'10 ULTIMATE TRIPS OF A LIFETIME'

Cue my cup of coffee and sitting in front of the TV...wait, I've done that everyday this summer already. Oops.

Upon my morning ritual of stalking Yahoo!, checking emails and reading various articles that catch my eye, I came across the '10 Ultimate Trips of a Lifetime'.

1. Great Wall of China (Beijing) to Gorky Park (Moscow) via Trans-Siberian Railroad.
2. Bhutan...also known as the happiest place on Earth.
3. India...tiger safaris and saris
4. Tokyo (Japan) to Jigokudani Valley.
5. California...road-trip style.
6. Antarctica.
7. Galapagos.
8. Jordan.
9. Seychelles.
10.  Guyan...also known as no-man's land.

I know I will definitely be going to these places, some before others but I will make it to all of them someday and hopefully can still tell all of you how they went!

Travel on wanderlusters!

SWIMMING IN THE CLEAR

You know when you are on vacation (or home) and you go to the ocean/sea/lake/other body of water and it's almost like walking into a dark pit of unknown fear. You walk in and start swimming only to feel something slimy on your feet or legs, fish nibbling at your body or a freaky unawareness of just how deep the water is...I don't know about you, but that scares the living shittake mushrooms out of me and I would rather just lay on the beach and become a lobster instead of experience that.

If you hate it too, here's a list of 34 places throughout the world that has clear water (thank you water gods):

1. Linapacan Island, Palawan, Philippines

2. The Maldives

3. Dog Island, San Blas, Panama

4. Cayo Coco, Cuba

5. Cala Macarelleta, Menorca, Spain

6. Sua Trench, Samoa

7. Crater Lake, Oregon, USA

8. Bak Bak Beach, Borneo

9. Jiuzhaigou Valley, Sichuan, China

10. Sabah, Malaysia

11. Jenny Lake, Wyoming, USA

12. Rio Sucuri, Brazil 

13. Calanque de Sormiou, France

14. Panari Island, Okinawa, Japan

15. Puerto Ayora, Galapagos

16. Lake Tahoe, Nevada, USA

17. Cayos Cochinos, Honduras

18. Primosten, Croatia

19. St. George, Bermuda

20. Hanauma Bay, Oahu, Hawaii

21. Pupu Springs, New Zealand

22. Calanque d'En-Vau, France

23. Rio Azul, Argentina

24. Corfu, Greece

25. Aitutaki, Cook Islands

26. Koh Phi Phi Don, Thailand

27. Playa Blanca, Colombia

28. Blue Lake, New Zealand (apparently the clearest water in the world)

29. Konigssee, Germany

30. Valle Verzasca, Switzerland

31. Tioman Island, Malaysia

32. Belo Sur Mer, Madagascar

33. Lake Marjorie, California, USA

34. Bodrum, Turkey

I'm dreaming of basking in these waters, are you?

Travel on wanderlusters!

2013 TRAVEL DESTINATIONS

According to the Travel section of the NY Times, there are 46 places wanderlusters HAVE to go in 2013. It's cool because I have been to some of these places or will be going there sometime this year. Some places I plan to go when I move to South America in a year.

Get your suitcases packed and plane tickets printed: 
1. Rio de Janiero, Brazil (next year)
2. Marseille 
3. Nicaragua (next year)
4. Accra, Ghana 
5. Bhutan
6. Amsterdam, Netherlands (in two months!)
7. Houston, Texas (this summer!)
8. Rossland, British Columbia
9. New Delhi, India (maybe this winter)
10. Istanbul, Turkey (maybe this fall)
11. Singapore
12. Montenegro
13. White Salmon River, Washington (been there!)
14. Hvar, Croatia (been there!)
15. Mongolia
16. The Big Island, Hawaii (maybe next spring)
17. Philippines (very soon, I have family there)
18. Vernazza, Italy
19. The Kimberley, Australia (when I move there in 2015)
20. Ningxia, China
21. The Adirondacks, New York
22. Oslo, Norway (very soon)
23. Constantia, South Africa (I want to!)
24. Lithuania
25. Burgos, Spain
26. Lens, France
27. Changbaishan, China
28. Porto, Portugal (maybe in the summer)
29. Puerto Rico
30. Koh Phangan, Thailand
31. Kalpitiya, Sri Lanka
32. Jackson Hole, Wyoming (maybe in the summer)
33. Bangkok, Thailand (sometime this year!)
34. The Jeseniky, Czech Republic (been there!)
35. Waiheke, New Zealand
36. Yucatan, Mexico (been there!)
37. Charlevoix, Quebec
38. Pecs, Hungary
39. Republic of Congo (the post for later today!)
40. Ireland (been there! maybe going back this year)
41. Getaria, Spain
42. Mergui Islands, Myanmar
43. The Falkland Islands
44. Washington D.C. (been there...way too many times ;) )
45. Casablanca, Morocco (hopefully for my birthday week this year!)
46. Paris, France (been there! going back in June)

Where are you going this year? Where do you want to go this year? I'm just itching to book plane tickets...

Travel on wanderlusters and keep an eye out for the Congo post later today!

It's Hump-day!

Happy Wednesday! or shall I say hump-day?

Sitting here in my politics class when all the sudden these very loud alarms go off outside. Then I remembered it was the first Wednesday of the month...the day they test the alarm system throughout Prague. My professor was joking that if we hear it when it is not the first Wednesday of the month then we should make a run for the hills.

With the million and one things on my to-do list this week, I put writing more posts at the top, so here I am! As I write this, I am looking at flights in October to Beijing, China. I really would love to see the Great Wall this year. Hong Kong would be nice too. I am also applying to my dream internship with National Geographic Magazine in Washington D.C. this summer. Woooo!

I am most definitely going to be traveling with wanderlust in coming weeks.

P.S. if you are bored at all today, have a gander at my articles on College Fashionista!

Travel on wanderlusters and have a fabulous Wednesday!

Just One of Those...

Nights where you can't sleep no matter what you do? Yeah...that was my night last night after tossing and turning for a few hours I decided to watch catch up on some Homeland and Vampire Diaries and I instantly passed out. Well, for only about 4 hours but something is better than nothing right?

I'm staring outside as I type and it's really yucky and depressing out. I miss the sunshine and warm weather...never thought I would say I miss the warm weather because I am definitely a cold weather type of person. Hmph, I blame it on Europe! Haha.

Well, I promised my friend I would take him up to the Prague Castle, snow or no snow, today so that's what I'll be doing a majority of my day and I promised you wanderlusters that I would post some pictures of Prague in the snow! Bear in mind it will be some dreary, gray/dark pictures but you'll get the jist of Prague winter beauty :) Despite how beautiful Prague is in the winter, I am dreaming of Thailand...only 2 more months until Bangkok and Phuket Bay beaches.

P.S. I started my internship with CollegeFashionista.com, for those of you who haven't heard about it, CHECK IT OUT! But my first post went live and my wanderlusters should check out the fashion-loving side of my writing! I convinced my best friend to do a mini photo-shoot for me in my backyard and now she's the face of my first CF article! http://www.collegefashionista.com/shelleahpedersen/style-advice-of-the-week-these-boots-were-made-for-spikes/

P.S.S. ONE WEEK UNTIL ROME!!

Travel on wanderlusters!

Tragedy Strikes in Newtown

I'm sitting here writing this in tears, as a big sister to a little sister in kindergarten and a little brother in 2nd grade.

I took a nap this afternoon only to wake up to the horrific news of what happened in Newtown, CT. My heart instantly ripped into two. I cannot even imagine the devastation the families of the children and teachers killed and the whole community of Newtown. No, I am not a mother but I am a big sister who has two elementary school siblings and my heart and thoughts go out to every one affected by this tragedy.

I don't understand how someone can wake up with the urge to kill so many innocent people, let alone YOUNG CHILDREN. Why? Why, why?! For the sake of the country I grew up in and where my friends and family live, I hope this prompts change. I sincerely hope this was finally the last straw after all the shootings that occurred throughout America just this year, 2012. Watching Obama wipe the tears from his eyes, pause for a few seconds between words and say his final words really makes me hope that change will finally be made.

I cannot imagine living in fear everyday, I cannot imagine sending my child or brother and sister to school worrying about if this will happen again. I just can't. This is why change needs to be made. No parent should EVER receive a phone call that their 5-10 year old child has been shot in school, a place that is supposed to be safe, a place that gives them a future.

Again, my heart and my thoughts go out to the families and everyone affected by the Newtown school shooting this afternoon.

Spotted: Tom Cruise

On the Charles Bridge yesterday afternoon! Now where is little Suri?!

Today, on the walk to the National Library, we were stopped in our tracks when we saw they were filming a movie right outside of the library. So, of course we stopped and stared, waiting patiently for some A-list celebrity to come running in the scene. We left minutes after to the Christmas market then came back and right when we came back they were filming a scene...couldn't tell if it was Tom Cruise but it sure looked A LOT like him.

Whatever movie they are filming, they are trying to portray it being in the Netherlands, nope, it's in Prague. The fake street signs and Netherlands license plates were added to make it seem like it was in the Netherlands.

It's beaaaautiful and sunny today but I get to spend the entire, FREEZING, afternoon in the library studying for finals next week. I just looked up from typing this and realized an extremely creepy lady with a "I'm going to steal you and throw you in a cave" grin was staring at me from across the library. Okay, then.

Travel on wanderlusters!

My Online Jewelry Boutique: Mixed Signals

As of this afternoon, I opened up an online jewelry boutique called 'Mixed Signals'. Check it out!

https://mixedsignals.kitsylane.com/index.php

Travel...and shop...on wanderlusters!

"10 out-of-this-world places"

While checking my email and drinking my MullerMilk this morning, I came across this cool article: http://travel.yahoo.com/ideas/10-out-of-this-world-places.html

"10 out-of-this-world places"

1. Salt Flats Bolivia
2. The Chocolate Hills, The Philippines
3. Rio Tinto, Spain
4. Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland
5. Spotted Lake, British Columbia
6. Socotra Island, Indian Ocean
7.Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona
8. Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentina
9. Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, China
10. Simpson Desert, Australia

Pretty cool, right?! I know where I want to go next, what about you wanderlusters?

Travel on wanderlusters!