Planes, Trains And Automobiles

By Alex E Eghoroekwuke

Travelling brings the world and its people closer, uniting culture, building bonds and creating dreams.

There are literally millions of places to go and visit across the world, partly what makes travelling so exciting. As the planet and our societies have developed so too, has our ability to reach far flung corners of the globe.

The biggest advantage of travelling is the opportunity to sample different cultures and lifestyle. For example a trip to South Africa will provide an understanding of traditional African living, including the native tongue. It also provides a fascinating and at times disturbing insight into the racial inequality that still exists. Extending your African adventure North can provide the opportunity to view some of the most amazing scenery and wildlife.

Travelling also has a significant and vital impact on economies with tourism keeping many countries heads above the proverbial mire. Even established nations such as the UK rely on foreign visitors to maintain the economy.

Many people also travel for business, it is great method to develop global trading and build partnerships all over the world. The use of the internet has inevitably brought the world closer but has resulted in less sharing of cultures and principals.

Many also travel in search of a new life, somewhere new to put down roots. New Zealand and Australia are very common regions where families often settle. Offering glorious weather, work opportunities and a generally more relaxed way of life these sunshine nations are popular destinations for travellers.

It is also common for people to travel in the name of love and the search for happiness. Online dating websites have opened a new world which allowed people from all over the world to travel and become close.

Travelling the planet is also highly educational, most of the most knowledge people have travelled far wide to gain understand and answers. If Christopher Columbus had stayed at home how different the world landscape would be. Travelling breeds adventure and discovery, it might even extent further than our planet.

No matter the reason to travel, the world is packed with opportunity and more to see than can be crammed into one life time. It doesn't matter if your passion is the African Pyramids or even the beauty of the Scandinavian snow, take the time to travel and make the most of the incredible world around us. Feel our world and live it...

Alex Eghoroekwuke has found a perfect meaning and importance of travelling. To help many people gain the knowledge that travelling breeds adventure and happiness and also help many get a fair deal on plane tickets. For more info visit http://www.blog.mybusiness-site-income.com

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Driving Through the Desert

By Uday Gunjikar

One of the most formative experiences of my life - maybe because it was borderline traumatic - happened to me when I first drove out to the beautiful state of California to start on my new job back in the year 2000.

At the time, I was working in St. Louis, MO, and had only just accepted a job in Northern California. I had a few days before I started, so I decided to drive across the country from Missouri to California in my bright blue Pontiac Grand Am. I drove through Missouri, Kansas and Colorado on the I-70 going westwards. It was a pleasant enough drive. I can still remember driving through the vast expanse of the Kansas prairie - I had never before driven through such a vast plain in my life - and enjoying the sunset on the flattest, widest horizon I had ever seen. I also remember the quaint country hotel where I overnighted and the breathtaking snow-capped peaks in the distance as I drove through Colorado the following day, after passing through Denver.

Pretty soon, I arrived in Utah and took the I-15 northwards to Salt Lake City, where I got onto the I-80 going westwards towards California. Leaving Salt Lake City, what awaited me was a long stretch of driving through a barren wasteland - the deserts of Utah and Nevada - a tough, relentless drive. I still remember checking my gas as I left Salt Lake City - the gas gauge read half-full (or half-empty, depending on how you look at it)! "No problem," I thought to myself. "This should be enough gas to get me to the next town, where I can fill up." And so, I began my fateful drive through the barren Bonneville Salt Flats, a dreaded stretch of desert west of Salt Lake City.

As I drove on, the desert yawned out ahead of me - a vast, parched wasteland. Not the least hint of civilization or culture for miles. I continued along the highway, glancing nervously at the gas gauge. The sun beat down mercilessly. I passed by the occasional truck on the otherwise empty road. Not a car to be seen. The gas gauge continued to fall, and still there was nothing. I began to wonder if I would ever get to the next town. I began to imagine terrible scenarios - being stranded in the middle of the desert without food, water or gas for my car. Even if I had a cell phone on me - and I didn't at the time - it would probably have been useless in the middle of the Salt Flats!

In the end, I was literally driving on fumes and praying to Jesus Christ with all my might, but still, pushing forward through the desert, hoping for a miracle! And a miracle did come! Just as I heard my car engine begin to sputter, I arrived at a gas station, frequented by truckers. It seemed like the only gas station in that desert for miles - a run-down establishment overcharging for gasoline and other provisions - but it was, at the time, a veritable Godsend! An oasis! Nirvana! I whispered my thanks to God as the gas tank in my car greedily swallowed the gasoline I pumped into it!

I continued my drive through the deserts of Nevada and, as I approached California, from a distance, it truly seemed to be the Promised Land - a green haze seemed to have settled over the verdant hills of Northern California, signifying the promise of salvation from the relentless arid wasteland that I had left behind me. And as I drove through a hilly stretch of road in California, approaching my destination, it truly seemed like "a land flowing with milk and honey!" It may sound somewhat naïve, but that experience has stayed with me ever since then. I can't help but wonder what might have happened if I had chickened out on the desert road, with the gas gauge reading empty and nothing but vast stretches of barren desert in all directions! That experience makes me think twice about taking anything for granted and makes me appreciate art, culture and civilization all the more!

The vast prairie horizons of Kansas, the majestic mountainous horizons of Colorado and the desert horizons of Utah and Nevada are ingrained in my memory. The experience continues to inspire me to push forward in life even when it seems as if I am driving through the desert on an empty gas tank - because if you push forward, you just might make it to the deserted gas station in the middle of nowhere that will save your life and enable you to continue on your journey, all the way to the Promised Land you are hoping for!

In this modern world, with all the amenities that civilization offers us, one might imagine that there is no more room for exploration or adventure, but that notion couldn't be further from the truth! As long as there are human beings on the earth, there will continue to be new horizons to explore, because all experience is subjective and civilization is always in flux!

Uday Gunjikar is the founder and CEO of Horizon Cybermedia, a new company dedicated to the production and delivery of high quality digital media content. Horizon Cybermedia owns and operates the website http://www.explorationtheseries.com, featuring the film series Exploration with Uday Gunjikar. Uday Gunjikar also operates and regularly contributes to the affiliated weblog, Horizon CyberBlog.

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Whatever You Do, Do Not Stop Running - Or We'll Die!

By Liz A Smith

Those were the words coming out of the mouth of the man I was strapped to. That's the moment I second guessed my decision. Perhaps I experienced a moment of altitude sickness and I just wasn't quite thinking right? No, I knew exactly what I was doing... I chose this; even worse, I paid 100 Swiss Francs to do this!

There I was high above the Lauterbrunnen Valley in the Swiss Alps. I had always wanted to paraglide; it is similar to hang-gliding except you run and jump off of a mountain with an open parachute. To me, this seemed safer than skydiving because the parachute was already open. I figured there was no better place to do it than the Swiss Alps, an amazing place that I absolutely love to visit.

Breathing in the fresh mountain air while enjoying the stunning view of the high rocky peaks, the only sound heard is the low howl of the wind in the distance. It's such a peaceful place, so I guess that's why I wanted to soar over this gorgeous valley with a parachute strapped to my back?!?

Anyway, my parents and I were staying in the high village of Murren and there are a number of companies and independent guides that you can sign up with to take you paragliding. Every day you see them jumping from different areas in the Swiss Alps and floating down into the lush valleys below.

My guide had been paragliding all over the world, and this was one of his favorite places to launch. The ironic thing about the journey is the piece of paper that you sign before you run off the mountain. If we were in the States it would have been some kind of waiver, basically signing your life away. However, in Switzerland paragliding is considered a form of transportation, seriously! Basically you sign a "contract" with your guide, and they are agreeing to take full responsibility for transporting you from point A to point B safely... regardless of the method of travel. In this case, the transportation is simply a parachute!

So, here I am being strapped to a man I just met. My dad is across from me getting all hooked up in his gear too. He's just as excited as I am, unfortunately for my mother I get my sense of adventure from him. Mom decided to watch from safe distance on the ground. I felt fine about my decision until the moment before we took off, when my guide felt the need to emphasize the importance of ignoring my natural instincts to stop before we ran off the edge of the cliff! So I just put my trust in him and ran as fast as I could.

Once we were in the air, it was unbelievable! We soared past waterfalls, steep and rocky cliffs, over small villages that you could see were precariously perched on the edge, and over intensely green fields at the bottom of the valley. It was quite a rush, and the view of a lifetime.

Then, all too soon, the trip was over. The ground was approaching fast, and I was having a hard time focusing on the instructions from my guide, due to all the adrenaline pumping through my system. My last and final concern was that I not end this amazing experience by landing face first into a cow-pie! Luckily, mission accomplished.

Like what you've read? There's plenty more on our travel blog http://www.PeanutsOrPretzels.com. Follow our blog or "Like" us on Facebook so that you never miss out on a great travel tale!

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The Best Worldwide Destinations For Mountaineering

By Daniel Hardie

Mountaineering is a popular sport and hobby and is a more advanced walk for all those hikers.

Humans, for many centuries have always wanted to be on top of the world... or at least as high up as possible.

Perhaps it is that exact feeling of being on top of the world, perhaps it's simply just the view or maybe it is to be the first person to reach the top.

All of these reasons are what makes the adventure of mountaineering so sort after in the world among many, many others.

The mountains themselves all have their different aspects and elements at play. One mountain might be thick jungle or forest growth while others are riddled with glaciers and ice capped mountain peaks.

While most mountaineers or hikers will climb just about any mountain they can, maybe locally or internationally on their vacations, there are of course some mountains that stand out, high above the rest.

The first and most obvious of course being Mount Everest which divides Nepal and Tibet.

The mountain was named after Sir George Everest in 1865 who was the British surveyor-general at the time in India. Locally Everest is known as 'Sagarmatha' in Nepal which means the Goddess of the Sky, where as in Tibet they call the mountain 'Chomolungma' which translates to the 'Mother Goddess of the Universe'.

The mountain is a staggering 8,840 metres (over 29,000 ft) above sea level making it the tallest mountain above sea level. So it is these heights that drive mountaineers to the site to climb the mountain.

Climbing here is expensive and can be quite dangerous with its unpredictable climate, so for most climbers they take the shorter trip to the Everest Base Camp. Tour operators are very frequent to this spot and can be even be picked up in Kathmandu, Nepal.

A more accessible mountain peak that, in my eyes is second only to Everest is Mt Kilimanjaro in Africa's Tanzania.

This mountain is nicknamed White Mountain, with 'Kili' meaning mountain and 'Manjaro' meaning whiteness. Mt Kilimanjaro is 5,582 metre high (19,000 ft) so this mountain is still a bit of challenge for many, so some fitness would be required.

Mountain climbs here are also frequent but the costs are way down, especially when compared to Mt Everest. But one of the best parts, I think about Mt Kilimanjaro is the ability to combine your mountain climb with an African Safari.

Another mountain... also nicknamed 'White Mountain' is the extremely popular Mont Blanc, in Europe's Alps.

Mont Blanc is the highest mountain within the entire Alps mountain range which lies between France and Italy and stands at a height of 4,810 metres (15,000 ft).

It is most popular for both its mountaineering and of course its skiing and/or snow sports. The first ever ascent was completed in 1786 by Jacques Balmat and Michel Paccard which virtually gave birth to the sport of modern day mountaineering.

Regardless of where you may climb, each and every mountain will bring with it something new, unique and wondrous. I urge you to climb a mountain on your next trip and see what all the fuss is about.

Do you see yourself, standing on top of the world? Click here for world mountain climbing.

If you have the fitness, the vision and the determination this could make your next holiday/vacation one that you will never forget. So go ahead, book your mountain climb today.

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Why Hot Air Balloon Clubs Are Becoming So Popular

By Graeme S Smith

There are some people that believe hot air ballooning is a tranquil, calming experience that allows one to contemplate on the beautiful views surrounding them. Whereas others see balloon rides as being a terrifying experience - and there are times where these two types of passengers will be on the same flight!

So how is it that pilots and crewmembers are able to excite, entice but also calm their passengers? Sometimes it can be a long and complicated process, with passengers too afraid to step on board. Whereas other times it takes a few moments answering questions to persuade them that their hot air balloon ride is for them. Here are our top 3 tips for preparing passengers for their balloon rides.

1. Give Passengers Some Background

Many people will only try hot air ballooning once, so it's possible that your balloon rides can be full of first time flyers. It also means that they may not have any idea of what to expect, and so will feel a little anxious about the days events. So it's always a good idea to give your passengers an itinerary for the day, detailing what they'll be expected to do and where they'll need to be at what time. Providing this before the day of the actual balloon ride gives them time to prepare and ensure they have all the right clothing and know where they're going!

2. Let Them Ask You Anything

It's safe to assume that you're going to have a few first time flyers on board your balloon, and it's these first time flyers that are going to have a whole load of questions for the pilot and crew. Although it may seem a little repetitive as many people may ask the same questions, it's important to answer as many as you can.

Whilst the balloon is being prepped for take off, it's a good opportunity to ask if any passengers have questions for the team. This allows the pilot to demonstrate how certain parts of the balloon operate and work together. That way, passengers will feel more at ease throughout their balloon rides, as they will know what each part does.

3. Encourage Passengers To Take Part

It may sound like a strange idea - giving your passengers a job to do, but it will help put nervous flyers at ease. It's also great fun for all passengers! Giving your passengers a task to focus on will help them forget about any anxiety or worries. A great idea is to ask them to help inflate the balloon, as it's one of the most exciting parts watching the balloon burst into life and rise into the air. This is also a great opportunity for passengers who are travelling on their own to get to know their fellow passengers before rising 4000 feet into the air!

Ensuring passengers have a safe and enjoyable flight on all balloon rides is the aim of every pilot and crewmember, as without them there wouldn't be any flights! So be sure to follow these tips and prepare your passengers for the flight of their life.

Graeme Smith is a keen enthusiast of hot air balloon flights around the UK. To learn more about how you can make the most of a balloon ride, do visit The British School of Ballooning website.

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