I'm long overdue for one of my Epic/Adventure/Experience the World trips and its time to get back to those considerations. So the question is now, "WHERE?". I have no problem whatsoever heading back to Central America, but it'll be hitting rainy season there soon which can be tough on photography gear. Shooting in general can be tough with all the humidity hanging in the air which takes away from the nice deep depth of field landscape shots.
So what are some other options that can afford scenic, but off the beaten path shots that won't break the bank if you stay there a while? Well, there's always South America with regions for all seasons year round. Depending on where you go, you can avoid the humid areas, but heading up in the the Andes. It still gets cold up in the mountains practically any time of the year. Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia are definite considerations. Possibly even Bolivia.
Some of the lesser traveled and less popular islands of the South Pacific can be destination alternatives as well. Everybody knows about Fiji and Tahiti. You don't hear about Tonga, or Rarotonga as much though. Each of these archipelago island countries has hundreds of smaller islets of which many are not even populated. Getting to them can be a bit tricky though. Its not so cheap to fly out to them. If I had my wish, I'd find someone sailing throughout the South Pacific and join them. That would be a grand adventure to spend 6 months or so sailing and exploring these Polynesian island nations.
Outside of these, I'm not sure. Western Europe? Eastern Europe? Continental Africa? Asia? I'm open to ideas and opportunities. That much, I can say for sure. No one place has an advantage of selection right now. My options are open for opportunities. The chance to see, shoot, and experience more cultures takes precedence. So if you are sitting on a catamaran contemplating an idea to sail the open seas with a need for a photog to document the experience, call me. We should definitely talk about this.
I could also ask the same question of you, dear reader. "Where to next, for you?" Do you have your passport in hand and updated? When do you next plan to get some new stamps on some of those blank passport pages? Granted, its not all about getting stamps, mind you. You can hop from one place to the next, stamp collecting and you'll not be any more enriched had you taken a through a Wal-Mart parking lot on the good side of town. Traveling entails getting to know life from the local's point of view in the country you are visiting. And I don't think you'll see much fulfillment if you just visit Cancun and never leave the resort.
But maybe that's exactly what you need...who know's. Sometimes its just a break from your normal routine that does the trick. This is not what I'm talking about though. To each his own. I understand that. But you're not broadening out your humanity by simply taking a vacation. Vacations are useful to help you reset...like the weekend break from your normal 9 to 5 work week. Traveling and experiencing new cultures and God's creation helps you learn a little bit more about humankind, and thereby you learn about yourself. Not just the superficial you, but rather the deeper self, that you may rarely get to connect with. Okay, that's it. I'm doing a blog post about Traveling vs Vacationing real soon.
