Welcome to the Instinct by KITI where we move the world though first-hand, new generation travel and lifestyle storytelling.
All in Travel
I have a new story in Vice. I travel to Cuba to learn more about the Havana stand up comedy scene. Just as Cubans have dealt with shortages of food and other general goods for decades, the island's comedians have to use their ingenuity and resourcefulness when comes to making political jokes. In Cuba, comedy provides a family-friendly refuge from an everyday life, and an opportunity to inch up to the line of what no one can say out loud.
As far as Europe is concerned, France, Spain and Italy seem to trump all other tourist destinations in that region - and yes, to the naked eye this would be a relatively accurate statement; however, what you don’t read in the trendiest travel books and latest and greatest adventure blogs is that Slovenia will be responsible for taking your vacation to the next level. Though it is hardly noticeable on the map of popular European destinations, it happens to boast some of the areas most intriguing landscapes, historical monuments and interesting adventure sports. Follow this journey through the heart of Slovenia and across four different must see destinations!
Walking home to our apartment in Venice, we share a wave through the window with the owner of Baba, our local osteria. Leaving for a day of sightseeing, a cup of my favorite pistachio gelato awaits me despite the early hour. At the Bar Dugole, we relax after a day of sightseeing and order the regular: vodka for my husband and Amaretto for me. And we sit and watch everyone else in Venice try to figure out where the hell they are! But more on that later.
Here's an opportunity for all you travel writers out there: Between January 2 – June 30th, the Crystal Lodge & Suites is welcoming 2 journalists per month to experience this unique Whistler resort in in British Columbia. Qualified journalists are invited to come and experience all the resort has to offer and find out what it's like to stay 'at the center of it all' in North America's largest Ski Resort.
The thing about the DIY culture is: you can do some really cool stuff with a few good ideas, some descent equipment - and enough money to let you travel around the world for 4 months going to very cool places and doing very cool things. It's just that easy. Check out this traveler's video - he put together some great footage, which was all shot on a GoPro Hero3 + Black Edition; along with a GoPole, Headstrap and Chesty.
Why go to Sweetwater County? Better yet, Why go there with a bicycle? Reason: Sweetwater County has some of the best singletrack trails in Wyoming. No. Correction - probably the best singletrack trails in the entire West. If you're an adventure-seeker (one who seeks adventure) - then this biking haven, located in Southwest Wyoming is worth checking out. While on two wheels, blazing a trail on a hard tail or full-suspension bike, you'll be surrounded by 10,500 square miles of high desert country - along with the nearby towns of Green River and Rocks Springs. Sweetwater County, located halfway between Yellowstone and Canyonlands National Parks.
Wyatt Boyd is a bit of a show off.
Before my son, Alex, and I start a beginner surfing lesson, instructor Wyatt catches a couple of waves to demonstrate how it's done. Of course, as the quintessential California boy, former varsity team surfer and past South Bay champion, he's spectacular.He catches the perfect wave and rushes to shore in a torrent of white water two metres high. He exits the Pacific Ocean and runs towards us tanned, lean and glistening, holding his short board, a big smile on his face. Of course, we're jealous.
The Riviera Nayarit boasts plenty of surfer-friendly beaches. However if you are just learning to surf some are better than others. Sayulita is small beach town located 45 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta. In recent years this sleepy fishing village in the Riviera Nayarit has transformed into a mecca for those eager to learn to surf. Sayulita offers great waves, without too much swell, making it an ideal spot to catch your first wave.
Halle is a professional cuddler. This little two-and-a-half-year-old koala has my daughter, Grace, in a eucalyptus-scented embrace. Grace smiles and snuggles and Halle half closes her eyes. Rather than contentment with this human interaction, Halle may just be tired. After all, koalas are notorious slackers.
Out in the desert, the burrowing owl is always the star. This evening the statement is double entendre. There really is a live burrowing owl called Pluto perched atop Lauren Meads' hand being the cutest little envoy you can image for the Romancing the Desert event.
When I visited Seoul, Korea in 2009 to explore its soju industry for a liquor trade book, I found the city to be a sensory overloaded K-Pop video come to life. It was awash with “what recession?” mega-malls, designer branded outdoor advertising and teens wearing frilly statement fashion. Plastic surgery-driven med tourism was also taking off in a big way at that time. In other words, “Gangnam style” was a way of life three years before it was parodied in Psy’s witty video.
“You expect me to climb up that?” I asked Carlos, my guide on a morning adventure in the Dominican Republic.
“And then slide back down?” I added with a badly-hidden note of fear in my voice.
Reassured by my leader’s words of encouragement, but only slightly so, I scaled the first of 27 waterfalls created by a rushing river whose arctic-like temperature contrasted with the sweltering heat of the surrounding forest and began my rapid descent.
The eight of us huddled together, warned repeatedly to stay close and keep quiet. A soft cough escaped from one of our party and the guide looked immediately askance. Coughing and sneezing were very much frowned upon. If you’re scraped by a stinging nettle, don’t even think about screaming -- a usually fitting response. Sharing 98.4 percent of our DNA, the elusive mountain gorillas are very susceptible to human-borne illnesses and more gorillas die from such infectious diseases than from any other cause. We were carriers and they had to be protected from us.
In ways, Railson resembles many 17-year- old boys. He likes to fish, helps with chores and enjoys hanging out with his friends. But there are differences. Railson’s usual catch is piranha, the feared razor-toothed residents of South American rivers that can strip the flesh off a large animal in minutes. The house he helps to clean is a tiny wooden hut built on stilts. And Railson and his buddies live in a tiny village in one of the most remote regions of the world -- the Amazon basin of Brazil, hours by boat from the nearest city or large town.
I was halfway through my Dreamcatcher massage when the masseuse started dancing around the table. Now, I’m somewhat of an experienced spa-goer, but this was new for me. As were so many other things at the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in southwestern Pennsylvania, which just recently completed a $20 million renovation. I also drove an off-road Jeep Rubicon over rocks, through streams and up mini-mountains, scaled a climbing wall and shot a rare white buffalo — to which Native Americans from far and near come to pay homage -- with my camera.
My most recent post was a running diary of my time in the Guadeloupe Islands. This time around I want to dig into the more practical details that will help you organize your trip to this beautiful archipelago. This is going to be your one stop shop for all things Guadeloupe.
Fifteen flashlights shone downward as we gingerly picked our way through the bush. At the appropriate signal, we extinguished our lights, and 15 expectant adults gathered noiselessly behind our boot-and- camouflage-attired leader. As his sole light hopped and skipped across the dark, remote seaweed-strewn beach,suddenly we saw her –- the elusive New Zealand kiwi.
Want some wanderlust In 2011, Walter Chang quit his job, and then took his savings and started to travel around the world. Chang checked off his bucket list and trekked across amazing landscapes, hitchhiked, slept anywhere he could, and made countless friends. And it's all in this video.
Check out Chang's memories - and experience 3 years - 60 countries; in under 4 minutes.
We round the corner from the peaceful temple on Chandni Chowk to Khari Baoli Bazaar and are immediately assaulted by authentic Old Delhi. It's a street scene that has to be experienced to be believed. The alley is narrow with shops spilling out each side selling everything from kitchen utensils and spices to produce and live chickens. Jumbles of overhead wires are so thick they sag ever closer to the pavement.
Let's go behind the scenes of an adventure...and gear up for making cool travel videos. With the right gear, it's not as hard, or heavy, as you might thing. You want want to consider stabilization with a glidecam, aerials with a drone, and some fancy motorized time-lapse equipment. Better yet - this can all fit into a backpack. You no longer have to be a NatGeo crew to get awesome, scenic video - select the right tools and capture your adventures; from land and from sky.
