As one of the largest and most diverse countries in the world, The United States boast an amazing amount of tourist destinations ranging from the skyscrapers of New York and Chicago, the natural wonders of Yellowstone and Alaska to the sunny beaches of California, Florida and Hawaii. With so many tourist attractions in the USA it’s tempting to list entire cities or even states, but in this top 25 I have tried to focus on specific attractions.

After over ten years of consistent travel, I’ve definitely learned my fair share of lessons. Like the time I was robbed on a train because I let my guard down or the time Scott and I showed up at the Bozeman Airport only to find that we no longer had a car rental.

Somebody recently asked me if we had travel insurance and whether you really need it. I answered that of course, we do have travel insurance. We travel a lot and since we live in a small country like Belgium most of our trips are international. Basically, the moment we leave our house we need international travel insurance. We have annual coverage so that we don’t need to worry about going to Amsterdam for one day, visiting a Christmas Market in Germany, or going e-biking in Tirol. But then I started thinking whether we actually ever needed our travel insurance…

Son Doong Cave is based in Quang Binh, in the North Central part of Vietnam, midway between Danang and Hanoi. At the moment, the cave is only available to visit between February and August and closed from September to January due to flood.

Soon Dong Cave , Photo by: Ryan Debloodt

Discovered in 2009, Son Doong Cave in Quang Binh, Vietnam, is currently the biggest cave known by mankind.

This giant is the champion in every aspect. The entire cave is approximately 9 kilometers long with the largest chamber of 200 meters wide and 150 meters high. With such a scale, Son Doong can comfortably host an entire city with NYC’s skyscrapers of up to 40 stories or allow a 747 to fly through. The cave is as twice as large as its runner-up, Deer Cave in Malaysia. Stalagmites in Son Doong are also among the tallest in the world with some towering over 70 meters high.

Photo by: Carsten Peter

Not only exceptional in size, Son Doong is also ranked by BBC News as the most beautiful cave all over the globe. If you have ever watched James Cameron’s Avatar, you may find Son Doong more or less similar to the scenes on Planet Pandora. Untouched by humans and abnormally large, Son Doong has its own river, jungle and climate. Yes, river, jungle, and climate within the cave! The huge temperature difference between the air inside and outside creates a constantly hovering clouds of mist that gives rise to a miraculous and surreal atmosphere.

Son Doong Gate, Photo by: Carsten Peter

Son Doong was discovered by a local lumberjack named Ho Khanh. Although only in 2009 was the discovery officially announced by the British Cave Research Association, Ho Khanh’s first encounter with the giant was actually in 1991, during one of his logging trip. At that moment, Ho Khanh never knew that he had discovered the world’s largest grotto. Indeed, the powerful and mysterious wind blowing from inside the cave scared him as he thought it was one of the cave monsters in local mythology.

Photo by: Carsten Peter

Photo by: Carsten Peter

Photo by: Ryan Debloodt

Photo by: Ryan Debloodt

Photo by: Carsten Peter

Son Doong became open for commercial expedition in 2013. Since then, it has attracted throngs of adventurers who want to have the extraordinary and unique experience of discovering the biggest cave on Earth.

How to get there

Son Doong is located in Son Trach, Bo Trach District, Quang Binh Province, Vietnam. There is currently no paved road leading to the cave and the journey to the cave is an adventure itself. It will take you about 6 hours to walk 10 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh Highway into the dense tropical forest of Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park to reach the mouth of Son Doong.

By Air

The nearest airport is Dong Hoi Airport, which lies in the capital city Dong Hoi of Quang Binh province. There are several ways to get to Dong Hoi. For hardcore adventurers who cannot resist the urge to enter the cave as soon as possible, flying is the optimal option as it will save both time and energy.

Vietnam Airlines offers flights from Hanoi to Dong Hoi while Vietjet Airs offers flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Dong Hoi on daily basis. Travel time is around one hour for both.

By train

Alternatively, you can board the Reunification Express trains. Because Vietnam has a lengthy S-shape, there are train services from various cities such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Hue, Vinh, etc. to Dong Hoi. Travel time varies with distance from your starting point.

Buses and taxies are available too, offering more route options and flexibility. Prices and travel time also vary with starting destinations and service providers.



From Dong Hoi, you will be transferred to Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park and then to the trekking point on Road 20 of Ho Chi Minh Highway, by bus. Therefrom, the only vehicle available is your own feet. To reach Son Doong, it will take you around one day to traverse through forests, hills, and rivers so some fitness and endurance are required. Along the way, you will visit an ethnic village called Ban Doong and spend the night in Hang En Cave.

Best time to visit

The best time of the year to visit Son Doong is from February to August. From February to April, the weather is cool and mild, perfectly suitable for trekking in the cave. However, it can be quite cold at night so be prepared to bring along some trekking jackets. From May to August, the weather is often hot and humid, making the expedition more arduous and challenging. From September to January, the cave is closed as the flood also makes it impossible to access to the caves during this time of the year.

Source: http://www.saigoncafetravel.com/tc13/192/223/Son-Doong-Cave

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Remember the days of travel agencies? They’re long gone and with the internet we have all the information that we could ever possibly need right at our finger tips. The only problem is sorting through and figuring out which travel sites are the most reputable. Don’t worry we’ve got you covered. Let’s go over the top 10 most popular travel websites- so the next time you’re looking to book a trip you’ve got the resources loaded up and ready to go. 

Packing tips every traveler should know

Traveling for many is a hobby, while for others it is sometimes done for work, religious or other purposes. Whatever the reason, there are many opportunities to be had from visiting a new country, or revisiting one that was previously toured. One destination many may find to be enthralling is Mexico. In this post, I will present a few travel tips for those of you who may wish to visit Mexico. By providing these tips ri you, it is hoped that they will prove useful as you embark on your newest adventure to a beautiful country filled with beautiful people. Vamanos! ( let's go)

• Travel tips to Mexico 1. Where will you rest your head?. Before deciding to board the plane to Mexico, it is important that you first and foremost do your research on hotels or other forms of accommodation in the city you intent to stay. Ensure that the accommodation you choose is visitor friendly, that the view from the room is excellent and that if needed, there are tour guides that will help you to fully enjoy your stay.

• Travel tips to Mexico 2. Once there, make a concerted effort to pay in the local currency (pesos). This will ensure that you do not have a bad experience where exchange rate conversations are concerned. If you feel the need to , you can make a few transactions in US or other accepted currencies, just keep it to a minimum and you'll have more money at your disposal in the end.

• Travel tips to Mexico 3. The third tip is just simply to have fun. Try to enjoy Mexico as much as is possible for you to so do. Make visits to the beaches, museums, and restaurants and other sites of interest. Try Mexican food as much as possible and just savor the taste. Mexican food is undoubtedly like no other, and with that said you will not regret it. Try and see for yourself, and you will find it is finger licking good!. Hey, just do not have more chilli than needed.

• Travel tips to Mexico 4. The next tip is to shop, just do it sensibly. Do as much shopping as you can while you are in Mexico. Be sure to purchase souvenirs and other forms of Memorabilia to take back with you for friends, family and your own personal stash. Months, even years from now you can look at them and remember how lovely your trip yo Mexico was.

• Travel tips to Mexico 5. Hablas español . Try as much as possible to speak Spanish while you are there. It will help you become more fluent the more you speak and you will also interact with the natives better. Mexicans generally have warm and bubbly personalities so you won't have to worry about fitting in with the crowd.

• Travel tips to Mexico 6. Walk if you can. If at all possible, make a concerted effort to walk to your destination. If this is done, you won't miss the beautiful scenery that's normally missed while driving or being chauffeured. Walking will allow you to capture moments that you will remember for years to come. This allies me to segue into the next tip about capturing memories.

• Travel tips to Mexico 7. Take pictures or record videos. As much as possible, take photographs or fi video recordings of your experiences each day while in Mexico. It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, well a picture and video will make you quite wealthy intellectually. So go ahead and make those recordings and you will be extremely happy you did.

There you have it, seven tips for visiting Mexico. In summary, enjoy the trip it's as simple as that. Prior to going there, make all the necessary arrangements for accommodation, ensure you have enough money ( pesos and other acceptable forms) and just have fun. Additionally, spend time interacting with the locals who are reputed to be warm and friendly, and consume as much of the Mexican cuisine as is possible. Walk as often as is possible and while you do, be sure to tame many pictures and or video recordings of each outing or rather each site seen. This is the moment you've probably be waiting for a long time, seize every moment, speak as much of the language as you can and just simply enjoy yourself after all, you deserve every moment of it.

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This is a popular program for international cultural exchange that allows students from around the world to not only travel during their summer vacations but work as well in the United States. This program allows the opportunity to the students vacationing in the USA from either University or college the exposure to the culture and way of life in the United Sates. The Department of state is the founder and supervisor. It determines the number of students who get accorded that opportunity each year. The program has companies that register students abroad providing them with the necessary information and documentations. In addition, some agencies work well with the lucky students by planning the journey to the USA, places of work, and purchase of tickets on student’s tariffs.

WORK AND TRAVEL USA 2017

The program has some few requirements for the students wishing to work and travel in the USA. Some of these requirements include:

• Proficiency in English since they will mostly be interacting with English speaking natives.

• The students must be actively enrolled in an accredited post-secondary educational facility which is outside the USA. They must be pursuing a degree or some full-time course.

• The students must have completed at least one semester or some other form of post-secondary study.

• They must be pre-placed in a job preceding entry except if they are from a visa waiver country.

The program is both beneficial to both the student and the US based business. The business gets to have seasonal staff in the busy months thus cutting costs due to rising workforce needs. For the students, they get an opportunity to work and travel in the USA while earning some bit of money. The program has the following criteria for its duration.

• Maximum employment of 4 months.

• Maximum duration of stay is 5 months. 4 months of employment and 1 month of travel within the USA

• Documents and visa are issued after carefully agreeing to terms with the employer and the student. This means that the participants cannot extend their work permit.

• Students can remain in the USA up to the last day of their school vacation. This means they have to be back in their respective schools on the first day of the new semester.

After the students have the knowledge that they have been enrolled in this program. The participating sponsors must ensure that the participants have the following before departure to the USA:

• Information distribution meetings.

• Consultation services.

• Interview with the prospective USA employer.

• Arrangement and approval of job appointment.

• Documentation such as DS-2019(legal work document).

• Visa application assistance.

• Pre-departure orientation.

• Orientation array.

Upon arrival, the sponsor goes ahead and helps the participant in the following areas:

• Medical and health insurance cover as provided by J-1 sponsor.

• Social security card application if possible.

• Provision of hotline numbers in case of emergency 24 hours while in the USA.

• The sponsor should have continuous support while the participant is in the USA.

When the participants arrive in the USA, they get attached to the employers who have a duty to do the following:

• Employers must provide the participants with the kind numbers of hours they will be paid per week in agreement with the job offer agreed upon when the sponsors were vetting the candidates.

• They should pay the candidates over time when done but should be according to the state the participant is working or according to the federal law.

• Provide the sponsors with details of arrival of participants, any changes in the job placement, and when the candidates leave the workplace.

• In case of emergency, they should contact the sponsors that may involve the participant’s safety, welfare and health.

Candidates who make it to work and travel in the USA are employed in some of the famous locations in the United States such as Cedar point, Six Flags, Grand Canyon, and Yellowstone. Upon completion of work, the participants get to travel within the USA. This program enables the candidates to gain significant friendships from many citizens from around the country. They also get to gain some overseas work knowledge. Most important they get to have many great memories of their experience while in the USA. For students wanting to work and travel in the USA in 2017, the US J-1 sponsor organizations to contact include CIEE, CICD, Dynamic Global Exchange, Janus, GeoVisions, and much more. Most important, students should know that this program is not for them to gain any practical training concerning their course knowledge, or seek permanent work openings. They should know that after completion of the program, they must return to their respective countries.

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