We share how you can travel far and wide without breaking the bank.
After quitting our corporate jobs in 2021, we wrote down our adventure list of places we wanted to wander around the world. We have a love of backpacking and plan to throw in many of these treks in between relaxing beach trips.
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Thank you for sharing this great beautiful experience in Eleuthera Bahamas also Harbor Island which is where India Hicks the interior designer has her home. Did you guys stayed at a home rental or a air BNB? All the best for Summer 2024.
Yes! I got distracted and forgot to look for the store that sells some of her stuff. Oh well, something to go back for, right? We haven’t been to Spanish Wells either, also another reason to return. For this trip, we did an airbnb that was locally owned. Thanks so much for your great feedback.
In peak season, sites need to be booked ahead as it gets fully booked and you pick a specific site location, marked by the wooden platforms. There’s no wildcamping. Oddly enough, one camp was fully booked but when we arrived, there was only 1 other camper. In low season, you could probably just go to the park office and get a spot, you can see the availability online also.
Air Canada flies direct to HNL once a week seasonally, did it a long time ago but we prefer to stop over usually in either Vancouver or San Fran to break up the flight - it's HARD in economy lol. So I'd say it's your choice really as the cost is usually the same. In low season you can get good rates ($650-700 CAD return per person) but flights are getting more expensive these days. We got a free companion ticket with a new CIBC Visa card so you can look into that. Westjet also gives a companion ticket with their RBC Mastercard but I believe you have to a pay partial fee. I have found airlines have the best price 10-11 months ahead of your travel date after which they start to raise prices, then put them on sale for basically the same amount. Use Google flight alerts or Skyscanner to track fares on multiple airlines too.
I was surprised. My viewing preference is normally sparsely populated, rural or wild areas with scenic vistas, history, and local interest. (Molokai, Kauai, and Oahu North Shore earned "likes"). I found Waikiki enjoyable and interesting, especially the "urban" beachscape segment.
Glad you liked it! We met some folks sailing through and they loved the chain of islands - sailors paradise. You should check out ‘An Embarrasment of Mangoes’ book if you haven’t heard of it. Have fun!
Excellent video! I just came back from Eleuthera 2 days ago and amazingly, went to every beach you did except Harbor Island and Eds. (Plus another 14 more!) Current, Ten Bay, Navy and Twin Coves are on the top of my list. Hidden Beach was a 10 minute walk from our house. Tay Bay is up there too and as an FYI is quite a way away east of Preachers and not easy to get to but worth the hike. If you ever go back, Lovers Beach is absolutely stunning. We stayed in Tarpum Bay and even went to the same grocery store (Big Rock) you did. You captured the magic of Eleuthera very well. Too bad Disney has decided to ruin Lighthouse. I was there is 2015 and 2019 and feel blessed to have been able to experience it in its unspoiled state. Nice job.
@@stumblebassstumblebass3661 Disney built a large beach complex/cruise ship port in the undeveloped southern tip of the island. It was hotly contested for many reasons including environmental impact but it pushed forward. A couple locals we spoke to were more cautious/wait and see POV on how they contribute to the economy post-construction. As far as places to stay, it all depends on what you are looking for, budget etc. There are no big hotel chains, or all-inclusive and any luxury accommodations have a more understated elegance. For $$$$, you can look at French Leave resort, The Cove, or on Harbour Island which requires a short boat hop and is more contained where everything is close by. Hope that helps!
Your best bet would be in Governor’s Harbor - try Da Perk on the main road, or Bacchus fine foods. I don’t recall any other places as we ate mostly in for breakfast.
Wow! Amazing video! Thanks for sharing your experiences as well as tips for those of us who are planning to do this as well. We plan on staying in camp pehoe too however it seems like summer months cannot be reserved online. May I know how you made the reservation? Is it ok if there is no advance booking?
Thanks for the great feedback! Do you mean their summer (Dec on) - it may not be open yet for reservations and they close during winter. It is hard to get a hold of someone in the off season but try their whatsapp in a few months or the online booking maybe open then too. Have fun!!!!
I meant summer months in Patagonia. We’re looking at early february. I already messaged them in whatsapp and hoping they would reply. Thanks for answering my queries.
A nicely woven blend of scenery, geography, history, and local culture. What I enjoyed most was the section with a succession of rolling surf seascapes joined by smooth transitions. I hope that in the future you will be able to find more relatively unknown places like Molokai.
Glad you noticed! We were pretty happy with that footage, the waves are mesmerizing to watch. Dreaming up other places to discover too. Thanks so much for the comment.
Big thing you forgot to mention: pretty much no AC in all condos. We thought this wouldn’t be a big issue, but we came on a hot week and barely had any sleep because the trade wind and ceiling fans don’t do much in the way of keeping you cool at night, particuarly if you’re used to sleeping under a blanket.
Oh you’re right, it was very cool at night in February so it wasn’t top of mind but I would agree it’s a deal breaker when looking for accommodations. We’ll pin this for others to read. Thanks so much for your comment.
going to Molokai in September. I can't wait. WE have been to the Hawaiian Islands over 40 times but never to Molokai. We really liked Kauai but it is now too busy for us. We want peace and quiet.
Then you’re going to love it there! September is probably even quieter. Stop by All Things Molokai in town if you can, Dave the owner has a great perspective on the island and is the go-to guy if you want to do anything. Enjoy!
What a nice thing to say! Living the dream, as they say but it takes a lot of planning and budgeting choices in general to do these trips but I (Karen) enjoy the challenge. Dave is the camera guy so it’s a good balance. And definitely grateful that we can do these trips!
great video, even though it isn't a beach one of the hilites of our journeys is the queens baths close to the glass window. hope you got to experience that spot.
Welcome to saint maarteen ...i have a r in my first name like saint maarteen and i am half ancestry of saint maarteen islander . My mom is partlial saint maarteen through one of her last names named collet and so is my dad though his first name walter.
Depends…if you have to take 2 planes to get to Nassau, a couple days there might be a nice stop enroute to Eleuthera. If you are looking for a couple days of busier beach experience, more nightlife etc then that’s Nassau. We haven’t been there in quite a few years so can’t speak to how it is now, other than government travel advisories for it on crime levels which can be avoided eg don’t stay out late in town, don’t wander down dark alleys, the usual. Eleuthera on the other hand is super quiet but if you like searching out beaches, getting away from crowds, then you won’t be bored. You can enjoy both if you have the time. If you have just a week, may not be worth splitting it up. Food for thought to help you decide.
Everytime we go to Hawaii, there’s so much to see and do but we’re learning to not pack the agenda too full because then we’ll have more reasons to go back! Thanks and aloha!
Thanks for introducing me to the North Shore, which is so close to Honolulu yet so different. The laid back, non-city, culture seems ideal for those of us who want more than a "tourist" experience. I've watched your shots of the Banzai Pipeline surfers at least 5 times.
That’s wonderful! The fruit farms in the north will have lots more hopefully and the ocean will be a little calmer in the north. Enjoy your trip and thanks for your feedback.
FYI... Haleiwa=Hah-lay-ee-vah=House of the iwa (frigate) bird Haupia=How-pee-ah=Jello-pudding-like dessert, made from coconut milk & refrigerated Aside from Matsumoto's Shave Ice, checkout Aoki's(across from Matsumoto's) & Kaimana(across from Jenny's) Pa'ala'a Kai=Pah-ah-lah-ah Additional parking can be found in/around Matsumoto's
You’ll have to probably take a boat out because there aren’t any coral reefs close to shore. On the calm side, it’s mostly sandy bottom. There’s little fish here and there but not a lot. Rainbow beach has some rocky ledges at either end of the beach & easily accessible. Twin beach has a rocky area too for fish activity. Gaulding’s Cay at high tide around the little island. Waves are strong on the Atlantic side so didn’t see anyone snorkelling on those.
Yes, as almost everything is imported, both restaurants and groceries are expensive especially for us when converted to Canadian $. Eg a can of ordinary spaghetti sauce of questionable expiry date can be $6-10 USD (ack!) We ate out for some lunches, average $50 for 2. Fish fry is fun, $25 for a fish dinner. Local fishermen can be a good option for fresh fish but we never made it at the right time. I heard on a facebook group that many folks pack their groceries. Some basics would be good to take if you have a kitchen. Beer is reasonable, about $4-5 a bottle at the liquor store - best one is in the Rock Sound plaza where the best grocery is also located but a long way to go if you’re not staying there. Didn’t make it out to dinners as we weren’t inclined to drive at night and none were close by.
I really enjoyed the video, very informative. Do you paid for the tours in US dollars or pesos argentinos? Please advise about the journey on bus from Ushuaia to Chile. Thanks
Glad to hear it was helpful! We paid for the boat tour online with a US credit card as I wanted to make sure we had it reserved. The local bus to the Tierra del Fuego park was paid in pesos. To get to Chile from Ushuaia, we booked Bus Sur to Punta Arenas online. They make stops at a bakery, at the border crossings, on the ferry, all of which had clean toilets. They also give you a sandwich, drink& dessert from the bakery. It went by relatively quickly as there were the stops to break it up. Have fun!
We were there in the summer when this video was taken, the clouds look like they’re going to pour rain but for this 2 wk trip, it only rained once and cleared up quickly. And yes, the east coast (windward side) is windy. June-Oct/Nov is the hurricane season in the Caribbean as well. It is generally a dry (vs lush) island, they don’t grow a lot of produce etc.
This is the best overview of Eleuthera I have seen. Thank you! I will be referencing this for my honeymoon in March. :) Length of clips, music, and speed/tone of narration are all 10/10. This is also the first I’ve heard of the Disney development being built.
wrong fact, the southernmost city in the world is Puerto Williams, since the year 2019, change from a Town to a City, legally and constitutionally by the Chilean State 👍. you can change that to not miss inform 👍. Very cool video, Ushuaia is beautiful
Didn’t know that Puerto Williams was changed to a city status, even with a population of less than 3,000 people. The marketing folks in Ushuaia certainly made use of ‘el fin del mundo’. To your point, we do reference in the voiceover that PW is truly and more accurately the southernmost inhabited place on earth. Thanks for your feedback!
