IS ZACK BACK?

ABOUT ME

Hello!  I am Zack......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!

ABOUT THIS SITE

As you navigate through this website, there are a few things I think are important to point out:

• I typically only cover places that I have actually seen or experienced myself.  If I include anything that I haven't seen in person, I will be sure to note that so you can research it further.

• My travel style tends to focus more on the outdoors, scenery, and nature side of things.  I both 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 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 would like suggestions about where to stay and/or eat in certain places, I am more than happy to answer those types of questions!

MY MAPS

In the dropdown menus 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 or linked) to refer to on your trips.  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 four sections:

• Top Sights & Must Sees:  These are the things I feel are worth going out of your way for and should definitely be included in your trip if at all possible.

• Cool Spots & Stops:  These are the places that are worth visiting if you are nearby, into that sort of thing or have extra time.

• Favorite Hikes:  My favorite hikes are typically ones that result in a better payoff in terms of scenery/views or are unique in some way.  I don't "rate" my hikes in terms of difficulty because what may be considered easy for one person might be strenuous for another (or vice-versa). Individuals obviously need to make their own hiking decisions based on their abilities, interests and fitness levels as well as factor in other conditions like the distance, weather, elevation and altitude of a hike.  You can also check out my HIKING TIPS for much more information on the topic.

• Places I Haven't Been:  This category is somewhat self explanatory, but I wanted to include some of those other places that are popular, unique and/or interesting so you can research and decide if you want to include them for yourself.