Creating a Photo Diary

On March 8, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Photo Challenge, South America, Travel Tips16 Comments

Almost everyone takes photographs when they are traveling, but there is a difference between taking photographs at each location that you visit and capturing the experience as a whole. If you take photographs as you walk around a city and capture the entire experience, it almost becomes its own visual diary. You can look back at those pictures and literally remember walking from one site to another. For example, when we were in Lima, Peru, we were so amazed by some of the architecture that we took photos as we walked the streets and as we look back now, we can almost relive that afternoon. You can almost feel the warmth of the sun, feel the nervousness as we passed by the police with riot gear, or hear the children laughing as they played in the plaza by the fountain. We also take videos occasionally to capture the sights and sounds, but we don’t always go back and look at them as we often do with our photographs. Do you create a photo diary that documents the moments of your entire trip or do you just take photos at each of the important places that you visit?

What is the Best Way to Get Around Europe?

On January 22, 2018January 22, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn France, Germany, Romania, Travel Tips22 Comments

Europe is relatively easy to get around, especially when you compare it to the United States. There are many airline options that are reasonably priced, traveling by car is pretty convenient, and trains can take you almost anyplace. So, which option should you choose if you are spending time in Europe? Clearly there is no one-size fits all solution and there are definitely reasons why you might choose either one of them.

When Time is of the Essence – When you need to get some place on a very specific schedule and you have limited time to get there, location will likely determine your selection. If you are traveling from one relatively major city to another, then traveling by air might be your best bet, but be sure to shop prices and compare reliability as the cheapest flight isn’t always the best option when you need to get there on time. If flights are not available, then a high-speed railway would likely be your second best option, but those aren’t always available depending upon where you are going. Finally, traveling by car provides you the opportunity to control your route and how often you stop, but you also need to consider other things such as weather and road construction. It might turn out that even a commuter train is a better option than traveling by car depending upon the circumstances.
Riding a Train from Frankfurt to Strasbourg
When You Want a Relaxing Trip – For us, if you really want to sit back and enjoy the trip, not just the destination, there is no better choice than traveling by rail. Sitting back and watching the countryside go by while reading a book, catching up on social media, or having a conversation with your other travelers can make for a wonderful experience. There are some considerations, though, such as whether the train serves food, are there private cabins, is it a busy commuter train where people pack in to make their daily work commute? Under some of those circumstances, you might arrive at your destination more worse for the experience. If you can’t get trains that meet your travel criteria, then perhaps renting a car would be a better solution. Air travel is usually our least relaxing option, but there is something to be said about a little bit of hassle getting through an airport for the benefit of arriving at your destination and starting exploring more quickly.
Driving Towards Gibraltar
Do You Want to Explore? – If you want to be on your own schedule, stop at places when you want, and perhaps take a sudden, unplanned, diversion, then traveling by car is likely the best solution for you. There is something to be said about driving around with a map in your hand and making decisions about when and where to go on the fly. That doesn’t mean that you can’t do the same when traveling by train. If you purchase certain rail passes, they allow certain numbers of days worth of travel with no limit on how many trains you take during that day. This means that you can check out train schedules the day of your trip and suddenly decide to add in different stops and side trips as long as it fits in with your total number of travel days.
Cargo Train at the Station in Romania

At least in Europe, you have many more travel options than we do in the United States. We have used each of these at different times and we have made the most of each option during our travels in Europe. At the end of the day, we love rail travel because of its convenience, not having to check bags, and the somewhat romantic style of travel. Traveling by car is also nice, but insurance can be expensive, although it opens up places that no other option might provide. What is your favorite way to travel?

Do You Have a Specific Travel Goal?

On July 17, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Travel Tips16 Comments

Many of the travelers that we meet have very specific goals that they would like to achieve from their travels. We’re not talking about bucket list items, like visiting a specific place, but these are bigger goals. Some people have goals like 30 countries before the age of 30 or traveling to all 50 states in America. Perhaps you want to visit all of the countries that make up your ancestry or maybe you want to visit all countries that make up the European Union.

Lighthouse on the Northern Coast of Africa in Morocco

Our goal is going to be difficult to achieve, especially since we started traveling later in life. We want to make it to all seven continents. At this point, we have been to five of the seven continents with Australia and Antarctica left. We have been looking at going to New Zealand in early 2018, but it isn’t technically part of Australia, but is part of Oceania, which includes the islands that surround Australia. In order to keep it official, we are now looking at combining Australia and New Zealand into the same trip next year.

Just because we have a goal to go to all seven continents, that doesn’t mean that it limits our travel choices, it just enhances them. We have smaller goals, like exploring more of Central and South America, which is why we are going to Ecuador in September. Obviously, we had been to Europe before, but that didn’t stop us from seeing as much of it as possible during the time we stayed in Germany. Travel is rewarding in and of itself, but sometimes having a goal can give you something to focus on or to help push your boundaries.

What is your travel goal? Is there something specific that you hope to achieve through your travels?