example is Game of Thrones; the HBO show was a global success, and it created tourist hot spots of its filming locations. Forbes explains how Dubrovnik was so popular; it had to limit visitors to its old town to 4,000 per day. How did it become so popular?

  • humpback whale swimming

    Whales, it turns out, are a lot like us. They live in family groups whom they go to great lengths to protect and care for. They love to sing, and “chart-topping hits” spread quickly from group to group. They’ve even been known to stand up for other, weaker species — us — when danger threatens.

  • scuba divers

    As a kid growing up near the ocean, the movie that I resonated with the most was The Little Mermaid. I wanted to be Ariel, but, in reverse. Unlike Ariel striving to transition from a life underwater to on land, I wanted to live underwater, where the fish are, to see them swimming. So it’s only natural that later in life, I finally took the plunge (pun intended) to make this a reality by getting my PADI Open Water scuba certification. 

  • ACDC Lane Melbourne Playable City 01

    Melbourne is a Playable City; in both name and character. It is one of my favourite cities to visit, with its hidden laneways scattered throughout the bustling CBD.

  • Anietra with American Flag

    The conclusion of Escape from India during COVID-19 continues with Anietra sharing more of the roller coaster ordeal that took her and Ian from hope to hopelessness and back. Now she is confronted with the memories of the traumatic experience.

  • India One of many police checkpoints where we got hassled. — in Champawat.

    In Episode One of Escape from India during COVID-19, we introduced you to veteran journalist Anietra Hamper who was trying to escape from India after COVID-19 derailed her fishing assignment trip. Anietra and her fishing guide, Ian Henderson, were left stranded in India with only a narrow window to get out.

  • India Junction of the Sarayu River and Mahakali River famous for golden masheer fishing. — in Champawat .

    What was meant to be a four-week writing assignment to Nepal and India for veteran journalist Anietra Hamper, turned out to be an absolute nightmare for her and her traveling companion, Ian Henderson.

  • WF Travel and Friends in Tanzania scaled

    Changing careers from an estate and trust administrator (think death and taxes) to a travel journalist brought me more than a flexible fulfilling career.

  • japan onsen

    Bathing and onsen culture in Japan is a unique aspect to Japan’s heritage that can be easily enjoyed by both visitors and residents.

  • star gazing

    If you are interested in stargazing, there are still lots of places in the world where you can see the universe at its finest through both the naked eye and observational equipment.