Komodo dragons are a deadly type of lizard living naturally on just four islands in the world, all located within the Asian country of Indonesia. To kill their prey, which range from wild boars to water buffalo, the 7.5-8.5 ft-long dragons use a combination of venom, bacteria-ridden saliva, and a sharp, bite-and-pull motion during an attack. Their fossil record & evolution can even tricky to trace because the dragons will eat each other when they get the chance, bones and all! Komodo dragons can smell …
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I started jotting down these checklists about a month ago, from my bedroom in Lancaster, PA… travel-sized toiletry containers and lightweight clothes strewn around the room, and vaccination appointments up & coming.  Typically, I send personalized pre-travel checklists to clients depending on their destination & travel style, and I have realized it could be helpful to both myself & other travelers to just make one all-encompassing list. Something to breeze through before any & all travels for peace of mind. Plus, I’ve recently needed to get organized …
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Right off the coast of mainland South America you’ll find a string of southernmost Caribbean islands. They’re known as the “ABC Islands:” Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao.Although these vacation destinations are a stone’s throw from Venezuela, they are in fact part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (the same goes for Sint Maarten). Each is its own country, but they do not have full autonomy on the global stage, which can be a bit confusing to understand. It makes each country all-the-more interesting to visit, as you’ll find Caribbean and Dutch …
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Ever since I had set foot off the airplane in Kathmandu, everyone had been warning me about the water. Don’t drink it, don’t eat raw fruits or vegetables washed with it, don’t even brush your teeth with it. This was vaguely stressful at first, but soon became second nature. By the time I got home four months later, it felt strange to brush my teeth from the faucet. First impressions of the Kathmandu Valley… and some motorcycle foreshadowing The same rules applied when I left …
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Aruba has so much to offer — it stands apart from other Caribbean islands with its unique desert landscapes; all beaches are public & to be enjoyed by all people; and its Arikok National Park offers alluring coastal hikes. There are some moments from Aruba that stick in my mind like salty ocean air. The sun bleeding over the horizon during a Mount Hooiberg sunrise. Discovering starfish, sea urchins, & endless tropical fish while snorkeling shallow waters. But many of my favorite moments had to …
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I arrived in Portugal with a lot of expectations… my mind ran wild with anticipation of sandstone coastal cliffs awaiting my encounter. The streets would be narrow and winding, with hills steeper than San Francisco. Restaurant tables spilling precariously into cobblestone streets, with port wine as cheap as water. I couldn’t stop scouring Instagram and Google Images with searches of the Algarve coast. One of countless stunning spots along Portugal’s stunning southern coast, known as the Algarve region What comes to mind for you, when …
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