IS ZACK BACK?
A place to share my travel experiences
A place to share my travel experiences
Hello....I am Zack. I am a full time teacher who is fortunate to have a job I enjoy very much. In addition, my job thankfully is one that also gives me the time and opportunity to do some of the other things I'm passionate about: travel, photography and hiking. Travel for me has been life changing in so many ways. It has given and taught me so much about myself and others, and I love sharing my travel experiences and stories. What started out first with family and friends asking me for travel tips has now motivated me to create this site so that I can share my experiences with many others. Hopefully I can help inform and inspire you to travel more..........thank you for visiting!
As you navigate through this website, there are a few things I think are important to point out:
I usually only cover places that I have actually seen or experienced myself. If I do include anything that I haven't seen in person, I will be sure to note that so you can research it further.
Typically my travel style tends to focus more on the outdoors, scenery, and nature side of things. I appreciate and enjoy experiencing the culture, people, customs and history of different areas around the world (many of the best things about traveling), but with my photography interests I often spend much more time on things related to scenic nature.
As a teacher, a majority of my travel occurs during our summer months (June - Aug). Travelers should always keep in mind that weather, operating hours and many other factors can change significantly depending on the season and time of your visit.
On this site I will rarely include specific food or lodging recommendations because every traveler has their own needs when it comes to eating and sleeping. Although sampling different foods is absolutely one of my favorite things in the world about traveling, what I like is not always what you may like. And while accommodations can sometimes help make or break a trip, every traveler has different preferences and budgets so I decided to leave those areas out (unless I feel it's something really worth including). That being said, if you have do want suggestions about where to stay and/or eat in certain places I am more than happy to personally answer those types of questions!
In the dropdown menu I have sharable Google Maps for many of the places I've visited around the world for you to use (or not) if you like. The maps can be taken with you (printed, downloaded and/or online) to refer to on your trip. Or you can even make a copy so that you're able to edit and add/remove markers to customize it for your own travel needs. Most of my maps will be broken down into the following three sections:
Must See's: These are my don't miss sights. Places in this category I feel are worth going out of your way for and should definitely be included in your trip!
Cool Spots & Stops: These are the places that are worth visiting if you are nearby, into that type of thing or have extra time.
Favorite Hikes: This category is somewhat self explanatory. I don't "rate" my hikes on difficulty because what may be considered easy for one person might be strenuous for another (or vice-versa). My favorite hikes are typically ones that result in a better payoff in terms of scenery/views or are unique in some way. Individuals obviously need to make their own hiking decisions based on their abilities, interests, fitness levels and factoring in other conditions (weather, elevation, altitude, etc).