Peru is an ancient land, with one of the richest histories, and limitless beauty. A spiritual land, with majestic ruins, temples that arouse wonder, culture that inspires, and natural surroundings that will leave you speechless! A Peruvian adventure tour is an experience that you will savor for your entire lifetime.
Peru's Nazca Lines
A tour of Peru is the most perfect way to maximize your visit. A journey that takes you through the historical spots, and not forgo the hidden paths will please any traveler. The spirit of exploration will take over, allowing you to immerse yourself fully within the culture, the sites and the incredible environment.
Peru is home to not just awe-inspiring ancient cultures, but also to a very beautiful modern culture as well. The way of life is brilliant, with a reverence to both nature and the arts. Peruvian clothing is sought after all over the world- the vibrant colored parkas, dresses, tunics and ponchos created from shorn alpaca are a Peruvian signature. Tourists find that native clothing is often the best choice because it suits the climate so well.
Machu Picchu is considered one of the world’s seven wonders, and it goes without question as to why! Its majesty is unmatched, and its beauty is unparalleled. Machu Picchu tours can include visiting the famous Lake Titicaca, the ruins of Sacsayhuamán, the amazing Inca Trail. For the athletes, hiking the Cordillera Blanca trail is a definite must!Not only will your eyes be greeted with scenes of the gorgeous, snowy Andes mountains, but also incredible glaciers, and lagoons formed by melting glaciers. The ancient Nazca Lines, echoing the lost culture of the Nazca people, with their mysterious designs, are a sight to be cherished.
Peru is seriously a spectacle for the eyes, soul, and heart. You will never be the same after!
Head-butts! Elbows to the ribs? Fist fights and tire bashings to the head! Illegal performance-enhancing drugs? Seven-time champions throwing in the towel! Is this WrestleMania? No, just the 2010 Tour de France. Ah, la vache!
The Tour de France isn’t just a bicycle race. It is a physically demanding marathon
that spans over 2,000 miles and 20 days. At the end of each day, or stage, the cyclist with the lowest time gets to wear the famous yellow jersey. The race goes throughout France and boarding countries, with a good portion of the event navigating mountains.
The physical and mental pressure can be daunting. This sometimes leads to riders getting severely penalized for infractions. Just ask Mark Renshaw who was thrown out of the tour for head-butting Julian Dean on the final sprint of stage 11. Not just once, but three times! This aggressive maneuver helped Renshaw’s teammate Mark Cavendish win the stage. Hooray for teamwork!
“I went to a fight and a bike race broke out.”
That joke is reserved for hockey, but its relevance can satirize any sport. Who would of thought that Carlos Barredo would take off his bike tire and use it as a weapon? Certainly not Rui Costa who allegedly elbowed him in the ribs on stage 6. After the two riders cleared the finish line, Barredo wielded his wheel and whacked Costa. Punches were thrown by both opponents and officials had to pull them apart. Both cyclists were fined for their behavior, but not disqualified.
Riders are more likely to get stripped of their title and banned from the sport due to doping. Doping is using illegal performance-enhancing drugs to gain a physical advantage. This controversy is almost as old as the tour itself and has plagued the sport. Seven-time Tour de France champion, Lance Armstrong, has many accusations against him, but has never tested positive for steroids (other than a Cortisone topical skin cream). He has never been sanctioned.
Armstrong made an announcement this year that this tour would be his last. After multiple crashes during stage 8, his run for the 2010 title was over. He continued to finish and place 23rd overall. As they say in France, “C’est la fin des haricots.” That’s the end of the beans.
Now that Lance Armstrong has bid his final adieu to the tour, it’s time for a replacement. I recommend starting slow, maybe a scenic ride through the south of France. Here you will get a taste of French culture.
http://gallery.me.com/zotutor#gallery
Bike tours through Provence offer scenic wonders that range from historic medieval towns to a vast countryside blooming with orchards and vineyards. Visit the vibrant artist community of St-Rémy where Vincent van Gogh painted his famous masterpiece, The Starry Night. During this leisurely ride you don’t have to worry about taking performance-enhancing drugs, other than fine French wine of course. After this jaunt around Provence you’ll be feeling like a tour racer in no time. You might even throw in a head-butt or two.
In 1812, somewhere between Damascus and Cairo, desert Bedouins spoke of a legendary city. The magnificent ruins of this ancient city were all that remained of a powerful trade center that linked Western civilization and the Far East. Fluent in Arabic, young Swiss explorer Johann Burckhardt, set out to find this fabled crossroads.
Upon learning that the shrine of Aaron, Moses’ brother, was located near the city, Burkhardt devised a plan to pose as a Muslim traveler. He convinced Bedouins to lead him through the inaccessible Sharra Mountains so he could sacrifice a goat for religious purposes. His Bedouin tour guides escorted him through the Valley of Moses (Wadi Musa) that bisects the city and into an extremely narrow winding chasm (the Shiq), 2200 yards long. Like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, he came out of the gorge with an eye full of the spectacular rock temple of El Kazneh. Its name translates to the Treasury, referring to the myth that the Pharaoh hid his riches in the urn-looking ornament atop the stone façade while on the pursuit of the Jewish exodus. The temple is more than a 100 feet tall and craved out of the red sandstone cliff. His discovery was a reopening of the great city of Petra, which was lost in time for 300 years.
Before Burkhardt’s adventure, the last known history of Petra was a Crusader fortress built in the 12th century, but to the upset of archeologists, there was no Holy Grail. Burkhardt’s guides became suspicious and he had to exit Petra before witnessing the impressive El Deir. El Deir, also referred to as the Monastery, is sculpted out of an isolated mountainside with a meticulous chiseled rock face that towers 147 ft and spans 164 ft wide. The doorway alone rises 26 feet. This is believed to be a tomb and also later served as a church as different empires took control of Petra.
Around 312 BC Petra became the capital of the Nabataean kingdom. The city flourished as a crossroads to the Orient. Other major trade routes intertwined Gaza, Syria, Persia, and Europe. The Nabataeans achieved remarkable hydraulic engineering systems such as dams and other water conservation methods. Later on when the Roman Empire took control, they joined in the rock carving tradition and cut out an amphitheatre with a 3,000 person seating capacity. Throughout the centuries, Petra has become a necropolis, embedded with vast historical tombs that have become archeological and tourist treasures.
Petra supposedly harbors the tomb of Miriam, the sister of Moses, but her location has been lost over the years. Also, it is the alleged biblical site where Moses struck rock and water sprung forth. This rose-red city has recently been listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the World and you don’t have to be as daring as Indiana Jones or Johann Burckhardt to discover its beauty. Tours to Petra and the near by Dead Sea are fun and exciting without the need to trick any Bedouin tour guides, and you can leave the sacrificial goats at home.
Antarctica is naked. Considered a desert, this white wasteland barely gets 8 inches of rain on its 5.4 million square miles of thick ice. Not many things can live on the coldest, driest, and windiest place on Earth. Human inhabitants are nonexistent. Except for the nudist colonies.
Antarctica will get you nude. The continent doesn’t have a real population, but the scientists at the various research stations through out Antarctica like to partake in nude activities. At the South Pole American station, Amundsen-Scott, they sit in a 200-degree (F) sauna on the first day the outside temperature drops below -100. Then they go streaking around the South Pole marker. They feel the 300-degree drop in seconds. This colony is called The 300 Club for obvious reasons. The Australians have a “Blitz Run” at their stations where the loser of a bet or dare has to take a nude run around the base. Though the craziest of them all might be the New Zealand scientists, or Vandals, at the Vanda Station. When the summer air gets up to a sweltering 15 degrees, these crazy Kiwis skinny dip in 38 degree Lake Vanda! The Royal Lake Vanda Swim Club does allow socks however; human flippers will stick to the ice. Tuxedo-clad penguins aren’t the only Antarctic residents dressed, or should I say “undressed”, to party.
Antarctica has feathers. The Feather Star and Sea Pig (sea cucumber) are tiny creatures that float through the surrounding sea, fulfilling their niche in the food chain. Check out the Daily Green for more weird and fascinating pictures. You’re more likely to see penguins, seals, and whales on an Antarctica vacation, even though those weird creatures wouldn’t be the strangest sight on this continent.
Antarctica pukes blood. From five stories up! Blood Falls is located on Taylor’s Glacier and slowly spews blood red liquid that is pumped up by a salty lake beneath the ice. When this iron rich water hits the surface, the oxidation rusts the iron forming the blood red color. Researchers have found microorganisms surviving in this ancient subglacial lake with no oxygen. They believe that the microbes might have adapted to use sulfate to breathe the iron. This could be an explanation on how life survived when Earth froze over hundreds of millions of years ago or give astrobiologists hope for finding subsurface life on other planets with harsh environments like Mars. Not all life on our planet breathes oxygen.
Antarctica breathes smoke. It’s alive! Or better yet, it’s active. Mount Erebus, located on Ross Island, is Antarctica’s only active volcano with low level frequent eruptions. Erebus’s 12,448 ft summit has a continual lava lake, but skinny dipping is not recommended.
Antarctica will get you high. Its tallest mountain, Vinson Massif, is relatively easy to climb because of gradual slopes, little snowfall, and 24 hours of daylight. Experienced guides cook food and set up camp as you spend a couple days hiking up the mountain. Just don’t watch the horror movie The Thing before your trip. If you can handle the extreme cold this would be the trip of a lifetime. Imagine reaching the 16,067 foot summit and looking out over the breathtaking Antarctic plateau and surrounding mountains. Tell your friends you wore crampons and watch their eyebrows rise.
what have we learned? Antarctica is nude, pukes blood, has feathers, breathes smoke, and will get you naked and high. Ready to sign up? Check our our guided tours in Antarctica here.
A selection of infamous islands from around the world which have notoriety. Some are fictional, some are bigger than fiction, and some just plain insane.
1. ANTHRAX ISLAND (Scotland, UK)
Open to the public
If there was one island in Scotland I wouldn’t recommend visiting, it would be Gruinard Island off the North West coast. 80 unfortunate sheep were chosen to visit Gruinard in 1942. These were test subjects for a biological weapons experiment using anthrax. With the fear of Nazis developing similar weapons, the British Army picked an island that they thought was safest for the people, so that they could test the weapons. The poor sheep were left on the island in wooden cases, the first weapon was a 25 pound mustard gas bomb loaded with concentrated anthrax spores, it was dropped from a Wellington bomber. Later explosive devices also released more anthrax on the island. The sheep began to die within a few days. This was all recorded on colour film and was classified up until recent years. Footage shows the sheep being brought to the island, the bombs exploding, and the sheep carcasses being incinerated. In April 1990 after nearly 50 years of quarantine, the island was deemed to fit to walk on again. Although many scientists say that the anthrax still wont be safe for hundreds of years.
Welcome to ‘The Rock’/Alcatraz, the small island prison that sits in San Fransico Bay. This fortress has become infamous due to the fact no prisoner ever escaped. Only a few tried but they were either caught early on, shot by the guards, or drowned. It doesn’t look too far from mainland, but the strong ocean currents are far too much to swim through. The Rock held some of Americas most dangerous criminals. Famous inmates to check in to Alcatraz include Al Capone and George “Machine Gun” Kelly. But the lifespan of the prison was short, spanning less than 30 years. It opened it’s doors in August 1934, and was shut in 1963 by Bobby Kennedy. At 10 dollars a prisoner per day, as appose to 3 dollars at Atlanta prison, it was deemed to expensive. Since closing as a prison it has become a historic site of national recreation. Many films, cartoons, computer games have been set on this island. Other visitors have included Sean Connery and Nicholas Cage in the movie ‘The Rock’.
Al Capone did eventually leave the prison, due to illness. But rumour has it, that he and many of the other inmates are still prisoners on the island, as ghosts. Cell Block D/ solitary was said to be the most haunted, sometimes 20 degrees colder than the other cells. One prisoner was said to have gone in there and started to scream the second he went in. He told the guards there was a set of green eyes staring at him, but they didn’t believe him. After he had stopped screaming hours later, he was found strangled to death in the cell. Spooky! Alcatraz is easily one of the scariest islands on Earth, why not book a tour?
The Galapagos Islands are most famous for their natural beauty, a thousand kilometers from the Ecuadorian coastline they are formed from volcanic rocks and are host to thousands upon thousands of species. Their most famous visitor to date was Charles Darwin in the early 1830’s, where he made some discoveries that would lead him to write On The Origin Of The Species. This book caused much controversy, starting an argument between creationists and scientists about how life formed on the planet. Although evolution and natural selection would have been discovered eventually anyway, these islands are a symbol of how these discoveries started, and how science has made some people question religion.
Did you ever build a sandcastle on the beach as a child and watch it get washed away by the sea? Did you ever think perhaps that castle wasn’t enough? I’ll build an island instead. For Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai, who originally conceived this idea, only The World was enough. The World’s developer is Nakheel Properties and development began in September 2003. The final stone was laid in January 2008. Not quite as fast as God made it, but still quite impressive none the less. The World consists of approximately 300 small man made islands, 4 kilometres off the coast of Dubai. Each is composed mainly from dredges of sand, piled up to form shapes of the major land masses of the World. It measures approximately 9 km in length and 6 km in width. If you have a spare 10 million dollars or so, you can grab yourself an Island, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Even God needed a day off, but he nor the bankers predicted the financial collapse and construction has been put on hold. It has since been described as dirty blobs of sand that will just sink back into the sea as well as the biggest shipping hazard in the Gulf. It was supposed to be paradise, but it looks like lack of money has made these islands an infamous financial disaster.
This fictional island is the last place Brit-gent Edward Prendick expected to get washed up on after he becomes stranded following a shipwreck. He soon realises the pigs, dogs and monkey resembling beastmen are actually genetically modified animals that Moreau has been working on in order to make his perfect human race. Moreau builds a set of laws for the beastmen to abide to including: do not kill, stay with one lady and walk on two legs, not four. Easy for him to say, which is why it’s not long before the beastmen begin to question what they are and start looking for answers. Edward witnesses the beasts becoming so human, some become greedy fro power and start to kill. The island shows a portrait of how ugly humans can get when they are lead by their primal instincts. And questions the borders between man and beast. Ultimately it’s a dark lesson not to fiddle with nature. At the time of publication, Britain scientific community was engulfed in debates about animal vivisection. And following Darwin’s theories of evolution of the species, theories of degeneration were also of much debate.
Nobody has all the answers yet. At first a good old fashioned plain crash leaves a bunch of strangers on a desert island. But within the first episodes we discover there’s more to this fictional island, spawned from the mind of creator J. J. Abrams. As monsters come for them, ‘Others’ are found on the island, and man made objects and ships are found too. What’s going on? Are they in pergitary? Is it a reality television show? Are all their lives some how linked together in some cosmic pattern. We still have to wait for the big answers as the TV series goes on and on. But this island is infamous, and has been a huge talking point over its six series. Hopefully all questions will be answered in 2010.
From this distance, Robben Island just looks like any other small island, but for 400 years men have been banished, isolated and improsened on this island just off the coast of Cape Town in South Africa. Men have lived on the piece of land for thousands of years, but when water caused a 7 km gap between the mainland and island, it was ‘perfect’ to be used as a prison island. It’s only main purposes, other than being a prison, has been in World War II for training, and as a hospital for mentally ill and people with leprosy. But basically, this island is designed to keep everyone away from everyone else. In 1959 it became a maximum security prison. From 1961 to 1991 more than 3000 men were held here as political prisoners including Nelson Mandela, who was held here for 25 years. Since 1994 a Democratic South Afirca has led this site to being a heritage sight but the island remains infamous as a prison, especially after holding Mandela for all those years.
This Australian beach looks fantastic for a nice relaxing sunbath, there’s nobpody around for miles. But you better watch out for the things that creep around in the sea, they might just kill you. The box jellyfish has killed over 60 people in the last 100 years and puts about 40 a year in the hospital too. With the fastest acting venom of any sea creature, you can be dead within 5 minutes of a sting. This is just one of many islands around Autralia and South East Asia where some of the deadliest creatures on Earth exist, making this one of many infamous islands to be scared of. I was going to put Komodo Island here because it’s full of dragons. But you can see them and apparently they’re not even real dragons.
Things got a little scary down at Three Mile Island back in March 1979. At 4:00 AM a series of accidents began on these islands on the Susquhanna River which were responsible for extensive revaluation of the safety of nuclear power. Numerous failures caused a near meltdown to the uranium core which would have resulted in extensive radiation contamination. This was the largest ever incident concerning commercial nuclear powerplants and due to this there have been no plans to build more plants, up until very recently.
Is it bush, on a beach, on an island, made out of platic bottles and bamboo, floating around like a boat, in the sea like a floating man made island? Yes. That’s exactly what Richard Sowa built, the brilliant British eco-pinoeer started off back in 1998 by attaching nets of plastic bottles to rows of plywood and bamboo. I don’t know if he’s been watching that film Water World or just been a big fan of Blue Peter. But before you know it he’d made himself an island. This one’s a little more realistic than the one in Dubai (above) where they remade the world. Once he made the floating island, he pured sand on top and began to grow plants. And there it was, Spiral Island, almost completely eco friendly. With a two storey house, a soar oven and an antique toilet from Argentina, as well as three beaches to chill by. This all happened in a lagoon near Puerto Aventuras, on the Caribbean coast of Mexico south of Cancún. He used 250,000 bottles in total. Sadly the island become infamous as it was blown away by Hurricane Emily and destroyed in 2005. Some people think it ended up making big mess in the sea and not eco friendly at all, but it was obviously never really meant to do that. Accidents happen! He has since built another in Mexico: Spiral Island II.
Imagine being one of the first migrants to ship into New York past the Statue of Liberty, what an inspiring symbol to first see when starting a new life in America. Liberty Island is the place where the famous Statue of Liberty stands. She was presented to the US by the French in 1886 to celebrate the Centennial of the American Declaration of Independence. The statue alone without the pedestal stands at 151 feet. She stands a symbol for everything great America wants to stand for. In films such as ‘The Planet of the Apes’ though, she has become an infamous symbol for the end of days as we know. Liberty Island, being buried deep as apes take over the planet in the future. Luckily the statue still stands today though. Of course, the doors recently had to close following the events of the 9/11 attacks. But in 2004 she reopened to the public. It wasn’t up until 4th July 2009 that the crown reopened to the public.
Laputa is a giant floating rock island from the book Gullivers Travels by Johnathon Swift, the Irish author. The island hovers above it’s neighbouring island, controlled by a giant magnet, with a tyrannous king in charge. It is populated by over educated men who fail to make practical use of their knowledge, the lesser educated become their slaves in this male dominated society, which doesn’t allow it’s women to leave or do much. The island threatens cities on the ground with no rain or sun, by casting a shadow. In the story Laputa threatens the city on the ground, Lindalino. Lindalino eventually overthrows Laputa though. Swift wrote Gullivers Travels as a study of the political and social relationships, or lack of, between governments of the world. Laputa was to represent England. And for Lindalino to represent Dublin. La Puta translates to the whore in Spanish.
The immense Long Island, a land mass that stretches 118 miles from the north east coast of the USA, straight into the Atlantic Ocean. The East of the island contains two suburban counties and the West of the island contain two counties of New York City. Being the most populated island in the States, and having legendary residents like Lou Reed, Robert De Niro and even the infamous Al Capone to walk it’s streets, Long Island has a thousand stories to tell. If you were around in the 1970’s in the town of Babylon, you might have walked into a bar called the Oak Beach Inn, where you may have been lucky enough to try out first hand, Robert (the Rosebud) Butts now legendary Long Island Iced Tea. On the other hand, one place that would have been good to avoid was Henry’s Bar in Amityville. At about half past six, November 13th, 1974, Ronald De Feo, Jr burst in pleading for help, claiming that somebody had shot his parents. De Feo led a group from the barvto his house at 112 Ocean Avenue, the scene of the murder, where his entire family had been massacred. It later turned out that it was De Feo himself who had committed the gruesome crime. A dark family history was later unraveled, and the small town would become infamous for the Amityville Horror. Firstly for the murders themselves, and afterwards, for one of the most infamous haunting in history. Some claim that the house was built on an ancient Indian burial ground and that De Feo was possessed by an evil spirit. This caused numerous books and films to be released, telling us of the dark tale. There’s even a website where you can see photographs from the scene of the crime.
Mate is the national drink of Argentina. Pronounced “mah-tay,” the leaves of the yerba mate plant are steeped in hot water and drank through a metal straw called a bombilla. This caffeinated herb has been used for centuries throughout South America as a stimulant for the mind and body.
The traditional process of making mate is very simple. First, you take the ground dry mate leaf mixture that you buy at the store and fill half or 2/3 of your gourd, thermos, or ox horn. Then put your palm over the top and turn it upside down. Shake the gourd so the mate mixes up. When you are done keep the gourd tilted on its side so the mate is sloped. The mixture should be all on one side with the powder on top and bigger leaves on bottom. Next, leaving the mate mashed up to one side of the gourd, pour cold water in the other side (the gap) so it can soak for a minute. Follow this up with hot water, but not boiling. Stick your bombilla in the bottom and enjoy! Add more water as needed. Metal bombillas, stainless steel or silver, have a filter built in so you don’t have to worry about sucking up leaves. The first couple sips can be a bit bitter and some people add sugar to sweeten the earthy taste.
You could take a cultural tour of Argentina without leaving the house, but I recommend traveling to Buenos Aires to get a real feel of the impact this drink has on the society. In this country, friends throw mate parties where the host serves up one gourd and passes it around, everyone drinking from the same bombilla. This may appear unsanitary, but this custom is highly respected and forges an intimate bond. Also it is common to see people on the streets sipping from the traditional gourd or from a thermos. Cafés are mate hangouts where Argentineans socialize, read, or study just like coffee shops in the U.S.
Mate vs. coffee? Mate has more health benefits than coffee and without the jitters or crash that many people complain about. Mate has more vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids, and other health boosts that keep the body sound and vigor. It has less caffeine than coffee, but with the combined nutrients, mate stimulates the body with a nourishing effect that will not add stress to the mind or muscles. This combination of beneficial strengths is often called mateine.
Yerba Mate is prepared much like tea and can be purchased in tea bags or dry ground leaves and stems. Your mate selection depends on your own preference. A popular brand is Guayaki, which sells all kinds of variations including already brewed cans and bottles with various fruits. It can be drank by oneself or shared with friends and family. Enjoy mate with your roommate, soul mate, or even your inmate. Whether you are looking for a coffee alternative or just bored out of your gourd, go ahead, grab some mate and a bombilla and get a taste of Argentina.
20 Years ago no travel company would have ever thought there would be a market for people who want to spend their precious vacation time helping out others. But as any long time traveler knows, you can only participate in so much hedonism and fun, while seeing poverty, before you start to feel like a dickhead. Many of the more serious travelers – those that take multiple trips per year and usually longer then 3 or 4 weeks – are now mixing fun with volunteer trips; or for our clients adventure volunteer trips.
But time changes everything, especially peoples perspective and attitudes. I read a blog comment a while ago from a person who claimed “All projects where you pay money to volunteer are scams”. But the case for paid volunteer trips are easily made. Those that want to volunteer need to understand they aren’t paying to work. Volunteer tour operators provide services, to different degrees, that should benefit you and the community that’s being helped. As with most reputable volunteer tour service providers we provide the following;
* Help planning and making the travel arrangements
* Transportation, airport transfers, and accommodations
* Side trips and guided tours (our trips combine both volunteer time and time for outdoor activities )
* Meals & language assistance
* A onsite employee who is familiar with the community and can help if issues arise.
Yes travelers can do these things and set up their own plans on their own, as they can with any kind of overseas adventure. However, just as with regular vacation planning, many individuals prefer to let an experience and reputable company put the plans in place for them and rely on the security and expertise they provide.
While volunteer trips continue to rise in popularity, would be philanthropists need to consider their expectations of how they will benefit the community. I’ve met quit a few travelers hoping to go somewhere and make a difference, only to feel overwhelmed as though their help is only a drop in the ocean. But making a difference in one life and with one community has long term effects that we just can’t measure. I hope this trend continues and the companies that participate continue to leave a positive impact, instead of commercializing an industry for the sake of just profit.
Sir Richard Branson purchased Necker Island, part of the British Virgin Islands, for a mere £180,000 in the late 70s. It was when his now-thriving mega-company, Virgin, was only six years old. That was the cheap part: for the next three-years, Branson worked on turning the island into a Mecca of relaxation for his high-profile musical clients, spending over $10 million on Balinese-inspired villas utilising local stones and woods. Today, the island routinely plays host to up to 28 guests, who can enjoy the use of a personal chef, private beaches, and tennis courts. The island’s rent runs at $53,000 a day, and it is a frequent hangout of A-listers such as Janet Jackson, David Beckham, Oprah, Mariah Carey, Michael Douglas, and Steven Spielberg.
2. St. Tropez
While it isn’t a private island, St. Tropez has always been a quiet getaway location for frazzled celebrities who want to temporarily escape from the limelight. This beautiful French coastal town has an untouchable quaint charm and has on of the most beautiful ports in all of Europe. It can get crowded during the summer months, but the rich and famous can still get that much-needed relaxation in St. Tropez by staying at the über-exclusive Chateau de la Messadiere, whose suites run at an impressive €1262 a night. This gorgeous coastal town is a regular getaway location for Kylie Minogue, Hugh Grant, and Paris Hilton.
3. Anguilla
Another location that is open to the general public, yet remains an extremely popular celebrity escape, is the island of Anguilla, in the Lesser Antilles. If this is the Lesser Antilles, it’s hard to image what the Greater Antilles might look like. One thing’s for sure: it would be a sight too great for any man to behold, and would probably melt your face off like that guy in Raiders of the Lost Ark. The is home to a slew of exclusive hotels, spas, and restaurants, and its beaches are considered some of the most beautiful in the world. It’s no wonder that it’s such a popular hideaway for stars like Drew Barrymore, Kate Winslet, Liam Neeson, and Robert DeNiro.
4. Little Halls Pond Cay, Bahamas
Little Halls Pond Cay steps things up a notch from the previous entries on this list. Like Necker Islands, it is a privately owned patch of green in the dark blue, but this time it is intended for the sole use of one man (and his family and friends), Johnny Depp. Depp and wife, Vanessa Paradise, settled on the property in 2004, when the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise was in full swing and Depp was feeling particularly nautical. Depp has stressed to the press that the island is run on 100% green energy, and the actor is even know to do his own gardening and topiary. The famed actor, notable for his dislike of attention from the press, has reputedly given his reclusive island hideaway it’s own unique nickname: F**ck Off Island.
5. Tetiaroa Atoll, French Polynesia
Not to be outdone by a young upstart like Depp, Marlon Brando, from 1965 until his death in 2004 at age 80, was the proud owner of an entire atoll that’s comprised of 13 separate bodies of land. Brando fell in love with the French Polynesian region after shooting the film Mutiny of the Bounty, and the flame never died. In what can be either described as sad or exciting, the island has been acquired after the actor’s death by Tahiti Beachcomber SA, a hotelier that intends to develop a mega resort on the island (which they intent to simply dub, ‘The Brando’) to be open to (disgracefully rich) members of the public.
6. Île Gagnon, Quebec
To Celine Dion, these tropical islands that everyone is going bananas (or coconuts) for are so passé. She, instead, used her millions of dollars of wailing-money purchasing the small island of Île Gagnon, Quebec, in her native Canada. Dion is one of the highest paid entertainers in history, and lives with her manager-turned-husband René Angélil. With this beautiful French-style chateau, there is no doubt that her house will go on.
7. Wakaya Club
The Fijian island of Wakaya was acquired in the seventies by businessman, David Harrison Gilmour, who saw the island as a great investment opportunity. He couldnt have been any more right. The island features the eponymous resort, the Wakaya Club, occupies a respectable 2200 acres and is home to up to eleven couples at any one time. But if you spread that over 2200 acres it’s like sprinkling grains of sugar on Rosie O’Donnell – they not going to encroach on one another. The island has play temporary home to the likes of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, and Keith Richards.
8. Fleming’s place
Want to stay at a place called ‘Goldeneye’ that was owned by none other than James Bond Ian Fleming himself? Of course you do. If you don’t, immediately contact your doctor and in the meantime check yourself for a pulse. Goldeneye, a beautiful villa that Fleming called home during his long stay in Jamaica, has all the tropical charm you would want in a private hideaway and has been visited by celebs such as Sting and Johnny Depp. We can only imagine that they spent the majority of their time at Goldeneye running around humming the James Bond theme with their hands in the shape of that iconic Walther PPK, rolling around corners and just generally getting into mischief. The villa also has it’s own full-sized screening room so you can watch everything from Dr. No to Quantum of Solace. Just skip the ones with Timothy Dalton or George Lazenby.
9. George Clooney’s Italian Villa
George Clooney’s Italian villa (named Oleandra) is the stuff of legends and almost as much a darling of the paparazzi as the star himself. Clooney is known to spend months on end hunkered down in his gorgeous 18thcentury villa, situated on Lake Como in Laglio, northern Italy — and when you have a girlfriend who looks like this, why the hell wouldn’t you? Though Clooney also was known to share his villa with a complete pig, literally: an honest-to-god pot-bellied pig named Max who hailed from Vietnam and lived with the actor for most of his (the pig’s) 18-year life. His swine companion isn’t the only odd thing about Clooney’s Italian escape: just this July, masses of undetonated World War II hand grenades, mortars and aircraft bombs were found in the waters surrounding his villa, only 50 feet from the star’s back steps. Did that phase Clooney? Of course not: ‘This is not the first bomb I’ve experienced.’
10. Musha Cay, Bahamas
Musha Cay is a beautiful collection island in the Bahamas owned by famed magician and above-average-batter David Copperfield until he decides to make it disappear on television and use the proceeds to buy an even bigger island, and so forth. The group of islands cost Copperfield a respectable $50 million — meaning he’ll have to keep plugging away at those magic shows to make his money back. Maybe he should just make the smallest, crappiest one disappear. The Island, besides being a regular hangout for Copperfield during his down times, is also able to accommodate 24 guests with losing its air of isolation. On top of Musha Cay’s obvious luxury, Copperfield claims that the fountain of youth has been discovered on the island group. Hey, would a magician ever lie?
11. Eden Rock
Eden Rock in St. Barths is one of the most famous celebrity hideaways in the world and looking at the villas and their lush and beautiful surroundings, it’s definitely no surprise that Eden rock is such a popular getaway for the likes of Tom Hanks, Mick Jagger (the second Stone on the list), and Lorne Michaels. The villas all have their own names, the most two popular of which are Villa Rockstar and Villa Nina — where John Lennon recorded the song ‘Imagine,’ one of the most influential rock songs of the 20th century. The location is especially popular in the winter due to its mild climate and the variety of activities on offer.
12. Mango Island — Mel Gibson
It’s hard not to love Fiji, and the Australians love it in particular, given that it’s one of the only countries that isn’t one trillion miles away from them. It’s not surprising that Mel Gibson, one of the country’s most insane prolific actors, decided to buy his own little slice of heaven in Fiji: Mango Island. It is indeed shaped like a mango, though it’s also shaped like a goat’s bladder, but the former works much better as a name. Maybe Joosarnto Cay would have worked as well, but Gibson has already been in enough hot water. He purchased the island in 2005 for a reputed $9 million for the extremely spacious 5,400 acre island, making it one of the largest privately owned islands in the pacific. Mel swears he isn’t going to destroy any of the island’s natural beauty, just maintaining a simple residence for him self and planning the film Braveheart II: Scotsmen of the South Pacific.
13. Rooster Cay
Rooster Cay is a beautiful little island in the Bahamas and very close to the nation’s capital, Nassau. Its owned by Eddie Murphy, one of the wealthiest actors in the entire world and one of the funniest stand-ups of all time. Murphy purchased the property in 2007 for $15 million, making it stand out even amongst this group of who’s who housing for it’s tremendous cost, especially considering its relative size at a mere 15 acres. There is a lot of speculation over whether Murphy will retain the island as a private getaway location or venture into some sort of villa rental scheme like many others on the list. One thing’s for sure: the Raw beauty of the island is almost unmatched, and the feeling of jetting off to a home the Bahamas instead of Coming to America sounds just fine to us, we’d be happy Trading Places with Murphy any day.
14. Shania Twain
Murphy’s lavish spending only just outstripped that of fellow superstar Shania Twain, whose pop-country sound catapulted her to stardom in the late 90s and eventually saw he having the best selling album of all time by a female solo artist at over 39 million records sold. Shania payed an amazing $14.1 million for a property in New Zealands south island where she now lives for a good portion of the year. The property is a staggering 61,000 acres, making it the largest property on this list be a ridiculous margin. Originally, Twain planned to tend Merino sheep on the station with her (now former) husband Robert ‘Mutt’ Lange, but most of the attention in developing the property was payed to developing a hiking trail for the public. New Zealand officials were very hesitant in selling the piece of land to Twain, fearing an eventual landslide of celebrity ownership that would see the natural beauty of the land tarnished by excessive construction. Yet Twain and her then-husband knew exactly what to say, and sweet-talked their way into the purchase by promising to build the aforementioned trail, which took an entire three days to complete.
15. Chateau Miraval
Brangelina are the darlings of the media at the moment, garnering more attention from the press than the Hindenburg strapped to the Titanic getting eaten by Godzilla who’s having an affair with Tiger Woods. The latest portmanteau couple have been spending a lot of time in the south of France recently and sources say they have signed a three-year lease on the magnificent Chateau Miraval, situated near Aix-en-Provence, following several helicopter trips to scout out properties. We’ve all heard of window-shopping, but copter-shopping — that’s a new one. The amazing chateau comes with it’s own vineyard, a lake, a pool, a moat, and 35 bedrooms. Some estimate its value at up to $70 million. Brad and Angelina have some company nearby, too – Bono, Edge, and Johnny Depp all have properties nearby. One last fact to put this place into perspective – it’s bigger than the Whitehouse. Brangelina are living in a home bigger than that of the leader of the free world — and his is filled with tons of annoying staffers, while the celeb couple only have a bunch of maids and someone to walk their children for them.
A look into some of the exclusive holiday destinations of celebrities.
Ah, Summer. The nice weather, beaches, multi-million dollar resorts… Okay, so not everyone gets the luxury of a lavish vacation. However, there are a lucky few who are not only able to afford billion-star hotels and private chefs, but their own private island as well. While we’re out enjoying the local beach this summer, many celebrities are the only one on shore — and prefer to keep it that way. Here are fifteen extravagant and reclusive vacation spots.
Sir Richard Branson purchased Necker Island, part of the British Virgin Islands, for a mere £180,000 in the late 70s. It was when his now-thriving mega-company, Virgin, was only six years old. That was the cheap part: for the next three-years, Branson worked on turning the island into a Mecca of relaxation for his high-profile musical clients, spending over $10 million on Balinese-inspired villas utilising local stones and woods. Today, the island routinely plays host to up to 28 guests, who can enjoy the use of a personal chef, private beaches, and tennis courts. The island’s rent runs at $53,000 a day, and it is a frequent hangout of A-listers such as Janet Jackson, David Beckham, Oprah, Mariah Carey, Michael Douglas, and Steven Spielberg.
While it isn’t a private island, St. Tropez has always been a quiet getaway location for frazzled celebrities who want to temporarily escape from the limelight. This beautiful French coastal town has an untouchable quaint charm and has on of the most beautiful ports in all of Europe. It can get crowded during the summer months, but the rich and famous can still get that much-needed relaxation in St. Tropez by staying at the über-exclusive Chateau de la Messadiere, whose suites run at an impressive €1262 a night. This gorgeous coastal town is a regular getaway location for Kylie Minogue, Hugh Grant, and Paris Hilton.
Another location that is open to the public, yet remains an extremely popular celebrity escape, is the island of Anguilla, in the Lesser Antilles. If this is the Lesser Antilles, it’s hard to image what the Greater Antilles might look like. One thing’s for sure: it would be a sight too great for any man to behold, and would probably melt your face off like that guy in Raiders of the Lost Ark. The is home to a slew of exclusive hotels, spas, and restaurants, and its beaches are considered some of the most beautiful in the world. It’s no wonder that it’s such a popular hideaway for stars like Drew Barrymore, Kate Winslet, Liam Neeson, and Robert DeNiro.
Little Halls Pond Cay steps things up a notch from the previous entries on this list. Like Necker Islands, it is a privately owned patch of green in the dark blue, but this time it is intended for the sole use of one man (and his family and friends), Johnny Depp. Depp and wife, Vanessa Paradise, settled on the property in 2004, when the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise was in full swing and Depp was feeling particularly nautical. Depp has stressed to the press that the island is run on 100% green energy, and the actor is even know to do his own gardening and topiary. The famed actor, notable for his dislike of attention from the press, has reputedly given his reclusive island hideaway it’s own unique nickname: F**ck Off Island.
Not to be outdone by a young upstart like Depp, Marlon Brando, from 1965 until his death in 2004 at age 80, was the proud owner of an entire atoll that’s comprised of 13 separate bodies of land. Brando fell in love with the French Polynesian region after shooting the film Mutiny of the Bounty, and the flame never died. In what can be either described as sad or exciting, the island has been acquired after the actor’s death by Tahiti Beachcomber SA, a hotelier that intends to develop a mega resort on the island (which they intent to simply dub, ‘The Brando’) to be open to (disgracefully rich) members of the public.
To Celine Dion, these tropical islands that everyone is going bananas (or coconuts) for are so passé. She, instead, used her millions of dollars of wailing-money purchasing the small island of Île Gagnon, Quebec, in her native Canada. Dion is one of the highest paid entertainers in history, and lives with her manager-turned-husband René Angélil. With this beautiful French-style chateau, there is no doubt that her house will go on.
The Fijian island of Wakaya was acquired in the seventies by businessman, David Harrison Gilmour, who saw the island as a great investment opportunity. He couldnt have been any more right. The island features the eponymous resort, the Wakaya Club, occupies a respectable 2200 acres and is home to up to eleven couples at any one time. But if you spread that over 2200 acres it’s like sprinkling grains of sugar on Rosie O’Donnell – they not going to encroach on one another. The island has play temporary home to the likes of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, and Keith Richards.
Want to stay at a place called ‘Goldeneye’ that was owned by none other than James Bond Ian Fleming himself? Of course you do. If you don’t, immediately contact your doctor and in the meantime check yourself for a pulse. Goldeneye, a beautiful villa that Fleming called home during his long stay in Jamaica, has all the tropical charm you would want in a private hideaway and has been visited by celebs such as Sting and Johnny Depp. We can only imagine that they spent the majority of their time at Goldeneye running around humming the James Bond theme with their hands in the shape of that iconic Walther PPK, rolling around corners and just generally getting into mischief. The villa also has it’s own full-sized screening room so you can watch everything from Dr. No to Quantum of Solace. Just skip the ones with Timothy Dalton or George Lazenby.
George Clooney’s Italian villa (named Oleandra) is the stuff of legends and almost as much a darling of the paparazzi as the star himself. Clooney is known to spend months on end hunkered down in his gorgeous 18thcentury villa, situated on Lake Como in Laglio, northern Italy — and when you have a girlfriend who looks like this, why the hell wouldn’t you? Though Clooney also was known to share his villa with a complete pig, literally: an honest-to-god pot-bellied pig named Max who hailed from Vietnam and lived with the actor for most of his (the pig’s) 18-year life. His swine companion isn’t the only odd thing about Clooney’s Italian escape: just this July, masses of undetonated World War II hand grenades, mortars and aircraft bombs were found in the waters surrounding his villa, only 50 feet from the star’s back steps. Did that phase Clooney? Of course not: ‘This is not the first bomb I’ve experienced.’
Musha Cay is a beautiful collection island in the Bahamas owned by famed magician and above-average-batter David Copperfield until he decides to make it disappear on television and use the proceeds to buy an even bigger island, and so forth. The group of islands cost Copperfield a respectable $50 million — meaning he’ll have to keep plugging away at those magic shows to make his money back. Maybe he should just make the smallest, crappiest one disappear. The Island, besides being a regular hangout for Copperfield during his down times, is also able to accommodate 24 guests with losing its air of isolation. On top of Musha Cay’s obvious luxury, Copperfield claims that the fountain of youth has been discovered on the island group. Hey, would a magician ever lie?
Eden Rock in St. Barths is one of the most famous celebrity hideaways in the world and looking at the villas and their lush and beautiful surroundings, it’s definitely no surprise that Eden rock is such a popular getaway for the likes of Tom Hanks, Mick Jagger (the second Stone on the list), and Lorne Michaels. The villas all have their own names, the most two popular of which are Villa Rockstar and Villa Nina — where John Lennon recorded the song ‘Imagine,’ one of the most influential rock songs of the 20th century. The location is especially popular in the winter due to its mild climate and the variety of activities on offer.
It’s hard not to love Fiji, and the Australians love it in particular, given that it’s one of the only countries that isn’t one trillion miles away from them. It’s not surprising that Mel Gibson, one of the country’s most insane prolific actors, decided to buy his own little slice of heaven in Fiji: Mango Island. It is indeed shaped like a mango, though it’s also shaped like a goat’s bladder, but the former works much better as a name. Maybe Joosarnto Cay would have worked as well, but Gibson has already been in enough hot water. He purchased the island in 2005 for a reputed $9 million for the extremely spacious 5,400 acre island, making it one of the largest privately owned islands in the pacific. Mel swears he isn’t going to destroy any of the island’s natural beauty, just maintaining a simple residence for him self and planning the film Braveheart II: Scotsmen of the South Pacific.
Rooster Cay is a beautiful little island in the Bahamas and very close to the nation’s capital, Nassau. Its owned by Eddie Murphy, one of the wealthiest actors in the entire world and one of the funniest stand-ups of all time. Murphy purchased the property in 2007 for $15 million, making it stand out even amongst this group of who’s who housing for it’s tremendous cost, especially considering its relative size at a mere 15 acres. There is a lot of speculation over whether Murphy will retain the island as a private getaway location or venture into some sort of villa rental scheme like many others on the list. One thing’s for sure: the Raw beauty of the island is almost unmatched, and the feeling of jetting off to a home the Bahamas instead of Coming to America sounds just fine to us, we’d be happy Trading Places with Murphy any day.
Murphy’s lavish spending only just outstripped that of fellow superstar Shania Twain, whose pop-country sound catapulted her to stardom in the late 90s and eventually saw he having the best selling album of all time by a female solo artist at over 39 million records sold. Shania payed an amazing $14.1 million for a property in New Zealands south island where she now lives for a good portion of the year. The property is a staggering 61,000 acres, making it the largest property on this list be a ridiculous margin. Originally, Twain planned to tend Merino sheep on the station with her (now former) husband Robert ‘Mutt’ Lange, but most of the attention in developing the property was payed to developing a hiking trail for the public. New Zealand officials were very hesitant in selling the piece of land to Twain, fearing an eventual landslide of celebrity ownership that would see the natural beauty of the land tarnished by excessive construction. Yet Twain and her then-husband knew exactly what to say, and sweet-talked their way into the purchase by promising to build the aforementioned trail, which took an entire three days to complete.
Brangelina are the darlings of the media at the moment, garnering more attention from the press than the Hindenburg strapped to the Titanic getting eaten by Godzilla who’s having an affair with Tiger Woods. The latest portmanteau couple have been spending a lot of time in the south of France recently and sources say they have signed a three-year lease on the magnificent Chateau Miraval, situated near Aix-en-Provence, following several helicopter trips to scout out properties. We’ve all heard of window-shopping, but copter-shopping — that’s a new one. The amazing chateau comes with it’s own vineyard, a lake, a pool, a moat, and 35 bedrooms. Some estimate its value at up to $70 million. Brad and Angelina have some company nearby, too – Bono, Edge, and Johnny Depp all have properties nearby. One last fact to put this place into perspective – it’s bigger than the Whitehouse. Brangelina are living in a home bigger than that of the leader of the free world — and his is filled with tons of annoying staffers, while the celeb couple only have a bunch of maids and someone to walk their children for them.
A series of famous big and small screen filming locations along with their Google map locations so you can visit them for yourself.
Have you ever watch a film and thought, “WOW! That place looks amazing. I would love to visit it.” Or perhaps you feel like your life won’t be complete until you have had your photo taken on Forest Gump’s bench. The following are a list of filming locations along with their Google map locations so you can visit them for yourself. We offer adventure tours in quite a few of these area’s as well.
1. The Beach
The Movie: The beach is a film about a young backpacker visiting Thailand. However, upon visiting he hears of a beautiful untouched paradise free from tourist traps. He searches and finds the story to be true, but he ends up in a paradise which turns nasty.
The Location: This film was shot on the island of Koh Phi Phi Lehin, which is located in Thailand, between the large island of Phuket and the western Alderman sea. However, the film became involved in controversy when the director did not think the beach was beautiful enough and embarked on a little cosmetic surgery. He widened the beach and removed any plant life that he deemed to be ugly. The film company is now involved in a multi million dollar law suit due to alleged permanent damage to the eco system.
TV Series: Lost is TV series with more twists and turns than a curly whirly. A plane crash strands a group of passengers on a strange island complete with Polar Bears, a Smoke Monster, and a hostile local population.
The Location: The Film is shot on Oahu, the third largest island of the Hawaiian Island chain. Surprisingly, the majority of the filming for the whole show was shot on the Island, this Includes scenes set in California, New York, Iowa, Miami. South Korea, Iraq, Nigeria, United Kingdom, Paris, Thailand, Berlin and Australia. However, the expense of filming the show on this Island has made it one of the most expensive TV series ever.
The Movie: The story is set around a beautiful blue lagoon located on a tropical island where two children become stranded. It stars a young Brooke Shields. As the two children become older and begin to mature, they begin to fall in love with each other.
The Location: The Blue Lagoon is actually located in Jamaica in a small enclave where the sea mixes with a cold-water spring. This effect gives you a strange warm-cold feeling when you swim in it. The locals say this lagoon isbottomless. They also believe that a dragon lies asleep at the bottom!
The Movie: One of Stanley Kubrick best films, The Shining is a spine chilling watch. A couple along with their young son become caretakers of a large hotel over the winter months. However, the hotel has a grizzly past and the dad goes slowly insane.
The Location: The exterior of the hotel used in the shining was The Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood in Oregon. In the book, it was actually room 217, which was haunted, but the management requested that Kubrick change it fearing that no one would want to stay in the room ever again. In the final film, the script was changed so the haunted room was 237, which does not exist.
The Movie: Indiana gets into trouble again tracking down lost artifacts that belong in a museum. In this film, he is trying to find some magical glowing stones that were stolen from a village. Oh yea, and their kids who were kidnapped to work in a mine. His investigations take him to a temple run by a weird cult planning terrible things.
The Location: The majority of the film was shot in Kandy, Sri Lanka. India denied allowing the film to be shot because the government thought the script was racist.
The Movie: Bill Murray is a local TV show weatherman who is sent every year to the small time of Punxsutawney along with the rest of the area’s weathermen. He is sent to see if a shadow cast by a groundhog will indicate if spring is just around the corner of if winter is set to last another 4 weeks. He ends up trapped, reliving the same day over and over again. At first, he see this as a blessing, No matter what he does, he ends up waking up in the morning guilt and injury free. He uses this new power for good by seducing women, robbing banks, and doing all the things he always wanted to do.
The Location: SHADOWS OR GROUNDHOGS CANT PREDICT THE WEATHER. Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania is a place you could visit, though I don’t think it has much excitement to offer apart from this one archaic ritual.
The Movie: The Amityville Horror is based on a true story where a family move in to house at 112 Ocean Avenue, Amityville. However, 10 months ago there was a gruesome murder where the father of the previous family who lived there killed the whole family. The new family is plagued by a series of paranormal activity.
The Location: This movie was actually based on a true story. The film based on the book was written by Jan Anson based on the testimony of the family who lived there. The Family knew of the murders when they moved in, but they went ahead with the purchase thinking it to be a bargain. They did get the house blessed when they moved in, and the priest who did the blessing said he heard a ‘get out’ just as he was about to leave. While the family lived there, they experienced a catalogue of paranormal activity including:
While the mother was in bed, she would received red welts on her chest (The mother was shot)
There were cold spots and the smell of perfume or excrement where there was no source of smell,
The house was plagued with flies, even in the winter months.
The house is still there, so you can visit it if you dare. Perhaps if you are a little macabre and like the paranormal, you should put in an offer on the house and move in. I must warn you, when the family finally moved out the paranormal activity followed them.
The Movie: James Bond attempts to prevent the destruction of the free world by stopping the hijacking of a nuclear space weapon by a former fellow agent who has gone bad. So it’s the usual Bond story, guns, babes, and bare knuckle fight action. The opening sequence sees James Bond battling the forces looking to do harm to the UK and its allies. The movie was filmed around the Arecibio radio telescope in Puerto Rico.
The Location: The Arecibio radio telescope is the largest single aperture telescope in the world, measuring some 300 ft across. It is located near the city of Arecibo, Puerto Rico and is run by Connell University.
The Movie: A film is set in the future where everyone lives in a utopian paradise. There is just one catch; you have to die at 30. However, some people aren’t happy at this ‘arrangement,’ so when they are close to 30 they decide to run. These are referred to in the film as “runners” and it is the job of sandmen to catch them. The storyline is based around a sandmen sent to infiltrate the organisation which is helping people to run away. However he finds everything he is told is a lie, and he himself becomes a runner.
The Location: This location is the one you see when the runners are trying to re-enter the city. It is actually located at Fort Worth Water Gardens, Texas. It was built in 1974, and was designed by noted New York architects Philip Johnsonn and John Burgee. This location is described as a water oasis in the centre of the urban jungle.
The Movie: Forest Gump is a film about a man who is a bit simple but has a good heart. He manages to achieve some amazing things during his lifetime including meeting several presidents, becoming a war hero, founding a shrimp company, and Apple.
The Location: The Famous bench on which the film is set is located on Hull Street, Chippewa Square, Savannah, Georgia, USA. However, you can no longer sit on it as it is now housed at the Savannah History Museum.
11. Back the the Future (The Burger King outside of where doc brown lives)
The Movie: A young Michael J. Fox makes friends with an eccentric scientist who has developed a time machine housed in an old Delorian. He goes to the past and he changes something. When he returns, the present is radically different. This is an example of the butterfly effect. He then embarks on a three-part adventure putting right all the mistakes he has made. It also looks like gene pool of Hill Valley is remarkably small.
The Location: In the film, Doc brown lives in a garage next to burger king. The burger king is located on North Victory Boulevard, Burbank, California, and is still there if you fancy a visit popping in for a whopper.
The Series: The Prisoner is a British film series shot in the late 60s centering around a former British agent. After indicating his interest to resign from the secret service, he becomes imprisoned in a strange seaside village where is captors try to find out why he resigned. He is imprisoned with all sorts of other inmates who seem to be from varied cultures and social statuses. No one has any names and instead, everyone is referred to as a number (hence the famous phrase. “I am not a number, I am a free man”). The majority of the series follows the main character trying to escape and to find the mysterious ‘number one’
The Location: Primarily the filming took place at the Hotel Portmeirion in Penrhyndeudraeth, North Wales. There has been a lot of speculation about what the series was actually about. Unfortunately, the creator died before he could spill the beans.
The Movie: Sam Rockwell plays an astronaut in charge of a mining operation based on the moon. He is nearing the end of his three-year contract when after an accident he starts to notice some strange things.
The Location: This is one travel location I wish I could visit but, of course, it was all done on set. Who know, one day we will be able to visit. But I certainly won’t be putting my name down…..too cold!
The news is filled with stories of travelers being stuck in Europe because of the volcanic ash-cloud, but not everyone is distressed because they can’t get back to their regular mundane life. We’re hearing stories of travelers who’ve had to call their bosses back home (in the states) and explain they can’t come back to work because of the volcano “Oh woe is me, I can’t go back to work!”. What’s your boss going to do? Fire you over an act of God?
I wish I was stuck traveling in Ireland, like the youtube video, I’d be looking for some thing fun to do (personally always wanted to surf Ireland.
But traveling is what you make of it. You are bound to get stuck or delayed sometimes and making the best of it is what will determine whether you have happy memories or bitter ones.
that spans over 2,000 miles and 20 days. At the end of each day, or stage, the cyclist with the lowest time gets to wear the famous 
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