Welcome to the Where Else to Go podcast where we talk about where to go - and where else to go - whether that's across town or around the world.

This week's episode features Erin Bender talking about her hometown of Perth,  the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. While Erin and her family spend most of their lives on the road, they've been traveling non-stop for over four years, she was quite willing to dish about home. She says:

Perth is a place no one visits in Australia on the West Coast. And the place people don’t even realize that they are missing. White beaches, some of the most beautiful wildlife in the world and home to some of the best wine in Australia.

Take a listen and learn why Erin thinks Perth is so special.

Erin Bender has been traveling the world with her family since May 2012. It's an open-ended, unplanned, round-the-world trip discovering amazing places for families. They have stayed in hostels and 5-star luxury resorts, traveled on scooters and cruise liners, danced with leprechauns and abseiled cliffs. Her children have been singled out by Forbes as the some of the World’s Most Well Travelled Kids. The kids enjoy travel as much as Erin and her husband, Josh, and don’t want to stop.

You can follow the adventures of the Benders at Travel with Bender. Connect with her on social:  Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Google+, and LinkedIn. You might also enjoy their YouTube channel.

Thanks for joining us. If you want to make sure you get every episode of the podcast, you can subscribe via iTunes or Google Play. The biggest way you can help support this podcast is to subscribe, followed by leaving a rating and review. I'm still very new to the podcasting platform and appreciate your support.

Please come back next week to join us talking about where to go. . . and where else to go, whether that’s across town or around the world. And hey, take a minute and leave a comment below about where else you want to go.

Welcome to Episode #23 of the Where Else to Go podcast. This week we're talking with Katie Hammel about visiting Iceland in the off season.

If you've perused any travel media lately, you know that Iceland is hot, hot, hot. But Katie gives us some suggestions from traveling to Iceland when it's down right cold.

Here's what she says:

Iceland's tourism is exploding, but most people still visit in the summer high season. Go in March or April or September or October and you'll see fewer people. Go from November to February and it's even better. You'll have to take some precautions, bring the right gear, and limit where you go (as some places around the country are just inaccessible in the winter) but you can still do plenty of amazing things in the winter, and you'll encounter fewer crowds and pay lower prices. You can still go horseback riding, glacier climbing, caving, snorkeling, whale watching, ride in a helicopter, or take a brewery tour, all on trips from the city. Plus you might get to see the Northern Lights--you can see them via boat or on a bus tour, go in search of them by yourself, or book a trip to go float in a hot spring. When they are particularly strong, you can even see them from the city.

Take a listen and understand why Katie thinks Iceland is a perfect place to visit:

 

Here's the driving trip, complete with routing details, that Katie recommends. She's added in many of the activities and locations that we talked about.

Katie Hammel is a travel writer who has been published in the NY Daily News, San Francisco Chronicle, BBC Travel, and other publications. She lives in San Francisco. She's been to Iceland six times and considers it her favorite place in the world. You can read more from Katie here, as well as connect with her on social media on Twitter and Instagram. Although she is no longer working with Trip Creator, Katie still thinks you should check out what they have to offer travelers.

Thanks for joining us. If you want to make sure you get every episode of the podcast, you can subscribe via iTunes or Google Play. Please come back next week to join us talking about where to go. . . and where else to go, whether that’s across town or around the world.

Hello! Thanks for joining us for the special Halloween episode of the Where Else to Go podcast. Joining me today to talk about Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando is Rick Howard.

Rick began working in the travel industry for over 20 years now. Bitten by the travel bug at an early age, it seemed like a logical career path when he founded his first travel agency in 1996. In his role at Kingdom Magic Vacations he travels a lot, and in his role at Travel with Rick, he travels as well, but he also takes people with him virtually through the blog and social platforms. Rick has lived on and around the Florida Coast for over 30 years and makes frequent visits to the Disney Parks.   You can follow Rick on his social platforms:  Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.   Disclosure: Rick and I are both members of Universal Orlando's Blog Squad, a group of travel experts who have been hired as ambassadors for the resort. While we do receive financial remuneration for our time, we both have a firm policy of only aligning ourselves with travel brands and experience that are right for our audiences, guaranteeing you that you get our honest opinion about what's worth your time and money.

Now in its 26th year, Halloween Horror Nights include nine haunted houses (mazes), five scare zones (transitional areas with staging and characters), and two shows. Rick and I talk about the horror genre, the craft and creativity of the genre, and our experiences at HHN26. The event runs through November 5th, 2016. If you miss it this year, it's not too early to make plans for 2017.

Take a listen.

Some helpful links:

• Information about the houses, scare zones, and rides can be found here.
• Plan to attending using this calendar of times and hours. HHN26 will run through November 5th, 2017.
• There are a variety of ticket options available. Rick and I both recommending upgrading to the RIP Tour which provides you with front of line access and great backstory information about the houses.
• If you're coming from out of town, there are hotel and ticket packages that provide great value.

Thanks for joining us. If you want to make sure you get every episode of the podcast, you can subscribe via iTunes or Google Play. Please come back next week to join us talking about where to go. . . and where else to go, whether that’s across town or around the world.

 

Hello, and thanks for joining us for Episode #22 of the Where Else to Go podcast. Today we're talking with Julie Fox about the Minho Region of Portugal.

I first visited Portugal in 2011 for a very short period of time and was fortunate to go back again in 2015 for a much longer period. I came very close to the Minho Region, and if I'd only had this information then, I may have extended  my time in the country to go a little farther inland.

Minho is bordered by the River Douro to the south and the River Minho to the north, the latter also dividing it from Spain. It has a depth of Celtic influences and also shares a deep culture with Spain. It's known as one of Portugal's greenest and most traditional provinces, and after talking with Julie, it's hard to understand why so many travelers pass it by.

Julie says:

The Minho region in the north which includes the historical cities and towns of Braga, Guimarães, Ponte de Lima, Viana do Castelo and Caminha, are rich in history, architecture, gastronomy and culture, and the landscapes are spectacular. You've got everything - beaches, mountains, rivers, forests. If you really want me to pick one spot in this beautiful area, I'll go with Ponte de Lima, although it's probably the hardest to get to without a car. Each of them has something special to offer the luxury traveler.

Take a listen.

Some helpful links:

• Portugal Geen Walks is a tour operator that specializes in the Minho and other parts of northern Portugal (walks, nature, gastronomy, architecture, culture etc). Find reviews and more info here.
• Carmo's Boutique Hotel. Find information, reviews, and booking info here.
• There are several Pousadas in the region including one behind the hilltop basilica in Viana do Castelo, one inside the fortress in Valença and another in a former convent above Guimarães.
• Find information and stories that Julie has written about Minho here.

Julie first visited Portugal in 2007 and swiftly fell in love with the country. As well as authoring her own book, Money Saving Tips For Travel in Portugal, she is a contributor to Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Travel Guides to Portugal, Lisbon, and Europe, Travel 42 Guides, The Huffington Post, CNN and AFAR. She helps others discover the beauty and culture of Portugal and plan their own trips by providing information, inspiration, and tips for living and traveling in Portugal through her popular blog, Julie Dawn Fox in Portugal.

You can follow Julie on social media:  Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, Instagram, and YouTube.

Thanks for joining us. If you want to make sure you get every episode of the podcast, you can subscribe via iTunes or Google Play. Please come back next week to join us talking about where to go. . . and where else to go, whether that's across town or around the world.

Hello! Thanks for joining us for Episode #21 of the Where Else to Go Podcast. Today we'll be talking with Samantha about Namwon, South Korea. Samantha is a travel blogger and is currently teaching ESL in Namwon. She fell in love with the area and wants us to as well.

Namwon is about a two hour KTX train ride from Seoul, or a three to four-hour bus ride, depending on traffic. It's an hour from Jeonju, which is rising on the Korean travel lists for its traditional housing (Hanoks). Samantha says that Namwon is a lovely walkable city, but that too many people don't know it exists.

For anyone interested in traditional Korean culture, Namwon is the setting for one of Korea's most famous love stories, Chunhyangjeon. (Think of it as Korea's Romeo and Juliet minus the tragic ending.) There's a beautiful park you can wander around called Gwanghallu that has the story laid out, and you can also go to an amusement park based around Chunhyang.

If you're interested in nature, Namwon is also one of the cities based around Jiri Mountain (Jirisan), one of Korea's three most important mountains along with Hallasan and Seoraksan. There are a bunch of trails of varying degrees of difficulty, and one notable short one that gives you a beautiful view of the city. If you come in autumn, you'll get rows of fall foliage, and if you come in early spring, you might just catch all the cherry blossoms lining the main river.

If you like food, Namwon is also located in Jeollabuk province. The Jeolla provinces are considered the food provinces of Korea, so if you want good Korean food, it's here.

Samantha offers the following details (and links) for getting to Namwon:

• English Hotline Help
• Take the KTX Train (about two hours) from the Yongsan Station in Seoul to the Namwon Station. Be sure to look for the KTX train as other will take you about twice the time.
• To take the bus to Namwon, head to the Express Bus Terminal on the Seoul subway. They have self-serve kiosks that include English. The bus takes three to four hours, depending on traffic, and takes a 15-minute rest stop break about halfway through the journey. There are two types of buses, one that has two seats on each side of the aisle (the cheapest) and one that has two seats on one side of the aisle, one on the other (will cost a little more for that extra room). Upon arrival in Namwon, take a taxi to your hotel, nothing should cost more than 5,000 KRW (about $5).

Suggestions on Where to Stay

• Kensington Yechon - Offering traditional style accommodation, you may not be able to find this option on booking sites and the home site is in Korean. Try calling the English Hotline (link above) for assistance with booking. For your taxi:  켕싱턴 예촌a
• Kensington Resort - The site is in Korean; you'll find booking information here. For your taxi:  켄싱턴 리졸트
• The Suites Hotel - Located a little outside of the city, this is one of the nicest hotels in the area. The site is in Korean; you'll find booking information here.

What to do is Namwon:

• Information about the hiking trails in Namwon (in English).
• Gwanghallu Garden - About 2,500 KRW ($2.50) admission fee. More info here.
• Chunhyang Story - Read about this romantic legend here.
• Learn about Chunhyang Theme Park here.

Samantha is a travel blogger at There She Goes Again and is finishing up her teaching contract in Namwon, South Korea, after which she'll spend time traveling to Jeju and Seoul for a few weeks before flying home to the U. S. You can follow her on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Thanks for joining us. If you want to make sure you get every episode of the podcast, you can subscribe via iTunes or Google Play. Please come back next week when we'll be talking about where else to go, whether that's across town or around the world.

Welcome to episode #20 of the Where Else to Go Podcast. We're glad to have you with us for today's show which features Gemma Armit talking about where else to go - the Caribbean Coast of Colombia.

Gemma is a teacher of politics and current affairs in Scotland and is also a travel blogger at Two Scots Abroad. Gemma and her husband are just back from a 17-month career break during which they traveled in the Americas and Europe. Although they've returned home, they're not giving up traveling, they'll just be doing it a little differently.

Today Gemma talks about their adventures on the Caribbean coast of Colombia. They had been traveling for a couple of months in Peru and Bolivia and kept getting recommendations about going to Colombia. After time spent in the bigger cities, Bogota, Medellin, and Cartagena, they ventured out to the coast. Once there, they found their hearts stolen by both the beaches and the towns of Santa Marta, Costeño, Tayrona National Park and also Minca, a tiny town tucked away in the Sierra Nevada mountains!

You can find more information about places mentioned in links below.

• Santa Marta
• Costeno Beach
• Tayrona National Park
• Minca

And some other helpful information about the rest of their time in Colombia.

• Salento
• Bogota
• Medellin
• Cartagena

You can follow Gemma on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Google+, and YouTube. They have some exciting adventures shaping up as they hit the road in a different way.

Thanks for listening! Remember, you can also find and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, and while you’re there, please take a minute and leave us a rating and review. You can also subscribe to the podcast on Google Play.

Welcome to the Where Else to Go podcast. I'm so glad to have you join us for Episode #19 featuring Kimberly Erin Davies talking about where else to go – San Pedro de Atacama in Chile.

Kimmie grew up being taught that travel is education in a less formal environment, and has since been doing her best to practice this belief. She now works as a travel blogger, traveling the Americas, writing and inspiring others to push the boundaries of travel. She is an adventurer and loves to climb mountains, take multi-day treks, surf, scuba dive, and paraglide. 

Kimmie was passing through Chile for a short visit on her way to Easter Island, but fell in love with it and ended up moving to the north part of the country and a town called San Pedro de Atacama. San Pedro is a sleepy little town with a relaxed kind of hippie vibe. It is an open, free, be yourself type of destination, with wonderful restaurants, and some of the best scenery you could dream of. You will never run out of things to do in surreal San Pedro de Atacama, from volcanoes to hot springs, to world class star gazing and sand boarding on ‘the moon’, you will never be bored.

Even though she has now moved back home to Canada, Kimmie makes return visits regularly, sharing her love of San Pedro with family and friends

Some of the things that Kimmie recommends:

Restaurants:

• Las Delicias del Carmen - A traditional restaurant, you can read a review here.
• Barros Cafe - For live music at night and a great daily menu, read a review here.
• Adobe- Go for dinner, read a review here.
• Blanco - For upscale dining, read a review here.
• La Casona -  Kimmie's personal favorite, read a review here.

Hotels:

• Terrantai (review here)
• Tierra Atacama for a luxury experience (review here)
• Hotel San Pedro

Suggested Tours:

• Valle de la Luna sunset tour
• Valle de la Muerte sand boarding
• El Tatio Geyser tour
• Stargazing
• Visit Termas Puritama
• Salt flats in San Pedro
• Floating in Laguna de Cejar (more salt than dead sea and mineral earth)
• Climbing Volcano Lascar
• Climbing Toco Hill
• Bike ride through Gargantua del Diablo

You may also find these articles helpful:

• Climbing Volcano Lascar, which sits in the background off of San Pedro de Atacama, and is the most active volcano in South America.
• Things to do in Santiago, since it's likely that you'll be passing through here en route to San Pedro.

You can read more about Kimmie's travels - to San Pedro and more - on her blog, Walk Aboot Travel. Follow her on social media:  Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Hello, and welcome to episode #18 of the Where Else to Go podcast. Whether you're looking to travel around the block or around the world, we're here to give you some inspiration to begin researching where to go. . . and where else to go.

My guest today is Marysia Maciocha, an ex-lawyer from Poland, who describes herself as a crazy Polish girl traveling around the globe. She travels most of the time, with intermittent breaks for family events, and remains enthusiastic about the constant change of landscape, religion, mentalities, languages, and kitchens.

Marysia and I talk about travel to Benin, a country in west Africa. Most tourism centers around Cotonou, the governmental seat, and even though French is the official language, Marysia says it is possible to get around relying only on English. Of course, she speaks six languages so it's easy for her to say that, but if you're willing to make a bit of effort with the language, you'll find Benin is an underrated destination full of interesting culture and history.

Our conversation ranged from hotels and food to voodoo practices and the slave trade. Benin is full of things that you won't find just anywhere. Take a listen.

You can find Marysia's stories about her travels on her blog, My Travel Affairs, and stories specifically about traveling in Benin here. You can also connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, and Instagram.

Thanks for listening! Remember, you can also find the podcast on iTunes, and while you're there, please take a minute and leave us a rating and review. See you next week when we'll be talking about Where Else to Go. . . San Pedro de Atacama.

 

Rwanda is a small landlocked country just south of the equator in central and east Africa. The country is mountains in the west and savannah in the east, and although primarily an agricultural economy, tourism is becoming an important part of the economy.

While many people only know about Rwanda for its horrible history of genocide, travel blogger Bret Love fell in love with it. He says:

Rwanda. It's relatively off the beaten path for most American travelers, and there's a lot of amazing ecotourism attractions beyond following Dian Fossey's footsteps and trekking with gorillas in Volcanos National Park. A lot of people associate the country with the Civil War and genocide that ended in 1994. But President Paul Kagame has completely transformed the country over the past 22 years, with an impressive infrastructure, impeccably managed tourism industry, and some of the most beautiful landscapes we've ever seen.

Bret Love is a journalist with 23 years of experience, whose freelance clients have ranged from the Atlanta Journal Constitution and Rolling Stone to National Geographic and Yahoo Travel. Along with his wife Mary Gabbett, he is the co-founder of Green Global Travel, an award-winning blog focused on ecotourism, nature/wildlife conservation & cultural preservation that hopes to inspire and inform people on ways to live and travel more sustainably. Bret and Mary also co-founded Green Travel Media, a content marketing agency, as well as a new Fair Trade e-commerce store that's opening on Earth Day 2016.

You can follow all of Bret and Mary’s travels on Green Global Travel, where they’ve recently opened a shop focusing on items from their travels. I purchased a pillow cover from the shop and was very pleased with both the customer service and quality. Find them on social media at Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, and Instagram.

Thanks for listening! Remember, you can also find the podcast on iTunes, and while you’re there, please take a minute and leave us a rating and review.

Welcome to the Where Else to Go podcast. Episode #16 features Elena Paschinger talking about where else to go - southern Brazil.

Elena is a tourism management graduate from Austria turned travel writer, teacher, business consultant and public speaker. She became totally impassioned with meaningful, culturally authentic, and engaging travel experiences after spending one and a half years living and working in New Zealand. Tracking the exponential growth of creative travel around the world, she has actively participated in developing and promoting creative destinations through her international consulting business. Her most recent achievement includes moderating an international panel discussion on creative travel and community development for the UNWTO United Nations World Tourism Organization at the ITB International Travel Trade Show in Berlin. 

When most people think about visiting Brazil, they think about Rio or Sao Paulo, but Elena advises us to head south to the cities of Porto Alegre and Florianopolis. It's about a 1:40 flight from Sao Paulo to Porto Alegre, and the same from Buenos Aires as well. Once in Porto Alegre, you can reach Florianopolis by another flight or a five hour bus ride.

Elena makes the following recommendations (click through the links for more information).

• Porto Alegre Creative Travel platform, including travel tips, workshop ideas & video material.
• Plaza Sao Rafael, a value luxury accommodation in Porto Alegre. This is where Elena did her dance & cooking demo.
• Learn about the dish carreteiro de charque, the stone workshp, and the photo walk around Porto Alegre here.
• Florianopolis restaurants are known for their excellent seafood, notably oysters, as well as for the daily camarao. Recommendations from Elena include: Rancho Acoriano, Barracuda Grill, Arante Restaurant at “Pântano do Sul” (at the very southern tip of the island city), and Fairyland Cupcakes.
• Market recommendation:  Mercado Sao Jorge.
• The Majestic, a recommended value luxury hotel in Florianopolis
• Read more about Elena's experiences in Brazil and get additional recommendations here.

Follow all of Elena's travels on her blog, Creative Elena. She has also written a book, The Creative Travelers Handbook. You can follow her on social media:  Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, Instagram, and YouTube.

Thanks for listening! Remember, you can also find the podcast on iTunes, and while you’re there, please take a minute and leave us a rating and review.

See you next week when we'll be talking about where else to go - Rwanda.

Photo credit:   Some rights reserved by Gustavo Facci