Travel off the beaten track and experience

Hydrographic Surveys: Cooler Than They Sound! Our Megan’s experience of supporting a marine project in Queensland, Australia As a geography research fellow, I am a little bit obsessed with anything to do with our planet – or even our universe (I’m not picky!). So I get somewhat over-excited when I get to experience something new. In this case, I recently got to be involved in a hydrographic survey in Queensland, Australia. These aren’t conducted that often, and involve highly trained and specialised professionals – so it was a bit of a coup to get invited along. I thought that my experience would be a good story to tell to others that are either considering this exciting field of study or are thinking of branching out into a more specific area of maritime science, engineering or surveying – all of which are related fields. What is a hydrographic survey? Just as land is surveyed for a variety of reasons – mapping, real estate, government etc, water need...

The famous photographer Henri Cartier-Bressi once said: “The most difficult thing for me is a portrait. You have to try and put your camera between the skin of a person and his shirt,” and this challenge is what I live for. You can’t just go up to a stranger and ask to take a close up photo of their face and hope to capture genuine expression. No, instead there must be a relationship. The photograph is not just about capturing a moment, its about the moments before that made it possible. These people have all been a part of my life while I was on my year of volunteering with Global Vision International. While I taught three, four and five-year-olds in Peru, I shared the daily joy of capturing their expressive faces as they learnt shapes and social etiquette. In Thailand I walked with elephants and mahouts in the forests and captured the expressions of the villagers as I built a heartfelt relationship with them. In India I worked with orphans, teaching them English ...

You may be wondering why it’s such a big deal to have a millennials-only river cruise in Paris? I can definitely answer that for you, since I know first hand that the typical demographic of river cruises is around fifty and over! Not that there’s anything wrong with that, it’s just that there’s a very different preference in the way Baby Boomers travel versus Millennials, and until now, most river cruises only catered to the former. This is why there has been such lack of Millennials on river cruises in Paris (I would know, since I was the only one aboard one last year), and why it’s been so hard to promote reasons why they should get onboard. But now, thanks to a bright idea by Uniworld , the first ever Millennials-only river cruise (of hopefully many) exists in Paris for travelers aged 21-45! They’re calling the fresh-to-death, chic AF, newly renovated ship “The B” , and just like Beyonce herself, she looks like a Queen. The activities both on and off board are super fun and exci...

See the full article, gallery, and videos on GeoChic.com That’s the thing about Cuba — it’s a living time capsule where romance prevails and there’s a general appreciation and respect for each other. By Alyssa Ramos via GeoChic.com Fierce notes from a rusted trumpet wail and dance through the dry, salty Havana air that whirls along the Malecón at sunset. The trumpet player with his frayed fedora hat and cotton pants is one of the only people sitting on the stone wall by himself, but the love he has for his country is enough to fill his heart. The seemingly endless, curving stone wall that separates the pronounced city of Havana from the daunting ocean waters below it is populated with lovers, friends, and family who gather each night to talk casually over some cervezas, and enjoy time with each other. No cell phones, no internet, just each other. Because in Cuba, that’s what matters the most, just like in the good old days. via GeoChic.com That’s the thing about Cuba — it’s a...

by Crystal Veness For the past eight months, I have been travelling solo around the world. It’s been a journey absolutely packed with personal growth, learning experiences, challenges, and so much adventure! How did I find my inspiration, and how can you? Here are my most important and impactful take-aways from my journey. Jump To: 1. Take every opportunity to connect with others 2. Take time for yourself 3. Learn something new 4. Take a notebook 5. Work on something that gives you purpose. 1. Take every opportunity to connect with others When I travel alone, I find it markedly easier to meet new people. There is something about being on your own in a new environment that almost makes this a requirement. You either open up, or you’re alone. I stay in hostels, go on retreats with strangers, sit at the bar, chat with people in line, on the bus, on the plane, on the ferry, wherever! The easiest thing is… the people you meet are traveling as well! There are endless conversation s...

by Alyssa Ramos No,   the miracle at Malibu Wines was not that there was a fountain of wine, but it was what happened immediately after the head on collision with a motorcycle and a Prius that I saw as I walked up on Sunday afternoon. I wasn’t confident if writing about the incident would be acceptable at first, but I’m way as well thankful for the people today who occurred to be around when it happened, and the motorcyclist’s fast pondering and smart usage of safety gear, to let the miracle be unheard. Considering about it still puts a knot in my stomach and a drilling feeling in my head. My date and I had just arrived to Malibu Wines, and had been walking across the dirt driveway entrance when the shrilling sound of tires screeching and metal colliding exploded on the narrow, winding highway in front of us. I try to remember screaming, and jolting about so violently that I hit my date in the back as we each watched in horror as a motorcyclist flew  more than   a...