Michael W. of NY, USA

4. Featured Traveller 
(United States of America)

MichaelW Travels

Special Educator

Brooklyn, New York, USA

"Never stop Exploring"

Michael is a travel addict who loves exploring the world and finding great deals to get him to the places he visits.  He loves learning about foreign cultures, interacting with locals, checking out architecture, seeing animals in their natural habitat, trying local foods and taking photos along the way!

He is an active person, always on the move. I am not surprised  as he does like to run, workout, bike ride, watch baseball games....and travel.  

Ayuthaya THAILAND

He has travelled to at least 49 countries and still has India, mainland China, Sri Lanka, Laos, Burma, Argentina, Ecuador, Mauritius, Balkan countries, and more of Africa on his list of future travels.  He tends to love all the places that he has visited for different reasons, but does not intend to go back to these countries as he believes there are too many other places in the world to see.  

To have a place to post his photos, talk about travel & travel deals, he created the blog MichaelWTravels http://michaelwtravels.blogspot.com/ to highlight the details of his journeys. To our fellow travellers, I have the pleasure of introducing a friend from Brooklyn, New York, Michael W.  

And this is Michael's travel story.....

Budapest HUNGARY

I used to say that I would love to visit every country in the world, but that's not a realistic goal.  My goal for now is to visit at least 100 countries!  When I am on a journey, I prefer to get around by walking and using public transportation. I like taking public buses and trains with the locals. Taxis can be very expensive and not much quicker than public transportation.  I really love Tuk-Tuks,  a small passenger vehicle that resembles a three-wheeled motorcycle with a metal or canvas frame used in many countries around the world. I even paid to get to drive one around a town on Lake Atitlan, Guatemala with my wife and the driver in the backseat.  

A little adventure is always fun when visiting new places.  Things that I have done in some countries that I find exciting are....

• Rio de Janeiro, Brazil ~ Canopy tour in the Tijuaca Forest
• Auckland, New Zealand ~ Harbour Bridge Climb
• Waitomo, New Zealand ~ Caving trip to Tumu Tumu Toobing
• Auckland, New Zealand ~ Canyoning and Abseiling in the Waitakere Ranges
• El Valle de Anton, Panama ~ Canopy Adventure Zipline Tour
• False Bay, South Africa ~ Great White Shark Cage Diving 
• Amazon River, Colombia ~ Piranha Fishing
• Bwindi Impenetrable Forest N.P., Uganda ~ Gorilla Trekking
• Jinja, Uganda ~ White Water Rafting on the White Nile
• Torres Del Paine N.P., Chile ~ Hiking in Chilean Patagonia

Jumping in Petra JORDAN

Jumping in Pictures ~ It's a lot of fun to take and you definitely end up with some interesting shots.  I started jumping a few years back when asked if a picture I posted on Virtual Tourist could be used for a collection being made of jumping pics. My good friend Norman, who is now popularly known as 'JumpingNorman' has a massive collection of jumping pictures.  Some he takes but most are sent to him from travellers living all over the world. After checking out some of his pictures, I thought it would be fun to start jumping, mainly when travelling.  You may send your jumping pictures too and let's jump together with JumpingNorman right here! 

While away from home, it is nice to eat somewhere familiar.  McDonalds' menus in each country vary which is pretty interesting.  I was impressed with the Maori wood carving decoration in McDonalds-Rotorua, New Zealand.  

Traditional Hat in Vienna AUSTRIA

The souvenir that I always try to buy in every country is a shot glass.  I was surprised that I did not find this in Thailand as you can buy almost anything possible among the street vendors and shopping malls. I also collect hats from around the world.  While shopping for a hat in Vienna, I was interviewed by a reporter and then quoted and had my picture in the local newspaper.

When travelling, I always look for different experiences that I can have interacting with animals.  It can be as simple as visiting a zoo, feeding a stray dog or taking a picture with someone's pet.  There are a few things that really stand out....

• Sydney, Australia ~ Featherdale Wildlife Park.  The highlight was getting to feed kangaroos, wallabies and emus
• Chiang-Mai, Thailand ~ The Elephant Conservation Centre. There is nothing like feeding an elephant or bathing one in a river.  The money you spend here goes to a great cause - all of the elephants living here were rescued from various abusive conditions.  
• Stellenbosch, South Africa ~ Cheetah Outreach - My wife and I got to interact with a king cheetah. What an amazing animal!
• Crystal River, Florida ~ The only place in the world where it is legal to swim with manatees. This was a unique and unforgettable experience
• African Safaris ~ Amazing experiences and wildlife spotting in Namibia, Kenya & Uganda

  

  Snorkeling with Manatees in Florida USA

  
  

When people tell me I am so lucky to travel so much, I tell them that they can do it too, and ask what is holding them back?  Here are a few tips that I would give to anyone interested in planning a trip....

• Do your research ~ Don't buy a guidebook and assume you are prepared. Read travel tips online and post questions to travel forums
• Invest in a compressible pillow ~ Sleep is essential when travelling and you don't want an uncomfortable pillow in a hotel that will keep you awake all night
• Buy a couple of convertible, zip-off pants as it will save you room in your backpack and come handy for varying weather
• Remember,  a trip is an investment in your time and money; have an idea of what you want to see and do to make your trip a success

 Some of the countries I have visited are......

Hungarian Folk Ensemble - Budapest HUNGARY

USA ~ Canada ~ Mexico ~ Guatemala ~ Honduras ~Panama ~Brazil ~Chile ~Colombia ~ Easter Island ~ Peru ~England ~ Scotland ~ Austria ~ Belgium ~ Czech Republic ~ Denmark ~ Estonia ~  Finland ~France ~ Germany ~ Hungary  ~ Italy ~ Latvia ~  Lithuania ~ Luxembourg ~ Netherlands ~ San Marino ~ Slovakia ~ Spain ~ Sweden ~ Turkey ~ Vatican City ~ Cambodia ~ Hong Kong ~ Macau ~ Thailand ~ Vietnam ~ Egypt ~ Kenya ~ Namibia ~ South Africa ~ Uganda ~ Israel ~ Jordan ~ United Arab Emirates ~ Australia ~ French Poynesia ~ New Zealand ~ Antigua & Barbuda ~ Bahamas ~ Netherlands ~ Antilles ~ Puerto Rico ~ Saint Maarten ~ Virgin Islands

 

There you go fellow travellers!  If you have not been to some countries mentioned above, visit MichaelW Travels. Make plans and get some tips, good deals, and interesting stories. 

Are you a traveller who would like to share your travel story with our blog and our readers?  Then, I'd love to hear from you!

Please email me at fromatravellersdesk@gmail.com

Related Blogs:
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Featured Traveller #2 Macit from Istanbul TURKEY
Featured Traveller #3 Aida from Manila PHILIPPINES
Featured Traveller #5 Marie from Sydney AUSTRALIA
Featured Traveller #6 ChrisKo from Vienna AUSTRIA 
Featured Traveller #7 Jeff from Winnipeg Manitoba CANADA  
Featured Traveller #8 Noreen from Cologne GERMANY
Featured Traveller #9 Armie from Manila PHILIPPINES
Featured Traveller #10 Nelieta from Cordoba ARGENTINA
Featured Traveller #11 Bojo from Quezon City PHILIPPINES 
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Featured Traveller #14 Jeroen from Hoogeveen The NETHERLANDS
Featured Traveller #15 Angel from Iloilo City PHILIPPINES
Featured Traveller #16 Zara from Kuala Lumpur MALAYSIA
Featured Traveller #17 Kwan from Bangkok THAILAND
Featured Traveller #18 Jørn Eriksson from Oslo NORWAY
Featured Traveller #19 Cecille from Glasgow SCOTLAND
Featured Traveller #20 Marysia from Warsaw POLAND
Featured Traveller #21 Sharon from Geneva SWITZERLAND        
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Featured Traveller #23 MoeAmine from Algiers ALGERIA
Featured Traveller #24 Ruxandra Ioana from Brussels BELGIUM
Featured Traveller #25 Darwin from Rizal PHILIPPINES
Featured Travellers #26 HiOporto from Oporto PORTUGAL
Featured Traveller #27 Drew from Seoul SOUTH KOREA
Featured Traveller #28 Steven from Lowestoft ENGLAND
Featured Traveller #29 Anje from Knysna SOUTH AFRICA

Featured Traveller #30 MichaelJ from California USA

Featured Traveller #31 Phebe from Singapore City SINGAPORE

Featured Traveller #32 Brad from Georgia USA

Featured Traveller #33 Antonis from Athens GREECE

Featured Traveller #34 Julio from California USA

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Featured Traveller #37 Michael Angelo from Cavite PHILIPPINES

Featured Traveller #38 Omar from Casablanca MOROCCO

Featured Traveller #39 Keith from Singapore SINGAPORE

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Watch for these blogs! 
They all have been travelling for many years and I can guarantee that all of them have travel tips that all of us can learn and benefit from.  I have to thank all other fellow travellers who have responded to my invite.  I will definitely publish your stories as soon as I have completed the details.