With all 7 continents under his belt, our KidTripster Teen recommends his most memorable experiences.
I’ll be the first to admit that as the son of a travel editor, I’ve been very fortunate to travel the world. This past year, I achieved my long-time goal of visiting my seventh continent: Antarctica. To celebrate, I’m sharing with you my favorite travels of all time in hopes that they may inspire your family to explore the world, as well.
Travel has been a good teacher. It has challenged me – physically, intellectually, and emotionally – in ways that I could have never anticipated. It’s given me the confidence to handle myself in any situation in any place in the world. But most importantly, it’s given me the opportunity to have experiences with my family – memories that we alone share.
Here’s a look at my favorite travel experiences by continent.
1. Ice climbing in Alaska
North America
Secluded in eastern Alaska, Wrangell St. Elias National Park is the largest national park but one of the least visited. While it takes a bit of effort to get here, the setting is unparalleled. Among other activities, I had the opportunity to ice climb on Root Glacier.
No one in my family had ever ice climbed, but our guide Harrison from St. Elias Alpine Guides helped us every step of the way. We hiked with our gear about two miles on a trail that led to Root Glacier. From that point, we switched into boots and crampons. We hiked another mile to our first climbing site – a towering, vertical ice face. With an ice axe in each hand and plenty of advice from Harrison, I slowly started up the ice wall. It wasn’t easy, but I really felt accomplished when I reached the top. But that wasn’t even the best part of the trip. Even more, I loved getting lowered into a moulin, a vertical shaft in the ice that goes down several hundred feet, and then climbing my way out. The day ended with me and my brother jumping into a brilliantly blue glacial pool. It was the coldest water that I’ve ever felt!
Alaska continues to rank amongst my favorite places in the world. Read about other Alaskan adventures that I recommend here.
2. Wildlife viewing in the Galápagos
South America
Five hundred miles off the coast of Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands are still as much a wildlife enthusiast’s dream as they were in the days of Charles Darwin.
My family and I went on a small ship cruise of the Northern Islands with Ecoventura. A cruise is definitely the way to go rather than picking a home base and doing small day trips. The cruise allows you to visit faraway islands; you’ll find that these islands are the most interesting and untouched. My favorite wildlife encounter on the trip had to be snorkeling with marine iguanas. It was strange seeing an animal that’s usually on land suddenly dive down and feed on algae. Did I mention that penguins were zipping by as well? The wildlife is not solely contained to the ocean. Fascinating birds, including the famed Blue-footed boobies, live here, too.
The Galápagos’ reputation as a bucket list destination is well deserved. To decide if a trip here would be right for your child, read these 8 questions to ask yourself.
3. Skiing in the Alps
Europe
Located in the Salzburg region of Austria, Obertauern is a picture-perfect, ski-in/ski-out destination.
In my opinion, Sporthotel Edelweiss is where you’ll want to be. Once host to the Beatles, this hotel has everything including a convenient ski storage and boot warming area, game room, and spa where kids can get chocolate massages. But of course, with 62 miles of groomed runs, the main attraction is skiing and snowboarding. The area is a giant bowl that you can ski the entire circumference by using interconnecting trails. In the evening, enjoy the pool or outdoor hot tub, but do watch out for the nude Austrians who sometimes sit outside after a steam!
KidTripster Tip: Christmas is a pretty magical time in Austria. You could pair a ski trip to Obertauern with a visit to Salzburg and its holiday markets. And don’t forget the sing-along Sound of Music tour.
4. Hunting with the Hadzabe
Africa
When you think of Africa, do you picture yourself on safari surrounded by giraffes, elephants, and lions? Well, going on a safari is definitely worth the long trip to the African continent. I thoroughly enjoyed the wildlife viewing with Duma Explorer in Tanzania, but it wasn’t my favorite memory from the vacation; one stands out even more.
On our way to the Serengeti, my family and I stopped to spend the morning with the nomadic Hadzabe tribe. From a dirt road, we hiked into the bush with our safari guide who used a language comprised of clicking sounds to call out to the tribesmen. We soon came upon the men of the tribe, sitting around a fire and preparing for the morning hunt. They took time to teach my brother and I how to use their bows and arrows which were more difficult to draw back than the ones that I’d used in scouting. Then they took off at a blistering pace across the dry landscape with us trailing behind. The men managed to shoot several small birds, which they then prepared over a fire. I passed on what I saw to be some very raw meat; however my mother and brother did try it. While one person prepared the bird, another went up a tree and took honeycomb from a hive. I did try the honeycomb, and it – while chewy – was very good.
I’m always skeptical of experiences that promote themselves as being “authentic” encounters, but this one was the real deal. From start to finish, it was a truly interesting glimpse into how this tribe is maintaining its way of life amid an ever-changing world.
Think your child is ready to go on safari? Here are 11 things to consider when planning.
5. Paragliding in the foothills of the Himalayas
Asia
Sometimes travel is about turning lemons into lemonade.
My family and I have planned to trek to the base of the Himalayas in Nepal to get a glimpse of Mount Everest. Unfortunately, due to weather conditions, we had to switch our plans at the last minute and head toward the Annapurna range instead of Mount Everest. But the misfortune didn’t end there. After the first, 6-hour hike uphill in a monsoon on day one, my younger brother – who was already sick and dehydrated – couldn’t take it anymore. Much to my disappointment, my mother made the decision to end the trek and turn back. We ended up spending the next four days in Pokhara, a city that we knew nothing about.
The detour ended up being serendipitous. After my brother recovered, we went paragliding. It turned out to be one of my favorite experiences. I’ll always remember the moment when my instructor and I (in tandem) ran off the cliff, and then suddenly, we were floating. It just goes to show that some of your best travel moments can be ones that aren’t planned.
Think your family is ready for a trek in Nepal? Read here first.
6. Staying in an over-the-water bungalow
Oceania
When people think of French Polynesia, most think of Tahiti or Bora Bora. But my favorite island is Moorea. That’s where my family and I stayed in an over-the-water bungalow at the Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort and Spa. It was so much fun being able to jump off our own porch to go swimming, snorkeling or paddling in the lagoon. The bungalow also had a cool feature: a glass panel built into the floor, allowing you to watch fish swim below.
But Oceania is too big not to mention a few other experiences that top my list of travel memories. I remember abseiling into the Waitomo Glow Worm Caves in New Zealand. When all the flashlights were turned off, the glowworms – which are actually maggots – glow. Ok to be honest, it’s their feces that glow, but don’t worry – you don’t touch it!
In Australia’s Daintree Rainforest, I had one of my most usual animal encounters. After hiking into the rainforest, we reached a tree with ants crawling on it. Our guide stopped, picked one up, and had us lick its abdomen. Surprisingly, it tasted like a Starburst candy!
7. Snowshoeing in Antarctica
Antarctica
And there’s Antarctica, the White Continent. My mother and I visited on a small ship cruise with Antarctica 21, one of only two companies that will fly tourists to the continent instead of sailing there from South America. I love the cold, so to be surrounded by icebergs and glaciers was my kind of scene! My favorite way to experience Antarctica was on snowshoes. I especially liked the hike to the top of Cuverville Island, an elevation gain of about 750 feet. The 2-hour hike was well worth the work, as our group was treated to expansive views of the surrounding mountains, bay, and penguin colony below. And yes, if you love wildlife, Antarctica doesn’t disappoint with penguins, seals, and whales at nearly every turn!
To read more about my experience in Antarctica, click here.
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