Alaska

While there are so many countries that I would love top travel to, there are also many places in the U.S. That I would love to see. Alaska ranks highest on the list.

My parents traveled to Alaska when I was young, and ever since I’ve been dying to go. The natural beauty that they were able to capture in their travel pictures were amazing to look at. And even though I’m not a fan of the cold, I’m still determined to travel there one day.

I’ve heard the wildlife in Alaska is very diverse and quite an experience to be able to see so many types of animals. You can even go kayaking and whales will surface the water near you. I would probably be a little terrified by the whales, but it would be so cool to be able to say you did that.

Down Under

I’ve always been intrigued with visiting Australia, ever since I was a little girl, but as I’ve grown up the place I would really love to see “Down Under” would have to be New Zealand. The pictures I have seen of this country bares some of the most beautiful natural landscapes I have ever seen.  Traveling to a place with beautiful beaches and then also getting to see beautiful rustic mountains would be so awesome. And seeing it all in person would be indescribable, I am sure.

New Zealand is located on an island above Australia. Through some research, I’ve learned that because of New Zealand’s remote location, it is actually one of the last lands to be settled by humans, which I think is pretty cool. Most people tend to think that New Zealand is a Caribbean type of destination, but actually the climate there averages around 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit. To me that’s nearly warm enough, but I’m sure I could easily bare the temperatures to see what the country has to offer.  New Zealand is also known for it’s unique animal and plant life that has grown habit there. Also, the country is English speaking, which makes it easy to travel there and to find your way around.

So, if you’re looking to go “Down Under,” then look no further than New Zealand and experience some serene natural beauty and interesting plant and animal life.

You Better Belize It

Over the years, I have been blessed with many opportunities to travel. I’ve always known how lucky and fortunate I have been to have these traveling experiences, both domestic and abroad. I have cherished each and every trip and have developed such a passion for traveling the world.

By far the best trip I have ever been on was in 2005, to Belize. My parents and I, along with my favorite cousin were able to experience this amazing trip together. Before embarking on this trip, we actually spent time in Mexico, but I’ll save that story for another time. After what seemed like the longest, complicated journey to get to Belize, we were finally there. We piled off the smallest plane I’ve ever been on, called a “puddle jumper,” to the areas tiny airport. We were going to be staying in the San Pedro and Ambergris Caye area. Before we could head to our “resort” we had to stop at the local grocery store. Being as famished as I was from our drawn out arrival, I had never been happier to be in a grocery store in all my life. We got what we needed and put our groceries on the boat and waited. We decided to kill some time at a little bar by where the boat was docked and have some beverages. The water, the scenery and smells were all so beautifully relaxing to me. The waters in Belize are the clearest blue, green I have seen. It was truly breathtaking.

Finally we were on the boat, heading to our hotel. The boat ride was about twenty minutes and of course beautiful. The wind and water spraying in your face, cooling me down, was exactly what I needed. Watching all the beautiful houses pass was pleasing as well. As fun as the boat ride was, I was happy to arrive at our destination. The place was called the Costa Maya Reef Resort; made up of separated houses for privacy, which I thought was really cool. We had an entire bottom floor of a house to ourselves. It was spacious, nice and very accommodating. Once we got settled, we began to plan our activities for the week.

The reason I say that Belize was the best trip I’ve been on is because of all the activities I was able to experience. Zip-lining through the Mayan jungle with howler monkeys hooping and hollering off in the distance was probably my favorite part. As a nature lover, I thought the rainforest was incredible to get to walk/fly through. Next was cave-tubing and what an awesome time that was. Floating in black inner-tubes through the river and into a cave was the perfect way to cool down. Our guide forgot to mention that the river had fish in it, just swimming under us, until after we were done—which was definitely for the best, or I’m sure I would have freaked out. The cave was infested with bats, sleeping away, which was also very cool to see. Before this trip, I had never had the opportunity to go scuba diving. We did our practice session with our guide in the resort’s pool. Then after we learned all the essentials, we headed out to a dive. If I can remember correctly, I believe we dived down to about 60 feet. Talk about an experience! Being able to be under water for such an extended period of time was so foreign to me. I have to admit, I was a little intimidated by it all, but I quickly gave into and it was incredible. Getting to swim with all the fish and sea life was remarkable. We even got to swim through an underwater cave with an electric eel right beside me. I thought I was going to die, but it was totally worth it.

There are so many other activities that were available to the resort (snorkeling, deep sea fishing, nature hikes, Mayan ruin hikes, etc). If you want a fairly cheap, super exciting and activity filled exotic trip, then Belize is the place for you! Plus it’s an English speaking country so there are no language barrier problems. Amazing and beautiful place and I would recommend it to anyone.

http://www.travelbelize.org/

http://www.goambergriscaye.com/