What is your biggest dream?
I have always responded, "to travel the world". As time continues to speed by, this goal may not lose importance in our lives but start to seem less and less possible.
Travel is one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves. But, this dream will be unlikely until we take the initiative to make it come true.
Off the coast of Italy and Marseille lies the beautiful island of Corsica. I was lucky enough to visit Corsica when I was younger and I will not forget it. Although Corsica is still part of France, it was given limited autonomy in 2001.
When I researched this island that is known for its diverse sights and landscape, there was not much that I could find. That was until I found out that it is gaining recognition as the murder capital of Europe. I then tried to dig a little deeper about this and I found this opinion article that is worth reading. Also, click on the links because they really give great background information!
Today, it seems like Russia often catches the world's eye for some reason. The latest story is that Russian Vladimir Putin tightened the government's grip on the country a little more. Without much notice, Putin had the power to cripple a news agency that was more independent than I guess he liked. But on a larger scale, Ukraine has been split in half. Masses upon masses of Ukrainian citizens have been protesting their President Victor Yanukovich and his decision to reject discussions of joining the European Union. This anger has been bubbling since the Orange Revolution in 2004, where Ukrainians protested the rigged presidential election, which Yanukovich won. Yanukovich has leaned toward sticking with the powerful and influential Russia. Although this article (the Ukraine link) is more opinionated, I think it was interesting how it theorized that "Russia, on the other hand, has used the dire need of Ukraine for immediate cash injections to promote its own integrationist project, the Eurasian Union."
Because of all of these governmental changes, travel is not necessarily impacted negatively. With a population of 143 million and the actual country being huge, there should still be doubts to shooting down all ideas of traveling to Russia because of politics. But, travelers are advised to go to Russia with caution and only visit certain areas.
Something that I have not discussed very much is travel for educational purposes. Particularly, traveling to a country to learn a language is such a great idea. Students today are more and more being encouraged to immerse themselves in the language and culture of another country. Spanish, the second most native language in the world actually beats english and follows english.
Spain has a population of approximately 40 million people and its currency is the Euro. What I never knew was that the country has the 7th largest economy in the world and its coastline has had many problems with drug trafficking. But, there are many different regions of Spain that each have different characteristics.
Although there are many regions of Spain many people choose to visit its capital and largest city, Madrid. But, this website discusses the hidden gems of the rest of the country.
In terms of politics, I had never known that the different regions are quite autonomous and there is not a huge emphasis on federal power. Yet, at the same time the democracy of Spain overall has been questioned by its citizens overall since its increase in austerity. (This was a very interesting article!) Further, Spain happens to be the largest entryway for drug trafficking into Europe.
UPDATE: The world and his home country truly remembered just how much Nelson Mandela contributed to the world.
Here is a fantastic summary of Nelson Mandela's life:
The New York Times great recap of his speeches, life, and major contributions:
At the age of ninety five, the revered and sage Nelson Mandela passed away. I know that this is a travel blog, but the country of South Africa would be very different if it were not for the actions and inspiration of Mr. Mandela. His obituary can attest to his leadership in the antiapartheid movement, peace, and equality. Regarding his Nelson Mandela's death, the author of his autobiography writes, "Nelson Mandela was always uncomfortable talking about his own death. But not because he was afraid or in doubt. He was uncomfortable because he understood that people wanted him to offer homilies about death and he had none to give. He was an utterly unsentimental man. I once asked him about his mortality while we were out walking one morning in the Transkei, the remote area of South Africa where he was born. He looked around at the green and tranquil landscape and said something about how he would be joining his "ancestors". "Men come and men go," he later said. "I have come and I will go when my time comes." And he seemed satisfied by that. I never once heard him mention God or heaven or any kind of afterlife. Nelson Mandela believed in justice in this lifetime."
Because it is the most populous and the third largest state in the United States, California could be considered an American gem. With fifty eight counties, it seems like it would be hard to not find something enjoyable to do. Some of the events that tourists travel to see are the Palm Springs Film Festival, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival, and much more.
Economically, California has been one of America's biggest concerns, particularly in regard to state debt. An article (updated seven months ago) argues that California's growing population partly due to incoming young innovators has caused a boost in the economy. But, the downside is that these youthful individuals will one day become older and want to settle down. Because of the ease of the government's gridlock that has been noticeable, I think that this article has a lot to say for how the economy has been doing with recent government changes. Although the author's left-sided opinion does have an influence, it is interesting how the raise in taxes of the wealthy has not caused a catastrophe for the state overall.
But, before visiting you may want to contemplate where exactly you would like to visit. Every Californian knows there is a huge cultural difference between northern California and southern California.
Before discussing another destination, I found this fantastic collection by the New York Times. It covers so many places worth traveling to in an incredibly organized fashion and includes pictures, maps, etc. The first on the New York Times' list, is Rio de Janeiro. But, you may not know that Rio de Janerio is not Brazil's capital.
For anyone who finds BuzzFeed to be fun to read, the website makes an entertaining and convincing argument to travel to Brazil. But, there are resources for readers that would like a more substantive discussion of the advantages of Brazil. This website highlights some interesting facts about Brazil, including that it hosts part of the Amazon Rainforest.
Speaking of the Amazon Rainforest, did you know that "around 80% of the food we eat originally came from rain forests"? Even worse, the rain forests are "being destroyed by 1.5 acres every second". The facts are staggering!
Speaking of Brazil's economics, it is important to remember that the Olympics are being held in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. The economic gap between the lower and upper classes is quite prominent, but doesn't that sound familiar? America might benefit by noticing the demonstrations held by Brazilians to protest the economic inequality. For some more background information on the efforts occurring in Brazil, check out the New York Times contributed this!
For more on the 2016 Summer Olympics, did you know that technically there are being hosted in four locations? (One of which are Rio de Janeiro.)
You may not know this, but Canada is one of the world's biggest countries. Canada is also big in the sense that it has so much to offer. Here is a map to get better acquainted with where Montreal, Quebec, Toronto, and other major areas are:
If you had never known, the capital of Canada is Ottawa.
For a Canadian perspective, one Canadian believes that these are the country's hidden gems. On the other hand, there are various American perspectives on what the differences are between America and Canada. But then again, it might not be worth it to compare the two countries. For some lighter reading, the Canadians do have reasons to be proud of their country.
