Traveling the globe with Nat Geo Student Expeditions

by Kraig Becker on

In the summer of 2008, National Geographic launched a fascinating and inspiring project called Student Expeditions, which aimed to send high school students to a variety of exotic locals around the globe, immersing them in that location through unique, special projects that give them the opportunity to experience the culture and landscapes of the place, while learning something special in the process. The program is now in its second year, and even more students are getting the opportunity to take part in this amazing travel experience.

The students can choose to travel to Australia, Belize, China, Costa Rica, Ecuador and the Galápagos, Iceland, India, Mexico’s Yucatan, Peru, Rome and Greece, Spain and Tanzania. Each of the trips is three weeks in length, and along the way, the students, and their trip leaders, are joined by National Geographic experts, who share their insights and unique perspectives on each of the countries. These experts are generally writers, photographers, explorers, and so on, and they typically spend between four to eight days traveling with the high schoolers.

While traveling in their selected country, each of the students adopts an On Assignment Project, which are specially designed to teach them something about the country, while offering an experience that only National Geographic can deliver. The projects focus on photography, filmmaking, wildlife and conservation, and more. The trip leaders and experts work closely with the young travelers to help complete the assignments, and create a lasting travel experience unlike any other.

Many of the studens have been blogging their travels all summer long, and you can read all about the Student Expedtioins experience by clicking here. You’ll find thoughts on trekking glaciers in Iceland, exploring Inca culture in Peru, and visiting the sites of ancient empires in Rome and Greece, amongst many others.

And if there are any students out there that are interested in joining future Student Expeditions, click here to begin the application process.

And the happiest place on Earth is …

by Tom Johansmeyer on

… not Disney World!

Despite the theme park’s claim, Costa Rica actually takes the top spot, according to the New Economics Foundation. This Britain-based independent research firm uses the “Happy Planet Index” to determine and rank the countries with the happiest people. The organization’s goal is to build a new economy that focuses on people and the environment.

This year’s survey covered 143 countries, with Latin American claiming nine of the top 10 positions in the study. The Dominican Republic took second, followed by Jamaica, Guatemala and Vietnam.

If you live in a developed nation, it seems, you’re probably unhappy. Great Britain took 74th, and the United States came in at 114. But, the latter is happier than it was 20 years ago. China and India are also fairly unhappy, but mostly because they are pursuing aggressive economic growth.

Now, the results are skewed because ecological implications account for a substantial portion of how happy a country is. The study assumes that the further you are from carbon-neutral, the unhappier you are. I’m down for going green, but I really struggle to see how it plays such a large role in a country’s happiness.

The most exclusive plane-hotel in Costa Rica

by Brenda Yun on

Not all aircrafts are destined to be cut into pieces and melted for reuse in another life. Here is a unique example of one in Costa Rica — a fully-outfitted, meticulously detailed, two bedroom, Boeing 727 fuselage suite.

This refurbished, vintage, 1965 Boeing 727 airframe once shuttled globetrotters on South Africa Air and Avianca Airlines (Colombia). Now the phoenix is ready for its future duty as the most exclusive hotel suite in Costa Rica.

The airframe was salvaged piece by piece from its San Jose airport resting place and carefully transported on five, big-rig trucks to the jungles of Manuel Antonio where it was resurrected into a unique jumbo hotel suite.

This classic plane-hotel, nestled on the edge of the National Park in the Costa Verde area is perched on a 50-foot pedestal. At this height, guests can enjoy scenic ocean and jungle views from the hard wood deck built atop the plane’s former right wing.

The plane’s interior is Costa Rican teak paneling from the cockpit to the tail. Furnishings are hand-carved, teak furniture from Java , Indonesia. This 727 home also features two air conditioned bedrooms — one with two queen sized beds and the other with one queen sized bed, each with its own private bath, a flat screen TV, a kitchenette, dining area foyer, an ocean view terrace, a private entrance up a river rock, spiral staircase, and 360 degrees of surrounding gardens. Enjoy an evening on the terrace, spying on tree top neighbors such as sloths, toucans and monkeys.

The refurbished Boeing 727 home is not the only such dwelling in the world. This hotel suite was inspired by a Forbes Magazine article about a company offering hurricane-proof living via surplus Boeing 727 airframes. The hotel took it to the next level, though, by finding some new ways to introduce convenience and luxury to the plane’s aluminum scrap frame.

Staying in this Costa Verde 72 fuselage home starts at $300 per night. To book what will certainly be a memorable stay in this plane-hotel, visit the Hotel Costa Verde website.

World’s Top Eco-Lodges

by Kraig Becker on

Outside Magazine has put together a great list of the top eco-lodges from around the world, with seven amazing escapes that not only offer plenty of luxury, but do so in an eco-friendly way. Each of the resorts is given a rating on the “Green-O-Meter” and for its accessibility, and the selection of locations spans the globe, offering a destination no matter which direction you’re headed.

For instance, if you’re traveling to Africa, Outside recommends Azura’s at Gabriel’s, on Benguerra Island, off Mozambique. The small resort has just 15 villas, but each has its own private pool, to compliment the amazing white sand beaches. World class SCUBA diving and deep-sea fishing are amongst the top activities, and Azura earns its green rating by using its gray water for irrigation and doing its own composting on site. The lodge is also moving forward with plans to buy wind credits to go completely carbon neutral and is contributing to the local economy by ensuring that 90% of the staff are Mozambican.

If Belize is more your style, then the Machaca Hill Lodge is the recommended place to stay. This lodge was once a fishing community that has been transformed into an eco-friendly resort that includes an 11,000-acre nature reserve that surrounds the 12 cabanas, and isolates them from the outside world. Machaca Hill is lauded for the fact that it generates most of its power via solar panels and has an organic farm on site that provides most of the lodge’s food.

There are five other great eco-lodges on the list as well, each with a unique setting and a unique approach to sustainable tourism. Any one of them will proved an amazing experience, and not make you feel guilty about your travels.

The Highest Cities in the World

by Kraig Becker on

The BootsnAll Travel site has a great article up listing the highest cities in the world. Amsterdam doesn’t make this list however, as we’re talking the cities that fall at the highest altitude. These mountain communities will have you gasping for air as soon as you step off the plane, both with their thin air and stunning mountain scenery.

Topping the list as the highest city in the world is La Rinoconada in Peru. This city of 30,000 is known as the highest permanent human habitiation” and rightly so. Located in the Andes, La Rinoconada sits at 16,728 feet, more than 3100 feet above the next highest city, El Alto, Bolivia at 13,615 feet.

The only city from the U.S. to make the list is Leadville, Colorado which, with 3000 permanent residents, is the highest incorporated city in the country. Leadville falls at 10,152 and is famous for the Leadville 100, a 100 mile long mountain bike race held annually that notoriously punishes endurance athletes.

A couple of the other cities on the list are famous amongst adventure travelers. Lhasa, Tibet at 12,002 feet and Namche Bazaar in Nepal, at 11,482 feet are both stops for trekkers and mountaineers on their way to Mt. Everest. And Cuzco, Peru, which sits at 10,800 feet is a popular starting point for backpackers hiking the Andes and visiting Machu Picchu.

There are some amazing cities on this list, and if you have the opportunity to visit any of them, be sure to bring your camera. And bottled oxygen.