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Josh Hewitt

Avid traveler and photographer who loves to see new places, meet new people, and experience new things. There is so much this world can teach us, we just need to explore!

Australia and New Zealand Planning Part IV

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In the final installment of my Australia and New Zealand planning, I am going to walk you thru the planning for our hotel accommodations.  Apart from our flights, the accommodations will be the biggest expense of our trip.  This is why it will be important for us to book the right places at the right prices.  Failure to book the right accommodations can put a significant damper on your travels or a significant dent in your bank account.  If you would prefer them not dampened and dented, then you will want to pay close attention to this phase of the planning process.

The Definitive Guide to Maximizing Your Hotel Savings When Traveling

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If you are like me and wish you could travel pretty much all of the time, then you have no doubt looked into ways to make travel cheaper.  After all, the top two things that typically keep people from traveling more than they would like to are the number of available vacation days that they have and the amount of money they can afford to spend on travel.

While I don’t have any solutions for solving any dilemmas with available vacation days at the moment (I am working on it), I do have some great tips on how to save money on travel. In this article, I am going to focus on showing you how to maximize your savings on hotel or hostel bookings.

Indiana Dunes – America’s 61st National Park

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The month of February has brought some very big news for the national parks system in the United States.  This month, the United States National Parks Service announced the addition of a new national park.  The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore has officially been designated as America’s 61st national park.  This is great news for all of those who love beautiful places and want to see those places preserved.

Australia and New Zealand Planning Part III

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For many travelers, Australia and New Zealand are dream destinations.  Filled with endless beauty, culture, and adventure, it is no surprise that Australia and New Zealand are featured so prominently in travel documentaries, magazines, and television shows.  They have been destinations on my bucket list for quite some time and I am beyond thrilled to be able to be checking them off this year.

In this article, I will be taking our rough itinerary and filling in the details for the New Zealand portion of our trip.  I will be discussing which island we will be visiting and why, how we plan to get around, what we are planning to see, and which tours we are planning to book for this portion of our trip.

Visitor’s Guide to Ghent, Belgium

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Ghent is an absolutely stunning city that sits at the confluence of the Scheldt and Leie Rivers.  In fact, much of the city is built up around these rivers, which intersect the city and give it the charm that has made it such a popular tourist destination.  In addition to its stunning city landscape, the city of Ghent is also well known for its cuisine and its beer.

In fact, according to the local tourism industry, there are roughly 653 restaurants, 620 cafes, and 250 kinds of beer available in Ghent.  And that doesn’t even include the amazing chocolate that is found in chocolate stores scattered about the city and the amazing Belgian style waffles that you can buy from street vendors.  In short, Ghent is a foodie’s dream come true.

In this guide, I am going to give you all of the information that you need to make your visit to Ghent an absolute success.  I will outline the best ways to get to the city, talk about when the best times to visit are throughout the year, give you some recommendations on where to stay and where to eat, and finally I will talk about the top things I would recommend seeing and doing while you are there.

The Top 20 Views to See in America’s National Parks

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Americans have always valued the wide-open expanses of their wilderness, which likely explains why the concept of national parks started in the United States in the late 19th Century with Yellowstone National Park becoming the world’s first.  Since then, the network of national park and monument lands in the United States has grown to include 59 national parks and 117 national monuments.

Within these parks and monuments are some of the most beautiful landscapes on the planet.  Ranging from mountains to deserts, and including prairies, wetlands, seashores, and even active volcanoes, America’s national parks include a stunning array of beautiful scenery.  But out of all of the views in America’s public lands, some stand out as being even more beautiful and breathtaking than the others.

100 of the Best Travel Quotes to Inspire Your Wanderlust

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If you are like me and travel is always on your mind, then you probably get as restless as I do in between trips.  Travel is that whisper in the back of your mind reminding you of how much you feel alive when you are visiting foreign places, learning about different cultures, and sharing new adventures.  Travel is one of those things that transcends boundaries and cultures and is something that we can all share a passion for as human beings.  No matter where you live, you are likely as curious about my homeland as I am about yours.  By sharing and learning thru travel, we all get a little bit closer.

If you aren’t like me and you don’t constantly dream about travel, then fear not.  I have put together a collection of some of the most inspiring travel quotes that I could find that are sure to stir the wanderlust within you.  If these words from some of the most adventurous spirits to walk this planet don’t stir your soul, then nothing will.

Australia and New Zealand Planning Part II

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In my last article on our Australia and New Zealand trip planning process, I discussed how I researched the best time to take our trip and which locations should be on the top of our list to visit.  Using this information, I was able to create a rough itinerary for our trip.  Since that time, we have booked our airfare from the United States to Australia, as well as all of the airfare that we will need to go from one location to the next during our trip.

In Part 2 of my Australia and New Zealand planning, I am going to focus on the Australian portion of our trip.  Using the rough itinerary that I created in Part 1 of my planning process, I am going to start filling in the activities and tours for each day we are in Australia, along with how we will be getting around while we are in the country.  My hope is that this information will be helpful to you as you plan your trip to Australia in the future.

Travel Journal (2/16/2019): Door County Getaway

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The conditions were almost perfect this weekend for some spectacular sunsets up North in Door County, Wisconsin, so I decided to take an impromptu road trip this weekend.

If you aren’t familiar with Wisconsin, Door County is the peninsula that extends into Lake Michigan to the North of the city of Green Bay. My destination was my favorite state park on Door County, if not all of Wisconsin, Peninsula State Park. I included a map below so that you can see exactly where I headed.

Epic National Parks Road Trips – Heart of California Road Trip

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In the final installment of my Epic National Park Roadtrips series, I am going to focus on a road trip that highlights some of the best national parklands that the state of California has to offer.  Not only is the state of California one of America’s biggest states, but it is also one of the country’s most beautiful.  For that reason, it should come as no surprise that California is tied with the state of Alaska for the most national parks in the United States with eight.