Day 1 – Auckland to Hahei Leaving Auckland we stopped at Mount Eden, a dormant volcano, for views of the city and the famous nearby Rugby stadium. We traveled through the Coromandel Peninsula to Hahei, a beach town most notable for its spectacular Cathedral Cove. As we made the drive to Hahei,
New Zealand is a country that’s known for being overwhelmingly welcoming to backpackers. With so many young people on their year-long sabbatical to Australia (aided by a working visa so they can work at orchards and farms or the random odd-job to further fund their travels) New Zealand is frequently
I'll just go ahead and say it - I wasn't looking forward to visiting Auckland. It's the biggest city in the country and I've made my pilgrimage here to New Zealand for the beautiful scenery and the feeling of being isolated in the wilderness. For me, Auckland was merely a
At long last, here is the Torres del Paine "Top 5" video that I created for the Travel Channel. I wrote, shot, edited and narrated this project, and being able to travel down to Patagonia was an amazing experience! While watching this video I just want you to imagine me with
See my entire 55 Places bucket list here. When I finally got to Torres del Paine National Park in Chile, the first place I headed was Grey Lake, home to magnificent icebergs and the Grey Glacier. I think "chill" would be the operative word with this particular adventure.
After a 12 hour drive across the Patagonian Steppe yesterday, the mountains of Argentina were a welcome sight. It was one heck of a monotonous drive, and at times, a confusing one, because no one spoke english except for one Italian couple from Palermo. In my mind, they will always
The quest to accomplish my top 55 Places begins! At 9:00 am on October 1st, 2009, the phone lines for Phantom Ranch Cabins in the Grand Canyon opened, ready to begin accepting NEXT October's reservations. I had heard that getting a coveted spot was incredibly competitive and intense, so Mom, Dad
Every evening, Italians from the largest cities to the smallest villages participate in the social event of the day, the passeggiata, or “Little Walk.” They wear their Sunday best, strolling sloooowly and savoring life; wanting to see and be seen. On a recent trip to Florence, Italy, I had a
THIS BLOG IS RE-POSTED FROM A TRAVEL CHANNEL STAFF CONTEST... WE WERE ASKED WHICH WORLD BEACH WE'D MOST WANTED TO BE STRANDED, AND THIS WAS MY RESPONSE! On which world beach would you most like to be stranded? I consider myself a bit of a “beach enthusiast,” and I’ve been lucky to
