Travel in an Uncertain World – Part III

On August 10, 2020August 10, 2020 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Blogging, Virginia11 Comments

When the world first shut down in March, it definitely created a lot of anxiety and uncertainty. First and foremost, we’ve stayed healthy and followed all of the appropriate guidance. At the time we had just gotten back from a quick trip to Acapulco, Mexico the month earlier and had finalized our trip to Turkey for April. We were hoping that things would calm down quickly and our travel plans could resume.

Obviously we were wrong and then in June we started to think about the possibility of some sort of travel, even if within the United States. We took a road trip to Telluride, Colorado and have considered some other road trips. We discovered that even getting on the road was difficult as many of the places where we would have stopped to use the restroom were closed to the public. Facemasks have also become a routine way of life. At the time we rescheduled our trip to Turkey to October, but that is definitely still only a hope and not a plan.

We have gotten so desperate for some sort of travel that we are starting to look at possibilities for November/December and hoping to perhaps get to do the safari that we had planned for our 30th wedding anniversary, which took place in April. Since we can’t get to anyplace new, we are going through some of our photographs from many years ago and scanning them into our computer. We will be talking about some of those trips in the coming weeks, but clearly those places might look a lot different today than they did decades ago.

We look forward to being able to share something recent and exciting as soon as it is safe to do so. We really miss the feeling that travel provides and getting to know people from other cultures and learning about their lives and country.

Presidential Box in Ford Theater in Old Town Alexandria

Some of Our Favorite Animal Photographs

On July 21, 2020July 21, 2020 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Blogging, Hiking2 Comments

We have seen many different animals throughout our travels, some of them more interesting than others. Perhaps because we’ve done so much hiking, but we’re always on the lookout for motion in the trees that surround us. Many of them are cute and adorable, some colorful, and others perhaps a little strange. We decided to go back and review some of our favorite photographs and discovered that we had way too many to include in a single post, but here is a good representation of them.

Monkey on the Rocks of Halong Bay, Vietnam

Up Close and Personal with Monkeys in Panama

Bird Along the Trail to the Top of Gellért Hill in Budapest

Colorful Details of a Hummingbird Moth in Our Backyard

Have You Considered Taking a Virtual Tour?

On June 29, 2020February 9, 2021 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Blogging, Travel TipsLeave a comment

While nothing can ever replace experiencing a location for yourself, there are many places that offer people the opportunity to take virtual tours. In this digital age with advanced technologies, companies and museums are able to take hundreds of photographs and combine them together such that all of the people are removed and you can explore the location as if you were completely by yourself. Especially in today’s world with limited travel opportunities, it can be a way to continue to discover new places.

The Parthenon in the Acropolis of Athens, Greece

Standing in Front of the Louvre in Paris

Generally speaking, we have only used virtual tours prior to going to a location in order to give us a sense of what we might see when we get there. No virtual tour can truly give you a sense of the size of location or let you see it under specific circumstances like at sunset. As much as a virtual tour might let you walk in the Acropolis in Athens or stand before the Great Pyramid in Giza outside of Cairo, going there yourself is always going to be a better experience.

Of all of the places that you can see using a virtual tour, museums are probably the best experience. You can stand in front of your favorite painting for as long as you want or walk around a famous sculpture without having to maneuver your way through the crowds. In many cases, the images of the artwork are almost as good as seeing it for yourself. It still won’t truly give you a sense of the overwhelming sense of walking through museums like the Louvre, the Vatican Museums, or the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo, but it is better than flipping through pages in a book.

Enormous Statues Inside the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities

In the same way that many of us grew up reading articles in National Geographic or watching travelogue shows to get us excited about traveling, future generations will like take advantage of virtual tours to control the experience for themselves. Hopefully it will serve as inspiration and not a replacement to the actual experience itself. What are your thoughts on virtual tours, would you recommend them to others?