Hi I am Elena a traveller , a writer and avid nomad travel blogger, music lover and a lover of the warm weather.
I was born and grew up in Florida in the United States and in 2013, I decided to leave my comfort zone to learn the and discover new places all around the world
As mentioned before I am a fan of
I’m also interested in volunteering, photography, travel, the arts,giving back to the community and fast boats. Diigo, Evernote, Getpocket, Inoreader, Instapaper, Narro, Nimbusweb, Trello, Quip, Toodledo, Tumblr
Without knowing anything about it I’d figured Hawaii would have a reputation for very enjoyable scuba. But the more research I did about Oahu the more concerned I became – numerous complaints about dive operations taking non-certified divers, little bottom time, and overcrowded boats/dive sites are all recipes for a not-so-great time. I guess it was to be expected at one of the most touristy destinations in the world.
Thankfully with a little effort you can find reputable dive operators that will do their best to give you a memorable and pleasant diving experience. After digging around I found just the kind of company I’d been looking for.. Reef Pirates Diving. Why did I decide to book with them over other operations?
They take a maximum of 6 divers at a time; keeping the boat uncrowded & their attention on me.
They own their boat which is not always common in Oahu.
FREE pickup shuttle to and from my hotel directly to the boat. No transportation needed.
Wide variety of dive site choices
After 2 days and 4 dives later I couldn’t be more happy with the choice I made. The owner and staff were all very friendly and as advertised it was a small group. All of our dive sites had nobody else around and the dive guides were great at pointing out marine life.
The Oahu Scuba Diving Experience
I’ve been diving and snorkeling to many great locations around the Caribbean which were amazing – how would Oahu compare? The water was warm and the visibility was great. The reef I saw in Oahu was nothing too special though, especially when compared to that of a place like Cozumel. Large sea turtles and eels were in abundance as were a lot fish I’d never seen before. Considering I only had a total of 4 dives it’s safe to say there was a lot more to be witnessed than I had time for. Being in the water and observing marine life firsthand is what I love most about scuba, so I really enjoyed the diving quite a bit. Oahu also has some neat wreck diving available, but with just 2 days to spare I was only able to dive one – a World War II Corsair plane wreck from 1946 at 105 feet depth. What a unique and cool experience that was!
There’s a local guy who routinely dives with the Reef Pirates and shoots underwater photos; posting the best of the pictures up on the Pirates’ Facebook page. He was out with us on all our dives. Want an idea of the marine life you might see diving here? Check out his awesome Instagram account.
Diving with Sean (Reef Pirates owner) on left.
If you’re in Oahu and like to dive don’t let the negative reviews about it scare you away. Find a good operator and enjoy the beautiful water.. I know I did!
Britain’s stately homes were forced to close their doors during the recent lockdown. These ancient walls are used to surviving against the odds – but how have they coped in the current crisis?
On 3 May 1950 Alnwick Castle opened its doors to visitors for the first time, and 100 eager tourists queued up to buy a ticket in the first hour. Britain’s second-largest privately inhabited castle (after Windsor), home to the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland, it has come a long way since, with soaring visitor numbers boosted by appearances in the Harry Potter films.
But this year on the 70th anniversary of Alnwick’s opening, the famous gardens lay quietly deserted and the castle’s 150 rooms were eerily empty of visitors. High above the historic battlements a blue NHS flag fluttered from the flagpole.
Alnwick has stood for over 900 years, witnessing wars, famine and disease. But like Britain’s other castles and stately homes it was abruptly forced to close its doors to the public this spring due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Alnwick Castle in Northumberland
Most of Britain’s best-known ‘statelies’ are owned and cared for independently, rather than by government or national charities. They are hugely expensive to run, and in most cases, visitor numbers are the key to survival. In response to the pandemic, tickets and tours were hastily cancelled, tearooms and gift shops closed. Income for these historic houses was reduced to zero overnight.
Day-to-day management was another complication. In bygone times, a vast team of ‘downstairs’ staff would have bustled upstairs at the ring of a bell to attend to their master’s and mistress’s every whim. Chambermaids and scullery girls are hard to come by these days, but modern-day stately homes still have an army of staff. Their job, by and large, is to look after the house rather than the family within – from gardeners that tend the prize roses and farmers working on the estate to the curators that look after precious art collections.
The striking Knebworth House and its glorious gardens. Credit: Chris Orange
With staff sent home, in many cases owners found themselves managing vast estates single-handedly, and in sole charge of houses with hundreds of rooms. Despite the challenges, the ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ spirit prevailed. The houses united to show their show support for NHS key workers: as the nation joined in with the weekly ‘clap for carers’ from their doorsteps, stately homes and castles lit up their facades in blue, hoisted NHS flags from historic battlements or planted avenues of blue lavender in their gardens.
Chatsworth House, in the Peak District, rose to the challenge by supporting local communities. Following the house’s closure in late March, the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire donated 240kg of chocolate eggs intended for the annual Easter egg hunt to local food banks. The house also offered holiday cottages on the estate to frontline NHS workers to stay in for free, while the chefs in the restaurant kitchens turned their hands to preparing meals for those in need in the community.
Down in rural Berkshire, Highclere Castle – unmistakeable, of course, as Downton Abbey of the ever-popular TV series – serenely surveys 1,000 acres of Capability Brown parkland as it has done for centuries. Ordinarily, the arrival of warmer weather would see streams of visitors, but this spring, when the wildflower meadow and ornamental Monk’s Garden burst into bloom only the lord and lady of the manor were there to see it.
Lady Carnarvon, chatelaine of Highclere Castle in Berkshire
Hosting visitors being out of the question, technology gave Highclere other ways to connect. “We were 100 per cent not virtual,” says Lady Carnarvon. “We’ve tried to turn ourselves around.” Lady Carnarvon’s new podcast (with her husband the Earl as the first guest) is now available, while the Highclere Instagram account shared glimpses of lockdown life with its legion of fans; posts have included Lady Mary the lop-eared pig’s new litter of piglets, daily walks with the dogs, virtual cocktail parties and cookery lessons from Lady Carnarvon’s kitchen.
In Scotland, on the shores of Loch Fyne, romantic Inveraray Castle stands in spectacular isolation – a state shared, during lockdown, by the family that live there, the Duke and Duchess of Argyll and their three children. Overnight, the Duchess tell us, she became “the cleaner, mender, teacher, gardener, tidy-er.. Same as most people but probably in a bigger house!” The castle is part of a small remote community, which pooled resources during lockdown. “I have been growing lettuce and herbs, someone else has chickens, someone wants flour…”
Inveraray, whose architecture mixes Baroque, Palladian and Gothic styles, is the seat of Clan Campbell. It is full of treasures, and the castle’s closure gave the family a chance to explore its hidden corners: “For the first time since we inherited the house we’ve had time to go into every nook and cranny. Find the damp patches and leaks for ourselves, clear attics and find some historical gems, from a piping banner that would have been carried into war to letters from various generations.”
Down in Hertfordshire, Knebworth is a lavish Tudor manor, home to the Lytton family for over 500 years. If it looks familiar, it may be because Knebworth appeared as Balmoral in The Crown – though its facade, covered with turrets, domes and gargoyles, may trump even the Queen’s Highland home for architectural splendour.
Playwright and politician Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton – author of the ominous line “It was a dark and stormy night” – lived here in Victorian times; the pandemic has surely been Knebworth’s ‘darkest night’ of all.
“Having to shut our House, Park and Gardens was devastating to us,” says Martha Lytton Cobbold, who lives at Knebworth with her husband Henry. The house is particularly in demand as a film location and is world-famous as a festival venue – a reputation cemented by the Rolling Stones’ iconic concert here in 1976. Most of this summer’s events had to be cancelled in light of the coronavirus crisis.
Happily, Knebworth and other historic houses, symbols of permanence and resilience in a topsy-turvy world, have weathered the storm, recently reopening their doors to the public.
“It was very strange being closed,” says Martha. “It’s not what [the house] was designed and built for, and we felt much happier when visitors were able to come back.” For now, visitor numbers are capped and a one-way route has been devised around the house, in accordance with government guidelines.
“We have to adapt to survive,” she adds, “and this is what we have done for centuries.”
All of the historic houses mentioned reopened after the UK’s first lockdown, though some may now have closed once again as the pandemic continues. You can check current details at the houses’ websites:
Texas is a peculiar tourist destination. It often flies under our radars. It is so much fun to fly to the coasts or to Las Vegas, that we sometimes forget how much the Lone Star State has to offer.
We might think of endless dude ranches and tumble weeds in Texas, but it is also home to huge metropolitan cities, some of the best museums around, and first-class entertainment. Check out this list of surprising, and not-so-surprising, Texas attractions.
Everyone loves an amusement park. And Texas has them in abundance! Whether you are looking for the typical thrills on a roller coaster, or to cool off from the desert heat at a waterpark, Texas has something to offer.
Many of them are around San Antonio. For example, Six Flags is a ,well, flagship attraction for the city. They have rides for all ages, and the young ones will especially enjoy meeting all the Looney Toons characters.
While Texas is known for a wild life. It is certainly safer than other amusement parks. Also in the San Antonio area, you can visit Morgan’s Wonderland. This beautiful park is tons of fun for all, and was designed specifically for special needs children. However, people of all ages will have a great time here.
Don’t forget, San Antonio is home to the Alama. When you visit the riverwalk, you can swing by to make your last stand with those who fought bravely there.
Texas is Great for Adult Fun Too
We all have fun at amusement parks, but some entertainment is geared specifically for adults. There is no reason to leave this type of fun out of the mix!
For example, you can legally gamble on riverboats in Texas or tribal casinos. In fact, Naskila Gaming opened as recently as 2016. So this continues to be a growing industry in Texas.
When it comes to the rest of Texas 21+ entertainment, of course they do it big! Nightlife across the state is monumental!
Check out the Candleroom. It is Dalla’s premier nightlife venue. It is a huge space that combines class with vanguard music. You can hop on the dance floor, or enjoy the sleek lounge. All the while you will be grooving to the latest music from the DJs that come from all over the world.
Of course where you go in Texas you will find great options. Whether you are hopping around chic bars in Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio, or visiting a honky-tonk pub in the rural areas, you will find plenty of drinking company in Texas!
Don’t Miss Out on Traditional Texas
Some things in Texas will be really, well, Texan! For a bit of the classic Texas twang, head out to Mayan Dude Ranch. Their slogan says it all: Where horse-patality reins.”
This ranch has over 340 sq miles. You can take trails through valleys and hills as you get a taste of cowboy culture.
Enjoy other classic cowboy activities like horseback riding. The park emphasizes safety, especially with the young ones. You can also join in on the lind dance to live acoustic guitar. Or for the more daring, watch a rodeo and try to devour Texas-sized portions at the dining hall!
And so much of our trips are also about learning. When we travel, we are picking up culture and language. Maybe you will come back home saying “Howdy y’all.”
And Texas offers ton of learning opportunities in their museums. For example, check out the National Space Center. I’m sure you can guess where it is. If not, Houston, we have a problem.
Here you can put on a real astronaut suit and see moon rocks. There is also a simulation of outer space, so you can really see what it was like to be launched into orbit.
The pandemic was a challenge that the newly opened Story Museum in Oxford have overcome with creativity. Who said social distancing can’t be fun?
The magic begins the moment you step into the enchanted Portal and pick your very own wand. A simple wave or a twist can open doors, light up hidey-holes or solve puzzles to hear more stories.
The wand is, of course, one of many imaginative ways of making sure a pandemic doesn’t get in the way of charm, fun and beauty. The Story Museum, Oxford, has had many setbacks, but the coronavirus crisis isn’t going to stop it opening this time.
The courtyard at The Story Museum. Credit: Diane Auckland
Instead of a long list of dos and don’ts, visitors are tempted with exciting possibilities. Which budding knight, for example, could turn down the chance to ‘purify’ themselves and cleanse their hands of evil with a ‘special potion’ before attempting to draw a sword from a stone?
Even the wait while a socially-distanced forest clears enough to allow visitors to hear each tale has been carefully orchestrated with soundscapes, jokes and simple games. By the time your wand sounds the gong to enter, the magic is flowing.
Tales from the Whispering Wood
The Whispering Wood. Credit: Diane Auckland
Family bubbles wander through an indoor forest, guided by an invisible hare. Stopping at each tree, they experience a story, myth or fable from around the world. At the end of their journey everyone makes three wishes. They must choose well, though, or end up like the old man and the sausage…
The Story of a Story
The Treasure Chamber exhibition space tells the story of the museum, using memorabilia, objects and images. While this bit is probably more for the grown-ups, the tale is told in family-friendly language, and the tutorial on how to make your own dragon should inspire rainy afternoons.
The Enchanted Library
The Chronicles of Narnia installation in The Enchanted Library. Credit: John Cairns
The Enchanted Library explores the world of children’s books through a series of interactive tableaux and stuffed-full cabinets of curiosity. Crunch through the snowy world of the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.Peer into the haunted parallel realms of His Dark Materials. Gaze up through Alice in Wonderland’s rabbit hole or play pooh-sticks in the Hundred Acre Wood. Visitors can explore the dystopian London of Noughts and Crosses, sneak intoHorrid Henry’s bedroom or even take a flight with The Snowman.
Adults or children?
The Small Worlds area in The Story Museum. Credit: Andrew Walmsley Photography
It’s a tough call who will most enjoy the Story Museum. The Small Worlds play area will entertain tinies while older children may prefer the City of Stories film show. For me, this wonderful, happy place is a fabulous, moving nostalgia-fest for adults, made spine-tinglingly friendly for children. And those wands are a palpable hit.
Why not return to your ‘roots’ this Halloween and rediscover the humble turnip?
Long before the pumpkin became the Halloween decoration of choice, people across the British Isles carved scary faces into turnips and placed them near doorways to frighten away evils spirits. The practice originated from a folk tale about a man named Jack, who, after trying to trick the devil, was cursed to roam the earth with only a burning coal – inside a hollowed-out turnip – to light the way: the original Jack O’ Lantern.
Credit: Culture Vannin/Flickr
During the 19th century, immigrants to the US took this tradition with them and quickly discovered that pumpkins, a native American fruit, were far easier to carve. In recent times, carving pumpkins at Halloween has established itself as a tradition on this side of the Atlantic, but that’s not to save you can’t return to your roots.
Historian Dr Michael Carter said: “From carved pumpkins to trick or treating, many of the traditions associated with Halloween today come from early European folklore, rather than simply being American inventions.”
“I don’t think turnips are going to replace pumpkins – they are more difficult to carve – but hopefully people will remember the turnip and all our other rich traditions.”
Going abroad on vacation or for work during the COVID-19 pandemic is far from enjoyable, but you can at least relax knowing that, at the end of each day, you can boot up Netflix and enjoy your favorite series with a cold beer or a glass of wine.
At least, that’s what should happen. In reality, what content you get access to varies depending on what country you’re visiting. Unfortunately, some Netflix titles aren’t available in certain places. If you don’t believe us, use this new tool from ProPrivacy to see for yourself. Just look up the name of a Netflix title, and it will tell you which countries it’s available in.
For example, The Office and Shameless (U.S.) can only be watched in the US. Doctor Who and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia only show up in the UK, and Rick and Morty is available pretty much anywhere, but the US.
That’s the kind of thing that could ruin your trip (like the pandemic didn’t already do enough damage). Is there anything you can do about it?
Yes, actually – we’ll tell you how to unblock the Netflix titles you want in this article. But first, let’s take a look at why you need to do that in the first place.
Why Aren’t Some Netflix Titles Available in Certain Countries?
Because Netflix uses geo-blocking – a content control method that lets the site redirect user connections according to their IP addresses. Here’s a quick look at how it works:
When you visit Netflix, your device sends connection requests to it through your browser.
The requests contain your IP address, which tells Netflix what country and city you are from.
According to the geo-data Netflix receives, it redirects you to the appropriate content library (so the Canadian one if you have a Canadian IP address).
Why Does Netflix Use Geo-Blocks?
They don’t really have a choice – they have to use them.
Why?
Because Netflix doesn’t own most of the content you watch. They actually license most of it from third parties. When they do that, they buy licensing rights for certain regions. They often can’t get global rights because the copyright holders choose to sell the rights separately to different TV networks and streaming sites.
For example, Netflix might get the streaming rights to a show for the US and Canada, but not for Italy. A competitor owns the rights for that region, so Netflix has to use geo-blocks to prevent Italian users from watching that content. Otherwise, it’d be a breach of the licensing agreement they signed with the copyright holders.
What about Netflix Originals?
Aren’t they available worldwide since Netflix owns them?
Usually, yes. But there are some exceptions like Lilyhammer or Orange Is the New Black. With those shows, Netflix sold the licensing rights to other TV networks and streaming platforms in some countries. They did that because their service wasn’t available there when they launched the shows.
Now that Netflix is pretty much available worldwide, they can’t stream such shows in those regions – because they don’t own the licensing rights. They need to wait for them to expire, and see if they can buy them back. That’s easier said than done because:
The current right holders might ask for absurdly high prices.
Netflix’s data might show that there’s not enough interest in their shows in a specific country. So buying back the rights wouldn’t be a worthwhile investment.
Can You Bypass Netflix’s Geo-Blocks?
The good news is that you can – and it’s surprisingly easy to do that! All you need is a VPN, and you’re good to go.
If you don’t know what that is, it’s an online service that hides your IP address. It does that by routing your traffic through a VPN server that sits between you and Netflix. Basically, your connection will look like this:
Your Device ISP Network VPN Server Netflix
Because of that, Netflix will think your traffic is coming from the VPN server, meaning it will only see the server’s IP address. So all you need to do is use a server that’s in the same country as the content you want to unblock (a US VPN server for US shows).
Plus, VPNs also encrypt your traffic, ensuring nobody can spy on it. That can improve your Netflix experience by stopping bandwidth throttling (could happen if you stay in one accommodation for more than a month).
Also, hackers won’t be able to monitor your traffic anymore. It’s a bit unrelated, yes, but it’s still worth mentioning.
How to Get a Good Netflix VPN
Not every VPN can unblock Netflix. The site can detect VPN IPs and redirect them to the Netflix proxy error page.
The easiest way to find a VPN that works is to use this new tool from ProPrivacy. When you look up a Netflix title, it will recommend the top three VPNs that can actually unblock the platform.
Can You Unblock Netflix with a Proxy?
You can. A proxy works just like a VPN – it hides your IP address by routing your traffic through a server that acts as a middleman between your device and Netflix.
Just make sure you avoid free proxies – they can’t unblock Netflix most of the time, and have really slow speeds.
But if you want extra privacy, stick to VPNs. Unlike them, proxies don’t offer powerful encryption.
Even if you would manage to unblock it, you’d get very slow speeds (we averaged 1-2 Mbps in our tests). Tor encrypts and decrypts your traffic at least three times (very resource-intensive). Plus, there are only around 6,000 servers, and well over two million users (so not enough bandwidth to go around).
What’s Your Experience with Unblocking Netflix while Traveling?
Were you able to do it with a VPN, or did you use other unblocking methods? Did you encounter any issues, or was it all smooth sailing?
“Getting Up Close and Personal with Hawaii’s Sharks“
Oahu is Hawaii’s most visited and well-known island with numerous activities, water sports and luxury resorts. As soon as I found out there was an opportunity to. . As soon as I found out there was an opportunity to get in the water with sharks it became the most anticipated part of my entire trip to the island. Although I’ve been scuba diving for years I’ve only seen sharks on a handful of occasions, most of them small reef sharks… and up to this point I was fairly glad as I still have a healthy fear of those razor sharp teeth. Knowing I’d be observing sharks safely from inside a cage was a great logical next step to becoming more comfortable around them and getting to enjoy their presence without fear.
After a long plane ride and a night of relaxing I woke early and headed up to the North Shore to meet with Hawaii Shark guys (YOU CAN BOOK YOUR SHARK TOUR HERE). After a safety briefing and talks about the sharks we headed out sea with a nearly full boat and a big cage in tow.. during the 3 mile ride out to sea there was plenty of time to get excited about what was going to happen next! Right away we began spotting sharks just below the surface and the cage was dropped into the water. The first group of us plunged into the cage and the real fun began.
The cage is large enough for quite a few people – they put in up to 7 at a time, luckily we didn’t have a full boat and the first group of us was only 5 in at a time. With large clear plexiglass plates there was plenty of space to watch the sharks come and go. They weren’t shy, swimming right up to the cage, below and around it during our entire 25 minutes in the water. We observed 8 or more good sized Galapagos sharks, all of which were calm and swimming along us slowly.. no attacking or biting the cage like you see on TV and movies.
Galapagos sharks are the most commonly seen here and they can get up to 10+ feet and over 400 lbs in size! None of the ones we viewed were quite that big but they were impressive anyway. Getting to see these sharks in their habitat with natural behavior was priceless to me, they are majestic and beautiful creatures of the ocean.
Being inside the cage is quite fun.. there are bars to hold onto inside the cage so you don’t need have any hands or limbs hanging out. The open water 3 miles off shore is a little wavy and the cage bumped against the boat from time to time. If you’re prone to sea sickness as one of the people on our boat was you might find yourself sick. At the time everyone in the cage with me was too busy having an amazing time to notice. Check me out below trying to get the perfect shot while holding on tightly!
Responsible Ecotourism and Conservation
As a lover of the ocean and sea life it’s important to me to participate in tours with companies that have a good reputation for doing things with minimal impact on the environment and local sea life populations. Hawaii Shark Encounters’ cage keeps tourists and sharks safe from each other and gives you the opportunity to observe sharks in a natural way. They’re also part of shark conservation efforts, and give back to the local community through several programs. These are the kind of people I feel good about supporting and allow all of us to have fun responsibly and with a good conscience. If you’re visiting Oahu don’t miss this amazing experience!
It’s estimated that 100 million sharks are killed every year; many needlessly caught in fishing nets, by illegal trolling or inhumanely slaughtered for their fins. Tours like these help raise awareness that sharks are an important part of the marine ecosystem and not simply mindless killers.
Growing rapidly from a small tourist city to an international travel destination designed for tourists, expats and Mexicans alike. Travelers enjoy a beautiful beach, luxury shops on Fifth Avenue and unlimited entertainment from nearby day trips and attractions. One of my highlights is always the Emotions Native Park, where you can ride ATVs, whirl down ziplines and have the adventure of a lifetime. You can BOOK EMOTIONS NATIVE PARK HERE with Klook.
I’m plunging into the ocean with the world’s largest fish – whale sharks! Hundreds are gathered off the coast of Cancun and they’re literally bumping into me as I swim with them!
I’m petting, feeding and getting too close for comfort with some of Mexico’s most exotic and wild animals! The Crococun Zoo is one of a kind in Mexico.
Visiting the Parque Natural Rio Lagartos in Northern Yucatan, Mexico before heading to the Ek Balam ruins. A boat ride to watch flamingos & wildlife before a natural salt mud bath and a visit to the nearby town.
There are many notable ruins in the Yucatan area of Mexico including Tulum, Chichen Itza, and Coba. Ek Balam is probably the least well-known of the 4, and even though I’ve visited many Mayan ruins throughout Central America Ek Balam stands apart from the rest.
Video filmed from scuba diving inside one of the Yucatan’s famous cenotes – Dos Ojos. There are many excellent cavern dives in this area of Mexico and Dos Ojos is no exception. If you ever wanted to know what it looks like underwater inside a dark cave watch this!
Tulum, the 800+ year old Mayan ruins sit atop 40 foot cliffs on the edge of the Caribbean sea. Today’s photo of the week is of the breathtaking beach sitting just a few feet from those ruins.
Tulum might be one of the most famous Mayan ancient ruins but does that mean it’s a great travel destination? It’s very hot and very crowded – but it has an amazing beach. Get tips for visiting here.
“Hammock Island”, one of many destinations on the map at the Xel-Ha aquatic park, dubbed the world’s largest natural aquarium. Xel-ha is located a short drive south of Playa del Carmen, in Quintana Roo, Mexico. Talk about relaxing in style!
Review and pictures from a 2-tank dive in cenote Dos Ojos, located on the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico. Scuba diving cenotes in Mexico was an amazing experience!
About James
I quit my boring office job to travel and have adventures all over the world. » Find out more!
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