Where Else to Go

Thanks for joining us for Episode #10 of the Where Else to Go podcast. Although it wasn’t planned, we seem to be on an island theme, covering islands destinations from around the world.

Our guest today is Gary Arndt and we’re talking about where else to go, Micronesia.

Micronesia, in general, refers to the thousands of small islands located in the Pacific and comprised of several countries. These countries include:  Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, and the United States with three territories (Guarm, Northern Mariana Islands, Wake Island).

Gary talks about his visits to this part of the world, gives some recommendations for divers and non-divers, and explains why – apart from location – this is one of the easiest parts of the world to vist.

Highlights include:

In March 2007 Gary sold his house and he’s been traveling around the world ever since. So far he’s visited all 7 continents, over 175 countries and territories around the world, all 50 states and every US territory, every Canadian province, every Australian state and territory, over 125 US National Park Service sites and over 300 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Gary is a self taught travel photographer who was named Travel Photographer of the Year by both the Society of American Travel Writers and the North American Travel Journalists Association.

You can read about Gary’s travels and see his award winning photography on his blog,Everything Everywhere. You can also follow and connect with him on social media:  Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, and Instagram.

Photo courtesy of Gary Arndt.

Welcome to Edpisode #9 of the Where Else to Go podcast. Thank you for support as this podcast has grown and evolved, it means a lot to me.

Today's guest is Jennifer Dombrowski and she's going to help us understand why Venice gets such an undeserved bad rap and give us some suggestions for turning that around, making Venice a great where else to go destination. We talked about how, just a few streets off the main area, you can find delicious, reasonably priced food, how to enjoy the other islands, and information on getting around and enjoying Venice.

Jennifer says:

"Venice is one of the must-sees in Italy, but there is so much more to the Italy's city built on the water than meets the eye (or your guidebook tells you). Venice is actually just one of the islands in the Venetian Lagoon and it's well worth hopping around on the water buses to see just how different one island is from another."

Some of the islands she recommends:

Many of the recommendations Jennifer made in the podcast are small spots that don't have websites. When in Venice, find a local who can help you location the place, or maybe even make another recommendation. Here are a few spots Jennifer recommends that do have websites.

 Jennifer Dombrowski is a location independent globe trotter who is based in Italy. She works as a freelance social media strategist and is an award-winning travel writer. She is also a travel correspondent on Traveling on the American Forces Radio Network. Luxe Adventure Traveler was named one of the top travel blogs to watch by the Huffington Post and has been featured by top publications such as National Geographic, CNN, Buzzfeed , and The Telegraph. Her iPhoneograpy has also been featured on publications such as USA Today and Travel + Leisure and on the Travel Channel.

You can read about Jennifer's travels on her blog, Luxe Adventure Traveler, and follow her on social media: Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.

If you’ve enjoyed this podcast, you can subscribe on iTunes. While you’re over there, please take a moment and leave us a rating or review. That helps this very new podcast get discovered by others.

I hope you'll join me next week when we’ll be talking about Micronesia.

Episode #7 features another island (last week was Marco Island in Florida), but this week we're heading west to the island of Kauai in Hawaii. Joining me as my guest today is author and adventurer, Heidi Siefkas. Originally from small-town Wisconsin, she now lives in Kauai and also calls the Midwest and South Florida home. Heidi’s books include When All Balls Drop and With New Eyes. Currently, Heidi is writing her third book, Cubicle to Cuba, which features a humorous collection of stories about her travels to Cuba, Peru, New Zealand, Italy, and other far-flung places.

Known as the garden isle, Kauai is a different experience than the much of the rest of Hawaii, but beaches and active outdoor adventure are still plentiful. Some recommendation that Heidi makes include:

You can connect with Heidi on your favorite social media platforms:  Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, Instagram, and YouTube.

Be sure to join us next week when we continue talking about islands, this time the Galapagos.

Welcome to Episode 3 of the Where Else to Go podcast. In this episode, I tackle a difficult subject, animal tourism, with my friend, Diana Edelman. I first met Diana a couple of years ago at a trade show, and since then have watched her become a responsible elephant tourism expert.

Where else does Diana recommend? Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, Thailand, one of the true elephant sanctuaries in the world. If you like adventure, feel a commitment to making the world a better place, love animals, or want to explore more of the countryside of Thailand, Elephant Nature Park may be the perfect spot for your next vacation.

Welcome to Episode 2 of the Where Else to Go podcast. Today I chat with writer and tour leader Victoria De Maio.

So where else does Victoria recommend? Puglia, Italy.

If you’ve been to other parts of Italy, or love the slow pace of the countryside, Puglia may be the perfect spot for your next vacation.

If you've been to Hawaii or the Caribbean, love the island and beach life, Fiji may be the perfect spot for your next vacation.

Besty and Peter Wuebker have been to Fiji several times, housesitting for extended periods, and plan to return again February 2016. In this premiere episode of the Where Else to Go podcast, they talk about getting around on the island, de-bunk the myth of Fiji as an uber expensive destination, and tempt our tastebuds with a mixed grill for dinner.