Just the words, “World Travel,” sound romantic. What’s it like to really chuck it all and travel around the world for a year? After visiting over a dozen countries on a shoestring-budget, I thought I’d do a little visual re-cap of some of the highlights. First stop, on my world travel adventure – Australia, including the Great Barrier Reef in Cairns, where I took a leap of faith as well as a leap in the ocean, and...

New Zealand abounds with opportunities for excursions – you could participate in a different one each day for weeks and not do them all: bungy jumping, jet skiing, horse back riding, boat cruising… …There are gondola rides, bike tours, paddle boarding, historic train trips,  hikes on glaciers and ice climbing, helicopter tours, aqua biking, river surfing and rafting, rock climbing, whale watching, fishing, zip lining, panning...

Love astounding scenery? New Zealand is a place for you!! Milford Sound has been on my list of places to go for years, and then I found out about Doubtful Sound and had double the pleasure. The best way to see the sounds is from the water, and there are many companies who are more than happy to take you out on a cruise, either a 2 hour scenic or nature cruise, or if you’re a big spender, an overnight on Doubtful, including a gourmet meal....

A visit to Fox and Franz Josef glaciers is a great way to chill out, literally. They are melting rapidly though, so head there sooner rather than later! A friend told me not to bother going if you can’t see them by helicopter, and although it’s truly the best way to view them, it’s still worth going even if you don’t go up in the sky.That being said, I did opt for a helicopter flight as one of my few special excursions...

One of the best ways to see New Zealand is on foot. The country is full of fabulous “tracks,” or what many people call hiking trails. When you head out in your hiking boots, it’s called “tramping.” There are countless day hikes, but if you have the time and are more ambitious, you can keep tramping for several days. My first hike was in the north of the South Island on the Queen Charlotte Track, not too far from...