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15 Nov 2017

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The World’s Best Road Trips

Sticky Post By Wander-lust On November 15, 2017 With No Comments

The wind in your hair, the adventures with your friends and the stunning views. Road Trips are all about that. Whether it’s with a few friends or alone, it’s an experience you’ll never going to forget. Some are more adventurous than others, but ey, that doesn’t stop a real traveler right? These are by far the world’s best road trips. Ever.

1. Icefields Parkway, Canada
This has to be one of the most impressive road trips in the world. This amazing route runs through 2 national parks. Also known as highway 93, it’s a 230 km long road which takes you from North to South (or the other way around) Highlights include waterfalls, glacier skywalk, peyto lake and bow lake and more stunning views. You will need a Canadian national park permit to travel on the Icefields Parkway. For more info check: www.icefieldsparkway.com

The Valley of the Ten Peaks in Banff National Park

2. Route 66, USA
Also known as the Main Street of America or the Mother Road, route 66 was one of the original highways within the U.S. Highway System and used in a lot of movies. Lucky Sarah. She actually experienced this roadtrip! She traveled all the way from Las Vegas down to San Francisco and part of her route was the famous route 66. She rented a large RV and crossed over the famous road with 3 of her best friends. Read her full story here.

Pictures by Stick to the Brand for Wander-Lust

3. Great ocean road, Australia
It’s one of the highlights for all the backpackers that travel from Adelaide to Melbourne.
The absolute picture perfect part has to be the 12 apostles (pictured). Because of severe weather over the years, there are only 8 left.
There are many tours that can take you along the Great Ocean Road but if you get the chance, it’s much cooler to rent or buy a van with your friends and explore yourself. You will pass beautiful beaches, rainforest, rivers and cute coastal towns.
For more info check www.visitgreatoceanroad.org.au

Source: Roughguides.com

4. Pacific Coast Highway, USA
Yes, the USA is a beautiful country so it made it to our list twice! I was lucky enough to experience a piece of this highway as I stayed in Los Angeles quite often. I never driven all the way to San Francisco but if you get the chance, you definitely should! The coastal line is breathtaking and the sun always shines! The only downside is the LA traffic you will need to get though (it starts around 3-4pm and last until about 10-11pm).
It’s easy to rent a car and drop it in SanFran. From LA it takes about 6-7 hours.

On the way you can stop for amazing stops like these (ignore the somewhat awkward pose..)

“On these road trips you never know what you’re going to see next”

5. Cabot Trail, Canada
It almost looks like the pacific coast highway, but then a lot greener! This beautiful route, runs passed the coast of Canada at Nova Scotia.
The northern section of the Cabot Trail passes through Cape Breton Highlands National Park. The western and eastern sections follow the rugged coastline, providing spectacular views of the ocean. The road trip will run for 300km. More info about this route: www.cabottrail.com

Source: Hikebikecanada.com

6. Causeway Coastal Route, Ireland
You might recognize the picture below, as it was used in the popular series Games of Thrones. The road is 120 miles / 190km long and takes you through the Northern parts of Ireland. You can drive all the way from Derry to Belfast. On the way you will pass all sorts of scenery. From castles to coastlines, forest and waterfalls. You will find the most beautiful parts of Ireland right here on this amazing route. More info: www.causewaycoastalroute.com

Like a fairytale..

7. Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
Being the largest salt flat in the world, this place seems a bit creepy, yet beautiful. The whole area is 11,000-sq.-km long and accessible by car. Photographers love to shoot at this place because you get the most amazing mirror-like images. It used to be a lake but over millions of years it went dry and left a few meters of salt crust on top. If you decide to take this road, be aware that you are well prepared by taking enough water, cloths and camping equipment. For more about this about this trip, check our blogpost.

8. Road Trip though Ethiopia
One of the most dangerous road trips and recently featured on Dutch television, this is a trip that will leave you with an experience richer.
Beautiful views of a landscape that not many people have seen or heard of. You will pass vilages, dirt and unpaved roads and narrow parts, so this is one for the brave ones! Expect animals on the road and light? No no one has heard of lights at night. Just drive through the day. The BBC made a documentary about this road once, calling it bone-shaking but amazingly beautiful.

Source: Facebook Victoria Koblenko

9. Hana Highway, Hawaï
For a feel of the tropics, you should drive though this Hawaiian route. The road is 109 km long and connects Kahului with Hana on the island of Maui.
Take a sickness tablet with you because the road has a lot of hairpins that go deep into the tropical jungle, though valleys and rocky formations along the coast. This certainly deserves a spot in the world’s best road trips!

Photo by @hawaiisblue

What is one of the best road trips you’ve ever made?

Love,

Elke

08 Mar 2017

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Top 5 » Badass Travel Women around the world

Sticky Post By Wander-lust On March 8, 2017 With 2 Comments

We celebrated international women’s day so a good reason to highlight some amazing women who inspire us to the max. We are so happy to see more and more independent females who pack their bags and travel around the world to show us that it can be done no matter what age, size or background. There are too many amazing women to mention them all but we’ve picked 5 badass travel chicks that we feel set a great example of what a strong female represents.

1. Celine Cousteau, USA & France
She’s a filmmaker, diver and most of all an explorer. Born in California and raised in France, she has certainly seen the world. Celine inspires people all over the world with her documentaires about humanitarian and environmental stories. She speaks 3 languages fluently and uses her voice as a public speaker. Besides all this, she is also a mother to a son. This woman has power!
www.celinecousteau.com

What a woman!

2. Floortje Dessing, The Netherlands
She’s the most famous traveler from the Netherlands. She has seen the whole world from Amsterdam to Greenland, Japan, The North Pole and even North Korea (she and her TV crew are one of the only ones that were allowed to film there). In total she has visited more than 120 countries and for her latest television show she is visiting Dutch people who live in remote places around the world and the TV program scores high! Besides all her travels, she also gives a lot back and she started a fair-trade sustainable clothing store called Nukuhiva. This woman is far from being done with traveling and we love her for it!

Our Dutch pride; Floortje Dessing

“These wanderlust women show us that anything is possible”

3. Morgan Brechler, USA
She is the bohemian dream-mother of the world. At least, we think so. Morgan (26) is a (extremely beautiful) young mother from the US who travels and climbs around the most amazing national parks of the USA and other parts of the world with her daughter Haidlie since she was only a small toddler. She is working towards a degree in sustainable agriculture and Morgan is part of a new documentary called Born Wild, celebrating single adventurous mothers who want to instill a love of nature and the outdoors into their children’s lives from the very beginnings. Can we say we are a little bit jealous of this amazing woman?
www.instagram.com/morganbrechler

Wanderlust mother Morgan

4. Liss Connel, Australia
We love her Aussi name but her lifestyle is seriously to die for! We’ve highlighted her famous caravan recently and we can’t get enough of her Instagram. She travels whenever she can and like us, she loves to write about it. She’s made the Philippines the new hottest hippie destination by showcasing it on her popular Instagram account. She is not focused on becoming a star but she lives life to the fullest and we applaud her for it.
www.instagram.com/lifeintheslowlane

We are addicted to her Instagram account; Life in the slowlane

5. Roshni Sharma, India
Everybody told her she couldn’t do it and she proved them wrong. She became the first woman in India who drove all the way from Kanyakumari to Kashmir with on her motorbike. The 5452 km long road was dangerous and the trip was long but that didn’t hold her back. Armed with pepperspray, the 26 year old, took on the challenge and finished the journey. You go girl!

The woman and her bike. Source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com/

Love,

Wander-Lust

30 May 2016

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The Wanderlust of.. Travel Writer Liss Connell

Sticky Post By Wander-lust On May 30, 2016 With 1 Comment

She caught our eye a while back when we saw her beautiful Instagram account @lifeintheslowlane. This Aussi girl inspired our travels to The Philippines and we fell in love with her beautiful bohemian caravan. She has been to most places we can only dream so be prepared to add a few places to your bucketlist after reading this. What is she up to now and does she still own that caravan? This is the Wanderlust of.. Liss Connell.

Who are you and what do you do?
I am Melissa Connell but friends call me Liss. I previously ran a tourism company but I am now in the start-up stages of creating Slow Travel Magazine www.slowtravelmagazine.com

How did traveling change you?
Travelling has taught me to appreciate folks from all walks of life. It has simultaneously taught me to appreciate life here in Australia and how important community and personal relationships are.

One of her most famous images from The Philippines, Photo @shotbygrace

Which country would you visit again and which one you rather not?
I recently visited Vanuatu and I fell in love with the people there. They are so well connected with the natural environment and the communities work well together. Places that I like to avoid are cities so not a specific country as such. Crowded places make me feel claustrophobic and anxious.

Sleeping in a real treehouse in Vanuatu @shotbygrace_

Which country has impressed you the most?
Vanuatu, for the reasons listed above. I also adore New Zealand. We’re so blessed that some of the most breathtaking scenery on earth is only a few hours flight away from us!

Liss releasing a turtle in Vanuatu

I think you just made us write Vanuatu on our bucketlist! Something else, do you still own that caravan?
Nope. I sold it a while ago. It’s important to recognise when to let go of things to allow room for the next dream to grow.

Could you tell us a little bit about your website, slow travel magazine?
These days the majority of travel companies and magazines advertise a certain style of travel which involves rushing from place to place to tick certain experiences off a list. Experiences that they tell you that you ‘must do’. A sense of discovery and spontaneity are taken away when you’re just following a list. Slow Travel is about connecting with your surroundings – having an open mind, chatting with locals, supporting locally made arts, crafts and foods. Supporting local economies. The Slow Travel philosophy encourages you to get to know an area well, in a way that is less stressful for you, more respectful of the locals and easier on the environment. I hope that Slow Travel Magazine can reach a wide audience and challenge the popular notions of modern day travel.

The caravan we so fell in love with. Shot by www.instagram.com/reneerae_

“I’ve long dreamt of spending a few months in Mexico, learning Spanish, surfing and eating tacos.- Liss Connell”

You really inspire people with your amazing photo and travels, do you realize this and do you feel a pressure?
Thank you, that’s kind of you to say. I have really enjoyed sharing my travels via social media but I’ve also realized that it can be very selfish. I would now like to move away from sharing my own personal travels and help to grow the community of Slow Travel.

Why do you think traveling is so important for us?
Humans are naturally curious and there’s a certain fulfillment that we get from exploring beyond our daily boundaries. Whilst travel can be fun and enriching, I think it’s very important to have a strong connection with community. Whether you have a home base or are part of a nomadic group, life is all about connecting with other people, learning and contributing.

Coron, Philippines Photo by @shotbygrace_

Something we always ask our travelers, name one song that would definitely be on your travel playlist
‘Pilrimage’ by Jess Ribeiro & The Bone Collectors. I also really love PJ Harvey’s album ‘Let England Shake’.

And last, what are your next travel plans?
I’ve long dreamt of spending a few months in Mexico, learning Spanish, surfing and eating tacos. But I’m just as happy to do a roadtrip up the coast here in Australia. There’s a certain satisfaction that comes from exploring your own backyard and it’s fun to just pack the car and go!

Bells Beach, Australia. Photo by @hireakombi

Liss on her selfmade swing. Photo by Grace Picot

Let’s be inspired and follow this girl. To find out more about her Slow Travel Magazine, check her new Instagram account.

29 Dec 2015

Sticky Post By Wander-lust Posted in T R E A S U R E S, Top 5. With 1 Comment Permalink

The best Travel photo’s of 2015

Sticky Post By Wander-lust On December 29, 2015 With 1 Comment

I traveled to Malaysia in November where I experienced the spectacular wilderness of Borneo. I explored a new adventure in only 30 minutes away from KK city.
Kota Kinabalu is famous for its incredible richness of tropical rain forests where you will see and find proboscis Monkeys, orangutans, plants, rivers, waterfalls, hot springs, caves and a lot more! Sometimes its hard to capture the moment that make people wonder and want to know more, where the picture says it all and no words are needed.
I’m amazed by the work of some travel photographers, it’s sometimes hard to believe that some places really exist! Both Elke and me are trying our very best to make photo’s of our unforgettable experiences that will make you pack your bags and go!