nature

What comes to mind when you think about Scotland? Whisky, Loch Ness, Haggis? YES, Scotland is all that. But there is so much more to discover! When you can live with some of the country’s worst enemies — the midges (pesky little flies) and the changeable weather all year long — you will have a whale…

My little off-the-beaten path adventure in Tokamachi, Japan with snow, green forests and a weird animal that followed my every step.

Wild Spirit Backpackers Lodge is a hippie hostel tucked away in the Tsitsikamma National Park in the relatively undiscovered Western Cape of South Africa.

The Banaue Rice Terraces are a trekking lover’s paradise for many reasons. A big one is the fact that Banaue and the area around it are still quite unknown, which is a nice contrast with many other places in the Philippines which have already been taken over by tourism. The scenic landscapes, healthy vegetation, and…

In the smartphone era, going off-grid has become a popular travel style. It seems that some people’s worst fears have become other people’s bliss. Take Alaska for example. Would you enjoy hiking where there is no path, crossing rivers that could easily drag you along if you don’t pay attention? Oh, and don’t forget the…

Svalbard is a small Norwegian island located north of the Arctic circle; roughly in between Norway and the North Pole. It has a little over 2.500 permanent inhabitants, making it the most northern settlement in the world. One of the few things I heard about this archipelago is that the weather conditions can be rough…

It’s hard to find perfection in this world, as often the most beautiful places are spoilt by tourism. Tanna island, however, located between Australia and Fiji, has everything that you could wish for without having to deal with the downsides. It has breathtaking scenery, palm trees, exotic fruit, pristine waterfalls, flowers, hills, local tribes, white…

The Wilsons Promontory National Park on the southern tip of Australia’s Victoria state is easily one of the best national parks all over Victoria and maybe even Australia. The good thing about it is that few people know this place, making this little piece of heaven a well-kept secret for adventurous travelers. If you look…

Antarctica is the world’s coldest, driest and windiest continent. Although you can get to Antarctica on a tourist expedition, working in Antarctica is a whole different story. There are only about 4.000 people working in Antarctica during the summer and around 1.000 during winter. There are no permanent residents, meaning that researchers and other personnel fly in and…

If you have ever been an Ireland, you have probably noticed how prominently the Cliffs of Moher are advertised as a must-see place. Fair enough, these beautifully rugged cliffs on the magnificent west coast are definitely worth paying a visit. The thunderous sound of the waves crashing against the rocks, the many species of birds nesting…

Many people ask me what my favorite destination was of all my travels. I always tell them the same: Antarctica. “How did you get to Antarctica?!” is the obvious follow-up question. When I explain to them that it wasn’t that challenging, cold, or exclusive, they usually add Antarctica to their (usually long list of) bucket list…

While arranging my Trans Siberian Train ticket with a Dutch agency, I was told most people take breaks from the epic train journey in two places: Ulaanbataar in Mongolia and Irkutsk in Russia. A friend had told me that I should definitely visit Olkhon Island, an island in the middle of the magnificent Lake Baikal and…