Piazza
Best Big Trips
TWINSEEDS
2009. 1. 31. 01:16
BEST BIG TRIPS
City Slicker? Rugged Mountain Trekker? Train Traveller? There's No Limit - Not Even The Sky - When It Comes To Making That Journey Of A Lifetime.
1. The Silk Road
Some explorers earned celebrity far beyond the journeys they made. Step forward Marco Polo, whose record of the Silk Road propelled him to adventuring superstardom. His father and brother travelled the overland route from Europe to Asia before him, but it was Marco's 17 years' service to Kublai Khan that gilded his inspiring tales. Modern-day pilgrims still follow the ancient trader roads from Turkey to China. If you've a few spare months, take the train from Istanbul to Tehran and then on to Ashgabat, Tashkent and Almaty before arriving at ancient Xi'an.
2. London to Capetown
Take a Land Rover, six months's supplies and a passport. Mix with the spirit of adventure for a classic overland journey. Heading south from London, take the western route to hit as many countries as possible. Political sensitivities allowing, this will lead you through Morocco, Westen Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Mali, Cote d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Congo, Angola, Nambia and, finally, South Africa. As the crow flies it's 9681km; by road it's as long as you want.
3. Vancouver To Halifax
* Follow The Andes
* Moscow To The Kamchatka Peninsula
The volcanoes and geysers of the Kamchatka Peninsula are an awesome attraction of Russia's far east. Closer to Tokyo than any of Europe's major cities, Kamchatka's volcanic belt comprises 29 craters and forms part of the greater Pacific Ring of Fire. It's a tough place to visit. Hardcore travellers take the Trans-Siberian Express from Moskow to Khabarovsk before catching a flight to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the peninsula's capital. Choose a local guide to meet your needs - fishing on the Bystraya River, diving in Avacha Bay or hiking to the valley of Geyser.
* Singapore To Beijing
* Explore Central America
Few places in the world offer the diverse culture, nature and wildlife of Central America. If you want a blue-water diving paradise, head to Belize. For stunning Mayan history, try the ruins of Guatemala. Looking for unspoilt beaches, active volcanoes and primary rainforest? Try Costa Rica's lush national parks. Panama's Bocas delToro archipelago region is a hiking paradise, whilst surfers head to Nicaragua in search of the perfect wave. Combine the countries of Central America, often overlooked as the bridge between North and South America, for a spinetingling adventure.
* Interrail Europe
The grab-year student's favourite adventure has taken a hammering in recent years, as budget airlines battle it out to make air travel more affordable. But everyone gets misty eyed over the romance of train journeys, so why not get out there and do it? With a bit of planning it's possible to travel from northern Scotland to southern Turkey, covering all the points between. The recent expansion of the EU means there's never been a better time to see eastern countries like Slovenia, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria. Grab a map, check the time tables and get planning.
* Norweigan Coastal Voyage
* Outer Space
For the tourists who's been everywhere and got all the T-shirts, a $12.5 million space flight could be the final frontier. A select group of big-spending intergalactic adventurers have already made the International Space Station their ultimate destination. But you'll need deep pockets - at an average of 400km above the earth's surface, it works out at a cool $31,250 per kilometre. If your pockets don't quite stretch that far, start saving for a seat on one of the proposed commercial flights. For around $200,000 you can book a place on a rocket bound for the Karmn Line, the arbitrary boundary of space at an altitude of 100km.
from Lonely Planet Best in Travel 2009.
BEST BIG TRIPS
City Slicker? Rugged Mountain Trekker? Train Traveller? There's No Limit - Not Even The Sky - When It Comes To Making That Journey Of A Lifetime.
1. The Silk Road
Some explorers earned celebrity far beyond the journeys they made. Step forward Marco Polo, whose record of the Silk Road propelled him to adventuring superstardom. His father and brother travelled the overland route from Europe to Asia before him, but it was Marco's 17 years' service to Kublai Khan that gilded his inspiring tales. Modern-day pilgrims still follow the ancient trader roads from Turkey to China. If you've a few spare months, take the train from Istanbul to Tehran and then on to Ashgabat, Tashkent and Almaty before arriving at ancient Xi'an.
2. London to Capetown
Take a Land Rover, six months's supplies and a passport. Mix with the spirit of adventure for a classic overland journey. Heading south from London, take the western route to hit as many countries as possible. Political sensitivities allowing, this will lead you through Morocco, Westen Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Mali, Cote d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Congo, Angola, Nambia and, finally, South Africa. As the crow flies it's 9681km; by road it's as long as you want.
3. Vancouver To Halifax
* Follow The Andes
* Moscow To The Kamchatka Peninsula
The volcanoes and geysers of the Kamchatka Peninsula are an awesome attraction of Russia's far east. Closer to Tokyo than any of Europe's major cities, Kamchatka's volcanic belt comprises 29 craters and forms part of the greater Pacific Ring of Fire. It's a tough place to visit. Hardcore travellers take the Trans-Siberian Express from Moskow to Khabarovsk before catching a flight to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the peninsula's capital. Choose a local guide to meet your needs - fishing on the Bystraya River, diving in Avacha Bay or hiking to the valley of Geyser.
* Singapore To Beijing
* Explore Central America
Few places in the world offer the diverse culture, nature and wildlife of Central America. If you want a blue-water diving paradise, head to Belize. For stunning Mayan history, try the ruins of Guatemala. Looking for unspoilt beaches, active volcanoes and primary rainforest? Try Costa Rica's lush national parks. Panama's Bocas delToro archipelago region is a hiking paradise, whilst surfers head to Nicaragua in search of the perfect wave. Combine the countries of Central America, often overlooked as the bridge between North and South America, for a spinetingling adventure.
* Interrail Europe
The grab-year student's favourite adventure has taken a hammering in recent years, as budget airlines battle it out to make air travel more affordable. But everyone gets misty eyed over the romance of train journeys, so why not get out there and do it? With a bit of planning it's possible to travel from northern Scotland to southern Turkey, covering all the points between. The recent expansion of the EU means there's never been a better time to see eastern countries like Slovenia, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria. Grab a map, check the time tables and get planning.
* Norweigan Coastal Voyage
* Outer Space
For the tourists who's been everywhere and got all the T-shirts, a $12.5 million space flight could be the final frontier. A select group of big-spending intergalactic adventurers have already made the International Space Station their ultimate destination. But you'll need deep pockets - at an average of 400km above the earth's surface, it works out at a cool $31,250 per kilometre. If your pockets don't quite stretch that far, start saving for a seat on one of the proposed commercial flights. For around $200,000 you can book a place on a rocket bound for the Karmn Line, the arbitrary boundary of space at an altitude of 100km.
from Lonely Planet Best in Travel 2009.