Well Travelled? 10 countries you haven’t visited

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts     Adventure Travel, Countries of the World, exploration, International travel, round the world, Travel

The world has got a lot smaller: Not true. We like to think that with the help of modern technology – including airplanes – we’ve been there, seen it all, or are at least aware of every country and place there is to care about.

However, just a little research reveals parts of Earth long discovered and named that most of us know nothing about – it shows that even though we think it revolves around us, the world remains ‘out there’ ready for adventure travel.

So, here are ten countries to get travellers Googling…

Think you've seen it all?

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

When the CIA Factbook doesn’t even have a picture of it, you know you haven’t been there. In fact, the only people who visit  are Indonesian fishermen. To find them, head due south from Timor, halfway to Australia.

Ross Dependency

Antarctica from 160˚east to 150˚ west, that’s the Ross Dependency. So bleak, only scientists go there. It’s long been claimed by New Zealand and it’s massive! Most of the 413,540 sq km is permanent ice shelf – good for lichen, moss and 18 species of penguin. The waters here are nutrient rich, and loved by seals who share their home only with icebergs and the occasional boffin.

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Top 5 surf travel necessities

Jeff    ash, surfingholidays     Baja, Canary Islands, Surf, Surfing, surfing holidays, tips, Travel

Whether you’re trucking down to Baja, hopping on a flight to Indo, or setting sail for the Canaries, there are a few things you’ll absolutely need for a successful excursion. And I’m not referring to the obvious essentials like passport, cash and toilet paper. I’m talking about five, small, easily overlooked items that are going to make or break your surf holiday. Forget one of these and risk a sour mood on the beach in place of bliss on the epic waves you spent an entire paycheck getting to.

1.       Leash Strings – The little cords that connect your leash to your board are easy to take for granted. But lose or snap one and they’re harder to find than a French girl who will actually talk to you. Buy a metre or two of strong nylon string at a sporting goods or hardware store and never worry about attachment issues again. It’s not dumb to carry an extra leash either.

2.       Sun Cure – Dinging your board abroad shouldn’t mean wasting time and money getting it patched at the nearest surf shop. A tube of Sun Cure fills cracks and dings in minutes, and a square of sandpaper helps smooth over the new resin. Nothing is going to help if you snap your board, but mending minor dents on the run saves cash and scores you more time in the lineup.

3.       Wax – Obviously. What could be worse than finding a perfect, deserted wave and not having enough wax to grip your board? Don’t let this happen to you. Bring plenty of wax from home so it’s one less thing to forget to buy when you arrive. And if you have enough, be generous with it to those less prepared. Kindness is not forgotten and you’ll probably get the nod on a wave or two. Wax combs are high-return investments as well.

4.       Fin Key – Don’t forget this tiny tool on your car keys at home. Break a fin without a key and chances are slim you’ll be able to help yourself out on location. Stash it in a pocket of your board bag so you’ll know where to find it. If you can, bring extra fin screws too; you won’t find that loose one that fell out somewhere on the beach yesterday…

5.       Duct Tape – Versatile. Strong. Easy to apply and remove. Duct tape is the traveler’s best friend regardless of objective. For surfing, use it to patch dings Sun Cure can’t fix. Its seal is waterproof and will prevent any exposed foam from getting wet. Use it to tape your board bag shut in preemption of any tampering. Use it to secure your gear to the roof rack of a crowded bus or taxi. Use it to close a nasty wound or as an emergency sling for a busted arm. Build and furnish a small home with it, but for God’s sake, man, just be sure to bring it!

Dominican Republic relatively cheap

Ian K    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts, ash, New Sailing Holiday Ideas, Sailing Holidays Talk, sailingbreaks, Tribe Sailing Blogs     Caribbean, Dominican Republic, Sailing, tourism, Travel, Yachting

Good value for money can be gleaned from a Caribbean yacht charter holiday to the Dominican Republic, according to the country’s tourist board.

Travelling to the Caribbean island, which has Haiti as its next-door neighbour, is cheap compared with going to other destinations in the region, an official at the Dominican Republic Tourist Board insisted.

Gustavo Candelario said that, because of this, the number of people visiting the country has increased in the last five months, especially those who prefer their sailing Caribbean-flavoured.

Photo from Flickr user: whatleydude

“People are realising how good value for money the Dominican Republic is because you can spend a fraction of what you would spend going to another destination in the Caribbean and you will get even better quality for your money. It is a fantastic deal,” Mr Candalerio added.

The Dominican Republic offers “picture-perfect” beaches and excursions to rum distilleries and cigar factories, as well as the chance to learn to sail.

5 extreme weather patterns to watch for

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts     Adventure Sports, extreme weather, rtw trip, Travel, weather conditions

As travellers, we accept there’s very difficult conditions to be faced around the globe. We’ve all seen the terrible weather that has swept Australia; for weeks the country was blighted by floods, to then be hit from the west by a hurricane. Last year, Russia endured a surprise heat wave which lasted a month, and several US states recently declared a state of emergency after winter weather closed roads and shut businesses.

Photo from Flickr user: IRRI Images

Now, whether we can blame climate change for all this is well beyond this blog post. What we can do is take a quick look and learn at five of  the world’s most extreme weather patterns. read more

Adventure sports romance – 5 places to pop the question

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts, New Adventure Travel Ideas     Adventure Sports, Adventure Travel, proposal, Travel, Valentine's day

As its Valentine’s Day, we thought to look at the places where adventure sports people could pop the question. Why do it in the pub or at a party when you’ve got Peru or Parachuting to pick from?

On top of a mountain

Photo from Flickr user: M. Janicki

Just about any mountain will do. It could be Everest after a short trekking holiday in Nepal, or even one of the Lake District’s peaks after a day walk. Popping the question on top of a hill is one of the best ways to do it. Why? Well, having made it up there you’ll both be elated, your hearts thumping, with broad beaming smiles; a great time then to dig that ring box out of the waterproof case in the bottom of your day sack – and as you can be completely alone, you will also avoid any embarrassment should it go wrong! read more

Keeping your 5 top travel resolutions alive

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts     new year resolutions, Travel

Half way into January and the pressures of work are once more upon us. And if you want to see more of the world this year, it’s time to bring in those resolutions to help make your travel dreams a reality.

If you’ve long held travel ambitions,

Photo from Flickr user: katerha

or just want to experience the world through the eyes of a traveller and not a tourist, take inspiration from our top 5 travel resolutions.

Read them everyday, pin them to your computer screen, email them to yourself; whatever it takes: this is the year you get out there and do it!

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Beating the new flight charges

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts, New Adventure Travel Ideas     cheap flights, Flight problems, Travel, travel tips

Regular fliers will have spotted new charges appearing on the check-in experience. Although, with a little planning these can easily be avoided.

If, like us, you travel regularly, you’ll already be well aware of the ever stringent weight restrictions.

Photo from Flickr user: Alex E. Proimos

So, as clever travellers you probably seek out the empty check-in desk, then drop your hold bag on to see if you’ve made the weight.

The digital readout reveals you’ve either under-packed, which is good news, or your bag is too fat to fly and you’ll have to start shuffling items into other luggage.

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