Published December 2023 This November, I took the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bike across India in luxury. What? Yes, you heard that right. And with 430 of my coworkers from Backroads! Each year, the active travel company where I work offers an all-staff bike ride in a different part of the world. Last year, I missed the …
5 Best Places to Paddleboard Around Mammoth Lakes
I lived in Mammoth Lakes, California for over a year and I can honestly say the paddleboarding location options there are abundant. Here, I’ll share my 5 favorite spots to paddleboard around Mammoth Lakes. Lake Mary: Accessible and Easy Lake Mary is the most popular spot to paddleboard around Mammoth Lakes. It’s stunning and easily …
Jumping Out of a Plane at 15,000 ft in Glenorchy
I had the opportunity to go skydiving in Glenorchy, New Zealand, recently, and for some strange reason, I went. Before jumping out of the plane, a wave of calm ran over me and it felt like I was mindlessly grocery shopping or driving a route I know really well. Nothing was going through my mind. …
Venturing Around Otago: Glenorchy and Moke Lake
After one of my first days in Queenstown, after work, my friend/co-worker, Maz and I headed up to Moke Lake to take a walk. We drove alongside Lake Wakatipu and crept higher in elevation. It was so stunning. The views of the lake and the mountains behind it in every direction are stunning. Once we …
Venturing South From Lake Taupo to Wellington
Wellington is an upbeat, young and hip city. After spending time in Auckland, which was more globally-minded and posh, Wellington was a breath of fresh air. From diverse food and street art to sweeping city views and terraced landscaping, Wellington had character. On our way down, we stopped at Lake Taupo for coffee and saw …
7 Trail Runs in the Hudson Valley for Spring, Summer and Fall
When I lived in the Hudson Valley, I fully embraced my passion for trail running. I’ve been using MapMyRun to map my runs and create a collection of my favorite trail runs from the area. I thought this would be a good resource for others to have and for me to look back on. Additionally, …
Sniffing Our Way Around Rotorua, New Zealand
Certain places have a distinct and lingering smell: New York notoriously smells like garbage, Fez, Morocco smells like leather tanneries (dead animals), and Rotorua, New Zealand smells like sulfur. At first, I could barely smell the sulfuric odor, but the closer we got to the hot pools the more pungent the odor. As Nick and …
Traveling South from Colombia to Argentina: 6 Countries and 14 Cities
Hey! I’m Mariana. A 21 year-old girl from Mexico majoring in environmental sustainability. I’m a passionate traveler and foodie. I spent the past month traveling across South-America with a couple of friends. We went from Mexico City all the way down to Bariloche in the Patagonia. We visited 6 countries, 14 cities and travelled more …
Exploring Antelope Canyon
On my road trip across the United States, I stopped at Lower Antelope Canyon. After spending the night at Lake Powell in Utah (see this adventure here), Nick and I woke up bright and early and headed out to Lower Antelope Canyon in Arizona. The only way to visit the canyon is to go through …
New York to Atlanta: Cross-Country Road Trip Part One
In 11 days, my boyfriend and I drove from New York to California, hoping to find the best food, most interesting places and manage to fit in some of the best hikes. We ended up having a really rewarding adventure. Day One: Nick and I left Tivoli on Sunday morning and spent the afternoon playing …