Learn the World

Another Great Travel Blog

2006-05-10T15:13:00.000-04:00

How Conor Is Spending All His Money - a great blog that details the authors travels in places like Argentina, Vietnam, France, and Laos. He also has spent a lot of time in Nepal and has some great insights into that country.

Tulum, Mexico Travel Review

2006-05-04T12:50:00.000-04:00

If you are looking for a relaxing vacation with a beautiful backdrop, then Tulum (The Walled City in Mayan) is the place for you. Tulum is located about 130km south of Cancun. It is quieter with fewer resorts than the famous Cancun. Talking to the locals, they state that Tulum law prohibits large resorts to be built on the beach. The place that I stayed at was called Cabanas las Conchita. With only eight cabanas connected to a private beach that overlooked crystal clear blue water, it was definitely paradise. The Cabanas las Conchita is also an environmental-friendly resort. They recycle and use low flow showers and toilets. They also have one small generator to supply electricity to the cabanas, which get turned off at 10pm and are not turned on until 7am the next day; not to worry though, the cabanas supply you with candles. This gives the nighttime a very romantic feel with the soft light from the candles lighting your room and the waves crashing in the background. But try to wake up early because the room comes with free breakfast!
The main attraction in Tulum are the Mayan ruins. The Tulum ruins may not be as impressive or as large as the other ruins of Mexico, but they are by far the most beautiful. They sit on top of a 15 meter high cliff that over looks the Caribbean. Tulum was a small Mayan city that mainly dealt in trade from the sea, which was the only way to get to the city during those times. Tulum is one of the best preserved Mayan sites in Mexico; it is truly a beautiful place to see. If you stay in one of the cabanas, it is only a short stroll to the ruins.
If ancient Mayan sites aren't your cup of tea, don't worry! The ruins are not the only thing to do there. There are cenotes (natural underground freshwater pools) that are perfect for snorkeling or scuba diving. The stalactites make the cenotes look so mystical; the way the low light shines off of them, they almost glow.
Of course there are also the usual spa treatments that make it even more relaxing - I recommend the Mayan mud massage. So if you want a peaceful, tranquil get away then Tulum is your place.

- Matt Palmer, LtW Contributor

For more on Tulum, check out these sites:
Different World Tulum Guide
Tulum.com

More great travel blogs!

2006-05-03T20:14:00.000-04:00

We are in the process of trying to beef up our Travel Blogs section and have been vigorously scoring the internet in search of the best travel blogs around. We've virtually toured the world from Mexico to Jordan and are pleased to bring you these new travel blogs:

Two Wanderers: Neil and Kathy are on a mission to trek from Cairo to Budapest, stopping in places like Jordan, Syria, Greece, and Romania along the way. This blog has some great pictures and Neil and Kathy do a good job of putting their experiences into words.

The Global Trip: 2004: Freelance writer Erik R. Trinidad took off in October of 2003 for a 16 month, 95,000 mile journey that took him through 35 different countries. This blog is a diary of his experiences during those 503 days. But for all those who like to read travel blogs in real time, as the trips are actualyl happening, have no fear - Erik is at it again, this time Trippin' to Timbuktu for a few weeks to satisfy his travel bug.

...as we continue to add more great travel blogs we will begin to divide them into easy-to-access regional sections, so that if you are planning on trip to Thailand and would like to read about someone else's experiences you can surf on over to the Asia section and start reading!

Happy travels!

Trekking Latin America

2006-04-28T01:30:00.000-04:00

As someone who has had an (inexplicable) obession with Latin America for years now, I always love hearing about someone else's travel experiences south of the border. I myself spent 4 months living and studying in Quito, Ecuador, and have also been to various parts of Mexico. Anyways, I thought I'd point out these three incredible travelogues:

- Funchilde, a self-described crazy black chick, is currently winding her way through Mexico and headed south after quitting her job, putting her worldly possessions in a storage unit, and hitting the road with Shorty Rock, her much-maligned but trusty vehicle.

- Megan Lyles and Michael Simon, who have spend the better part of year working their way from New York City through Central and South America. Last I checked they were somewhere south of Cuenca, Ecuador. Megan's incredible writing coupled with Mike's photography pretty much makes you feel like you are traveling with them on a free vacation.

Check out all three travelogues/blogs, and feel free to comment! All three of them can provide excellent advice for anyone considering a trek of their own.

Africa Trekking

2006-04-27T22:58:00.000-04:00

Check out this company, African Routes, if you're interested in trekking adventures in Africa. They have some pretty incredible intineraries, including an expedition to see Mountain Gorillas in Uganda and Rwanda and a cross-continent trek that goes from Cape Town to Cairo in 2 1/2 months. I've been looking into the Capetown-Cairo trek for almost a year now and I'm hoping to finally go sometime next winter or spring. These trips are fairly reasonable as well because as a traveler you help set up and take down the camps, clean up after meals, etc., thereby cutting down on the cost of having 6 or 7 porters. For example, the entire Capetown to Cairo trip would cost $5000 or less for 2 1/2 months of travel. Anyways, check out the African Routes webpage and see what you think! A link to their site will also be added to the Travel Resources link section.

Be a traveler, not a tourist,
Matt L.

This one time...

2006-04-27T22:53:00.000-04:00

There's a new section on the message board called "This one time..." - go here to post some of your favorite travel stories. They might be gut-bustingly funny or your scariest experience ever, but you know you want to tell them!

Also, stay tuned for some of our first guest contributors!

Calling all travelers

2006-04-21T13:00:00.000-04:00

Learn the World is looking for some help! Specifically:

- Moderators for the different sections of the message board, preferably someone who has had extensive travel experience and/or lives(lived) in one of the areas.

- Reviewers: Learn the World invites anyone and everyone to submit reviews of travel destinations, guidebooks, travel websites, etc. Reviews can be e-mail to learntheworld@gmail.com - all that we ask is that you keep your review to one typed page or less.

- Links: anyone who runs a travel blog or travel site and would like to see it included here just e-mail learntheworld@gmail.com and we'll consider adding it to our blogroll.

Thanks, and happy travels!

Message Board up and running

2006-04-21T12:43:00.000-04:00

Ok so Learn the World now has a message board for people to share their stories or ask questions, you can check it out here. I apologize for the ads on the board, I had to use a free hosting site for now. I swear I'll become more proficient in HTML code and computer stuff this summer and try to host it all on this site instead of using off-shoots.

So yeah...go message!

Flickr Account!

2006-04-21T01:40:00.000-04:00

Learn the World has a new Flickr group! You can check out some of the photos here.

If you'd like to join Learn the World's Flickr group just send an e-mail to learntheworld@gmail.com - put "Flickr account" in the heading and provide your full name.

Coming Soon!

2006-04-21T01:37:00.000-04:00

Here are some things to look for in the near future here at Learn the World!

- Global Crossroads: a message board for travelers to use to pose questions, get advice from other travelers, and share their experiences

- Reviews: keep an eye out for reviews of travel websites, travel guides, and other travel-related literature

- Weekly Get-Away: every week a new suggested itinerary for a fun and exciting destination will be posted. Some weeks it might be for a day trip, others it may be for a month-long trek.

Welcome

2006-04-21T01:30:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Learn the World, an online resource and blog for young, independent, and adventurous travelers! This blog was created to unite travelers from all over the world so that they could give and get travel advice, share their stories and photos, and become more aware of the world around them.

Learn the World's Mission:

- To provide up-to-date, relevant, and credible information and advice to young, independent, and adventurous travelers.

- To provide a forum in which travelers can share stories and photos, give advice, and receive feedback on upcoming travel plans.

- To promote a better understanding of the world around us through travel.

A LtW Traveler

is young, independent, and adventurous
is open-minded
is globally aware
posseses a deep desire to experience new cultures
is not afraid of going off the beaten path

Welcome to Learn the World!

Who Are We?

2006-04-20T16:17:00.000-04:00

Learn the World is travel website/blog put together by young travelers from across the globe. They are bound together by a desire to see the world, a deep commitment to cross-cultural understanding, a perhaps a little bit of a crazy streak. To get in touch with the folks here at Learn the World just shoot an e-mail to learntheworld@gmail.com or contact individual contributors by their personal e-mails.

The Learn the World Administrators/Contributors are:

Matt Lardie, 22 - General Administrator
Hometown: Simsbury, CT

Travel Experience: I've traveled to Europe (France, Italy, Monaco, Vatican) and all over the United States and Western Hemisphere. I lived and studied in Quito, Ecuador for four months and have also been fortunate enough to spend 10 days in Cuba. Some of my favorite spots in the States are Vermont, New York City, the Florida Keys, and the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

Travel Philosophy: I travel so that I can learn and grow as a person. I deeply believe in cultural understanding through experiencing new cultures, not just stopping in to say hello. I love to take myself out of my comfort zone and in the future would like to travel to places no sane person would go (some dream trips are to Iran, Iraq, Ethiopia, cage-diving with Great Whites in South Africa,Antarctica, trekking from South Africa to Egypt, and driving the Pan-American Highway). My goal is to visit every single continent and then work on all the countries.

Favorite Travel Quote: "Be a traveler, not a tourist" - Anthony Bourdain